RTN Costa del Sol Edition 004

FREE!

Your English Newspaper

Issue 004

SAVE 80€ with FREE landline installation SEE PAGE 9

COSTA DEL SOL & GIBRALTAR

roundtownnews.co.uk

16 - 29 JULY 2010

SUMMER SALE NOW ON!

Now open Sundays 10am - 6pm see page 7!

The tragic side of summer Warning signs of heatstroke

What to look for and how to prevent it. The health council publishes helpful advice • p2

Gibraltar will succeed

The transport minsiter defends the Government’s plan to build the new terminal • p4

Faithless

Headline at the L.I.V.E. event at the Bullring in Puerto Banús on July 31st • p13

Summer sunflowers

Top advice from Dick and Clodagh on the benefits on growing sunflowers and the varieties to choose from • p16

Spotlight on professional golf Bubba Watson is a happy chappy after wining his maiden US tour title • p21

As many as possible try to get into these little boats or pateras

by Gabrielle Rey THE COASTS of Andalucía have seen the arrival of more than 700 ‘sin papeles’ (undocumented persons from Africa), and tragically five deaths and ten missing persons

since the beginning of the year.

The tragedy and the drama of the ‘pateras’ (little boats) returned once more last weekend when five people - three women (one pregnant) and two babies - died last Saturday off the coasts of Motril when ar-

riving in search of a better future. Three of the survivors remain in hospital although their lives are not in danger, according to the sub delegate of the Government in Granada, Antonio Cruz.

Continued on page 4

15-21 JANUARY 2010

02

HEAD OFFICE Vall de Biar 14 03530, La Nucia, Alicante Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm TEL: 902 118 999 FAX: 96 585 60 54 mail@rtncostadelsol.com

News and views from the Costa del Sol & Gibraltar

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

email: accounts@rtncostadelsol.com - sales@rtncostadelsol.com - production@rtncostadelsol.com Newsdesk & general enquiries: mail@rtncostadelsol.com

ADVERTISING - ACCOUNTS - DESIGN STUDIO - NEWSDESK

CALL 902 118 999

Sales and reporting team

Managing Director GARRETH WRIGHT 628 932 137 garreth@rtncostadelsol.com

Reporter EDDIE TAYLOR 644 053 332 eddie@rtncostadelsol.com

Reporter GABRIELLE REY 644 053 328 gabrielle@rtncostadelsol.com

Deadline Adverts, copy changes, classifieds, clubs and editorial copy: MONDAY noon for following Friday’s edition

To air your views Letters on any subject are welcomed by the Editor for publication and must arrive by 12 noon on Monday for consideration for the following Friday’s edition. Priority will be given to letters dealing with local issues.

We reserve the right to amend or shorten letters. (RTN accepts no responsibility for readers comments)

Customer service

Psychic oracle octopus

By Claire Voet PSYCHIC ORACLE Octopus named Paul Allen became enormously popular with his predictions for the FIFA Finals 2010. After Spain defeated Germany, Paul has become the talking point of every social network website. He is an online phenomenon and is now one of the most talked about topics on the web. The phrases “Paul the Octopus” and “Pulpo”, the Spanish word for octopus, are both currently in the top 10 global trends on Twitter.

So where did Paul come from? Paul was actually born in Weymouth and moved from the town’s Sea Life Park in 2006 to the Aquarium Sealife in Oberhausen, Germany. Fiona Smith, from Weymouth Sea Life Park, said Paul had never made any predictions during his time in Weymouth. It seems he was saving his hidden talent for the World Cup. However, not everyone is Paul’s fan, he appears to have created a few enemies through his predictions during this World Cup tornament. Argentine chef, Nicolas Bedorrou, was so angry after Paul correctly predicted his team would lose its quarter-final clash with Germany that he suggested a way to cook the octopus. He posted on Facebook: “We will chase him and put him on some paper.

We will then beat him (but correctly!) in order to keep the meat tender and then put it in boiling water.” Paul appears unfazed by this death threat and since then he has received countless others including threats

from German and Dutch fans who blame the octopus for choosing Spain over them. But his keeper, Oliver Walenciak, has vowed to protect him no matter what. Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero, hinted at octopus bodyguards. “I am concerned for the octopus ... I am thinking of sending him a protective team,” joked Zapatero on Radio Cadena Ser. Spanish Industry Minister, Miguel Sebastian, has called for the creature to be given an “immediate” free transfer to Spain to ensure his protection.

For those of you who don’t know how Paul makes his predictions, he predicts the results by opening one of the two flag-covered plastic food containers in his tank. Tanja Munzig from the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen has denied any suggestions that the containers are rigged. She insists there are no tricks, the food is the same, and everything in the two containers are the same, except for the flags.

He has got a good track record. Paul began to predict Germany’s results during the Euro 2008 tournament, correctly choosing the winner in four of Germany’s six matches. He predicted Germany to win every match but was wrong when they lost to Croatia.

Paul has correctly predicted the winner of each of Germany’s five matches during the World Cup, and much to Spain’s delight, he picked out Spain to be the winner in the World Cup final against the Netherlands. So if you backed Paul’s tip, you could have netted a few squid as the psychic oracle ctopus was correct yet again! Last Friday’s prediction is expected to be the last for Paul, who in octopus terms is a pensioner at the grand old age of two-and-a-half. Octopuses generally live no more than three years. Spain are extremely happy with Paul’s World Cup Final predictions and wish him a safe and happy retirement.

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service you can call 902 118 999 or write to Vall de Biar 14, 03530 La Nucia, Alicante.

To get your paper If you any difficulty in getting Round Town News each week please call 628 932 137 or visit our website www.roundtownnews.co.uk for the distribution map.

All adverts must be prepaid whether they are placed at our offices, by email or fax, or via our sales team. The advertisers full name, address and ID number must be supplied (not for publication). Round Town News does not accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers, either in advertisements or advertorials, nor can it be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors, or the non-appearance of advertisements or advertorials. This publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors as a result of poor quality artwork or logos supplied by advertisers and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy or non-appearance of an advertisement or advertorial. Every effort will be made to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of articles and advertisements in this publication, however the publisher does not accept responsibility for claims or opinions in the same. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper without the consent of the publishers is prohibited.E:&O.E.

Edita : Dan Media Group S.L. Imprime: Servicios De Impresion S.A.- Deposito Legal : A - 632 - 2010

Viva Espana!

Paul the octopus chooses Spain over the Netherlands as the 2010 World Cup champions

Three people have died this summer due to the high temperatures

Got a story?

902 118 999 mail@rtncostadelsol.com

By Gabrielle Rey THE HEAT that we are suffering this summer has already claimed three victims in Spain. A young man from Portugal of 24 years of age was the first victim and died last week in Villar del Rey (Badajoz), supposedly a victim of sunstroke when he was playing football. The second, a woman of 55 years of age, died at the Hospital Virgen Macarena in Sevilla.

The third, an 88 year old man in Caceres.

The symptoms are dizziness, altered behaviour and dehydration. In the first case, the young man was a worker in the purifying plant in Villar del Rey and last Wednesday at 7 pm he suddenly felt unwell when playing football

and was taken home and the ambulance was called.

On arriving, the medics found him unconscious, with very slow pulse and breathing and with a very high temperature (above 41º). He passed away 45 minutes later.

The second victim was a lady from Sevilla, who died in the intensive care unit in the Virgen Macarena Hospital. She had been taken in the previous Monday due to multiple organ failure caused by the very high temperatures and the lack of any cooling systems in her home.

The third victim was an 88 year old man in Caceres who lived alone. His family went to visit him and found

him with a very high temperature. He was taken to the health centre and was diagnosed as having sunstroke. He died that very night, again due to multiple organ failure.

The Health Council reminds us that sunstroke is a very serious condition caused by our body’s failure to regulate the temperature after exposure to very high temperatures, which if they go above 41º can be fatal.

Apparently we are more likely to get sunstroke on the coast than inland due to higher humidity. The symptoms to look out for, together with a high temperature are a change in behaviour, nausea, headaches, dehydration and unconsciousness.

The Saudi Royal Family Plans a Six-Star Hotel in Estepona

by Eddie Taylor THE PROJECT is part of a large real estate development that plans to build nearly 1,500 luxury homes. The Town Council has already given initial approval.

The Costa del Sol could soon have the first six-star hotel in the country in just two years time. Business sources have indicated that the company Asturion Foundation, linked to the royal family of Saudi Arabia, hopes to open a luxury hotel in Estepona in which, according to sources, would have around 170 rooms, all suites. This resort which could turn out to be the largest building project in this county during the current economic crisis would include the construction of 1,477 luxury homes and green areas. The investment has not yet been defined but would be “multi-million euros” and could generate around a thousand jobs.

The mayor of Estepona, David Valadez, confirmed the existence of this hotel project, noting that it will be located on a large plot of about 600,000 square metres, in the area of Saladillo Arroyo on the outskirts of the town, close to San Pedro Alcántara. The council approved a few months ago the initial draft form, which is now awaiting the necessary approvals of urban and environmental impact by different ministries of the Government of Andalucia.

Valadez said he was confident that all such documentation can be completed after the summer so that provisional

approval can be given in September by the council. Then it would open a period of public debate, after which the final approval and beginning of construction of the project would be given. Assuming that there were no delays or negative reports of any kind it is envisaged that construction could start late 2011 or early 2012.

For now, the council has adopted what they call the sectorization plan which defines the number of dwellings that can be built but does not specify what will be the exact position within that plot. The coffers of Estepona town hall, which are in a desperate state would be boosted by a staggering 8 million euros, which the Asturion Foundation has agreed to pay for the project in instalments with the final four million

euros to be paid into the municipal accounts after final approval.

This investment interest by the Saudi Royal Family is not the only one in Estepona. Valadez stated that they have come to the town with other major projects that they are analysing and studying the viability of and actively seeking the approval of the Government of Andalucia and the central government.”The Costa del Sol is back in the crosshairs of big investors and can recover its luxury image which has somewhat deteriorated in recent years.”

The knock-on effect for the local economy of these projects alone is hoped to run into millions of euros for the badly hit construction industry on the Costa del Sol.

A six star hotel room

Major Fire in Estepona

By Eddie Taylor OVER A HUNDRED people had to be moved from their homes because of fire in Estepona on Tuesday 13th July. A fire started in a vacant lot in the area of the Rio Padron in the municipality of Estepona, Málaga. The emergency services were forced to evacuate about 120 people from the areas affected, in the two towns in the area.

At about a quarter to six in the evening, first calls were received to the 112 emergency services from individuals who were warning of fire on waste land in the area of the River Padrón in the municipality. At the same time a fire was reported in the neighbouring town of Benahavis in the area of Resinera. The fires were still active late into the night, but fortunately no injuries had been reported. Sources from INFOCO stated that over 90 fire fighting technicians and environment agents were involved in bringing the fire under control along with five fire engines, a mobile weather forecast team, four fire fighting helicopters, two large capacity fire planes and a ground coordination aircraft. In total over 200 emergency services personnel were involved.

Iberia to pay out €18,000 to six delayed passengers

By Gabrielle Rey IBERIA HAS been ordered to pay €11,800 for the delayed arrival in South Africa of six passengers and their luggage (which took a different route). The compensation will be rewarded to the six passengers who were going on a hunting safari, they will also receive another €6,000 for moral damage.

The events go back to 2008 when a group of people purchased a flight with Iberia from Palma to Windhoek (South Africa) to participate in a hunting safari. At the travel agency they were issued just one ticket, and once at the airport, their luggage was sent directly to the final destination although the passengers had very little time to make the last connection in Johannesburg to take the plane to Windhoek.

The flight from Madrid to Johannesburg arrived 22 minutes late and therefore the passengers did not make the last connection. They finally left on another flight that

arrived in Windhoek five hours later than they had originally planned. They lost the first four days of the safari and were unable to visit some of the areas planned. As well as the delay, various suitcases belonging to four of the travellers did not arrive in Windhoek, and the only cases that did arrive were those carrying the hunting rifles.

Finally, the lost cases arrived two or three days later.

The court stated that “generally the passengers were very frustrated as their summer holidays had been ruined, as it was a hunting trip the holiday makers were not able to carry out the activities as they did not have the necessary clothing or hunting accessories (binoculars, etc)”. The court ruling also states that Iberia cancelled ‘unilaterally and with no prior warning’ the return tickets of two of the passengers who then had to find their own way back to Spain. What a nightmare!

16 - 29 july2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

03

Málaga city council opens new footbridges on Paseo Marítimo

By Eddie Taylor WITH THE construction of these structures over the Arroyos Galica and Jaboneros, it is hoped to give continuity to the promenade and will mean pedestrians will now not have to pass through the river channels thereby improving the accessibility of this route, and promoting recreational and sports activities along the whole promenade.

Sponsored by Promálaga in collaboration with the Town Planning Department, these bridges will improve the seaside promenade in the city of Málaga and will assist in the bid for City of Culture 2016. The Andalusian Water Coasts and Demarcation Agency allowed the bridges to go ahead with favourable reports ensuring compliance with the sectored rules that affect both streams.

Funding for the works comes from the Special Fund of the State to Revitalize Economy and Jobs (FEIL) amounting to €626,923.10 spent on the walkway on the Galica Arroyo, whereas the final amount spent on the Arroyo Jaboneros was € 582,115.21.

The bridges will be functional and integrated into the environment, and the last sections of the streams will be properly channelled through specially constructed channels that are designed to protect the adjacent areas from flooding. Until the construction of the bridges, it was only possible for pedestrians to cross between the banks at low water over fords that had been constructed.

Both bridges have a similar design to give the visual sensation of an arc, reminiscent of medieval stone bridges, with similar walls to the riverside promenade, but their length varies from 39.70 m in the case of Jaboneros, and 29.70m in the case of Galica.

04

16 - 29 JULY 2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

continued from front page TWO BABIES IN HOSPITAL The hospitalized survivors are a man and a baby who are in the Santa Ana hospital in Motril, and another baby who is in a hospital in Almeria where the father has already been discharged.

The little boat in which they crossed the Straits began to sink with some 40 persons aboard close to the Spanish coast, and according to the survivors, this made some of the passengers stand up and caused the boat to overturn.

FROM UP TO TEN DIFFERENT AFRICAN COUNTRIES In the temporary centre for immigrants in the port of Motril there are 20 men and eight women, five of whom are pregnant.

Once they are identified, the Police will contact their countries of origin, which could be up to ten, all sub Sahrawian, and they will then be deported.

STATISTICS With this last ‘patera’ and until last Sunday, a total of 739 immigrants have arrived to the coasts of Almeria, Cadiz and Granada since the 1st of January this year. The province of Granada has received the most illegal immigrants, with a total of 361 who arrived in nine ‘pateras’. Almeria intercepted a total of 309 immigrants on 17 ‘pateras’ that arrived to the areas of Cabo de Gata, Isla de Alborán, Puerto de Carboneras and areas close to the municipalities of Garrucha and Níjar.

The coasts of Cadiz received a total of 69 immigrants in the same period, who arrived in five different ´pateras` to areas of Tarifa and San Fernando.

Gibraltar government says airport will succeed

by Eddie Taylor THE GLOBAL economic downturn experienced during the past year has hit the aviation industry hard, Joe Holliday, Transport Minister said, but he roundly defended the Government’s plan to build the new terminal.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that passenger demand worldwide for the full year 2009 was down 3.5% with an average load factor reported worldwide of 75.6%. More significantly, the reduction in passenger demand for Europe was reported as 5.6%.

The Gibraltar Government said that despite the global downturn and a cut in capacity by airlines serving Gibraltar Airport, there has been a slight increase in total arrivals by air of 0.11% in 2009 over 2008, with only a small decrease in departures by air of 0.59% in 2009 over 2008. The average load factor achieved for arrivals by air from the UK for scheduled flights was 84.9%, which is well above the average worldwide result, this figure having peaked at 92.9% in July of 2009.

Although the number of flights operating into Gibraltar has reduced during the present summer schedule, in line with global industry trends, the Government has maintained its

Gibraltar Airport

policy of not allowing airlines to start up new routes prior to the commissioning of the new Air Terminal due to the lack of aircraft parking space presently available at the Airport. However, the Government is actively marketing the Airport to encourage new routes to come to Gibraltar in the future.

Air arrivals in 1997 stood at 83,200 whilst in 2009 air arrivals stood at 183,900, a rise of over 100,000 passengers or a 121% increase. “Governments need to take a long-term view when making this type of investment, or are we going to build a new

air terminal every few years? The new terminal will meet the needs of this prosperous community for the next 50 years.” Stated Mr Holliday, the Government Minister responsible for Transport.

The government is delighted to have embarked on the building of the new air terminal following the Cordoba Airport Agreement, achieved by the Trilateral Forum.

The Cordoba Airport Agreement is a significant achievement as it is about normalizing the status of Gibraltar Airport within the European Union and ensuring that Gibraltar Airport enjoys its full EU Air Liberalization rights in respect

of air services between Gibraltar and all European countries.

The airport is being prepared for the introduction of the new European Aviation Security Regulations from which Gibraltar Airport will no longer be suspended.

In parallel, the United Kingdom Government has agreed that responsibility for Aviation Security should pass to the Government of Gibraltar, and more specifically the Minister with responsibility for Transport. As such, local legislation to enforce the EU Regulations is being drafted and this will establish the Civil Aviation Security Regulator.

Though it’s been around for literally thousands of years, the Mangosteen fruit is not commonly known the world over. Typically grown in southeast Asia and other tropical climates, its taste is beyond compare.

Containing a dark purple rind and boasting a sweet white pulp, it is roughly about the size of a tangerine.

Delicious as it is functional, the Mangosteen fruit is rich in xanthones, which will promote healthy bodily function. In addition, each serving of Mangosteen contains up to 5 grams of fiber.

The Benefits of taking just 30ml of this delicious food suppliment are:

• General well being • Regeneration of human cells inner and outer body • Higher levels of energy • Reduces pains and swelling • Reduces fluid retention (weight loss) • Re-enforces natural immunity.

What price for the daily feel good factor!

This super tasting health drink will become a normal part of your daily routine and change your life style after just a few days.

Xango a natural way of life...

Order products online at roundtownnews. co.uk by simply clicking on the XANGO button on the home page. Other products include Bath and Shower Gels and Glimpse skin care.

www.monarch.co.uk

Distributors now required! Apply online at roundtownnews.co.uk and click on the XANGO button

Call now for more information Xango Hot line 902 898 145

16 - 29 JULY2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

05

NO LANDLINE?

®

no problem!

902 050 990

FREE

we can arrange a line installation for you (offer closes 31st July)

www.europa-network.com info02@europa-network.com *UK TV is always FREE for all ADSL clients of Europa Network.

7

Quote Ref: NTRS100

DAY

0 0 50

CUSTOMERS HAVE NOW HAD THEIR LINE RENTAL ACTIVATED WITH EUROPA NETWORK

FREE TRIAL

why not join them

YES!

It’s true, now anyone can get a FREE 7 day trial of Europa Network’s FREE UK TV service

CALL TODAY

TRY IT NOW!

visit the website or call for details If you like what you see, apply for our ADSL package and continue to view unlimited FREE UK TV*

WORKS WITH ANY ADSL PROVIDER

06

16 - 29 july 2010

16 - 29 july2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

07

08

16 - 29 JULY 2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

Imaginary offence

WEEK IN, week out, year in, year out, we continue to be bombarded by idiots and half-wits obsessed with UK plated cars not displaying a current road fund license.

Has it not occurred to them that failure to succumb to the UK road tax extortion is not an offence if your vehicle is unregistered, or if it is not on a UK road?

Indeed if it was an offence, thousands of people would have been prosecuted. To those of you who continue to spout about this imaginary offence, I’ll make an offer you can’t refuse: I’ll pay 50 Euros to the first person who can produce checkable proof that anyone has ever been successfully prosecuted in the UK or Spain for the imaginary offence of driving a UK registered car on a Spanish road without UK road tax.

Kindest regards, The reverend Harry Southgate

mail

talk tous

Email letters to

mail@rtncostadelsol.com

with your full name and address

Email: mail@rtncostadelsol.com

letter of the week

The dreaded Red Palm Weevil I THOUGHT readers may be interested to know that I may have beaten these little blighters who invaded three of my palms last October. The secret first of all is to inspect your trees regularly and look for the signs and listen for the munching of the grubs within the heart of the new leaf/branch area, whilst the tree is still green and healthy.

Once the trees have gone brown and flopped, well I guess it would be too late then.

Last October I noticed the red weevils around the trees first and then I came across the fat cigar shaped fibrous cocoons that contain the young weevil. Next I listened carefully to the base of the branch area and heard the distinct munching of the grub (which is a pretty large objectionable thing).

I obtained ‘clorpirifos 48da’ from a local farm supplier and was assured that this product (amongst many others) would kill them off. Into the centre of and around the outside of each tree I poured a full watering can of the recommended clorpirifos / water mixture so it cascaded from

The “Lubbly Jubbly” men I recently had a holiday in the Bena Vista area (Estepona). While there, I was interested to hear people complaining about the Lubbly Jubbly men (as they seem to call themselves).

I have been visiting this area for more than twelve years and like everyone else

the centre all around the tree. As an added precaution I then wrapped the trunk in some commercial cling film (the type you see around pallets of building materials being delivered on a lorry). This, I assumed, would prevent rapid evaporation and effectively gas the insects as well.

I continued pouring a watering can full of ‘the mixture’ into the centre of the trees in question each month until I was happy that no insect could be left alive. The cling film was left in place for some 6 months.

It has been recommended to me that all palms be sprayed regularly to dissuade any enterprising weevils from trespassing on your property again and especially after pruning, (which should be done in the cooler months ) as the smell of the sap will attract them.

Please be aware that these chemicals are to be used taking the necessary precautions as they are very toxic. I hope this helps someone to save their beloved trees.

David, Estepona

have frequently been pestered by these guys selling their fake Rolexes etc. Usually a smile and a polite “No thank you” is sufficient to get them to move on. This year there was a different atmosphere when some of them were around. For instance, my wife and I were shouted at and told to “Get back home”. Another seller stood at a safe distance and started mocking us by repeating our “No thank yous”. This has never happened before to us; I must stress that our response to any approach is a polite “No thank you”

designed not to engender any conflict.

I wonder if other holidaymakers have experienced this change in behaviour and if they have had nights of their holiday spoiled by these immigrants.

Perhaps if more people complained, then the Spanish authorities might do something about the situation. If the authorities are not interested, then I can foresee a time when holidaymakers go to countries which do care about their guests and the money they provide to local economies.

Yours sincerely, G. Cartledge

Viva España

I AM a white South African female, of German descent, living in South Africa. I am not or shall I say, was not a soccer/football fan – however, the bug bit!

My ‘money’ was on Spain from day one. The build up from Thursday to the weekend was enormous. The game itself even more so! The waiting for Spain to score a goal was excruciating... and then Andres Iniesta did the magic and there I was with tears of happiness streaming down my face…

Viva Espana! Well done! I am very proud of the Spanish team. Kind regards, Marina.

The ‘a la carte’ birth plan

Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella

by Gabrielle Rey A DOCUMENT elaborated by the Junta de Andalucía allows pregnant women to decide on the position to be adopted when giving birth, whether or not to use pain killers and the use of one’s own clothing instead of using the items supplied by the hospital.

More and more pregnant women in Málaga are sending their ‘Plan de Partos’ (Birth Plan) to the hospital where they will be giving birth, or are taking it with them at the ‘big’ moment. This docu-

ment states their desires and expectations in regard to how they want to give birth, always in the case that there are no complications.

MORE THAN 70 IN 2009 This plan was presented by the Health Council of the Junta in February this year.

It allows pregnant women to decide beforehand what position they want to be in to give birth (lying down, standing up or squatting), who they want to be with them, how to deal with the pain, and once the baby is born, everything to do with hygiene and feed-

ing. It is recommended that this document is sent in to the hospital between week 28 and 32 of the pregnancy. You can decide what clothing is to be used, who is to cut the umbilical cord and whether you want to breast feed or not. It is also possible to request a translator if you need one, or you can take one with you.

In the province of Málaga, the Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella has most developed this plan, together with the Materno Infantil and Clínico in Málaga city. According to Juan Carlos Higuero, who is responsible for the Birth Unit

in the Costa del Sol Hospital, foreigners and mostly British citizens have been sending in their birth plans in since 2007, although the general figures have jumped from just five in previous years to more than 70 in 2009, without counting those who were taken in at the last minute.

CONSEJE0RIA DE SALUD Health centres will supply the necessary documents, or if you prefer you can find everything on the website ‘Consejería de Salud’ (Health Council). Look for the ‘Plan de Partos’.

16 - 29 july 2010

Spanish official raises air safety concerns

09

By Eddie Taylor A SENIOR Spanish official has raised serious concerns over air safety in and around the Bay of Gibraltar.

In an internal memo, Juan Carlos Fontecha, who oversees air traffic control in southern Spain, referred to “dangerous situations” and said all the safety barriers in this area were failing. “This situation cannot go on for one minute longer,” he wrote in the memo, which was leaked and published in the Spanish press last week.

In one such incident on May 20th, a British Airways flight came face-to-face with a medical helicopter with only a two-mile buffer between them. According to the report, the plane took evasive action and climbed in order to avoid a collision. The potential for incidents of this nature increased with the opening of the new Algeciras heliport, which is close to line of approach for planes landing in Gibraltar. The controllers put this down to the difficulties of working with Gibraltar Airport, both because of different systems in place and also because of the underlying political issues.

But Spain’s Ministry for Interior Development said the complaints stemmed from an industrial dispute with the air traffic controllers, who are up in arms over salary cuts implemented as part of wider austerity measures. “The air traffic controllers in Sevilla are putting their salary claims into the area of safety,” a ministry spokesman stated.

But the controllers complain of a sharp increase in air traffic in this region – both civilian and military, and said they need more resources. “This is madness,” one told the press. “A normal workload for a single controller is 12 planes simultaneously. In this zone of operations at peak times they reach 25 to 30 planes with a total of 6,000 passengers and all travelling at 1000km an hour.”

10

16 - 29 july 2010

legal

16 - 29 JULY 2010

11

Making an independent or community claim by

Marc White & Carlos Baos

English & Spanish Solicitors

I PURCHASED a property last year in a complex of 15 properties. Less than one year after my purchase, some problems appeared in our property, although they were not really serious. On the other hand we started to have more serious problems in the complex such as: the garage is flooded every time it rains; large cracks in the façade of the complex; roofs over the corridors are falling down; subsidence in part of the building, etc.

In our community meeting we decided to use the services of an architect who stated that the problem exists but he cannot determine who is responsible for it; the architect; the builder, etc; or where the problems come from, so we do not know who we should claim against or what to do.

Regarding the problems in my own property, I do not know if we should claim together with the community when they claim for the problems in the common areas or if I should file an independent claim for building defects in my own house.

The applicable law, as mentioned in our previous articles regarding this subject of the building problems-defects (vicios de la construcción), is the LOE (Ley Ordenacion Edificación), this law does not foresee any specific regulation for the damages in the communal parts of a complex.

We understand, as per the court precedents, that when a building is subject to the Horizontal Division Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal) it is the President of the community, representing the co-owners of the urbanization, who should present the claim for these building problems.

Therefore the community in a meeting must agree and empower the president to start a legal action. This should be done with legal formalities to make sure that the agreement of the community is valid, enforceable, and cannot be contested by the respondents in court.

Even if the building problems also affect private elements (such as private houses) as in your case, we advise to include them in the same claim, listing defects of each individual house and the ones for the common areas. The president could also be empowered by each owner individually.

Even if the community is reluctant to start a legal action, in theory each owner individually could have the option to claim for the problems that affect the common elements, as they each own a percentage of the common areas.

Regarding the question as to who is the person liable for the problems: whether it be the architect; technical architect; builder; developer etc, the same Law ( LOE) at article 17.3 states that where it is not possible to attach blame to one individual for the cause or reason of the material damages or when it is proved that there has been collective fault without being possible to determine the % or liability of each of them, they should be responsible jointly.

The court precedents from the local courts but also the Supreme Court of Spain make it clear in this sense, so in your case, you may be able to claim against all the building agents, normally: builder, developer, architect, technical architect,

Insurance Company ( Ten Year Insurance Policy), etc. This is in your interests in the sense that the more people you can show to be liable, the more chance you will have of getting paid by some of them.

You have to remember that this does not mean that you do not need to prove anything. You must prove clearly to the court the damages that you or the community are suffering in your building, property, private and common elements but it may not be possible to prove who is responsible or for what ultimate reason, as mentioned above.

We recommend that you come to see us or any other specialist, as there are deadlines to claim for these problems, so action should take place on time in order for you to not lose the possibility to claim for your rights.

Should this be your case, or the case of your complexcommunity, we will be more than pleased to assist you, and please remember that depending of the severity of the problem we would be able to handle your court case throughout the whole of Spain. *The information provided on this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues.

Marc White LL.B. & Carlos Baos (English & Spanish Solicitors) © White & Baos Abogados 2010. Send your questions to thespanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com

Centrally located between Fuengirola and Marbella, with easy access from both the A-7 and N340, five minutes from La Cala de Mijas, and set in the Golf Valley with 12 courses in the vicinity. A peaceful and tranquil setting with easy access to everything.

• Secure underground parking • 24 hour security • Gated with video phone entry • Swimming pool with fabulous views • Spa and gym area • Exclusive elevators with private access to just two apartments per floor • Large terraces • Air conditioning • High quality fittings throughout • Satellite television.

1 BEDROOM 400€ unfurnished - 450€ furnished 2 BEDROOM / 2 BATHROOM 550€ unfurnished - 650€ furnished

PENTHOUSE 2 BEDROOM / 2 BATHROOM 700€ unfurnished – 750€ furnished PENTHOUSE 3 BEDROOM / 3 BATHROOM 750€ unfurnished – 850€ furnished

12

16 - 29 july 2010

Nikki Beach

sunset party every Thursday

The Nikki dancers

By Michelle Bromley NIKKI BEACH has to be one of Marbella’s most exclusive and luxurious venues. The Mediterranean sea provides the perfect backdrop to this beautiful al fresco beach club, situated at the Don Carlos beach resort in Elviria, Marbella, which is about 15 minutes from the centre of Marbella.

With its sophisticated and trendy clientèle, entertainment nights, dancers, musicians and DJs, Nikki Beach becomes the best party scene in Marbella.

Now every Thursday evening you can experience the ´Nikki Beach Sunset Party` where you can relax and enjoy the chill-out tunes and entertainment whilst sipping a delicious cocktail and watching the sun go down, it truly is heaven! Be sure to try one of their famous mojitos- they are absolutely delightful and I guarantee you won’t be stopping at one! The service from the beautifully dressed staff is exceptional, they are all very friendly and attentive and make you feel very welcome.

The live DJs and musicians enhance the ambience of the surroundings. The chill-out groove music creates a relaxing atmosphere

in which to enjoy your drink whilst listening to the beats of the drummer, and watching the sax player standing on top of the bar.

Periodically, entertainers circulate around the venue, from the dancing stilt walker to the magician and the ´Nikki dancers`, all adding to our extremely enjoyable ´Nikki Beach experience`.

During the day you can get away from it all and relax and unwind on a comfortable lounge bed amongst the tall palm trees on the private beach. The setting is second to none, and Nikki Beach provides a luxurious and relaxed sun bathing environment where you can laze around in the Spanish sun, enjoy a host of refreshments and soak up the atmosphere. If you are feeling hungry then why not sample the fine international cuisine where you can choose from sushi, salads, tapas and seafood to name a few.

The summer party season is well underway at Nikki beach with a full line-up of unmissable events still to come. So make sure you attend the hottest party in town!

For more information and up-coming events visit www.nikkibeach.com/marbella or phone 952 836 239

Relax to the beat of the drums

Portón del Jazz 2010

Kurt Elling Jazz in Alhaurin

Beer Days in Málaga

By Gabrielle Rey UNTIL THE 25th of July Málaga City will hold the fourth ‘Jornadas Excelente de la Cerveza’ (Excellent Beer Days), in which 11 restaurants in Málaga will offer menus at 35 Euros that will include beer as part of the ingredients or to accompany the meals.

According the organizer of the event, the director of the ‘Excelente’ Magazine, Javier Sanchez, the idea is to consolidate

By Gabrielle Rey JAZZ IS the word this month of July in Alhaurin de la Torre with the ‘Portón del Jazz 2010’.

Today (Friday 16th) will be the turn for Kurt Elling, American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and performer. He recorded a demo in the early 1990s and was signed by Blue Note Records, releasing a total of seven albums with the label. He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Vocal Jazz Album for Dedicated to You (2009) with the Concord Jazz label where he remains today. Elling often leads the Down Beat critics poll, and he was awarded the Prix Billie Holiday from the Académie du Jazz.

Finally, next Friday 23rd of July, the Porton del Jazz will come to an end with ‘Contact’, a group formed by five great jazz musicians: David LIebman, John Abercrombie, Marc Copland, Drew Gress and Billy Hart. The concerts take place at the Finca ‘El Porton’. Tickets cost 10 Euros and can be bought at the Centro Cultural Vicente Aleixandre and El Corte Inglés. The music begins at 10:30 pm.

Málaga as the “Summer Capital for Beer” in Spain, combining beer with creative cuisine. The restaurants participating this year are: Adolfo, Limonar 40, Montana, Manducare, Receso, Sarmiento, Amador, El Cobertizo, La Moraga, La Reserva 12 and the Restaurant in the Hotel Molina Lario.

This initiative began in Málaga in 2007 and has been taken up in many other parts of Spain such as Valencia, Madrid, Valladolid, Zaragoza and Cordoba, although Málaga is a favourite among the organizers.

The price of the menus will

Beer and good food in Málaga

remain the same as last year (35€) as will the quality of the meals elaborated by the different restaurants participating.

The 2nd Costa del Sol Outlet Fair

By Eddie Taylor TAKING PLACE on the 16th, 17th and 18th of July at the Estepona Congress Centre, shopaholics will have a second opportunity this summer to get a bargain.

They’ll find Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Armani Jeans, Burberry, Nike, Adidas, Morgan, Gucci and Prada articles, with discounts that go from a minimum of 50% to 90% off the price tag.

The Eco Market area will be a new feature at this show which will offer all kinds of ecological products at very reasonable prices, such as fresh fruit and vegetables that come from ecological orchards and gardens, as well as water and energy saving products. At the same time, visitors can enjoy a mojito or a tropical ice cream in the lounge area and kids will have

a blast of a time in the children’s area with balloon modeling, juggling and disguise make-up games.

The 2nd Costa del Sol Outlet Fair will occupy 3,000 square metres with 70 different stands, and aims to offer an alternative and enjoyable outlet shopping area. With exclusive branded articles of fashion wear, sports, surf, computers, electrical appliances, accessories, footwear and children’s wear. More exclusive designer brands with heavy discounts, and many more branded articles can be found in this three day Outlet Fair, which offers tourists and local and foreign residents an alternative shopping experience.

The opening times are as follows: Friday 16th of July, from 5pm to 11pm, and Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of July, from 11am to 11pm.

16 - 29 JULY 2010

Exploring off the beaten track quad biking with Team Xtreme

By Andrew Forbes The first time one sees the turquoise coloured waters of El Chorro you realise you are in a special place.

Within easy reach of Málaga airport and the main towns on the coast, Málaga’s ‘Lake District’ remains, surprisingly, relatively undiscovered by both residents and holiday visitors to Andalucía.

Adventure activity specialists, Team Xtreme, are putting an end to that with their new half day quad bike

tours that take you through El Chorro, crossing the Sierra de Huma and past the famous Camino del Rey walkway, clinging to the cliff, some 100 metres up. The area is however, well known to adventure tourists and extreme sports athletes such as climbers and paragliders for its stunning craggy terrain. This quad biking adventure activity is not just a great way to relax and break with routine, but also to get to know more of Andalucía.

Riding the powerful quads gives

you the ability to cover a lot of ground and see many unforgettable locations that you couldn’t access any other way. The three main lakes are actually artificial, created when the Guadalhorce river was dammed at the beginning of the 20th century.

“We’re so lucky here in Andalucía; we have some of the finest natural parks and adventure locations right on our doorstop and our activities, like this quad bike tour, new for the 2010 season, shows the area from

The stunning scenery of El Chorro

Faithless to headline L.I.V.E in Puerto Banús

INTERNATIONAL DANCE superstars Faithless will headline the L.I.V.E event at the Bullring in Puerto Banús on July 31st. The concert, organized

by Kings of Production, will be the first time that Faithless – Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo, have played in southern Spain and they will be supported at the event by British reggae pioneers Black Slate, rising British bassline trio Platnum and DJs Tall Paul and Levi Lewis.

To their millions of fans worldwide, Faithless need no introduction. When they emerged in the midDance 1990s, the idea that a dance music act could produce superstars: Faithless rich full-length albums rather than one-off tracks, pack out live concerts, and bring together all kinds of weekend. Being in Faithless, I’ve seldom seen more genres and music fans, seemed quite revolutionary. loyal, loving, dedicated and sweet fans – they keep Fourteen years, several albums and numerous global me devoted, and they’re all over the world.” tours, festivals and hits later, those Faithless qualities Money from the event will be going to the Málaga have become benchmarks of the 21st century music children’s Home “Cuidad de los Niños”, which cares scene. Their sixth studio album The Dance, which was for more than 50 children in residence, aged from released in May, reunites the central trio of Buddhist infants to young adults up to 18 years old.

MC/poet Maxi Jazz, indomitably cool club doyenne The home provides infant, primary, secondary and Sister Bliss and visionary producer Rollo, and special needs education for the children living in extends that Faithless energy even further – always the home as well as an outreach programme which passionate, always progressive. offers basic needs of food, clothing and education to “Essentially, I’ve always been trying to say the same a further 100- plus children from the shanty town on thing: that all human beings have greatness inside the outskirts of Málaga. This year L.I.V.E aims to help of themselves” says Maxi. “People tend to think that other worthy children’s causes in need in the area. the spiritual and the material world are two separate Tickets for the event, which begins at 6pm, are things – I don’t see it like that. Life is for living, and priced at €50 and €70 and available from www.

I’m trying to express something that’s relevant to ticktackticket.com. For information on Facebook someone who works five days and parties hard at the follow Kings of Production.

“The Murder in Whirligig Lane”

A BOOK LAUNCH and book signing will take place on Saturday 24th July from 12pm to 2pm at Longman’s Bookshop, Estepona. The Murder in Whirligig Lane is written by Sam Benady and Mary Chiappe. It is an intriguing mystery set in 1813 when Gibraltar was in the throes of a Yellow fever epidemic. People are dying every day, but one corpse is definitely not yellow enough. A new whodunit featuring Gibraltar’s first detective. Longman’s is situated in Plaza Manilva, Estepona – a small square just off Calle Teraza.

a whole new perspective” explains Babak Alimoradian, the energetic and charismatic owner of Team Xtreme.

“That’s why we’ve chosen what we believe is the best quad route in Andalucía, combining unprecedented access to the countryside around the lakes and reservoirs of El Chorro, together with a professional guide that gives participants a fresh and new perspective to the flora, fauna and history of this fascinating location.”

You will make fascinating discoveries such as the nearby, ancient deserted village of Bobastro, its church carved out of the rock more than 1000 years ago.

Team Xtreme’s quad biking tours offer a superb experience for all adults and for all levels of experience, enabling riders to explore the countryside and rugged terrain in the latest, powerful quads. The length and route of the tour can be tailored to groups. In fact, if you’re a business, then talk to Team Xtreme about a corporate event. They have a bespoke service for group tours and company events. Their team will design and tailor a solution to meet all objectives, including team building and training.

What’s more, activities like quad biking also make for great company incentives and team rewards.

The quad biking experience can

13

also be combined with a Jeep Tour for larger groups of up to 24 people…. and remember, Team Xtreme offers over 30 adventure activities and if you love quad biking but think of yourself as more of a ‘petrol head’, then there are plenty of options for you with us here at Team Xtreme, including Go Karting and high speed car experiences. For example we give you unrivalled access to Ronda’s exclusive, private race track for the drive of your life, with a Ferrari, Lamborghini or even a Formula three race car! The private, exclusive Ronda race track is amongst the most stunning race circuits in the world. Hidden within an oak forest and protected by a mountain range, it is a motorsport enthusiast’s dream come true.

If something of a slower pace is more your style, then consider a balloon ride over Ronda or trekking tour in the mountains.

Full details are available on our Team Xtreme website www. teamxtreme.es . In addition, if you are interested in ‘all things adventure’, why not visit our blog at www. teamxtremeblog.es and you can read, comment and share and be part of the online community there.

Team Xtreme – Marbella Office, Calle Miramar 12. Tel: 952 768 349 or mobile: 676 022 237

14 40

16 - 29 july 2010

Property market gaining strength THE INTERNET has the capacity to reach people in all four corners of the globe and RTN refuses to limit its accessibility to the boundaries of just the Mediterranean coastline; which is why RTN does not believe that buyers and sellers of property should restrict their options or marketing potential. Now, through the use of their inspired and user friendly property website www.SpanishHomeFinder.com, RTN has devised a way in which to project your property all around the World. Evidence suggests that the property market is improving in Spain and RTN’s Spanish Home Finder is the perfect medium through which to promote the sale of property. Following close examination of current market trends, Managing Director of RTN Costa Blanca, Geoff Gartland and Garreth Wright, RTN Costa del Sols Managing Director have devised a simple and effective way of doing just that.

RESEARCH

It is well known now that the majority of property buyers will look, research and enquire on the internet first when they are looking to buy a property, so place your property for sale at the price you want in the place where they will look first.

The RTN Media Group will maintain an extensive publicity campaign throughout our web and print mediums; UK based publications plus sponsored links through Google.

The website also extends a wealth

of benefits, both to property agents and private vendors. Not only will they enjoy access to a multi-faceted website ahead of its class in terms of design and functionality, they will also reap the benefits of association to the acclaimed RTN brand.

What makes Spanish Home Find-

er so unique is that it is entirely self-managed, allowing the user to submit, review and edit their property details at their convenience.

The site is equipped with a neat intrinsic control panel, offering the user the power to deliver the details and emphasise features they

wish to promote. The sophisticated system gives vendors the option to include up to six images and thus optimise the marketing potential of the property. As they have the ability to control their marketing campaign, they may also monitor the incidence of visitors and manage

all enquiries, which are delivered directly to the client’s preferred email address, rather than to the host site, giving them increased privacy and potential to negotiate with interested parties.

PROPERTY AGENTS

Property agents may upload a portfolio of up to 2000 properties, filed alongside their business contact details and under their identifying company logo. XML feed is available for fast uploading of large portfolios. The website is particularly beneficial to those companies without a substantial budget to spend on multimedia advertising packages. Thousands of euros may be saved by making use of the comprehensive Spanish Home Finder property portal. For more information on prices email info@SpanishHomeFinder.com.

Packages start from only 6€ per month.

PRIVATE VENDORS Meanwhile, private vendors have the option to submit up to five properties under their own promotional umbrella. This process costs just €35 until the properties are sold! The vendor is allowed the freedom to edit their submission as much as they wish to achieve a perfect result prior to going live online, and it is only at this stage that any payment is required. Log on now to www.SpanishHomeFinder.com and register your property now.

The Prince has arrived

by Gabrielle Rey SALMAN BIN ABDELAZIZ, brother of the deceased King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has once again disembarked in Marbella with his large retinue to spend the summer.

The Al Riyadh Palace and the luxurious yacht ‘Shaf of London’ have been carefully prepared for his arrival over the past weeks.

The Prince arrives in Marbella around this time every year with almost one hundred members of staff and accompanied by other members of the Saudi Royal Family.

The heir to the Wahabí throne arrived last Monday at 1pm at Málaga airport, and one hour later, arrived at his residence right in the centre of the Golden Mile in Marbella. Security measures have of course been greatly increased in the surroundings of the palace.

ing, and therefore his yacht, the ‘Shaf of London’ remains berthed permanently in Puerto Banús. In fact, in the past weeks, the imminent arrival of the prince was obvious as the ‘Shaf’ has been provisioned with food, drinks and delicacies supplied in large fridges that have been seen being carried on board.

FRIDAY PRAYERS

INJECTION OF CAPITAL

There has also been a great deal of activity in the Abdulaziz Salman Mosque. His highness is expected to visit the mosque today to carry out his traditional Friday prayers. The mosque was built by the governor of Riyadh more than 20 years ago in honour of the prince’s father King Fahd. There is a private path straight from the palace to the mosque to avoid having to leave the royal residence.

Puerto Banús is a favourite attraction for the royal visit, especially in regard to the exclusive establishments where they can go on shopping sprees. They are obviously very well received by restaurants, shops, bars, etc. The yearly visit brings an important injection of capital to the port and to Marbella itself.

ACTIVITIES

The only doubt this year is in regard to the length of the Royal visit. It could be shorter than other years due to the fact that Ramadan starts on the 11th of August. Tourists from Arab countries normally return home before the sacred month commences, as they are not allowed to eat or drink in daylight hours during Ramadan.

The prince has until now generally carried out the same activities every year on his summer visits. First with the traditional reception that is offered at the palace and which is attended by a large part of the Arab community, as well as by municipal authorities.

One of the princes favourite pastimes is sail-

The Mosque Abdulaziz Salman

RAMADAN

The Virgen del Carmen Fiesta

By Eddie Taylor THE FIESTA of the Virgen del Carmen is celebrated on the 16th July every year along the Costa del Sol. Legend has it that the Carmelite monks, who once inhabited the slopes of Mount Carmel and worshiped the Virgin Mary, were forced to flee by a Saracen invasion force. During this eviction the Virgin appeared to them in a vision, and promised to be their ‘Star of the Sea’ and to guide them to safety.

Since then she has been the patron saint of mariners and, as such, the Virgen del Carmen is revered amongst the local fishing communities of southern Spain.

Celebrations vary slightly from town to town. In Málaga, for example, the procession takes place not only on July 16th but on the following Sunday. A recent Malagueñan tradition, started in 1981, shows the Virgen del Carmen embracing all lovers of the sea including scuba divers. That year, the city scuba diving club placed an image of their patron at the bottom of the sea and since then divers have paid their underwater homage annually.

On her feast day, the 16th July, her image is carried in procession along the beaches and then either carried into the sea or placed on board one of the local fishing boats off the beach, in most of the fishing villages along the Spanish coast. This is done amongst much pomp and ceremony and can be quite a ‘hairy’ operation, especially if the sea is a bit lively.

Then, along with a flotilla of fishing and pleasure craft, the Virgen is ferried up and down the coast before disembarking and carried back to her place of honor in the local church.

Although long overtaken by tourism, many Costa towns still retain strong fishing communities which have allegiances to “la Reina de los Mares” (the Queen of the Seas). It was once believed that the Virgin cleared up the waters with her presence and that only after July 16th would the sea be fit for swimming in.

The Virgen del Carmen

- 29 JULY 2010 FEB 26 16 - MARCH 4 2010

15 15

16 40

16 - 2926 JULY 2010 4 2010 FEB - MARCH

Summer sunflowers by

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

SUNFLOWERS (HELIANTHUS) are majestic summer flowers and do especially well in Spain in reasonable soil if one remembers to water them regularly. At first one thinks of the large single headed yellow flowers on stems up to two or three metres high that look like a summer sun, that for many children has been their first attempt at gardening, competing with friends for the tallest and largest flower.

Such tall plants are not always easy to fit into a balanced garden layout. However, there are now an amazing number of varieties available, from dwarf varieties to the Russian Giants from Siberia. They can give valuable displays of colour and interest throughout the summer.

BENEFITS OF GROWING SUNFLOWERS They are relatively easy to grow. They provide a wonderful display, whether you grow a block of tall varieties in the vegetable garden, medium height varieties mixed into a perennial /shrub bed or dwarf varieties grown in flower pots. You can enjoy long lasting cut flowers for a covered terrace or house. The flower heads attract beneficial insects.

They can support climbing beans in the vegetable garden or at the back of a flower bed. They are a natural windbreak for lower growing vegetables or annuals.

Seed heads can be separated and sun dried to provide seeds as an alternative to nuts or olives with an evening drink, adding to breakfast cereals or fruit, or crushing to extract sunflower oil if you have sufficient.

Make sure you eat them before the oil content turns rancid.

Seed heads left on the plant to dry can be cut off and tied to a branch of a tree to attract and feed birds. Loose seeds can also be added to the bird table. As a sprouting seed – soak seeds overnight. Cut the base out of a 5 litre water bottle, about 8cm deep. Fill with 50/50 soil and compost, dampen, lay seeds on top and cover with damp newspaper. Put in a sunny corner, but remember to keep the paper moist but not soaking.

As soon as the seeds start to sprout, remove the paper but continue to keep the soil moist. In a couple of days you will have green shoots two centimetres high which you can cut off and add to salads for their flavour and high mineral content.

We have also read that a famous 16th Century herbalist, Gerurde, found that sunflower buds boiled and eaten like globe artichokes with butter, vinegar and pepper exceeded the taste of artichokes, as well as stimulating a bodily lust! Something to try this summer, but with olive oil!

A majestic sunflower

VARIETIES TO CHOOSE FROM As already mentioned, sunflowers are now available with a wide variety of heights, leaf forms, single or multi headed branches of flowers, and most importantly, single and mixed colour flowers.

For variety, try the mail order catalogue of Chiltern Seeds (fax 0044 1229 584549, email info@chilternseeds.co.uk, website www.chilternseeds.co.uk Up to thirty varieties have been included in their annual catalogues.

The following selection will give a feel for the range of sunflowers available: Dwarf: 30 to 45 cms.

Pavino: can grow well even in a 10 cm pot. Develops a number of branches with a continuing display of 10 cm flowers.

Clodagh and Dick’s books collate their twenty five years of gardening in Spain to help newcomers to Spain, whether experienced or beginner gardeners living in houses or apartments. Found in bookshops, they are available by mail order from internet bookshops including Bookworld, Amazon and Santana Books. If you are interested in stocking them in your shop, contact Gertrud or Alan Roberts on 952 485 838. © Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain.com

Little Dorrit: A little taller: 40 to 60 cms. A single stem with 20 cm yellow flowers around a dark chocolate centre. Useful for the front of a bed.

Mid height: 120 to140 cms: Autumn Beauty. Branching stems of 15 cm flowers in a range of artists’ colours – bronze; lemon; mahogany; old gold and cream.

Tall: 200 to 300 cms: Earth Walker. An abundance of multi headed branches of terracotta and reddish brown flowers.

Even taller! 300 cms plus: Uniflorus Gigantus….why not call it Sky rocket?

Traditional single headed large plate-sized yellow flowers.

It is obviously possible to achieve a breathtaking display.

16- 29 JULY 2010

Computing

17

with aunty virus

USB external hard drive error Windows 7 Ken via email asks: Hi Aunty, I have had Windows 7 for 6 months now and suddenly when I reboot it takes 45-60 minutes to get from ‘Windows is starting’ to the log on screen. I run Superantispyware daily which usually finds and removes 4 or 5 tracking cookies, I have run AGV and it finds nothing as does Malwarebytes. What can I do to speed things up?

Aunty says: 45 minutes Ken! How on Earth do you tolerate that? There are a few things I can suggest but you will need to apply some caution and common sense as it is possible to do more harm than good. The first is to see if this is caused by something running on startup and you can do this using the msconfig utility.

Click on the ‘start’ button, type msconfig and press the enter/return key (the big key with a bent arrow ↵) You should see the System Configuration window appear and a click on the startup tab will display a list of all programs that run automatically when Windows starts.

You can untick each one of these, restart your computer and see if solves the problem. If you’re not 100% confident with using msconfig then I would suggest enlisting the help of an expert.

Paul from the UK asks: Earlier in the year my computer was infected with a win32 virus and would not recognise any of my peripheral hardware. I managed to salvage my files but had to return to factory settings to recover the computer.

All is now okay except for my USB external hard drive.

The computer will not access it although it registers it with a bleep when I plug it in, the icon does not appear in My Computer.

I also recovered the data using Filerecovery, which I found on the web. The same problem occurs when I connect the external hard drive to my netbook, with

Printing Jack via email asks: Dear Aunty, I am having dreadful trouble printing pdf files. The graphics are beautiful but any text contained on or within the doc comes out as gobbledygook. I have an HP4000 series printer, and the latest version of Adobe reader 9.3. Can you help? I have reloaded the printer drivers from the supplied disk.

Aunty says: Is everything else is printing okay Jack? (i.e. Word or OpenOffice) because if other programs are printing okay then I imagine that this is a driver issue. Maybe try downloading the latest drivers from the HP website, as the software on the CD is normally out of date before the printer leaves the factory. If that doesn’t work maybe revert to an older version of Adobe Reader and see if that cures the problem.

which I have had no other problems. Please advise, is it a goner or can it recover? Please Email me your thoughts as I have gone back to England for the ‘summer’.

Aunty says: It is possible that the drive is physically okay but what is known as the ‘partition’ is seriously corrupted. A good place to start is by right clicking on ‘my computer’ and choose ‘manage’.

Click on ‘disk management’ and you should see your USB drive in the list with a status of its health. Let me know what it says and I’ll know the next step.

Cleaning my Laptop Fred via email asks: Hi there Aunty, I wrote to you recently about my PC’s CPU showing 100% all of the time. I thought that you and your readers would be interested to know that I have at long last solved the issue. Amazingly, what it needed was a clean up of the cooling fan above the processor and a clean of the top of the processor itself. I was extremely careful in removing the accumulated dust and now my PC works fine.

Aunty says: Hello Fred. Thanks for writing in and good to hear you have sorted out the problem,

heat and dust in Spain seems to be a major problem and can permanently damage PCs and laptops if left unchecked. If you’re okay with a screwdriver then most PCs can be accessed through the left hand side panel where you can dislodge and blow out dust that builds up around the processor cooler and memory.

Laptops are a little more fiddly but checking and cleaning the visible cooling vents on the sides and underneath can help. I know www.enetcomputers.net offer a tune-up and clean-up for around €45 which, according to them, will leave your computer running better than when it was new.

That’s all for this week, email me on auntyvirus@roundtownnews.com and I will do my best to sort you out

18 44

16FEB - 29 26 JULY 2010 4 2010 - MARCH

PAD BBQ night & open day IF YOU are an animal lover and like a good night out, then why not go along to the PAD (Proteccion Animales Domesticos) BBQ on Saturday July 24th. It is guaranteed to be a fabulous evening, and commences at 8:30pm at the Venta ´Ponderosa` on the Carretera Cerros del Aguila (behind the shelter).

Tickets cost just €28 for a three course meal and drinks. You will be entertained by the belly dancing troop ´El karma` and there will be live music. Go along to support your local animal charity and have fantastic night out too!

ABOUT PAD PAD is a privately run charity in the Mijas/Fuengirola area that specialises in the rehabilitation and re-homing of abandoned dogs and cats. Since the shelter opened in December 1998 they have found new homes for 5000 dogs and cats. All of the animals are cared for by qualified veterinarians and are fully vaccinated

and micro-chipped.

The running costs for an animal shelter are extremely high, as well as everyday food costs there are also bills for vaccinations, neutering and microchipping. The charity relies on the kind donations made by the public, and they hold regular fund-raising events.

OPEN DAY The shelter has an open day on the 1st Sunday of every month, the next one will be on Sunday the 1st August at 12pm to 3pm. There are many cats and dogs at the shelter right now who are in desperate need of a caring, loving home. If you are thinking about adopting a new pet then please visit the shelter and you may consider making one of them your friend and companion for life.

For BBQ bookings phone Lisa: 658 351 642. For more information about PAD visit www.padcatsanddogs.org

World Cup Mayhem at Gibraltar Frontier

By Eddie Taylor A ROYAL Gibraltar Police operation avoided serious confrontations at the border in the wake of the Spanish World Cup victory over Holland Sunday night, it has emerged. But there were some scenes which shocked witnesses as a hard core of some 50 local thugs aged between 14 and early 30s took on police officers who were seeking to disperse any trouble makers, stopping them as they tried to march

The heat wave to continue

By Eddie Taylor THE HEAT wave that began to affect southern and central Spain last week caused by a warm air mass off the African deserts, will keep the sweltering heat in a large number of regions.

Because of this situation, the Spanish Metrological Agency (AEMET) has put 19 provinces on extreme weather alert, these are; Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Grana-

Suduko Answer

Got a story?

902 118 999

rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

down Winston Churchill Avenue to the Spanish side.

At one time the Police had to draw their batons, eleven arrests were made, and all are on police bail.

One Police Officer was injured. Reports stated that the RGP had riot squad officers deployed in strategic locations but they were not required. The group of potential trouble makers was near 400 but police said that only 50 caused problems and the rest dispersed promptly as arrests were being made.

da, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, Sevilla, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Toledo, Avila, Salamanca, Tarragona, Madrid, Badajoz, Caceres, Ourense and Pontevedra.

At risk ‘yellow’ (the lowest of the three existing ones) are the majority: Almería, Cádiz, Granada, Málaga, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Toledo, Avila, Salamanca, Tarragona, Madrid, Ourense and Pontevedra. Elsewhere, the alert is ‘orange’ or significant risk, with temperatures possibly in excess of 40 °C, these areas are: Córdoba, Huelva, Jaén, Sevilla, Badajoz and Caceres.

The heat wave is likely to continue on and off throughout the summer, with a general rise

in temperatures, according to AEMET, from 40 to 42 °C in areas of Andalucia, Extremadura and western Castilla-La Mancha and around 36-38 °C in the central, western half of Castilla y León, Galicia, Ebro Valley and the Southeast. The minimum temperatures are also likely to be significantly higher, so the hot weather will be maintained in many areas of the peninsular.

The met office does not rule out night time lows of 24°C in areas of Andalucia, Extremadura, and central Ebro valley, which at times may be even higher.

The long range forecasts are stating that this year could be the hottest on record.

Crossword Answers 003

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: Across: 7 Inane; 8 Rookery; 9 Husband; 10 Elder; 12 Never again; 15 Auctioneer; 18 Towed; 19 Cutlass; 21 Oneness; 22 Sieve.

Down: 1 Light heart; 2 Pansy; 3 Beta; 4 Bridge; 5 Coverage; 6 Headway; 11 Ring-master; 13 Evildoer; 14 Scowled; 16 Nicest; 17 Males; 20 Tass.

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 7 Roach; 8 Element; 9 Adverse; 10 Earns; 12 Protection; 15 Songstress; 18 Sound; 19 Topical; 21 Mariner; 22 Adieu.

Down: 1 Broadcasts; 2 Halve; 3 Char; 4 Detect; 5 Defences; 6 Terrain; 11 Santa Claus; 13 Resident; 14 Inquire; 16 Retire; 17 Acrid; 20 Pear.

16 - 29 JULY 2010

horoscopes by Kenny Corris

Cryptic Crossword

19

The last vestiges of the luck and fortune of Jupiter fade away this weekend, revealing a way forward for you and a positive motive for your next move. Weighing up the pros and cons you are to be in the right place at the right time, and it is vital that you empower yourself to ensure that you get the very best deal in all this. Focus and be strong, it get’s worse before it gets better, but you know that!

The dreamy romantic Taurean is a joy to perceive, and just lately you have put a lot of love and patience into a project that will bring you rich rewards and much satisfaction in the very near future. The power of positive thinking, combined with the inner talents you have harnessed and used to make a difference make it a very hard act to follow. Accept that pat on the back with pride after a job well done.

Emotional upheaval greatly affects your conscious decisions right now.

You badly need space, peace and quiet to get your head together and to see all this for what it really is, and not what you think it could be. People have been very open in their condemnation of a set of events they really know nothing about. Clarity and purpose will bring you the resilience to deal with all, your way, and on your terms.

After the New Moon comes a good time to make some ongoing plans, especially with travel in mind. You need a change of scenery, and a chance for some rest and relaxation to boot. It is time to connect with friends and family, and to have a planned escape ready and waiting for you, far from your hectic routine and the hustle and bustle of your busy and complicated life right now.

ACROSS 7. Explicitly, how verbose speeches are made (2,2,4,5) 8. Think it can be seen in the company entrance (8) 9. Throw light, maybe, on the outbuilding (4) 10. A paragon of virtue or an errant type! (6) 12. Restrict one’s movements in the winter nowadays (6) 14. Courageous fellow with ‘flu disorder (6) 16. They make holes and soldiers are put through them! (6) 18. Old priest in suitable vicarage (4) 20. Long live the community showing animation (8) 22 & 6 Down. In an oral context, had a grating effect on the fellow! (3,3,5,2,4)

DOWN 1. Those caught napping are not affected by this! (8) 2. Prospecting for oil is monotonous (6) 3. Celebration for nearly everybody in Georgia (4) 4. Winger not to be trusted, by the sound of it (4-4) 5. Petty-officers fixed the drink (6) 6. See 22 Across 11. Provide entertainment for those on the watch! (8) 13. One trial involving a member of the family (8) 15. Fifty in conflict may be put to it (6) 17. Cause agitation in particular location, we hear (6) 19. Number of pupils in college yesterday (4) 21. I’ve changed to western outlook (4)

Quick Crossword

DOWN 1. Strong affection (8) 2. Levered (6) 3. Eschew (4) 4. Pause (8) 5. Energy (6) 6. Sad to say (4) 11. Backward (8) 13. Haunt (8) 15. Stress (6) 17. Elf (6) 19. Pursue (4) 21. Merriment (4)

Sudoku

Euromillions Draw Results Friday 9th July 9 24 37 39 49 Lucky Stars

3

9

No ticket won the 28,051,827 Euros (£23,591,586) jackpot prize

Who said that?

“

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

”

Charles Darwin

Answer:

Saturn, as a planet of deep wisdom and heightened security, beckons you to work together with the inner you, to bring the very best results that you currently need to stay on track, and go for gold. You have accepted second best in the past, but not any more, and what you are about to do will balance you on all levels and show you just what you can do when you work with what is within.

Saturn enters just before the end of the week and brings a judgmental problem into play so it can be dealt with properly and finally, once and for all. For all concerned you will always beg to differ about what really happened, but conjectures and theories have to be eliminated as the future sheds some light on the unknown, and resolve and reward find their way in to keep the peace.

Answers next edition

ACROSS 7. Blameworthy (13) 8. Balderdash (8) 9. Evict (4) 10. Impede (6) 12. Confirm (6) 14. Babe (6) 16. Dimish (6) 18. Fashionable (4) 20. Severe (8) 22. Dull (13)

The Sun enters with a flourish at the end of this week, and spreading a little joy and energy around will be a pleasure for you. You can be so very hard on yourself, and you haven’t been in the very best of moods just lately, but resolve and adhering to positive energies sees you through this week. Someone close to you needs help, but they cannot bring themselves to admitting their current failures.

A project falls into your capable hands and begs for completion.

Happening quite out of the blue you are adaptable and resourceful, and how you cope with this will see a drama not becoming a crisis and you have a unique chance to show to those who matter just what you can do when you try, when left alone. All this could set a precedent and show you where you originally went wrong.

You are hurting because someone has blamed you for something that wasn’t your fault. You have been covering tracks for someone else, and it seems as if your intentions have somewhat backfired. Your concern was for the truth to be told, but your need to protect someone who really cannot help themselves right now has prevailed, and you have to stand by the decision that you now must make.

Pluto continues to steer the ship, but as always brings on a hidden agenda that reacts with your negative energies right now. Since you are hardly thinking straight right now you need to examine things from the roots upwards, and do not hold back in your actions. If someone has got hold of the wrong end of the stick then you cannot be blamed, so fight fire with fire for the best result.

Planet Chiron is instructive and bonding, and leaves you wanting more as you are about to do your very best work. Nothing must stand in the way of your current need to make the right connections. You have suffered too much just lately, and part of coming to terms with yourself is to face any demons that linger around you. Inner strength comes from a deep belief in yourself, and a clear pathway forward.

Everyone is waiting for your reaction to something that you haven’t fully grasped yet. This is delaying things somewhat and showing you a hidden agenda that could just be your salvation. You are far more than you think that you are, and whatever happens, it is high time that you took matters into your own hands and did things your way for a change. Assume control and believe in yourself.

If it’s your birthday this week...

What happened had to be, and you should now spend quality time putting things behind you so you can move onwards and upwards to just where you should really be!

16 - 2926 JULY 2010 4 2010 FEB - MARCH

20 44

motoring

Foreign Driving Licences in Spain by

Brian Deller

Author of Motoring in Spain

MY WIFE and I were enjoying a day on the beach, watching the lovely unencumbered (topless) women playing ball (well, I was) and the happy, well behaved Spanish children splashing in the soft surf safely with their relatives, when my mobile phone rang and voice asked me a question that, like most of the others I receive, is covered in my book but in this case as the man told me was just out of jail here in Spain, perhaps he could be excused, so I helped him as far as I could.

He told me that he was from Kenya and had been arrested for driving a car in Spain without a valid driving licence. He further told me he only has a Kenyan licence which he thought would be okay here, but as the police had already told him and the lawyer he has engaged, it is not

permissible as he is resident here now: that is the big crunch. He may think he is resident but is he legally so?

He could drive as a visitor with an International Driving Licence which must be used alongside his original driving licence (both to be presented together and not separately as many seem to believe) so he was really driving without a licence technically and legally which meant that he was uninsured as well, hence the possible reason for being transported to jail as he may also have been here in Spain illegally.

So I confirmed what he already had been told, and wished him luck. One of the big problems now about drivers’ licences issued in many African countries are the high rates of corruption

where a driving licence and many other legal documents can be purchased quite cheaply. This is why Spain will not accept UK and other EU driving licences for exchange to a Spanish one where the driving test is shown as being taken in certain African and other, known to be dodgy in this respect, Third World countries.

The caller’s only way out was to pass the Spanish driving test; not a cheap option, but at least his new licence would be perfectly acceptable in most countries.

Sun and surfs up. Be safe out there and watch out for those who drink excessively and drive, who speed while driving incompetently and who do not look after their vehicles, but most of all the criminals who are out to rob us all.

There is much more detailed information on all motoring subjects in my book.

Brian Juan (John) Deller, Malaga, author, ‘Motoring in Spain’ www.spainvia.com

The reopening of the hotel is great news in these times of crisis

This is Tara. She is approx. 18 months old and is a very sweet girl. She loves cuddles and is good with other dogs.

She was found tied up in the street and starving but is coming on a treat.

If you are interested in Tara, please contact Pat Coleman on: 620 354 885.

If you are looking to give a home to a dog, please visit the adoption tab on our website www.f-a-m-a.net, where you will find many more looking for a home.

This is Curly. He is a small dog of approx. 2 years and very friendly. He gets on well with other dogs and has a very nice, playful character. If you are interested in Curly, please contact Pat Coleman on: 620 354 885. If you are looking to give a home to a dog, please visit the adoption tab on our website www.f-a-m-a.net, where you will find many more looking for a home.

The idea of F.A.M.A. was originally conceived by Pat Coleman and Veterinarian Javier Delgado Sanchez in the summer of 2003. Shortly after, the bringing together of a small group of dedicated like-minded individuals saw the formation of what is now the F.A.M.A. committee. The F.A.M.A. Foundation was originally based at the CAN. ES veterinary clinic and boarding kennels in Mijas Costa, but has subsequently grown and founded its own adoption centre in El Coto, Mijas Costa where it houses and cares for the abandoned dogs until a new home can be found for them.

The Hotel Los Monteros to reopen This is Clio. She is a small dog of approx. 2 years and very friendly although a little shy. Clio gets on well with other dogs and has a very sweet and calm character.

If you are interested in Clio, please contact Pat Coleman on: 620 354 885.

If you are looking to give a home to a dog, please visit the adoption tab on our website www.f-a-m-a.net, where you will find many more looking for a home.

This is Rosie. She is a small dog of approx. 2 years and very friendly.

Rosie gets on well with other dogs and has a very sweet and affectionate character.

If you are interested in Rosie, please contact Pat Coleman on: 620 354 885.

If you are looking to give a home to a dog, please visit the adoption tab on our website www.f-a-m-a.net, where you will find many more looking for a home.

by Eddie Taylor THE HOTEL Los Monteros in Marbella is to reopen its doors on August 1st , after the president of the Commercial Court of Málaga, Rocio Marina Coll, authorized the transfer of the company to the new owners, New SL Monteros and SL Monterotel.

The manager of the New Monteros Company, Judah Azuelos, stated at the press conference that the purchase of the establishment had risen to 25 million euros. Thus, the new manager who is also the manager the Guadalmina hotel, which reopened in April, confessed that the motives to reopen these two establishments is due to a “particular affection” he feels for the Costa del Sol and “not for commercial purposes.” “It would be a pity if these two hotels, as emblematic and superbly located would be lost,” he asserted.

He underlined the support received from the Junta de Andalucía and Marbella City Council who had allowed the reopening of the establishment, but regretted the many problems the company had been faced with from other government departments, such as Finance and Social Security, claiming eight million euros in debts.

“We have received demands from Finance and Social Security to pay the amounts unpaid by the previous owners” he stated, while lamenting that, “ it seems that some administrations in this country do not yet seem to be aware of the severity of the economic situation

in Spain, and in particular the tourism sector.”

He also praised the work of the judge, who decided that justice and common sense should take president, after the May agreement between the owners, workers, and their representatives to reopen the hotel. As for the possibility of contesting the order, the administrator of New Monteros has confidence that the IRS and the Social Security will see what needs to be done to make the operation a success. Finally, the debt to the town of the Property Tax (IBI) will be paid immediately.

For its part, the director of Los Monteros, Salvador Rios, thanked the workers, who, since the closure of the hotel, had continually cooperated with him. He is now seeking the cooperation of suppliers, tour operators and travel agencies, which he considers key players in this new venture. The spokesman from the council, Felix Romero, has stressed that the reopening of the hotel is great news in these times of crisis and has offered all the institutional support that the council can give. He stressed the professionalism of the staff, and highlighted the symbolic value and the strength of the Marbella tourist market.

The provincial secretary of Commerce, Catering and Tourism Workers union, Lola Villalba, has expressed satisfaction that after a lengthy process, there still is an entrepreneur in the hotel industry with responsibility, accountability and courageousness.

16 - 29 JULY 2010

21

What about the rest of us? The final whistle Noel’s world of golf

By Noel Eastwell Professional coach and RTN golf expert 639 730 891

ALL THE golf clubs seem to worry about are the golf societies. That is a common argument that I hear from many golfers. The individual or husband and wife who want to play have to pay through the nose with ridiculous prices being charged.

In many places this argument seems to be very true. Very few golf courses seem to offer any sort of discount for the two ball or four ball that just do not want to play society golf but still want to play the game, or some want to play outside the golf society. There is no doubt that these people should be catered for and on The Costa Blanca we have The RTN Golf Club that we launched 18th June. This provides a discount for this type of golfer. Once this has proven to be a success we will hopefully be able to roll it out to our friends on The Costa Del Sol where the casual golfers seem to suffer the overpricing of golf that Spain has developed over recent years.

Golf in Spain is far from value for money and just when the course owners realise this I would hate to try and guess. The Spanish people are intensely proud and I don’t have a problem with that at all.

Sooner rather than later though we are going to have to see a change of thinking or we are going to lose golf courses. We have already lost several thousand holidaymaking golfers annually to golf resorts that provide value for money. Most of these will take a lot of persuading to come back. The deals they are offered will have to be exceptional if we are to ever to see them return.

The resident golfing public of Spain, whether they be Expatriates or Spanish, cannot afford to pay high prices for golf: nobody has a pocketful of money anymore and it will be many years before we see that situation return. It makes sense for the golf courses to look after the people who live here and want to play golf. These people will help pay the bills; the holidaymakers can then provide the profits.

We have some very good golf courses in Spain but very many think they are far better than they really are and charge what can only be described as stupid prices for people to play them. It is time to get into the real world. The grass will grow whether or not people play the course; surely it is better to have a €10 profit to help with the expense of keeping it pristine than have nothing at all? Let’s hope common sense will prevail sooner rather than later.

THE PROFESSIONAL TOURS The Barclays Scottish Open provided a very interesting final day that saw the Molinari brothers compete against one another for the first of many times over the coming years I would guess. This time Eduardo came out on top; he must now be a strong favourite to partner his brother at The Ryder Cup.

Any questions you have for Noel should be sent to golf@roundtownnews.com

A square, street or public park for the champions

The winners return home

IN AN extraordinary plenary meeting held this week in Fuengirola, the Town Hall has unanimously agreed to name a square, street or public area (yet to be decided) ‘Selección Española de Futbol Campeona del Mundo en 2010’. Quite a mouthful if you want to ask how to get there!

The spotlight on professional golf continues to shine

By Claire Voet BUBBA WATSON is a happy chappy after wining his maiden US tour title in a play-off at the recent Travelers championship. He looked victorious after getting his first PGA win. Englishman, Rose, shot a 75 to finish three shots off the 14-under totals of play-off. Contenders Watson (66), Corey Pavin (66) Scott Verplank (64) and US Ryder Cup skipper Pavin dropped out after the first sudden death hole.

After Bubba Watson became the latest first-time winner on the US tour recently, we can now find more of them knocking at the door of success to make a big break through; watch out for US amateur champion Ricky Barnes. No player this year can better his six top ten finishes at the last three regular US tours, starting a seventh at Colonial, a third at memorial and a fifth at the recent Travelers Championships. Barnes’s first time play at the Aronmink golf club shouldn’t bother him either as he seems to play well wherever he tees it up at the moment. All eyes are on Barnes bagging his first win. And just when people were starting to wonder what happened to Jean Van de Velde, the man himself has popped up in Paris with a great round, his familiar sparkle was indeed back. Eleven years on from the hole which wrote him into golf history, the 44-year-old began the Alstom French Open, just his second event of the year, with a five under par 66 to be in a share for second place, three behind Dutchman RobertJan Derksen. Who knows, we could be seeing more of Jean Van de Velde at The Open at St Andrews soon, which will make a change from him commentating on it!

Bubba Watson won the Travelers Championship

The motion was headed by the phrase, “The 11th of July 2010 will remain in the hearts of all Spaniards forever.” Some members of the municipal corporation actually went to the meeting wearing the Spanish colours and scarves. RTN will let you know of the location as soon as it is made public.

The reign of Spain

World champions!

SO, SPAIN are World Champions. We should be pleased.

There aren’t that many people who can say they live in a country that has won the World Cup. However, I’ve got this nagging feeling at the back of my head and annoyingly, I can’t quite seem to put my finger on why I’m not satisfied with Spain’s success.

There are plenty of reasons why I should be. For a start, regular readers of RTN will know that Spain was my tip to triumph. And, as we all know, there’s nothing like a bit of ‘I told you so’. Also, technically, the Spanish were a joy to watch. While Rooney and Gerrard were running around like headless chickens and failing to trap bags of cement, the Spaniards played the beautiful game – comfortable in possession, passing accurately and often, barely rattled and supremely confident in their own ability. And yet. And yet. Looking back at their results give a clue to my feeling of unease. Indeed, the signs were there in the first group game. Spain dominated possession against Switzerland, were much the better team but got beaten 1 – 0. True, they didn’t panic and stuck to their beliefs as the group matches unfolded but David Villa aside, their lack of a goal scoring threat was never really overcome.

Astonishingly, the only team that Spain beat by more than one goal was Honduras. And they weren’t great shakes, let’s be honest. Chile were defeated 2 – 1 and from the last sixteen, all the way to the final, Spain won their last four matches by a score line of 1 – 0. In other words, they did just enough.

Now, of course, I realise that’s the name of the game. If England had won 7 matches on the spin by a goal to nil would I have taken that? Most certainly. But from Spain, I expected a bit more. True, they only conceded twice throughout the tournament but eight goals from seven matches isn’t the best return so I can’t see this Spanish side going down as one of the ‘greatest’ ever to have lifted the World Cup. And they won’t be remembered as one of the most exciting teams either. Not with the likes of Germany and Uruguay around.

Buy they did win it. No-one can take that away from them and they’ll be feted in this country for ever and a day.

I just wish they’d done it more emphatically.

DUTCH DOPES Holland went in to the final unbeaten for nearly 30 games and having won all 6 matches in South Africa. So why on earth did they abandon their successful formula and go out in Johannesburg intent on kicking lumps out of their opponents? And their moans about English referee Howard Webb are ludicrous. Yes, he made an error before the Spanish goal but by that time, Holland were lucky not to be down to 8 players such was the standard of their behaviour. And, if you want to talk about mistakes, as the Dutch players and media have done in the days after the game, perhaps they should look at Arjen Robben who had two glorious chances to score and missed them both; both far bigger cock-ups than those of Webb.

Calling all Sports clubs & Golf societies. Do you have a sports story for us? Email: eddie@rtncostadelsol.com

Classified Ads 22

16 - 29 july 2010 2010 15-21 JANUARY

EMAIL: classifieds@rtncostadelsol.com Round Town News

All Major Credit Cards Accepted

Free classified ads for a limited period only, email your adverts to: classifieds@rtncostadelsol.com or text them to: 628 932 137

LAS CHAPAS: Unique opportunity, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom semi-detached villa, quiet location with parking and lots of outdoor space, reduced from 379,000€ to 259,000€ Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 RIVIERA DEL SOL: Reduced from 199,000€ to 135,000€ 2 bedroom 1 ½ bathroom townhouse with a large basement for development, almost being given away!! Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 RIVIERA DEL SOL: Reduced from 189,000€ to 115,000€ 2 bedroom 1 ½ bathroom 2nd floor apartment , underground parking and storeage, this is an amazing opportunity. Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Reduced from 299,950€ to 225,000€.

3 bedroom 2 bathroom groundfloor corner apartment, large private garden and stunning sea views in Cascadas de Calahonda (ref C4335) Key Estates S.L.952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Quaint Andalucian style 2 bed 1 bath townhouse in lower Calahonda 30,000€ below market value, close to all amenities, excellent rental potential now 199,950€ (ref C4334) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Reduced from 269,000€ to 199,950€ 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Princess Park , glazed terrace and underground parking. (ref C4331) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 RIVIERA DEL SOL: Reduced from 399,950€ to 315,000€ large 3 bedroom 3 ½ bathroom townhouse on four levels including a roof terrace with Jacuzzi. (ref C4330) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441

CALAHONDA: Reduced from 229,950€ to 179,950€ 2 bedroom 2 bathroom luxury apartment with fantastic views in Bonita Hills , upper Calahonda. (ref C4327) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 EL COTO: Heavily reduced from 695,000€ to 399,950€ 3 bedroom villa all on one level, heated swimming pool, garage, 1200m2 plot with the possibility to extend. (ref C4324) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Recently reduced from 219,950€ to 189,950€ 3 bedroom 2 bathroom corner apartment in upper Calahonda, stunning sea and mountain views sold furnished. (ref C4323) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Cheap as chips at 125,000€ this 2 bedroom 2 bathroom duplex apartment in the centre of Calahonda represents a fantastic investment opportunity. (ref C4322) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Reduced from 249,950€ to 199,950€ this very spacious and bright 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in El Albaicin, community has heated pool. (ref C4316) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: A builder’s dream, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom villa, 860m2 private plot, panoramic sea views on one of the best urbanizations in Calahonda, reduced to 399,950€. (ref C4314) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 RIVIERA DEL SOL: Reduced from 185,000€ to 129,950€ almost new 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment with large private storeroom and parking. (ref C4307) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Reduced from 319,000€ to 265,000€ 3 bedroom 2 ½ bathroom, private

garden with room for a pool, roof terrace with Jacuzzi. (ref C4293) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Reduced from 799,000€ to 599,000€ 5 bedroom 3 ½ bathroom villa, private and communal pools, stunning views, absolute bargain. (ref 4288) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 RIVIERA DEL SOL: Reduced from 699,950€ to 599,950€ 3 bedroom 2 ½ bathroom, 322m2 built on a 1010m2 plot, huge open plan living area, open to offers. (ref C4267) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALAHONDA: Heavily reduced to 135,000€ 2 bedroom 1 bathroom duplex apartment, gated community in lower Calahonda with great rental potential. (ref C4337) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 ELVIRIA 3 bed 3 bath apt Elviria hills, great complex 395,000 euros tel 68 68 97 101 ELVIRIA 4 bed townhouse walking distance to ammenaties 395,000 euros tel 68 68 97 101 ELVIRIA – 8 bed 8 bath Villa was 2,000,000 need to sell quick offers around 1,000,000 tel 68 68 97 101 ELVIRIA – el manantial 2 bed 2 bath ground floor west facing 255,000 Euros tel 68 68 97 101 ELVIRIA – 5 bed penthouse in el manantial great views 575,000 euros tel 68 68 97 101 ELVIRIA – Looking for a property in Elviria contact Mr Elviria himself Chris Newsham tel 952 839 410 www.chrisnewsham.com Chris Newsham is the Elviria specialist in property contact him now 952 839 101 ELVIRIA – come and check out the largest selection of properties for sale in Elviria in our new showroom near Santa Maria golf course or visit us at www.chris-newsham.com or call us 952 839 410

Are you looking for something different?

Do you want to be a valued member of a team? RTN are hiring!

The Role: Direct Marketing Media Sales Representatives To join a highly respected printed and web media brand. You will have proven experience in a direct sales position and will ideally have knowledge of display advertising. You will be used to working in a targeted environment and will have real drive to develop new business with a view to maintaining those relationships made to increase repeat business. You will be confident, motivated and will be keen to create new sales opportunities directly targeting clients by phone or in person.

The Candidate: This role requires the candidate to have a high degree of initiative

and be able to work within a target driven business to business environment. So be expected to hit the ground running, spending time cold calling new clients to build strong business relationships with the aim to gain repeat business in the long term.

Possess excellent interpersonal skills, be self motivated and well organised.

The Company: This is a great opportunity to work for the largest and fastest growing Web and Print Media group on the Costa Blanca, who are now on the Costa del Sol. This role is a fantastic opportunity and is most definitely not to be missed! RTN has a reputation for rewarding its employees and paying high remuneration, and on time!

The Next Step: If this sounds like the role for you; in the first instance please email your CV and covering letter to: mail@rtncostadelsol.com

is part of a large U.K sports corporation, established 12yrs, offering world wide golfing holidays.

Why not generate a great rental income this winter and advertise your property to thousands of golfers. www.thisisgolf.info

Call Claire Tel 635 237 115 or Tel + 44(0)1332

253602 ELVIRIA: For rent at 700€ pcm or sale at 249,000€ 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in El Manantial, 100,000€ reduction. (ref Key 001) Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CALYPSO for rent at 500€ pcm 2 bedroom 1 bathroom immaculate apartment, walking distance to everything in a small community. (ref key 004) (Key Estates S.L. 952 939 441 CHRIS NEWSHAM offers for short term let large 2 bed 2 bath apt in Rio Real – dates still available. Tel 952 839 410 LA CALA VILLAGE – charming beachside 3 bed townhouse, private garden, 100m2 basement 1,000 pm tel 622 440 814 Chaparral – Luxury 3 bed townhouse, brand new, exceptional views , separate extra large storage tel 672 620 052 WANTED – Properties to rent for long term rentals, clients waiting from la cala through to rio real tel ann on 672 620 052 WWW.CHRIS-NEWSHAM COM offers the complete service, if your thinking of letting or renting a property, email info@chris-newsham.com or call our Elviria office 952 839 410.

ALFA ROMEO SPIDER -2001 Mettalic yellow, black leather uk reg LHD, factory hard top 44,000 miles FSH 8995 euros tel 68 68 97 101

MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 230 Kompressor AMG Style Roadster, 1999, 61000 km, convertible, petrol, 2295cc, automatic, black, 2 door, new MoT, immaculate, fsh, private seller, 1000.00 € ovno, Call: 606 853 912.

PEUGEOT - 206, 2004, 24000 km, hatchback, petrol, 1600, manual, blue, 5 door, MoT Sep 10, tax May 11, vgc, fsh, private seller, ABS, Immobiliser, cd player, c/locking, e/windows, p/steering, radio, airbags, Climate Control, 3995.00 € ono, Torredel Mar, 00447576454299 / 678736447 RENAULT - Megane classic, 1850 euros 1998, 157000 km, saloon, petrol, 2.0, manual, green, 4 door, immaculate inside & out, private seller, alloys, cd player, c/locking, e/mirrors, e/windows, p/ steering, radio, airbags, air con.

952522887 / 687809241.

Mercedes-Benz S Class CDI, Black, 2001, 224000 miles, ABS, Air conditioning, Airbag, Airbag passenger, Alarm, Alloy wheels, Auxiliary heating, CD, Central door lock, Climate control, Cruise control, ESP, Elect. adjustable seats, Fog lights, Immobilizer, Leather seats, On-board computer, Park Distance Control, Power steering, Power windows, Side airbags, Sunroof, Traction control €15000.00, Autos Marbemotor, Marbella, 670803380 Audi A8 , Grey, 2000, please call for more information +34 952 890 455 €2999.00, Manilva Autos, Puerto de la Duquesa, Malaga, 952 890 455 Audi TT , Silver, 2002, please call for more information +34 952 890 455 €9999.00, Manilva Autos, Puerto de la Duquesa, Malaga, 952 890 455 Ford Focus 1.6TDCI Trend 90, Grey, 2007, 60649 miles, ABS, Air conditioning, Airbag, Airbag passenger, CD, Central door lock, Fog lights, Immobilizer, On-board computer, Power steering, Power windows, Radio, Side airbags €9500.00, Autos Marbemotor, Marbella, 67 08 03 38 0 Renault Kangoo 1.5 DIESEL, White, 2003, €4999.00, Manilva Autos, Puerto de la Duquesa, Malaga, 952 890 455 Ssangyong Actyon Turbo Diesel, Black, 2007, Very High Specification €15999.00, Manilva Autos, Puerto de la Duquesa, Malaga, 952 890 455

YAMAHA BANSHEE 350 2stroke spanish plates 3000€, Honda 250 4stroke enduro 2006 english plated 3200€/

Yamaha fz1 2007, 15500km 1000cc 150bhp Blue alarm german plated, 6000.00 € ono, 951972085 / 608405158.

KAWASAKI, 1999, tourer, petrol, 500 twin, manual, chain drive, electric start, private seller, 25600 km, red, no MoT, no tax, vgc, part service history, crash bobbins, Excellent for year, used daily, economical commuter 1495.00 € ono, 952663811 / 667433580.

Yamaha Quad , Blue, 2007, please call for more information +34 952 890 455 €1700.00, Manilva Autos, Puerto de la Duquesa, Malaga, 952 890 455 HONDA, 2000, sports, petrol, 600, manual, chain drive, electric start, private seller, silver, no tax, immaculate, nsh, immobiliser, grabrail, standard exhaust, top box, immaculate bike serviced by owner. colour silver yellow and black, kept garaged. spanish plated. bike has been garaged for two years owing to illhealth of owner 958776402 / 617033419.

PEUGEOT VIVACITY, 2007, 50cc, silver, excellent condition, only 4000kms, comes with chan lock and disc lock. 595.00 € ono, Fuengirola, 645541205, 952492681.

KTM, 2002, enduro, petrol, 200 exc, manual, chain drive, kick start, private seller, 6000 km, orange, new MoT, good condition, nsh, race exhaust, spanish plates, fully road legal, 1year 5 months itv, very fast, ideal for the campo and road use 2200.00 € ovno, 958464407 / 663704157.

HONDA, CBF600. 2004 UK Reg. Only 8, 000 miles from new. Silver. All extras, ABS, etc.

Immaculate condition. Current road tax. Great touring bike.

2450.00 € Mijas Costa, 692 78 49 75.

Motorbikes Wanted Dead Or Alive 250cc and Above Crashed Damaged Write Offs Non Runners Stolen Recovered Financed Call 669 162 786 Cash Waiting

BOWRIDER BAYLINER 2350SS, Superb 23 foot Bayliner Bowrider new in 2000, low hours, one owner from new, SSR registered 5.0 V8 Mercruiser 15, 000 euros may px 15.00 € , 661351877.

INFLATABLE BOAT & Engine For SaleWaveline 2.9m no patches. Yamaha 5hp outboard. with fuel line, tank & pump included. photos available upon request. 495.00 € ono 0034 634270496.

16 - 29 july 2010 RIO 550 Cruiser 1998, power boat, Evinrude 70 HP. petrol, white, good condition, private seller, boat cover. berthed in Caleta de Velez.

5, 000 Euros. Telephone numbers: 952 555187 / 0044 7917755899. 5000.00 € , Caleta de Velez, 95255 5187 / 00447917755899.

BOATS, PRIVATE seller, trailer, boat cover, cockpit, Bass Boat, Engine and Trailer.

Good condition. Seats need recovering. First to see will buy No Offers Bargain Must Go Bargain Bargain 677291723.

SUNSEEKER, MEXICO 24, power boat, petrol, white, good condition, private seller, trailer, boat cover, cockpit, Mer Cruiser, 260 Hp, satelite navigation, sounder, bathing platform, toilet, cooker and shower. 5500 € ono, 952513182.

KAWASAKI JETSKI ultra 150, trailer, boat cover, cockpit, this two seater jetski has only done 54 hours from new and is in very good condition it comes complete with a roller trailer for ease of launching, trailer board, and a fitted cover.the jetskiis small ship registered which is not a problem to insure and use in spain.it is very powerful and fast price 3000 euros , 950406518 / 678831066.

KAWASAKI STAND-UP jetski, petrol, white, good condition, private seller, 1997 Kawasaki 750 SXi Pro, twin carb stand-up jetski Well maintained, used regularly & runs well.New mats, New aftermarket aluminium handle bar pole, Deep intake scoop.

Stainless impellor, Set-up for wave jumping.Cosmetics need attention (hence price).

Time-wasters pls abstain.

San Pedro, 95288 0501 / 607541264.

WEST HIGHLAND White Terrier ( Westie ) Puppies, Fully vaccinated, both parents can be seen.395,00 euros.Licensed breeder. , 952112978 / 630197435.

LABRADOR ( Yellow ), Males, Fully vaccinated, both paremts can be seen, licensed breeder. 295.00 € , 952112978 / 630197435.

RUSSIAN BLUE Kittens, Champion English lines, from specialist English breeder,

fully vaccinated, for pets only not for showing or breeding, beautiful affectionate kittens. www.russianbluecats. net 550.00 € 952112978 / 630197435.

MARINE FISH tank with live rock , starfish and 4 fish tank holds 300 litres and comes with table, 350.00 € ono, , 952382303 / 677493295.

BREEDING CAGES, Bird, Canaries, private seller, Selling a set of 4 double breeding cages with stand.

Comes complete with feeders, nest etc. Only 6 months old. Paid €400, will accept €200, , 952932502 / 667378621.

PAIR INDIAN Ringnecks, Bird, Parakeets, Hand bred in Aviary. Pristine condition.

Young birds, ready for breeding again. La Cala de Mijas. 195.00 € ono, 670766740.

MURRAY HARPER removals the longest running established company on the Costa del Sol offers a full range of home relocation services. These include twice a month departures from Spain to the UK and from the UK to Spain, as well as from the UK to France and from France to the UK internal removals a packing service and containerised storage and self-storage. Call today Tel and Fax: 952 793 422 EASY MOVE & STORAGE Low Cost International Removals 951 273 068

Effective Online Spanish lessons that really work. See it for yourself. Try the first lesson free and see why my method is the ideal way to learn Spanish. 600 400 668. www.howtospeakspanish.es ALL FULL AND PART household clearances wanted, furniture, electrical items, bric abrac,etc all purchased for cash. any amount, any area , same day service where possible. houses, garages, storerooms, bars all cleared. we will buy anything and everything. tel 673374876 or 951170799 MARBLE, TERRAZZO floors, polishing to a high gloss. Regrinding, refreshing, repairs of ol or dead floors. For a free quote call cyril:645840199 GBT BUILDING SERVICES competitive rates, friendly, professional service 951 216 278 G. WHEELER BUILDING Services. 20 years experience - 7 years in Spain. All types of building work undertaken.

Kitchens, Bathrooms, Refurbishments, Marble Flooring, Replacement Doors and Windows, Roofing, Ceramic Tiling, Plastering, Painting and Decorating, etc. Competitive prices.

Excellent References. All work guaranteed. Malaga to Estepona - and inland.

649508172.

RETAINING WALLS, the best systems at the most competitive rates. tel 693859894 TURN YOUR “GOLD” into cash today.We will come to your home and give you cash on the spot For a private valuation of your gold call: Office: 952 198 010 or Louis on Mob: 615 319 437 J B BUILDERS FULL building services 600045420

ELECTRICIAN 16TH Edition BS7671 qualified, apprentice trained, 23 years experience.

Rewires, extra sockets, lights, fault finding etc. call Ian on 650151569 PATIOS TO PALACES For all your building needs. Master builder, competitive rates, many references. tel: 637 997 752 CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY cleaning, wet or dry, 10 years in spain, all areas covered. latest equipment and chemicals, prompt and reliable with fantastic prices 678808837 952669701 PAINTING & DECORATING & general building maintenance work. Professional reliable & honest tradesman. Estepona to La Cala Area.For a free quote Please call Nick.

633224907.

QUALIFIED PLUMBER, Handyman, 20+ years experience, speciality swimming pools. All types of repairs, building, maintenance, etc. No job too small, emergency call-outs.

Reasonable Rates, Marbella, 667 297 549.

HOLD A “GOLD PARTY” in the privacy your home & we will pay you 10%. Interested?

For more information Call: office: 952 198 010 or Louis on mob: 615 319 437

TECHNICS 1210, Two Technics 1210 turntables in flight cases good condition but both power buttons need a service, sale due to moving back to UK, 952462454 / 636885584.

VINTAGE GIBSON SUNBURST, Incredibly special and incredible history Reluctant sale as given to me as a very sentimental gift and sadly never played and enjoyed, 850.00 € ovno, 655649362.

40W BASS practice amp, 40W Stagg 40BA Bass practice amp, excellent quality hardly used 60.00 € , , 952 930 578 / 653089935.

STERNER ACOUSTIC guitar, jumbo size and sound.No pickup but a wow sound and quality at a price of 125 euros.

Ring Mel on 690083961

HAIR DESIGN and colour specialists E b O n Y, Centro Nordico, Ctra de Mijas 4,5 Call 952465876 for appointments

Responsible cleaning maid in Marbella - Elviria.

Preferred hotel experience.

952836391 - 607253333 ARE YOU looking for a flexible part time job? We need a person who can work from home for our real estate company. Job description: updating several internet sites with our offers, responsible for internet and article marketing on blogs and other back office work to be done from home. Requirements: normal computer, internet skills, English/ Spanish speaking/ writing, flexibility, you have a computer and internet connection at home. What do

23

we offer: fixed monthly fee of 350 euros, around 40-45 hours monthly. Applications by email info@home-exposuremarbella.com we will call you RELAXED working environment, we are expanding our sales operation and looking to employ up to 5 new self motivated, hard working telesales staff for our Marbella office. Applicants must have English as a 1st language. We are a fully licensed company helping people with long term debt solutions in the UK. We offer a small basic + commission.

For more details call James 667393511 waitressing in 24 hr.

Square, Benalmadena, must be lively and outgoing. 18+.

679308694 HAIRDRESSER, Colorist and Beautician wanted for salon Spejos in Puerto Banus.

Luis Miguel 622308021/ 608265524 CLEANER required to organise small team of cleaners. Must have car for use every day, proven cleaning experience, able to speak English and Spanish. info@casacomplete.es YOUNG English waitress from Fuengirola for Bar/ Restaurant.

Full/ part time. 634265629 EXPERIENCED Telesales staff required for offices in Fuengirola and Benalmadena. Timeshare or investment experience an advantage. Excellent data and rates of pay, basic salary plus commissions available. Native English only. Not resale.

620675247