RTN South Edition 643

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Inside: Your regular RTN packed with news and features!

iSSUE 643

10 - 16 Feb 2012

línea directa launches an online service offering legal assistance in English

• The service, offered by practising registered lawyers, will advise the company’s customers on Spanish legislation in areas such as housing, consumption, family law, labour law, motoring queries and penal law.

• The service will provide 24 hour assistance in the case of urgent enquiries, the checking and editing of documents and discounts of up to 50% on lawyers’ fees if further action is required.

Línea Directa, market leader in the sale of direct insurance in Spain, has launched an online service offering legal assistance to its customers, which will advise those policyholders purchasing this cover on areas such as housing, consumption, family law, labour law and penal law.

Línea Directa’s new cover, the price of which will be up to 40% more economical than the market average, will answer queries on buying and selling, renting and house renovations.

24-hour assistance for urgent enquiries

The service of Legal Assistance for Motorists operates from Monday to Friday from 8am to 10pm. In the case of urgent enquiries, such as emergencies in the home, incidents occurring at night affecting families – including spouses or children – such as theft, credit cards being blocked or unreturned, or damage caused by pets, Línea Directa will offer a service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In both cases, the customer must call 902 400 613 or email atencionjuridica@lineadirecta.es.

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south EDITION

10-16 feb 2012

see page 17

Schools protest against cuts

Parents, pupils and teachers join the sit in at the Los Alcores Institute

by louise clarke CHILDREN OF all ages along with their parents and teachers packed into the cafeteria of the IES Los Alcores High School in San Miguel de Salinas on Monday evening and staged a three hour sit-in to protest against education cuts that are suffocating primary and secondary schools throughout the Valencia region.

Parents and pupils of all nationalities put on a united front during the event and some of the older kids even came in pyjamas and brought duvets in case the demonstration went on all night. The protest was organised by the Education Defence Platform of San Miguel, which is made up of teachers and parents from both the Los Alcores Institute and the Gloria Fuertes Primary School in the town.

DEBILITATING Spokeswoman for the Platform, Bienvenida Campillo Lorca, told RTN: “With the excuse of the economic crisis, the administration has applied these severe cuts in the education

budget, cuts which are now very visible and brutal.” She added: “The Valencia government pretends that these cuts are necessary for the economy but all they are doing is destroying and debilitating public services, especially education.”

In both schools in the town, the number of teachers has been reduced but in the high school as a result of the cuts in teachers, extra classes that were aimed at helping the older pupils with extra study for their Bachillerato (equivalent to A-Levels) have been cancelled. Bienvenida added: “These older pupils should be preparing for university and further education but instead they are being left to their own devices as the extra study classes have had to be cancelled due to the cuts.”

DISGRACE According to Bienvenida, the Los Alcores High School has not received any money for maintenance from the Valencia gov-

ernment since April last year and it is only just coping under the financial pressure. She said: “With primary schools, electricity, heating and water bills are paid for by the Town Halls. But with secondary schools, those bills are paid for by Valencia.” She continued: “I know of some centres that have not been able to put lights on during lessons and some cannot afford to even have their heating on, which in this weather is a disgrace, especially in those many schools that have prefabricated classrooms.”

Bienvenida concluded: “We have to save public education and we have to do this together - teachers, parents and pupils together and united.”

Meanwhile, the lunchtime and school transport services at the Gloria Fuertes Primary School will continue for the foreseeable future after positive negotiations were made with the suppliers of the services.

RTN will, of course, keep parents updated on any further developments as and when it gets them.

2

10 - 16 feb 2012

Police escort for O’Leary

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PRESIDENT OF the Spanair workers committee, Ricardo Oso, has announced that ex-Spanair employees would rather try to obtain work with AENA, the Spanish Airports Authority, than work for Ryanair under obligation to pay Irish tax and to be paid in Gibralter. His comments follow an incident at Bilbao Airport where Basque regional police La Ertzaintza were required to assist Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary in boarding his flight to Madrid after he upset demonstrating Spanair staff.

They were encouraging a boycott of Ryanair’s new MadridBarcelona service. O’Leary made a V-sign gesture of victory which deeply offended the emotionally overwrought Spanair workers that at present are in limbo – neither on the dole nor working and laid off with a January payment of 1,000€ against wages owed.

CAM acknowledges a loss of €2,700 million CAM BANK, auctioned in December to Sabadell, closed with a recorded loss of €2.713 million according to a statement sent by CAM on Wednesday to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The loss figures produced at the end of the year are more than double the €1.136 million recorded at the end of the first half.

Spain’s oldest prisoner released FRANCISCO MIGUEL Montes Neiro, the oldest common prisoner in Spain, was released from prison on Tuesday after being pardoned by royal decree at the end of 2011. 61-year-old Miguel has been in prison for more than 30 years for a collection of nonviolent crimes including burglary; escape attempts; falsification of documents; offences against public health and traffic fines. He requested on hearing news of his forthcoming release: “Do not bring the car to the door. Let me walk a mile or two to feel the freedom.”

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3

10 - 16 feb 2012

Finca Parcs trial announced

Great weekly day trips Sun Benidorm on Market day Tues Altea/Caves of the Skulls Incl Lunch entry Wed Benidorm on Market day Thurs Murcia shops including Primark/IKEA.

The abandoned Finca Parks development

by Louise Clarke IT HAS been announced this week that a four day trial will take place in May with regards to the Finca Parks development, near Hellín in Murcia. The trial date has been set for 21st May after the 47 members of the Finca Parks Action Group filed a 1000 page lawsuit in February 2011 against property developer Cleyton GES SL and Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (CAM).

The group members have all paid off-plan deposits totalling €1.5 million for properties at the Las Higuericas Finca Parcs development to CAM Bank accounts opened by the developer Cleyton GES SL. None of the group members received the legally required Bank Guarantees in accordance with Spanish Law, LEY 57/1968.

ABANDONED The inland development, close to the village of Agramón, is around 15km from Hellín and 80km from Murcia. Despite marketing the development for five years as a self contained sports and leisure resort, the developer Cleyton GES SL abandoned the site in May 2009 stating that the project was ‘financially unviable’. The site with 617 plots divided into five phases still remains abandoned with just 50 Phase One properties completed, however due to site defects not even these properties were issued with the Licence of First Occupation by the Hellín Town Hall. CAM, the bank recently purchased by Banco Sabadell for one euro and described by Banco de España Gov-

ernor, Miguel Angel Fernández Ordoñez at a Press Conference in September 2011 as the “worst of the worst” are the co-defendants in the case. The bank accepted the off-plan deposits and was also contracted by the developer Cleyton GES SL to issue the corresponding Bank Guarantees.

FANTASTIC The Action Group was formed by Keith Rule in 2009 and RTN has been following the developments in this case since then. The group consists of individual buyers mainly from the UK, Ireland and Spain. Keith told RTN: “All the evidence contained in our lawsuit was presented at the preliminary hearing and the judge stated that it was his intention to call all 47 claimants to appear in person at the trial in May.” RTN will also be at the trial and will have a full report on the verdict as and when it is announced. Keith concluded: “It is fantastic that the trial has been scheduled for May as this is just four months after the preliminary hearing. We will do everything possible to ensure all individual claimants are able to attend the trial. It will be a huge logistical exercise as we will need to organise flights, transport and accommodation in Hellín, but this is just another hurdle that the group has been subjected to since paying our deposits in good faith six years ago.” What a great example of people power!

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4

10 - 16 feb 2012

Hotel Closed over legionnaires’

by JACK TROUGHTON

The Diamante Beach Hotel

CALPE’S FOUR star Diamante Beach hotel remained closed for cleaning this week after being identified as the source of the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has killed three British tourists.

A total of 16 people – 12 British and four Spanish – contracted the disease before traces of the deadly bug was identified in the 283bedroom hotel’s plumbing system last Friday.

The handling of the outbreak by the Spanish authorities has been criticised with allegations there was an attempt to play down the seriousness of the outbreak to avoid panic and protect the resort’s tourist industry.

And the situation that every doctor in England and Wales was alerted to the emergency on January 19th – long before Calpe’s health professionals – was described as “disgraceful”.

It has since become evident a travelling salesman who stayed three nights at the hotel fell ill from the disease in December yet despite members of staff and guests contracting Legionnaires’ last month, tests by both the Spanish authorities and SAGA holidays proved negative.

Valencia’s Minister for Health, Luis Rosado defended the delays in closing the hotel for cleaning until last week. He said: “We did what we had to do until we had confirmation of the source of the outbreak.”

WATER Legionnaires’ disease is caught by inhaling microscopic droplets of infected water and brings on flu-type symptoms. The pneumonia, which is treated with antibiotics, is particularly serious for the elderly and those with low immunity systems.

The incubation period is 10 to 12 days and the Calpe strain of the bacterium was described as particularly virulent – although Legionnaires’ cannot be transferred human to human and Mr Rosado underlined there was no danger of the outbreak spreading.

He said the hotel would be allowed to reopen as soon as cleaning was completed and the bacterium “eradicated.”

Mayor of Calpe Caesar Sanchez told RTN how a travelling salesman had stayed three nights at the Diamante Beach in December and was later found to have contracted the disease.

“There is a strict protocol set up and an alert put out but it was very difficult to find where it came from,” he said. “They let me know as soon as the second tests at the hotel, after more cases, they had found the source.”

He said the hotel’s annual health and safety check in November had not revealed any problem and the first round of tests had not identified the bacteria.

CLEAN The mayor, who uses the hotel’s gym, said the hotel would remain closed while it was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

RTN was told that also during December a waiter from the hotel fell ill while away visiting his home town and later a cleaner, who lives in Benidorm also succumbed to Legionnaires’.

However, it was the alarm was raised in January when five tourists staying at the hotel and six who had returned to the UK fell ill the hotel was thought to be the source of the outbreak.

Councillor Carole Saunders said she first learned of the outbreak and confirmation it was in Calpe when a Department of Health warning was forwarded to the Costa Blanca by a British GP. “I think it is disgraceful that every single doctor in the UK knew about a possible outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Calpe and we knew absolutely nothing about it,” she said.

“The town hall has been flooded with calls and we have tried to put people’s minds at rest but you can understand how people are very worried.”

Primark Alicante now recruiting AS PRIMARK Alicante prepares to open its doors in March the Councillor for Employment, Carlos Castillo has confirmed that more than 17,000 candidates have applied for the 187 jobs up for grabs in the new store and interviews that commenced this week will continue throughout the month of February. Despite the number of applicants that have already registered an interest, vacancies are still open and sales staff and supervisors are invited to apply to work at the Gran Via Alicante Primark via the website www.primarkgranviaalicanteempleo.es Full time, part time and weekend positions are offered.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Hellish conditions at local secondary school

by LOUISE CLARKE

IT STARTED with teachers, pupils and parents demonstrating outside the Orihuela Costa Town Hall in Playa Flamenca last Thursday and included a sit-in by teachers followed by a meeting between parents and teachers on Tuesday. So to say that it has been an eventful week for everyone involved with the Playa Flamenca Institute is an understatement.

The pupils and teachers of the IES Playa Flamenca have spent the last eight years in what have been described as “hellish” conditions; barrack style port-a-cabins where they have to endure freezing cold conditions in the winter months and unbearable heat during the summer months, not to mention the smells and dripping ceilings every time it rains. And with the recent announcement of severe cuts to their budget by the Valencia Government, they have decided that enough is enough.

CONDEMNATION A statement from the Parents Association (AMPA) said: “The recent cuts will reduce teaching staff by 30-40% compared to 2009. The educational community of IES Playa Flamenca i.e.; the parents, students and teachers, are tired of politicians who cut education whilst they send their own children to private schools and that those private schools then enrich themselves at the expense of essential public services. We will continue to protest against not only these

10 - 16 feb 2012

Carry on camping CAMPING SITES in the Elche area report an impressive 80% occupancy so far this winter, equalling performances of previous years. However, the sting in the tail is that although occupancy is healthy, campsite spending is miserably low with additional facilities such as restaurants, bars and swimming pool services registering a disappointing winter trade. President of the Association of Campgrounds in Alicante, William Le Metayer, said that high occupancy is not the only ingredient required for a successful season, saying the winter season attracts serious campers from the UK, Germany and Holland, with the customer profile in recent years definitely on holidaymakers that enjoy camping holidays rather than those seeking a budget holiday.

Young man killed in Jacarilla accident

Parents, teachers and pupils outside the Town Hall in Playa Flamenca

cuts but also the deprived state of our school.”

The sit-in involved more than a dozen high school teachers who locked themselves into the “barracks” and lasted for more than four hours. The teachers have condemned the facilities in which they have to teach the 450 students who attend the school saying that the conditions are not ‘ethical’ or ‘moral’ for a public school.

LACK OF RESOURCES The teachers also indicated that the rental of the 40 portable classrooms that make up the school is more expensive than the costs to finish building the new centre; the work

for which ceased due to the construction company going bust. They said: “This centre has been under construction for five years but stopped before the elections and since then no more building has taken place.” A spokesman for the teachers said that they feel the lack of support from Valencia is because 90% of the students are foreign, mainly British, and that family members do not vote in elections. He also said: “The lack of resources and teachers has meant that we have had to suppress some of our educational plans, such as the compensatory programme which is essential in this school due to the high percentage of school failure.”

5

A 27 YEAR old man who was injured on Saturday night after being struck by a car on the CV-95, in Jacarilla, died the following day at the Vega Baja hospital. The young man suffered multiple injuries as a result of the accident and was taken in a critical condition, by a SAMU ambulance unit to the hospital.

The accident occurred early on Saturday evening at Kilometre 9 of the CV- 95, which links the towns of Bigastro and San Miguel de Salinas. According to sources close to the case, although the driver of the car tested positive in a blood alcohol test which was conducted

by Guardia Civil officers after the accident, as of Wednesday he had not been detained as evidence indicated that the accident occurred as a result of the young man coming onto the road straight in front of the vehicle.

6

10 - 16 feb 2012

by

Jennifer Cunningham

Why you must read your policy documents OVER THE twenty years I have been in business, the Company has sold thousands of policies to include health, funeral and general insurance. There is so much information to pass on to clients especially regarding health insurance, that I appreciate it is very difficult for anyone to absorb it all in the first instance. Therefore, it is very important to read your policy documents very carefully, to confirm that the cover has been adequately explained. Of course there will be many other important points to note that have not been discussed fully and obviously to ensure that anything you are told verbally is backed up in the policy document.

Many people do act on this advice and often return with a list of questions, which we are more than happy to answer. Should you decide to go ahead with the insurance, you will be given a policy pack including an acceptance form to sign stating that you understand what you have signed for and agree that you have entered into a legally binding contract under Spanish law, which is for one year.

Unfortunately, the reading in full of the General Conditions doesn’t appear to be taken very seriously and occasionally when claims have been refused due to lack of cover, which is clearly stated in the book, we are accused of mis-selling the policy because we are assured by the client that they distinctly remember being told - some 5 – 6 years ago even, that this particular claim would be covered. If refused the complainant might then go to the press and blame my company

and on occasions even asking me personally to settle the invoice. The policy document is paramount in law whereas the verbal word is not.

Cancellation periods are made very clear, and it is no use informing us that in the UK we can cancel at any time: this is not the UK, and if the contract is not strictly adhered to the insurer has the right to place the matter in the hands of their legal department.

I am unable to change Spanish law or the insurer’s policy, which carry their own rules and regulations. The responsibility I take on board is to make sure that none of the staff knowingly mis-sell, and to feel comfortable that they have explained the policy to the client and have obtained the signatures on the relevant forms.

We support all our valued clients on health and funeral via Mandy who offers support and assists in making appointments, gives advice on whom they need to see and sometimes a great part of her job is to listen to people. However serious or otherwise the illness might be, it is important to that particular person.

Then of course on general insurance we have John, who looks after claims. This is an enormous help to the clients, as many do not speak Spanish and have no idea what to do in the case of an accident or a house claim. This type of service does cost, and in my opinion especially living in another country is invaluable, therefore, to cover these extra services it is vital that we gain new clients as well as retaining old ones. This of course is becoming more difficult in a very competitive market place, but fortunately

there are many loyal people who appreciate the service that we pride ourselves on.

I always feel we go the extra mile for our clients in so many ways. Sometimes there is as little as 10€ difference in the quote and people will look at the cheaper option. Often the policy is not the same as Liberty Seguros, or even in English. If this is so you could be in for a nasty shock: it makes a bit of a joke of me advising clients to read the policy!

One vital point is to choose your insurer and broker wisely. In these very insecure times this is even more important. With Liberty Mutual Group you can feel very confident that you are one of the millions across many continents who are safely insured with them, not only today but for always.

When you are experiencing a problem, remember we are there to assist you, but we do respond far better if we are not threatened or verbally abused.

Living in Spain is not easy, and running a business can be a nightmare as many know. It helps to accept that there are many different rules and regulations, and we are here to explain some of them, as well as to offer good old fashioned service. Please don’t beat us up; just use us to obtain good honest insurance, with a wonderful back up.

I can assure you we are more than a voice on the phone and will continue to be so. *** Information on PCN charity walk on FEB 26TH at Casa La Pedrera (San Miguel) contact sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk ***

Jennifer Cunningham Insurances S.L The Costas leading insurance consultant. If you have a question please email her at: jennifer@jennifercunningham.net Regulated and Authorised by the DGSFP in Spain.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Rubbish collection chaos

by Louise Clarke

DESPITE ORIHUELA Town Hall paying €685,000 into the bank account of the company responsible for the rubbish collection in the municipality, the workers of the company have gone out on strike this week after the company used the money to pay off other debts instead of its workers’ wages. The Mayor of Orihuela, Montserrat Guillen, has hit out at the company and said that the Town Hall has paid the monthly fee for the service that the company provides, which includes waste collection and street cleaning and stated that the strike is “blackmail”. He told a press conference: “The City will not submit to blackmail, either by the company or by the cleaning and refuse collection workers. This is a clear violation of the minimum services specified in the notice of strike.” He reiterated his willingness to hold negotiations with the parties involved but added: “In no case will we submit to blackmail from anyone.” He also asked that municipal residents exercise patience, understanding and accountability in the actions of the striking workforce.

COPE The Councillor for Infrastructures, Pablo Vidal, told RTN that the Town Hall has made every effort to avoid the strike by the workers. However, despite an attempt to obtain a commitment from the company to use the cash that was paid in for the payment of wages, the firm has not fulfilled that obligation. As a result the contract between the Town Hall and the conglomerate, which is made

The bins of the coast were already overfilling just one day into the strike

up of three separate companies, SUFI, Liasur and Gobancast, is likely to be terminated. But in the meantime, residents of the Orihuela municipality will have to cope with limited collections and on Tuesday, just a day after the strike was announced, RTN witnessed overflowing bins on the coast.

BREACH A Town Hall Spokesman told RTN: “The Town Hall pays €800,000 to this company every month for this service and we have always paid them on time.

We have therefore fulfilled our obligation. They are not even covering the minimum services and have failed to

clean the streets following last weekend’s Medieval Market; that is a clear breach of contract and we have no choice but to cancel that contract and invite other companies to submit tenders for it.” The problem though is that the tender process could take months to complete, so what happens in the meantime? The Spokesman could not give RTN a definitive answer to that question, but he did say that there were several alternative solutions that they can reach in that eventuality. He added: “It is lucky that it is February and not August when we have double the population and the heat. We hope that this will all be resolved by then.”

Translator not needed IN OUR interview with the Mayor of San Fulgencio in last week’s RTN, we told you that the Mayor has an open door policy and is at the La Marina Town Hall offices every Tuesday and Thursday for you to speak to. Although the Mayor doesn’t speak a great deal of English, RTN would like to point out that you DO NOT need to take a translator with you if you need to speak to him as he always has his trusted colleague Paulino on hand to help with any translation. RTN is happy to make that clear and apologises for any misunderstanding.

Flight cancellations due to Iberia strike

Iberia passengers seek alternative flights

IBERIA HAS cancelled 127 flights between 12th and 14th February as pilots and cabin crew continue to protest over the terms imposed upon staff as a result of the formation of low cost subsidiary Iberia Express. Pilots under the direction of their union Sepla, are in their eighth day of strikes and the first of a new series that includes five-day strikes to take place every Monday and Friday until 29th February. The company has flexible rates to facilitate credits or refunds to customers affected by the cancellations. Over the next few days the company will communicate the list of flights for next-day strike called for 17th, 20th, 24th and 29th February.

10 - 16 feb 2012

7

8

Pick up your dog ‘poo’!

10 - 16 feb 2012

by Louise Clarke

The Mayor presents his ‘Clean up after your dog’ campaign

THE TOWN Hall in Torrevieja has launched an awareness campaign this week designed to educate dog owners to clean up their pet’s excrement on the streets of the municipality. The Mayor, Eduardo Dolon, said that it is important to educate residents and visitors on the need to maintain the image of a clean city. One of the ‘most important’ aspects of this campaign, according to the Town Hall, is its incorporation into new technologies, in particular, Facebook, in which campaign organisers have created a game that focuses on collecting the ‘poo’ from the streets, parks, gardens and squares of Torrevieja.

BILLBOARDS The Mayor, along with the Councillor for Police and Public Safety, Eduardo Gil Rebollo, the designer and coordinator of the campaign, Llinares Francisco, and the man responsible for the city’s urban cleanliness, Antonio Boix, presented the campaign which is aimed at both residents and tourists in the city and will focus on raising awareness of the need to remove your dog’s ‘poo’ from public roads. There will be more than 50 billboards strategically placed around the city with messages in Spanish and English as well as advertisements in newspapers and on local radio stations in which residents will be reminded of the importance of cleaning up

after their pets. In addition to all that, there will be a direct marketing campaign in which representatives will hand out items such as dog ‘poo’ bags in the city centre and they have even enlisted the services of a magician to perform magic tricks which are aimed at showing residents how to pick up dog excrement! (You really couldn’t make it up!)

ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDES The game on Facebook will be available to all citizens for the next two months and is primarily aimed at all those people who have a pet. The Mayor has highlighted the importance of this new awareness campaign, emphasising his concern about the image that visitors to the city have as a result of some residents’ antisocial attitudes. He said: “We must eradicate these attitudes to keep our environment clean.” He also added that the Town Hall will be working in conjunction with the Local Police and anyone who is caught not cleaning up after their pets will be contravening a Municipal Ordinance with regards to the ownership of animals and will be subject to a fine. He concluded: “There are more than 100 bins for animal excrement located in the city, mainly in parks and gardens, and we are giving out bags to collect these droppings, so there is no excuse not to clean up after your pet.”

Flu spreading

THE NUMBER of hospitalised flu cases in the Valencia and Alicante provinces has increased by 30% this week. 102.5 cases were registered per 100,000 populace compared to 78.9 last week, according to web information from the Department of Health. The Minister of Health, Luis Rosado, pointed out that despite this increase of 30% the figures are still lower than those recorded over the same period last year at this time and are also still below the national average. It has been noted that 91.08% of the 231 cumulative cases had not been vaccinated. The Minister has stressed the need for vaccination, especially in high risk groups.

Wine tourism comes to Torrevieja

by Louise Clarke CALLING ALL wine lovers! The visitor centre of the La Mata Natural Park played host this week to the presentation of a project which is aimed at regenerating the wine landscape of the area and the promotion of wine tourism. It also proposes to enhance and add value to the wine production in Torrevieja. The presentation coincided with the celebration of World Wetlands Day, which is aimed at linking natural areas like La Mata with tourism. Maria Victoria Bernicola, the architect of the project, presented the proposal dubbed “Dancing in Vineyards” and said that it will focus on the revitalisation of wine tourism in the Natural Parks of La Mata-Torrevieja and

that it is based on integrated architecture within the natural environment. The initiative aims, through landscape regeneration and economic development of the area, to promote tourism and enhance the production and marketing of La Mata wine, which recently started production and will be marketed in the United States.

The project includes the connection of the vineyards with the La Mata beach via a pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, which will also promote environmental tourism in the protected area. Under the proposal, the route would run parallel to the canal that was once built in to fill in the gap in the forest and would also include a pedestrian crossing over the N-332.

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mail

10 - 16 feb 2012

Email letters to rtnmail@roundtownnews.com with your full name and address

talk tous

letter of the week

Reconsider your attitude IT IS appalling and unbelievable, the manner in which some dog owners ill-treat these animals! In my nine years in Spain I have seen the following: A woman driving a 4x4 vehicle with a man sitting at the rear of the vehicle with his feet hanging out, dragging a dog behind the vehicle - this seems to be their idea of taking their dog for a walk.

There was another man who took his dog every day for a walk and gave the impression that he loved and cared for the dog. However, when he decided to return to his home land he left the dog with the community: it was seen straying about for a couple of weeks before eventually being run over.

There was a couple that moved about five miles away and left their dog tied to a tree in the front garden: the animal was given food and water by neighbours.

I reported the matter to the local paper and after an article appeared in the paper the dog was collected and taken to a country home.

I know of dogs that have been confined to small gardens for several years and have never been taken for a walk.

Recently I saw two separate occurrences of men on

bicycles pulling their dogs along the roads, the dog trotting as fast as they could, trying to keep up with the riders. These animals are taken for quite a few miles every day on the hard surface of the road. They are subjected to the same suffering and ill treatment on a daily basis. They do not stop and are not even given a drink of water and certainly cannot be enjoying such long stressful walks.

Dogs enjoy a long walks where they are free to sniff and have a run around. These dog owners are deliberately subjecting these animals to mental and physical torture.

The most disturbing aspect is the mentality and attitude of the owners, who all live in highly developed societies, and are quite aware (or should be) of how to care for the domestic animals they call their ‘pets’. However, they treat animals in the same way the majority of uneducated people in very poor countries do - with no compassion at all.

If by chance you are one of those who ill-treat your dog and have read this letter please reconsider your attitude and treatment of your dog.

Name withheld

Good samaritans

THROUGH YOUR excellent paper I would like to thank all the people who helped me when my husband had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago.

He was found unconscious near the Punta Prima roundabout by Mark and Felicity who acted as good Samaritans and by using his mobile contact list alerted Janet, the VicePresident of our Urbanisation who drove down and called an ambulance, then phoned Lesley who called round for me and drove us to Torrevieja Hospital.

The doctor there told me my husband had a fractured skull and bleeding on his brain. He was to be transferred to Elche Hospital as there is no Neurosurgeon at Torrevieja, which surprised me. I was getting very distressed - a very big thank you to Lesley who insisted on staying with me and arranged a taxi to Elche where we spent the rest of the night and all morning until I saw the doctor at 2pm in Intensive Care. I was told to come each day at 2pm to see the doctor and bring an Interpreter. Thanks to Lionel who acted as chauffer and interpreter for four days and to Steve and Andy who drove me to Elche and picked me up when he was moved to a ward where I could visit all day.

The staff at Elche were wonderful. Luckily the doctor spoke excellent English as my husband can only speak a little Spanish and I managed to communicate with the nurses using my Spanish Phrase Book.

Many of the people on our urbanisation have offered to help and I am eternally grateful for such good friends.

Dorothy Smith, Orihuela Costa

Beware of friendly ‘huggers’ PERHAPS YOUR readers would like to be warned of a mode of ‘mugging’, which happened to a friend in Benidorm at Xmas. Having just left the ATM at the Cam Bank where she had topped up her mobile phone, both she and her husband were walking along when a Spanish male pushed his way in between them and put his arm round her shoulders and wished her a ‘Merry Xmas’ before walking off. A short while later she found that her clasp type handbag had been opened and her purse containing some 300€ was missing. Having just read an English daily paper this would now appear to be a new type of thieving in Blighty as well.

Beware of friendly ‘huggers’ as their distraction method could cost you dearly.

L Smith, Catral

What a lovely day

I WOULD like to thank all my friends who attended my recent 70th birthday party at the Lodosol restaurant, San Pedro del Pinatar for their good wishes and lovely gifts. It is much appreciated. Many thanks also to Tony and Jan Morgan, proprietors of the Lodosol for the superb buffet and entertainment.

Joan Mitchell, Fundraiser for HELP MMM

Appeal to readers

ON BEHALF of the AFA Alzheimer’s Charity Shop in Torrevieja I would like to appeal to readers for any bric a brac, clothing, toys, etc. – they are desperate for such items for their shop.

Often as not a lot of very saleable items are just dumped in the local bins - so rather than dump them please donate to this very worthwhile charity. All items will be greatly appreciated. The shop itself is in the road just behind the church square. To the right of the church up the street from the Tobacconist and it is first on the right.

David Whitney

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Winning hearts and minds ‘Looky Looky’

men not so lucky!

by jack troughton EXPATS WORRIED about encouraging youngsters to master their native English have been thrown a lifebelt through a new website designed to make learning fun.

Kids across the globe go to local schools and absorb both the language and culture of their adopted countries – but sometimes at a cost when it comes to their own language.

However, help is at hand for expat families through Javea-based mum Karen Mullally, a journalist and writer, who wanted to share her love of English and its rich history of literature.

Karen has launched interactive website www.youngmindsabroad.com after an SOS appeal from a friend about their children’s problems with English and with the help of teachers has masterminded the free site.

“It really started because I have a friend who had a reluctant reader in her son – my two sons read all the time and I thought it was a great shame,” she explained. “We came up with a few ideas and they helped. “And I have since spoken to other friends in Spain whose children go to Spanish schools who were also worried their children were no reading and writing English well.

“So I was inspired to write something parent friendly, something that is always being improved, and something that can be dipped into and enjoyed – children don’t want to come home from school and be made to do more work than they already have from their schools.”

THEME Karen told RTN that expat websites revealed “a recurring theme” that youngsters living abroad were not necessarily grasping English – whether

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HUNDREDS OF counterfeit items were seized this week in a joint operation between the Local Police and Guardia Civil in Torrevieja. The Councillor for Public Safety and Police, Eduardo Gil Rebollo told reporters on Tuesday that during last weekend, 4th and 5th February, a total of 11 members of the Guardia Civil in both uniform and civilian clothes, along with seven officers from the Local Police, mounted a surveillance operation on the promenades of La Libertad and Juan Aparicio and as a result hundreds of counterfeit items were seized. Fake international branded merchandise included handbags, sunglasses, polo-shirts, belts and handbags. The Councillor also indicated that this type of joint action between the Guardia Civil and Local Police will continue to take place during the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, it was also reported that last Friday 3rd February, officers from that same unit seized a total of 191 pairs of fake Levi Strauss branded jeans that were on the sale at a stall in the weekly Friday market in the city.

Warning: snow chains Karen Mullally

they lived in Spain, France, Germany, or further afield.

“The other side is for parents to come to the site and talk about education – parents are obsessed with it, especially mums who always talk about how their children are doing at school,” she added.

“And what I really welcome is for people to contact me with their own ideas to see what really works for children.

It is now an educational website per se but for parents to swap ideas.”

Karen said the site was also supported by a friend and professional teacher

who checked the information, while parents suggestions, rather than those coming through the educational system, were an inspiration. She said if youngsters were learning Spanish, French or German at school, home should be the place to encourage reading and writing in English, especially with games.

“Technology has its place, but children wanting to read and write in English need a pen and a book,” said Karen. www.youngmindsabroad.com will remain free to users for the “foreseeable future”.

IF YOU are thinking of taking a trip be aware that due to the very cold weather that has produced snow and ice throughout Spain drivers are advised to take notice of warnings for the necessity of snow chains. As in other European countries this is compulsory and in areas where snow and ice are causing a hazard you may have to leave your vehicle until you have fitted chains. Already the Austurias and Catalan display the warning ‘Necesita Cadenas Nieve’.

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Crackdown on foreign registered cars 10 - 16 feb 2012

by LOUISE CLARKE ACCORDING TO the Chief of the Guardia Civil, those foreign residents that flout the law by driving unregistered, uninsured and untaxed foreign registered cars should be stopped.

The statement came after it was announced that a crackdown on foreign registered vehicles, which started late last year in the Costa del Sol, is to be extended nationwide. “They don’t pay the fines for parking too long in restricted parking zones, or fines for speeding,” said the Chief, “they pay no road tax and their vehicles are often uninsured and not ITV tested. This is wrong and it must be stopped.”

According to a press release issued to RTN, foreign residents who drive their cars on the roads of Spain, enjoy immunity to prosecution as a result of their vehicle’s number plate. It said: “Authorities often fail to take action because of the difficulties in verifying their address in order to notify them of such penalties.”

The State Tax Agency (AEAT) has, in conjunction with the police authorities, decided to put an end to this situation and so have begun the campaign to tighten the net on foreigners who live permanently or part-time in

Spain but have not registered their vehicles here or paid the relevant taxes on them.

OBLIGATION The initiative, which started in November in Malaga, is the result of an EU directive which establishes that people are obliged to comply with the tax obligations of the country in which their vehicle is being used. Basically, the vehicle is making use of the country’s infrastructure and as a result it produces environmental contamination, so therefore tax must be paid to that country.

Since November, the Guardia Civil has identified about two hundred drivers in the Malaga province whose cars bear foreign plates and who officers have been able to prove are living there permanently. More than half are British, followed by Germans and French. The two hundred foreigners that have been caught have been ordered by the Guardia Civil to put their vehicles in order within five days.

FINES At the same time, the Hacienda tax authority has begun proceedings against the

Ryanair takes on Barcelona traffic AS PREDICTED, Ryanair is to launch its service between Alicante and Barcelona to bridge the gap left by bankrupt Spanair.

The Irish budget airline announced at a breakfast conference on Tuesday that it will expand its presence at Barcelona’s El Prat airport to accommodate flights to Alicante, Bilbao, Stockholm, Hamburg, Menorca and Munich (Memmingen). There will also be an increased service to Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Málaga, Palma, Sevilla and Tenerife. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary projects doubling his current passenger traffic of 5.8 million.

Ryanair’s routes from El Altet, Alicante will still be reduced in April, bringing an end to services to Sevilla, Madrid, Palma, Santander, Pisa and Venice, although fights to Paris will be recovered.

This British Registered Range Rover will be targeted in this new initiative

offending drivers. If they comply and make their vehicles legal within a given period, the case is filed and no further action is taken, but if they don’t, the police can seize the car and hand it over to the tax authorities. And the owners of the vehicles will also then be reported for driving without having obtained

the relevant authorisation which can result in a fine of €450.

If the offender fails to register the car with the tax man, pay the registration fee, put it on Spanish plates and through the ITV test as well as pay the fine, they could face further fines of between three and four thousand Euros.

Spanish Food and Wine Market in London THE FIRST Spanish Food and Wine Market is to open in London on 17th November and run until 20th November at Old Billingsgate on Thames Street. Organised jointly by IFEPA (the Palace of Exhibitions and Fairs of the Region of Murcia) and Global Expo, the event is designed to showcase the best products of small and medium producers in Spain, a ‘Farmers’ Market’ representing around 300 companies. “The goal,” explained Sol Gutierrez, President of Global Expo, “is to help small and medium-sized Spanish companies and gourmet food industry to drive sales, positioning them favorably in the British overseas market.” Parallel to the ‘Farmer’s Market’ the first ‘Spanish Food Festival’ will open in London, with a German version taking place in Germany in 2013. For more information visit www.ifepa.es

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Did the earth move for you?

by Louise Clarke “IT WAS like a train going under the house!” was how last Sunday’s earth tremor was described by one Algorfa resident following the quake which measured 3.1 on the Richter scale.

Thousands of people were woken by the tremor that struck at 5.43am on Sunday morning.

The epicentre was six kilometres North West of Torrevieja and just one kilometre South West of Los Montesinos with a depth of ten kilometres and it came just days after RTN reported on the development of an earthquake plan in Torrevieja. Social networking sites and local forums were inundated with reports from worried expat residents following the seismic event and one Los Montesinos resident reported experiencing “continuous shaking for 20 seconds” and said that it even knocked a drink off a bedside table.

SCARY Meanwhile, six kilometres away from the epicentre in Benijofar, one resident said that they she felt quite disturbed by the tremor. “It was a very scary experience and makes you realise just how close we are to fault lines here.”

A resident in Torrevieja said: “It was like a bus was being driven inside my bedroom. The whole building was shaking and I thought it would come down.” He added: “Then I spent the next two hours waiting for the next one. I felt the one in Lorca in May 2011 and was waiting for one more quake like when it happened there; thankfully it didn’t come but it was a really bad feeling.”

Another resident said: “I have lived in Torrevieja for almost 11 years and felt many small tremors, but this was different from others. I have felt my computer chair move or a slight trembling of furniture and movement of small objects in the past, but no noise. This was actually very loud and enough to scare me, even though I didn’t see any evidence of any movement of objects, it prompted me to stay up and go online to see if I could find out what had happened.”

Greenpeace blames increase in GM crops in Europe on Spain WHILST THE cultivation of GM crops is falling in countries that are part of the European Union, it is increasing in Spain!

More than 97,000 hectares of genetically modified maize was cultivated in Spain in 2011 compared to the 67,700 harvested in 2010. In some European countries genetically modified maize has been banned for the last three years. Ecologist group Friends of the Earth claim that in 2011 110,000 hectares were planted with GM crops, the majority of which seems to have been in Spain, therefore Greenpeace has observed that the increase in GM crops may be laid at Spain’s door.

10 - 16 feb 2012

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Bigger better Bay 10 - 16 feb 2012

by jack troughton BAY RADIO is welcoming a host of new regular listeners after switching on a new Torrevieja transmitter to increase its coverage of the south of Spain.

Broadcasting on 89.1fm and using an official site, the move brings a new audience to the popular community radio station – allowing people to tune in from El Altet in the north down to Cartagena in the south and stretching inland beyond Murcia.

First launched in 2005 as a local station in Javea, it was taken over the following year and its new management team has consistently expanded coverage, bringing quality radio to the airwaves. Andy Stammers, one of the station’s directors, told RTN: “It is a policy of sustainable targeted expansion to enable us to reach expats, tourists and even the local Spanish population.

VISIT “Around 11 million British tourists visited Spain in 2010, the figures just blew me away, and a large percentage of those come to the Costa Blanca. In addition, there are around a million people living here.”

He said the aim was to reach a real audience – a policy to give advertisers the best response. “There is no need to expand just

for the sake of it and broadcast to great swathes of the country where there are no listeners.” And by reaching new listeners, Bay Radio is also able to expand its charitable and community activities – in 2011, the station was able to get involved with a number of projects and raise over 80,000€ for charity.

Andy said the growing success of the station meant it could carry more information for communities – both on-air and on-line – than rival stations in a highly competitive market.

TARGET The station aims at a target audience of listeners aged 35 and over – its programming in terms of music, content and information is geared to the demographic.

“That is why our advertisers find us so successful,” added Andy. “It is like RTN, content is king.”

And not only is the Bay Radio experience welcomed by advertisers, its service is also recognised by Spanish and international advertisers and promoters – leading the station to become involved in events like the Chelsea Football Foundation and last month’s PDC Europe Spanish Darts Trophy.

Andy said: “The Bay Radio family also extends around the

Bay Radio presenter Bob James on air

world. We have people around the globe tuning in on computers to enjoy our programmes.”

Bay Radio is looking to recruit media sales specialists, please see the advert in the job section.

New Neighbourhood Watch branch in Torre Pacheco

The Mayor and Local Police Chief of Torre Pacheco with Graham Knight and the leader of the new branch

by Louise Clarke NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH (Vecinos Cooperando) recently opened a new branch at La Torre Golf Resort and thanks to the hard work of the local committee and members the inaugural meeting was attended by both the Mayor of Torre Pacheco and the Local Police Chief. Graham Knight, the Vice President of the Neighbourhood Watch in Spain, addressed the meeting setting out the aims of NHW and welcomed the new branch to the group in

both Spanish and English which was appreciated by all. The Mayor of Torre Pacheco added that he hoped that the success of this urbanisation group would lead to other urbanisations in the area adopting the idea thus increasing the security and safety in the area and as a result, a Spanish couple from Roldan who attended the meeting indicated that there was a possibility of starting a branch in their area.

Meanwhile, residents in Orihuela

Costa have reported the ‘fake’ gas men are on the prowl again. One resident from La Regia contacted RTN on Wednesday to say that she had been approached by two men saying that they would like to check her gas supply. Having lived here for six years and being aware of the ‘scams’ that are in existence, she told them that she didn’t have any gas appliances and sent them on the way. But she was concerned enough to contact us so that we can warn other readers in the area.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

The Prado discovers Mona Lisa’s sister by jan gamm THE PRADO Museum in Madrid, in the process of restoring a painting thought to be a copy of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous 16th Century Mona Lisa, has stumbled upon what is now thought to be the work of one of the great master’s protégées, painted alongside the Mona Lisa at the same time as Da Vinci worked on ‘La Giaconda’ and probably in the same studio. Layers of paint that were carefully removed in the restoration process revealed the painting’s background, previously covered with darker pigment and varnish.

The painting also features the Mona Lisa’s eyebrows, left out of Da Vinci’s version.

Representatives of the prado with the ‘new’ Mona Lisa

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Spain’s first sentence for fitting PIP breast implants THE COURT in Madrid has ordered a plastic surgeon, DTL practising at the clinic CCM SL in the city, to compensate a patient with 7,455€ after her PIP (Poly Implant Prothèse) breast implants ruptured.

The 35-year-old patient had the implants fitted in April 2001 and the surgeon re-examined the case six months later.

In March 2008 the patient sought alternative care and was advised of a capsular tear in the right prosthesis with “fluid collection and probably inflammatory periprosthetic.” The implants were replaced by another surgeon.

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10 - 16 feb 2012

An excellent service

A weekend of sporting events THE SECOND annual duathalon takes place in Torrevieja tomorrow. The road and cycle race starts at 9am and is likely to finish around 2.30pm.

Please be warned that as a result of this event, roads around the Sports City will be closed and there will be some traffic disruption. Then on Sunday, the annual Valencia cross country event takes place in Torrevieja.

Once again, roads around the Sports City will be affected, so please be aware of this if you are in the area. Meanwhile, also on Sunday but this time in Orihuela, their annual half marathon will be taking place in the city.

The 13 mile route will take place in and around the city centre and as in Torrevieja, there will be road closures as a result.

The team at Petsworld in San Miguel

by Louise Clarke ALWAYS QUICK to criticise when something goes wrong or we get bad service, how many times do we actually praise excellent service?

John Terry from Los Balcones in Torrevieja contacted RTN last week with a sad story that many pet owners will sympathise with.

John and his wife Silvia acquired their beloved husky dogs, Pica and Bruno, within months of each other. Rescue dogs of a similar age, they soon became part of the family and Silvia walked them along the beach almost every day. The dogs lived happily with the couple for more than ten years. John told RTN: “They had a great life so friendly; good with children but sometimes lethal to cats and small animals!”

GREAT PETS Tearfully, John recalled: “Bruno was gentle, soft and good natured whilst Pica was a little more aggressive, but they were both lovely dogs and great pets.”

In June last year, Silvia discovered a lump on Pica and took her to see Agustin and his team at Petsworld in San Miguel de Salinas.

John said: “He confirmed cancer and that she had about six months. He was right - almost to the day...”

Meanwhile Bruno’s health was also deteriorating. Two weeks ago, Pica was in so much pain, she couldn’t walk and at the same time, Bruno lost the use of his legs due to arthritis and in a lot of pain. That same weekend it became clear that both Bruno and Pica were very ill.

PRIVILEGE The couple took their beloved pets to Petsworld on the CV95 in the back of their van.

They were greeted by one of the vets, Gloria.

John said: “Throughout their illnesses they were cared for so well by the team at Petsworld and that same standard of care was shown to them in their final moments.”

The dogs didn’t even leave the comfort of the van. Gloria first sedated them and then injected them with the drug that would quickly paralyse their organs. John added: “It was so skilfully done without a hint of panic or danger to them – had we gone inside, they would have been petrified. When it was all over, we brought them back home.”

John concluded: “It was important to us not only for our dogs to live well but also to die well: the team at Petsworld ensured that happened and we are extremely grateful for that.”

Economic forecast by BBVA Research Services

WITH THE economy falling by 1.3% and unemployment forecast to reach 24.4%, an economic report ‘Situation Spain’ was released yesterday by the BBVA research services that indicates economic relapse could change if there is a “quick and decisive” implementation of financial and labour reforms by the Government which could “accelerate recovery.”

The studies show that a tough year lies ahead with an unemployment rate forecast at 24.4% and 24.6% projected for the following year. Overall deficit administrations could soar to 5.3% of GDP in 2012 and reach 3% in 2013. Analysts are urging control measures for regional budgets.

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Same old, same old

By

Chris Marshall Expat blogger www.almerimarlife.com

IT IS pretty hard going at the moment writing a weekly column about life here in Spain.

Take this week for example: I promised last week that I would seek out positive news, so I thought at the same time I would look for a whole bunch of new stories.

Well good news and bad news: the bad news is that it is the same old roundabout as far as the news in Spain goes: the good news is that I looked so hard I found the needle in the haystack!

All the main stories this week that are worth any comment are all old stories: Spain has formally asked Britain to reopen talks over the sovereignty of Gibraltar, terrible crimes were committed during and after Spain’s 1936-39 civil war that no court has yet examined or judged, Spain’s opposition Socialist (PSOE) party have elected Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba as its secretary general replacing former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as party leader, and the United States is offering technical assistance to Spain to clean up land contaminated by radiation from undetonated nuclear bombs that accidentally fell on the area in 1966.

Actually the Gibraltar debate is interesting because it was held on Twitter, as UK Europe Minister David Lidington responded to calls from Spanish Foreign Minister José Garcia-Margallo to debate the rocks sovereignty via a couple of tweets: “The UK will not enter into sovereignty arrangements or negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.”

“The UK’s sovereignty commitment to the people of Gibraltar is clear and unchanged: we will respect their wishes.”

So there you are Spain you have been told - or in

this cases Tweeted - so case closed!

I am actually interested in the Civil War story as well, not because they are trying to convict the people responsible for the torture and murder, but because they have put on trial the man that wanted to investigate them! Judge Garzón faces criminal charges that could suspend him from the bench for 20 years for defying an amnesty enacted in 1977 to smooth the transition to democracy.

He counters that under international law, there can be no amnesty for crimes against humanity and that unsolved disappearances constitute a continuing crime.

Surprising one this as we all know that: ‘once under the carpet always under the carpet’ here in Spain.

There is no surprise that Rubalcaba was elected, after all he is credited with coordinating the sustained legal and police battle that has brought Basque separatist group ETA to the point where it declared in October it had laid down its weapons for good. For a moment it looked like it might get a little interesting as the candidate he beat was Carme Chacon, a 40-year-old who would have become the first female leader of the PSOE party.

As I said …not much changes in Spain!

Still not sure? In Seville nine local Police Officers have been charged with fraud after pocketing traffic fines, and in Valencia a 49-year-old man has giv-

en himself up to police after reportedly stabbing his partner to death. But, finally, some good news! A 61year-man in Sevilla has been charged with domestic animal abuse after he killed his neighbour’s dog, yet the farmers are still getting away with the murder and abuse of 250,000 Spanish Galgos a year!

As for us Expats, apparently the thing we miss most about home is the countryside, followed by the sense of humour and pubs, which I found truly amazing given how many English style bars there are in Spain. What did make me smile though was that it was expats living in Germany that missed the sense of humour the most!

Some good news and the headline of the week to end with: according to a Spanish survey the fry up may not be so bad for you after all, so long as you use olive oil or sunflower oil.

And the headline story of the week: well to be honest there are two - the rising number of tattoo removals in Spain as people try to impress at job interviews, and that 40% of people that are run over in Spain are on zebra crossings at the time!

Chris runs the expat blog about life in Spain (www.almerimarlife.com) and is a regular contributor to a number of publications and radio stations in Spain, as well as writing a monthly column for the Telegraph Expat site and is a Telegraph Expat guest blogger.

He lives in Almerimar with his five cats, two Harleys and wife Sands, and together they are heavily involved in the re-homing and transport of rescued and abandoned animals to Germany and the UK through their project www.alstrays.com. His column in the RTN is sponsored by www.blitzcleaning.es boat cleaning and valeting experts across the Costas of Spain. Email: chris@almerimarlife.com http://almerimarlife.com http://chrismarshall.ws’ http://expatlifespain.com http://alstrays.com

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10 - 16 feb 2012

World Day of the Tree

Torrevieja Costa Lions Club working with Specsavers

by Louise Clarke MORE THAN 200 people including representatives of numerous local associations ad RTN attended a special tree planting event last Saturday morning in Torrevieja to celebrate the World Day of the Tree.

Despite the cold weather, residents of all ages descended on the Molino del Agua Natural Park in the municipality to plant more than a thousand indigenous saplings in an initiative which was organised by the Torrevieja Town Hall, through the departments of Parks and Gardens, Citizenship and Immigration.

RTN was privileged to be part of the event and enlisted the help of local residents to plant a sapling, which will hopefully grow into a beautiful tree and benefit the surrounding environment for years to come.

Members of the Torrevieja Lions with Rosario Martinez and Graham Knight

REFORESTATION The Director of the Office for Foreign Residents (OARI), Graham Knight, was on hand to plant a tree or two as well as the Mayor of Torrevieja and many of the Councillors that make up the municipal government team. Also in attendance were representatives from cultural and music associations, charities and associations of foreign residents, including the Torrevieja Lions Club and the Torrevieja Classic Car Club.

This is the second tree planting event to mark the Day of the Tree in the municipality and a total of 400 specimens of Kermes, 400 black Hawthorns and 200 white pines were planted on the existing green zone close to the beach of La Mata; an area which has already seen numerous reforestation projects completed by the departments of Environment and Parks and Gardens of the Torrevieja Town Hall.

THE TORREVIEJA Costa Lions were recently invited along to attend the Specsavers Torrevieja Open Day. For over 4 years Specsavers have been helping the Lions by collecting used spectacles for onward delivery to the Lions Melvin Jones recycling centre near Alicante and to date have collected more than 6,500 pairs. At the recycling centre the glasses are cleaned, graded in terms of prescription - single vision, bi focal and varifocal - and then re-framed for distribution to countries where no eye health care is provided. Sun glasses are also collected for onward distribution.

Recently the recycling centre received an order for 40,000 pairs of spectacles to be sent to Mozambique which was duly despatched. Other countries supported from Alicante include Peru, Sri Lanka and many African nations.

Lions Clubs International have thousands of eye specialists all round the world who provide tests, advice and eye health care where none would normally be available.

The recycling depot is run by Lion members, all volunteers, plus Alicante University regularly provides two students to assist, as part of their University training. The centre receives donation from all over Spain and Portugal.

The Torrevieja Costa Lions are extremely grateful to Specsavers and to the public who continue to hand in their used spectacles for recycling. Your donations can and do make a difference so please continue to support the Lions and hand your used specs into Specsavers in Torrevieja.

Health matters

THE DEPARTMENT of Health is preparing to review the records of patients that require a major pharmaceutical consumption as part of a cost-cutting exercise. New adjustment measures will include a study of areas where savings may be made both in general practice and in hospitals. After a meeting in Valencia Manuela Garcia, Regional Secretary for Health, listed a number of areas where cost reductions could be made such as putting a stop to unnecessary analytical tests and charging fees for lost SIP cards. The good news is that it has now been confirmed by the President of the College of Pharmacists of Alicante, Jaime Carbonell, that pharmacists have now been paid the remaining â‚Ź60 million owed to them by the Valencian Government.

Specsavers Colin Evans presenting Lions President Iain with the spectacles

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Brrr, it’s the three-day winter

Watts In Britain Paul

BACK IN the 1970s ole Teddy Heath gave us the three-day week and we all used to head for bed at half-ten. And now, Mother Nature has decided to give us the three-day winter.

Yep folks, just as we started to get smug about our mild and snow-free winter By bing, bang, bosh, she proved once again Watts that she’s firmly in charge. And on Saturday night with plans to go out utterly dashed by the snow, I dejectedly, like in the 70s, headed to bed at half past ten.

From late Saturday afternoon the snow swept in, along with some pretty cool temperatures… Did you know that amazingly, it was cold enough to freeze the sea? Can you believe that? It’s true.

In Poole Harbour, down there in deepest Dorset, the sea froze as the overnight temperature fell to -7ºC. The cross-channel ferry had to crack its way through the ice to get out!

Our three-day-mini-freeze is the result of a mild front from the Atlantic colliding with cold air and, oh boy, did we feel the results of it. On Saturday night about 100 motorists slept in their cars after

being trapped on the M25. I heard Katie Jones, who was one such driver, phone in to BBC Radio 2. She told listeners that she’d spent seven and a half hours on the M25, frustratingly close to her exit junction with the A1. She said that along with the snow she’d seen some “pretty terrible driving” that “played quite a big part” in the motorway skidding to a standstill. Similar scenes were repeated on the M40 with jack-knifed lorries blocking several lanes or marooned on the hard shoulder.

That night Gavin Hill-Smith, spokesman extraordinaire of the AA, had warned: “We see travel becoming harder as the snow clears and the rain freezes, causing terrible conditions. We are concerned that the rain will wash away grit and cause real issues for motorists.” But as Gav worried away in AA Central Control, the snow melted quicker than he

Tuesday afternoon at Blackroot Pool

Sunday at Blackroot Pool

could say Jack Robinson. And by today (Tuesday) our three-day winter was all but gone.

Mind you, it provided countless column inches for the newspapers. On Sunday, The Mirror reported some low temperature readings: “Sennybridge in South Wales shivered in -8.6ºC; meanwhile, further north, snow blanketed Manchester, turning rooftops of homes white as temperatures hovered around -2ºC.” Not to be outdone, over at the broadsheets The Guardian reported: “Church Fenton in North Yorkshire and Wattisham in Suffolk recorded 16cm of snow, while up to 15cm was forecast for parts of Cumbria, Lincolnshire, East Anglia, North Yorkshire, the Peak District and the Midlands.”

But let me reassure you, dear reader,

by Tuesday morning all but a small fraction of that 15cm snow was left here in the West Midlands. Take a look at our exclusive RTN photos of Royal Sutton

Park. One was taken on Sunday and the other on Tuesday. The Beeb has some great snowy scenes from around the country, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ news/uk-16898662 Here in the Midlands, unlike those softies at Heathrow, we kept our planes flying - and on one of those aircraft heading to Alicante was Fran and John Paul from Tamworth. I met them as they were travelling into Birmingham and we got chatting. Fran used to live in Spain and always enjoys heading back to the Costa Blanca. I also discovered that John Paul was in the same school class at school as Noddy Holder – hmm, I reckon he might have some great stories to tell. Anyway, I’d like to send my best wishes to Fran and John Paul; have a good break in Spain folks and don’t forget to pick up a copy of RTN – the Costa Blanca’s favourite weekly!

Watts in Britain, sadly watching my snowman melt...

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Beware of hairy little caterpillars

by Louise Clarke DESPITE THE cold temperatures of the last week, this winter has been reasonably mild and as a result, it is predicted that the Procession Pine Caterpillars will be out in abundance during the next few weeks. Residents and pet owners in particular are being asked to keep an eye out for these hairy little creatures as they leave their pine trees in search of food because they can be fatal for cats, dogs and other small animals and have even been known to trigger severe allergic reactions in young children.

The caterpillars get their name from the characteristic nose to tail lines that they form as they leave the trees, before they bury themselves and turn into moths. Their nests, which are easily spotted in the trees thanks to their characteristic ‘candy floss’ structure, are common place in pine trees all over the Costa Blanca. The hairs along the bodies of the caterpillar carry a poison that can trigger an allergic reaction and it is imperative that if you or your pet comes into contact with one of them, you must seek medical or veterinary help immediately.

FATAL Dogs are particularly susceptible to the procession caterpillars and owners up and down the coast are being advised to avoid taking their dogs walking in pine forested areas for the next few weeks; at least until they have buried themselves. One owner described how his dog’s skin turned black after it trod on one. The man took his pet to the vet imme-

The caterpillars are nesting and will soon break free to look for food

diately and was given an expensive course of antibiotics, cortisone injections and anti-inflammatory pills: thankfully it survived.

But Agustin at Petsworld in San Miguel de Salinas said that there would a much more fatal outcome if the dog had swallowed one.

He said: “There is very little that we can do if a dog eats one of these caterpillars as antibiotics could not help them. Often the tongue swells and it is impossible for them to breathe.” So, if you are a pet owner or have young children, please be aware of the dangers that these seemingly innocent looking creatures can pose.

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legal

Do we really need a Spanish will? by

Carlos Baos

of White & Baos Abogados English & Spanish Solicitors

DEAR MR Baos, do I really need to have a Spanish Will?

It seems to me like all my friends already have one but it had never occurred to me until I heard them continuously talking in acronyms about IHT, NIE etc. I am a British citizen living in Spain for the past 15 years and the proud owner of a property in Beniarbeig. Where do I start? Can I buy a standard form like I did in the UK for my English Will? Can I do it by mail? Will my beneficiaries need an NIE? And most important to me; who can I assign as executor in Spain? Thank you.

Firstly I would like to say YES, you need to have a Spanish Will drafted as soon as possible; in fact you actually need it more than some other people as you are owner of a property in Spain.

Secondly I would like to say that making a Will in Spain is much easier than it seems. You can start by booking an appointment with a Lawyer of your choice, preferably one with wide expertise in Spanish Inheritance Tax (IHT) in order to minimise the IHT as much as possible. You should tell your

Lawyer what you have in mind for your Spanish assets and he should be able to tell you what you are able to do as a British national in accordance with Spanish Law. Most of the Spanish Wills drafted in Spain are signed in front of a Spanish Public Notary; therefore your Lawyer will instruct someone in his team to book an appointment at the Notary’s office that will accommodate your needs. And as an aside, whilst talking about the subject of a Notary, if you were the owner of a property in Spain but living outside of Spain, you could also have your Spanish Will drafted in front of a Public Notary or Spanish Consulate in that country, and send it to your Lawyer in Spain to have it registered in The Spanish Central Will Registry.

The beneficiaries appointed by you in your Will do not need to have an NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros) when you make the Will, but they will definitely need an NIE in order to be able to inherit (hopefully many years from now).

So we encourage our clients whenever possible to ask their future heirs (children etc) to apply for an NIE when they come to Spain on holiday, or they can visit the Spanish Consulate or Embassy in their residing country.

One of the last articles published by our firm in 2011 was in reference to the Spanish Executor (Albacea), however I will make a brief summary in order to answer your questions.

It is always a good idea to name a Spanish Executor (Albacea) as technically it does not cause any harm to the heirs or legatees, and in fact it will ease implementations of the necessary procedures to enable the beneficiaries to accept

the inheritance: needless to say that the Albacea should be an expert in Spanish Inheritance Law. Contrary to an English Executor, the Spanish Albacea will be limited to the authority and powers laid out by the testator in his Spanish Will. In those cases where the testator does not specify any powers then the assigned Spanish Albacea will have the powers and abilities listed in article 902 of the Spanish Civil Code i.e. ‘preserving and safekeeping the assets’, ‘obtaining the necessary certifications’, ‘meet bequests’, ‘drafting an inventory of the estate’ and so on.

And because of the above it can be appreciated that having a Spanish Albacea will be extremely useful in those cases where the heirs do not know the applicable Law, or live outside of Spain. Thus the Spanish Albacea should be someone you trust and have confidence in, and whenever possible be an expert or knowledgeable in this area of Law. We advise you to have your Spanish Will drafted as soon as possible or at least book an appointed with the Lawyer of your choice to receive some advice about the possible consequences of not having a Will in Spain. We will be more than pleased to assist you.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues.

We kindly invite you to visit and comment about this article in our blog at http://www.white-baos.com/blog/ and on Facebook: White & Baos-Abogados/Solicitors.

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) © White & Baos Abogados 2012 - All rights reserved. C/Diana 19, 2º-D, 03700 Dénia (located 1 minute away from the La Via underground car park).

Tel: 966 426 185. Send your questions to spanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com. This article is available in English and Spanish at www.white-baos.com

money

Complimentary tax by

Suzanne O’Connell Customer Care at Ábaco

THE PAST few weeks have been very busy in our offices. 31st December was the deadline for non-resident tax declarations and we’re still receiving requests well into the New Year.

What’s been striking from the many phone calls and email requests we’ve received is just how little people know about what they should be paying. Probably 80% of the enquiries were from non-residents who weren’t aware of the tax at all.

It’s not that surprising. Those keen to sell property are not always as keen to inform you of the taxes that have to be paid once you’ve bought. Ironically, this lack of transparency is one of the reasons so many possible purchasers are anxious about buying in the first place. Ábaco are as keen as anyone to see properties changing hands, however, we do believe that forewarned is forearmed and unlike the emperor’s new clothes, these taxes do exist.

Complimentary tax, just like imputed income tax is not something to be feared if you prepare for it. It is a tax levied on purchases up to 5 years after the purchase date and consists of 7% of the difference between what you declared you paid and what the Tax Authority claims it is worth. Plus interest, of course.

I use the word ‘declared’ deliberately. People declaring one price and paying another was the reason the tax was conceived in the first place.

For example, in one case we know of, a purchaser paid 85,000€ for a property but declared that they had paid 65,000€. At one time this was common practice in order to cut down on the amount of capital gains and transfer tax to pay. The Tax Authority followed this case up by claiming that the

property is actually worth 99,000€ and that there is complimentary tax of 2,380€ to pay.

Nowadays most complimentary tax appeals we take aren’t a deliberate attempt to avoid tax. They result from reduced and bargain house prices and the amount declared is usually accurate, just low.

Unfortunately the Tax Authority does not distinguish between the bargain seeker and the tax avoider.

So how much should you put aside if you’re thinking of buying a bargain? The problem is working out what the Tax Authority will estimate the property to be worth. Don’t we have a ballpark figure or a guesstimate to work on? No. The rather fluid and complex formula they use is one of the reasons we’ve been able to win so many appeals.

What we can state with confidence is that the Tax Authority have an unlimited level of power to select upon whom, when, what and where they will impose this tax. There are no limits to them either handing the tax out or calling it in. So what can you do? All we can advise is that if you are considering buying a discount property you check what the previous purchase price had been. This can be a useful guide especially if the price was paid at the height of the property boom. Calculating 7% of the difference between this and what you pay should give you a rough idea of how much the tax might be.

Once you’ve bought your property, squirrel the money away and don’t be tempted to dip into it. Not for five years anyway. By then, if no tax demand has appeared, you can use the money to take yourself on holiday as a reward for being so forward thinking and tax aware. Ábaco Asesores have appealed successfully on behalf of many people who have been charged with complimentary tax. You can call us on 96 670 3748 for free advice.

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Lots of bad news in the price SPEAK TO any Fund Manager and they will say that valuations matter most of all. To generate long-term returns investors need to buy financial assets when by they are cheap, not when they are expensive. So how much bad news is now in the price? A lot of negative news has broken in recent weeks and should now have been absorbed into the asset prices.

Regional Manager of

Christina Brady

Blacktower Costa Blanca

Here is a top line summary of the recent bad news: 1. In January Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit ratings of nine Eurozone (EZ) countries, including stripping France and Austria of their AAA rating and taking Portugal down below investment grade. This leaves only four EZ countries with triple A ratings and, as a result, the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) was also subsequently deprived of its AAA rating. According to the German newspaper Die Welt, on the back of this, plans to leverage the (EFSF) to up to EUR1.5trn from EUR440bn “are practically dead.”

2. Negotiations between Greece and representatives of private sector creditors broke down, raising concern that there will be a ‘disorderly’ default rather than a managed debt swap in March when Greece is due to repay EUR14.5bn in bond redemptions. Although negotiations have subsequently resumed agreement has still to be reached.

3. In the background, global economic growth expectations have been further downgraded recently and now recession in 2012 is the central forecast for the EZ. According to the Bank, emerging countries should take steps to plan for a global economic crisis in line with 2008/09 if the EZ Sovereign debt crisis intensifies.

4. Corporate earnings expectations have been downgraded but in spite of this the Q411 US earnings season that began last month has generally been disappointing. According to Bloomberg, in releases thus far fewer S&P 500 companies have beaten analyst earnings expectations than at any time over the last 4 years.

5. China has not been immune from the gloom. GDP growth has decelerated with Q4 growth slowing to 8.9%, the lowest growth rate for ten quarters, increasing concerns about a hard landing in the world’s second largest economy.

But look through the gloom and focus on valuations Clearly, this is a substantial raft of bad news to hit the market in a relatively short period of time. But the limited reaction of markets to these events and data releases suggests that it was largely already factored into asset prices. In fact, global equity markets are up year-to-date and most risk assets and currencies have fared reasonably well so far this year in spite of the negative news flow.

Additional evidence that investor expectations have been driven sharply down by negative news is provided by the so-called activity ‘surprise’ indices for the US and the EZ. In both cases the data across a broad range of indicators has generally been coming in better than expected recently, in large measure because expectations have been trashed to such an extent. This is in sharp contrast to the six month period to end September 2011 when the data for the US surprised negatively, a factor that was instrumental in the market selling off over that period.

Things could always get worse than currently expected but the negative tone of recent news suggests that there is a lot of angst already factored into asset prices.

In bond markets there would be a preference for corporate over safe haven developed world government bonds. The latter look expensive on fundamentals while companies generally have strong balance sheets, are in many cases cash rich and offer an attractive spread over treasuries and other safe haven government bonds. For the most part, the corporate spread widening in 2011 is not credit specific but a reflection of an absence of risk appetite.

Equity markets are also generally trading cheap to their longer-term valuation averages on a forward PE basis despite, in some cases, big downgrades in earnings forecasts. Not surprisingly, the EZ is the region where there has been the most aggressive downward revisions – by close to 80% on average since June. Most emerging markets earnings growth estimates have also been revised down. For example, earnings estimates for the Indian market have been cut by almost 50% since last June.

Moreover, both developed and emerging markets equities look cheap relative to history. For many, emerging and developed markets look appealing and this may be an attractive entry point for exposure to powerful longterm investment themes like emerging consumption and infrastructure spending.

So, if you are in it for the long-term, now could be the right time to get back into the market – although, in the right asset classes, of course. For more information please contact Christina on 658 892 330 or 965 058 212 simply email christina.brady@blacktowerfm.com

To find out more about efficient pensions or for any financial advice, please contact Christina on 0034 658 892 330 or 965 058 212 or simply email her at christina.brady@blacktowerfm.com The information contained in this article does not constitute financial advice and you should seek advice from a professional tax adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity

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money

Helping you get the right insurance FOR AN expat, choosing an insurer can be confusing. The advice from an experienced broker, like Knight Insurance, can be invaluable, making the process hassle-free.

Even just trying to pick the right medical insurance can be daunting.

If you were to take on the mammoth task of comparing all the different plans offered by the leading international insurers and try to find the best one for you, you would have to look through 2,000 different varieties. Some of the factors to consider include limitations on outpatient benefits, exactly what is covered, the need for regular medical screening (if needed) and how quickly bills are settled.

This list can go on and become overwhelming. It doesn’t even take into account small extras such as emergency evacuation. Only expats with a lot of time and patience will be willing to sit down and sort through all these issues.

It’s not surprising that many individuals give up trying to assess the options.

They make an educated guess, ask the opinions of friends and family or go for a quality name they’re aware of.

The simplest and most effective route is to see a broker that will do the hard work for you. Just by taking down a few details, a broker can immediately give you a good idea of the market, allowing you to compare plans that are suitable for you. They can reduce the time and effort you would have to put in searching for a suitable plan.

When selecting the best premium, several factors should be considered.

Nowadays many of us are looking to reduce costs and may be tempted to choose the cheapest option. However, cheap is not always better and can end up costing you more in the future if you’re not well informed. An experienced broker would be able to provide sound advice on the different levels of service available.

When it comes to your health, whether it’s a planned procedure or an accident, having the right cover is important.

Knight Insurance offers a complete service and a range of comprehensive

insurance products including: car, home insurance (buildings and contents), health, life, marine, commercial, pet, travel, golf and other types of leisure, and legal insurance. This extensive range of products means that customers have no need to go anywhere else for their insurance needs.

Customers can be assured that if they switch to Knight Insurance for any or all of their insurance needs they will be cared for by an established and professional insurance broker who has been in Spain since 1966.

To find out more visit http://www.knight-insurance.com to find your nearest Knight Insurance office or call us on 902 282 820

business What a waste!

WOULD YOU heat your home with the windows wide open? When you turn on an appliance, TV, lights, kettle etc, there is a sudden burst of energy that rushes off to the source. We call this ‘spiking’.

Spikes convert the electrical energy into heat energy which leaks power and creates long term damage to wiring and reduces the life of your appliances.

How many times in a month does your supply spike?

Hundreds, thousands? How much of your bill is made up of this waste? Can anything be done to stop this? Luckily, we have found an answer to this question.

We have discovered a device known as a Power Saver. It simply plugs into a wall socket and controls the feed of electricity, delivering just the ammount that is needed to do the job thus, cutting out the waste. Using the latest technology, the Power Saver stores the electricity and distributes it in a smoother way, hence removing electricity spiking.

So how much can you save? Retailers of these devices claim you can reduce usage by up to 35%. This may be on the

10 - 16 feb 2012

B2B4U Virtual networking is spreading its wings AS WE reported recently the Association is flying! As well as featuring in your RTN, B2B4U is supported by Spectrum FM radio and the Association will be being promoted by them all the way from Valencia to the Costa del Sol and Marbella.

Salvador Vives of Vives Pons Asociados said he was “…delighted with the support from the radio station to compliment the fantastic support from RTN.” Whilst registration has exceeded all expectations in such a small time scale there are still places for the opening event at Ciudad Patricia 17th Feb www.ciudadpatricia.com which is just be-

tween Benidorm and Albir with wonderful conference facilities and parking.

Lunch is optional at 10€ including wine: please indicate on registration.

As we have mentioned before we will have some interesting presentations, and then the timetable allows for plenty of time for networking. You can simply register on line by visiting www.B2B4U.biz Any other information please contact info@b2b4u.biz

optomistic side. Up to 15% may be more realistic but if only half of this is achieved, we are still talking about substantial savings.

Various retailers sell them for around 130€ so, great news for Iberswitch customers, they are on offer at 40€ plus IVA. With a life of about 7 years, if the Power Saver saves you just 5% of your bill, you are looking at big savings for a very small outlay.

Give Iberswitch a call today for more information: 96 626 5089

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european landline calls

line rental

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Dyna Pool Swimming Pool Leak Detection: save time, chemicals, water and money IF YOU have a swimming pool the chances are that your water is being metered by your water supplier.

If your pool has a leak it could be costing you a fortune! Dyna Pool is the number one specialist on the Costa Blanca for pool leak detection and repair, with over six years’ experience with both newly built pools and established pools on the Costa Blanca, using cutting edge detection equipment ensuring the cost of curing your pool leak need not be expensive.

S W I M M I N G P O O L LE A K D E T E C T I O N Call Dyna Pool, the Costa Blanca’s premier Leak Specialists and save time, money, and unnecessary property damage. Using stateof-the-art equipment and methodology, they find and fix all kinds of concealed leaks.

An unrepaired leak could mean real trouble to a pool owner. For example a 1mm hole would release up to 350 gallons of water per day. Not only is this wasting a precious resource it could prove to be very costly.

It is important to remember that the water that you are losing is also chemically dosed and therefore leaks cost hard earned cash on both chemicals and water. More importantly, the water has to go somewhere and this can inevitably lead to structural damage caused not only to the pool shell itself but to surrounding foundations and footings to buildings.

YO U M AY H AV E A LE A K I F : • Pool has air in the system • Equipment loses prime • Cracks appear • Pool surround is sinking or lifting • There are wet patches around the pool • Water needs to be added more than once a week H AV I N G S A I D T H AT, D O N ’ T PA N I C : W E O F F ER T H E F O LL OW I N G LE A K D E T E C T I O N S ERV I C E S : Initial site visit to carry out a full diagnostic test of the pool plant equipment.

Full pressure test and CCTV test using cameras to provide a full picture of the offending pipe work of your pool and report on all associated pool pipe work.

On location of the leak we will submit our quote for the repair should you require us to do so.

And Dyna Pool also offers a full range of other pool services including the repair and replacement of: Skimmers Hoover pipes Jets/Impulsion Lines Bottom Drains Pool Stairs Coping Stones Switch Gears Pumps Sand Filters Electric Junction Boxes Re-tiling and Re-grouting of pools T H ER E I S N O S W I M M I N G P O O L P RO B LEM WE CANNOT FIND OR FIX! All pools are susceptible to leaks, whether old or new, plaster or

vinyl. Leaks can be caused by ground movement and settling, aging, even your pets. Fortunately, Dyna Pool has a complete leak detection service to find and repair annoying leaks before further damage can occur to the pool or surrounding area. Call us to make an appointment so that we can find and repair that leak! All work is undertaken and guaranteed by our legal registered company in Spain.

The season to enjoy pools is short. Many problems that are commonly experienced can be solved without draining the water from the pool. Downtime for your pool maybe avoided. It is likely we can provide a solution to your problem without draining the water from the pool.

Call FREE on 900 801 133 or 650 461 394: Website: www.dynadrain.com Email: dyna-drain@hotmail.com

Iberdrola penalise customers without notice

IBERDROLA HAVE increased some of their customer’s bills without prior notification. Check your electricity bill to see if “Recargo en Potencia por falta de ICP” has been added to the Energia box. It means because an ICP (Power Control Switch) has not been fitted a penalty is being charged.

This shows up on the bill as an additional amount added to the standing charge.

Customers on a 3.3 kW tariff are being charged for an additional 6.7 kW increasing their tariff to 10 kW which costs 10.80€ per month extra. Customers on a 5.5 kW tariff are being charged for an additional 14.5 kW increasing their tariff to 20kW which costs 23.39€ per month extra.

Over the past year Iberdrola have been instructing home owners that they must have

an ICP fitted in accordance with Spanish Law, otherwise they face a financial penalty.

Two notifications should be sent by Iberdrola before they apply the penalty, the first by normal post, the second by recorded delivery giving a final 20 day notice. However, in the latest ICP saga, some customers have not received any notification at all and only by chance have discovered the penalty has been charged on their electricity bill.

Iberdrola have blamed the poor postal system because it appears some notifications appear to have slipped through the system.

In order to rectify the situation, home owners need to arrange to have an ICP fitted as soon as possible then arrange for Iberdrola to inspect and seal it by telephoning 902 102 210, quoting the contract number.

Tony Poole, Sparks Electrical Service. Tel. 626 693 440.

Home & Garden

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Home Garden

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Brought to you by

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Olive trees have many benefits by

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

O li v e t r ee s a r e pa rt o f t h e M ed i t er r a n e a n l a n d s c a p e OLIVE TREES have been part of the Mediterranean landscape for six millennium, since cultivation started in Egypt, Greece and Crete. They have been in Spain for more than two since the Romans planted the first specimen trees in courtyard gardens and olive groves. Some still exist and millennium old trees fetch big prices when dug out and sold to international landscapers, often back in the Middle East where the trees originated in the first place.

ATTRACTION AND U SES OF OLIVE TREES Their attraction is their many uses and in our valley where most forms of growing have been largely abandoned the one traditional crop still sustained by some families is that of the olives. But many are abandoned and the olive grove that we tend on a no cost stewardship basis had been long abandoned before we gave all forty trees a ninety percent pruning to stimulate new productive growth.

Uses include the following: Pickled olives for snacks, salads and cooked dishes.

Olive paté.

Olive oil as a healthy vegetable oil.

As a frying oil in view of its anti oxidant properties.

Olive leaf infusions for the natural components in the leaves are said to have antioxidant, antibiotic, anti aging, and anti cancerous properties.

Logs for the fire and wood burning stove and small twigs as firelighters.

Leafy ends of branches are a treat for rabbits.

The fresh residues from pressing can fed to poultry, sheep and goats.

Dried residues help get a fire going in the open or in the log burning stove.

If the oil is separated from the water by gravity when using an old style cold press the final layer of oil contaminated with some mashed olives can be used to clean and oil tools and wooden utensils and other artefacts.

Logs of all sizes, especially from old trees, are excellent for turning and carving if that is a hobby of a family member and friend.

For the gardeners who wants to do none of the above olive trees make excellent evergreen specimen trees or groups of trees for the vision, wind breaks and shade.

Although not widely used these days one can still use oil lamps for a subdued light. But beware the flame is smoky so these days okay for terrace light but not in the house.

Straight branches can be used as supports for tall vegetables such as beans, tomatoes and peppers.

Selected branches can be dried to use as replacement handles for gardening tools.

As thick branches are long-lasting they can be used to make rustic arches, fences and gates.

Leafy prunings can be used as pea sticks.

Continuing from ancient times olive oil is still used as a skin softener, for toning athletes muscles and mixed with vinegar as a suntan lotion.

If the organisers of the London Olympics cared to remember the Greek origins olive branch garlands could be placed on the heads of victorious athletes at the medal ceremonies.

If anyone knows of other traditional or new creative uses please let us know on gardeninginspain.com. We will send copies of our latest book Living Well from Our Mediterranean Garden to the senders of the three best ideas received by the end of January.

By the way the offer of a free autographed copy of this book for purchasers of our other books from this site continues.

Naturally the quality and quantity of olives and olive oil produced depends on more than the weather. Winter prunings, the cutting

off of suckers that come up from the roots and winter to autumn sprayings with ecological leaf and root fertilizers insecticides and fungicides are of benefit.

For those that do not yet have an olive tree in the garden recognise that if you plant a young tree in the garden now, costing as little as seven euros in our local garden centres, it could well still be there in the year 3000 when there is nothing left of your house except for a few broken roof tiles.

Lastly olive trees can be grown in containers on apartment terraces and balconies.

VARIETIES OF OLIVE TREES – T H ERE ARE OVER 2 5 0 !

Old varieties in Spain: Arbequines – full flavour – but lowish yield of oil Manzanillas – popular for eating Sevillanas/Queen - large for eating Piqual Martoelles Blanqueta – Small but good yield Gordal Empetrte New varieties: Chefarengues Couicabre Moriudes Verdial

Clodagh and Dick’s instructive books are available to help you achieve a great garden from scratch or improve an existing garden. You will find them in bookshops including Bookworld, Carrefor and Humpty Dumpty. For convenience many internet bookshops stock them including Santana Books, Amazon UK, Bookworld and The Royal Horticultural Society. © Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain.com

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10 - 16 feb 2012

A Tale of Two Heaters

by Tony from Neater Heater FITTING NEATER HEATERS throughout the Costa Blanca, Richard and I hear many comments from customers about their current heating options. There is one, however, that sends a cold shudder down my spine. It is: “We’ve got this small heater in the wardrobe that we use when it gets cold. It’s not brilliant, but it does just take the edge off the cold.”

I can almost guarantee that they are about to show me an ugly oil-filled heater on castors which they have bought from a ferreteria for about 50€-60€. I will then examine this heater and show them a little sticker on the side with all the technical data on it (required by law). This sticker then tells us that their ‘little’ heater (remember - “not brilliant, but just takes the edge off the cold…”) is rated at 2,500 watts!

In other words: It consumes 2.5kilowatts every hour.

In other words: It costs 42.5 cents every hour.

In other words: It uses, on its own, nearly half of most households’ allowance of 5.5kilowatts.

You’d think that for this you’d be able to heat the lounge, but no!

These ‘little’ heaters are normally used in a bedroom - a small one!

Neater Heater can normally heat that same bedroom quite comfortably with only 800watts (or even less!): nearly a quarter of the cost.

In this time of high energy costs, it has never been more important to weigh up your alternative heating options with a view to likefor-like running costs.

So, as the heading suggests, here we have a tale of two heaters: The Neater Heater uses a state of the art element to produce heat at a lower running cost than the competition, and a highly efficient element to reduce this cost even further.

The oil-filled heater on castors may cost less to buy, but it uses out-of-date and inefficient techniques to produce a paltry amount of heat at great cost to the consumer. This condemns the owner to years of sitting next to ugly heaters in cold rooms complaining about high fuel costs.

Neater Heater customers, however, will be sitting next to a stylish modern heater in a warm, cosy home while they spend less money to heat a much larger area.

This is generally known as: Getting More Bang For Your Buck! ...and while we´re on the subject don´t even get me started on ecopanel-heaters! But that’s a story for another day…

Neater Heaters can be viewed and bought in your area at one of our distributors listed below.

NB: We now have a new distributor in La Marina.

Neater Heater Distrubutors: Costa Blanca North Pego/Oliva/Denia: Calicomfort, Tel: 687 694 038 Pedreguer: Suzy’s Pre-Owned Furniture, Tel: 678 049 050 Gata De Gorgos: Iron Art Factory Outlet, Tel: 680 491 740 Moraira: The Tool Bar, Tel: 96 574 5805 Calpe: Imprint, Avda Gabriel Miró, Tel: 96 587 4451 Altea: Leos Superstore N332, Tel: 96 584 4848

NEATER HEATER DISTRUBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA SOUTH / COSTA CALIDA La Marina: Foreign Trust Financial Services, Tel: 96 599 3275 Benijofar: Vincent Real Estate (Hazel), Tel: 96 671 2440 Quesada: For Home Inspections Call Colin Tel: 636 537 338 Torrevieja: S J & A. Digital, Tel: 96 6 31 9253 Playa Flamenca: Buster’s Bar, Tel: 96 532 5120 Blue Lagoon: The Electrical Shop (Euronics), Tel: 96 618 8169 Los Alcazares: For Home Inspections call Edmund Tel: 96 676 5552 Mazarron Camposol B: La Red Solutions (Mapfre) Tel: 96 819 9025 Neater Heater: Sole Spanish suppliers of BEHA Heaters.

The facts about installing a solar energy hot water system and government grants ONE OF the most popular applications for solar energy is the heating of water for domestic use.

Here, Fidelma Matthews from Solar in Spain answers the main questions that people tend to ask about solar hot water:

Compact system

How does a solar hot water system work?

It’s really is very simple. In a compact system, where the tank and the panel are one unit, the tank must be placed higher than the collector.

The water circulates naturally between the tank and the solar collector because of differences in water temperature. The system has a closed circuit filled with water and an anti-corrosive/antifreeze solution.

Would a solar energy system replace my existing hot water system?

Yes it can. A solar hot water storage tank can be fitted with an electric immersion heater for periods of poor weather; your existing water heater can be removed. If you have a boiler that provides heating as well as hot water, solar energy

Are solar energy systems expensive?

Systems vary in design and size but to give you an idea; normally a system will pay for itself within 3-5 years. In addition, you will benefit from a generous government grant from the Valencia Energy Board of up to 45%.

Are government grants available?

There are grants available for solar energy hot water, electricity & biomass systems that are certificated by the Spanish Government and installed by accredited installers. Solar in Spain is one of the few accredited companies that have been working for many years with the government’s

can be incorporated to work with the boiler.

What is the life expectancy of a solar hot water system?

A well designed solar hot water system will last for 25-30 years.

Does solar energy only work on sunny days?

No. Diffused radiation means that a solar collector will still generate a lot of energy on cloudy days. Vacuum tube collectors are particularly efficient in these conditions. At least 85% of your household’s annual hot water will be heated by solar energy.

Home & Garden

Selective panels from roof

energy department to obtain generous grants for their clients. Solar in Spain will take care of all the grant paperwork on behalf of their clients.

Where can I find out more information?

Doors will open for the Solar Energy Information Day, at the Inn On The Green Bowling Club in Javea, on 24th February at 10am when coffee will be served. The event will run from 10.30am to 12.30pm and is free to attend. However places are limited so we would ask everyone to pre-register by calling 902 636 570 or by sending an email to info@solarinspain.com.

Home & Garden

Brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Life

This is what HAH Help at Home is about: helping people

LAST WEEK HAH Clinical lead, Lynda Christopher, went along to the Residencia de Mayores y centro de Estancia Diurna, El Palmeral del Mar Menor to visit one of HAH’s oldest clients, Iris Everett, aged 92.

Having arrived in Spain over a year ago from her home in the UK, Iris came over to be with her daughter Jackie Sutherland.

Shortly after her arrival, HAH was asked to attend to continue treatment on Iris’s legs. Daughter Jackie said, “Mum has had this same problem for over two years and nothing has worked, but Lynda came along and worked so hard, and managed to clear this up very quickly - she really worked miracles. Unfortunately, due to Mum’s health, she is now living at the Residencia, but she absolutely loves being there, and we cannot thank them enough for their care and attention.”

Lynda still calls in regularly to see Iris as they have become great friends.

Lynda said, “I look forward to seeing Iris, as in spite of her problems she is a great character and such a happy lady.”

Jackie thanked Lynda for all she and HAH had done for her Mum, and although the service is free, insisted on making a donation to continue this excellent work in the community.

For further information, visit our website www.helpathome.es or to join our team of volunteers contact Lesley on 96 813 4978 or email helpathomespain@gmail.com Pictured are l to r: Lynda Christopher (Clinical Lead HAH) with 92-years-young Iris and her daughter Jackie

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Life going out

‘This is Spain Exhibitions’

A day out for all the family with singing, dancing, eating and drinking! 24th- 26th February Hotel La Zenia - 10am until 6pm each day

• A diverse range of new products, such as X5 Steam Mop, and services • Innovatitive secondary glazing • Laminate, wooden and luxury vinyl flooring • New heating system, air-conditioning, guttering and paving • Swimming pool construction and accessories • Insulation, toldos, conservatories, blinds and mosquito screens • Health care including free blood pressure and back checks • Magnetic jewellery, accessories, handmade jewellery and craft • Furniture and soft furnishings, candles and ornaments • Car rental, caravans, insurance and financial services

• Many local and international charities • Full programme of entertainment and demonstrations; see website • Snack/ drink available for 4.50€: Buffet in the restaurant for 15€ • 1 euro entry includes free raffle ticket ‘Living Well and Cheaply from Your Garden or Apartment Terrace’, followed by a question and answer session, at 1pm and 3.30pm on Saturday 25th by Clodagh and Richard Handscombe, regular contributors to the RTN. Wine tasting and appreciation of Monastrell - a local red grape variety: Sampling five wines, followed by question time: 5€, refunded with a voucher to be redeemed either at the show or Magica Gourmet in Benijofar. 1pm on Sunday 26th February.

Raquel Pena’s FLAMENCO FOR ALL amateur dance group will perform at 2pm on Saturday 25th. The group dance Guajiras, Alegrias, Bulerias and the very popular Sevillanas.

If unable to attend the exhibition, it is possible to have your company flyers placed in carrier bags and handed to the public as they arrive. For 1,000 leaflets the charge for this service is 50€. Those taking a stand may also partake for 25€.

A few spaces are available. For more information, and to book your stand, call Christine Roche on 699 549 261 or 96 563 2835 or email her at info@exhibitions-spain.com Also, see the website at www.exhibitions-spain.com for regular updates.

Broadway Big Band at the Asturias Restaurant

THE BROADWAY Big Band presents another enjoyable and popular evening of music at the new Asturias Restaurant in Punta Prima on Sunday 19th February at 8pm.

A donation will be made to the AECC (Contra Cancer) from the proceeds.

Formed in London in 1988, the band has played at many of London’s top venues: the musicians who regularly play with the band are some of the best on the Costa Blanca.

Old favourites from Count Basie, Ted Heath, Duke Ellington will be played as well as new arrangements such as Bob Crosby and the Bobcats (remember them?) also modern American arrangements courtesy of Warner Brothers, which makes the band distinct from others.

Bill and Gloria look forward to seeing their regular audience and new fans - tickets are 8€.

Telephone 679 576 591 or email broadwaybigband@gmail.com. Tickets are also available from the new Asturias Restaurant in Punta Prima. Early booking is advised.

Market numbers down due to cold weather

by Louise Clarke ALTHOUGH NUMBERS were down on last year, last weekend’s Medieval Market was still deemed to have been a success by Orihuela Town Hall and more than 400 people paid the €4.90 bus fare to make the trip from the coast to the city. The downturn in visitor numbers was put down to the freezing temperatures and the drizzle on Sunday afternoon as opposed the organisation, which earlier in the week had been criticised by the opposition PP party and with more than 400 stalls selling everything from traditional artisan crafts, jewellery and toys to herbs, spices and delicatessen products, RTN can testify that there was definitely something for everyone. Despite the cold weather, once again, the market provided a brilliant day out for all the family and with falconry displays and traditional jester style shows, it really was an enjoyable day out.

And thankfully, there was not the transport chaos this year that blighted the market for so many coastal residents last year.

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10 - 16 feb 2012

New faces for Javea Players

Norman (right) welcomes Blacktower on board

By Jack Troughton NORMAN DUNNINGTON, the new chairman of Javea Players, has welcomed Blacktower Financial Management as sponsors of the popular theatre group.

Norman took over the helm of the Costa Blanca’s longest established theatre group at the annual general meeting and announced the financial company as the new sponsors.

He said: “We look forward to what promises to be a mutually beneficial relationship with our new sponsors.”

Blacktower has its Costa Blanca offices in

Javea but is new to the area despite being more than 25 years old as a company. It has headquarters in New Maldon, Surrey, and offices in Gibraltar, France, Portugal and the Costa del Sol, Spain, and is regulated and authorised by the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) to act as independent financial advisers and also registered with the Spain Financial Authorities.

Norman replaces Lynne Martin as chairman of Javea Players. Under Lynne’s two-year office the group made extensive modifications to its studio theatre and base in Javea.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Life people

Costa Blanca Writers Bookcase A great start to the year THIS MONTH we spotlight Colin Hall who writes under the pen-name of ‘Colincampsite’.

“Hall, pay attention, you snivelling little four-eyed creature!”

My class teacher, in the early fifties in north Manchester, was not renowned for his delicate, nor tactful, handling of those in his charge. Not even those of us who would one day become world famous writers. Somehow he failed to spot the little peculiar behavioural patterns of an eight-year-old destined for greatness.

At that precise moment I had just glanced at my new watch, a present from Father Christmas, in whom I still fervently believed. I found my timepiece a constant source of inspiration when faced with that affliction which affects most writers: writers block. This time my watch did not let me down. As the Lone Ranger, on his horse Silver, galloped past Tonto, who was pointing to the number nine, I knew what my next masterpiece was going to be. I quickly wrote it down.

Jill Launchbery

Colin Hall

“Ben, Ben, lend me your pen.

I’ve a letter to write by a quarter to ten.”

From that day onwards I, and my teacher, knew what my role in life would be.

I left school, after much pressure was put on my parents by the staff at the school, and went into the building trade. There I honed my writing skills by turning out volumes of specifications for new shop refits and factory extensions.

One of my greatest moments was: “Construct new timber partition from 3x2 planed all round softwood, faced both sides with quarter inch think birch plywood. Apply woodchip paper and paint with two coats of magnolia emulsion.”

You can ignore the next 30 odd years, as my wife wrote all the Christmas and “wish you were here” cards: I was busy doing other things. It wasn’t until I retired and came to live on the Costa Blanca, that my writing talents were re-discovered by a bunch of established expat authors. I went along to a meeting of the Jalon Valley Creative Writing Group and started over again. Before

Dick Handscombe

Agnes Hall

too long I had the idea of creating personalised books for children. I wrote a story about a boy who is spotted playing for his school team. The manager of his favourite club takes him to the stadium where he trains alongside his favourite players and eventually plays the following Saturday and …

Well, I won’t spoil the excitement of this fast moving book. This could be your grandson playing for his favourite team.

There is a book for every English football club.

The second book, in the personalised series, involves a child who is taken on a trip to the zoo by his or her grandparents. The child talks to the animals and when the animals reply, the grandparents are amazed that the chimp, giraffe or croc already know the child’s name. How could that be?

These and the other members’ publications, can be sourced through our website www.costablancawriters.com Next month’s contribution will be by Agnes Hall.

Keith Geddes

La Manga Cricket Club pads up for MABS

The La Manga Cricket Club is sponsoring MABS this year

MABS CANCER Support Group has been selected by La Manga Cricket Club as their charity for 2012. The Club will hold several fundraising events during the year, the main one being their 20/20 cricket, held in September.

This annual competition will be hosted at La Manga Club and features teams from the UK, Spain, Ireland and Belgium, accompanied by a number of sporting celebrities and is sponsored by the UK based Ideal Group.

“We’re over the moon that La Manga Cricket Club has nominated our charity for 2012,” commented MABS Murcia Director, Lyn Baines. “They are particularly keen on the fact that we are a local charity and that all funds raised in Murcia remain here to help those affected by cancer.”

PATRONS La Manga Cricket Club plays their home

games at the La Manga Club resort in the Costa Calida area of South East Spain. Their first team is Spanish Costa League Champions and holders of the La Manga 20/20 Trophy and they now have a 2nd eleven who play in the Costa Blanca Development League.

The Club’s patrons are Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint OBE and Mike Gatting OBE. They are always keen to welcome touring sides looking for pre-season training games or winter sunshine and hosted teams from Belgium, Norway, Australia, France and the UK as well as hosting The Lady Taverners 20/20 and Spain v MCC. MABS Murcia is a registered charity (No. 7261) offering help and support to local people of all nationalities diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. If you or someone you know would like some confidential help or support call HELPLINE 693 275 779 or visit www.mabsmurcia.com

Michael Hillier

MABS volunteers with Russell and Sorelle from Iceland Overseas

MABS MURCIA volunteers were back at Iceland Overseas in San Javier this week to collect a cheque for 6,656€, raised by staff and customers throughout 2011.

The money was raised during various events organised by the Iceland Overseas store and Manager, Russell, and his staff have confirmed that MABS Murcia is going to be their nominated charity again for 2012. “We’re really looking forward to working with everyone at MABS again,” Russell told RTN, “Their volunteers are game for anything and are a great help when they’re packing customers’ shopping.”

MABS Fundraising Co-ordinator, Janet Bell and her team are now busy working with Iceland Overseas on new events for this year, so keep checking the press and the MABS website to make sure that you don’t miss out on the fun.

MABS Murcia is a registered charity (No. 7261) offering help and support to local people of all nationalities who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. If you or someone you know would like some confidential help or support call our HELPLINE 693 275 779 or visit their website: www.mabsmurcia.com

e

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Life spanish The Letter

‘T’

THE LETTER T represents one of those soft consonant sounds in Spanish. With very few exceptions, Spanish consonants are softer than English ones, and become increasingly soft when the language is spoken at speed. In the case of the letter T, it has basically the same sound as in English except that it doesn’t have that rather harsh “spitting” sound that our letter T has. You possibly had never thought that you were spitting your language, but when teaching the letter to foreigners learning English it is sometimes referred to as the “spitting T”. In Spanish it is an altogether drier, deader sort of sound with the tongue further forward against the back of the front teeth. It is a good idea to practise individual sounds to yourself and start noticing these differences between the two languages. It’s not just a case hearing the differences, but also knowing what happens with your mouth to make them. However, when you are speaking Spanish, if you use the English “t” sound you will be understood perfectly well, your English accent will just be more marked, that’s all.

As with the letter S, there are plenty of words around beginning with the letter T that look and mean almost the same in both languages, so as usual here are just a few: “taberna” (tavern), “talento” (talent), “té” (tea), “técnico” (technical, also technician), “tecnología” (technology), “teléfono” (telephone), “telepatía” (telepathy), “television” (television), “temporal” (temporary, seasonal, but also means storm) “tenis” (tennis), “tentación” (temptation), “termómetro” (thermometer), “terror” (terror), “terrorismo” (terrorism),”terrorista” (terrorist), “típico” (typical), “tóxico” (toxic), “tranquilo” (tranquil, calm – remember not to pronounce the “u”), and then lots of words that begin with “trans” like – “transformación” (transformation) “transferencia” (transfer), “transmisión” (transmission) , “transparente” (transparent).

Another word which both languages have in common is “total”,

Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

with the obvious meaning of “total” in all the same contexts as it would be used in English. This word is also used though to sum up conversations. Sometimes you might be explaining a whole series of episodes leading up to a particular event, or describing all the reasons someone has given you for not doing something. At the end of the list you might say: “Total, salió todo muy bien” (“In the end, it all turned out well”) or “Total, no lo hizo” (“The result was, he didn’t do it”).

An interesting “t” verb is “tomar”. We can translate this as “take” or “have” but it is only used in certain specific contexts. The most common use is the equivalent “have” when we mean “eat” or “drink” in English. To “have a cup of coffee” is “tomar un café”. This is an area where many learners of Spanish make mistakes by using the verb “tener” for “to have”. “Tener” does mean “to have” but mainly in the sense of “to possess”, so if you say “tengo un café” it would mean that you “have” a coffee amongst your possessions, possibly sitting in a display cabinet in your living room.

Now here is an example of false friends – those pesky words that seem to mean the same in both languages but don’t. The first one is the Spanish word “tensión” which is used in a medical context to mean “pressure”, as in blood pressure. The full term is “tensión arterial” which gets abbreviated to “tensión” in everyday speech.

This gives us the sentence: “Tiene la tensión arterial muy alta”, or simply “Tiene la tensión muy alta” which means “He (or she) has very high blood pressure.” Also we can “tomar la tensión” that is “take” or “measure” one’s blood pressure, which can be done with a machine at the chemists, I believe.

This leads me to our Spanish saying for today, containing a “T” word. It is “Más vale tarde que nunca” “better late than never”, an excuse that all those unpunctual, procrastinating Spaniards might well use in their defence, not to mention the rest of us.

´We all know that feeling´ JESSIE J @jessiejofficial: You know when you’re so excited to eat your food but it’s just too hot. But you’re so keen you burn your tongue just to have it?! #that #stew The rant boygeorge @BoyGeorge: Fame attracts a whole army of buffoons! They will not be around in a year or two. They will be cooking Shepherds Pie or something!

The lesson learnt Lauren_TOWIE @LaurenGoodger: I am so so so so so ill!! Never drinking on a cold again! Mixture of medicine n alcohol doesn’t go! I’m still in bed want 2 cry!x The funny tweets Rizzle Kicks @RizzleKicks: I’ve got some Mary Poppins jacket pockets. Just pulled out a wallet, passport, phone, loose change, two lighters and some Mini Cheddars. ben shephard @benshephard: Am being tortured by 2 6 yr olds and 1 4 yr old serenading me with the Go Compare advert - admittedly it’s marginally better than real thing Gok Wan @therealgokwan: Totes going for dinner in a tracksuit! Don’t judge me...

I can’t wear shoes cos of my poorly back!

Council with a side of chav! Get in! X

Life books

Danny Collins - copy@dannyjpcollins.com

A Palace in the Old Village TAHAR BEN Jelloun is Moroccan. In fact, he’s recognised as Morocco’s greatest author.

His book, The Blinding Absence of Light was hailed as a masterpiece. A Palace in the Old Village is, in my opinion, no less.

Ben Jelloun writes of the powerful pull of home suffered by a Moroccan immigrant working in France and his yearning for tradition and family. As ever with Arab storytelling, the plot is bolstered with stories and structural somersaults as the author moves easily through time and hovers between reality and reverie. The result is more dualist-realist than magical realist and forms a text in which world and dream coexist.

In a time when the Western world shifts uncomfortably at the mention of Islam it behoves each of us to examine the social culture if not the harsher tenets of the belief.

Ben Jelloun takes the reader on a journey into the consciousness of one individual much as Khaled Hosseini offered with The Kite Runner. As with Hosseini’s work, this is not a book to be trifled with for there is a deeper moral within. The end will shock but there could be no other consequence in today’s society. Read it and weep and feel better for knowing.

Suduko Answer

Author: Tahar Ben Jelloun Publisher: Arcadia Books (paperback) Price: 12.15€ ISBN: 978 1 9064 1375 0

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10 - 16 feb 2012

Life charity

La Siesta youth club enjoys some mini golf THE LA Siesta Church Youth Club was invited to Quesada Mini Golf recently for a bit of pitch and put.

The Mini Golf venue is a long-time supporter of the youth club; the trips are always offered at no charge to the youth club and provide a good night out in a safe environment for young people. This occasion was no exception.

More than 20 children attended and had a fantastic time. The competition is always fierce and on this occasion, the trophy went to Rebecca Holt, closely followed by Taran Carter-Scott and Elise Macgregor. At the end of the evening Rick and Lisa Mentessi, owners of Quesada Mini Golf, had yet another surprise in store; they regularly run a raffle for the youth club and they announced that their Christmas raffle had raised an impressive 400€.

GENEROUS Maggie Dew, Youth Club Leader, told RTN: “In addition to Quesada Mini Golf, a special thank you goes to Casa Blanca Ladies Club, BUFFS 10671, the Tuesday Bingo Club, the Tuesday Auction and all the regulars at Quesada Mini Golf for their most generous contributions.”

On the night Rick and Lisa had yet another surprise when they provided a planted pot to be raffled which raised an additional

TAABS support HAH

ON 14TH FEBRUARY on behalf of Help At Home Costa Blanca, a Valentine’s Dinner Dance will take place at the Asturias Restaurante in Punta Prima with the fabulous TAABS Show Group helping to raise funds for Help at Home CB. The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets are priced at just 12.50€ per person, which includes a three course meal with wine and tickets for the raffle. Tickets are available from the bar at Asturias or by telephoning 96 532 6369.

Alzheimer’s:

Who Cares?

Lisa Mentessi hands the money to Maggie Dew and James McAllister

40€. Maggie added: “We are so grateful to Quesada Mini Golf for all the support they give us, both through their regular fundraising and by allowing us the use of their

facilities free of charge. The money they raise enables us to buy supplies for the youth club and take the young people on outings throughout the year.”

THE ALZHEIMER’S Association of Torrevieja invites everyone to help understand how to cope with partners, friends and neighbours who have Dementia. It does not have to be now but it almost certainly will be in the future – wouldn’t you like to be prepared to understand?

Do please come along to see our film in English to show you what to do if you meet this cruel condition – don’t wait until it happens to learn how to understand someone in this situation.

For more information please call 96 678 9020 / 647 119 991 / 603 535 602.

Entry is free: The Palace of Music Torrevieja, Monday 20th February at 8pm.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Life food

10 - 16 feb 2012

43

Food Consultant Edwin Cheeseman

I’m sorry but I’m talking rubbish again PERHAPS IT’S just me but I’m beginning to think that more and more people are passing the buck instead of being able to deal with the problems themselves. I find myself replying to just about any “Can I help you?” with a “Probably not” before finding myself asking immediately for a supervisor as my preferred first option.

Now I have only been back in the UK for a short visit but already I’m turning into a Victor Meldrew character. It all started on the ferry back when I bought a men’s grooming product which despite a false top and bottom as well as padded sides, rattled about like a marble in an empty dustbin and when unpacked was about a third of the size of the box.

Then once home I bought some takeaway sushi, of which one third of the packet, conveniently covered with a label, contained only fresh air or, in fact, as they call it modified air.

And what about a Supermarket Indian takeaway combo I was tempted to try, where the only really memorable thing about it was the massive pile of rubbish I was left with! At a time where money is tight and excess rubbish is becoming an issue a clearer distinction must be made between packaging for protection and excess packaging created by marketing companies solely for promotion.

For those of us who are lucky enough to live in Spain some may not be aware of just how bad things have become in

the UK, especially when it comes to garbage. Which bin is for what and where is it kept and what week do they come by and pick it up again? Any ‘mistakes’, deliberate or otherwise, are rewarded with a hefty fine. Now I know not everyone is as lucky as we are in Spain where our local Basura is attended and emptied daily and kept spotlessly clean but I can no longer imagine keeping any rubbish in the house for more than a day.

For us and most others I suspect its one small bag of shopping in from the local market and one smaller bag of rubbish out.

In the UK I have never seen so much rubbish no wonder its beginning to accumulate by the roadside. So with all the focus on ‘if’ and ‘when’ what bins should be put outside by the roadside to be emptied by whom and how often there seems to be an obvious solution. Stop creating it!

The massive rise in excess packaging, whether moving toward recyclable or not, are NOT for your convenience at all, it’s misleading at best and a deliberate con at worst.

Some companies especially white goods such as fridges and TV’s will collect your defunct ones when delivering new, perhaps they have come across security at the local tip which now put even airport security to shame. So, again I have an idea.

Although modified air packaged goods will keep in your fridge for longer it also keeps in the Supermarket longer.

Apparently it’s due to ‘customer demand’. Okay so lets try

If you have a question about food email cheeseman@roundtownnews.com

A taste of home on your doorstep

by Louise Clarke THE FOOD Cupboard in San Miguel de Salinas has been open for exactly one month today and the family run business is going from strength to strength despite the current economic climate.

The small but very friendly supermarket is owned by local couple Sue and Chris Stubbs who have lived in Spain for more than nine years. Sue is a well known face in the village having worked at various shops and bars in the past, but now she has gone completely solo and The Food Cupboard is her ‘baby’!

The supermarket is packed to the brim with lots of great products; all of which are supplied directly from the UK. From fresh produce such as milk, cheese, farm eggs and butter to typically British drinks such as Vimto, Iron Bru and Dr Pepper as well as a great selection of traditional beers including Spitfire and Speckled Hen, The Food Cupboard has it all.

HOME DELIVERY SERVICE For those of you with a sweet tooth, The Food Cupboard is also the place to go to get all those lovely biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate that we miss from home and all your favourites such as Bisto, John West and HP sauce are also plentiful.

The Food Cupboard is much more than a supermarket with greeting cards, a UK postal service, mobile phone top ups and even computer, lap top and mobile phone repairs.

It also offers a home delivery service and if you can’t see what you want, don’t worry, they will do what they can to source it for you.

The Food Cupboard is conveniently positioned on the main road in San Miguel between the Health Centre and the Pharmacy. It is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 7pm and from 10am until 2pm at the weekend. For more information, call in, telephone on 96 619 4177 or email thefoodcupboard@live.com

an experiment just like I did a while ago, go to the customer service desk and say: “For your records, I do not want any goods out of season and prefer the local produce and minimally packaged, if not I will return the empty packets to you to deal with.” Just imagine the local supermarket free delivery service having to pick up your rubbish (which they created for your convenience) every time they delivered.

Instead of funding a local bypass supermarkets would have to fund new incinerators or landfill sites instead. So are Easter Eggs packaged for their protection or their promotion?

44

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life going out Friends, Romans and walkers… lend us your FEET! ON SUNDAY 26th February, the second annual Charity Challenge Walk takes place in aid of Paul Cunningham Nurses and the charity is asking everyone to please think about joining the event to raise much needed funds.

Susan Reader, Fundraiser for PCN told RTN: “Just two hours of your time could ease life for a patient in pain.” She added: “The 5km walk starts at 2pm, you could walk it or if not, perhaps you could sponsor one of our walkers? Our sponsored walk will make a huge difference to so many of our patients.”

GET A TEAM TOGETHER Longer walks and cycle rides start mid morning and full details of the walk which takes place around the Torremendo Lake from the Casa La Padrera near San Miguel are available at www. paulcunninghamnurses.com or you can send an email to sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk for a

Torrevieja Carnival Programme 2012 up to 19th February SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY Carnival Parade Competition 2012: Location: The usual route: Plaza Mª Assumption, C / Ramón Gallud and C / Patricio Perez, at 4pm: Organised by the Torrevieja Carnival Cultural Association.

FRIDAY 17th FEBRUARY Carnival Theatre 2012: Venue: Teatro Municipal Auditorium at 9pm: Entry 5€: SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY Carnival Night Parade 2012: The

usual route - C / Patricio Perez, C / Ramón María Gallud and Plaza Assumption, at 10pm.

SUNDAY 19TH FEBRUARY Presentation award Contest VI of the Children’s Carnival Painting Torrevieja 2012 Location: CC Virgen del Carmen: 6pm.

For more information please visit the web page http://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/ag/torrevieja/desfile-concurso-de-carnaval-de-torrevieja-0

Craft Fair at Guardamar Join PCN for a charity walk around this lake

sponsor form. Susan concluded: “We really do need your help - please call 639 318 526 or send an email or visit our website. We are asking local bars and clubs to get a walking team together and join the Charity Lake Challenge, either the walk, run or cycle is around the beautiful La Pedrera Lake and it promises to be a great event and fun for all the family, so please join us.”

Sponsored by Licor 43 ‘Cuarenta y Tres’, teams from the Pint Depot in El Galan, Spud Murphy’s in Playa Flamenca, RTN, Paddy’s Point in La Zenia, Cheers Bar in El Galan, North and South and the Little Black Bull in Quesada, El Corazon Hotel in Rojales, Alex Bistro in Montebello and Bar Imanyo in Daya Nueva have already signed up. Come and join in the fun!

THE POPULAR international market at the Procomobel Home Centre, Alto Moncayo, Guardamar Del Segura, is celebrating the run up to Valentine’s Day in style. On Saturday 11th February in conjunction with the regular market and the Resale market there will also be a Craft Fair open from 10am.

There promises to be several stalls offering their handmade products ranging from household goods, cakes, cards, clothes etc.

The event is also being held to help raise funds for two very well known charities these being The Royal British Legion who offer help and guidance for ex members of the UK Armed Forces and their families and Animal Aid, the registered organisation who help abandoned, ill treated and abused animals to be re-homed and adopted. Both of these charities will be on site and there will be fun activities for all to enjoy whilst supporting these two worthwhile causes.

There will be entertainment on the day and with plenty of refreshments available throughout the market what better way to enjoy a leisurely Saturday with friends and at the same time support a good cause.

The Animal Aid charity have a regular pitch on the Moncayo Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the ladies that run this are always pleased to welcome new and old customers and tell you about the valuable work their charity does. Put the date in your diary and come along and see what treasures you can find: you may just find that something you weren’t expecting for your special Valentine.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life health

45

Mark Phoenix Murphy Dhp MIAPH MNRAH

Hypno-Botox MY NAME is Mark Phoenix Murphy, Adv Dhp MIAPH MNRAH and I am a full-time Advanced Professional Hypnotherapist and Pure-Hypnoanalyst. You may remember that I was named in the press as a pioneer for bringing the HypnoBand to the Costas? Well now I am about to launch the next big thing to sweep the globe… I am now offering my clients the opportunity to obtain some fantastic effects by using Botox with no invasive procedure or pain - by taking advantage of my Hypnotherapy...

HOW DOES BOTOX WORK? Botox is used by being injected with a thin needle and syringe in to the muscles on the face (usually this is used on the forehead, those lines around the eyes, and those areas on the face that are prone to frown lines) to block signals between the nerves and the muscles. Once injected, the effect is that the injected muscle is now no longer able to contract. This causes the wrinkles around that area to relax and therefore soften. In turn this causes the wrinkles to relax and soften giving the appearance of a more youthful and wrinkle-free skin.

HOW IS THE ACTUAL BOTOX PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT? Once you have undergone an initial screening to ensure you are suitable for Botox you will usually be invited to a clinic for the procedure to take place. This takes just a few minutes and there is no anesthesia used or required as the feeling generally felt is that of minor pin pricks or irritation.

The Botox is injected with a fine needle into specific muscles with only minor discomfort and this causes a controlled weakening of these muscles. The effects are not immediate, as often there may be some minor bruising and the Botox usually has a period of up to seven days before the true effects are seen. It is at this point that the de-creasing of the area is now seen properly.

SO HOW CAN THE HYPNO-BOTOX PROGRAMME WORK? The Hypno-Botox treatment that I carry out is focused on helping to relax those areas on your face that are often prone to exaggerated muscle contractions. It helps you to relax those muscles in the same way that your facial muscles can relax during sleep. The hypnosis will work at retraining those facial muscles not to frown. If you don’t frown so much you will achieve a much smoother skin, and the beauty of this is that it is achieved with none of the actual Botox side effects, or discomfort.

If your skin is relaxed then the lines will gradually start to disappear and as your skin starts to look and feel better then your self image and self esteem rises. It’s not always our fault that we frown as much as we do (without even realising it most of the time) as the stresses of everyday life can sometimes take their toll. How many stresses do we place on our facial muscles while focusing and concentrating at our place of work, or driving the kids to school, sitting in traffic, wondering how we will ever manage to make our money last a month, or even when we are exercising or watching TV. Well now there is a gentle way of getting our skin looking and feeling younger - and of course taking the benefit of a marvelous relaxing hypnosis session as an added bonus.

Surely now is the time to have a bit of ‘me time’. After all you know you deserve it...

HOW SAFE IS THE HYPNOTHERAPY AND WHAT IS INVOLVED? This Hypno-Botox procedure is totally safe. This form of Suggestion Therapy is very heavily used for Relaxation Sessions at registered practices - so you can be assured that this is 100% safe and a totally unique and relaxing way to spend an hour to help make improvements to your face and skin... short term and long term. This is very much a therapy

Now there is no need for invasive or painful Botox

that will not only help improve your body but also relax your mind, bringing an inner calmness to your life. Experience the power of Hypnosis!

At the end of this session you will be given a CD as a back up to the session(s)…

THE COST? The cost of the Hypno-Botox Programme 95€ per session.

For your safety and confidentiality all treatments are held in Registered Clinics. Please call me on 654 202 996 to book your session. Or visit www.HypnoSpain.com for more details about my practices.

46

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life health

Michael Burke

RHAD MSHAA of Digital Hearing

Symptoms of hearing loss HEARING LOSS can manifest itself in different ways in different people to different degrees. It could be that other people comment on your hearing difficulties before you are aware of them.

People have said to me: ‘I have been told I am standoffish because I did not say hello – but I just did not know they were there.’ Others have told me: ‘People think I am a bit slow, but I am not; I just did not hear them properly.’ It can cause serious discomfort and may manifest itself in any of the following ways: Social situations: It’s hard to follow the conversation when in a group, at a party or in a restaurant: background noise makes it hard to hear, and you may find yourself starting to avoid social situations. The worst situation is being surrounded by people yet feeling totally alone.

People seem to be mumbling: You miss some words, especially at the beginning of a sentence. Quite often you do not realise it is you they are talking to until the first few words have been spoken and then you spend the rest of the conversation trying to catch up.

Pretending to understand: You pretend you heard what has been said – shaking or nodding your head and saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and just hoping for the best.

Mis-hearing: You mis-hear what has been said or make a comment or introduce a topic that the group has just been discussing.

Television: You turn the TV up louder than others feel comfortable with and this can cause tension between family members. You may find that you still can’t understand the TV or radio even when it has been turned up.

Soft sounds: You may find women’s voices more difficult

to hear and also children, who may seem to be talking very quickly.

Telephone: You may find hearing or understanding on the phone difficult, especially different accents, and prefer other family members to deal with calls.

Tinnitus: You may experience continuous or intermittent noises, either in one or both ears.

Noise intolerance: You may find that you are less tolerant of surrounding noise levels or that some sounds have become really annoying to you.

Ear difference: You may find it easier to hear with one ear rather than the other, especially on the telephone.

PEOPLE SAY YOU TALK TOO LOUDLY In the car: You may find difficulty carrying on a conversation with someone whilst driving, especially if the radio is on or the window is open and even more so if the person you are talking to is in the back seat (or you are in the back seat trying to talk to the driver).

The world generally seems to be a lot quieter: Did you hear the cicadas last summer? Do you hear the birds in the morning?

Reducing frequency and dynamic hearing ranges tend to become a big handicap when the hearing loss interferes with perception and discrimination of human speech sounds, which can lead to isolation, withdrawal and in extreme cases depression.

In the next Hearing Column we will look at hearing tactics.

If you have any question’s about this week’s topic, email digitalhearing@hotmail.co.uk or contact Michael Burke at Digital Hearing, Quesada Business Centre, Calle Los Arcos 7, Quesada: Tel 698 418 642.

Great Valentine’s day ideas at Fit 4 All

Join the gym and get a 2 for 1 deal

by Louise Clarke FIT 4 ALL in Punta Prima has a full week of Valentine celebrations starting this coming Monday, 13th February until 19th February.

During this week-long event there will be discounts in all departments including the hairdressers and the beauticians where you will be able to get some great offers on manicures, Garra Rufa fish pedicures, massage and much more; a great way to treat the woman you love or even the man you love!

Most importantly, any couple that would like to join the gym during the week long celebrations will benefit from a fantastic 2 for 1 deal, where the couple pays for one for the month and they both get to go! But this offer is only available during this coming week, so make sure you get down there and take advantage of this great deal while you can!

ROMANTIC Meanwhile on Valentine’s Day itself, Fit 4 All has a special menu for couples. Their

master chef will be serving up a delicious three course meal and guests will be welcomed with a cocktail: the ladies will receive a complimentary rose, courtesy of Fit 4 All. Dinner at 8pm will be accompanied by live music and as all the activities in the gym will be cancelled for the evening, the restaurant will provide the perfect romantic ambiance.

From January, Fit 4 All is open everyday of the week, including Sundays when there is a regular ‘Jazz’ lunch with a specially invited jazz trumpeter from Norway providing top quality jazz music to accompany your Sunday lunch.

On 25th February, Fit 4 All will host a Carnival party and more information on that event will be in next week’s RTN, so make sure that you pick up a copy!

For more information on Fit 4 All or to book a table for the Valentine’s Day dinner, please call 96 679 8848 or email info@fit4all-torrevieja.com

OSTEOARTHRITIS Benijofar Chiropractic SHOCKWAVE THERAPY TREATMENT Clinic Our patients are a testimony to its success.

Dr Hans C. Madsen D.C. - Member of the Danish, Spanish & European Chiropractic Assoc Contrary to popular belief, osteoarthritis is not due to age-related ‘wear and tear’ on your joints.

It tends to be more common as you get older – affecting around 80% people over the age of 50 to some degree - but is not a normal part of ageing.

Osteoarthritis develops in a joint when changes occur in the cartilage – the soft tissue that protects the surface of a bone and allows the joint to move freely. These changes affect how the joint works and may be due to damage that occurred to the joint many years before any symptoms appear.

Bony outgrowths form at the outer edges of the joint, making it look knobbly, and thickening of the membrane and capsule enclosing the joint make it stiff, painful to move and sometimes inflamed which causes a lot of pain and changes the shape of the joint.

Osteoarthritis may occur in more than one joint at any one time, with the hips, knees, hands, shoulders and lower part of the spine being most often affected.

Treatment of osteoarthritis is largely aimed at controlling the inflammation, reducing the pain associated with the inflammation and if possible, slowing the progression of the disease.

Shockwave therapy offers an exciting addition to the treatment options for osteoarthritis, with little to no risk of adverse side effects.

Shockwave therapy can significantly reduce the inflammation of the joint (synovitis) associated with osteoarthritis with a reduction in the synovial fluid volume and the synovial fluid protein.

The role of shockwave therapy is in slowing the progression of osteoarthritis and it can actually alter the process of cartilage degradation.

The shockwaves stimulate certain components within the body, so the body is able to heal. Shockwave therapy is able to accomplish this even in chronic cases.

In addition to stimulating the healing process, shockwave therapy seems to have a direct effect on nerves, diminishing pain.

We find that many patients get an initial degree of improvement almost immediately following treatment. This is associated with an anesthesia effect from the hyperstimulation of the tissue from the Shockwave therapy.The shockwave therapy targets the calcification around the affected joint and breaks this up and disperses it with repeated treatments. Laser therapy is then applied, which helps to remove these calcified deposits out through the bloodstream and out of the system.

It has been used successfully to treat people with necrosis of the femoral head, eliminating the need for a hip replacement in some cases.

Our patients are a testimony to the success of the treatment of osteoarthritic conditions. As a result of the treatment they have vastly increased movement, reduced inflammation and little or no pain.

They are able to resume normal lives free of the inhibitions that they previously experienced.

Opening hours: Mon & Wed: 10.00 - 13.30 & 15.00 - 18.00 Tues & Thurs: 15.00 - 18.00 - Fri: 10.00 - 13.30

Tel: 966185242 / 693371616/617 - E-Mail: info@chiropractor-benijofar.es Calle Federico Garcia Lorca, No. 90 L8 03178, Benijofar (opposite the Citroen Garage)

48

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life showbiz goss

For the love of money

I HAVE purposely left the news of the relationship between Harry Styles of One Direction and Caroline Flack who presented last year’s X Factory alone as its been popping up almost every day being on, then off, then on again and I´ve steered clear of it for that very reason.

However, it is here today as it has leaked out that the apparent reason for all this yoyo type behaviour is that the person who has been driving the bus they are both passengers on has been making demands on the couple splitting up … big demands allegedly … who am I talking about?

Yes it’s Mr. Nasty himself … Simon Cowell.

And why would he do that I hear you say? Simple really - Harry Styles is in One Direction and the danger for Cowell is because Harry is so popular with the girls.

If he was to become an item with Caroline the group might not be so attractive to the young females, and if that were to happen poor old Simon will not make another giant sized wad of cash, and we all know how much he needs the money.

He is a man driven by the love of money: all of his decisions are money orientated.

Footnote: At the time of writing Harry Styles and Caroline Flack announced they were planning to go off on holiday together. Go! Go! Harry and Caroline …

Go! Go!

No more hero anymore

IT IS with deep regret that I have to inform you that David Hasslehof (The Hoff) has surely blown it every possible way with Hayley Roberts, the young lady he met around 18 months ago whilst on one of those days on the road with Britain’s Got Talent in Cardiff. Yes folks, I have here for you today the story of the man who portrayed himself as Super Beefcake Macho Guy

by

Peter Taylor

Writer and Broadcaster

on the back of his time in ´Baywatch ‘playing the hero who could solve all problems just by flashing a smile and a well-proportioned torso who has now tumbled down into the depths of Super Floppy Pathetic Man. Sadly yet again David got down on his knees to propose to Ms Roberts, this time on the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge and stupidly let the whole world know on Twitter, and even more stupidly attached a photo so we could see how pathetic it all was.

Just to make it all the more sad for The Hoff, Hayley was looking wistfully into the camera and not at him and her comment underneath kind of cemented it all for me when she reportedly said: ” I´m in no rush to get married, and will maybe reconsider a couple of years down the line” … over to you David … on your knees … there´s a good chap!

Much ado about nothing YOU ARE just about to find out how far the Americans seem to be prepared to go with the status of Celebrity, as it was announced last week that the Rutger University of New Jersey is offering students to sign up for a course called ´Politicising Beyonce´ … yes ... a course on the R ´n B singer … Kevin Allred, the PHD student who will be teaching the course told the official University Website “this isn´t a course about Beyonce´s political engagement or how many times she performed during president Obama´s inauguration weekend” … what’s it about then Kevin? … The guy has given the course a name that suggests it’s political but it’s not about politics, then he says it’s not about her singing for the Prez … Master Allred needs to give himself a 100 lines saying ´I must try not to confuse people´ … but I digress … the main part of this story remains that there is a course being offered to the bright young things of America to spend a valuable amount of their time finding out that there´s a pretty girl from Texas called Beyonce Knowles who sings a bit and now she´s a mum … And the next course please … I thank you!

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life TV

49

10th February - 16th February

Friday 10th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News 12:00 Britain’s Empty Homes 12:30 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 School for Stars 16:35 Wingin’ It 16:55 Deadly Art 17:15 OOglies 17:30 Blue Peter 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Room 101 22:00 Hustle 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Graham Norton Show 24:20 The National Lottery Friday Night Draws 24:30 Rescue Dawn

07:00 Childrens TV 10:45 Harry and Toto’s World of Opposites 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Animal Park 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 The Weakest Link 16:00 Helicopter Heroes 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Britain’s Heritage Heroes 20:00 The Culture Show 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Mastermind 22:00 Wild About Pandas 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 24:00 The Review Show 24:45 Weather 24:50 Night and the City

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 The Hungry Sailors 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Safari Vet School 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Law & Order: UK 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 Jaws the Revenge

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 09:55 Undercover Boss USA 10:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Country House Rescue 14:05 Quick Bakes with Eric Lanlard 14:25 The Master of Ballantrae 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 19:55 4thought.tv 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:30 Channel 4 Presents 20:35 Come Dine with Me 21:30 New Girl 22:00 The Million Pound Drop Live 23:30 Rude Tube 24:30 10 O’Clock Live

07:00 Childrens TV 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Hana’s Helpline 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Build a New Life in the Country 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:15 Dead Lines 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Royal Navy: Caribbean Patrol 21:00 World’s Toughest Trucker 22:00 The Last Samurai

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Emmerdale 07:50 Emmerdale 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 09:35 Judge Judy 10:00 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 12:00 Judge Judy 12:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Emmerdale 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:05 Judge Judy 19:30 Judge Judy 20:00 Love in the Wild 21:00 You’ve Been Framed!

21:30 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 22:00 American Idol 23:00 The Only Way Is Essex 23:45 The Only Way Is Essex 24:30 The Jonathan Ross Show

07:00 Switched 07:25 Life Unexpected 08:05 Smallville 08:50 Ugly Betty 09:45 Life Unexpected 10:40 Scrubs 11:10 Scrubs 11:35 90210 12:30 Desperate Housewives 13:25 Greek 14:20 Scrubs 14:50 Scrubs 15:20 Hollyoaks 15:50 90210 16:40 Smallville 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Desperate Housewives 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Supernanny US 22:00 Trading Places 24:15 Playing It Straight

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift 18:05 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions with Ann Brown 18:30 Let’s Talk with Simon Baldock 19:00 An Evening With...

Ray Lewis 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Let’s Talk with Simon Baldock 18:30

SATURDAY 11th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:35 Rachel Allen: Home Cooking 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:15 Football Focus 14:00 British Olympic Dreams 14:30 Homes Under the Hammer 15:30 Bargain Hunt 16:30 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 19:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 19:15 Winter Wipeout 20:15 The Magicians 21:30 The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 22:20 Casualty 23:10 BBC News and Weather 23:30 Match of the Day 24:55 The Football League Show

07:00 Childrens TV 08:10 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 08:35 Dennis & Gnasher 08:50 Scooby-Doo Show 09:10 Pixelface 09:40 Prank Patrol Down Under 10:00 Ultimate Sports Day 10:30 Blue Peter 11:00 My Life 11:30 Trapped Ever After 12:00 Hacker Time 12:25 OOglies 12:40 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 The War Lover 14:40 Two Rode Together 16:30 Birds Britannia 17:30 Final Score 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Flog It! 20:00 Dad’s Army 20:30 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 23:00 Pan Am 23:40 Pan Am 24:20 TOTP2 24:50 The Assassination of Richard Nixon

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 10:25 ITV News 10:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 11:25 May the Best House Win 12:25 This Morning: Saturday 13:30 Murder, She Wrote 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:40 Johnny English 16:15 You’ve Got Mail 18:30 Granada News and Weather 18:45 ITV News and Weather 19:00 All Star Family Fortunes 20:00 You’ve Been Framed!

20:30 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 21:00 Take Me Out 22:15 The Jonathan Ross Show 23:15 ITV News and Weather 23:30 Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Volleyball 08:55 The Morning Line 09:55 Everyone’s Talking About 10:25 New Girl 10:55 New Girl 11:25 Playing It Straight 12:25 New Girl 12:55 The Big Bang Theory 13:20 The Big Bang Theory 13:50 The Simpsons 14:20 The Simpsons 14:55 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Channel 4 Presents 17:05 Come Dine with Me 17:35 Come Dine with Me 18:05 Come Dine with Me 18:40 Come Dine with Me 19:10 Come Dine with Me 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:10 4thought.tv 20:15 ‘Crocodile’ Dundee II 22:20 The Million Pound Drop Live 23:55 AVP: Alien vs Predator

07:00 Childrens TV 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:40 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 11:00 Meerkat Manor 11:30 Winter Road Rescue 12:30 Royal Navy: Caribbean Patrol 13:30 Police Interceptors 14:25 Private Benjamin 16:30 The Return of the Musketeers 18:30 The Princess Bride 20:15 5 News Weekend 20:20 NCIS 21:15 NCIS 22:10 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:10 CSI: NY 24:05 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

07:00 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 07:25 Coronation Street 09:30 Emmerdale 12:30 The Woman in Black Premiere Special 13:00 Take Me Out 14:15 Take Me Out: The Gossip 15:00 Love in the Wild 15:55 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 16:20 American Idol 17:15 American Idol 18:10 Free Willy 2: the Adventure Home 20:10 About a Boy 22:15 Take Me Out: The Gossip 23:00 Celebrity Juice 23:45 King Kong

07:00 Switched 07:25 Switched 07:45 Switched 08:10 Switched Up! 09:05 Dirty Sexy Things 10:05 Supernanny US 11:00 Supernanny US 11:55 Gok’s Fashion Fix 13:00 Supernanny US 14:00 Supernanny US 14:55 Hollyoaks 17:25 Perfect Couples 17:55 Perfect Couples 18:20 Scrubs 18:55 Scrubs 19:20 The Big Bang Theory 19:55 The Big Bang Theory 20:20 Happy Endings 20:50 How I Met Your Mother 21:20 Rules of Engagement 21:50 The Big Bang Theory 22:20 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 24:10 The Big Bang Theory 24:40 The Big Bang Theory

Celebrity Juice 23:00

VIVA TV

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift 18:05 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions with Ann Brown 18:30 Let’s Talk with Simon Baldock 19:00 An Evening With...

Ray Lewis 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Local Information and Non Stop Music 20:00 - 22:00

Sunday 12th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast

07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Bob the Builder 07:35 Octonauts 07:45 Everything’s Rosie 08:00 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 08:30 Dennis & Gnasher 08:40 Scooby-Doo Show 09:05 Paradise Cafe 09:30 Wingin’ It 10:00 Friday Download 11:00 Something for the Weekend 12:30 East of Sudan 14:00 EastEnders 16:00 Summer Magic 17:45 Flog It! 18:15 Ski Sunday 19:00 The Last Explorers 20:00 Queens of British Pop 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 Toughest Place to Be a...

23:00 Match of the Day 2 24:00 Frank Skinner’s Opinionated 24:30 Rugby Union

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Ade in Britain 11:30 Dinner Date 12:30 Dickinson’s Real Deal 13:25 ITV News and Weather 13:35 Murder, She Wrote 14:40 Columbo 16:30 Midsomer Murders 18:30 Granada News and Weather 18:45 ITV News and Weather 19:00 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 19:30 Dancing on Ice 21:30 Wild at Heart 22:30 Dancing on Ice: The Skate Off 23:00 That Sunday Night Show 23:30 ITV News and Weather 23:45 Whitechapel 24:45 Premiership Rugby Union

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 That Paralympic Show 08:25 Sailing 08:55 Channel 4 Presents 09:00 One Tree Hill 09:50 Countdown to the NME Awards 2012 10:05 Hollyoaks 12:40 The Big Bang Theory 13:15 The Big Bang Theory 13:50 The Simpsons 14:25 The Simpsons 15:00 UK Indoor Athletics Trials & Championships 16:55 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 17:25 Time Team 18:25 Deal or No Deal 19:25 Channel 4 News 19:55 The Political Slot 20:00 Home of the Future 21:00 The Hotel 22:00 The Wedding Proposal 23:00 PS I Love You

07:00 Childrens TV 08:05 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:15 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Family!

08:35 Make Way for Noddy 08:50 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 08:55 Little Princess 09:05 Olivia 09:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:35 Angelina Ballerina 09:50 Rupert Bear 10:05 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:40 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 11:00 Grey’s Anatomy 11:55 Cowboy Builders 12:55 Pete’s Dragon 15:00 Muppets from Space 16:45 That Darn Cat 18:30 X2 21:00 The True Story 21:50 5 News Weekend 22:00 Ghost Rider 24:10 Best of the Best

07:00 Gossip Girl 07:45 Emmerdale 10:35 Coronation Street 13:00 Winners & Losers 14:00 The Biggest Loser 15:00 The Biggest Loser 16:00 The Woman in Black Premiere Special 16:30 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 16:50 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 17:15 The Only Way Is Essex 18:00 The Only Way Is Essex 18:50 Free Willy 3: the Rescue 20:40 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 23:00 The Only Way Is Essex 23:45 The Island

07:00 Switched 07:20 Switched 07:45 Switched 08:05 Supernanny US 08:50 Supernanny US 09:45 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow: Get the Look for Less 10:50 How to Look Good Naked 11:55 How to Look Good Naked 13:00 Supernanny US 13:55 Supernanny US 14:50 Privileged 15:40 Make It or Break It 16:40 Make It or Break It 17:35 Samantha Who? 18:05 Being Erica 19:00 90210 19:55 Monster-in-Law 22:00 Desperate Housewives 23:00 Desperate Housewives 24:00 Skins

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift 18:05 Handmade - I Wanna Be A Producer 18:30 Out & About in Torrevieja - The Casino 18:45 The TKO Funday 19:00 Let’s Talk with Simon Baldock 19:30 The Wedding Show 19:45 Spanish Eye – International Darts in Benidorm 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

08:30 Match of the Day 10:00 Andrew Marr Show 11:00 The Big Questions 12:00 Country Tracks 13:00 Sunday Politics 14:00 Bargain Hunt 15:00 The Royal Bodyguard 15:30 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 18:00 Songs of Praise 18:35 Antiques Roadshow 19:35 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 20:00 Countryfile 21:00 Call the Midwife 22:00 The British Academy Film Awards 24:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 24:25 Room 101: Extra Storage

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 20:40

Out & About in Torrevieja -The Casino 18:30

50

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life TV

10th February- 16th February

monday 13th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under Revisited 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News 12:00 Britain’s Empty Homes 12:30 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 School for Stars 16:35 Wingin’ It 16:55 Deadly Art 17:15 OOglies 17:30 Blue Peter 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Inside Out 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 The Diamond Queen 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 A Question of Sport 24:05 Late Kick Off 24:35 Graham Norton Show

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Harry and Toto’s World of Opposites 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 I Can Cook 11:25 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:30 64 Zoo Lane 11:40 Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies 11:55 Waybuloo 12:15 In the Night Garden 12:45 Blackbeard’s Ghost 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 The Weakest Link 16:00 Helicopter Heroes 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Britain’s Heritage Heroes 20:00 Operation Hospital Food with James Martin 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 An Island Parish 22:00 Protecting Our Children 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Pan Am

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Cornwall with Caroline Quentin 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Whitechapel 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 That Sunday Night Show 24:05 Law & Order: UK

07:00 Sali Mali 07:05 Channel 4 Presents 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 09:55 The Secret Millionaire USA 10:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Channel 4 Presents 13:10 Country House Rescue 14:10 The Time Machine 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Dispatches 22:00 Coppers 23:00 America’s Serial Killer: True Stories 24:25 Random Acts 24:30 Shameless

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Milkshake! Monkey 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Hana’s Helpline 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Build a New Life in the Country 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:15 Hostile Makeover 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 World’s Toughest Trucker 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan 23:00 The Longest Yard

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Coronation Street 07:50 Emmerdale 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 09:35 Judge Judy 10:00 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 12:00 Judge Judy 12:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Coronation Street 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:05 Judge Judy 19:30 Judge Judy 20:00 The Biggest Loser 21:00 Gossip Girl 22:00 Passenger 57 23:50 Celebrity Juice 24:35 Alexander

07:00 Switched 07:25 Life Unexpected 08:05 Smallville 08:50 Ugly Betty 09:45 Life Unexpected 10:40 Scrubs 11:10 Scrubs 11:35 90210 12:35 Desperate Housewives 13:30 Greek 14:25 Scrubs 14:55 Scrubs 15:25 Hollyoaks 15:55 90210 16:50 Smallville 17:35 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Desperate Housewives 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:35 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 My Name Is Earl 21:30 My Name Is Earl 22:00 Playing It Straight 23:00 Skins 24:10 Fresh Meat

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift – Inspirational & Motivational poems 18:05 The Boat Show 18:30 Out & About in Torrevieja - The Casino 18:45 The TKO Funday 19:00 Let’s Talk Simon Baldock with Holly Coleman & John Atkins 19:30 The Wedding Show – Hair & Makeup 19:45 Out & About in Torrevieja – Semana Santa 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

The Wedding Show - Hair & Makeup 19:30

tuesday 14th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News 12:00 Britain’s Empty Homes 12:30 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 School for Stars 16:35 Wingin’ It 16:55 Deadly Art 17:15 OOglies 17:30 Pixelface 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Prisoners’ Wives 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Death Unexplained 24:20 Neighbourhood Watched

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:20 The Large Family 10:40 Guess with Jess 10:50 Louie 11:00 Same Smile 11:15 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:20 64 Zoo Lane 11:35 Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 That Darn Cat! 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 The Weakest Link 16:00 Helicopter Heroes 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Britain’s Heritage Heroes 20:00 Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman 21:00 Alex Polizzi: The Fixer 22:00 How to Grow a Planet 23:00 Have I Got News for You 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Rubicon

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 River Monsters 21:00 The Exit List 22:00 The Biggest Loser 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 Benidorm 24:35 The Cube

07:05 Sali Mali 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 The Secret Millionaire USA 10:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Quick Bakes with Eric Lanlard 13:10 Country House Rescue 14:10 Doctor in Clover 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Gok’s Teens: The Naked Truth 22:00 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 23:00 Shameless 24:05 Desperate Housewives

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Milkshake! Monkey 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Hana’s Helpline 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Build a New Life in the Country 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:10 The Family Recipe 16:15 Earthstorm 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 Saving Private Ryan: The True Story 22:00 Body of Proof 22:55 CSI: NY 23:55 CSI: Miami 24:50 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Coronation Street 07:50 Emmerdale 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 09:35 Judge Judy 10:00 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 12:00 Judge Judy 12:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Coronation Street 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:05 Judge Judy 19:30 Judge Judy 20:00 You’ve Been Framed!

20:30 You’ve Got Mail 23:00 Winners & Losers 24:00 The Bodyguard

07:00 Switched 07:20 Life Unexpected 08:05 Smallville 08:50 Ugly Betty 09:40 Life Unexpected 10:35 Scrubs 11:05 Scrubs 11:30 90210 12:25 Desperate Housewives 13:25 Greek 14:20 Scrubs 14:50 Scrubs 15:20 Hollyoaks 15:50 90210 16:45 Smallville 17:35 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Desperate Housewives 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 David Blaine: What Is Magic?

22:00 90210 23:00 The Cleveland Show 23:30 Bob’s Burgers 24:00 Sirens

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift - Inspirational & Motivational poems 18:05 FAQ - Health Care & Funeral Plans 18:30 Spanish Dive Adventures 19:00 Learn The Lingo 19:15 Let’s Talk Special – Ex London Gangster Dave Courtney 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Let’s Talk Special 19:15

wednesday 15th February BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under Revisited 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Britain’s Empty Homes 12:30 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 School for Stars 16:35 Wingin’ It 16:55 Deadly Art 17:15 OOglies 17:30 My Life 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Rip Off Britain 21:00 Britain’s Favourite Supermarket Foods 22:00 MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:35 The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Kevin Bridges What’s the Story?

24:15 Film 2012 with Claudia Winkleman

07:00 Childrens TV 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Harry and Toto’s World of Opposites 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Russkies 14:00 See Hear 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 The Weakest Link 16:00 Helicopter Heroes 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Britain’s Heritage Heroes 20:00 Escape to the Country 21:00 Bees, Butterflies and Blooms 22:00 Versailles 22:50 Coast 23:00 Roger & Val Have Just Got In 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Out of the Ashes

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Live UEFA Champions League 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 UEFA Champions League 24:35 Kidnap and Ransom

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 The Secret Millionaire USA 10:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Country House Rescue 14:05 Ladies in Lavender 16:05 Channel 4 Presents 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Daddy Daycare 22:00 One Born Every Minute 23:00 10 O’Clock Live 23:55 Random Acts 24:05 The Inbetweeners 24:35 The Inbetweeners

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Milkshake! Monkey 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Hana’s Helpline 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Build a New Life in the Country 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:15 The Reading Room 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Cowboy Builders 21:00 Benidorm ER 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 23:55 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 24:50 Poker: The Big Game

07:00 Emmerdale 07:25 Nanny 911 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 09:35 Judge Judy 10:00 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 12:00 Judge Judy 12:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Emmerdale 13:30 Nanny 911 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:05 Judge Judy 19:30 Judge Judy 20:00 Take Me Out 21:15 Take Me Out: The Gossip 22:00 Love in the Wild 23:00 The Only Way Is Essex 23:45 Happy Gilmore

07:00 Switched 07:25 Life Unexpected 08:05 Smallville 08:50 Ugly Betty 09:45 Life Unexpected 10:40 Scrubs 11:10 Scrubs 11:35 90210 12:30 Desperate Housewives 13:25 Greek 14:20 Scrubs 14:50 Scrubs 15:20 Hollyoaks 15:50 90210 16:40 Smallville 17:35 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Desperate Housewives 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 20:55 Never Been Kissed 23:00 Snakes on a Plane

VIVA TV

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The GiftInspirational & Motivational poems 18:05 Spanish Eye – Racing Pigeons 18:30 Dramatic Licence - When The Cat’s Away 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Spanish Eye - Racing Pigeons 18:05

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

thursday 16 February

51

th

BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News 12:00 Britain’s Empty Homes 12:30 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 School for Stars 16:35 Wingin’ It 16:55 Deadly Art 17:15 OOglies 17:30 Leonardo 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 The Great British Countryside 22:00 Inside Men 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Question Time 24:35 Battle in Seattle

07:00 Childrens TV 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Harry and Toto’s World of Opposites 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Pink Panther Show 12:50 Pink Panther Show 13:10 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 The Weakest Link 16:00 Helicopter Heroes 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Britain’s Heritage Heroes 20:00 Top Gear 21:00 Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman 22:00 Wonderland 23:00 James May’s Things You Need to Know 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Toughest Place to Be a...

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 21:00 Live UEFA Europa League Football 23:15 ITV News and Weather 23:45 Granada News and Weather 23:50 The Jonathan Ross Show 24:50 Take Me Out

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:00 The Secret Millionaire USA 10:55 Relocation, Relocation 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Quick Bakes with Eric Lanlard 13:15 Country House Rescue 14:20 Courage of Lassie 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Location, Location, Location 22:00 The Restoration Man 23:00 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 24:05 The Wedding Proposal

07:00 Childrens TV 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Hana’s Helpline 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Build a New Life in the Country 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:15 Animal Rescue Squad 16:25 Hush 18:15 Live UEFA Europa League Football 21:05 Pearl Harbor 24:30 UEFA Europa League Highlights

07:00 Emmerdale 07:25 Nanny 911 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 09:35 Judge Judy 10:00 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 12:00 Judge Judy 12:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Emmerdale 13:30 Nanny 911 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:05 Judge Judy 19:30 Judge Judy 20:00 All Star Family Fortunes 21:00 American Idol 23:00 Celebrity Juice 23:45 American Pie 2

07:00 Switched 07:25 Life Unexpected 08:05 Smallville 08:50 Ugly Betty 09:45 Life Unexpected 10:40 Scrubs 11:10 Scrubs 11:35 90210 12:30 Desperate Housewives 13:25 Greek 14:20 Scrubs 14:50 Scrubs 15:20 Hollyoaks 15:50 90210 16:40 Smallville 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Desperate Housewives 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 21:30 Rules of Engagement 22:00 How I Met Your Mother 22:30 Happy Endings 23:00 Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy 23:30 Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night 24:25 The Big Bang Theory 24:50 The Big Bang Theory

14:00 Non Stop Music 16:00 Shopping and Info 18:00 The Gift- Inspirational & Motivational poems 18:05 British Consulate Message 18:15 Specsavers Open Day for Glaucoma 18:30 Dave & Andy’s Excellent Adventures Ginetta Racing & Waterskiing 19:00 Vibefest – San Fulgencio Fiestas 19:30 Youth Tube 20:00 – 22:00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Crossword Solutions 642 CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Bisect; 4 Soused; 9 Needle-matches; 10 Arrange; 11 Odour; 12 Snack; 14 Craft; 18 Dowel; 19 Camelot; 21 Stepping-stone; 22 Nelson; 23 Wrests.

Down: 1 Bantam; 2 Steering-wheel; 3 Colon; 5 Outdoor; 6 School-fellows; 7 Desert; 8 Umber; 13 Calypso; 15 Odds on; 16 Scant; 17 Otters; 20 Miser.

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Basing; 4 Proper; 9 Embarrassment; 10 Correct; 11 Exile; 12 Hitch; 14 Stain; 18 Brain; 19 Extract; 21 Unimaginative; 22 Donate; 23 Planed.

Down: 1 Breach; 2 Subordination; 3 Nurse; 5 Respect; 6 Precipitation; 7 Rotten; 8 Nasty; 13 Contact; 15 Absurd; 16 Remit; 17 Attend; 20 Trail.

Wordwheel: BOYFRIEND

Vibefest - San Fulgencio Fiestas 19:00

52

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life music

CostaVibes Tony Poole

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed meets The Pepper Pots ‘Time and Place’ SOUL AND R&B music is not a style you would immediately associate with Spain.

However, over recent years black American music has become increasingly popular here. Spanish bands like The Sweet Vandals, The Cherry Boppers and Speak Low are fronting a growing scene that has not only established a fan base in their home country, but also built an international following.

Add to that list, The Pepper Pots, a 10piece group, with three girls sharing lead vocals, from Girona, Catalonia, who deliver an ‘Old School’ Sound inspired by the best mid-60s Soul albums. Their latest release sees them teaming up with American singer Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed for ‘Time and Place’ (Double Back Records), an EP that comprises of four classic soul tunes. Reed has built a strong international reputation showcasing his genuine fascination, and love for, Soul music’s golden era. His album ‘Come and Get it!’ introduced the world to an

exceptional singer-songwriter who has taken the genre one step further. His lively voice and his impressive backing band (The True Loves) have worn out dancing shoes around the world, evident from his performance at the Cartagena Jazz Festival in 2010.

In recent years, The Pepper Pots also have made great strides. In 2009 they recorded with Binky Griptite, guitarist with the magnificent Dap-Kings (backing band for Sharon Jones and one of the creative forces behind the sound of Amy Winehouse). That record was followed by an expansive world tour leading up to the release of their newest full-length album, ‘Train to Your Lover’.

Not long after this release, the band found time to perform on several occasions with a living legend of Northern Soul, Maxine Brown, a star who worked with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye.

The relationship between The Pepper Pots and Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed started some time back. They first met at one of Reed’s famed live shows. The idea of a joint venture was always a dream and finally became a reality last May. The premise was ideal. Reed and The Pepper Pots would choose their favourite unheralded soul records and then record their own versions of the best of the best, recasting the classic tunes in their own styles with Reed at the helm as producer.

The songs were recorded in The Pepper Pots’ own analogue Black Pepper Studio, in Cornellà del Terri. The end result is a

seamless blend of the two bands’ sounds, the rugged soul of the American star and the silken Motown Sound of the Catalans, as they come together to pay tribute to Fontella Bass & Bobby McClure, Lee Moses, Jimmy Lewis and Kip Anderson.

‘Time and Place’ (available on CD and 7-inch vinyl) is accompanied by a DVD documentary which charts some of the hidden moments behind the recording. Next month The Pepper Pots tour Spain together with the Sweet Vandals and The Cherry Boppers as part of the Soul Train Fest, a touring festival that mimics the events of the famous Motown and Stax Revues.

Jazz festivals, gigs and new releases at www.vibesfromthecostas.blogspot.com Email news and views to vibes@roundtownnews.com Keep the ViBES ALiVE!

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Elvis at Camping Marjal THE FABULOUS Elvis tribute artist Paul Larcombe will be appearing at Camping Marjal, Guardamar del Segura on February 17th & 18th.

Paul is officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland, Memphis USA and has appeared on numerous television channels including ITV and BBC. He has performed for the queen and the royal family on three separate occasions and in 2007 won the European Elvis Tribute Competition. The prize entitled him to enter the world competition in Memphis organised by EP Enterprises: he came in the last ten with only the first three being announced. He is a fabulous entertainer and the last two years has been a sell out on both nights. The price is 15€ including a meal: to book a table telephone 96 672 7001.

10 - 16 feb 2012

The Smoove Groove THIS MALE duo is becoming very popular on the entertainment circuit along the Costas.

With a show that covers material that although well known , not always heard, giving the audience something different to listen and dance to… That does not mean that all the big hits are not included in their performance, far from it …the show is energetic and fun that just makes you want to get up and dance and have a really good time.

They entertain with a smile and leave the audience wanting more.

For further details call Phoenix Promotions on 677 222 352.

Dance the night away THE NEXT Big Band Dance Night takes place next Friday night, 17th February at La Rustika on Avda Los Baleares in Torrevieja.

The event, which promises to be a night to remember, starts at 9pm until 11.30pm and highlights the amazing Swingtet-Plus Big Band; a nine piece band with a very big band sound. They will be playing the best of the best in musical entertainment with music you can dance to; from Swing to Rock ‘n’ Roll and everything in between.

Please go along and dance the night away or just enjoy listening to the music of the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The Band is looking forward to offering renditions of some of your favourite music and tickets are priced at just 7€.

There will also be a raffle held on the night with proceeds going to the HELP Association of Vega Baja.

For more information and to reserve tickets, please call 96 570 3685 or 622 760 340.

CJ Disco

53

THIS IS the ultimate ‘wedding’ disco. Full light show excellent sound system and a DJ who makes everybody feel part of a great and very special day. On too many occasions people tend to book entertainment at a wedding at the lowest possible price as inevitably their budgets have gone on wedding dress, suits, cars, flowers special gifts. Entertainment is also a very important part of the event. Get it wrong and it’s a major part of a conversation and could very well spoil the day. Get it right and the whole event runs smooth and like clockwork.

CJ Disco is part of that whole experience, from the first dance for the bride and groom to the last dance of the evening. For a young DJ this professional wedding DJ will always be in demand.

For further details call Phoenix Promotions on 677 222 352.

54

10 - 16 feb 2012

Word Ladders The key rule is that you must only change one letter at a time as you move from one rung to another, and the word you make must be a proper word! Therefore you may move from BATH --> BATS but not from BATH --> CASH because that changes two letters in one go which is not allowed.

Sudoku

Cryptic Crossword ACROSS 1. Liking a bit of a quarrel? I should say so! (6) 4. Engulfs in the fens (6) 9. It offers short cuts for calculating people (5-8) 10. They change battles, and may commemorate them (7) 11. Number of half even shares (5) 12. Filch 20 (5) 14. A number are beaten by a very narrow margin (5) 18. Where a leader should be, presumably (5) 19. Pretentious person is out of bed to begin with (7) 21. Not a capital expression (13) 22. Egghead will be swallowed up yet rise into notice (6) 23. Creatures need new nibs, for example (6)

DOWN 1. I tarry, but it’s almost unique (6) 2. Compel to follow the scent? (4,2,3,4) 3. Some nasty legal fashion (5) 5. Vigilant fellow finally gets a fluke break (7) 6. The appearance of ruinous famine at the post (13) 7. Swerves with salver in ship (6) 8. 12 couldn’t be smaller (5) 13. Spoiling by tacking on about fifty (7) 15. Get specimen from politician in auction (6) 16. A fistful of drink? (5) 17. They may pay for corresponding deliveries (6) 20. 8 are not fresh (5)

Wordwheel

Quick Crossword ACROSS 1. Combat (6) 4. Private (6) 9. Invite disaster (3,3,7) 10. Satisfy (7) 11. Creek (5) 12. Rascal (5) 14. Harden (5) 18. Accumulate (5) 19. Disparate (7) 21. Counter-charge (13) 22. Banish (6) 23. Hound (6)

DOWN 1. Limb (6) 2. Play safe (4,2,7) 3. Slack (5) 5. Feeling (7) 6. Stirring up the mob (6-7) 7. Negotiation (6) 8. Condition (5) 13. Weighty (7) 15. Enmity (6) 16. Cower (5) 17. Glimpse (6) 20. In high spirits (5)

Answers & Winners Last week’s Crossword and Suduko answers found on page 51/53. Winner for 642: Jason Fawkes, Javea

Euromillions Draw Friday 3rd February 2012

16 19 20 25 28 01 10

No ticket won

Tuesday 7th February 2012

3 15 17 28 33

2

4

One UK ticket won the jackpot of 54,252,968€

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life horoscopes

55

Kenny corris www.kennycorris.net

Dose of love

With Venus as a short term visitor there is a great influence of love around which shows within you in many ways. The satisfaction that something is at last completed and that you have done your very best sends out a WE SPEND our lives learning to how to message of love on levels right across the board. Above all love yourself for receive the love that we need for ourselves. that which you have turned around so well.

For many this is to replace the automatic love we received as a child, hopefully, for others it may be the most complicated journey ever Cosmic actions with guiding, lucky Jupiter see you involved in a sextile embarked on. Some never find the love that at the end of a pretty dramatic week. You have achieved much against they are looking for, and some try to make it the odds and now would just be the perfect time for you to take some intentionally difficult as if love was a vaulted personal time to see some rest and relaxation to prepare you for the next challenge to them. Whatever, it is essential phase, and allow you to see things from another angle. that the love we have for ourselves is allowed to elevate to give us the self love we need to attract the love we feel that we are missing, Mercury is deeply involved in effective communication right now. Things the love that we want, the love that we need. could be easier for you, but then you do love a challenge and keeping It is when pain strikes in anyway that we things open at the moment is the very best way to test the water ready for close down our heart. Yes I can see that this is your next move, which will be far more dramatic than you thought. Allow a defensive mechanism working to eliminate that someone knows you better than you think. fear, to trap any love left and to seal the heart away so that further damage cannot be done.

At this stage to close the heart when you The hard work of this week is to keep you going when you could so easily need to be loved even more is the biggest be moping or looking at the negative side of things. Indeed there is much mistake of all. Many will feel that to love is to work to be done, and yes you are undoubtedly the best person for the be afraid, and steer their emotions in such a job, but do not be afraid to face the real issue behind your reluctance, way that the true meaning of what their heart stands for is well and truly lost. In any closure which will rear its ugly head sometime very soon. there is finality. Go slam a door and the door has to be reopened at some time, because You have been asked to take sides and this is proving too difficult a that is what a door is for, and it would be decision to make. Added to the fact is that you are under pressure and at pointless if the door didn’t lead anywhere. breaking point. For your own sake, and your own set of values, walk away There deep within our heart is a known and certain love energy. We have all felt it during now with your head held high, since you have done absolutely nothing our lives. Many of us may have wanted to stay except to try to find a reason for why you have been treated this way. longer in the womb, because the energy control came from the heartbeat of our Mothers. We Strong influences of Mercury with actions this week with Chiron, Jupiter are the produce of the womb, and are born into and Pluto really serve to show you the bigger picture, and what is a World where love is the prize and it appears happening as a result, as there is a feeling that you are being strongly that not everyone can find their love connection tested, and why? Though you can and will justify all that you do, others and so there are winners and losers. have insisted on a new agenda which should just be ignored in favour of This means that there will be ebb and flow, your own plans. but that we can maintain love, even if we can honestly say that we never ever felt it.

Love is the strongest emotion and it starts When all is said and done you are entering into a fixed, yet stable time of by our loving ourselves deeply and utterly. your life. It isn’t selfish to want to do things your way, it is self preserving.

Do not be afraid that this journey of light is Venus in Aries sees a balance for you between good and bad, and you not one for you. It has to be. You were born may find that what you thought was so right for you is in fact a worse case to love this World, programmed to live and scenario, and that there are many ways to skin a rabbit. learn, and elements of love have followed you Tensions are rising and someone has truly got the wrong end of the stick and is barking up the wrong tree. Time to see your psychic senses brought about this week by a wayward Pluto and a highly charged Mercury. There is very little doubt that perseverance on your behalf enters into the fray allowing you to take a back seat and allow others to do what they should.

Jupiter and Taurus connect with a flirting Venus and serve to pour oil on burning water to fan the flames. Pluto acts as a monitor, but your own senses tell you that there is something very wrong, and that why should you put so much into setting things right; especially as you have already done so much, only to have it thrown back in your face.

Pluto examines every last detail this week and holds you back from making a decision. There is more to all this current turmoil than meets the eye and you may have been a part of it for too long. Someone isn’t cutting the mustard and you are too long in the tooth to let things get on top of you. Take control and let others fight between themselves.

Chiron inspires and directs you when in opposition. Sometimes you have to see that your faith goes unrewarded and that people treat you badly because they can. There is a strong motive to make sweeping changes all across the board, and to focus on your own unselfish wants and needs that have to matter more if you are to respect yourself.

The midweek entry of Mercury and subsequent conjunction with Neptune in your fifth house denotes that the time has come for you to put all of your eggs in one basket, facing the future with a determination which gets things done and stopping you from doubting yourself and your strong and inspiring capabilities; which come to light sooner than you think.

Kenny’s diary 2012: THE GOLDEN AGE: INTO THE FIFTH DIMENSION: Sat March 3rd at The Forum Mare Nostrum in Alfaz 10,00 to 5.00.

Show with Kenny Corris and Torben Thoger, Mette and Laerke Lund. Advanced Booking at: kennycorris.net or 686 361 594. Tickets 25EUR Bookable Lunch 10EUR. Demonstration of Clairvoyance: The Alfaz Spiritual Foundation invite you a Spiritual service on Thursday 16th February at 18.30.

The Forum Mare Nostrum, Alfaz.

Thursday March 15th: In aid of Paul Cunningham Nurses at the Hotel Corazon in Quesada: Bookable Morning and Afternoon Readings, and at 19.45. a Clairvoyant Show, “An Audience with Kenny Corris.” Tickets 10EUR. Information from Sue Reader on: 96 671 3503 or 639 318 526.

all along the way. They always will, but there has to be some connection, some life, and some force that beckons you on.

The hardest of actions is to give love when you feel that you don’t have any. It’s like losing your wallet and having to smile when life continues and you have to tell the tale. It is hard, but you do it because you have to. Love isn’t quite like that because it has a wonderful chance to enter into your life at any stage, if you let it. Love has many facets and many ways, and it should make us feel good just be ourselves.

I have seen what the lack of love has done all my life. It began by being a young child in a broken marriage, and led to the divorce of my parents. Both parents told me that I was loved and that they would not stop loving me, but their love was no longer a simultaneous experience. I wondered which parent loved me more. I thought of my Mother when I was with my Father and missed her terribly, but the reverse never happened. I had to allow myself to learn that I had sided on the side of true love. Still, no matter what was said to me, I had to make up my own mind, and it was hard to understand that two people who did love each other now did not. I learned that we do make mistakes, but that my love from my Mother was sincere. Looking back my Saturday morning Father was not able to always give me his love, and that from time to time he let me down with missed appointments and forgotten promises.

Give yourself always the biggest spoonful of love, because if you do there will be plenty left over for others you wish to love now and forever. Many feel that this is very selfish and that we must love others first. If we do then we cannot take their love back in return; and that is the true pathway and connection of love energy as experienced by the World.

Give yourself the biggest dose of love, and you will enter a new space where, truly, love on all levels is prized.

Love & Light... Kenny Corris

Postbag Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com KENNY I have always found it so hard to give myself the love that I need. But just knowing I should be able to do this and feeling unable to do it makes me feel that love is an emotion I greatly fear, and that I have issues that say my love should be given to those who need it.

Carol.LM. Hi Carol, I was sad to get your message. Self love is so important and one day you will wake up and smell the coffee and realise how much love you have already denied yourself. We all come into this World the same way, and we will all depart it one day, nobody escapes that. Of course you should give your love to those who need it, but you have to give them the chance to reciprocate and love you back, giving them the opportunity to sincerely pass on to you some of the love that they want you to have. If you do not love yourself then you really cannot think of loving anyone else. That’s tough but it is the truth. Love is when you can give it or take it, and it will always remain within your control to love whom you please.

Sometimes we can get by with just a little and sometimes we need to be loved and cherished, but we need love to feel special and it makes us who we are in no uncertain way!

If it’s your birthday this week Know that you have to have inner freedom to better plan your next move, and that anyone who hurts you cannot love you as they say. With a determination and a better use of your inner powers changes are about to be made, so stick to your guns and plan your trip.

Appointments: 96 587 8424 Mobile: 686 361 594 Forum: www.kennycorris.net/forum Email: kennycorris@hotmail.com Please contact me for inclusion in my healing list!

56

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life tech

with Aunty Virus

Email auntyvirus@roundtownnews.com

Captcha problems

How can I wake my computer up?

Carol via email asks: HELLO AUNTY. I’m using windows XP and cannot get into the Ryanair website. It started using a security check where you have to type letters into a box. The trouble is the letters don’t show up on my system so instead I get a message saying “I don’t have permission to access this if using an automated program”.

I don’t know what this means and if I’m using an automated program. My husband has windows 7 on his system and he is able to see and type the jumbled letters into the box and access the website. I have tried to contact Ryanair but haven’t had any reply, can you help?

Aunty Says: Those letter type pictures that we see more and more are known as CAPTCHA, and are there to stop spammers from using a computer program to gain access to certain areas of websites or create hundreds of dummy accounts to use for their skulduggery (hence the ‘automated program’). The CAPTHCA function on a lot of websites is often written using Java or Flash and can be blocked by your browser as a potentially dangerous popup. You haven’t mentioned which browser you are using Carol so I’m assuming IE and you can normally change these settings from the ‘tools’ ‘options’ menu. It can be a little tricky so if you’re not too confident doing that then try installing Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox or Opera and see if that works. Let me know how you get on.

Uninstalling No ‘favourites’ Windows Live Mail list in Chrome Miriam via email asks: GOOD MORNING Aunty, I have Windows 7 and my problem is that I want to uninstall Windows Live Mail and obtain my emails from Google mail. I have been to Control Panel, Programs, Uninstall Programs but I cannot find Windows Mail on the list. Please what next?

Aunty Says: Hello Miriam. You should see Windows Live Essentials in the remove programs section and Live mail is bundled with this. When you choose to uninstall it will give you the option to select which components of Live Essentials you no longer want, I personally uninstalled all of it.

Les via email asks: HI AUNTY, I have used IE (Internet Explorer) for a long time and I recently downloaded Google chrome which appears to be faster. However, I have no ‘favourites’ list in Chrome and can’t find a way of including this so have to revert to IE if I want to access my favourites.

How can I overcome this problem and remove IE from my programs? The other program I have looked at is Opera is this a better choose?

Aunty Says: You can do this from the tools icon (looks like a spanner) in the top right corner. Click on ‘options’ ‘personal stuff’ and ‘browsing data’. This will give you the option to select your old browser (IE in your case) and select what you want to import.

Nick via email asks: HELLO AUNTY. Since my second hand laptop takes a ridiculously long time to start up I tend to leave it on ‘standby’ when not in use. Regularly when I prod it awake, although the flashing ‘disc’ indicator seems to show it is doing something, exactly what is not apparent since it hasn’t bothered to switch on its screen. Is there anything I can do to get round this apart from turning the whole thing off and back on, then going to make a cup of tea while it yawns, scratches itself and generally puts off the evil hour of staggering into life and doing something useful? The machine is an ancient, though otherwise excellent, IBM ThinkPad running XP Pro. Aunty Says: Almost certainly in need of some extra RAM Mick. Plenty of usable RAM (or memory) is probably the most important requirement for Windows to run happily, and by usable I mean, not used up by loads of programs and startup functions of Windows. This can be a bit complicated to get right so maybe give enetcomputers a call on 687 362 844 for some advice and possibly drop the old girl into a technician to have a look.

Do I need a modem?

Pam via email asks: I HAVE a Windows 7 netbook and I only use it for basic use. My problem is that I have used it in the UK and here in Spain on WiFi but I have problems trying to connect to the network via a dial-up connection with our local telephone provider: it seems I need a modem to do this. Can you tell me if this is correct?

Aunty Says: Hi Pam. Yes you do need a modem to connect to the internet using the old dialup method over your phone line. Due to the sheer size of websites these days this type of connection is almost unusable and this has pretty well made modems redundant, hence they are almost completely left off laptops. You can still buy USB dialup modems from ebay (not to be confused with the mobile SIM type) for around 10€, but you may find the Internet too slow to use.

Kindle TAKE ADVANTAGE of the latest global phenomenon that is The Kindle. Read books on your phone, including thousands of free Kindle books. The Kindle app puts over a million books at your fingertips. It’s the app for every reader, whether you’re a book reader, magazine reader, or newspaper reader—and you don’t need to own a Kindle to use it. Choose from over a million Kindle books from the Kindle Store.

• Read free books—Choose from thousands of free ebooks such as Pride & Prejudice or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

• Shop for books: Easily shop for ebooks, including new releases.

• Use the Built-In Dictionary, Google, and Wikipedia—The Kindle app has a built-in dictionary that allows you to look up words instantly while you’re reading your ebooks. Simply tap and hold a word to view its definition or use the Google and Wikipedia links to get more information.

• Sync your eBooks—The Kindle app lets you read the same book across devices and automatically syncs where you left off so you can start reading on one device and pick up where you left off on another device. The app syncs your furthest page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights between Android, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, and any of the Kindle devices using Whispersync technology.

• Sample books before you buy: Read the first chapter of a book for free before deciding to buy.

• Customize your reading: Choose preferred font size, screen brightness, background color, and orientation (portrait or landscape) to read your books.

• Borrow eBooks from the Library: check out ebooks from your local library and have them delivered wirelessly to your Kindle app.

This really is a great app that will give you hours of reading pleasure. Another reason to join the smartphone evolution!

For more information or to order your unbeatable android mobile phone package call 2020tel on 966 260 777

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

57

Gadget Inspector Investigates

Wacky Valentines

THIS WEEK the Inspector comes over all romantic with a selection of the wackier Valentines gifts available for your loved one.

As 14th February fast approaches how about something a little different? But not as different as forgetting, like last year… The Inspector has some suggestions for you: With the tradition of proposing marriage on Valentine’s Day - how to handle the dodgy subject of the ring? What if it’s the wrong size? No need to worry – there’s the 65€ ‘Pop The Question Rings’. Made from hallmarked silver in a range of sizes, and available in two different styles, these rings will make the big moment a breeze. And if the answer’s no, or the engagement gets called off you haven’t wasted a fortune. Quality!

Next there’s the 30€ Smitten. Not the condition, which let’s face it you would have to be to consider wearing this, but a single glove designed for you and your partner to hold hands whilst wearing. Ideal to keep your and your other half’s hand warm: leaves the other hand a bit out in the cold though.

How about something a little safer?

Welcome to the 25€ Personalised Heart Poster. Available in a number of colours and

HELLO AGAIN and welcome to the weekly edition brought to you

by Europa Network. This week we are discussing The PTR, what it is and how we can use it to test line faults.

Here is a true story of what happened to a Europa Network customer: Mr Jones was a very happy customer of Europa Network benefiting from cheap calls, internet and even paid his line rental through us. One day his phone line and internet stopped working so he called us. The first thing our technical support team did was to ask him to test his PTR box “what is this box” Mr Jones asked. “The PTR is the main Telefonica point in the house” answered the helpful technical support engineer. “ Much like BT in the UK, before you can report a problem with your internet you must check the main point of entry for your phone line” He went on to explain that due to the fault we have to check this first before we report it to the Movistar engineers who own the line. Mr Jones unplugged his phone, put it into the PTR box and found he had no signal. The helpful technicians at Europa Network therefore logged a fault and within 12 hours the Movistar engineers had been and fixed the problem at no cost.

This was not to be said for poor Mr Smith who was with another telecommunications company who failed to ask him to test the PTR box. This resulted in Movistar going out; testing this box and it to be working fine therefore the fault lied with the provider. Not only was it a waste of Movistar´s time resulting in another 48hours without a line but Movistar left an invoice of €50 for Mr Smith to pay.

The moral of the story: If you suspect any issues with your ADSL or phone line make sure to check the router into this point first, before calling your provider.

To sign up to any of Europa Network´s products and services please contact the sales department on 965 796 736 or email sales@europa-network.com

personalised with your monikers, what could be more romantic? Getting the spelling wrong or putting on the name of the bit-on-the-side would probably not be advisable…

And if you’re the sock buying type at Christmas, the last wacky Valentine suggestion is probably going to appeal most. At 90€ a pair, the USB Flash Drive Cufflinks are certainly not a cheap tacky present for the button-less cuffed gentleman (or lady if you like that sort of thing).

Fashioned in rhodium-plated base metal with a gleaming silver finish these cufflinks pack 2GB of storage each. Ideal for stealing the plans of the latest Russian super-plane, or just keeping a couple of documents handy: you decide.

The Inspector’s Verdict: Why be predictable with traditional gifts of roses, chocolates or champagne? I can only guess, but probably because you want to retain the use of your legs on February 15th. Happy Valentines!

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02 OPEL CORSA SMALL AUTO

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HARLEY DAVIDSON LOOK-ALIKE 1997 YAMAHA XV1100cc

98/2001 plates PEUGEOT 306 1.6 CABRIO met blue, A/C. Gift @ ..................... 2,499€ 06/07 model, FORD FOCUS TDCI TREND ESTATE in diamond white, climate, CD, FSH ................................................................................................................. 5,999€ 06 DAEWOO TACUMA 20 16V in silver, climate, 64,000km, FSH, as new 5,999€ 06 DACIA LOGAN 1.5 DCI in silver, low kms, A/C, PAS, one owner,only 5,999€ 01 CITRÖEN PICASSO 2.0 HDI in met ice blue, climate, pas immaculate throughout gift at .........................................................................................................................4,999€ 03 PEUGEOT 206 1.4 HDI A/C, PAS, met crystal green, low km 4,499€ 97 YAMAHA 1100CC BIG TOURING BIKE ................................................................ 3,999€

08 MOD SEAT IBIZA 1.4 AUTOMATIC Sport Rider with alloys, climate, CD etc. in unmarked met silver, low km, FSH, immaculate, Hurry @ 7,999€ 08 FORD FIESTA 1.4 TDCI in met fern green, climate, CD, etc. Hurry @ 7,999€ 07 mod on 2011 PLATES FORD FIESTA 1.4 AUTOMATIC Titanium pack, met. Grey, hosts of extras, inc. A/C, alloys & CD, as new............................................................ 6,999€ 07 FORD FIESTA NEWPORT TDCI, met blue, bluetooth, CD, ipod, climate ........... 5,999€ 03 HYUNDAI TRADJET CDI, Diesel 7 seater, in metallic silver blue, alloys, CD, great holiday car, grandads family bus.................................................................... 5,999€ 05 FORD FOCUS GHIA TDCI 4-door with boot, great size boot, climate, CD, alloys, in diamond white, a diamond of a car......................................................................... 5,999€

GENTLEMANS CARRIAGE STUNNING 05 JAGUAR S TYPE 2.5 EXECUTIVE AUTOMATIC

in racing green with full cream hide. Extras include climate control, alloys, sunroof hide, gps nav,bluetooth phone, CD, 8 x air bags, FULL SERVICE HISTORY totally as new throughout. Gift @ 15,999€

TOP SPEC DIESEL CABRIO - 04 RENAULT MEGANE CABRIO 1.9 DCI PRIVILEGE Met cava, cream hide, panoramic glass roof, elec sunroof, xenons, plus alloys, CD, FSH, 106,000km=65,000miles.

Great car, great spec, great colour, great value @ 9,999€

Avantguard pack, climate control, alloys, hide, bluetooth phone, CD, sound system as new in every way on 2007 plates gift @ 16,999€

TOURING BIKE TWIN SEATER, SCREEN, PANNA SADDLE BAGS. YELLOW & BLACK, MIRRORS, SPOTS, REAR RACK, BIG CHUNKY BIKE, LOTS OF CHROME, THE JAPANESE ANSWER TO A HARLEY, GREAT LOOKER, RETRIEVE YOUR LONG LOST YOUTH 3,999€

07 FORD FIESTA TDCI NEWPORTS 5 doors, climate, bluetooth phone, CD, in met. Grey, blue or silver. Give away crazy price of 5,999€ - Ring the police if you see cheaper!

As for sure they will be stolen – hurry now!

07 MOD MERCEDES CLK 200 ELEGANCE AUTO COUPE ice blue met, blue/grey hide, xenons, parktronic, CD, ipod, climate, alloys, 39,000km, FSH, stunning 21,999€ 94 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT MK 111, met light forest green, immaculate throughout, LHD, latest plates, rare opportunity 19,999€ 07 VOLKSWAGEN EOS 2.0 FSI CABRIO in glacier light metallic blue, cream interior, climate, alloys, CD, 52,000km, FSH as new 16,999€ 02 VW PASSAT 2.0 HIGHLINE in met dark emerald green, climate, CD, alloys, 4 new tyres, new 2 yr ITV test, luxury for ........................................................................3,499€

07 MODEL VOLKSWAGEN PHEATON 3.0 TDI AUTOMATIC Met black with full cream hide, nothing drives finer for sure cost 76,000€ gift @ 22,999€ once driven for ever smitten.

NOV 06 VW PASSAT 2.0 FSI SPORTLINE met ice silver blue, climate, 10xA/B, CDx6, alarm, cruise, alloys, bi-xenons, bluetooth, tel, nav, DVD, multif. Steering wheel, FSH87,000km=54,375miles, as new fab car, fab value, executive motoring for only ....11,999€ 2009/on 2011 plates JAGUAR X TYPE 2.2 DIESEL EXECUTIVE (special order) met blue, full 2-tone leather in blue/cream – has to be seen! See web. Climate, GPS nav, alloys, cruise, e/heated/seats, F+R parktronic, particulate filter, wooden steering wheel, CD, the nicest out of the factory for sure 17,999€ 06 mod/2011 plates MERCEDES A200 CDI AUTO SPECIAL EDITION in ice gold, half hide, full sun roof, alloys, FSH, as new, CD, parktronic 15,999€ 05/09 PLATES MERCEDES E220 CDI AUTOMATIC ESTATE in met teal blue, half hide, alloys, 6xCD, xenons, climate, nav, tel, avantguard pack, as new 14,999€

08 FORD KA 1.3 COLLECTION met zinc gret, A/C, PAS, CD, all colour coded ...........6,999€ LATE 06 FORD FIESTA 1.4 TDCI 5 door, met ice blue, Newport model, climate, PAS, CD, etc, gift @ .....................................................................................................5,999€ 07 FORD FIESTA NEWPORT 1.4 TDCI, climate, cruise, CD, met great, low km, one owner, totally as new, compare price.......................................................................5,999€ 01 ROVER 75 1.8 CLUB SE in racing green metallic with special two-tone interior black and cream top velour, this is an ex-Rover show car with fitted TV, SAT NAV, alloys, cruise, fog lamps, 50,000km WITH FULL HISTORY only .....................................................4,999€ 01/10 plates MAZDA 323, 5 door, in met blue, (focus size) A/C, PAS, gift @............3,999€ 04 SUZUKI R WAGON in red, low km, A/C, PAS, as new ............................................3,999€ 05 DAEWOO MATIZ 5 door, A/C, silver, fab mpg, as new gift @ ...........................3,999€ 02 PEUGEOT 206 HDI XR 5 door, in white, fab MPG, fab car! ....................................3,999€ 07 FIAT PANDA 1.3 DIESEL, 5 DOOR VAN, A/C, PAS, in white, gift @ .....................3,999€ 02 FORD KA 1.3 A/C, PAS, in met silver, clean, as new, P/X gift @ ........................2,999€

03 MERCEDES CLK 320 AUTOMATIC IN UNMARKED SILVER WITH FULL BLACK HIDE, FSH,

09 FORD FOCUS AUTOMATIC kinetic, silver, climate, alloys, CD ............................ 11,999€ 08 NISSAN PRIMASTAR 2.0 Cdi COMBI white, 6 seater, we can get another row to make 9 seater @ cost if required ........................................................................................... 8,999€ 08 PEUGEOT PARTNER 1.6 HDI TOTEM COMBI white with special totem trim, CD 8,999€ 08 FORD FOCUS TDCI 1.8 EST in rich royal blue met, FSH as new .......................... 8,999€ 08 FORD FIESTA TDCI 5 door, fern green, stunning colour, fab value at ................. 7,999€ 07 FORD FOCUS EST 1.6 TDCI TREND, climate, CD, FSH, met aquamarine ........... 7,999€ 07 mod PEUGEOT 307 Hdi climate, CD, glacier white, face lift, gift at .................. 6,999€ 07 DACIA LOGAN 1.5DCI EST 4 side-doors and clubman twin rear doors, met claret, A/C, PAS, low km, great school run car @ less than half the price of new ....................... 6,999€ 08 FORD KA 1.3 COLLECTION A/C, CD, met zinc gey, as new ................................ 6,999€ 03 CITROËN JUMPY TURBO DIESEL 8 SEATER in met silver, FSH, A/C, PAS, as new, try and find another 8 seater @ ........................................................................................... 6,999€ 02 OPEL CORSA AUTOMATIC in met silver, A/C, PAS, small auto at only ................ 3,999€ 02 FIAT SEICENTO fuel-miser, A/C, PAS, one owner, 32,000km,FSH,in white blue trim....... 2,999€ 96 PEUGEOT 306 AUTOMATIC, A/C, PAS, met cobalt blue ................................... 2,499€ PIAGGIO PORTER MINI PICK-UP in pale blue, a three wheel pick-up, a great promotions car, (Italian papers @ 1,999€).................................................................................. 1,799€ 00 RENAULT MEGANE 2.0 COUPE IN STUNNING YELLOW, A/C , PAS,alloys, exceptional only 2,999€ 99 CITROËN BERLINGO clean van, need s/h engine, take away ....................... @ 600€

04 VAUXHALL ZAFIRA 2.0 TDI ELEGANCE 7 seater or fold for good space, UK tax and MOT till August 2012, FSH, exceptional top MPG 4,999€ - 2005 KIA MAGENTIS 2.0 LE AUTOMATIC SPORTS H-MATIC, one owner, 43,000miles, FSH, taxed and MOT until August 2012, cost 14,500pounds new, great ride home tremendous value for money @ only 4,999€ - 2000 ROVER 825 AUTOMATIC FAST BACK in met blue, one owner, 71,000miles, full UK MOT, luxury @ 2,999€ - 99 BMW 523i SE AUTO, blue, grey hide, alloys, v.clean,UK MOT to Oct’12 1,999€ - 02 CITROËN BERLINGO 1.9 DIESEL VAN, immaculate, alloys 1,999€

NOV 2008 FORD FOCUS EST 2.0 - TDCI 136BHP In diamond white, CD, A/C, PAS, FSH, direct from Ford Motor Co, with Sportbreak pack + Trend pack, drives like a train, looks a million dollars, great deal @10,999€ or 9,150 pounds.

First to see will get their cheque book or credit card out, call now or ring Alan Finnie our general mgr

02 RENAULT KANGO 1.9 DIESEL VAN with side loading door + 2 rear doors + rear roof lifts up for ladders etc, very clean, few around, as new! ......................................2,999€ 04 RENAULT KANGOO 1.9 DIESEL COMBI, A/C, PAS, white, 2000, very clean ........2,999€ 02 HYUNDAI ACCENT 1.3 LS in red, A/C, PAS, immaculate throughout ...................2,999€ 00/04 ROVER 825 AUTO FAST BACK, met blue, luxury for only ...........................2,999€ 96 BMW 520 in met black, 2008 plates, A/C, PASm FSH, cracking car, gift @ .........2,499€ 97 NISSAN ALMERA, A/C, PAS, emerald green, gift @ .......................................1,999€

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

10 - 16 feb 2012

Life cars

59

Brian Deller Author of Motoring in Spain

Raising its ugly head HOLA BRIAN, here we go again: the issue of the use of UK photo driving licence for Spanish residents has raised its ugly head again. The Guardia Civil in Totana (near Mazarron, Murcia) stopped a driver and told him that from January this year it was required to have a Spanish licence. No fine: just a ticking off. And unfortunately the officer was not asked under which law this was so. To your knowledge and for the benefit of your readers, have the goal posts been moved? Regards Paul Betts Dear Paul, No they have not been ‘moved’ to the best of my knowledge and the Spanish Government has to follow the EU Directive on the subject so you did right to ask for the details of the change to the existing law. The officer must have been put out about that as they normally do not expect such questions.

I would take this further with the local Foreigners Dept and ask officially why the officers are questioning the law on resident foreigners (EU) permisos de conducir. It is worthy of a letter to the local English newspapers in your area and for an official question to the local GC and Policia Local chiefs to the Spanish permisos as it is easier for their administration, especially for the periodical medicals and the awarding of loss of points for motoring offences.

The last time I officially checked was with the chief of the Trafico office in La Linea (next to Gibraltar). He followed the meeting with a confirmation email received a week later in December 2011. I have nearly finished a suitable letter in English and Spanish confirming all for expats to use.

Snippet of Motoring News IT HAS been reported that the French Government is processing a Bill that will eventually force the installation

in all vehicles of a Breathalyser that drivers must blow into before the engine can be started. As in many other countries, drivers under the influence of alcohol is causing concern, as well as driving after taking illegal drugs. I can see problems where a passenger my actually do the blowing but no doubt the law will allow for that with a stiff fine if the driver is caught drunk in charge.

In several countries in Eastern Europe drivers may not even take one drink before driving such is the inability for some to resist the need for alcohol or drugs. I get mad when I hear of these selfish people who care little for their fellow beings as well as for themselves – as a youngster in the RAF I had three friends who were crippled for life after being hit by drunken car-drivers, and it also meant that their RAF careers were finished - the point is that when one EU country adopts a new system, others are not far behind if it works.

For ordinary mortals I read that minimum prices for alcohol are to be introduced due to a percentage of the population over drinking; thus affecting their future health as well as their current safety in public.

So the rest of us sensible drinkers now have to pay the extra costs.

France want all vehicles fitted with a Breathalyser

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.

Tel: 666 888 870 Brian Deller, author, book Motoring in Spain, ISBN No 978 84 611 9278 6. Shops’ addresses in my web site at: www.spainvia.com/bookshopslist.htm

VENUS

Torremendo

Tel.: 965 368 274

ESTABLISHED IN SPAIN FOR 10 YEARS FULLY LEGAL S.L COMPANY

Cars S.L. www.venuscars.com

We Buy, Sell & Part Exchange Quality British & Spanish Cars Transfer Documents Completed Competitive Insurance Quotes. All cars Fully serviced and valeted

WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS

€5,995

€7,995

€4,995

€5,995

€6,495

€2,250

€1,495

SUZUKI BALENO ESTATE 1997 1.6 LTR PETROL

Aprilia SCOOTER SR50 2006 50 c.c

6 seater / Low Klm

FORD FIESTA 2006, 1.3 LTR PETROL, ONE OWNER, LOW KLM.

€3,495

CITROEN C2 VAN 2005 1.4 LTR TDCI DIESEL 3 DOOR

FORD FOCUS ESTATE 2003 1.6 LTR PETROL

Ford Fiesta 2005 1.4 Ltr Diesel

Kia Carens 2004 2 Ltr Diesel FSH

€25,995

€8,495

JOINT J148 2006 3 BERTH, ONE OWNER - 44000 KLM

ELNAGH 620 SL CLIPPER 1989 5 BERTH

€25,995

RIMOR SUPERBRIG 728 2002 AUTO/TIPTRONIC DIESEL - TAX & MOT

automatic

BMW 320 I SE 2001 4 DOOR

UK RIGHT HAND DRIVE CARS

€4,995

AUTOMATIC

RENAULT MEGANE SCENIC 2004 1.6 LTR PETROL TAX & MOT

€14,995

ONE OWNER

FORD FOCUS CMAX 2010 1.6 TDCI DIESEL

wanted

UK AND SPANISH REGISTERED CARS - CASH PAID MOTORHOMES AND CLASSICS - ALSO WANTED - RING TODAY!!

ALL LEGAL PAPERWORK COMPLETED

Opening hours Mon - Fri 9-6pm (No siesta) Sat 10-1pm. Find us next to Petrol Station TORREMENDO 10 Minutes inland from San Miguel, Los Montesinos & Junction 751 on the AP7 towards Orihuela. Torremendo turning on CV95 towards San Miguel

Classified Ads www.roundtownnews.co.uk

All Major Credit Cards Accepted - 0.31€ per word + IVA

UK-SPAIN-IRELAND All European Destinations

Removals with the personal touch. Full/part loads.

Parcels, flat packs, luggage, door to door service, Storage available, pets transported

Phone 965 696 750 • 0044 (0) 1460 74191 email: chrisyounge73979@aol.com

10 - 16 feb 2012

61

Book your advert now 902 118 999 (ext 2)

PRISTINE POOLS

• Professional pool maintenance & cleaning • Replacement pumps, filters, salt systems Ph regulators and accessories supplied and installed • Pipe leaks pressure tested, detected and repaired • Structural leaks investigated and repaired • Refurbishments & upgrades undertaken British Trained with over 15 years experience.

Extensive references. All work guaranteed Tel: 96 677 4199 or 678 080 500 www.pristineswimmingpools.com Torrevieja and surrounding areas plus Costa Calida

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10 - 16 feb 2012

EXCEL AIR CONDITIONING. See main ad on page 11.Tel/Fax (Head Office) 966-897-772. Mobiles:680-154-432/676-265-675. Email excelairconditioning@hotmail.com.

All credit/debit cards accepted.

SERVICE AIR David Higton: (Tel) 966-865-883 (Mob) 629-308-505 (Email) cool@serviceair.biz

FOR SALE 2 TOY YORKSHIRE TERRIERS 9 WEEKS OLD PARENTS ARE PURE PEDIGREES 450€ EUROS 638207343 FRONTLINE spot on for flea and tick treatment contact stigmichael on 962 132 691or email mickheigh@gmail.com also scaliboir collers for large dogs 63cm PROTECTAPET Spains leading pet insurance provider. www. protectapet.eu tel: 965 756 371 PET TAXI transporting your pet door to door in our air conditioned vehicles, stopping in pet friendly hotels travelling twice monthly.

Accompanied travel also available.

Tel: 952 541 147 PET TRANSPORT we treat your pet as if they belong to us and that is our promise. van fully air conditioned we believe we have the best rates so give joe a call on 966074576 or 650341087 for a chat or e mail pawspettransport@ hotmail.com SMALL DOGS CARED FOR IN OUR OWN HOME So if you need to go away on holiday but don’t want your dog to go into kennels then we will look after them. References available. Tel: 965843781 Mob: 622514980 TRANS-PET We do regular, doorto-door journeys between the Costa Blanca and the UK.Our aim is to provide a professional, caring service for your pets.

Boarding facilities for Cats and Dogs. This may be for an overnight stay or of longer durations.Tel:600-552-030/965-960658 www.trans-pet.co.uk

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE for your home or business at a fair price. References available. (Altea area) Tel: 965843781 or 622514980

GARAGE SALE Sunday February 19th.La finca golf, Algorfa. House clearance, everything must go.For details: ptr_cook@yahoo.com ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - COSTA BLANCA Confidential Helpline, South 625 912 078, North 648 169 045. www.aa-costablanca.org.

DO YOU SUFFER THROUGH ANOTHER PERSON DRINKING? Don’t suffer alone. We meet in Benidorm every Thursday at 5.00pm. Al-Anon Established Worldwide for 60 years. Ring 634758539 for details.

LOOKING FOR WORK? Work is ready for anyone that needs a job from anywhere in Spain. please email christo77073@yahoo.com for more information.

BYTEBACK MICROS computer repairs/upgrades in your home.

Qualified technician. Systems custom built. Whatever your problem call: 965-312-006 or 606127-424 PC SOLUTIONS 4U For all your PC needs. Reliable & friendly service. Call Fred 634638664

BOATING LICENSE NOW, A LEGAL REQUIREMENT In Spain.

Serenity Sailing RYA Training Centre, Competent Crew to Yachtmaster, VHF & ICC. Ownboat on sail and power. If you have a yacht or powerboat get qaulified and certified. Contact Richard 0034 633 056 224. enquiries@ serenitysailing.com . www.serenitysailin.com

CONSTRUCTION AND ROOFING JR Construction for new builds, refurbishment,brickwork, blockwork, tiling, terraces, BBQ’S, Bathrooms, Kitchens, Roofing, Driveways, Swimming Pools, Disabled Facilities. No Job Too Small Tel 634 617 771 or 966 877 757 www. jrconstructioncostablanca.com

FUNKY FREESTYLE DANCE with Louise, every Saturday morning at Villamar Campsite in Albir/ Benidorm, come and learn all the moves and routines to your pop idols! Call Louise on 655-781-068 for more information!

MOBILE/PARK HOMES FROM 17,000€ FULLY FURNISHED READY TO MOVE INTO, A/C, TEL, ENG TV, ON PERMANENT SITE, BAR/RES, POOL,TENNIS,GYM, SHOP WALKING DISTANCE TO SAN JAVIER. 5MINS TO BEACH, AIRPORT, HOSPITAL, GOLF COURSES. BY CAR. ALSO BUNGALOWS , HOMES & PLOTS FOR RENT. CAROL 96 819 24 25 MOB. 626 055 622 www. mobilehomesmarmenorspain.com

**NEW JOB VACANCY** Here at Bay Radio we’re looking for hard-working, dynamic people to join our successful sales team in the Benidorm and Torrevieja area you’ll need to be English speaking with some good contacts and a pro-active and creative approach to generating new business. A proven track record in radio sales is not compulsory but will be looked at very favourably with a genuine high earning opportunity for the right candidate. Send a CV with any other relevant details of your previous experience to sales@bayradio.fm LOOKING FOR HOUSE KEEPER! for general housekeeping and child minding. Applicant can live in or live out, must have basic english.

Orcheta and sourrounding areas call: 966 855 312 or 648 097 752.

Are you the best cold-calling closer in the Costa Blanca?

A.D.LAWTON CONSTRUCCIONES Digger hire, Ground-works, Excavation and Demolition. www. adlawtonconstrucciones.com.

Tel:648 052 911 or 965 770 798

Fed up with working for somebody else and think you could do better running your own business? If this is you then call me now to find out how this could be the best business opportunity you will ever have!

634305415 COLD DRINK / SNACK VENDING MACHINES EXCELLENT RECESSION PROOF BUSINESS WITH NO OVERHEADS AND ALL CASH. 5 COLDDRINK VENDING MACHINES €24,900.

25 PRINGLE MACHINES €14,900, ALL WITH GUARANTEED SITES. 619307318.

SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Long established company, own product range.

First class training & support.

Telephone 606586587

CHIMNEY SWEEP Clean efficient service :660844623 NEED HELP AT HOME? Cleaning, shopping & outings etc.Sympathetic service.call Sandra on 651482106

HGV DRIVERS/CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WANTED KML ARE CURRENTLY RECRUITING FOR: HGV DRIVERS (C+E) AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS (ALL TRADES) FOR CONTRACTS IN THE UK AND EUROPE FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 01480 469372 OR EMAIL info@kmlservices.com www.kmlservices.com LOOKING FOR HOUSE KEEPER! for general housekeeping and child minding. Applicant can live in or live out, must have basic english.

Orcheta and sourrounding areas call: 966 855 312 or 648 097 752.

SPARE TIME, WANT EXTRA CASH? Start earning immediately by becoming an AVON representative. Info: ring Rosh 966785520 CARERS WANTED To work in England 3 weeks on 3 weeks off email CV to 24hourhomecareservices@ googlemail.com 24 HOUR HOMECARE SERVICES LTD Wanted companions, carers to work in England as live-in carers. 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off. If you are caring, a good listener and cook contact Karen Jones on (0044) 01929 472 810 or mobile (0044) 07500 836688 email: 24hourhomecareservices@ googlemail.com

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

EXPERIENCED MANAGERIAL LEVEL STYLIST Required for Immediate Start.

Preferably Spanish speaking.

Join an enthusiastic and extremely busy team at VÜ in Javea Must be at managerial level to help with the running of the Salon.

Telephone: Karen on

96 579 6988

10 - 16 feb 2012

TREE SPECIALIST Cut and removal of palm / pine trees. Size not a problem. Also dangerous & difficult work. Garden cleaning and gravelling. Free estimates. please call adrian on 627 103 412 or www. costablancagardening.com OASIS GARDEN pool maintenance. Calpe to Javea.

Telephone Martin 669 261 868 GARDEN MAINTENANCE Do you need help maintaining your garden? we can supply a full service at competitive prices.

Call today for a free quotation 689075125

CLAIRE´S Hair, Beauty and Nails, Albir. Tel: 633147881

FOR SALE A pool cover on metal winding frame.5.60 metres wide offers + Gas BBQ 18 euros buyers collect. Tel: 966 495 221.

GENERATOR 5KVA Electric start, gas/petrol 275euros. Contact 675878601 or 965078483 SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS We buy, sell and exchange just about anything at Spain’s BIGGEST CHARITY WAREHOUSE in Gata de Gorgos in aid of S.P.A.I.N. (Society for the Protection of Animals in Need). HOUSE CLEARANCES, furniture, beds, Rastro, Antiques & collectables, bankrupt stock etc. Collection & delivery service available. Tel 96 575 6215 or 665 653 998 for details.

THOSE LITTLE GET YOU UP BLUE PILLS are now available from Tony on 638 352 129.

S.O.S. INSURANCE Car-HomeHealth-Comercial. Funeral Plans and Insurance. Tlf:-966-787123/622-275-561/686-116-297

ABC AUTOMATION LOOKING FOR WORK Full or Part-time work, can work at home, Quick-book user preferred. Please contact me as soon as possible. For More Details Email : charles.damier@gmail.com

ANTI-SLIP PRODUCT Free-Sol has an anti slip treatment that reduces the risk of slips and falls on many diffrent types of floor surfaces, which become dangerous to walk on when wet or damp. The application of this anti slip product is quick and easy - there are even DIY kits available if you´d ike to carry out the application yourself.

To find out more please phone Martin Freeman on 659 232 507 or send an e-mail to martin.freeman@free-sol.com

AT MICHAEL’S Several dining sets to choose from in different styles, classic, modern, bamboo, pine, glass etc. Many with matching sideboards: www.michaels-javea. com AT MICHAEL’S part exchange on certain beds when you buy a New bed from our New Bed shop in the Arenal. Photos (updates every 5-6 days): www.michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S Free deliveries, usually the same day! Look at: www.michaels-javea.com to see more than 600 photos of quality pre owned furniture and new beds!

AT MICHAEL’S In February you get several high quality pieces of furniture for an extra 20% reduction on the already low prices! See: www.michaels-javea.com MICHAEL’S 28 YEARS IN JAVEA ENSURES YOUR SATISFACTION! We sell high quality pre owned furniture, many from show apartments etc. Look at: www.michaels-javea.com Tlf:965-791-328.

GOLD WANTED English Jeweller wishes to buy broken or unwanted Gold jewellery & coins for cash.

Call for an appointment. Peter (7 days) 664 890 990.

CLASSIC KITCHENS 20 years on the Costa Blanca. Free quote and 3D design call Adrian on: 966865684 / 676699700.

BALLROOM/LATIN/SEQUENCE DANCING WITH LA BAMBA’S. At La Rustika [Los Arcos] Restaurant, Avenida Balaeres 34, Torrevieja.

Saturday - Social Dance 7.30pm - 10pm Starting 9th January 2012 - Monday - Beginners Class - 10am - 11.30am Monday - Intermediate Class - 11.30am - 1pm Tuesday - Popular Sequence class 7.30pm - 8.30pm followed by Social Dance 8.30pm - 10.30pm [not 2nd Tuesday of month]. At Casa Ventura, San Luis, Torrevieja Starting 12th January 2012 Thursday - New Beginners class 7.30pm - 8.30pm. Intermediate class 8.30pm - 10.00pm. For more information contact Andrea 616 478 157.

63

KIA CARENS 2 LITRE CRDI, 7 SEATER July 2007, 2 owners, 57,000kms, FSH, High spec, alloys, CD, climate, parking sensors, stunning vehicle, metallic champagne. 11,950€. Ford KA 1.3 Collection, November 2006, only 53,000kms, FSH, aircon, CD etc. Stunning but only 4,250€. Fiat Marea 1.6SX Estate, RHD, Spanish registered, 2001, 102,000kms, FSH, Aircon, roof rails, lovely condition, silver. 2,250€. Ford Focus 1.6 Estate, 2001, Met black, super condition, 3,250€. BMW X5 Sport 4x4 Auto tiptronic, 3 litre diesel, 09/2003, 82,000miles, FSH, High Spec model, navigation, full leather, side steps, gun metal grey, Long MOT and Tax 12,750€.

Renault Clio 1.2, 5 door, white, bargain, super economical little car, new ITV and just serviced. 1,950€.

Tel Frank 600726221/965687976 www.fwreurocars.com CONVERTABLE PEUGEOT 307 CC. AUTOMATIC purple 5 years old, well looked after and full service history. 7,500€ or nearest offer. call 966 897 635 FORD FOCUS ESTATE 2003, 1.6 Ltr petrol ,silver.Spanish LHD. CD player, air conditioning and electric windows. 4995€ www.venuscars. com 965 368 274 APRILIA SR50, 2006, 50cc Scooter, Red, one owner, pristine condition, totally original, 1495€ www.venuscars. com 965 368 274 FORD FIESTA, 2005 1.4 Ltr TDCi Diesel Spanish LHD, Mid Blue Metallic. 5 door hatchback, air conditioning, CD player and electric windows in excellent condition throughout.

5995€ www.venuscars.com 965 368 274 FIAT BRAVA,1996 1.4 Ltr SX 5 door,champagne. Spanish LHD, Electric windows, stereo. 1495€ www.venuscars.com 965 368 274 KIA CARENS, 2004, 2 LTR CRDI Diesel, silver, Spanish LHD, 6 seater, Full main dealer history, climate control, elec windows, roof bars, alloys, one owner. 6495€ www. venuscars.com 965 368 274

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10 - 16 feb 2012

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PAYING MORE THAN 35€ TOTAL INCLUDING IVA a month for your landline and adsl? Want to save 100´s € a year? If so, call me before the end of February, and not only can you save on your bill, get free landline calls in spain, and 60 minutes a month free to mobiles, but you´ll also receive 30€ towards your first bill too. And no long term contracts! Call Col for more information today on 627068561, or email richc_spain@yahoo.co.uk

INTERPRETER English interpreter provides aid and assistance for visits to hospitals/schools/tax offices/police stations etc. Friendly and reliable, available in Benidorm and surrounding areas. Call 600 809 698

NAIL COURSES now available in Albir, call Claire 633147881 LEARN SPANISH NOW! PRIVATE LESSSONS Interactive tailor made courses, especially for people with difficulties in learning languages, more information 699256281 or jjmateo72@hotmail.com Benidorm and surrounding areas.

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10 - 16 feb 2012

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10 - 16 feb 2012

The Secretary: a thing of the past?

Noel’s world of golf

By Noel Eastwell Teaching Professional Campo de Golf El Plantio 639 730 891

IN A past life I had ran two golf societies in the north of our region over a number of years. During this time the society’s memberships grew substantially and we regularly turned out with between forty and forty four players each week.

One of the most important parts of my job at the time was to make sure that our members got the best of everything in my control. This included the best prices for green fees and buggies; perhaps the most important thing to the very vast majority of golfers here in Spain.

In the hard economic times we now face this aspect of the job is now more important than ever yet there seems to be very few society secretaries taking on the important role of negotiating the best deals for their members directly with the golf clubs. Many believe the best way is to give the work to agents who regularly work with the golf clubs. This may well mean that the society members are not getting the best deals from the golf clubs.

Agents are business people. They want to make a profit and this comes from the bookings they make in the form of commission. There is no doubt that agents have a place in the market but should they be taking commission for making bookings that could be made direct at a reduced rate with some clubs?

Golf societies have to ask themselves if they can do better by dealing direct with the golf clubs. Commission levels at some clubs for some agents are considerably

more than many are aware of. The golf clubs will be very keen to split the difference somewhere with the societies if they show some level of commitment but this means that the secretaries have to get out and do their jobs and go to the clubs and negotiate. There is no doubt the deals are there to be had if you go about it the right way.

WIN A ROUND OF GOLF FOR 2 INCLUDING BUGGY AT THE BEAUTIFUL EL PLANTIO RESORT IN ALICANTE Answer the question below correctly to have a chance to win. The winner of this fantastic prize will be picked at random at the end of each month. Send your entries by email to golf@roundtownnews.com. The decision of the editor of RTN will be final in making the winning selection.

QUESTION FOR 10TH FEBRUARY 2012: Who won the 2011 Open de Andalucia?

A. Paul Lawrie B. Peter Lawrie C. Miguel Angel Jimenez All answers must be received no later than 5pm on 28th February 2012 to be entered into February’s draw, to be made on 28th February. The winner will be announced in RTN on 3rd March 2012.

Any questions you have for Noel should be sent to golf@roundtownnews.com THE PROFESSIONAL SCENE The European Tour now has so many players in the top one hundred of The Official World Rankings that there are now as many if not more ranking points to be won by playing here in Europe than in America during an increasing number of weeks throughout our season.

We are now seeing Europe reaping the rewards of the talent nurtured over the last ten years or more. The benefit of the rankings for armchair golfers as they currently stand are that we see more and more of the top US PGA Tour players looking to play more in European Tour events. This means European golf fans get a chance to see more and more of the top golfers perform week in week out.

We are approaching the end of The Desert Swing which will conclude this weekend in Dubai and we have seen more of the top

players arrive to compete than we have ever seen before; we are told to collect ranking points not appearance money; let us believe we are being told the truth as ranking points now inevitably lead to more money.

The benefits of being in The World’s top 60 are very evident. The top 64 compete in The WGC Accenture Matchplay in a few weeks where a good run sees a player shoot up the ranking table and receive even more lucrative invites such as the one many treasure most; an invite to The Masters in April where the World’s top fifty gain automatic invites. Then there is the invite to The US Open and The Open Championship. Many players’ contracts also have bonus payments included dependent upon their standings in The World’s top one hundred.

At the Qatar Masters last weekend we saw once again one of the strongest fields we

have had in Europe compete for the beautiful Mother of Pearl trophy. Despite the event being reduced to fifty four holes because of the high winds on Friday we witnessed and event of the highest quality. In Sunday’s final round we had around twenty golfers with the chance of picking up the winner’s cheque of 300,000€ and the valuable benefits that go with winning any European Tour event.

A resurgent Paul Lawrie lead going into the final round and a superb display of golf on a tricky course with some very challenging pin positions when he shot 67 made sure he would not be caught. Australian Jason Day also shot 67 as he went close but he fell just short after two bogeys in the middle of his round.

Sergio Garcia also caught Lawrie for a short time to confirm that he will soon be back amongst The World’s elite top ten where he belongs but he could not maintain his

Golf Club booking hotline For the best deals on the Costa Blanca and Murcia call 685 538 562 or email rtngolf@roundtownnews.com

challenge. Doors now open to Lawrie for the first time since 1999; the year he won The Open Championship; and a Ryder Cup spot is now a distinct possibility for the man from Aberdeen.

NOEL EASTWELL GOLF ACADEMY AT EL PLANTIO. GOLFING TIP OF THE WEEK Playing smart is better than trying to overpower the course.

Paul Lawrie.

GOLF Tips

Never play any shot until you are fully committed to it.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Andy Kay The Final Whistle

10 - 16 feb 2012

England v Scotland (and Collins)

OKAY IT was scrappy and hardly a classic but England’s rugby team emerged from their opening Six Nations encounter against Scotland with a win. Yes, the home team were poor and missed a host of chances but England, with a match day squad which included 8 debutants, defended bravely and posted a victory for the first time in Edinburgh since 2004. Having watched the match, I was keen to read the reviews in the Sunday papers and to be fair most of the rugby journalists were complimentary towards Stuart Lancaster’s young guns, apart from Patrick Collins in the Mail on Sunday.

Mr Collins wrote a piece that accused England’s newcomers of “wearing expressions of wonder, like hillbilly visitors taking a tour of the big city.” Pathetic and factually incorrect but hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good insult? He also doesn’t seem to like Chris Ashton very much.

The winger, you may remember, was pinged for holding on in the tackle, conceding a first half penalty which gave Scotland the lead. Followers of the game will know that Ashton received a poorly judged pass from Ben Youngs (the scrum half should have given the ball to Charlie Hodgson not Ashton) and as a result, Ashton was isolated as he was set upon by three Scottish tacklers. Indeed,

ITV Orihuela RFC back to the league matches

Fishing Maggots End by

David Hoare 968 199 279

THE MATCH this week was the 10th round in the Winter League series. The venue was the Eden Canal - this was changed from the original venue of Murcia due to the atrocious conditions of the pathway. Well, from the results it might have been better to slog through the mud.

18 anglers fished and there were 11 dry nets with a top weight of 3 kilos. This could have been worse - if it wasn’t for the Mullet there would have been 16 dry nets. A sure sign that the weather is having a real say in the fishing.

TOP RODS ON THE DAY 1st Clive (Golf No more) Cleghorn fishing the pole using maggot with 3.08 kilos 2nd Mick (The Arsenal) Hill fishing the feeder using maggot with 2.00 kilos 3rd Dave (The Sweetie Man) Hutchinson

fishing the pole using bread punch with 1.16 kilos PLEASE NOTE The club presently has some vacancies: if you are interested in joining please contact Derek Swann on 96 672 9293 or 667 407 026.

ABBEY ANGLING RESULTS supplied by Terry Screen This week we returned again to Nancy’s for the 5th round of the Abbey Angling Cup on the 31st January. With the water being very shallow on the upper reaches we decided to put 5 pegs below the boom, and the deeper pegs above. This was very productive for the anglers drawing there: Mick Hill caught 4 fantastic Mullet all but weighing 2.5 kilos each that is roughly 5lb

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giving away a penalty was the correct option rather than losing the ball which would have almost certainly led to a try. Mr Collins take on this was as follows. “Ashton was haplessly caught in possession. He held on illegally, and conceded the needless penalty. After his charmless capers in New Zealand, sympathy was not instinctive.”

What codswallop. Based on that summation, I would suggest that Mr Collins doesn’t have much idea about the game and would also ask what on earth Ashton’s off the field activities at the World Cup in New Zealand have got to do with being set upon by 30 stone of Scottish muscle in front of a hugely partisan crowd at Murrayfield? His piece left me with the impression that he has an agenda against the England rugby team and seems intent of pursuing it despite what happens on the pitch. For someone of his standing and renown, I find that rather sad.

CAP IN HAND You might think that the biggest sporting / money story in the news this week was the acquittal of Harry Redknapp for tax evasion. But the numbers on that were tiny when you consider that over the past four years, the FA paid Fabio Capello £24 million. Added to that, they wouldn’t let him choose his own captain and then let him walk out the door after achieving very, very little. Now that really is criminal.

Meanwhile, it’s reported that Redknapp is the favourite for to succeed the Italian in the England hot seat. So, having thought he got off, he now looks like being lumbered with at least 4 years community service!

AFTER A weekend off in the league ITV Orihuela RFC are at home against Lorca RFC hoping to extend their winning streak this coming Saturday, 11 February, kicking off at 5pm and continue to march up the league after their last two wins on the trot. With a bit of luck we can get some of the injured players back from the last game against Novelda.

A great weekend of rugby with the 6 Nations and the final round off the LV Cup at the new rugby bar and rugby supporters club - it proved to be a big success with supporters from all of the 6 Nations teams coming down to support their teams and looking to build on the membership of the new rugby supporters club. For information about the new rugby supporters club, call on the number below.

Look forward to seeing plenty of supporters down at Orihuela RFC this coming Saturday to support the local rugby team.

On 24th - 26th February ITV Orihuela RFC will have their usual stand at the ‘This is Spain exhibition’ at La Zenia

Hotel supporting as always The Butterfly Children, stand number 7.

The new rugby union supporters’ bar and supporters’ club, the Steakhouse in Rojales, is showing all televised rugby games on Sky Sports and free to view channels. This weekend there will be the 6 Nations on both Saturday and Sunday, and league matches over the weekend. Let us support this rugby bar, as there is nowhere else you can solely watch live rugby around this area.

The club trains Tuesday and Thursday at the Miguel Hernandez University for the juveniles and seniors starting at 8.30pm: juniors on Tuesday and Thursday at 6.15pm.

New players are always welcome no matter of what age or skill level you are.

For more information contact the club by phoning Garry on 692 767 242: for the juniors contact Oscar on 600 871 606 (Spanish)

For further details ring Alan Roscoe 968 570 876 or email: anglerstogether@hotmail.co.uk each fish - they were 4 beautiful bars of silver.

Andy Stevenson also took advantage of the downstream end peg to win the match 1st Andy (Web Man) Stevenson with 12.600kg fishing the method feeder with corn and pellet 2nd Mick (The Arsenal) Hill with 9.600kg fishing method feeder and maggot 3rd Bill (The Master) Reade with 6.200kg fishing the feeder maggot and corn All details are available on our web site www.abbeyangling.com or from the Match Secretary Terry Screen on 96 532 8368.

Anglers Together WE HAVE been having a lot of enquiries about licenses from anglers who are

passing the ‘magic age of 65’ and therefore pensioners!

Licenses are still required and are free providing you have a Spanish Pensionista card; otherwise you will have to pay the normal fees. Licenses are available from either Town Halls or the Caja Rural Bank if in Valencia region. In Murcia you will also require insurance. Make sure you take photocopies of all relevant documents to obtain your license, i.e. passport photopage, NIE and insurance.

The next meetings are: Friday 10th February at 12pm at Mary’s Bar, Campoverde (near Pilar de la Horadada).

Saturday 11th February at 12pm at The New Royal Bar and Restaurant at El Alamillo: opposite the sea-front between Isla Plana and Puerto de Mazarron.

FC Torrevieja news

TORRY TRAVELLED to Alicante on Sunday with good support behind them to take on Alicante CF and returned with all 3 points after a comprehensive 4-1 win which could have been more. All 4 Torry goals were different but each was quality. Matias scored the first with a stunning volley, Juande the second after exquisite ball control, Corella the third after beating 3 men and Meijide the fourth with a bullet header. Torry entertain bottom club Altea on Saturday - kick-off 4.30 pm. Be there to support Torry and see some more quality goals.