RTN South Edition 640

FREE!

Your English Newspaper

south EDITION

iSSUE 640

20-26 January 2012

Schools protest as Valencia doesn’t pay up

Warning over generic drugs Keith Goodburn underwent a triple heart bypass in 2007 and has found out that switching medicines to generic tablets can have harmful side effects. p4

Bob gets coastal backing

by louise clarke

The Platform Pro Orihuela Costa and the ‘Vecinos y Comerciantes de Orihuela Costa’, are campaigning for a ‘reasonable and fair’ budget for the coast p7

Lloyds Bank International With 28 branches throughout Spain, seven of which are on the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida, LBI understands the expat community and the problems and issues that it faces. p25

Showbiz Goss Bieber’s showing some early signs of paranoia p42

Getting conned?

Noel’s been astonished at the treatment of golfers in mainland Europe. p62

Philip Timbrell

Making Orihuela Costa disabled friendly Cabo Roig resident Philip Timbrell joined councillor for Mobility and Transport in Orihuela, Martina Scheurer (LV), for the launch of a new initiative aimed at surveying disabled access in the area. Read the full story on page 5.

FRIDAY 13TH seemed an appropriate day for Las Culturas CEIP primary school in Torrevieja to hold a short and peaceful rally to protest about the lack of funding from the Valencia government.

The teachers, assistants and parents are not happy about the lack of financial support from the regional government since April 2011. Las Culturas and schools like it have received no budget for basic equipment for almost a year and although they have been promised that they will receive the money due to them, they haven’t received it yet. A representative from the school told RTN: “The only way we are managing to keep the school running is by using the money that parents contribute towards ‘comedor’. Without this we would have nothing. We would not even be able to buy paper for the photocopier or toilet paper.”

It’s not only Las Culturas that is affected but every school

in the Valencia region. And not just in relation to buying resources, teachers pay and conditions are also being affected. “We have two grades of teacher,” explained one teacher, “one is fully qualified and the others are ‘interinos’.

The fully qualified teachers are having their salaries cut but for the ‘interinos’ it’s even worse; no pay if they’re ill or for the whole of the summer holidays. Three months without income is very difficult to budget for.” He added: “We are all very anxious, angry and bemused and we feel that the public services here are paying for the mistakes of the private sector and politicians. It’s the most vulnerable who are being affected, the young, the old and the ill. It’s not just our schools that will suffer. They’re slicing money from the health service, social services, everything that people depend on. It affects every community in this region.

We are all in this together.”

Continued on page 3

2

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Head Office

Vall de Biar 14. 03530, La Nucia, Alicante Monday - Thursday 10am - 6pm | Friday 10am - 2pm

José Blanco indicted

TEL: 902 118 999 FAX: 96 585 60 54 rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

News and views from the north and south Costa Blanca and Costa Calida email: accounts@rtnnewsgroup.com • sales@rtnnewsgroup.com • production@roundtownnews.com Newsdesk & general enquiries: rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

Jose Blanco

ADVERTISING • ACCOUNTS • DESIGN STUDIO • NEWSDESK

902 118 999 Sales North

RODDY Claire CUNNINGHAM Pawley

609 417 763 688 815 405 roddy@roundtownnews.com claire@roundtownnews.com

Sales South

GILLIAN Roberts 607 744 948

CATHERINE ALLEN 647 789 668

Venta en Español

Web Sales

gillian@ roundtownnews.com

COLIN RICH 607 553 870

catherineallen@ roundtownnews.com

KATH POOLE

902 118 999

colin@roundtownnews.com kathpoole@roundtownnews.com

Reporters

North

south

661 403 016

609 417 385

Jack Troughton LOUISE CLARKE jack@roundtownnews.com

louise@roundtownnews.com

Deadline

Adverts, copy changes, classifieds and editorial copy: Tuesday 5pm for following Friday’s edition

National

jan gamm jangamm@roundtownnews.com To air your views Letters on any subject are welcomed by the Editor for publication and must arrive by 12 noon on Monday for consideration for the following Friday’s edition. Priority will be given to letters dealing with local issues. We reserve the right to amend or shorten letters. (RTN accepts no responsibility for readers comments) Customer service If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service you can call 902 118 999 or write to Vall de Biar 14, 03530 La Nucia, Alicante.

To get your paper If you any difficulty in getting Round Town News each week please call 902 118 999 or visit our website www.roundtownnews.co.uk for the distribution map.

by PATRICIA THOMPSON EX-SOCIALIST minister José Blanco has been indicted in the Supreme Court accused of fraud and influence peddling.

Blanco is accused of accelerating grants through the Ministry of Health that affected the Galician pharmaceutical company Nupel. It is alleged that José Blanco was implicated by helping Nupel’s owner Jorge Dorribo to obtain government grants.

Dorribo claims he paid 400,000€ to José Blanco in cash along with inflated invoices. Blanco has described the allegations as ‘totally false’. Blanco’s wife is accused of being an ‘intermediary’ between Dorribo and the Minister.

Speeding motorcyclist wanted by police THE GUARDIA Civil of Castellon are hunting a motorist photographed travelling at almost 300kph on the National Highway N-340 near Almassora. Pictures were uploaded on the internet of a motorcyclist dubbed ‘Almassora gypsy’ making several high speed passes back and forth along the same stretch of road where speed is restricted to 100kph.

RIP Robbie IT IS with regret that RTN reports the sad passing of Robbie France. Robbie who was a talented musician and played drums for UFO and Diamond Head, passed away suddenly last Saturday, 14th January from a ruptured aorta. He was well known in the area and had written for RTN some years ago when he first moved to Spain and was a regular on several local radio stations. Aged just 52, Robbie had enjoyed a long career as a drummer, songwriter, producer and radio presenter but will be best remembered for his playing on Skunk Anansie’s smash-hit debut album Paranoid and Sunburnt.

Friend and colleague Keith Nicol told RTN: “Words cannot express the emptiness left by his

passing and my thoughts and condolences go to his wife Karen and son Max. It was a sad, sad day, both personally, for all of his friends and family and for the many people he had touched and taught with his skill as a drummer par excellence.” Robbie’s funeral took place on Wednesday in Mazarron.

Edita : Round Town News Group SL Servicios De Impresion S.A.Vall de Biar 14, 03530 La Nucia, Alicante.

Distribution: iDs Logística. info@idss.es, Alcoycourrier.SL.

Deposito Legal : South A-853-1999 / North: A-134-2004

RTN are members of:

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

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

3

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Great weekly day trips The peaceful rally outside the Las Culturas Primary School in Torrevieja

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.

11€ 24€ 11€ 11€

As a parent with a child at the school, the extent of the cuts came as something of a surprise to Suzanne O’Connell: “There has been no indication of the severity of what’s going on here as far as my son is concerned. School life for him is just as normal and teachers continue to do an excellent job.” One teacher said: “We try to put a brave face on it and make sure that it has as little impact on the children as possible but it’s how long we can keep this up.”

A huge protest was planned for teachers, parents and pupils outside the Torrevieja Town Hall as RTN went to press. There will be a full report in next week’s paper and it is hoped that the British community will also give their support to this protest. “We will complain and make some noise,” commented one teacher, “we can’t do much else than make sure that everyone knows what is happening and joins us in protesting about the erosion of our essential services.”

La Mata Town Hall CONTINUING WITH the policy approach of making local government available to its citizens, the Torrevieja Town Hall has announced this week that the Departments of Citizen Participation, Trade and Hospitality, Districts and District Delegates and European Relations will be based at the Town Hall in La Mata every Wednesday from this week. The Town Hall is located in Plaza Gaspar Perello in La Mata and the various departments will have members of staff on hand to liaise with residents should they require it.

11€ 14€ 24€ 47€

Bargain 3 to 4 day breaks Benidorm 3 day bargain

fabulous offer

Granada 3 days 4* hotel

ONLY

99€ FB

99€B&B

Places limited

4* hotel

continued from front page

Thurs Murcia city on market day Thurs Cartagena plus train to Mar Menor Fri Villena/Sax/Agost with lunch Fri Benidorm Palace dinner,dance,show

25-27 JAN

6-8 March

Sevilla, Cordoba, Ecija.

4 days- hotel 3*

Barcelona 4 days 4* city hotel

another bargain only

199€ HB

brilliant value

199€ B&B Don’t miss this price!!

20th-23rd March Cuenca region 3 days 3* accom this is a must

139€ FB

A great fun excursion

21st-23rd March Valencia - Fallas week

4days 12-15 March Only 158€ 3* city hotel b&b

cruises 2012 Adriatic Cruise

30 Jan -2 Feb also 21 -24 Feb Toledo, Avila, Arnajuez 3* Toledo city hotel”

199€ B&B

4 days 8-11 May

Sevilla,Cordoba,Ecija

One great excursion” 3 great cities Only 199€ 4 days 20-23 March

Daytrips Specials Jalon Valley in Blossom

From Friday 3 Feb. Until blossom dies

. 23€

8 days FB from 799€ incl flights 30April – 7 May

h wine in 3* Country HBcl 8-11 Nov Lunch withotel

Cruise Canaries/N. Africa/Madeira

Orihuela Medieval market

8 days FB. From 659€ 23-30 Sept

Mediterranean Cruise

1€ Saturday 4 Feb -1 Aguilas Carnival 25th February

JOIN THE PART Y 12€ A fun fiesta - Only 8 days FB from 550€ 15-22 October

MORE EXCURSIONS AND MORE DATES AVAILABLE! CLICK OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION!

4

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Warning over generic drugs by jack troughton SWITCHING MEDICINES to generic tablets can have harmful side effects warns a plucky expat taking a cocktail of eight pills for a heart condition.

Keith Goodburn underwent a triple heart bypass in 2007 and was prescribed an ongoing drug regime by his cardiologist after months of “juggling” to achieve a “perfect” balance.

But at the end of last year and the introduction of four generic replacements, Keith said he was laid low after a week with a “general” malaise that “got steadily worse.”

The Spanish health service ordered the use of generic replacements where possible last year – announcing the move could save 2.4 billion euros.

But Keith, who lives in Piles near Oliva with his wife Sheila, advised: “If you have any problems, don’t carry on regardless – go back and consult your doctor.”

CHANGE He said his prescription was changed last November but because of pills already in the medicine cupboard it was only at the end of the month he started taking the generics.

“Within a week of taking the full gambit of pills, I started suffering a general debilitation and it got steadily worse. I started to suffer from dizziness, acute breathlessness and changes in bodily functions,” Keith told RTN. “I didn’t feel too good but I thought it could be a case of getting used to them – there is no doubt there are side effects and it takes a little while to get used to them but not to that extent.

“Prior to the changes to generics my cardiologist had closely monitored my type and dosage of medicines ad with a little juggling arrived at what must be said was the perfect balance – however, with the introduction of

New Year, new RTN LIFE

EAGLED EYED readers will notice that RTN has had a bit of a re-vamp this week. Not only have our news pages been updated with new easier to read fonts and layouts but we have also improved our ‘LIFE’ section, which includes all our usual and regular features such as Health and Beauty, Cars, Sports, Charity, Horoscopes, Computers and Technology. The layout change is designed to make the ‘LIFE’ section really stand out and be easier to read. We hope that you like it!

Keith with boxes of generic drugs

the new generic pills his efforts have been somewhat negated.”

Keith said the problem with his medication was it was impossible to say which of the new drugs had caused the problem or the combination of them – but he said his doctor and pharmacists were sympathetic.

“I have a friend with a pharmacy in Gandia and I asked him what the situation was. He said it was happening all the time and lots of people were going back because they were having problems with generics and being reverted back to the branded drugs.”

And he said he had investigated the problem through research chemist – learning the

constituent parts of a generic drug should by law be exactly the same, although the coating of the pills could be different.

Keith alleged that it was also recognised some manufacturers might not follow the ‘recipe’ to the letter.

He has now been returned to the original ‘cocktail’ of pills. Three of the four generic tablets cost exactly the same as the branded drugs and he willingly pays for the fourth tablet.

Gradually his health has returned but underlined anyone with problems with generic must seek medical advice rather than risk their health.

Elda police chief resigns in the middle of protests over cuts Gomez pictured with the current Mayor

POLICE CHIEF Cayetano Gómez has left his post after serving seven years, in the midst of union organised protests causing disruption all over the city. He is replaced by Vicente Bonal who was previously in office as mayor, sworn in on Monday morning at the town hall. According to a statement issued by the City, Gomez cited personal reasons for resigning his position and will return to his previous role of inspector.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Making Orihuela Costa disabled friendly

The population of Marina Baixa stagnates THE MARINA Baixa population has stagnated, growing by only 0.3% in 2011! It seems the economic crisis not only blocks development of the construction industry but also the population! The latest figures for population growth in the Marina Baixa are well below the 4% average annual growth seen in the region in the last decade. From 2001 until 2011, the Marina Baixa population expanded by 40% from 138,171 inhabitants to 193.914 inhabitants. In the past year, however, only 749 more voters were registered.

by Louise Clarke

Martina and Philip

THE COUNCILLOR for Mobility and Transport in Orihuela, Martina Scheurer (LV), has launched an initiative this week in which disabled badges, accessibility and parking spaces will all be surveyed to ensure that the municipality, and especially the coast, is disabled friendly.

The local police will be carrying out disabled badge checks throughout the municipality to ensure that they are all in date as well as checking disabled parking spaces in the municipality are not being abused by non-blue badge holders.

It is also planned to increase the number of disabled parking spaces. Martina told RTN: “The local police have been ordered to check expiry dates on blue badges and issue fines for any that are out of date.”

DEFICIENCIES There are also plans for a disabled accessibility guide for Orihuela Costa but before that can happen, Martina needs RTN readers’ help. She would like anyone who

lives in Orihuela Costa to report areas or ‘hot spots’ where accessibility for wheelchairs or prams is inadequate and if you could provide a photo and exact details of where it is, she hopes that the deficiencies can be corrected. She said: “There are zebra crossings for example, with ledges that make wheelchair access extremely difficult. We need to know exactly where these are so that they can be rectified.”

Martina was joined at Monday’s meeting by Cabo Roig resident Philip Timbrell, who himself uses a mobility scooter. He told the Councillor that there is a distinct lack of wheelchair accessible pavements and many of the disabled ramps are of such an incline, it is sometimes impossible to negotiate them in a motorised wheelchair let alone a manual version or a pram.

PATIENCE It was also highlighted that although the four N332 footbridges on the coast are

5

accessible for disabled people, they are very hard to actually get onto in a wheelchair. Philip commented: “Cabo Roig’s footbridge is near impossible to get onto without help as the pavement on one side is inaccessible for wheelchair users and on the other side is just shingle, which is hard to traverse in a wheelchair.” Martina commented: “Patience is needed and things are not going to change overnight. But hopefully, if I am made aware of problem areas, I can make them a priority and Orihuela Costa will become more accessible for both disabled residents and visitors.”

Anyone who would like to volunteer to conduct a disabled access survey of Orihuela Costa for Martina should please email her at mscheurer@orihuela.es. That is also the same email address to send any photos and ‘hot spot’ reports to. Martina is also now based in the International Residents Office at the Orihuela Costa Town Hall every Monday morning for anyone wanting to talk to her directly.

The 50€ man has returned

OUR SEASONAL visitor has returned to the Orihuela Costa over the last weekend and has been seen plying his trade in a number of the urbanisations asking for money on false pretences.

What he does is not an offence under the Spanish law but RTN readers must be made aware of his M.O. He knocks on doors asking for money to pay for a locksmith as he has either lost his house keys or had his house broken into.

He says that he is living in a house close by and gives his address. He says he has to pay the locksmith and can’t get enough money from a cash machine to do so. Sometimes he finds out the name of the President of the community or urbanisation and says that the President knows him.

Another story is that he needs to go to the German Embassy in Alicante with his children and asks to borrow the money to get there. He is very plausible in his tale and may change his story.

His description is as follows…He is in his forties, tall with fair hair and previously scruffily dressed. He speaks perfect English and has said that he is from Hannover in Germany, Holland or Denmark and that his name is Martin but this might again be part of his tale. Please warn as many people as possible not to be taken in by this scam.

6

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Madrid puts on squeeze

by JACK TROUGHTON TOWN COUNCILLORS have breathed a sigh of relief that unpopular austerity measures aimed at easing budget deficits have been ordered by central government.

Property taxes across Spain’s municipalities are set to rise – with a few exceptions – between 4% and 10%, town hall wages have been frozen and creating new council jobs banned unless they are in certain key areas.

Cash-strapped Calpe began cuts after last year’s local elections but Mayor Cesar Sanchez’s administration faced a storm of protest at the announcement of over 100 redundancies from a civil service some 630 strong.

Unions immediately accused the town hall of attempting to make space on the workforce to reward supporters with local authority jobs.

However, with an overdraft approaching the €80 million mark, savings had to be made. Councillor Carole Saunders explained: “We started making unpopular cut backs but now this order has come down from on high.”

She added: “Calpe council had been accused of making 100 people redundant so it could employ people from its own party – however, it is the central government that is attacking the situation with civil servants and the overemployment of council workers.

Pensioners’ light at the end of the tunnel

TASK “Mariano Rajoy has made the town hall task a lot easier because it is a government edict and not part of local politics.”

The rise in rates, the IBI tax, and other measures were detailed in Spain’s official state paper, the Boletin Oficial Del Estado.

The IBI in Calpe will soar by 10% in Calpe because over the last 10 years the tax has only risen in line with inflation. Carole admitted: “This is going to be very painful for a lot of people.

But she has also asked for an investigation into why properties in urban centres pay much lower rates than those with the same value in outlying urbanisations – seen by many town halls as a cash cow.

“I am certainly not in favour of this, people in the towns pay something like a quarter of what people in the urbanisations are charged,” said Carole.

“There are rich people living in large town houses in the urban centres who are paying very little IBI, yet the town centres receive a lot more amenities.

Councillor “I have informed the mayor of my concerns and he has Carole agreed to look into the matter.”

Saunders

IN RESPONSE to the long queues of pensioners outside the Town Hall in Alicante last week, The City Council has introduced a gold bonus scheme to reduce travel expenses for retirees. The city is to deliver to beneficiaries in February a 132 card entitling them to free travel throughout the year for use as they wish, applicable from 1st February, dispensing with the need to restrict their travel to 12 journeys per month.

Protests over surgery to remove faulty breast implants

SOME SURGEONS are charging patients up to 6,000€ to remove faulty breast implants, resulting in an organised protest of around 80 angry women in the Alicante province. One lady who underwent breast implant surgery four years ago complained that the 6,000€ removal of her PIP implants cost the

same as the original operation to have the implants fitted. Her case is similar to dozens of women. Some patients whose implants have not yet deteriorated are still choosing to have them removed with the surgery charged at a minimum of 3,000€. PIP prostheses have been recalled as a health risk after it

was discovered they were made of low grade silicone that could disintegrate and cause infection.

All patients in France and Germany are advised to have their PIP implants removed. However, in Spain removal is advised only if the implants are found to be damaged under CT scan.

Bob gets coastal backing www.roundtownnews.co.uk

by LOUISE CLARKE

RESIDENTS AND Businesses of Orihuela Costa have declared their support this week for the Coastal Councillor’s fight for investment in the 2012 municipal budget. The Platform Pro Orihuela Costa and the ‘Vecinos y Comerciantes de Orihuela Costa’, are campaigning for a ‘reasonable and fair’ budget for the coast and as well as those two groups, representatives of various trade associations, youth and parents’ associations, cultural groups, businesses and individuals who live in Orihuela Costa have also decided to join forces in order to get the finance that is required. David Lorenzo, Spokesman for the Platform, told RTN: “Let us be clear, this is not in anyway a declaration of support to a particular political party, as members of these groups all have very different ideologies. Our only motivation is to get the best for Orihuela Costa.”

UNSYMPATHETIC The Spokesman continued: “We are aware that our current economic situation prevents the City from allocating money to anything other than the necessary services, but the coast has, for many years, abundantly contributed to the development of Orihuela as a whole and we are aware that the large amount of revenue that our area generates to the Town Hall. We don’t want to appear unsympathetic to the other districts but what we require here is reinvestment or at least a portion of the revenue generated by the coast.” He continued: “We ask that our leaders engage with us so that together we can give a boost to this area, which has so often been the first to provide the means for other parts of the city but is now suffering economically, especially within the property and tourism sectors, which increasingly

Orihuela Costa has long been neglected

by Town Hall investment

demand more quality and service.”

INVESTMENT Bob Houliston, the Councillor for the Coast, welcomed the groups’ support for the inclusion of investment on the coast in the budget. He told RTN: “The groups have asked for a meeting with the Mayor with the objective of discussing various aspects of the coast and officially requesting that a proportion of this year’s municipal budget be allocated to the coast.” He added: “The coast is increasing in population and therefore investment is needed. It is a very significant development for the coast and the pressure that these groups will provide vindicates my stance on refusing to approve any budget without coastal investment.” He concluded: “I go to Orihuela city at least twice a week and it is clearly visible that city residents have a better quality of life; cleaner streets, better parks and more local police for example. There is no justification for non-investment on the coast this year.”

Gang of burglars arrested in Vega Baja AT LEAST a dozen people were arrested on Tuesday in Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Los Montesinos and also several house searches performed in a joint raid organised by the National Police and the Guardia Civil in Alicante and Almeria. The detainees were involved in a series of burglaries and vehicle thefts and stolen cars were moved around the country to avoid detection. Courts in Torrevieja and Almeria have issued a gagging order to avoid prosecution being compromised in a case where violent assault on home owners has not been ruled out.

20 - 26 JAN 2012

7

8

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Debate on abolishment of 15 year rule

Margaret & Gerald Hales & Stephen Kidgen from Conservatives Abroad

by Louise Clarke THE HOUSE of Lords held a debate on electoral reform last week following a campaign to abolish the ‘15 year rule’ that meant any Briton living abroad for more than 15 years lost the right to vote in British elections.

Lord Lexden, the official historian of the Conservative Party, described the 15-year limit for expat Brits living abroad as a “…problem that had been allowed to go on for far too long.” He declared Britain’s policy on expat voting as “unjust” and compared it to other democratic nations such as the US or France, where citizens are granted lifelong voting rights regardless of where they chose to reside. “No other leading democracy takes as restrictive an approach as our country,” Lord Lexden stated during the debate, “… it is high time the United Kingdom joined the international consensus.”

DEDICATED CAMPAIGN The Conservatives Abroad Association has one of the organisations spearheading the campaign to change the voting rights of British expats abroad and many of the estimated 5.6 million British expats currently living abroad argue that disenfranchisement is a violation of their rights.

During the last year, there has been added pressure on the Government to revisit this issue and a dedicated campaign group, Vote for

Girl shot in the leg in Almeria THE NATIONAL Police are investigating the circumstances that resulted in a young girl of an age not yet specified being shot in the leg in Almeria on Tuesday morning at around 7.20am.

The incident occurred near Federico Garcia Lorca Avenue where the child was standing in a small group with her mother. She was admitted to the intensive care unit Torrecárdenas Hospital for surgery and it is understood that her condition is “satisfactory.”

Expats, was set up to encourage Britons living abroad to write to their old MPs as well as government ministers and European politicians to express their discontent.

POSTAL VOTES Lord Lexden said the changes in voting rights for expats had “chopped and changed” considerably during the last twenty years; changes which he said were “without rationale.” He said: “Our fellow citizens abroad are surely entitled to a firm, stable set of arrangements; instead they have been subject to arbitrary upheavals.”

Viscount Astor supported Lord Lexden during the debate, raising the issue of postal voting following the shambles that occurred during the last election when many expats who had registered for postal votes did not receive their ballot papers in time to return them. His Lordship commented: “These people are basically being disenfranchised every time an election is held,” adding, “Many people go abroad or work abroad, but that does not mean to say that they have lost interest in this country… They should be able to take part in our electoral system.”

Lord Lexden concluded his part of the debate by asking that the Government abolished the time limit as part of their planned reforms of the electoral system.

Wills and Harry hunting in Spain

PRINCES WILLIAM and Harry flew to Spain last weekend on a hunting jaunt at Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the border of Castilla La Mancha, the Cordoba estate owned by the Duke of Westminster. The trip is thought to have been organised to celebrate the end of Prince Harry’s advanced helicopter training. Beaters and dog packs were brought in to ensure that the princes bagged several wild boar and stag. The last time the brothers visited the estate they were rumoured to have dropped a staggering 740 partridge on a single day. The princes arrived in Spain last Friday on separate flights.

6

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Costa Blanca shines at FITUR by louise clarke FITUR, THE annual tourist exhibition in Madrid, takes place this weekend.

Inaugurated on Wednesday, the exhibition showcases many of the country’s municipalities to tourism officials and representatives from all over the world and for 2012 five of the biggest local municipalities have joined forces to ensure that the Costa Blanca comes out shining. Along with the official Costa Blanca Tourist Board, the five municipalities of Torrevieja, Alicante, Elche, Denia and Calpe will present their main tourist attractions at the exhibition, which runs until this Sunday, 22nd January.

The initiative is being wholeheartedly supported by the Alicante President, Luisa Pastor and the Alicante Diputada for Tourism and Deputy Mayor of Torrevieja, Joaquín Albaladejo.

COLLABORATION The President officially inaugurated the Costa Blanca stand on Wednesday and was accompanied by the Mayors of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon, Alicante, Sonia Castedo, Elche, Mercedes Alonso, Denia, Ana Kringe and Calpe, César Sánchez Pérez as well as the Torrevieja Councillor for Tourism, Luis Maria Pizana. The collaboration between the municipalities aims to unite their tourism efforts as well as taking ad-

vantage of the positive synergies between them in order to promote the brand ‘Costa Blanca’.

The Vice President of the Tourist Board welcomed the presence of Torrevieja in FITUR and noted that although Orihuela had been invited to join in with the initiative, the government team there had declined.

TOURISM PROMOTION Torrevieja Mayor, Eduardo Dolon, described this agreement as “historic” and welcomed the benefits that this new formula will provide; which included savings in resources for the cities involved and the strengthening of the tourism brand for the whole province.

The Mayor told RTN: “FITUR 2012 opens the door for us to re-launch Torrevieja as a tourist resort.” He also confirmed the possibility of the city holding trade fairs and further tourism promotion in the future. The Costa Blanca stand is located in Hall 5 on Stand 5B02 and has been divided into the four different areas of culture, nature, the sea and gastronomy. Torrevieja will also be promoting its own commerce, culture, sports and nature at the exhibition which attracts thousands of people from all over the world.

The Mayors of the five municipalities along with the President of Alicante, Luisa Pastor

Police demand an upgrade in facilities in Benejúzar THE LABOUR Inspectorate is forcing solutions to deficiencies in facilities for police in Benejúzar, where the local constabulary has nowhere to change in and out of uniform (it is not permissible for officers to wear their uniforms when off duty); nowhere to eat; no showers; no locker facility and no separate washrooms for male and female staff – a situation that has been tolerated for some years. Vital equipment is stored in a small office that also doubles as a changing room and the work contracts of some of the officers are so out-dated they are expressed in pesetas. PP Mayor Antonio Bernabé acknowledged that the City Council should provide changing rooms and made assurances that the problem would be “corrected” in due course.

Weathering the storm THE STORM that raged on Tuesday collapsed two houses in Cocentaina and Alcoy and caused considerable damage to agricultural infrastructure. The intense rainfall exceeded 125 litres in some areas and forced the eviction of dozens of residents whose homes were at risk of collapse. The storm began with a light fall of snow that gave way to torrential rain.

The spectacular rise of the river Serpis resulted in road access to Cocentaina being cut due to flooding. In Denia in the Marina Alta there was an impressive rainfall recorded of nearly 90 litres per square meter, wreaking havoc on the beach of Les Marines and especially that of Marineta Casiana where a large amount of algae was deposited.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Carrefour says VAT exemption on food products for over 65s

by PATRICIA THOMPSON

CARREFOUR HAS decided to deduct VAT on food products for customers aged over 65, representing huge savings on grocery bills for pensioners. The rebate plan, called ‘65+’ will be made on butchery products, fishmongers, greengrocers, bakery, deli, bakery, ready meals, eggs, vegetables and cheese, according to an announcement made on Tuesday. The VAT that applies to these products ranges from 4% to 8% and the discount will apply with immediate effect at point of purchase in all Carrefour outlets such as hyper-

Carrefour Market

markets, Carrefour Planet, Carrefour Market, Carrefour Express and the company’s website. Clients must be over 65 to register in the ‘Club Carrefour’, which is free, to obtain the credit card 65 + and qualify for discount. According to a company spokesman the goal of the campaign is “help the economy and particularly this group as the most vulnerable and numerous.” Those over 65 years in Spain number 7.9 million and represent 16.9% of the population. For more information visit www.carrefour.es/clubcarrefour/

Angry and willing to fight HUNDREDS TOOK part in staged protests in Alicante last Friday with union stewards leading dozens of people to enter the Fuentehermosa Palace shouting “They steal, we pay!”

Around 300 workers of Radio Televisión Valenciana occupied the eighth floor of Burjassot Production Center, where the CEO, Jose Lopez Jaraba, has his office, to protest against contract adjustments for the coming months and in addition, some 15,000 public health workers, according to CC OO, concentrated in the hospitals of the Community to protest against cuts. Hundreds of teachers demonstrated in doorways in Alicante and throughout the province in objection to Fabra’s (president of the Valencian Government) policies saying: “We are discredited socially and economically due to reductions in salaries.”

Valencian Government Vice President José Císcar appealed for calm as representatives of CCOO, CSIF, FSEs and UGT met with the new Consell delegate, Juan de Dios Navarro, to discuss the situation. According to the unions, “Never have staff been so angry and so willing to fight.”

7

12

20 - 26 JAN 2012

by

Alan Gilchrist

Overcome exam stress with Fast Track Hypnosis

The Costa Blanca’s PEOPLE OFTEN assume the only Fast Track therapies Top Hypnotherapist that are available to them are the stop smoking, gastric

band or the weight control sessions. However this is not the case. They are only a part of the Fast Track system I developed and over the forthcoming weeks I will be writing about some of the other areas of my work.

Here is a testimonial I received only last week and as usual I have included only the client’s first name, as I firmly believe in the client’s complete confidentiality at all times.

“I decided to study with The Open University in order to facilitate my desire to expand my mind and hoping that it would help me to make a career change.

I never started the Degree thinking it was going to be easy or even that I would get a Degree at the end.

I took each course as it came. Initially, I commenced on a Natural Science Degree, but decided to pursue a Psychology Degree: the brain really interested me and I wanted to find out more.

During my studies, my degree covered subjects such as child development, biological, social and finally cognitive psychology. These subjects taught me how the brain works, how we think, how we process, store and retrieve information. How we process information is directly affected by Stress which in turn affects our decision making process, how our emotions are altered by the changing status of our brain and its chemistry.

My working memory was not, at that time, encoding to my short term memory and subsequently nothing was being stored in my long term memory. My personal feelings towards the course were very negative, and I had unintentionally set myself up to fail, but why was this happening now? I had re-wired my subconscious to dislike the course and everything associated with it, my perception was altered and this had to change.

This was my final course and to my horror my study skills were starting to fail me. This was mainly due to the intense pressure I was putting myself under, in order to pass - cost - both personal and financial, and the amount of effort I was putting into studying, how far I had come over the last 6 years, I was nearing the end and my nerve was going!!

I had certainly learnt techniques during the course of my study to help me study harder and pass the exams, for example, choosing main areas to study intensely, then areas which were the back-up, writing out my time table, note taking, condensing, deep revision by answering mock questions, discussing with my peers, but this time it was just not working. I could not follow the literature; I was missing main points, finding great difficulty understanding theories and counter-theories and the course was enormous! My nerves were getting the better of me, so appreciating that the brain is so immensely powerful and given that we really have only scratched the surface with research etc., I decided that my deep sub-conscious needed a helping hand.

I was not feeling well, I suffered from head-aches, sweaty palms, nausea, couldn’t sleep and anxiety - and I was hating the course - I did not know if I could carry on with it! I had to bribe myself to open the book, again to read it, and then I rewarded myself for actually reading a few pages, and I just couldn’t remember any of it!

I would sit and look at possible exam questions feeling blank! It may have been encoded (somewhere) but my retrieval was not working! I really needed help.

So I visited my GP, to see if he could help. Did I really need to do a Degree, he asked, I explained that I had studied all these years and it was my last course – his answer – a night time routine, bath and early to bed, assisted by sleeping tablets. I did not follow his medi-

cal advice re the sleeping tablets.

I decided to book a Fast Track Hypnosis Session with Alan to help me study more effectively.

I met with Alan, I had my session, I came home feeling tired and less anxious. I set myself a routine. I started listening to the CD that night, and continued every night. Listening to CD in bed - headphones on - nobody else needed to share! Then I studied as before, setting out a timetable, I wrote notes, I condensed, I sat mock exam papers, I studied hard, I really did, but this time my study was focused and I rarely had the intense feelings of fear and sickness that I had felt before.

This was six weeks before my exams and I was really enjoying studying the course, was finally engaging with the material, was able to hold my own in arguments and discussions over differing theories and my biggest regret, not going to see Alan sooner!

Then the dreaded results, how would I do? Oh my, I got 80% overall examination score which included a Research Paper, the breakdown of my results said it all, 84% for my written paper, I was so delighted!

As a recent Psychology graduate, I can only say that, you really cannot underestimate the power of the mind, you really can achieve anything if you can focus your thoughts, etc., and I feel that Alan’s Fast Track Hypnosis certainly helped me in focusing my thoughts for studying and passing my exam. For me, Fast Track Hypnosis works, Alan’s system is amazing, it’s nothing like I had learned on my Psychology course, how he does this so quickly I really don’t know!

From that success, I decided to go back and see Alan again, this time to help me lose those extra kilos I had put on while studying! All those bribes had added up and I really need to lose these kilos before my Graduation!”

Lorraine, BSc Hons, Psychology

Alan holds his Fast Track Hypnosis sessions in Cabo Roig, Guardarmar, and Benidorm and NEW in Los Alcazares. Alan is also the creator of the ‘Stop Smoking in under 30 minutes Fast Track System’. For an appointment, brochure or a free of charge initial consultation on your particular problem, contact Alan Gilchrist on 659 229 408 or visit his websites www.alangilchrist.com www.thegastroband.com or www.hypnosiscostablanca.com

14

mail

20 - 26 JAN 2012

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

talk tous

letter of the week

Kept in the dark I WRITE as an exhausted Quesada resident who lives in a road which has one street light that has not been lit for many months now. It was reported to the Town Hall in Quesada plus the Police in August. The police have visited and yet have taken no action to have this light switched on.

Lights are out on the main road leading to where I live and so therefore our street is in complete darkness.

This is surely a security risk; but doesn’t seem to bother the council who continue to have spot lights on the town hall and tennis courts in Quesada on all night.

We are quite aware that we live in times of austerity

Be warned

On my first visit to the newly built Alicante Airport, I was a little confused where to drive. I stopped my car under the walkway between the car park and airport and unloaded my suitcase and my neighbour drove my car away inside the 5 minutes allowed: a few weeks later I received a traffic fine for 30€. Be warned – there were no wardens and no tow trucks. Obviously a camera takes your car number. I am sure I am not the only person caught with this camera. It won’t take long for these fines to pay for the new airport.

A disgusted 40 years driver without one traffic fine

but surely householders should also feel secure in their surroundings?

We know there are quite a few areas in Quesada that do not have lighting and it seems that Rojales council are concentrating efforts in Rojales and leaving Quesada unkempt in many areas, i.e roads and green areas: footpaths in Quesada are very poor, especially for those with children, elderly residents and those in wheelchairs.

Quesada residents will once again be reluctant to vote in any further council elections when the town and surrounding urbanisations etc are left so neglected.

A concerned Quesada Resident

Matter of some urgency MAY WE through the medium of your letters page enlist your support in our quest to find a pianist for rehearsals and performances? We are The Gilbert and Sullivan Society, well-known in the Torrevieja area for many years and a substantial contributor to local charities. Our present accompanist, who has provided wonderful service for 10 years, is retiring after our March production of Iolanthe.

We would love to hear as a matter of some urgency, from all pianists who may not only welcome the opportunity to play the music of one of the best-loved British composers but would also enjoy an active and varied social scene.

Our Chairman Sue Woodward Prior (Telephone: 96 678 4108 or email suzywoodward@ gmail.com) would be delighted to be contacted by all interested persons and a very warm welcome is assured.

Yours, John Wallace

Changing their minds once in power AT LAST week’s press conference at Orihuela Town Hall, the public was informed by the Councillor for Human Resources, Asun Mayoral, that the local government saved 90,000€ alone last December in staff costs and overtime. That sounds very good, but could that have been much more after and since the May election, if CLARO’s president, Bob Houliston, did not vote for the high councillors’ salaries and those of their assistants, which was decided by the former governing PP Party. Bob Houliston wanted the same high salaries as the PP Party. Well, he voted at

the council for his own salary and his own income and by this against his own election programme and as well as against his promises to reduce the councillors’ salaries by 30%. You see how the politicians change their mind once they come into power.

Heiko Schmidt, Orihuela Costa Response from Bob Houliston THE SAVINGS announced in December were on the budget for local government officials which is an important factor in the cost of the Orihuela government. However, the salaries for Councillors and their personal staff or Advisors are decided separately in Plenary meetings of the Town Hall.

The salaries proposed by the government after first taking office were rejected by the opposition Popular Party and two members of the Centro

Liberal party. For three weeks Councillors worked without pay.

When the CLR party joined the government in mid-July there was agreement on a revised salary package for Councillors and Advisors which, on paper, were a little below the levels rejected earlier. But when the total salary bill is considered, including a large number of Advisors, the total bill is probably higher. The truth is that it is the total salary bill for Councillors and Advisors which counts and we do not have an agreed method to compare situations. All I can say is that the issue creates a lot of political posturing and pointscoring which is probably far in excess of the importance of the amounts of money involved.

Bob Houliston, Councillor for the Coast

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Spain set for a tourist boom

15

A REPORT this week has stated that holidays in Spain are on the rise as prices in popular resorts drop by as much as 40%. As a result, it is possible that Spain will attract a huge wave of British holidaymakers this year after evidence suggests that thousands will return to the Iberian Peninsula due to significantly falling prices during the last five years.

by Louise Clarke

Spain is set to attract a huge wave of British holidaymakers this year

The report, which comes as a result of a survey conducted by the Post Office, states that a fall in local prices as well as the continuing strength of the British pound is making the Costas more affordable. The report also states that Spain comes out as the second cheapest destination in a survey of 33 holiday destinations with a price of £37.72 for eight random items, which include a bottle of Coca Cola, mineral water from a supermarket, sun tan lotion, insect repellent and a three course evening meal for two adults with a bottle of wine. Sri Lanka, which has seen serious political unrest during the last year, was the best value at just £27.95.

BARGAIN HUNTERS It is a fact that the number of visits by Britons to Spain has slumped by more

than three million during the last five years and with the pound losing its value against the Euro in recent years, as well as high prices and the cost of living British people decided to try new and more exotic locations. However, the Post Office research suggests that Spain will now become more attractive, particularly at a time when people are desperate to save money.

According to the Post Office’s Holiday Money Report, resort prices in the Costa del Sol are 40% lower than five years ago and the cheaper cost of travel to Spain will make it a compelling choice for bargain hunters in 2012. It states: “The rising value of the UK pound - up 6.4 per cent against the euro in the past three months, will also help to encourage more tourists to Spain.”

16

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Red palm weevil prevention in Torrevieja by louise clarke

THE DEPARTMENT of Parks and Gardens at Torrevieja Town Hall has started an extensive programme of pruning the municipality’s palm trees.

The The Councillor for Parks and Gardens, Carmen Gómez Candela, announced the programme earlier this Department week saying that she hopes that the pruning exercise will help to prevent, control and eradicate the red of Parks palm weevil pest which is rife in the area and has already killed thousands of palm trees all over the provand Gardens ince. Once the pruning has taken place, further treatment is recommended to ensure that the tree does not are become infested. The programme of pruning will take place throughout January and February when the weepreventing vil is less active and the Councillor stated that technicians of the Department of Parks and Gardens are at the the spread disposal of the citizens who have palm trees in their own gardens, to inform them of the appropriate measures of red palm in order to prevent the spread of red palm weevil in the municipality. weevil

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

17

David’s Coachtrips SL support HAH (Help At Home) 20 - 26 JAN 2012

by PATRICIA THOMPSON HAH HELP at Home Mar Menor and Costa Blanca areas are delighted to welcome ‘on board’ David Malcolm and Coachtrips SL as sponsors for 2012. Well known and very popular for all the trips they organise throughout the Costas, they have worked tirelessly to raise several thousand euros to help local charities over the past few years. “We are so pleased that they have chosen to support us this year,” said a delighted Lesley Eburne (HAH founder), adding, “We help people back on to the road to recovery, and Coachtrips SL then take them on the road to enjoyment: what a perfect combination.”

Davids’ Coachtrips SL are always extremely impressed by the large number of people in various charities who give so much of their time and of themselves to help bring some relief and happiness into the lives of others. As a company they are keen to support this selfless effort and for this reason choose a local charity to support each year. Last year with

the help of their passengers almost 10,000€ was raised for the worthy charity ‘Age Concern’. This year Coachtrips SL is pleased to offer support to HAH that provides support for anyone, regardless of age, in need of help.

To set the ball rolling Coachtrips SL is offering as a prize a 3 day excursion to Granada plus 100€ pocket money. You can enter this prize draw on any excursion of David’s Coachtrips SL at its office or direct with the charity, Help at Home.

More prizes will be offered throughout the year and winners will be announced on www. coachtripsonline.com and in the local press.

David’s Coachtrips SL is confident that their generous customers will get right behind this effort and enable HAH ‘Help at Home’ to serve the community as fully as they would like.

Norah Bond, president of Help at Home Costa Blanca, added: “We are delighted to be given this opportunity to work alongside Coachtrips SL. We are now expanding our services into Quesada and Rojales which are

L to R, Lesley Eburne, David Malcolm, Lynda Christopher, (Clinical lead) HAH Norah Bond

also busy areas for Coachtrips SL, so I am sure with the added publicity for both of us, this will be a tremendous association.”

For more information regarding Help at Home, or to secure tickets for the trip to Gra-

nada, please call Sheila on 603 245 020.

If you would like to become involved in HAH, please email HAH (Mar Menor) helpathomespain@gmail.com or info@helpathomecb.org

One over the eight Patients’ own fat could be used for

POLICE ARRESTED a 37-year-old driver in Benidorm after finding the man eight times over the limit – close to the point where a human loses consciousness under the influence of alcohol.

Local police stopped the Polish citizen, who lives in the resort, early on Monday morning when he was spotted in a car “weaving” down the Rincon de Loix. The driver now faces a hefty fine and a jail sentence.

breast augmentation ON FRIDAY 27th January at 8.30pm the head of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic USP Hospital San Jaime, Dr. Mario Marquez, will host a conference on ‘Application breast reconstructive surgery and breast augmentation using autologous fat as a safe alternative to implants in Breast Augmentation.’ The technique offers an alternative for those women who want to gain breast size without undergoing

a silicone implant - combining liposuction with breast augmentation. Liposuction is performed at low pressure to avoid damaging the adipocytes, purifying and concentrating the fat cells and stem cells containing fat and proceeding to construct from the infiltration enriched material obtained.

The procedure lasts two hours, has a shorter recovery time and leaves no scarring.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Camera system makes Torrevieja safest city in Spain

by Louise Clarke ON TUESDAY, 14 co-ordinators from the Torrevieja Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) were invited the main Local Police Station in Torrevieja to meet with representatives of the Local Police and the Councillor for Security and Police, Eduardo Gil Rebello.

RTN was also invited and Graham Knight from the International Residents Office was on hand to translate to the NHW co-ordinators and was accompanied by the Councillor for Foreign Residents, Rosario Martinez. We were then treated to a full explanation and demonstration of the new ‘VYRIATO’ system of traffic and vehicle recognition cameras as well as see the new technology that the Torrevieja local police are using.

To say that the ‘VYRIATO’ system is impressive is an understatement and RTN found the whole morning fascinating. The system control room is located within the main building and houses ten large screens and an array of computer terminals. It is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week and monitors 75 traffic cameras, 57 fixed cameras that are located all over the municipality and 15 cameras located within the national park.

HARBOUR The system is unique to Torrevieja and makes the city one of the safest places in Spain. It can be programmed to pick out specific problems and areas and the traffic cameras can be programmed to pick out any cars that are travelling above a stated speed limit.

20 - 26 JAN 2012

19

Coastal animal blessing THERE WILL be a mass held at the La Zenia church (directly on the N-332) this Sunday, 22nd January at 11:00 to celebrate San Anton, the Patron Saint of animals. The blessing of the animals will take place at 12pm and thereafter the animals will receive small gifts.

Newly formed choir

Graham, Rosario and Carlos in the control room

Municipal buildings, churches, schools, parks, shopping areas and the sports city are all covered by fixed cameras and more cameras are being added all the time. One of the newest cameras to be added to the network is located within the harbour area after fishermen recently reported a spate of equipment robberies and vandalism.

The beaches and the sea front are also covered and staff in the control room can alert Local Police officers to the arrival of ‘Looky Looky’ men who sell fake handbags and sunglasses on the Torrevieja promenade, before they have even put their blanket down!

VEHICLE RECOGNITION The traffic cameras are on 24 hours a day and the fixed cameras alternate depending on the time of day. The school

cameras, for example, are only on during the evening and night when the children are not there.

The most interesting thing to see was the vehicle recognition system. The police know exactly where a car was, what time and what day just by entering a registration number into the computer. This system recognises all number plates, including international plates.

RTN volunteered its number plate and was amazed to see photos of the car all over the Torrevieja municipality during the last month (great for checking on the husband’s movements!)

It was a fascinating demonstration and thanks must go to Carlos Sala who is Singing the ‘VYRIATO’ system Chief Coordinator.

Lessons So, when you are driving through directed Torrevieja, beware that Big Brother is by Philip watching…!

Ashley

STARTING SUNDAY 22nd January at El Paraiso Restaurant, Parcent, 6.30pm - 8pm. Cost only 5€ per session. The human voice is a musical instrument, and like any instrument it requires nurturing and practise to reach its full potential.

The instrument you have within you is the only musical instrument capable of creating sound and words simultaneously. Like any musical instrument the voice needs care and attention to increase its strength and reliability and sustain this wonderful instrument over a long period of time.

Contact Victoria Reeley 96 640 53 98 El Paraiso Restaurant for more information and to reserve your space and there is plenty of free parking.

We look forward to welcoming you and no experience necessary, just a willingness to enjoy yourself.

20

20 - 26 JAN 2012

A present for the teacher

Geoff Ball and Esther

CASTELAR COLLEGE tutor, Esther, had the surprise of her life when students Janet and Geoff Bell returned to their Spanish classes after the Christmas break; they had brought along a huge Christmas hamper, which Esther had won. Café Golf Restaurant in San Javier had run a raffle for the hamper all through December in aid of MABS Cancer Support

Group. Geoff had bought a strip of tickets for Esther and, when the raffle was drawn, she had the winning ticket. The raffle raised 153€ for MABS MABS Murcia offer help and support to people who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. Call their HELPLINE 693 275 779 or visit their website: www.mabsmurcia.com

New Year, New You,

New Career CAREER OPPORTUNITIES are few and far between on the recession-hit Costa, especially careers that enable you to work both in Spain and in the UK and in a sector that despite the Credit Crunch is still growing exponentially.

If you are looking for a new career, or already working within the beauty industry, the Smile White Training Academy can be the opportunity you have been waiting for.

At the start of a new year, why not think of a whole new you in a whole new career. Smile White Training Academy has numerous training packages to kick-start your new career! And no dental experience is needed!

Karen and Stuart, the owners of Smile White, established in July 2011, deal with the latest in teeth whitening technology and are now training technicians in their custom-designed academy in Montemar, Moraira.

From there, a two day residential course ensues filled with practical and theoretical workshops that culminate

in an exam. Once certified, you require only Public Liability Insurance and you’re ready to roll - with a new career ahead of you!

Alternatively, the second package provides you with the same training period, but includes a fully equipped kit in the fee, which as soon as you leave the academy will have you ready to practice.

You will walk away with insurance, the lamp, tunic and all the other necessary kit, plus enough extra equipment to treat ten clients! This in itself will recover your initial investment!

The other alternative is to simply train with them and then integrate yourself into ‘partnership’ with Smile White!

Whatever your decision, once qualified you’ve a career in a hugely expanding sector here in Spain and in the UK! Plus you can work with Medical Centres, Dentists, Beauticians, Spas & Gyms and with only six Smile White technicians currently in this area, this is certainly a great career oppor-

tunity with a huge earning potential.

Call Karen or Stuart for more information on 634 355 196 or 610 027 154 or visit: www.smile-white-europe.com.

Alternatively, email: info@smile-white-europe.com to become a part of this 28 billion dollar industry!

It’s just magic events for PCN ON SUNDAY January 22nd the sensational local magician Graeme Mykal will be back at The Indian Ocean in Dona Pepa for a second Magic Night in aid of Paul Cunningham Nurses.

There is a choice of six delicious curries, naan bread and rice with an extra side dish, all for just 12€.

ON WEDNESDAY 25th January, Paul Cunningham Nurses will be having their first event at The North & South in La

Marquesa Golf, Quesada. It promises to be a fabulous ‘Fun Factor’ evening with entertainment from Ritchie AND a delicious two course meal for just 8.50€! A warm welcome will be provided by George, Glyn and all the staff where North really does meet South and dancing is well and truly encouraged! You can book by email to sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk or you can call 676 038 601.

21

Problem with the smoking ban www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

THE SMOKING ban in Spain has been in the news again this week with confirmation that it will remain in place despite the pre-election comments from cigar-loving Prime Minister Rajoy about allowing bars and restaurants to offer segregated areas.

By

Chris Marshall Expat blogger www.almerimarlife.com

Appears that a number of people actually had their hopes raised by his earlier comments, although just how many bars and restaurants would have been able to afford segregated areas would have been interesting; I hazard a guess not many!

Discussing this recently I expressed the view that I still have a number of problems with the current smoking ban.

My main gripe is that I feel that I have ‘lost’ the use of the terraces of Spain. As a non-smoker if I want to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat on a terrace I am now pretty much guaranteed to be surrounded by smokers. I should say at this point that it isn’t their fault!

My fellow non-smokers have created this problem.

They have forced the smokers outside, which to be honest is generally the best place to be here in Spain.

For the non-smokers the options are now to stay inside with no view, more often than not poor air conditioning, and as a rule not much atmosphere while the smokers are sat out on the terraces enjoying the views and sunshine!

Another gripe I have is that it has made far too many bars, cafes and restaurants ugly to look at. Let’s agree for the moment that smoking is a disgusting habit then what a great way to market your business: overflowing ashtrays, groups of people huddled round doorways, clouds of smoke gently settling over everywhere …

Seriously if you wanted to market your business and make it look attractive to passing trade would this be

the way you did it? And don’t get me started on the subject of your clothes smelling! A common whinge from non-smokers has always been how smelly their clothes are after a night out - well let me tell you that after walking in and out of a bar through the smoke screen that the majority now suffer my clothes still stink!

The financial crisis, and in particular the risk of a return to recession in Spain, have dominated the headlines this last week in Spain, with a wide variety of stories grabbing my attention.

The average person in Spain watches television for four hours every day, according to latest research. Time spent in front of the box has multiplied since 2008 when the recession started and jobs began to disappear. In 2006, Spanish residents watched around two hours a day - a clear indication of the lack of disposable income in your average Spaniard’s pocket these days.

Probably true to say that most expats on the Costas are not looking for a job, but if they were, recent unemployment figures would tell them there is no chance of landing one any time soon. Registered unemployment in Spain, where almost half of young people are out of work, rose for a fifth month in December to 4.42 million.

Some good news is that Spain’s government does not plan to raise value-added tax, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said recently in his first interview since his government passed a slew of austerity measures, including tax hikes. The government has announced tax hikes of more than €6 billion a year and cost-cutting measures

worth almost €9 billion to deflate a public deficit which it expects to have hit around 8% of GDP last year, confirming that it is going to be tough year for many in Spain this year, and for many years to come.

Possible bad news for thousands of Brits claiming disability benefits in Spain who could be struck off under government reassessment plans. An estimated 10,000 people claim Incapacity Benefit (IB) abroad, with many of them living in Spain, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Around 5,800 will be reassessed for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – which replaced IB in 2008 – between February 2011 and April 2014.

On a more positive note though the Spanish airport authority, AENA, who are responsible for operations at Alicante, El Altet, has announced that they have received 15% more requests for flight slots in summer 2012, which includes new operators flying to 14 of the 15 destinations that the withdrawal of Ryanair would have affected.

SEAT shipped its first cars to China from the port of Barcelona last week and vice president of Institutional Relations, Ramón Paredes, said that the company had plans to increase production by 3% this year, thanks to exports.

The number of foreign visitors to Spain rose for the second year in a row in 2011, helped by a surge in tourists from its main market Britain, provisional government figures have shown.

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

22

iPods and ‘inattentional blindness’

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Watts In Britain By

Paul Watts

RECENTLY, WHILE perambulating the delights of Royal Sutton Park I was struck by how many people were missing the audible joys that Mother Nature provides free of charge. Birdsong, for example, is a constant on-going performance that should delight and calm even the most irate person.

I say ‘should’; however, its beauty is more often than not lost to the many.

And why, you may ask? Well, it’s because so many of us our in our own little world with iPod speakers stuck in our ear ’oles, drowning out the ‘all-around’ natural sound.

Joggers run by (with that unique pained expression that only joggers have) and almost every single one of them has an iPod attached. Single jogger or group joggers, it matters not, they’ve all got their ears filled with the ‘soundtrack of their lives’ oblivious to the ‘real’ world: earphones in and outside world locked firmly out. Many cyclists too, follow this fashion – which if you think about it is a little crazy. But look and listen, headphone wearing populace, because this week comes a dire warning.

A warning from the kindly Dr Richard Lichenstein, who is associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Maryland: School of Medicine.

Not hearing the beauty of birdsong in Royal Sutton Park is one thing but Dr Lichenstein wants to know if you can also hear the trains or cars that are around you in the city? Many, suggests the good Doc, probably can’t, especially young adult males. According to new research from the Doc’s team in Baltimore, serious injuries to

pedestrians listening to headphones have more than tripled in six years. In many instances cars and trains are sounding loud horns that the headphone user just cannot hear - leading to fatalities in nearly three-quarters of cases.

Safety risks associated with headphone wearing pedestrians had until now remained unknown, so Dr Dick and his team set out to ‘identify the problem’. The team trawled databases for reports of pedestrian injuries or fatalities from crashes involving trains or motor vehicles published between 2004 and 2011. Cases involving headphone use were extracted and summarised.

The team found: “116 reports of death or injury of pedestrians wearing headphones. The majority of victims were male (68%) and under the age of 30 (67%). The majority of vehicles involved in the crashes were trains (55%), and 89% of cases occurred in urban counties. 74% of case reports stated that the victim was wearing headphones at the time of the crash. Many cases (29%) mentioned that a warning was sounded before the crash.” It’s rather grim reading, eh?

Lichenstein and his colleagues noted two likely phenomena associated with these injuries and deaths: distraction and sensory deprivation. The distraction caused by the use of electronic devices has been coined ‘inattentional blindness’ in which multiple stimuli divide the brain’s mental resource allocation. His report states: “In cases of headphone-wearing pedestrian collisions with vehicles, the distraction is intensified by sensory deprivation, in

A dire warning for the headphone wearing populace

which the pedestrian’s ability to hear a train or car warning signal is masked by the sounds produced by the portable electronic device and headphones.”

Dr Lichenstein told me: “Everybody is aware of the risk of cell phones and texting in automobiles but I see more and more teens distracted with the latest devices and headphones in their ears.

Unfortunately as we make more and more enticing devices, the risk of injury from distraction and blocking out other sounds increases.”

Here in the UK Kevin Clinton, the head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Although we do not have robust data about this type of accident in the

UK, we have heard of cases in which pedestrians have been knocked down while listening to headphones or talking on mobile phones.” He added, “If you are using these devices while jogging, RoSPA advises that you ensure you are not dangerously distracted and that you remain aware of what is happening around you.” If you ask me, why not just head bare-eared for Sutton Park and enjoy the sound of birdsong, thus avoiding any unpleasantness of being hit by an unheard but large and heavy train...

Meantime I’ve got the Doc’s next research project already lined up: why do joggers (headphone wearing or not) all look so bloody miserable?

Watts in the park, listening carefully...

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Benidorm aims for double top

23

by Louise Clarke TOP PROFESSIONAL darts players return to the Costa Blanca this month to compete in the Spanish Darts Trophy Benidorm 2012.

Big names like Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, James Wade, Adrian Lewis, and Raymond Van Barnaveld are expected back at the resort after last October’s successful tournament – when the hall was packed over a weekend with more than 800 fans.

And if the tournament is again a success and well supported, the PDC plans to stage another competition next year at Benidorm Palace – to be televised by Sky. Being staged at the Hotel Melia Benidorm over the Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th January, the competition is brought to Spain by the PDC Europe, the Professional Darts Corporation, which has breathed

Mountain walks SATURDAY 21ST JANUARY Soldetes East: A moderate walk over some rough terrain, with some scrambling, taken at a slow pace. Fine all round views. 8kms of 5 hours’ duration with a 450m ascent: Dogs on leads at rear: Tel: Colin 669 386 680.

Benidoleig, extended: A moderate walk but over mostly rough terrain. 12kms, 41/2 hours’ duration with a 350m ascent: Dogs on leads at rear: Tel: Angela 96 640 4192.

Bernia West: A ridge traverse, strenuous and over rough terrain, with scrambling needed and intended for experienced mountain walkers: 9kms, 5 1/2 hours’ duration with a 500m ascent: No dogs: Tel: Peter 620 315 797.

WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY Dos Fuentes: A short, moderate walk over some rough terrain: Optional lunch afterwards. 7kms of 3 hours’ duration with a 200m ascent: No dogs: Tel: Val 637 254 592 Cabezo d’Oro, Busot: A strenuous walk over some rough terrain: 15kms, 5 1/2 hours’ duration with a 525m ascent: Tel: Martin 603 479 573.

Bco de Calvo & Bco Malafi: A very strenuous walk over mostly rough terrain and some scrambling required: 12kms of 5 hours’ duration with a 500m ascent: Dogs on leads at rear: Tel: Jon 686 148 704.

Walks depart promptly at 10am unless otherwise noted. The rules and guidelines for walking are given on our website, see http://www.cbmwalkers.org.

Marking routes Many walkers are aware of and disturbed by the continuing use of paint to mark paths in certain parts of the mountains in the Costa Blanca, particularly in the Barranco Viudo to Smugglers’ Cove (Moraira); Senija to the Caves; Montgo Hidden Valley and Marnes circuit areas (though there are many more). The Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers wish to disassociate themselves from the current practice of the use of paint in the mountains.

fresh air into the sport, in association with Bay Radio.

The Benidorm tournament is part of the European Darts Tour 2012 and is a European Order of Merit Event, therefore the results and the attraction for leading international players count for the tour rankings.

Two competitions will be run over the weekend and the action each day starts at noon and runs until 7pm at the Hotel Melia Benidorm, in Avenue del Doctor Severo Ochoa 1.

Tickets are 15€ per day, either for the Saturday or Sunday, or a combo ticket for the weekend is available at 25€. Tickets are available from Bay Radio by calling 96 579 6761 or 649 811 536, or by email at sales@bayradio.fm. They can also be pur-

Phil Taylor

chased at the Lepping Bar, Benidorm.

And the Javea-based radio station has a special stake in the competition – popular presenter Moody has been handed a wild card entry and will be taking part. Described as a ‘useful player’ he hopes four hours practice a day will prepare him to take on some of the best players in the world.

24

20 - 26 JAN 2012

by

Michael Olmer

Solicitor, Link Point Legal and Business Services

legal

EU to act on cross-border Inheritance Tax problems THE EUROPEAN Commission has begun a comprehensive review of how differing rules on inheritance tax in the member states of the European Union impact on Citizens.

This review is expected to take three years, after which the Commission will produce a report setting out what measures are required to deal with this problem, whether in individual countries or at a Europe-Wide level.

The lack of a coherent cross-border approach can result in citizens of member states being liable for double taxation on inheritances and being subject to discrimination. In the words of the Commission, “small changes in Member States’ rules to make them more coherent with each other could deliver real benefits for hundreds of thousands of people across Europe.”

The Commission has already announced on 27th October 2011 that it is beginning proceedings against Spain for charging higher levels of inheritance tax on EU citizens who are not tax resident in Spain than on Spanish and other EU citizens who are fiscal residents in Spain. The Commission also announced on 24th November 2011 that it is beginning proceedings against the Netherlands for charging inheritance tax on the full value of rustic land situated outside the Netherlands while similar property within the Netherlands enjoys a 100% exemption from inheritance tax.

In the meantime what can you do to determine where you stand in Spain?

First, remember that inheritance tax in Spain is a tax on the beneficiary of a legacy and not a tax on the estate of the deceased as it is, for example, in the U.K. Second, if you inherit a legacy the tax will be charged at different rates depending on: the size of the legacy, your relationship to the deceased, and the value of your own assets.

Third, establish whether you are in fact a ‘fiscal’ resident. If you are retired or not working, just because you have been physically resident in Spain for many years, and have paid property taxes and had tax deducted from bank deposits here, does not necessarily mean that you are fiscally resident and can benefit from the many allowances that are available for fiscal residents.

If you are legally employed or self-employed you will be fiscally resident and filing tax returns each year.

If you are working illegally then it may only be a matter of time before the tax authorities catch up with you.

To determine definitively whether you are a fiscal resident you need to obtain a certificate from Spanish Tax office, the AEAT (Agencia Tributaria) by completing and sending Modelo (form) 01 to your local tax office. They will then send you a certificate stating whether you are fiscally resident and the date on which you were enrolled (given ‘alta’) in the Spanish tax register.

If you are not a fiscal resident you can then decide whether it would be financially advantageous to enroll by completing and filing form 030 with the tax authorities.

If you are not working, even if is not worthwhile for you to become fiscally resident be sure that you register on your local ‘Padron’, the official register of residents in your district so that your physical presence is officially recognised and you can benefit from those benefits and allowances that are available to you (see my article in the RTN for 25th November 2011).

Please contact us at Link Point if you feel that you need to clarify your position where our English and Spanish qualified advisers are ready to help you.

Calle Andromeda 24, 03581 Albir - Alfaz del Pí, Alicante. Email: client@linkpointlegal.com Web: www.linkpointlegal.com Tel: 96 626 0500 Fax: 96 686 52 77

The price you pay to borrow in Spain drops MADRID INVESTORS have ignored S&P’s credit downgrade for Spain, much as they did in France on Monday. Rather than panic the markets have reacted calmly with lower risk premiums and debt auctions that resulted in prices significantly lower, thanks to the massive injection of liquidity to banks by the European Central Bank (ECB).

The risk premium of Spain (yesterday at 334 basis points) and Italy (471), the two countries hardest hit by this new phase of the crisis of the euro, has fallen so far this week by more than a dozen points. In addition, major stock markets rose yesterday with the Eurozone more than 1%.

+ uk tv

+ 120mins

european landline calls

line rental

money

20 - 26 JAN 2012

25

Lloyds Bank International in Spain LLOYDS TSB Spain and Banco Halifax Hispania joined in 2010 to become Lloyds Bank International (LBI). Lloyds TSB have been in Spain for nearly a century and the both bank works with the expat community providing support and financial advice as well as full banking services.

With 28 branches throughout Spain, seven of which are on the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida, LBI understands the expat community and the problems and issues that it faces.

And that is where LBI excels – LBI prides itself on its excellent customer service and comprehensive personal banking services.

SAVINGS EURO, STERLING AND US DOLLAR ACCOUNTS Lloyds offers deposit accounts in Sterling and Euros as well as US Dollars ranging from one month to one year. They also offer a sterling account especially for clients who want to hold funds in sterling over here in case they need to change them to Euros in a hurry. All monies can be transferred free of charge from Lloyds in the UK* - because you are transferring in Sterling there is no exchange rate loss and should you decide to transfer it back to the UK, you won’t have lost anything…. Now you can’t argue with that!

The La Zenia branch

BENEFITS If you want a competitive and comprehensive current account then the Premier Account is the one for you. This is a relatively new product for the expat community and is similar to its namesake in the UK. One big advantage of this account is that you can benefit from free international transfers* when sending money from your accounts in Lloyds TSB, Bank of Scotland or Halifax in the UK to your accounts with us in Spain, and because LBI has its own treasury here in Madrid, you will also get a very competitive rate of exchange when transferring Sterling to Euros.

Furthermore, if you keep a minimum balance of 2,500€ in the account, you will benefit from no account fees**, which in today’s economic climate is very important.

Premier Account holders also receive a free translation service for documents up to 600 words, inclusive global travel insurance for you and your family***, a free debit card, free

direct debits and access to more than 28,000 ServiRed ATMs to withdraw your cash from free of charge.

OTHER SERVICES As well as current and fixed deposit accounts, LBI also offer a wide range of investment advisory and portfolio management services, mortgages and a full range of insurance products, including home, car, life, health, boat and accident.

RTN will be highlighting more of LBI’s products over the coming months but if in the meantime, you would like some financial advice, go to the experts - go to Lloyds Bank International. For more information on products, services and branches call Shirley Adams on (0034) 620 308 804 or send an email to shirley.adams@ lloydsbankinternational.es. You can also visit their excellent website at www.lloysbankinternational.es

* This offer is only valid for individuals, and for transfers between accounts in the same name. Lloyds Bank International S.A.U. does not charge for these transfers. However, other parts of the Group may apply charges when issuing or receiving transfers. Lloyds Bank International S.A.U. reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time. ** If your average balance is below that figure the monthly fee will be €20. *** Due to regulatory requirements, travel insurance is not available for UK and Canadian residents.

legal

20 - 26 JAN 2012

19

Is it possible to divide a business premises, and the related mortgage loan, between two owners? by

Carlos Baos

of White & Baos Abogados English & Spanish Solicitors

Dear Sirs, My friend and I purchased a commercial property in Denia in an Urbanisation. We requested a mortgage loan from the bank which was granted to both of us, and we appear both as debtors and mortgagees.

Unfortunately the relationship between us is not very good right now and we would like to know if it is possible to divide the property into two individual and separate halves, and equally divide the mortgage loan to 50% proportionately.

Dear Reader, Thank you for your query.

We must point out that there are several elements that must be considered in order to answer your question.

A) In the first place we must analyse if it is possible to divide this property into two properties, and to do this we must consider amongst other things, the following: If the division is possible in accordance with the relevant Town Hall planning regulations, i.e. if the General Urban Plan and other applicable planning regulations will allow this one property to be divided into two properties. It must also

be established if the resulting properties will each meet the mandatory and necessary urban and local criteria to engage in the activity intended for each of them.

In addition, a segregation license (or certification stating that a segregation license is unnecessary) must be obtained from the Town Hall. Only then can the existing commercial property be divided into two, and registered as two new independent commercial properties in the land registry.

Likewise, since the commercial property is part of an urbanisation, in principle, Law 49/1960 on Horizontal Property shall apply the proposed division is subject to approval from the community of owners as per article 8 of this Law that reads: ‘The apartments or commercial premises and their annexes could be subject to division to form other smaller and independent properties and to be augmented by addition of other adjoining in the same building or diminished by segregation.

In such cases, in addition to consent from the affected owners, the approval of the board of the community of owners, it is their responsibility to set the new participation percentages for the new reformed properties, as per the article No. 5, without altering the others percentages.’

Secondly, as to the possibility of dividing the existing mortgage loan into two separate mortgage loans for each of the owners, this will really depend upon the bank that granted the mortgage loan.

I can understand that the aim is for each proprietor to own a new independent property and to have a mortgage loan for that property with total independence to the

other property and owner. In principle, the bank will need to decide if it is in agreement with the proposed change, as in fact, currently you are probably both jointly and severally debtors for the entire mortgage loan and warrantors, with the current property, for the payments of this loan.

Thus the bank may not be in favour of the proposed division if it believes that it means, or could potentially mean, a loss of the guaranteed payment. Since if the bank were to agree to the mortgage split, each new owner and property would only be responsible for his share of the loan and no longer be responsible for the whole debt and loan as was the situation before any division.

For the above stated reasons and before initiating any proceedings or incurring any expenses, it is recommended to start by consulting the bank about their position regarding the potential transaction. And then afterwards matters can be investigated with the Town Hall and the community of owners as appropriate in order to prepare the necessary documents.

Should any reader find himself or herself in this situation or similar please do not hesitate to contact us and the appropriate advice will be provided.

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 facebook (White-Baos-Abogados-Solicitors) your comments in this respect will be greatly appreciated.

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

28

20 - 26 JAN 2012

money

Caring for your growing family with life insurance NOW THAT you have children, you have a new perspective on life. Suddenly your kids are the centre of your world and you would do whatever it takes to protect them. That protection could be anything from making sure your little ones get off to school okay, to lending a healing touch when one of them doesn’t feel well.

Just as important as the physical protection, though, is the financial protection. Once you have dependents that rely on you financially, it’s important to consider buying life insurance. In the event of your death, life insurance can give your loved ones the funds they need to maintain their lifestyle. It can be used to pay off the mortgage on your family’s home, pay monthly bills or provide a college education for your children.

Along with paying your mortgage and children’s education, these are some other advantages to taking out a life insurance policy: • Pay off outstanding debts. Any debts that would remain unpaid in the event of your death can be paid with the money from a life insurance policy. It will allow your family to maintain its financial standing without suffering additional upheavals.

• To replace lost income. If you are the primary

wage earner in your family, a life insurance policy can provide the security of knowing that they will continue to receive this income in the event of death.

• Pay final expenses. Life insurance policies such as Liberty Life will make it easier to deal with death or disability. It may also provide your family with the funds necessary to pay Inheritance Tax, which may otherwise have a strong impact on the patrimony.

• Legal help. Liberty Life also includes a free, after death, Additional Assistance Service. The service provides beneficiaries with the legal assistance they may need after the death of the insured, which also covers repatriation in case of death abroad.

Liberty Seguros wishes to offer you life insurance with great benefits that provide a safety net for you and your family through a complete range of covers. The risk of death will be completely covered by Liberty Life. Also, if you contract additional covers you will be protected in the event of an accident, including a roadtraffic accident, disability and serious illness.

Life insurance is one thing you can take care of now to make sure your family is taken care of tomorrow.

For more information on life or other insurance or to find your nearest Liberty Seguros broker visit http://www.libertyseguros.es/expatriates/en

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Paying for your services HOW MANY trips did you make to the bins over Christmas? It seems to be a never ending process of feeding bin liners with wrapping paper, boxes and Christmas cracker novelties. Some items we hardly seem to make contact with before they’re assigned to junk and outside waiting for the not-very-long-haul to the basura.

by

Suzanne O’Connell Customer Care at Ábaco

But, however I might feel about that brisk walk to the community bin on a chilly December evening, it is nothing in comparison to getting rid of your rubbish in the UK. There, putting rubbish in a bin is a scientific sorting exercise involving miscellaneous receptacles that can take weeks to be collected: a nightmare after Christmas.

Of all the services, the rubbish collection here in Spain seems to me to be one of the best. It happens seamlessly, regularly and gobbles everything up. So how do we pay for this extraordinary service? Refuse collection isn’t actually part of your IBI or council tax. It is a separate charge that is either included as part of your water bill or is collected independently by the town hall. However it is collected, it won’t break the bank.

Council tax supports many important services. For example, it pays for the local police, the maintenance and repair of roads, parks and the sewage system. On my walk to work in the morning I see council workers busily swilling down and sweeping up from the night before; just one of a series of behind-the-scenes activities that are dependent on IBI. HOW YOU CAN PAY Everyone, resident and non-resident property owners, must pay IBI. What’s important to remember is that not receiving your bill does not excuse non-payment. The duty is on you. In the majority of cases a direct debit will have been established when you purchased your property.

Unlike imputed non-resident income tax, most purchasers have at least been made aware of its existence.

OTHER WAYS OF PAYING IT INCLUDE: • At the Town Hall ( in most of the Alicante Province you would need to visit the SUMA office to collect the bill before paying at a nominated bank) • Through some automatic cash dispensers (certain cards and cash machines only - BBVA, CAM, Caja Murcia and CajaMadrid) • Online banking WHEN YOU SHOULD PAY There are two periods of ‘voluntary’ tax payment with rubbish collection in the first period and IBI in the second. The tax on economic activities applies to those who carry out business, professional or artistic activities in Spain.

Motor vehicle tax Other municipal taxes such as rubbish collection, sewage and drains, vehicle access

1st period

March – April

2nd period

Property tax (IBI) August – September Tax on Economic Activities (IAE)

Whatever the pinches and priorities of the new government may be we wish you prosperity, or at least break-even, in 2012. We also hope that rubbish collection remains user-friendly for many years to come.

Of course, if you don’t want to face the rigmarole of dealing with the town hall yourself and all the possible bureaucratic complications that can result – a fiscal representative will be happy to help you.

20 - 26 JAN 2012

29

32

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Home Garden

Brought to you by

www.spanishhomefinder.com

Preparing your garden for sale Part two A herb collection and established plants are an attraction

by

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

LIKELY ATTRACTIONS

BEYOND THE tidy garden that we discussed in last week’s column, what sort of things might be attractive to potential buyers, recognising that some will look for simplicity and minimalism and others a more complex holistic style of garden? (In many cases the former being non-gardeners and the latter gardening enthusiasts).

1. Evidence of all-year-round colour.

2. Evidence of all-year-round perfume.

3. Well-framed vistas beyond the garden and strategically placed seats.

4. Winter sheltered sunny spots and shade for hot, sunny days.

5. Large terraces for entertaining and an outside kitchen.

6. An interesting network of paths and internal vistas.

7. As well as flowering plants shrubs and trees a collection of fruit trees and the facilities for a comprehensive herb collection and the growing of some vegetables, especially if the potential buyers did this previously in the UK or other European countries.

8. Established plants and shrubs that don’t require lots of watering.

9. Colourful window boxes and containers with no tired plants.

10. Evidence of generally reasonable water bills IMPROVEMENTS TO CONSIDER The following are among the most common important issues: 1. Is your current gardener really up to maintaining and implementing the next stage of the development of your garden? If not would it be wise to change the gardener now in order to ensure that the garden is as good as you can get it in a few weeks or months and you can, with confidence, recommend that a buyer

retains your gardener? If you are unsure of the quality of your current gardener use the ‘Gardeners Audit Questionaire’ found by clicking ‘Evaluate the Gardener’ on the home page of www. gardeninginspain.com .

2. If you have no water feature establish a fountain or pond with natural looking spring fountains or waterfalls. The sound of water, sight of fish frogs dragon flies and drinking birds can be both relaxing and stimulating and add a touch of nature in an urban as well as rural situation.

3. If space plant some more fruit trees and bushes. There are over seventy to choose from in our book ‘Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain’.

4. Establish a raised bed or vegetable plot planted up seasonal vegetables and culinary herbs.

PROVIDE BUYERS WITH USEFUL INFORMATION AND EFFECTIVE TOOLS As a final touch to the negotiations indicate that you plan a special ‘moving-in kit’ to smooth their take-over. This could include the following: 1. A month-by-month resume of the essential maintenance you

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

Home & Garden

have been carrying out.

2. If you employ a gardener a resume of their month-by-month or seasonal duties and your basis of payment.

3. A new set of the most important ergonomic tools that you have been using and a years’ supply of the eco-insecticides fungicides and fertilizers that you have been using and a list of addresses where they can replenish their supplies. For us this would include a bottle of neem oil insecticide, propolis fungicide and a box of Neudorff ecological snail killer.

4. A set of the most useful quartet of gardening books published in Spain ‘Your Garden in Spain – From planning to planting and maintenance’, ‘Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain’ and ‘Living Well from Our Garden in Spain’. They can be found in Bookworld and Carrefor bookshops plus local newsagents/ stationers such as Humpty Dumpty in Javea. They can also be obtained by mail order from www.gardeninginspain.com, www.santanabooks.com, and Bookworld in Spain or if living in the UK from Amazon or the freephone 0845-2604505 of the Royal Horticultural Society Bookshop at Wisley Gardens.

We hope the above ideas speed your property sales…

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

33

With gas prices so high isn’t it time to look at

your fuel efficiency?

‘PLAN RENOVE Caldera’, a government grant scheme introduced in October 2011, provides incentives of up to 500€ when you change your existing boiler. The Spanish government is keen to promote fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions, and so has allocated 900,000€ to the scheme which will run until 30th March or until funds run out.

HIGHLY POPULAR Don’t delay! Take up of the grant money available has been phenomenal, with 70% already having been snapped up; only 285,000€ remains!

HOW CAN THIS HELP ME? All nationalities can apply because this grant is avail-

able to all persons residing within the Comunidad Valenciana. Up to 500€ is claimable per household, and even better the grant is deducted at point of sale and later reclaimed by the installer. So no complicated paperwork is needed – it is all done for you!

GIVEN THE CURRENT PRICE OF GAS CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO CHANGE? The Spanish government is promoting this scheme because a new condensing boiler runs at 109% efficiency, whilst a conventional boiler typically runs at 85% efficiency. The scheme is available for the exchange of both Gas OR Oil fired central heating boilers, and the old boiler must be removed by the installer for its correct disposal and recycling. Hence only affiliated installers are able to offer the grants with a list of installers provided on the AVEN website www.aven.es.

So not only will you save the grant money amount, but also in the years ahead your new boiler can provide up to a 23% saving on your current fuel bills, which of course why the grant is there in the first place – to encourage fuel efficiency!

For more information and latest offers please contact 100% Plumbing on 96 583 5939.

Tracy, Mike and the 100% team will help you through every step, as they have done with many RTN readers already.

So don’t miss out…remember there are just 30% of the funds left!

Brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

34

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Thinking of any building work, reformation, swimming pool?

Meet the RQBS Team!

RQBS have been long established in JĂĄvea, over the last decade or so Rob, Trevor and the team have built an excellent reputation for themselves and the company. Rob has over 25 years experience in all manner of building works, having served his apprenticeship in the family business in the UK.

If you are unsure of Spanish local building regulations and the paperwork involved, RQBS can provide a personal and professional one-to-one service which extends from the initial planning applications for building licences, to applying for all other relevant documentation on the customer’s behalf. Once obtained, all required works will be expertly completed by Rob and his team.

With numerous building projects completed and a rapidly growing band of satisfied customers throughout the area, RQBS has no problem supplying testimonials from all their customers singing their praises, take a look at their website to see just a few!

Robs Quality Building Services is exactly that - a quality company that prides itself on customer satisfaction. Our comprehensive list of services range from building extensions and reformations, to all aspects of electrical and plumbing work, carpentry, air conditioning, ceramic tiling

Home & Garden

and various other general maintenance services for house and home. RQBS has already successfully completed many such projects which can be anything from rebuilding walls, adding additional floor space to plastering and re-plumbing.

We also offer pools constructed in all shapes and sizes. Because customer care and service is of paramount importance to us, we also have an on board architect who takes care of all the important paperwork issues. Making your life easier is our motto. RQBS also supply and install bathrooms, kitchens, wardrobes and made to measure uPVC or aluminium windows and doors of any awkward size or shape. At RQBS, we have an exceptionally committed team of highly qualified staff ranging from Plasterers and Electricians to Heating Engineers, Plumbers, Kitchen fitters, Window installers, Painters and Decorators.

Most of our team speak Spanish which is very important when we go to speak to our

local Spanish suppliers on your behalf. Thus we can ensure you get exactly what you want at competitive prices.

The beauty about RQBS is that all work is carried out in-house. This enables us to provide YOU the CLIENT with a one-stop supplier and contractor who is better able than most to deliver your chosen project from start to finish Why not give us a call, for a free no obligation quote for any job, any size!

You can reach us on Tel. 966 471 539 Mb. Rob 636 413 061 / Trevor 672 062 851 or email rqbs@telefonica.net, and www.rqbs.es See advert on page 59.

Home & Garden

Brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

36

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Fee-fi-fo-FUN!

By Jack Troughton CARELINE THEATRE earned its Crackerjack pencils with a hilarious production of Jack and the Beanstalk and a giant sized helping of entertainment.

From the outset – the traditional colourful opening song and dance routine – the audience at Careline’s Alcalali Theatre was treated to a roller coaster ride of a good night out.

The group’s old hands, new faces, and youngsters put on a real show and aided and abetted by a crowd determined to enjoy itself, the theatre was buzzing and came alive with all the cheers, jeers and boos associated with a good panto.

Hearty congratulations to Daisy the Cow – worth her weight in magic beans for some inspired comedy and milking some wonderful moments. Certainly the pantomime bovine won hearts and minds in the stalls.

Until Jack turns giant-killer all is not well in the land of Merrydale. Giant Blunderbore rules on high from his castle in the Land of the Clouds and with his sidekick Fleshcreep makes the population’s lives a misery.

Poor hero Jack is cheated by the bad guy when taking Daisy to sell at market, gold being magically swapped by Fleshcreep for those magic beans.

SILVER But every pantomime has a silver lining and up pops the good Fairy Moonbeam, a sparkling Natasha Lakin, to wave her magic wand and give the discarded beans a horticultural boost that sends the beanstalk up to the heavens – allowing Jack to bring down the giant and marry sweetheart Jill.

A monstrous performance by Andy Crabb as the wicked Fleshcreep, a panto version of Uriah Heep, pretty much stole the show – the bounder even claimed to have spiked the

Andy Crabb as the evil Fleshcreep

interval drinks to get revenge on the audience!

Leigh Patterson was an ever cheerful hero Jack Trott, a successful first outing as Principle Boy, and well done to 15year-old Tori Thorman for stepping up into the spotlight as Jill and making a winning debut in a speaking role.

Andy Headford played Dame Trott with gusto and made a great double act with Andy Gill’s bumbling King – desperate to pacify the giant but also keen to get his treasures back.

And Candy Wright kept things moving along splendidly

Club celebrates first year THE POPULAR Jalon Valley Mums and Tots Club is celebrating its first anniversary as it heads into 2012 and builds on the success of the previous 12 months. Mums and youngsters meet at Jalon Town Hall every Monday morning from 10.15am until noon and costs 1€ per adult. There are lots of toys and the last part of the morning is given over to singing, music and playing instruments. Everyone is welcome – it is not necessary to live in the valley itself – and the organisers accept it is not possible to be on time with youngsters so parents and children can drop in at any time. Tea and coffee is provided for the adults and for more information ring Fran on 639 326 135.

as Jack’s brother Billy, a bouncy Dennis the Menace type character, and was helped by her own mischievous pal Josh – 14-year-old Joshua LLorente Fulljames of Careline Kids, who was seemingly plucked from the audience to make his first pantomime appearance.

However, Careline’s annual treat is a team effort with the whole cast, including the Chorus, Junior Chorus, dancers, and crew chipping in to make Jack and the Beanstalk such a spectacular event.

Bar helps out JALON’S POPULAR Terrace Bar is staging monthly live music evenings in aid of community charity Jalon Valley HELP. The opening night for the regular series of nights out is Friday 27th January at 8pm and tickets cost 9.50€ including a hot and cold buffet. Singer John Curtis will provide the entertainment, the Bay Radio presenter also being joined by a number of special guests. Tickets are available from the Terrace Bar (96 648 2514 or 626 817 062), Jalon’s Bar Ole, and the HELP charity shops in both Jalon and Alcalali.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Life

20 - 26 JAN 2012

37

The Lions and Millie Munro Services thank you for your generosity We would like to express our gratitude to all those people who have given generously to our Food Bank over the festive season.

We have collected a huge amount of food from many people. A special Big Thank you goes to Larry the Benitachell Mechanic and the Benitachell ladies Club whose donations were overwhelming!

The food was collected from our office in Benitachell on three occasions by John Evans who is a member of the Lions club (pictured in the yellow Lions waistcoat). John delivered to Serafina at Caritas (Spanish

Simon Nathaniel of Millie Munro Services shakes hands with John Evans Millie being presented a Certificate of Appreciation from the Lions

Charity) who was absolutely delighted to receive such a large amount of food, especially as she was able to distribute it in time for the Three Kings Celebration.

People are not just hungry at Christmas time but throughout the year too, so we will be continuing with our Food Bank all the year round to help stamp out

the hunger in our Community. Your continued help will be most appreciated. We are also collecting clothing and bedding to help the needy, so please feel free to drop off any unwanted items during our office hours between 9.30am and 2.30pm Monday to Friday, or if you wish us to collect, then please ring 966 493 082.

38

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life spanish The Letter

‘Q’

THE LETTER Q in Spanish does exactly the same thing as it does in English, that is, it always appears in combination with the letter U. However, the pronunciation in the two languages is different.

Whereas in English “qu” makes a “kw” sound, in Spanish it makes just the “k” sound alone. So, for example, cheese is pronounced like “keso” and not “kweso”. That’s why that question that Manuel always used to ask in Fawlty Towers is spelt “¿qué?”

If you remember back to the rules for pronouncing the letter “c”, you will know that the combination of “ce” and “ci” produce a “th” sound. Therefore whenever we need to write down a “ke” or “ki” sound in Spanish, we have to remove the “c” and replace it with a “qu”. That might sound a bit complicated so here’s a practical example. “Tabaco”, meaning tobacco, is spelt with a “c” which makes the “k” sound, however the word for a tobacconist is “tabaquero” (pronounced “tabakero”). Because the following vowel has changed from an “o” to an “e”, the “c” has to change to a “qu” to preserve the same “k” sound. If we kept the letter “c” there, it would end up being pronounced “tabathero”. That’s the best explanation I can manage I’m afraid, so it’ll have to do!

I couldn’t find quite so many related words beginning the “qu” in both languages as usual. Here are a few recognisably similar ones: química (chemistry), quimioterapia, (chemotherarpy) quiropractía (chiropractice) Out of curiosity you might be interested to know that cockerels in Spain do not say “cock-a-doodle-do”, but “quiquiriquí” although I don’t know if anyone has told the cockerels this.

I was more successful in finding some “false friends” or as I prefer to call them “estranged cousins”. For example, the verb “quitar” means “to remove” and not “to quit”. From this word “quitar” we get some interesting combinations, all connected

Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

with removing something, for example: “quitamanchas” (stain remover), “quitaesmalte” (nail varnish remover), “quitamiedos” (lit. fear-remover, and meaning railings in high or dangerous places) “quitanieves” (snow plough), “quitasol” (sun shade), “quitapenas” (lit. pain or sadness remover, and meaning spirits or liquor), “quitasueños” (lit. sleep-remover, and meaning worry or anxiety that keeps you awake at night).

Another false friend is “quieto” which means “still” and not “quiet”. For example, when a Spanish person tells a child to keep still, they say “¡Estáte quieto!” The word in Spanish for “quiet” is “callado”, for example: “He’s a very quiet child” is “Es un niño muy callado”.

One of the most useful words ever in Spanish has been referred to already, that is “que”. It can mean “What?” as a question, in which case it has to be spelt with an accent “Qué” (¿Qué quieres?

– What do you want?). Without the accent it can mean “what” in an embedded question (Le pregunté qué quería - I asked him what he wanted). Even more usefully it can mean “that” in a multitude of different contexts when two parts of a sentence are being joined together (Voy a decirle que no quiero jugar – I’m going to tell him that I don’t want to play). It comes up in many short phrases: (Creo que sí” – I think so; Creo que no – I don’t think so). Again with the accent it can also been used to make exclamations, for example ¡Qué horror! (How awful!); ¡Qué pena! (What a pity!); ¡Qué calor! (literally “What heat!” but we would say “Isn’t it hot!”) and ¡Qué frío! (literally “What cold!” but we would say “Isn’t it cold!”). We can also combine noun and adjective in an exclamation by adding the word “más”. For example: ¡Qué mujer más simpática! (What a nice woman!)

Notice that the adjectives are susceptible as usual to masculine, feminine, singular or plural changes, and also notice that in the written form we open the exclamations with an “upside down” exclamation mark. Practically all nouns and adjectives could be used as exclamations, simply by adding “Qué”, which I think is rather neat, and should give you hours of fun thinking up your own!

And to finish off, as usual, I have a popular saying with a Q-word in it. It is: “querer es poder”, which literally translates as “to want is to be able”, and is the equivalent of our English saying: “Where there’s a will there’s a way”. I hope that’s your attitude when it comes to learning Spanish!

The Grumpy Tweet Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton: I have worked out that I probably love about 12 people in the world, I like about 35, I don’t mind about 100, the rest of u, well can jog on.

The Challenge Floyd Mayweather @FloydMayweather: Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see.

The Thankyou Harry Styles @Harry_Styles: I cannot believe we are up for a BRIT!! It’s incredible what you guys have done for us..thank you so much. We love you!! #1D4BritishSingle The Funny Tweets Rio Ferdinand @rioferdy5: My lil man just got changed out of his PJ’s+into a man utd kit for bed on the sly then fell asleep on the step...had to laugh at the sight!

Ian Botham @BeefyBotham : She who must be obeyed is cooking the pheasant’s and mother is raiding the wine cellar... happy days..!!

The Awkward Moment Martin Lewis @MartinSLewis: Just had a woman come up to me crying (am out having coffee) about finances. Wasn’t easy, chatted for 15mins but am on deadline :(

Life books

Danny Collins - copy@dannyjpcollins.com

The Redbreast JO NESBØ is Norwegian and his text has been translated effortlessly and flawlessly by a man named Dob Bartlett. I say flawlessly because it reads like an English whodunit written in a very personal style that found me at one with the hero, Inspector Harry Hole, as he suffers professional embarrassment – he shoots a US Secret

Service agent who’s where he shouldn’t be during a state visit – and gets little sympathy from his bosses as he struggles to convince them that a rare high-calibre rifle being smuggled into the country is of a type favoured by assassins.

Woven into the plot is the background of Norway’s dubious role in World War II when over 100,000 Norwegians joined the Waffen SS and fought for Nazi Germany. In reality it’s a seldom discussed debate that touches a raw spot in a country where right-wing politics are still to the fore and Nesbø treats the subject with delicacy, speaking through his well-drawn characters but nonetheless getting the point across.

An old defector who served on the Eastern Front hides behind a mysterious personality who may have died from a Russian bullet or may still be alive, plotting his revenge on those who deserted his country when Europe’s heart was torn out between National Socialism and the Soviets.

I found the plot and background intriguing and was gripped to the last page when all was revealed. As for Harry Hole, he manages to solve the case, catch the assassin, and sort his life out – and the US agent survived: a recommended read.

Author: Jo Nesbø Publisher: Vintage (paperback) Price: 10.20€ ISBN: 978 0 099 47854 6

Suduko Answer

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20- 26 JAN 2012

Life health

Osteoarthritis in Joints of the lower limb IN MY last article I described what OA was but there is too much to cover in one go so this article will describe what happens in the weight bearing joints.

HIP Osteoarthritis can occur in both hips but is more likely to affect one. Everyone relates OA to old age but it’s actually a result of different causes which develop throughout life and don’t present themselves until mid life.

These causes can be congenital which may alter the hip alignment. An injury or break predisposes the area to OA Symptoms: Pain from the hip is often felt in the groin, the outside of the buttock or thigh and not uncommonly referred to the knee. Many patients insist the problem is the knee when in fact the hip is the culprit.

The hip is a deep socket joint so when the changes occur movement becomes restricted. The first to show this is rotation of the leg inwards. Outward movement and later backward and forward movement becomes restricted. Because of the pain and the inability to carry the leg backward and sideways an ‘adduction deformity’ leads to shortening of the leg. Consequently walking

is affected, the body leaning to the affected side. Because of the altered mechanical stress, the spine is frequently affected causing problems for diagnoses. This is an important factor when considering surgery.

Treatment: Early Physiotherapy plays an important role in delaying the need for a replacement Pain relief is possible with the use of electro therapy techniques Mobilisation of the joints and prevention of deformity by exercise and advice Strengthening the muscles Re-education of gait and posture correction Aiding functional independence Hip replacement gives excellent results.

Being prepared before surgery cannot be stressed enough. Returning to normal activity is so much quicker if the patient follows a Physio program before and after surgery.

KNEE OA may occur in the area between the patella and the femur, or on the outside or inside of the knee.

Patella-femoral arthritis can occur on its own or following disease of the knee joint. It typically gives pain on the front of the knee only.

Initiating factors in arthritis include

39

Joan McLellan M.C.S.P S.R.P Grad Dip

fractures, instability due to ligament damage, or to severe lateral deformities. Removal of the cartilage or patella are common predisposing factors.

Now that arthroscopy enables the surgeon to remove only the torn part of the cartilage as opposed to the entire cartilage the later problem of OA is greatly reduced.

Symptoms: Pain is mostly marked in weight bearing activities, stairs in particular Muscle wasting especially in the quadriceps becomes apparent In later stages bending becomes limited and lack of full extension develops Creaking and clicking noises are common In really bad cases the knee becomes deformed in that it bends inwards sideways Treatment: Relief of pain using heat or ice and electric frequencies Maintaining the range of movement ensuring active exercises for full extension Strengthening all the muscles surrounding the knee Gait re-education: Walking aids may be needed and trained in their use Only when pain and inability to cope occurs is a knee replacement considered

THE FEET The most commonly affected joint is the big toe. This is due to the force put on the joint on ‘take off’ during walking.

Osteophytes form. These are bony growths which cause deformity and pain. Specially adapted footwear can help but in severe cases surgery is the only answer. The two most effective procedures are arthrodeses or osteotomy which is joint fusion or making the toe rigid. Both have good results.

Arthritis in other parts of the foot is usually the result of some injury in the past.

Comfortable shoes and anti inflammatory drugs help control the pain.

This article has been written by Joan McLellan a physiotherapist since 1974. Joan has surgeries at the L’Ancora Tennis Club in Javea, at the Clinica Britannia in Calpe, and at the Family Medical Centre in Albir, and she will also do home visits whenever necessary. For more information call 609 954 237 or email joan.mclellan@gmail.com

40

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life health

Torrevieja Town Hall to turn out to support

eye health seminars

Shape up and tone up in 2012 12

REPRESENTATIVES FROM Torrevieja Town Hall are to attend Specsavers Opticas’ free eye health seminars on 26th January to show their support for this important initiative.

These seminars mark Glaucoma Awareness Month and will educate the community on how to spot the signs of glaucoma and cataracts and how to care for their eyes.

Rosario Martínez, from the Department for Foreigners and Youth; Agustina Esteve, from the Department of Commerce; and Graham Knight, Director of the International Residents Office at the Torrevieja Town Hall will all be attending the seminar.

Iain Bennett, president of Torrevieja Costa Lions Club, will also be in attendance. As part of their ongoing support of The Lions Club, Specsavers will be presenting him with their collection of second hand glasses for people in the Third World.

Store Director Colin Evans explains why they have decided to hold these seminars: “We believe that prevention is better than cure when it comes to eye health and this is certainly the case with glaucoma. If glaucoma is identified early it can be treated via eye drops, but as vision loss occurs gradually, it is often only recognised at an advanced stage. Unfortunately vision loss from glaucoma cannot be recovered, so it’s vital that it is identified early. We hope by providing these free seminars during Glaucoma Month we can help people spot the signs of glaucoma and cataracts and get treatment before their vision is impaired and we’re delighted that the Torrevieja Town Hall and The Lions Club are offering their support for this important cause. ” The free seminars will be held in Specsavers Opticas Torrevieja, Avenida Rosa Mazon Valero (Opposite Habaneras Shopping Centre) on 26th January at 11am in English and at 6pm in Spanish. They will be presented by their professional opticians and cover the early detection of glaucoma and cataracts and general eye health issues: call 96 692 7249 to reserve your place.

By Patricia Thompson I AM the type of person that makes every excuse possible to get out of exercising so when I was invited by Paul from Shape & Tone in Los Alcázares to experience a trial on their state of the art Pilates toning tables, to say I was reluctant is an understatement. However, under the expert guidance of Paul I soon realised that using the whole experience was actually - dare I say – enjoyable!

What I had not appreciated was that the toning tables incorporate Pilates which is great for everyone whether you are young or old and especially beneficial for people recovering from injury, with have limited mobility or someone like myself who is basically out of condition and doesn’t like the gym.

As well as toning your body, a regular program will increase flexibility and mobility and can help improve blood circulation to name just a few benefits. And all this is done in a very relaxed and friendly environment.

So if you want to improve your shape and tone up in 2012 then give Shape & Tone a call on 661 002 648 and they will be happy to arrange for a free trial.

42

20-26 JAN 2012

Life showbiz goss

w

by

Peter Taylor

Writer and Broadcaster

ater they on about FIRST OF all there´s the ridiculous; then there´s the completely stupid; then there´s the totally insane and then there´s the story you are about to read that centres around Tom Cruise and his girlfriend Kate Holmes.

Late last week a small bottle of water appeared on Ebay that is claimed to contain water from the swimming pool of Tom and Kate’s Miami Beach property, and was on sale for £78 or near offer. The seller said: “There is a limited supply of this special water” … no! I´m not making this up! … The story goes on to say: “There is a 5 x 7 print of Tom swimming in the pool with Kate by his side as a certificate of authenticity!” … God´s honest! … That’s what it says! … How the hell does a photo provide authenticity?

The story contained even more tripe banging on about how special the water is, but the worst part of all of this nonsense is that at the time of writing 6 separate bids for what is surely just tap water had been placed.

What is the matter with people? Don’t they realise that folks in show business are just people like you and me who got a lucky break, some talented, rather a lot who are not, and to hold them in such reverence suggests they need to get out more!

You stupid boy!

Just when I was thinking that Baby Boy Bieber had finally got his act together due to news of his activities almost having gone to nothing, up he pops, and it’s not good for the kid, as he´s been going on about Jesus and religion, and showing some early signs of paranoia. He was quoted as saying: “People who go to church do it just to say they have been to church.” … oh dear … that’s an end to the record sales in the Bible belt then.

The Jesus reference comes from the fact that the wee laddie has admitted to having a tattoo of the man from Bethlehem on his calf and one in Hebrew somewhere on his torso. In the same newspaper article the 17-year-old then went on about how everyone is out to get him, and so we arrive at paranoia boy.

The father suit issue is ongoing with 21-year-old Mariah Yeater still claiming he is the father of her child to which the kiddo said: “Everyone wants to bring me down … everyone´s trying to tug at me … trying to take my spot!” would that be a reference to his acne I ask myself … eugh!

The Royal we One gets the feeling the Royal Household is closing ranks with regard to Kate Middleton´s sister Pippa, as when the Duchess of Cambridge had her 30th birthday last week instead of Pippa joining in the celebrations she was at work as usual, and what makes the snub even more snubbie, is that Pippa´s job is a Party Planner! … It’s the family business and is how sister Kate met William. Poor old Pippa was photographed walking around in London on the day of the

party wearing dark sunglasses, and it was a horrible dull day as well. Most of us recall how badly William’s mother Lady Diana was treated by the royals and now here we have her son homing in on the throne and still there´s an undercurrent of bad behavior. (Spoken with a plum in one´s mouth) One has to realise that one commoner person in the family is enough at one time… and that’s what one has decided… just the one … that’s what one has decided … one has.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Life TV

20-26 JAN 2012

43

20th - 26th January

Friday 20th January 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 Saints and Scroungers 12:45 Britain’s Empty Homes 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; Weather 16:05 Deadly 60 16:30 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab: The Experiments 16:35 Wingin’ It 17:00 All Over the Place 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 23:35 Graham Norton Show 24:20 The National Lottery Friday Night Draws

07:00 Childrens TV 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Copycats 09:25 LazyTown 09:50 Lulu Zipadoo 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Bob’s Mini Projects 10:50 Uki 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Little Charley Bear 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Wibbly Pig 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 Live Snooker 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Live Snooker 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 On Hannibal’s Trail 22:00 Sicily Unpacked 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 24:00 Weather 24:05 Snooker

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

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:25 According to Jim 09:20 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:50 Frasier 10:20 Frasier 10:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Vacation, V acation, Vacation 14:35 Bad Day at Black Rock 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:30 4thought.tv 20:35 Come Dine with Me 21:30 New Girl 22:00 The Million Pound Drop Live 23:35 Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night 24:35 Rude Tube

07:00 Childrens TV 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Mio Mao 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Milkshake! Monkey 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 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:15 Secrets in the Walls 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 21:00 World’s Toughest Trucker 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Celebrity Wedding Planner 24:00 Celebrity Big Brother 24:35 Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Emmerdale 08:15 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 Holiday Showdown 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Emmerdale 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Holiday Showdown 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 20:00 All Star Family Fortunes 21:00 You’ve Been Framed!

21:30 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 22:00 American Idol 23:00 Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Smallville 08:35 Wildfire 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 90210 11:20 Smallville 12:15 Desperate Housewives 13:10 Greek 14:10 Scrubs 14:40 Scrubs 15:05 Hollyoaks 15:40 90210 16:30 Desperate Housewives 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Scrubs 18:30 Scrubs 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Desperate Scousewives 22:00 Big Momma’s House 24:00 Playing It Straight

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions with Ann Brown.

18.30 Let’s Talk – with Simon Baldock – Orihuela Councillor Martina Scheurer & The Voodoos 19.00 An Evening With...

Joe Longthorne in Torrevieja 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Loose Women 17.40

Non Stop Music, 14.00

SATURDAY 21st January BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Breakfast

07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Zigby 07:25 Finley the Fire Engine 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 Pixelface 09:35 Prank Patrol Down Under 10:00 Deadly 60 10:30 Barney’s Latin America 11:00 Animals at Work 11:30 Trapped Ever After 12:00 Hacker Time 12:25 OOglies 12:40 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 Whale Rider 14:35 Fire Down Below 16:30 Escape to the Country 17:30 Live Snooker 18:30 Pappano’s Essential Tosca 19:30 Flog It! 20:30 Dad’s Army 21:00 Live Snooker 23:30 Doubt

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 10:25 ITV News 10:35 Richie Rich 12:25 This Morning: Saturday 13:25 Murder, She Wrote 14:30 Murder, She Wrote 15:30 ITV News and Weather 15:45 Animals Do the Funniest Things 16:45 Jurassic Park III 18:30 Granada News and Weather 18:45 ITV News and Weather 19:00 You’ve Been Framed!

19:30 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 20:00 Take Me Out 21:15 The Talent Show Story 22:15 The Jonathan Ross Show 23:15 ITV News and Weather 23:30 Celebrity Juice 24:15 Inside I’m Dancing

07:05 Sali Mali 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freesports on 4 08:25 GT Academy 08:55 The Morning Line 09:55 Everybody’s Talking About 10:25 Live and Lost 10:55 The Big Bang Theory 11:25 Desperate Scousewives 12:25 The Simpsons 12:55 New Girl 13:25 Playing It Straight 14:25 The Big Bang Theory 14:55 Channel 4 Racing 17:20 Channel 4 Presents 17:25 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Channel 4 News 19:00 4thought.tv 19:05 Fame 21:15 The Million Pound Drop Live 22:50 The Transporter 2 24:30 The Abyss

07:00 Childrens TV 07:50 Castle Farm 07:55 Igam Ogam 08:05 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:15 The Milkshake! Show 08:30 Make Way for Noddy 08:45 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 08:55 Little Princess 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 Animal Rescue Squad 11:20 It’s All About Amy 12:20 Celebrity Big Brother 13:20 Celebrity Big Brother 13:50 Along Came Polly 15:30 55 Days at Peking 18:30 Joe Kidd 20:10 5 News Weekend 20:15 NCIS 21:15 Celebrity Big Brother 22:15 Made of Honor 24:10 Celebrity Wedding Planner

07:00 Coronation Street 09:05 Emmerdale 12:00 Take Me Out 13:15 Take Me Out: The Gossip 14:00 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 14:30 Happy Feet 16:35 American Idol 18:25 American Idol 19:25 The Borrowers 21:15 Take Me Out: The Gossip 22:00 Notting Hill 24:25 Analyze This

07:00 Switched 07:25 Switched 07:45 Switched Up! 08:40 Dirty Sexy Things 09:40 Supernanny USA 10:35 Supernanny USA 11:30 Gok’s Fashion Fix 12:35 Supernanny USA 13:30 Supernanny USA 14:25 Hollyoaks 17:00 Desperate Scousewives 18:05 Scrubs 18:35 Scrubs 19:05 The Big Bang Theory 19:35 The Big Bang Theory 20:05 Happy Endings 20:35 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Rules of Engagement 21:35 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 Beverly Hills Cop 24:10 The Big Bang Theory 24:35 The Big Bang Theory

14.00 Non Stop Music

11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:15 Football Focus 14:00 Live Snooker 17:30 Final Score 18:15 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:35 Winter Wipeout 19:35 The Magicians 20:50 The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 21:40 Casualty 22:30 Live at the Apollo 23:00 BBC News and Weather 23:20 Match of the Day 24:45 The Football League Show

Happy Feet, 14.30

16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions with Ann Brown.

18.30 Let’s Talk – with Simon Baldock – Orihuela Councillor Martina Scheurer & The Voodoos 19.00 An Evening With...

Joe Longthorne in Torrevieja 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Shopping and Info 16.00

Sunday 22nd January BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

07:00 Breakfast

07:00 Little Robots

07:00 Mini CITV

07:10 The Hoobs

08:30 Match of the Day

07:10 Zigby

08:25 CITV

10:00 Andrew Marr Show

07:25 Finley the Fire Engine

10:25 ITV News

11:00 The Big Questions

07:35 Octonauts

10:30 Ade in Britain

07:45 Everything’s Rosie

11:30 Dinner Date

08:00 Richard

12:30 Dickinson’s

Hammond’s Blast Lab

Real Deal

08:30 Dennis & Gnasher

13:30 ITV News

12:00 Country Tracks 13:00 Sunday Politics 14:00 EastEnders 15:55 The Royal Bodyguard

08:40 Scooby-Doo Show

16:25 Escape to the Country

09:05 Paradise Cafe

17:25 Songs of Praise

09:30 Wingin’ It

18:00 Olympic Dreams

10:00 Friday Download

18:30 Antiques Roadshow

11:00 Something

19:30 BBC News; Regional

for the Weekend

News and Weather

12:30 The High

20:00 Countryfile

and the Mighty

21:00 Call the Midwife 22:00 Birdsong 23:25 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:50 Match of the Day 2 24:55 Room 101: Extra Storage

14:50 Live Snooker

and Weather 13:40 Murder, She Wrote 14:45 Columbo 16:45 Vera 18:40 Granada News and Weather 18:55 ITV News and Weather 19:10 Dancing on Ice 21:30 Wild at Heart

17:45 Ski Sunday

22:30 Dancing on Ice:

18:30 Porridge

he Skate Off

19:00 The Last Explorers

23:00 That Sunday 20:00 The Many Faces of... Night Show 21:00 Live Snooker 23:30 ITV News 24:00 Frank and Weather Skinner’s Opinionated 23:45 Alexander

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Childrens TV 08:35 Make Way for Noddy 07:35 The Hoobs 08:45 Bert and Ernie’s 08:00 Freesports on 4 Great Adventures 08:30 Channel 4 Presents 08:55 Little Princess 09:05 Olivia 08:35 That Paralympic Show 09:20 The Adventures of 09:00 One Tree Hill Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:50 Hollyoaks 09:30 Angelina Ballerina 12:20 The Big Bang Theory 09:45 Rupert Bear 12:55 Shipwrecked 10:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 13:55 The Simpsons 10:15 The Mr Men Show 14:35 The Simpsons 10:30 Roary the 15:05 Ladyhawke Racing Car 10:40 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 17:25 Deal or No Deal 11:00 Zoo Days 18:25 Channel 4 News 11:05 Meerkat Manor 18:55 4thought.tv 11:35 Grey’s Anatomy 12:30 Celebrity Big Brother 19:00 Time Team 13:30 Benidorm ER 20:00 Hugh’s Three 14:30 Police Academy Hungry Boys 3: Back in Training 16:05 Little Man 21:00 The Hotel 17:55 Ace Ventura: 22:00 127 Hours When Nature Calls 23:50 Chris Moyles’ 19:40 Spider-Man 22:05 World’s Quiz Night 22:55 5 News 24:40 Ben Elton: 23:00 Celebrity Big Brother 24:00 Single White Female Laughing at the 80s

itv2

E4

VIVA TV

07:00 Nanny 911

07:00 Switched Up!

07:45 Emmerdale

07:55 Supernanny USA

10:35 Coronation Street

08:45 Supernanny USA

12:55 Winners & Losers

09:40 Gok’s Clothes

13:50 Winners & Losers

Roadshow: Get the

14:40 The Biggest Loser

Look for Less

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 The Passion Play – Interpretation of local author’s story 18.30 Mixed Marriages – The challenges of an inter-cultural marriage in Spain 19.00 Let’s Talk – with Simon Baldock – Olympic Medal hope Bianca Bam Bam 19.30 The Wedding Show – The Photographer 19.45 Spanish Eye – Cabo de Palos on the Costa Calida 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

15:45 Back to the Future 18:00 *batteries not included 20:05 Ice Age: the Meltdown 22:00 Winners & Losers

10:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix 11:50 Supernanny USA 12:50 Supernanny USA 13:40 Gok’s Fashion Fix 14:50 Privileged

23:00 Miss Congeniality 2: 15:40 Make It or Break It 16:40 Being Erica Armed & Fabulous 17:40 Samantha Who? 18:10 Taxi 20:10 90210 21:05 David Blaine: Magic Man 22:00 Desperate Housewives 23:00 Desperate Ice Age: The Meltdown, 20.05

Housewives 24:00 Rude Tube

The Wedding Show, 19.30

44

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life TV

20th - 26th January

monday 23rd January 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 Saints and Scroungers 12:45 Britain’s Empty Homes 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 The Big Performance 16:35 Wingin’ It 17:00 All Over the Place 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 Royal Bodyguard 22:30 Mrs Brown’s Boys 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 A Question of Sport 24:05 Late Kick Off

07:00 Childrens TV 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Bob’s Mini Projects 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Wibbly Pig 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Bowls 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 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Baking Made Easy 20:30 A Question of Taste 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 An Island Parish 22:00 The Real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines: A Wonderland Film 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 American Football

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 Cornwall with Caroline Quentin 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Above Suspicion 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 That Sunday Night Show 24:10 Law & Order: UK

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 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 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 12:00 Secret Location 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 14:05 Channel 4 Presents 14:10 River Cottage Bites 14:30 Passport to Pimlico 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 SuperScrimpers 22:00 Coppers 23:00 Party Paramedics 24:05 Random Acts 24:10 Shameless

07:00 Childrens TV 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 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 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:15 Jane Doe 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 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Celebrity Wedding Planner 24:00 Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

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 Nanny 911 11:25 The Hot Desk 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 The 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 You’ve Been Framed!

22:00 Deep Blue Sea 24:10 Analyze This

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Smallville 08:35 Wildfire 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 90210 11:25 Smallville 12:15 Desperate Housewives 13:10 Greek 14:10 Scrubs 14:40 Scrubs 15:05 Hollyoaks 15:40 90210 16:30 Desperate Housewives 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Scrubs 18:30 Scrubs 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 Inland Spain - Calasparra 18.30 The Barcelona Boat Show 19.00 Let’s Talk – with Simon Baldock – 80’s star Yazz 19.30 The Wedding Show – The Car 19.45 Spanish Eye – The WWF in Cartagena 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Let’s Talk – with Simon Baldock–80’s star Yazz 19.00

tuesday 24th January 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 Saints and Scroungers 12:45 Britain’s Empty Homes 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 The Big Performance 16:35 Wingin’ It 17:00 All Over the Place 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 MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Death Row Dogs 24:30 Open Range

07:00 Childrens TV 09:25 LazyTown 09:50 Lulu Zipadoo 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Bob’s Mini Projects 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Wibbly Pig 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Bowls 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 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Escape to the Country 20:30 Match of the Day Live 23:00 Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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 Farewell Becky 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 Homes from Hell 2009

07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Undercover Boss USA 10:55 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 12:00 Secret Location 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 14:05 River Cottage Bites 14:20 Blithe Spirit 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 The Fat Fighters 22:00 15 Kids and Counting 23:00 Shameless 24:05 Desperate Housewives

07:00 Childrens TV 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 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 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Uncorked 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 Cowboy Builders 22:00 Body of Proof 23:00 Celebrity Big Brother 24:00 Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

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 11:25 The Hot Desk 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 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 20:30 You’ve Been Framed!

21:00 Winners & Losers 22:00 The Shawshank Redemption 24:50 Harry Hill’s TV Burp

07:00 Life Unexpected 07:45 Smallville 08:35 Wildfire 09:30 Life Unexpected 10:25 90210 11:20 Smallville 12:10 Desperate Housewives 13:10 Greek 14:05 Scrubs 14:35 Scrubs 15:05 Hollyoaks 15:35 90210 16:30 Desperate Housewives 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Scrubs 18:25 Scrubs 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:35 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Shipwrecked 22:00 90210 23:00 The Cleveland Show 23:30 The Cleveland Show 24:00 Rude Tube

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions with Ann Brown – Health 18.30 Let’s Talk Special – Eddie Wallace 19.00 Real England – Northants 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

RealEngland–Northants, 19.00

wednesday 25th January 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 Saints and Scroungers 12:45 Britain’s Empty Homes 13:13 BBC News 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News 16:05 The Big Performance 16:35 Wingin’ It 17:00 All Over the Place 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 DIY SOS 22:00 MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:35 The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Film 2012 with Claudia Winkleman 24:25 League Cup Show

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:20 The Large Family 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Bob’s Mini Projects 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Wibbly Pig 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 See Hear 14:30 Live Bowls 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 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Hairy Bikers’ Best of British 21:00 Natural World 22:00 The Crusades 23:00 Have I Got News for You 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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 The National Television Awards 2012 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 The Constant Gardener

07:10 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 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 12:00 Secret Location 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 14:05 River Cottage Bites 14:25 The Belles of St Trinian’s 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 How to Cook Like Heston 21:30 The Fabulous Baker Brothers 22:00 One Born Every Minute 23:00 The Channel 4 Mash Up 23:35 Run Fatboy Run

07:00 Childrens TV 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:40 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 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 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:10 Honeymoon with Mom 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 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Jodie Marsh Bullied: My Secret Past 24:00 Celebrity Big Brother 24:30 Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

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 11:25 The Hot Desk 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 Piers Morgan’s Life Stories 23:00 National Television Awards: The Party 24:00 Rumor Has It..

07:00 Life Unexpected 07:45 Smallville 08:35 Wildfire 09:30 Life Unexpected 10:25 90210 11:20 Smallville 12:10 Desperate Housewives 13:10 Greek 14:05 Scrubs 14:35 Scrubs 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 90210 16:30 Desperate Housewives 17:30 Rules of Engagement 18:00 Scrubs 18:30 Scrubs 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 Simpsons Movie 22:45 Rude Tube

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 Costa Blanca Life – Different aspects of living on the Costa Blanca 19.00 Learn the Lingo – Spanish Lessons 19.15 Royal Britain 19.25 A short tour of Alcoy 19.30 Hip Hop Alicante Style 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Learn the Lingo – Spanish Lessons, 19.00

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Crossword Solutions 639

QUICK SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS

Across: 1 Acknowledge; 9 Pan; 10 Vigilance; 11 Recur; 13

Across: 1 Second-class; 9 Aid; 10 Lower-case; 11 Picks; 13

Apparel; 14 Ponder; 16 Beaten; 18 Imagine; 19 Cadet; 20

Amiable; 14 Minute; 16 Uglier; 18 Deepest; 19 Might; 20

Tangerine; 21 Gun; 22 Protagonist.

Underhand; 21 Pen; 22 Prime number.

Down: 2 Con; 3 Never; 4 Wigwam; 5 Ellipse; 6 Generated; 7

Down: 2 End; 3 Ogles; 4 Dewlap; 5 Larking; 6 Shambling; 7

Appropriate; 8 Wellingtons; 12 Container; 15 Eminent; 17

Happy medium; 8 Penetrating; 12 Contender; 15 Theorem;

Sewing; 19 Clean; 21 Gas.

17 Strain; 19 Madam; 21 Pie.

Wordwheel: CHAUFFEUR

45

thursday 26th January 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 Saints and Scroungers 12:45 Britain’s Empty Homes 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 The Big Performance 16:35 Wingin’ It 17:00 All Over the Place 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 Earthflight 22:00 Crimewatch 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Crimewatch Update 23:45 Question Time 24:45 This Week

07:00 Childrens TV 10:35 Guess with Jess 10:45 Bob’s Mini Projects 10:50 Louie 10:55 Same Smile 11:10 Chuggington: Badge Quest 11:15 64 Zoo Lane 11:30 Wibbly Pig 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Bowls 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 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Hairy Bikers’ Best of British 21:00 Saxon Hoard: A Golden Discovery 22:00 Putin, Russia & the West 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Eternal Law 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 The Jonathan Ross Show 24:35 Party People

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 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 12:00 Secret Location 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 14:10 The Third Man 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 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 Japan’s Tsunami: Caught on Camera 24:25 Random Acts 24:30 Coppers

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 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Milkshake! Monkey 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 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 12:40 5 News Lunchtime 12:45 Celebrity Big Brother 13:45 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:10 Bridge of Time 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Building the Ice Hotel 21:00 World’s 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side 24:00 It’s All About Amy

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 11:25 The Hot Desk 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 The Exit List 21:00 Help! I Caught It Abroad 22:00 American Idol 23:00 American Idol 24:00 Ghosthunting with The Only Way Is Essex

07:00 Life Unexpected 07:45 Smallville 08:30 Wildfire 09:30 Life Unexpected 10:25 90210 11:20 Smallville 12:10 Desperate Housewives 13:10 Greek 14:05 Scrubs 14:35 Scrubs 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:35 90210 16:30 Desperate Housewives 17:25 Rules of Engagement 17:55 Scrubs 18:25 Scrubs 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 24:20 The Big Bang Theory

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 Viva Vitality - shaping up for the New Year 18.30 Guardamar’s Moors & Christians 19.30 Hayes Guide - Santa Pola 20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

Guardamar’sMoors& Christians, 18.30

46

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life music

Janice Harrington Concerts in Murcia AMERICAN SINGER Janice Harrington will be visiting Spain during the first week of February. She will be performing a series of concerts with the Brinck Johnsen / Ramon Climent Quartet. Janice is a renowned singer of jazz, blues and gospel who resides in Lüneburg, Germany. She performed at the XVI Jazz Festival in Murcia in 1996.

Ms. Harrington’s international career began in 1969 with tours for the USO to South East Asia, where she entertained USA military personnel during the Vietnam War. Throughout 1975 to 1977, she appeared at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel.

She has worked with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and

CostaVibes Tony Poole Lionel Hampton, who told her, “Two Aries should not work together. You should get your own show.”

She did exactly that in 1980, when she relocated to Europe.

In 1982, she was the opening act for Joan Armatrading in Oslo. She accepted an invitation to sing for Bishop Desmond Tutu in Oslo after he received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1989, she performed with the Kenn Lending Blues Band as the opening act for B. B. King in Copenhagen.

In 1993, Ms. Harrington toured Switzerland with Big Jay McNeely. As a Jazz performer, she has appeared with Nat Adderley, Papa Bue’s Royal Viking Jazzband, the Humphrey Lyttleton Band and the Dutch Swing College Band. Ms. Harrington has also appeared with the Danish Radio Big Band, the Oslo Radio Big Band, the German NDR Radio Big Band and the Ljubljana Radio Big Band. Her latest CD is a tribute to Dinah Washington titled ‘Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’.

Her band for the concerts features Norwegian saxophonist Brinck Johnsen, pianist Ramon Climent, bass player Sergio David Valcarcèl, and drummer Raul Garcia, all regular contributors to the jazz scene on the Costa Blanca.

She will be performing at the Auditorio de Algezares, south of the city of Murcia, on Wednesday 1st February, followed by La Puerta Falsa in Murcia on Friday 3rd February. Then, at the Restaurant Asturias at Punta Prima, Orihuela Costa, on Sunday 5th February.

Other news: Músicas del Alma, San Javier´s winter music festival, has been cancelled. Alberto Nieto, the Festival Director of Jazz San Javier recently issued a statement on their website: “Due to budget cuts stemming from the economic crisis, the San Javier Town Council has decided to cancel the 2012 edition of Músicas del Alma. Meanwhile, organisers continue to work on preparing the already confirmed 15th edition of the San Javier International Jazz Festival, which will be held throughout the month of July.”

As I predicted in a December article, budget cuts would threaten our jazz festivals this year. It would have been the XII edition of this now established annual event, but instead has become an early new year’s casualty of town hall financial cut backs. Although assurance has been given to this summer’s festival, it remains to be seen if it, and other festivals in Murcia, will be affected.

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

the Man

DAN THE Man, a ‘legend in his own mind’, is very entertaining and one of the most sought after acts on the Costa Blanca.

His show is a mixture of music, comedy and always involves the audience. From Reggae to Soul, pop to rock this entertainer will def leave you with a smile on your face. He never takes himself seriously - his emphasis is on fun and entertaining his audience. Whatever the occasion, Dan will make sure his musical performance will leave you wanting more.For further details call Phoenix Promotions on 677 222 352.

Smithy

‘SMITHY’, OTHERWISE known as Ian Smith, has been performing along the Costas for some time now, playing electric 12-string guitar and accompanied by high quality backing tracks to give a great sound. He sings songs that are great to sing along or dance to, from a wide variety of sources and genres with examples being – Eagles, Beatles, Neil Diamond, Everly Bros, Billy Ocean, Drifters, Status Quo, Johnny Cash, Robbie

Williams, Mavericks, Garth Brooks, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Showaddywaddy and many, many more.

He is a very versatile act with a performance that can offer a 50s/60s/70s set; a Country Music set; a Rock ‘n’ Roll set; an Irish Set or just a great variety of styles to suit most tastes. Great for pubs, clubs and private parties: any venue for any occasion.

For further details telephone Phoenix Promotions on 677 222 352.

Out About and

Dan

17TH JANUARY - Big Dave’s Race Night, Catorce restaurant, Benijofar

18TH JANUARY - Saviours of Soul, Marianos Restaraunt, Camposol Mazarron 20TH JANUARY - Connor, Cagneys, La Marina 21ST JANUARY - Enigma Karaoke, O’Duills Gran Alicant - Smooth Groove, Bar Imanyo, Daya Nueva - Jimmy Mac, Meroil, Catral - Debbie B, Shandon Bells, Villamartin Plaza - Shirelle, Catorce Restaurant, Benijofar

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Life food

5 Star how much?

20 - 26 JAN 2012

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

OKAY, SO by now you must have some idea just about how much I dislike parties be they mine or indeed anyone else’s. Christmas, Office, Anniversary, Children’s and especially birthday parties can come and go without any involvement or interference from me, unless of course we’re earning from it.

So how do you think I felt when I came back to my 5 star hotel room to find it full of balloons with every surface covered in birthday cards, cake, presents and decent Champagne?

We have never been able to plan our own birthday parties as we never know where we will be at any given time.

Friends and families cards are collected from different places spread over a period of time as no-one knows where to send the cards.

As this last birthday was to be a bit more significant we had plans to be in Boston at a well used steakhouse restaurant but as usual last minute delays meant changes so we arranged to meet some friends in a five star hotel in London for a couple of days after a last minute crossing of the Bay of Biscay on a ferry. It all started so well: having driven from Portsmouth to London we checked in and I would have felt better about tipping the bloke who took my bags from the car to the desk if he had been there to pack them in the first place or helped me drag them the length and breadth of the ferry while we searched for our cabin. Anyway we found our foodie friends already in the

Hotel spa and arranged to meet in the bar after a quick shower and freshen up.

Now while the room was very swish overlooking the Thames together with its own helipad, just turning on the lights seemed to require a degree in something I don’t appear to have. Once in the bar we encountered ‘up-selling’ as our bog standard scotch and soda nearly turned out to be made with a rare malt - having added the words ‘house scotch’ just in time it then came served with lemonade. Five Star, Really.

Like 70% of all hotel guests we ate out, and ate well, along with a couple of bottles of wine.

On our return to the hotel bar our friends decided on a bottle of Champagne to celebrate having pinned us down for a birthday treat for the first time in years. Then came the second ‘up-sell’ - having ordered a reasonably priced house Champagne we were served the much more expensive Cristal at several hundreds of pounds, only spotted when he went to sign the bill.

At breakfast we waited for over an hour before we got what I can only describe as the most disappointing food offering ever. Now there is nothing to date that turns my stomach, I can eat just about anything I’m given but what was placed in front of me made me feel decidedly queasy. On my plate next to the bacon, eggs, and tomatoes all swimming in fat was half a sausage, cut in the kitchen maybe or taken from another diner’s plate? So I had to

47

Food Consultant Edwin Cheeseman excuse myself while I went and did my thing…When you complain remember that it is impossible to change what has already occurred and its difficult to demand your money back when you have already eaten your meal. With this in mind I simply said that I had booked a five star hotel expecting five star treatments and although both the room and the facilities were exceptionally good, the service and delivery of those supposed stars were closer to one than five. The half eaten sausage was beyond reasonable.

We were offered an upgrade to a suite which we declined. Then we were offered a refund…and here’s the problem. What I wanted was a five star birthday treat not a cheap bargain which I could have got in a local B&B. If a restaurant spoils your wedding reception but offers your money back you still miss out on your idea of the perfect reception. For me it was just like being back at work with staff meetings and investigations followed by some staff and procedural changes.

The following day’s breakfast experience was a revelation (haven’t lost my touch) truly five star food and service shows what can be done when they put their mind to it. Following another spell in the sauna where I’m sure I was creating more steam than the generator we returned to our room to be confronted with a real birthday surprise. If only they’d known how much I hated parties.

48

20 - 26 JAN 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 4. Divided in the way suggested below (7) 8. Attempt made by friend is insignificant (6) 9. Shout graduate near: he’s a weepy type (3-4) 10. Put money in underwear (6) 11. Language that should be easy to rub up (6) 12. Tribulation experienced in difficult vessel (8) 18. Stop being annoyed: it will make things perilous (8) 20. Directors on the ship (6) 21. Coeval niche (6) 22. Shield that will crumple easily? (7) 23. Half a smoke-stack would offer amusement (6) 24. It is selected by those who want to go back (7)

DOWN 1. Prig in untidy hut is virtuous (7) 2. No state for free men (7) 3. Is twice after credit to reach a turning-point (6) 5. Had a fight on the rubbish-dump, maybe (8) 6. It won’t put the batsman out when he can’t dance,apparently (2-4) 7. Take me up to the manager to raise in relief (6) 13. Don’t take so much notice, being rash (8) 14. A reason for not being able to sail, perhaps (7) 15. In short, an insect gets on the cheese (7) 16. So tube is blunt (6) 17. One hundred and fifty intake will get gear (6) 19. Innings closed with all possible speed (3,3)

Wordwheel

Quick Crossword

Answers & Winners

ACROSS 4. Foretell (7) 8. Undid (6) 9. Idiotic (7) 10. Bright (6) 11. Acquire (6) 12. Judgment (8) 18. Cloudy (8) 20. Annul (6) 21. Run (6) 22. Attribute (7) 23. Is unable (6) 24. Lower (7)

DOWN 1. Admit (7) 2. Protection (7) 3. Alcove (6) 5. Reply (8) 6. Signify (6) 7. Frank (6) 13. Lonely (8) 14. Brave (7) 15. Ordinance (7) 16. Diminish (6) 17. Antenna (6) 19. Iterate (6)

Last week’s Crossword and Suduko answers found on page 51/53. Winner for 639: Claire Simpson, Albir

Euromillions Draw Friday 13th January 2012

13 14 21 27 39

No ticket won

Tuesday 17th January 2012

12 22 30 31 44

No ticket won

6

8

5

6

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life horoscopes You are not seeing the greater picture in something which is developing around you. Testing you to the limit the actions of a somewhat moody Virgo and wily and scheming Mars have brought about good reason to tune into current events with a view to walking away as soon as possible with your head held high and while you still can!

Venus, your planetary leader, sextiles Jupiter in your fifth house of mystery and understanding. This is an exceptional time to have your say, as luck, fortune and new horizons spur you on. The actions of Jupiter comfort you and cover your back just as Venus, beguiled and bedazzled draws you to Aquarian energies of love and peace.

You alone must make the decision to go or stay. Waiting for resolve could just see you changing your mind, and nothing will be achieved if you do not see this time as the signal to move on, whatever you do. As the Sun enters into Aquarius, in a rare action just before the weekend, you are strangely calm and prepared for what comes next.

Time was when you would have wrought revenge, but after what has happened it is only going to fan the flames, and others are waiting for your negative response. Blame current events on an analytical Pluto and an unsure Capricorn since their unbalance in sextile this week is just why you have a nasty taste in your mouth.

Beware the vaulted ego, as things have gone pear shaped before. Know that you are taking stock and that nobody has the right to interfere with your plans and good intentions. There is enough energy around this week with Venus and Aquarius helping you to see the errors of your ways, and somewhere here is the compromise you seek.

Work is a priority this week as cosmic energies see you in a mood and wanting to take your mind off things. This would be a good time to plan some kind of escape from routine and to bring calm into the hectic and structured life you currently live. With Mars at your side you are feeling strong and protected, so do what you know you have to.

Venus focuses on actions with an analytical Pluto bringing both darkness and light into your day to day. There are options, but you have to see the way ahead, and the resolution that will cause you the least stress in the future. Underline what you have to say because you have a chance to get it right this time around.

Mars seems to have a finger in every pie this week, but is supporting and forever loving you every way possible, as usual. You are holding onto your anger, which for you is never right. And it is clearly time that things were thrashed out once and for all. Make sure that whatever happens, someone gets their comeuppance: you’ll feel better!

Jupiter’s dalliance with Taurus brings you the open option this week. So much appears to be on hold at the moment you may not know where to start, but then because of this nothing happens. Strike whilst the iron is hot and you will get the support that you need; and surprise yourself into the bargain as problems solve.

Mercury is a welcome guest this week allowing you to open closed channels of communication and permitting a vital message to get through, at long last. The impact of all this may bring you surprise results, but hey, nothing ventured is nothing gained, and it may very well be, in for a penny in for a pound and al that this implies.

As the entry of the Sun brings us happily into Aquarian time, just before the weekend, there comes a wonderful time to de clutter your life and clear a way forward. Current Cosmic powers are releasing to allow resolve and reward, which is both inspiring and energising, and the World should be your oyster if you play it right.

Venus, Goddess of Love, brings a subtle touch of love into your life.

This is a time for passion with no holds barred. With Aquarian energies boosting the current climate you can curl up with satisfaction that this is a time when love needs to enter into your life, so bring it on. You have so much love for others; enjoy the love as it happens naturally.

49

Kenny corris www.kennycorris.net

Land of nod I HAVE been asleep for 19 years! No, I am no Sleeping Beauty waiting for the spell to be broken, but I am 57 years old and sleep has taken on an average one third of my life.

The process of sleep and the dream state we are exposed to are a wonder to us. I have heard often that people say they do not dream and this in untrue, we dream at the period of rapid eye movement each and every night. However on opening our eyes to face another day it is all wiped from our memory. Sometimes we get to remember our dreams, or a small part of them, and yet recall isn’t reliable since we forget 95% or more of the dream in the first two minutes of consciousness; and 99.9% in the next minute.

It is true that some dreams are unforgettable, and we do remember a portion of them, until that is we have another stronger, more memorable dream and then we forget very quickly the last dream that we had. Portions of dreams do hang around in our memories, but if you want to remember the only way to record your sleep experiences are to write them down.

If you can write them in the first two minutes of waking then you will have some chance of remembering something. Keep pen and paper next to your bed!

As for what happens when we sleep, we do not know exactly what we are in for. The human body goes into control by the Autonomic System, and this regulates the control centres of the body allowing our bodies to continue to work efficiently without conscious control. The Autonomic System regulates breathing, decreases blood pressure and ensures in general our well being when we are subconscious. When sleep ends and the alarm clock rings we are reconnected back to our consciousness usually blissfully unaware of what happened during the night.

Spirit does find our subconscious state the best time to tell us things that are appropriate. A lot of tuition sent directly from Spirit works while we are blissfully far away in the Land of Nod and snuggling under a duvet. The unconscious and subconscious state of sleep makes us a sitting target. Messages and connections are made, resolve and resolution does come, and our perception of these things brings on the dream state.

Kenny’s diary MONDAY 23RD and Wednesday 25th January: Readings at the Bistro Maya, Albir from 5pm onwards. Bookings and further details from Els and her team on: 96 686 8213.

COMING SOON 2012: The Show with Torben Thoger: READINGS IN YOUR AREA Please make contact if you want to organise readings in your locality, or organise a psychic event for your favourite charity.

Some dates available for January/ February.

My Postbag regularly includes the need to interpret dreams, and I am very happy to do this.

Very often the negative shown in slumber relates to the positive action of reality.

Recently a reader contacted with me with consecutive dreams of the death of a small child.

The dream seemed to come on stronger every night, and she was worried it was a warning she should pass on to her daughter. I immediately felt that her daughter was pregnant, and this was the case. The relief and the good news stopped the need for anymore death dreams!

Dreams do not always reverse however. They do often follow a regular pattern that thrives on actions usually not done, and show that there is somewhere some unfinished business. They can gently awaken our psychic centres and focus on a solution to our problems. Also they can warn, and nag us into making alternatives and bringing about change. As for the dreams of having to meet the Queen and suddenly realising that you are stark naked, or that you find yourself running along the runway to take off, or maybe that all your teeth are about to fall out… there is always a reason. You may have to take control of a situation, or you are feeling the thrill of a new venture, as for the teeth…in my case it means I am due a dental visit, since I am.

Persistent dreams are to be monitored, so make contact if these are disturbing in any way.

They generally are a factor when you need to face something you are trying to forget or would rather ignore. They repeat because you have to make changes and your conscious knows that you are digging in those heels. Sleep can bring on night time terrors, and these are usually very deep sleep dreams, from which you awaken sweating, traumatised and scared. These are the result of extreme fears of the here and now or an event in the future that you are dreading.

It is hard to tell people to remove stress from their lives, especially with the crisis of the Eurozone surrounding us all, but we can only do what we can do, after all, rest assured all will be well.

Keep dreaming because you will for sure, and if you’re spooked or bugged or looking for an interpretation don’t drive yourself crazy, just let me know!

Love & Light... Kenny Corris

Postbag Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com KENNY, I want to say thank you for helping me solve the problem with my bad dream. Once I had the solution it eliminated all I was so worried about and I began to see things in a different light. Needless to say I have never had the dream again and I am feeling so much better now and sorting out my problems at long last. Bill J. I am so pleased to hear that you have broken down the content of your dream, and that things are now much better for you. The fear that comes from connected dreams has to be removed and you have to do what you did, see it all in context and take action. This you have done, and that bad dream is no longer relevant, it has done its job; now sweet dreams!

If it’s your birthday this week You have been patiently waiting for things to move your way, but there is now a need to make things happen, and for you to put your best foot forward. There is a current cosmic energy abounding that will protect your interests and motivate your decisions all along the way!

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!

50

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Life tech

with Aunty Virus Email me on auntyvirus@roundtownnews.com and I will do my best to sort you out

Gone phishing

John via email asks: HI AUNTY. I love your computing column and find it very useful. Yesterday I received 5 emails from Santander online Banking, 2 from Lloyds and 1 from Halifax. I have never had accounts at any of these Banks and the only account I have is Barclays but with no online banking. I opened one email from Lloyds which wanted me to go to another Lloyds website to receive my profile so I deleted the lot and did not go to the suggested website. Do Banks share email addresses or how can Lloyds and Halifax get my email address? Santander do have my email address through my mother whose affairs I manage.

Aunty Says: Hello John. This sounds suspiciously like ‘Phishing’. Phishing is a technique used by hackers and scammers to trick you into going to dodgy websites to enter personal information. Banks will not knowingly share email addresses, but that’s not to say they might not be leaked or stolen. I notice you are using Microsoft’s Hotmail, and this is notoriously vutnerable, so if the problem persissts then maybe consider changing to a more secure email provider, such as Google’s Gmail or Yahoo Hotmail

Installing updates

Ray via email asks: HI AUNTY. I always read your column and hope you may offer your advice in respect of the problem I am having. Sometimes when I switch off the computer at night, instead of going straight off it says on the screen ‘do not switch off as there are several updates to install’.

Eventually the computer closes. The next morning to boot up takes a long time or does not boot up at all. I took the computer to the local repair shop and they set the computer not to receive these updates. What are the updates really for and is it essential to receive them?

Aunty Says: Hello Ray. These Windows updates are automatically downloaded and installed from the Microsoft website, and a good few of them are critical security updates and should not be ignored or switched off. If you are having problems with one or more update then you need to address that problem as your computer may be at risk if you don’t. You can view your complete update history from ‘control panel’ ‘programs’ which will sometimes indicate where a specific problem has occurred and uninstalling any problem updates can fix the problem.

Too big to translate John and Beryl via email asks: WE HAVE a pc with XP with an Epsom scanner/printer. Google has a translate system which we use, but it only works when we type what we want translated. It says that it will translate a document which is just what we want to do to be able to read Spanish documents. We scan a document and save it into My Documents and we can get it into the translator which very slowly downloads it. If it’s one page then it often says “this document is too big to translate” but if we fold the paper to show one paragraph it loads quicker but then says cannot translate because of “application/octet-stream.

Is it possible to scan a Spanish form or letter and get it translated?

Aunty Says: Hello. There are a few things you can try

which I know I have covered before but as they are always coming up I don’t mind.

The most important tool for what you are trying to do is the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function of your scanner.

This is the clever program that can actually read a letter and ‘type’ it into a Word document and then save it on your computer. The simplest way of using this feature is to choose the OCR or ‘scan as document’ option before you start the scan and scan it to your favourite word processor document.

Once saved you can then open the document and copy and paste the text into the Google translator that you will find on Google’s homepage (you may need to click on the ‘more’ menu option).

Translate one paragraph at a time as this helps to keep the grammar reasonable.

Malicious virus Peter the Swede from Mazarrón HOLA AUNTY. I have got a malicious virus etc. on my PC so I bought an antivirus program and got rid of the virus, but after that I cannot save or drag files to the desktop. I have searched the Internet but haven’t found the answer that helps. My OS is XP. Aunty Says: Hello Peter, great to know our Scandinavian friends are enjoying the RTN. I’m not too sure about this one Peter, and since it has started after you removed a virus it does suggest that the virus has left you with an unusual problem.

The XP desktop is simply a folder (like My Documents etc.) and could have been set to ‘read only’ which will block anything being written to it.

You can see these settings (also called attributes) if you open ‘my computer’ and right click on the desktop folder and choose ‘properties.

Do you receive any error messages Peter?

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

Gadget Inspector Finds

‘There´s an app for that…’

THIS WEEK the Inspector reviews some smartphone apps that are helpful, and some others just for fun. They´re all available for Apple devices and Android based smartphones, so there will be versions for most people´s phones.

Firstly, let´s take a look at some free helpful apps. The Amazon Kindle App is ideal for the bookworms or just relaxing by the pool/beach. This handy little app allows you to choose from over a million free books in the Kindle Store, download them and read directly on your smartphone, so no need even for a Kindle.

Next we have the Onavo app. This clever app continuously runs on your smartphone and shrinks your data usage whilst browsing the web. Onavo claims to save users 80% on their data usage; a boon in these days of data capping and excess charges.

But what about some entertainment? Fear not, download the Spotify app. Once installed you can wireless sync all your music to your handset, or buy playlists and download them.

You can also search the Spotify music library – groovy!

Finally we have the Love Food, Hate Waste app: designed to help you plan the family meals and avoid waste, this app could save you hundreds of Euros over the course of a year.

With a portion planner to make sure you only use as much as you need, and a handy recipe blender to suggest meals from

the ingredients in your cupboard, waste should be a thing of the past - though quite what it would make of cornflakes, HP sauce and flour I don´t know.

Now for some fun: forget about Tetris, let´s kick off with Starfront: Collision from Gameloft. A real time strategy game, three interstellar races compete with a selection of air and ground units. With detailed graphics and both single player and online multiplayer modes those comfort breaks could be very long indeed.

Secondly we have Robotek from Hexage. Two giant computers send out their robots to destroy each other and you must help the good computer win (I thought all computers were evil). And with a good balance between luck and skill, Robotek should keep you occupied for hours.

Lastly we have Kami Retro from Gamevil. By merging Super Mario with Donkey Kong, Kami Retro delivers a treat of bleepy songs and block-like graphics. Your mission is to direct a collection of lemming-like characters safely to the exit, avoiding obstacles and opponents on the way. Loads of fun, this game is the pick of the bunch.

The Inspectors Verdict: If you don´t have a smartphone then now is the time to indulge – forget about taking calls or texting, just enjoy the huge range of apps that are now available on all platforms.

Couch to 5km in 9 weeks!

HAVE YOU made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get fit? Then our App of the week may just help you achieve that.

Too many people have been turned off running simply by trying to start off too fast. Their bodies’ rebel and they end up miserable, wondering why anyone would possibly want to do this to themselves.

You should ease into a running program gradually. In fact, the beginners’ program the app outlines is less of a running regimen than a walking and jogging program. The idea is to transform you from couch potato to runner, getting you running three miles (or 5km) on a regular basis in just two months. It’s easy to get impatient, and you may feel tempted to skip ahead in the program, but hold yourself back. Don’t try to do more, even if you feel you can. If, on the other hand, you find the program too strenuous, just stretch it out.

Don’t feel pressured to continue faster than you’re able. Repeat weeks if needed and move ahead only when you feel you’re ready.

Install Couch to 5K on your Android, iPhone or Blackberry today – and start to feel fitter and healthier within 9 weeks!

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

20 - 26 JAN 2012

51

52

20-26 JAN 2012

Life cars No need to have a Spanish driving medical certificate?

Brian Deller Author of Motoring in Spain

DEAR BRIAN, According to the ‘UK in Spain’ website, updated 1st December 2011, ‘There is no need to have a Spanish driving medical certificate (Certificado de Aptitud) if you are driving on a UK licence during its validity or for a replacement Spanish licence when the UK licence expires.’ Can this possibly be correct? I would be interested in your comments. Rob Innis I have already advised that the website you quote as well as another gives the wrong information. On this subject, I have had written debates with those who should know better but I have always prevailed, as I have proven even with the Trafico Chief in La Linea (next to Gibraltar) who backed me up recently and I am correct.

It is no good (as some do, even officials of the British Government) just phoning Trafico, speaking to a junior clerk who has little or nothing to do with us foreigners resident in Spain who then gives the standard non-advice as they know it. My research was given to a major insurance company here in Spain, called IBEX, two years or more ago. Their legal department three weeks later confirmed that I am right, although another major insurance company refused to even talk to me (they prefer to be phoned), and advised expats incorrectly at trade fairs who then emailed me.

In March last year they suddenly advertised the correct information – they finally got the message after five years, although by then the details were out of date, so they got it wrong again. The law is Ley 62/2006 and there is more on my website at: www.spainvia.com/ drivelicenceletterADSL.htm.

I will have more details very soon including a letter for expats to use when taking the mandatory medicals to avoid being ‘cheated’.

To anyone who supplies the wrong

information to you, ask them for the reference details for the Spanish laws. This usually stumps them as they blindly believe what they are told (in a bar?) as it usually suits their circumstances. I publish it in writing after checking all the facts even with Spanish lawyer friends who research my advice and then thank me for providing them with ‘defence ammunition’, usually to use against expats who are in Court after a road accident where their UK, etc. driving licences are found to have expired as they have not obeyed the EU Directives (91/439/CEE)/and the Spanish laws. This usually gets their (Spanish?) client off any charges as the expat had an ‘expired licence’ despite the dates shown on it.

My book and older RTN articles in my column as far back as in 2005 explain the facts.

My aim is to save us expats the trauma and costs of not knowing the laws. If you know them and still break them then it is your choice.

The next time someone argues about my advice, quote the above law and the EU Directive in my website and get their reaction when you ask for their law references that countermand my on-going written research.

IMPOUNDING OF UK VEHICLES Just before Christmas day, three UKplated vehicles were stopped by our policia local officers (Manilva near Gibraltar) and

impounded for being here illegally. Apparently none had up-to-date UK Road Fund tax discs, and the police had enough evidence to suspect and prove they are resident here. As any foreign EU vehicle here must be legal as it would be in the country of origin, these also did not have any suitable documentation, all costing a lot of cash especially at this time where it is hard to come by.

The owners concerned have the choice of admitting guilt and paying 50% within 20 days to take advantage of the 50% discount applicable, or engaging a lawyer which would most likely be a waste of money. Remember that they have to still put the vehicles on Spanish plates before they can get them back if they cannot prove to the Court’s satisfaction that they were just visiting, as well as pay import duties as they will no longer be classed as personal property imports. Please remember that vehicles such as vans and pickup trucks that do not have 360º vision cannot be re-registered here for safety reasons - it is all in the book.

So dear reader, if your UK plated car is illegally here, I suggest you get it processed ASAP. My recommendation is to return it to the UK and buy a Spanish-plated one here unless it is a special vehicle dear to your heart, or a classic, which means the best action if it is 25-plus years old to register it as ‘historic’ - in the long run it will pay off.

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

Classified Ads www.roundtownnews.co.uk

All Major Credit Cards Accepted - 0.31e 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

20 - 26 JAN 2012

55

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

56

20 - 26 JAN 2012

EXCEL AIR CONDITIONING. See main ad on page 9.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

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:600-552030/965-960-658 www.trans-pet.co.uk

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

HGV DRIVERS/CONSTRUCTION

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.

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

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

Tel:648 052 911 or 965 770 798

NEED HELP AT HOME? Cleaning, shopping & outings etc.

Sympathetic service.call Sandra on 651 82 106 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE for your home or business at a fair price. References available. (Altea area) Tel: 965843781 or 622514980 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE for your home or business at a fair price. References available. (Altea area) Tel: 965843781 or 622514980

BYTEBACK MICROS computer repairs/upgrades in your home.

Qualified technician. Systems custom built. Whatever your problem call: 965-312-006 or 606-127-424 PC SOLUTIONS 4U For all your PC needs. Reliable & friendly service.

Call Fred 634638664

www.roundtownnews.co.uk 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

AT MICHAEL’S you can get part exchange on certain beds when you buy a New bed from our New Bed shop in the Arenal. See photos (updates every 5-6 days): www. michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S A high quality Antique Roll-top desk from the famous American E.Feige Desk Company. Very big with lots of small drawers. See: www.michaelsjavea.com AT MICHAEL’S Two lovely white leather sofas (3+2) in modern design with quality wood details.

Also dark green leather sofas.

See the photos on: www.michaelsjavea.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.

20 - 26 JAN 2012

57

Thursday - New Beginners class 7.30pm - 8.30pm. Intermediate class 8.30pm - 10.00pm. For more information contact Andrea 616 478 157.

1998 HONDA CIVIC 1.8 VVTI 5 DOOR, ALLOYS , AIRCON AND SERVICE HISTORY. NEW TYRES RIGHT HAND DRIVE ON SPANISH PLATES. ONLY 64000 MILES. €1550 CALL : 659 424 653.

1999 RENAULT MEGAN 1.6 RXE AUTOMATIC AIRCON, ALLOYS & ALARM. REGULARLY SERVICED RECENT TIMING BELT CHANGED EXELLENT CONDITION €1950 CALL: 659 424 653.

MR FIXIT: for all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance repairs. No callout. 698 320 434

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

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 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 or download application form from www.24hourh omecareservices.com WORKING HOLIDAYS FOR EXPATS Join our team of selfemployed live-in carers in the U.K. We require live-in carers to provide housekeeping and personal care for our elderly clients in their own homes particularly during the autumn and winter months. Flexible bookings of 2-4 weeks to suit your personal situation. Experienced nurses or carers welcome, also those with no previous experience, our in-house training is available.

British/EU passport/references/ drivers/good spoken English essential. This progressive friendly company was established in 1962 and is a market leader in U.K. livein care for the elderly, CONSULTUS CARE AND NURSING LTD. Call our local consultant Sandra Field on 658 965 204 or email s.field@ consultuscare.com or visit our website www.consultuscare.com.

2 COCKATIELS 2 CANARIES 2 large cages and all accessories. first sensible offer secures. call 672 532 534.

WHEELCHAIR Light, Foldable,150€. Electric Mobility Scooter, SUNRISE MEDICAL 40km range 499€. Both like new!

Tlf:-627-019-403

AT MICHAEL’S you can get part exchange on certain beds when you buy a New bed from our New Bed shop in the Arenal. See photos (updates every 5-6 days): www.michaels-javea.com

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 -

RENAULT CLIO 1.2, 5 DOOR. ONLY 1,950€ Hyundai Atos 1 litre GLS only 2,250€. Ford Fiesta 1.4, 5 door. 73,000kms. Air con etc. Lovely condition. Only 3,950€. Honda CRV 2 litre 4x4. 2001. RHD Spanish registered, 51,000miles. New tyres and cambelt, alloys, sunroof, CD etc. Only 3,450€.

Tel Frank 600726221/965687976 www. fwreurocars.com LETS GET YOU ON THE ROAD FOR UNDER 3000€ Over 75 vehicles in stock ranging from 1000€ to 30000€. Tel Tel Frank 600726221/965687976 or simply view our easy to use website www. fwreurocars.com FORD FUSION 1.4 TDCI 2006 low kilometers, all extras, fully loaded, you wont get better 4950 euro may part exhange tel 680665583 OPEL ASTRA 1.6 PETROL AUTOMATIC 5 door hatchback, 1999, genuine low kilometers, all extras looks and drives perfect, just 2450 euro may part exchange. tel 680665583 CITROEN C5 ESTATE 2.0 HDI UK CAR 2002 fully serviced, fully loaded, looks and drives perfect, ideal for returning to UK, and a huge boot to carry loads. Part exchange for Spanish car. tel 680 665 583 MAZDA 3 2006 €5990.00. 1.6l saloon sports model FSH. LHD.80000km. ITV till 2014 Call :667566998

58

20 - 26 JAN 2012 l´Alberca, Polop-de-la-Marina.

249m2 flat plot. Lots of extras.

Solarium with 360º views of sea and mountains. Community pool and Gardens, easy and low maintenance. 145,000€ Tlf Lynn: 966-881-048/691-202-307 or email foundation@rtnnewsgroup.com for photographs and more information

WANTED Scrap cars, vans, lorries, plant and caravans. Turn your scrap into cash. From Valencia to Alicante. Free collection. Tel: 689929-395 WANTED I buy any car, van,Caravan,4x4 Etc.British, Spanish. Immediate cash 600-781873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com

LADIES: enjoy a Friendly and Erotic Spanking in your own home, NO FEES, 666 613 468, headmaster@live.co.uk VERY SEXY ATTRACTIVE STRICT LADY offering proffessional service for discerning gentleman. call athena on : 683605258 LOOKING FOR COMPANY? Do you want to explore your sexual fantasies with beautiful Brazilian and Oriental ladies? 24 hours, hotel or home visit Telephone 689526354 THOSE FAMOUS LITTLE BLUE PILLS will be available all over christmas. special christmas offer. buy 10 packs of 4 and get 1 pack of 4 free!!! call Tony now on :638352129.

PLEASURE HOUSE TORREVIEJA Sexy girls from South America. Come and enjoy, low rates from 40€. Address: Calle Finlandia. 682-776-068 CASA ANGELA TORREVIEJA Luxury private chalet, parking.

Drinks invitation. Feeling alone?

Just want some company?

Exotic girls from South America. Call us, Also Escort Service. Full discretion.

Come and enjoy at: Avenida Asociacion Victimas del Terrorismo. 609-573-468 or 639-832-118

PLUMBING & HEATING BATHROOM REFORMS - TILING - WATER HEATERS - GENERAL PLUMBING. Tel: 630 049 773. email: stevehayward39@yahoo. com www.stevehayward-plumber. eu NORTH COSTA BLANCA SINCE 1996 FOR ALL SHAPES AND SIZES OF SHOWER and bath screens call Don the Showerman on 96 579 2285 or 639 292 081. Immediate delivery on all products from our stock. See our advert on Page 5 North for a map to our showroom

ALBIR 2 BED to rent, couple with a baby and looking for a stable long term rent. Max price 525€ plus bills, Call Danny on: 646 619 466 Register your property for FREE at www.rapidpropertysales.com and when we sell your property we will charge you absolutely nothing! The average time it takes us to sell a property is 8 weeks. Register now at www.rapidpropertysales.com – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Cars wanted

Good condition LHD Spanish Cars Wanted for cash 95 – 02 Transfers completed Tlf: 693 859 942 or 650 740 265

SPANISH LADY PLAYA FLAMENCA near new Carrefour before La Florida. 35 years, attractive, classy lady, private house, parking. Offers all erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie, economical prices from 40€. Full discretion. Call Ana 680-735-412 ELEGANT SEXY SLIM Lady escort available. Home, Hotel, Villa. Region Calpe to Torrevieja. La Manga.

Mazzaron. Tel 693 357 526 GORGEOUS ENGLISH BLOND 45 years, Massage, 1 hour or over night, 15 mins Alicante airport.Tel:-Karen 662049-021 TORREVIEJA CHINESE SUPER SEXY Young and beautiful. Calle Orihuela Nº60, 2º1 VIAGRA GENERIC weekenders and jellies.

Quesada and surrounding area.

Derek 685207378

2 BED END OF TERRACE in La Nucia on edge of town. Close to all amenities with communal pool and parking €450 p/m + bills. Available long term if desired. Tel: 608 218 629.

ALTEA LA VELLA, COSTA BLANCA Holiday let for 4 people in a 2 bedroomed, first floor, fully furnished apartment. A/C + C/H plus much, much more. Tlf:966881-048 or email foundation@ rtnnewsgroup.com for more information and photographs FOR RENT/SALE 450€PCM 120.000€ Classic Spanish Old Town House, 3 double bedrooms (1 with en-suite bathroom) master bathroom, modern kitchen, downstairs toilet, sun terrace with view of mountains, BBQ terrace with summer kitchen, recentley refurbished and fully furnished.

Callosa de en Seria near La Nucia.

Tel: 609 177 032 WINTER LET. Available until May 2012. Los Lagos near Javea, 2 bed, 1 bath, Log burning stove, hot cold air con, phone line and ADSL, UK TV, washer/dryer, stunning mountain backdrop and award winning communal gardens. Sorry no pets. 450€ per month plus bills 620 144 315

POOL LEAK REPAIR SPECIALIST’S Pipe leaks pressure tested, detected and repaired. Structural leaks investigated and repaired.

Professional, consciencious service to the highest standards.

Refurbishments and upgrades undertaken. Replacement pumps, filters, salt systems, ph regulators and accessories supplied and installed. All work guaranteed. British trained in the UK pool industry with over 15 years experience. 8 years served on the Costa Blanca. Torrevieja and surrounding areas including Costa Calida. Tlf:- Pristine Pools on 966774-199 or 678-080-500 www.pristineswimmingpools.com SWIMMING POOL MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING SERVICE BY POOLTECHSPAIN. We are a fully legal, qualified and registered business who have been operating on the Costa Blanca for 6 years. We offer a professional, reliable, safe and efficient pool service, inc. re-grouting, pressure testing and leak repairs. Private and community swimming pools undertaken. Call now for more information on 965-725-565 or mobile 676-945-360/ 620-743-048 www.pooltechspain.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE mobile home sited at la-pedrera bigastro 2bed 2bath a/c tv internet shed with w/machine fenced plot rent paid till march 2013 €15,000 tel630888570 MOBILE HOME SITED AT LAPEDRERA BIGASTRO 2bed 2bath a/c tv internet shed with w/machine fenced plot rent paid till march 2013 €15,000 tel-630888570 EASILY MAINTAINED, DETACHED F/F,2 BED VILLA in

EUROMOVE4U Full & Part Loads.

Spain to UK/UK to Spain on a regular monthly basis. Cars & Motorcycles transported. Call Grant or Jan Office 0034-965-300-959 Mobile 0034-648-102-529 UK Mob 0044-7803-893-719.

Email info@euromove4u.eu JUST HIRE IT ONE WAY ! Van Hire To UK, Spain and France, different van and car sizes available tel: 952 541 147 / 667 235 205 MICK WITH HIS VAN Removals Collections Deliveries. For a reliable effective service. Hourly rate or quote. Call Mick anytime 600-247-535 SPAIN2UK2SPAIN MAN AND VAN departing Costa Blanca twice a month. Full loads/part loads.

Excellent rates Tel Christine 965 571 837/638 261 341 www.spain2uk2spain.com VAN LEAVING FOR THE UK/SPAIN EVERY 2 WEEKS great rates please contact joe on 966074576 or 650341087 or civic1235@msn.com MAN & LWB SPRINTER VAN going to UK- Spain twice a month.

Tel: 610-846-260 or 0044-7519186-355 email:-van.man@hotmail. co.uk

INTENSIVE SPANISH WEEK COURSES FOR BEGINNERS 27thfeb - 5th march and 7-14th of April 2012 .Unique formula in an equally unique environment .For More information http://tinyurl.com/ CoursesInSpain or 637063003 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.

TEACHER OF SPANISH / ENGLISH Spanish / English taught ..All Ages/ All levels experienced qualified teacher. tel: 605719992 BRITISH GRADUATE TEACHER offers Primary/Secondary English Mathmatics. Telephone Margaret Johnson B.Ed. 965-350-516 Mob: 616-660-687 COMPUTER TUTOR Software training, ebusiness education, website publishing, photography, videography and more DIY tips and tricks for all of your business and personal needs. Karla Darocas - certified instructor since 1990. Tel: 96 597 3234 info@KarlaDarocas. com Referrences - www.

KarlaDarocas.com

L N B SATELLITES We are a satellite company on the Costa Blanca, we are looking to tidy Spain up. From the lots of television aerials and satellite dishes on the roofs of your houses. If you can’t get rid of or even moved. for just Euro 15.00 I will do this for you. We also do satellite and aerial installations 1.9.and.2.4m portugese dishes.

Phone 626755156. lnbsat@msn.com UKTELEVISION.TV watch British TV channels from anywhere. Easy Setup, Secure Connection. Only €5 per month. Go to www.uktelevision. tv for FREE TRIAL SKY HD SATELLITE receiver with sports package cards, 240 euros plus monthly subs. Can deliver Tel Jeremy 667 235 205 SKYSUPPLIES New Sky HD and Humax receivers from 145€. Full package White cards, LNB`s, remotes, harddrives.

Realignments, advice and backup.

966194013/600899096.

SKY SUPPLIES New sky hd and humax digiboxes from 145€. White cards, LNBs, spare remotes, hard drive upgrades. Advice and backup. Tel: 966 194 013/ 600 899 096 CRYSTAL CLEAR SATELLITE AND INTERNET TV for all your digital and TV requirements. No Annual Fees on Sky Cards. Steve:660-186-505/Ros:-965-584-097. www.ccsattv.com info@ccsattv.com

BRIC - A - BRAC WANTED for dogs home, charity stall on Don Quijote Rastro. tel: John 626 918 833 or Lynn 691 202 307 TURN YOUR UNWANTED FURNITURE Electrical, Household Goods and Bric-a-brac into Cash.

Anything! Anywhere! 965-319220/618-165-877 I BUY RECORDS LP’S, SINGLES and cd’s any style, jazz, blues, pop, rock, etc... Top cash paid. 622 750 117 TURN YOUR UNWANTED FURNITURE Electrical, Household Goods and Bric-a-brac into Cash.

Anything! Anywhere! 965-319220/618-165-877

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

59

Classified Services All Major Credit Cards Accepted - Prices start from 10â‚Ź a week.

Airport Parking

Book your advert now! 902 118 999 (ext 2)

Builders

Building Surveying

60

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Gardening

CarConditioning Hire Air

Business Consultants

Business & House Auctions

Ikea Trips

Locksmith

Computers

Maintenance

Electrical

Hire

Garages

Leaks

Limousines

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Plumbing & Heating

Solar Energy

Repairs/Sewing

Properties Wanted & Maintenance

Secure Storage

Removals

TV & Satellite

61

62

20- 26 JAN 2012

Getting conned?

Noel’s world of golf

By Noel Eastwell Teaching Professional Campo de Golf El Plantio 639 730 891

RECENTLY I have tried to form close relationships with golf club manufacturers from all over Europe. The results have let me astonished at the way they treat golfers in mainland Europe. The household names I have been involved with will be the very makers of the clubs many of you will have in your golf bags and have probably supported practically every time they have brought out a new range.

The way they treated someone who was attempting to do business with them was nothing short of appalling. The prices the quoted for the supply of equipment for sale to golfers was even worse. It would have been easier and cheaper for me to purchase the equipment in the United Kingdom and bring it to Spain than it was to purchase the very same equipment here from the manufacturers’ own distribution centres. The only problem was they would not allow us to purchase and import from the United Kingdom where the retail price was less than they were asking wholesale here in mainland Europe.

Now forgive me if I am wrong here but are we not supposed to be part of a community where free trade is encouraged?

The terms of business imposed also meant that to be a golf equipment retailer here in Spain you have to be very rich indeed and also stupid. One does not usually go with the other as I am sure many of you will agree.

The conclusion I came to was that golfers here in Spain are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to buying equipment: the only real way to get value for money is through internet retailers, usually in the United Kingdom or America and absorb the cost of shipping if the retailer won’t. Even the cost of golf balls here compared to elsewhere is obscene. I wonder how much our Lords and Masters in Brussels know

or care about this situation?

There is no doubt that the golf retail industry in Europe needs a big shake up; when, if ever, that happens is anybody’s guess. Until then we will have to put up with being overcharged for the same equipment that in the United Kingdom can be purchased for as much as 30% less than here. There is a good mark up there for someone. We are certainly not getting any benefit from being part of The Free Trade Market!

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 20TH JANUARY 2012 Who is the current race to Dubai champion?

A. Luke Donald B. Martin Kaymer C. Rory McIllroy All answers must be received no later than 5pm on 31st January 2012 to be entered into January’s draw, which will be made on 31st January. The winner will be announced in RTN on 3rd February 2012.

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

Working for Golf The new 2012 to 2016 edition of The Rules of Golf is now available and hundreds of thousands of copies in English have been distributed to around 96 different locations Worldwide.

Many professional and amateur golfers who have seen the new rule book are disappointed that some seemingly unfair rules have not been changed.

Many tour players are disappointed that they still cannot repair spike marks or take a free drop from a divot mark when they have hit the middle of the fairway. Another rule that rankles is where a free drop is not allowed from a flooded bunker. Professional golfers like to get the most that they can from the rules of golf without breaking the rules in any way any some are disappointed that the Royal & Ancient and The United States Golf association; the games governing bodies

have failed to address some issues that have been around for some time.

RTN managed to get an ‘off the record’ interview with a member of the panel that helped write the new edition of The Rules of Golf and we were pleasantly surprised at the length the games governing bodies go to to make sure the rules of the game remain fair and as uncomplicated as possible.

The rules of golf are reviewed every four years by a twelve man committee of The R & A and twelve advisory members from around The World. All affiliated golf unions and federations are asked for suggestions as are ordinary golfers and all realistic proposals are considered before they go to the Rules Committee for approval; an unenviable task if ever there was one.

For the best deals on the Costa Blanca and Murcia call the RTN Golf Club booking hotline 96 817 5716 or email rtngolf@roundtownnews.com

David Rickman is The R & A’s Rules & Equipment Standards and says, “Each rule is like a piece of a jigsaw. There is always a risk of changing the individual piece to such an extent that it does not fit with those around it and we create further problems.”

According to The R & A around 2.6 million copies of The Rules of Golf 2012 – 2015 will be produced and distributed throughout The World in English alone. Work has already started on the 2016 edition.

RTN have asked The R & A to send us some copies of the latest edition of The Rules of Golf, these will be available at El Plantio in Alicante on a first come first served basis. You can download a copy yourself form The R & A’s website; www.randa.org for free.

GOLF Tips

When on grass and less than 2 metres from the green a bad putt will always get closer to the hole than a bad chip.

www.roundtownnews.co.uk

20 - 26 JAN 2012

Andy Kay

63

In, then out

The Final Whistle

MUCH WAS made by British tennis and it supporters that 6 Brits made it through to the Australian Open which started this week. Mind you, after the opening day all you could hear was a deafening silence, probably because five of the six went out at the first round stage, all of them beaten in straight sets with the exception of Anne Keothavong who withdrew through illness after losing the first set of her match against 6-0 to German world No 44 Mona Barthel.

Indeed, it gets worse. Keothavong and her four compatriots, James Ward, Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Elena Baltacha won a paltry 20 games between them against opponents who ranged from the eminently beatable to the obviously overwhelming. Oh, in case you were wondering, the British player who didn’t get beaten on Monday was Andy Murray...he played on Tuesday!

BRRRRRR… Working in the athletics industry, I find it useful to follow a number of British and International athletes on Twitter. So it was depressing to read a few Tweets from high hurdler Andy Turner this week complaining about conditions at the National Sport Centre at Crystal Palace. Due to a lack of heating, Turner reported that it was colder inside than out. Some amazing high performance centres have been built in the UK over recent years, but obviously not enough when our European and Commonwealth Champion has to train in an athletics version of an igloo.

GRID IRON I’m not a huge fan of American Football but I do really enjoy the end of season wild card games, the Divisional play-offs and of course, the big enchilada - the Superbowl. First off, there is some extraordinary athleticism on show. Not from the chunky monkeys whose job it is to push and shove at the line of scrimmage, but from the backs, receivers and safetys. If you want to learn how to catch an oval shaped ball, or pig skin as I believe it’s called across the pond, then these are the guys to watch.

Additionally, I’ve always agreed how the NFL rewards performance throughout the season by giving home advantage to the best ranked teams all the way up until the Superbowl itself. It’ll never happen in the Football League play-offs but I’d like to see the teams who finish just outside the automatic promotion spots given home advantage in a oneoff game, rather than the current two-legged affair which I think evens up the odds.

NO SPACE HERE Last week I wrote how we can expect to read a number of horror stories in the press before the London Olympics get underway this summer. So it’s only right to share some good news with you. Proving that the public are at least are up for it, I can report that the three televised indoor athletics meetings in the UK this winter, the Aviva International Match in Glasgow, the Trials in Sheffield and the Grand Prix in Birmingham were sold out weeks ago. The excitement is obviously already building.

Great weekend for ITV Orihuela RFC juniors THIS WEEK all the match details were given to me by the coaches as I was up at La Vila watching the Sale Sharks match.

On Saturday morning ITV Orihuela RFC entertained Elche cadetes in a very close and exciting game, with Elche taking a first half lead of 7-0, but the cadetes fought back to get a well deserved win in the end, coming out 12-7 winners at the final whistle.

In the afternoon the juveniles and seniors took on UCAM Murcia at home. First up were the juveniles in a hard fought close game where the lead changed hands on a number of occasions. Both teams battled hard to get the upper hand, but neither could: the home side eventually came out on top: 25-17.

It just was not the seniors’ day: after a very tight first half where ITV Orihuela RFC took the lead with a

penalty by Danny, UCAM showed why they are at the top of the league, eventually breaking down a very resilient Orihuela defence going in at the break 14-3 up.

But it could have been different if the home attack had taken their chances and had got the ball out wide with the overlaps.

Well, the second half is probably best forgotten as Orihuela came out a different team and had more holes in it than a sieve, which was a shame after the excellent work in the first half. UCAM Murcia ran out comfortable winners in the end 52-3.

On 24th – 26th February ITV Orihuela RFC will have their usual stand again at the ‘This is Spain Exhibition’ at La Zenia Hotel supporting as always The Butterfly Children, stand number 7.

There is now a new rugby union supporters’ bar in

Fishing Maggots End by

David Hoare 968 199 279

THIS WEEK’S match was the 9th round of the winter series and was held on the Rio Segura Eden canal stretch.

The fishing this week was the same as last week, very hard.

Again we had frost on the ground when we arrived!

There was some improvement this week as I lost two big fish but several others managed to catch theirs, as with last week when no big fish showed. Again though, there were several dry nets with people struggling to catch mullet. I couldn´t really complain as the day previous has been my best day’s fishing, as you will see in the Abbey Anglers results.

TOP RODS ON THE DAY 1st Lenny (Ex Cultural Attachee) Bolton fishing the pole using bread, maggot and pellets with 6.48 kilos 2nd Clive (Golf No More) Cleghorn fishing the pole using maggot with 4.52 kilos 3rd Dave (Yours Truly) Hoare fishing the pole using bread with 3.98 kilos WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP ACCUMULATIVE RESULTS 1st Dave Hutchinson with 28 points 2nd Terry Screen with 32 points 3rd Dave Hoare with 53 points Two rounds to go so this is going to be tight.

Fishing

La Marina

Fishing Rods, Reels, Floats Line, Hooks, Nets, etc + Many accessories. Fishing Tackle. Maggots available.

SHOP OPEN

15% DISCOUNT ON ALL PURCHASES OVER 50€ Avd. Europa, LA MARINA La Marina Market Thurs Montcayo Tuesday & Saturday Lemon Tree Sunday Market Tel Ken: 648 134 465 New Shop: 966 189 969

Rojales - the Steak House in Rojales – it will be showing all televised rugby games on Sky Sports and free to view channels. This weekend there will be the Heinenken Cup games over the weekend starting on Friday night.

This weekend, Saturday 21st January, the juveniles and seniors entertain San Javier in the start of the second round of games in the league, kicking off at 4pm.

The club trains Tuesday and Thursday at the Miguel Hernandez University for the juveniles and seniors starting at 8.30pm, while the juniors are on Tuesday and Thursday at 6.15pm. New players are always welcome no matter what age or skill level.

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

PLEASE NOTE The club at present does have some vacancies and if you are interested in joining please contact Derek Swann on 96 672 9293 or 667 407 026.

3rd Richard (The Lion Heart) King with 5.780kg fishing the pole using sweetcorn and worm All details are available on our website www.abbeyangling. com or from the Match Secretary Terry Screen on 96 532 8368.

ABBEY ANGLING RESULTS Supplied By Terry Screen This week saw us fishing on the River Segura at Murcia for the 2nd match in the Abbey Angling Cup on the 10th January.

The work seems to be now in full swing on the opposite bank, and they look to be sinking the pipe in the ground with lorries taking away the over-spill of earth.

Fishing is still very poor below the bridge, but above the bridge Dave Hoare, fishing the point at the Crystal bridge, had a fantastic day with a whopping 70.440kg which is almost a 155lb of fish: this is the third highest match weight recorded in the local matches and a terrific weight to be caught in the river.

Dave has always said that he believed someone one day would manage to break the ton there: well done Dave.

1st Dave (Yours Truly) Hoare with 70.440kg fishing the pole using bread punch 2nd Dave (The Sweetie Man) Hutchinson with 13.900kg fishing the pole using bread punch

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 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 photo-page, 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, El Alamillo, opposite the sea-front between Isla Plana and Puerto de Mazarron.

FC Torrevieja news

LAST SUNDAY Torry entertained the team propping up the table Barrio Cristo in what was seen as a ‘must win’ game.

Torry created enough chances to have won two games but couldn’t find the net and the game ended in stalemate.

Torry hit the bar and post twice apiece and the veteran Corcoles missed two guilt edged chances. Torry remain in 8th place but 5 points adrift of the 4th and final play-off spot.

This weekend they are away to Llosa and simply must win.