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The Canary Island’s biggest fortnightly English newspaper read by thousands of tourists & residents Edition # 577

8th - 22nd November 2008

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Food for thought Photo credit: Phil Crean

Modern art is the bread and butter of Tenerife’s new gallery! Education

Teachers warn minister Teachers have warned the education minister that the decision to call off the planned three-day strike in November should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness. The

he opening of the TEA, Tenerife’s gallery of modern art, was a crowded affair, with representatives from all walks of Canarian life in attendance. This was one of the events of the social calendar, and a very welcome change from the bad news recently dominating the headlines. Good too to see that the world of art and culture is

allowed to thrive despite economic worries. The building housing the TEA, the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, was designed by the prestigious Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron with Virgilio Gutierrez and aims to become a leading example of contemporary architecture. The TEA, located in Santa Cruz’s restored old quarter on the right bank of the Barranco de Santos, next to the Museum of

Man and Nature, is also hoping to evolve as the cultural and artistic reference point for the island. A functional space, it houses a number of permanent exhibitions, including a collection of works by Tenerife surrealist Oscar Domínguez, Tenerife’s main public library, as well as a cinema, a coffee shop and a multitude of exhibition and meeting spaces. On the opening night regional president Paulino Rivero said “the

existence of communal spaces such as this underlines our diversity and our culture”. Cabildo president Ricardo Melchior spoke of the transformation of the space into a point of reference, with exhibition pieces coming from the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Modern Art Institute in Valencia and Rome’s Gallery of Modern Art, to name but some. There is also an exhibition dedicated to the works of English surrealist Sir Roland

Penrose (1900-1984). And as for the performance art on the opening night? Bemused, curious, hungry? Most of the invited guests were unsure how to react to the baguettewearing men and women who passed among them handing out morsels as they passed. Under the direction of ‘the Bread man’, Tatsumi Orimoto they certainly gave the assembled masses food for thought, if nothing else.

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teachers insist that the fight to secure a pay increase in line with other civil servants goes on and the late U-turn on the strike was for purely strategic reasons. “Normal business will not resume in schools until the government sits down and discusses our demands in earnest” said a union spokesman.The strike was called off when many teachers made it known that they were not prepared to stay away for three days due to the financial repercussions on their wage packets.

Interview

Sue Thain British Consul for Lanzarote Pages 6-7

Canary Islands Lanzarote

Index > Interview 6 / 7

Sue Thain British Consul for Lanzarote

Tenerife South General North

12 17 24

La Gomera

G. Canaria

Business News 28 29 32

Lifestyle Beauty Fashion Health Counselling

34 35 36 38

Pets

High Tech Gadgets

45 46 47 48 49

Classifieds Situations vacant 53 General services 54 Buy & sell 55 Property 57

Sport Business News Motoring Bowling Boxing CD Tenerife

by Air Europa appeared to slide off the runway as it landed on a flight from Glasgow on Friday October 31st, ending up just metres from the beach. Unofficial reports quote a wet runway and poor visibility as possible reasons for the incident, and an investigation is underway. Luckily there were no injuries amongst the 74 passengers and six crew who left the plane safely and after a brief stop in the airport were transferred to their hotels. Ian White in Lanzarote reports An aviation expert has told Island Connections he saw the plane approach the runway “very fast”. Argentinean Alberto Lopez Lombi, 58, a former aeronautics engineer who witnessed the incident from his Playa Honda home, said

59 60 61 63

Betty and Tom Drummond

 Tom

Airport director Dionisio Canomanuel briefs press after the event

“At 7.20am I saw the plane which was approaching the end of the runway and wasn’t stopping. I thought it was over one of the perimeter roads and it seemed to me to be going very fast. I could also feel the engines accelerating and then it swerved to one side. I saw how the nose of the plane fell so that it was lower than the rest”. An ex-pat volunteer firefighter in Lanzarote

witnessed how close the Glasgow horror plane was to disaster. Rod Norman, 47, who moved here from Coventry last year, said that in his opinion they were “inches” away from a potential major incident. “The plane had run off the runway and was just touching the outer crash barrier. It was inches away from going into the sea,” he told us. Rod had responded to

a red alert plane crash call made by his Dutch boss shortly before 9am. He was joined by four Spanish colleagues. “‘I was still in bed, but when he told me it was a plane crash, I was at our truck in Puerto del Carmen within minutes.”. He added he was glad to see everyone eventually led to safety from the back of the plane before standing down and returning to his day job”. Just two days before the incident the emergency services had staged a fullscale simulated disaster rescue operation at the airport.

Immigration numbers

Population boom?  The Canary Islands form one

of the regions in the European Union with the highest rate of population growth between the years 2001 and 2005. Figures from the European Statistics Office (Eurostat) confirm that this increase is not just brought about by a natural growth in the population, and that the main cause is immigration. According to data from Eurostat regarding the average population between 2001 and 2005, it was found that for every 1,000 inhab-

itants more than 12 people were added. These figures are shared by other Spanish regions such as Andalucia, Murcia, Valencia, Castilla la Mancha, Madrid, Catalunya, Navarra, La Rioja and the Balearics. There were two main components to the Eurostat survey: natural growth, or the difference between the number of births and deaths, and the migratory balance, or the difference between the number of migrants and immigrants. Natural growth on the islands was shown to

be only 2.4 to 5.6 for each 1,000 inhabitants. The Canaries did, however, come out with very high figures for the migratory balance – more than 12 new people for each 1,000 inhabitants. On a global level, the general picture of the European population shows that while regions in the east and north east are suffering from a decrease, the population levels are growing elsewhere, especially in Mediterranean countries, except for Greece.

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Eye Witnesses

It took forever to stop

Food Business News Rest. Review Seasonal food Food Cheeses Wine

No injuries in Air Europa accident

 A Boeing-737 owned

Canary Islands

Financial Blevins ZEC

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Credit: Ian White

and Betty Drummond were on the Lanzarote bound Air Europa plane. Sawmill worker Tom, 61, recalled: “I said to my wife I thought the pilot was coming in too quickly to the runway. We were sat in row 11 by the engine and the thud on landing was just so hard. We’ve sat by the wheels before and it’s never felt like that. It was awful. The pace he was going in trying to get the wheels down was too fast. I knew something was wrong when he started to swerve violently. It seemed to take forever to stop and it was very frightening. As he braked we came to a sudden halt and were left facing another direction. Lots of steam was coming out of the engine.” Mrs Drummond, 60, who runs a bed and breakfast back home, recalled a steward informing everyone there had been “a problem” and they were waiting to be towed back. After being let off the back of the plane, passengers were escorted to a room for about an hour where the Drummonds phoned their eldest daughter, Elaine, to say they were safe.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Photo: Deror Avi

Sanz-Briz is honoured at Yaz Vashem, Israel’s National Holocaust Museum

Ángel Sanz-Brinz

canary islands

Gran Canaria suspect

Biggest ever serial rapist?

Hungary honours Spanish Schindler  Tribute has been paid

in Budapest to a Spanish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from deportation to concentration camps during World War II. Despite the excellent relations between Franco and Hitler, Spain’s chargé d’affaires in Hungary Ángel Sanz-Briz ignored his government’s officially neutral position and risked his life and personal fortune to save a total of 5,200 Jews from the gas chambers in Auschwitz and Birkenhau in the mid1940s. The diplomat hid large groups of Hungarian Jews in apartments which he rented with his own money in various parts of Budapest and formally sign-posted as ‘annexes’ of the Spanish Embassy to prevent German troops from entering. Using as an official pretext an old law entitling Sephardic Jews to apply for Spanish nationality, Sanz Briz issued thousands of letters of protection that guaranteed immunity to the bearers.

By Karl McLaughlin He then provided them with visas and helped arrange their journey to Spain. He was recalled to Madrid in December 1944 but the secret network he set up continued to operate for several months after his departure. Sanz-Briz’s humanitarian actions were recognised formally in 1995 by the Hungarian government, which placed commemorative plaques on the front of the buildings he used as safe houses. Helmut Vandor and István Harsanyi, who escaped the Holocaust thanks to the diplomat, were guests of honour at a special ceremony held in the Spanish Embassy as a posthumous tribute to the man known popularly as ‘the Spanish Schindler’. Sanz-Briz has also been honoured by Israel’s National Holocaust Museum, which conferred its highest award on him in 1991, a decade after his death. He is also the only Spanish diplomat ever to appear on a postage stamp in Spain.

 Hundreds of unsolved

sex crimes in the Canary Islands dating back over a decade are being reviewed urgently following the arrest in October of a Las Palmas man, who has already been positively identified by twenty women raped in recent years. Canarian police believe the man, a 47-year-old grandfather, could turn out to be the biggest serial rapist in recent Spanish history. A local judge has ordered more than 400 forensic samples taken from

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sex crime victims over the past 15 years, including a number of foreign tourists, to be retested for a possible DNA match with the suspect, who has been charged with a range of offences, including attempted murder and abduction. Police and army search teams spent two weeks combing extensive areas of waste ground in Arucas and other parts of Gran Canaria for forensic evidence and human remains after several of the victims provided descriptions of the spots they were allegedly driven

Managing Director

Joe Schacher director@ic-news.com Editor

Clio O’Flynn

Forensic samples are being examined

in connection with the arrest to and then raped. The suspect, described as having a very violent character, was arrested after an African prostitute handed over to

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police a set of car keys she managed to take from her assailant. The vehicle was subsequently traced to a woman whose husband matched a computer-generated picture of a man wanted in connection with the rape of a German holidaymaker some time ago on the holiday island. Police have not ruled out a connection between the suspect and the disappearance of two children, a boy aged seven and a girl aged 14, in Gran Canaria in the past two years.

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Canary Islands

La Gomera links

Garajonay Exprés ceases operation

Antonio Morales, Agüímes mayor

 The small car-less fast

ferry services that has linked different parts of La Gomera and Tenerife for the last few years has ceased operations. The announcement, though unwelcome, didn’t come as a huge surprise to those who have been following the fortunes of the company, which recently cut routes to save money. As with that decision, Garajonay Exprés lay the blame for their decision to terminate the service firmly at the door of the regional authorities who have still to initiate a public competition to service the routes (Valle Gran Rey – Playa Santiago – San Sebastián and Los Cristianos). The route, which has been only serviced by the company, comes under the public transport remit, thus open to subsidies, but to date there has been no sign that the authorities are ready to proceed. According to a statement issued by the ferry company,

gran canaria

Councils issue wages warning  Local councils in Gran Canaria say they may

The Garajonay Exprés has ceased operations

they have continued to operate despite economic risks as they didn’t wish to pull the service from the public, “which has been shown to be extremely necessary for the island”. However, the statement continues, the situation as it is cannot continue indefinitely, despite the fact that “the wish of this

company...is to continue to be the company that helps connect the south of the island of La Gomera with the island of Tenerife”. However as things stand their decision to cease operations is “necessary and unavoidable”. La Gomera president Casimiro Curbelo expressed his dismay at the news, and

backed up the call to the regional government to act immediately to “guarantee the maintenance of the interior maritime line which connects Valle Gran Rey, Playa de Santiago and San Sebastián” adding that it was essential that they act now to underwrite “a service that is fundamental for Gomeros”.

have problems making ends meet if the regional government insists on them refunding over-paid subsidies. The government has cut funding in some cases and in others has requested corporations to pay back sums already allocated. However, at a meeting of the island’s 21 councils recently, mayors said they could not guarantee that council employees would be paid their salaries at the end of the month or that overheads would be met. The mayor of Agüímes, Antonio Morales, said all the councils wanted to keep to the previous arrangement of a five-year refund period for overpaid amounts. He added that the current crisis had been compounded by the Canarian government’s unilateral decision in October to withhold part of the payments due to corporations.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Canarian population growth study

 The Canarian government has welcomed the news that Brussels is to study the impact of population growth in the Islands. A new European Commission strategy for the EU’s outermost regions includes a 400,000 euro budget for a detailed study of the repercussions of the increased population and of immigration flows. Elsa Casas, the head of the Canarian government’s external affairs office, said the decision was a sensible one and reflected the Canarian authorities’ concern at the current situation. The preliminary results of the study are expected in mid-2009. Government sources said that the information could be helpful in terms of supporting measures to restrict residency or purchase second homes in the Canaries, something Brussels has frowned upon until now due to possible discrimination against EU citizens.

CC annual congress

Party calls Spain ‘artificial nation’ Photo. 2008 coalicioncanaria.org

EU regions

canary islands

Lanzarote stabbing

Briton held

 A middle-aged Briton is being held in Lanzarote in connection with the stabbing of another man. The stabbing occurred on October 29th in a holiday apartment in Puerto del Carmen. The victim, in his 50s, underwent emergency surgery in the island’s general hospital. It is believed the two men were a homosexual couple on holiday in the resort and had an argument in the apartment. Police were alerted when the receptionist called for help dealing with a guest who was bleeding profusely. Hours later they arrested the alleged culprit, named in local press as Mark G. aged 44, as he was on his way to the airport to fly out of the island.

Claudina Morales, new CC president

 Spain’s

governing PSOE party has called on its main rival, the Popular Party, to break ties with the Canarian Coalition (CC) due to the latter’s refusal to recognise Spain as a nation. At the recent CC annual congress, delegates passed a resolution which included a controversial reference

to Spain as “an artificial nation which has usurped the languages and symbols of its component parts”. The text added that in order to survive, Spanish identity is set on “eliminating the country’s other identities”. The motion has been criticised by the Spanish government and the Popular Party, which shares

power with the Coalition in the Canaries, is under increasing pressure to distance itself from its partner’s position. The party also used the congress to choose a new president. Claudina Morales from Fuerteventura was elected after the current head withdrew his candidacy at

the last minute. José Torres Restinga pulled out after his annual report nearly received an embarrassing No vote, which was a clear indication that re-election was far from assured. A late consensus was reached to put forward Morales, exmayor of La Oliva, and the motion was carried with little opposition.

Exclusive Interview

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Sue Thain new British Consul for Lanzarote

A definite plus

By Sheila Collis

We were delighted to be present in Puerto Calero recently, at the official presentation of Sue Thain as Honorary British Consul to Lanzarote.

t was a day of smiles from all, proud tears from Sue’s family and friends and warmly unstuffy for such a formal occasion. The British Ambassador, Denise Holt spoke off the cuff and, “from the heart” in receiving Sue on board officially and the welcoming line was more hugs and kisses than formal handshakes from all present, underlining just how much she has become part of the local community; the perfect candidate for the task she has undertaken. Continuing the break in the old school tie, formal foreign office background tradition which in the Canaries began with the appointment of Stephen Jones (Steve) as the Consul for all the islands, Sue’s background is far from the old ‘norm’ for a diplomatic appointee, as she revealed to Island Connections, in an exclusive interview before the formal presentation. Sue moved to Lanzarote 25 years ago from North Devon. She started off her working life as a hairdresser in the UK where she ended up managing the business and her first brush with the tourist trade was helping out at her parents’ hotel when they took a break. When she first moved to Lanzarote she had two young daughters, her son was born here some years later, and she dedicated the early years here to her young daughters. Her first

job in the Canaries was in an estate agency. The work of an estate agent in the Islands tends to be more complex than back in the UK or Ireland, they get involved in all the paperwork for residence permits, switching on the electricity, telephone, and a long etcetera, Sue’s fluent Spanish was frequently in use sorting out the various bureaucratic steps, a language she learnt as she went along, “I didn’t even know ‘adios’ from

the cowboy films when I came, but I picked it all up. That’s how the networking started.” Some years ago she started her own business organising weddings in Lanzarote, a spectacular and unique location for anybody’s special day, which of course meant more familiarisation with more paperwork and more contacts in different areas of bureaucracy. So how did the leap from there to Honorary Consul

take place? Steve Jones explained that when he took office, combining the work of the two retiring consuls, one of the tasks he was given was to look at support on the other islands and he was conscious of the increasing number of residents and holidaymakers on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, but especially Lanzarote. The Consul’s Office always held consular surgeries on a regular basis, where a member of the consul

staff flew in to deal with specialised problems, however it was felt that on-the-ground help was needed for a more immediate response. Steve was asked early on by the Consul General, Michael John Holloway, and the Ambassador to look for somebody who could represent them on an honorary basis; it was about finding someone who was willing and able to do what they were asked to do. Once word

got around quite a number of people applied and after informal discussions with the candidates Steve decided that Sue would be ideal. However the decision for making such an appointment is with the Consul General and the Ambassador so Consul General, Michael Holloway, came over from Madrid to see Sue and then she flew in to Madrid for the celebration of the Queen of England’s birthday last year to meet the Ambassador.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Once the choice was made Sue went on a course but then they had to wait for the official credentials to be approved by the Spanish government before she could take up her role fully. Meantime she was kept busy. There were a few occasions involving accidents for instance where Steve was able to rely on Sue to deal with the situation on the spot and check out the lie of the land with British nationals in hospitals etc. Sue is now available two hours a day, five days a week, however as an honorary consul and therefore unpaid by the Embassy or the Foreign Office. The Consul’s Office is very conscious of the demands on her time, particularly as she has her own business, which is why people who wish to see her are asked to make an appointment through the Consul’s Office at Gran Canaria on 928 26 25 08. She’s also had visits from people staying in Fuerteventura as Corralejo, one of the main tourist areas on that island is just across the isthmus. The regular surgeries in both islands continue, on the one hand to update Sue with possible changes or news and on the other to deal with issues such as notarial matters which would take up too much of her time or are beyond her scope, (times, locations and dates of visits can be found on the www.ukinspain.fco. gov.uk web pages). So Sue is according to Steve, “a definite plus” to the existing services rather than an alternative to the previous arrangements. When asked what particular skills she has to fit her for her new role Sue is unusually shy. “Well obviously the networking and contacts. I’m a good listener and very patient; keep my head in a crisis.” Steve was more emphatic adding that she was unflappable, able to weigh up a situation objectively to give him guidelines on

who and what was needed where and when and had very good communication skills. Basically she’s already experienced most problems and challenges that can happen to people in Lanzarote, all the things that life throws at us, but in a foreign country, and having dealt with it herself feels more able to help others through the same situations. She understands the problems at first hand and has a wonderful way of dealing with people. The biggest difficulty she’s faced so far was a car accident where someone was killed and she had to speak to the husband, she’s also carried out a couple of prison visits and she deals with a lot of lost and stolen travel documents, which is

why she insists that people should keep a photocopy of their passport apart from the original or at least a note of the number and the numbers of any debit and credit cards. She also advises residents to keep an eye on the expiry date of their passport, particularly as the resident card no longer exists and has been replaced with a certificate which should legally be backed by an up-to-date passport. As far as the Foreign Office is concerned, an emergency passport is for emergencies, not just because you hadn’t realised that your passport was out of date and want to nip home or wherever for a quick break. Another important area which is often ignored is health cover, Sue insists on

Exclusive Interview

Sue insists on the importance of making sure that visitors and residents have adequate

health provisions

the importance of making sure that visitors and residents have adequate health provisions. Often people don’t register with the local town hall although they are legally obliged to do so as residents and they can

miss out on local assistance if they fail to do so, as well as missing out on perks like the residents discount for interisland and Spanish peninsula visits. Locate, the on-line registration scheme for residents was also mentioned. It’s a totally private location service available only to the Consul office which helps them trace you and notify you in times of necessity whether for a local emergency or an SOS call from home. Your information is not divulged to any third party. For new residents the advice would be, do your homework on the schooling systems, social security etc., to inform yourself fully before making the move and to be aware that there are benefits available as a European citizen. Both Steve and Sue were also fairly adamant that residents should make some effort to learn the language and integrate, and most towns now offer some form of free or very cheap tuition to European nationals who want to make the effort. Steve advised, “look at the menu in English then check your choice in Spanish and try and order in the local language. I know it can be embarrassing when you get things wrong, but that’s part of the fun of living here and we all know how friendly the

Canarian people are.” With the upsurge in DIY holiday packages, many people are neglecting to take out holiday insurance and both Steve and Sue recommended that they do a rethink and basically don’t take risks here that you wouldn’t take at home. As anywhere, there is opportunistic crime and if you go for a swim or a walk and leave your wallet and passport on the beach there is a possibility that it won’t be there when you come back. During the not so formal reception Sue was praised by the Ambassador who remarked that she had received nothing but praise for Sue’s efforts so far, thanked her for her work and ensured those present that she had her complete confidence and that of the British government. She also apologised for not being able to visit Lanzarote earlier to present her formally in the international society, “but as we say in English, better late than never”. If you want something done, ask a busy person. Apart from looking after her seven year old son, her business and her consular work Sue also spends some of her free time working for a charity, Niños del tercer mundo (third world children) and has promised to keep us in touch with fund raising events organised on their behalf. A wonderful example of the benefits of integration in your chosen society, Sue is now the official British Government’s representative in Lanzarote, with, as the Ambassador underlined, “the full support just a little distance away of Steve Jones. We know that there is a large British colony here and that there are many British tourists who visit the area and are very happy and content to be here and long may it continue,” a sentiment that is assuredly shared by the Lanzarote business and political world and of course by Sue herself.

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Canary Islands

Las Palmeras

Judicial inquiry

judge faces two-year suspension

A cautionary tale

By Barbara Belt

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (Canarian high court) has ruled in favour of demolition at a tourist complex in Valle Gran Rey.

he Tres Palmeras ‘aparthotel’ will lose areas built next to the sea, by order of the recent ruling. The complex is now owned by a community of individuals, who tried for some time to block the demolition. They maintain that the complex was built, “ in accordance with the building licence granted.” The high court found that, “on the contrary, the works were not carried out in accordance with the licence, nor were conditions imposed by the Dirección General de Costas adhered to.” The Dirección General de Costas, usually referred to as ‘Costas’, is the national government body charged with protecting and maintaining the coastlines of the Spanish mainland and islands. Costas ordered the then owner/builders to ensure that buildings were moved back from the sea eleven metres, in compliance with a limitation imposed in 1977. However, when

the complex was finished in 1988, it occupied the entire area legally designated as coastal path way. At high tide, it is impossible to walk the entire way along the coast and, in defence of this right to coastal access, the Tres Palmeras will be partly demolished. Judges ruled that, because of, “clear infringement of the building licence and the conditions imposed,” no exception can be made in this case. The owners have no recourse and may not, “try to exempt themselves under the exceptions clause of coastal legislation.” Arguments that demolition is unconstitutional, due to procedural irregularities in the court case, were rejected as irrelevant. A further argument that the works were legal, as the building licence was granted before Ley de Costas (coastal law) was introduced, was also ignored. The court dismissed the claim that the complex was approved at the time by Costas, as it

did the contradictory claim that notice of legislation was never provided by the authorities. Demolition will be carried out to the apparent surprise of owners. Many bought relatively cheaply at public auc-

The writing on the wall for Las Palmeras tion some years after the buildings were completed. They must now regret not reading the small print, or investigating the complex’s complicated legal history. The auction was the result of a classic legal wrangle between builder and promoter, both men of some local standing. Money was, according to builder, local surgeon A. P, owed him by co-promoter, businessman M.P. A.P. claimed loss of income during a seven month halt in the works, while

his presumably ex-friend maintained that he could not be held accountable. A further complication arose when M.P. refused to return A.P’s share of the property. It had been put in M.P’s name to avoid complications during A.P’s divorce. The case did the rounds for over five years, until a judgement was made in favour of A.P. In time honoured method, M.P. declared bankruptcy and his portion of the Tres Palmeras was subsequently auctioned to pay his debt. A.P. was recently found guilty of offences relating to illegal construction on other parts of the island. The case implicates friends in high places. There is great interest to see if the law really will be applied impartially. Many local people bought in at the bankruptcy auction. Tres Palmeras is attractive and rentable. They were unaware of implications, or chose not to care. This is the year in which being unaware of past infringements, oversights,

lapses, adjustments whatever we choose to call the spaghetti of complicated planning law and law-breaking so rife throughout the Canaries - is no defence. Demolitions are happening and, although there are very restricted cases when illegal buildings are exempted, it seems not to matter who gave you the nod in exchange for a piece of the action or votes. If the building is illegal, it will very probably be demolished. The wrong people may bear the brunt. T’was ever thus. Those in the know saw what was coming and sold. The previous lack of comprehensive planning legislation, coupled with grace and favour permissions from town halls, has left a nightmare legacy of illegal buildings all over the islands. Read the small print, investigate the history of your investment apartment, and question the seller if you still haven’t bought. The writing is on the wall for hundreds of illegal buildings.

A senior High Court judge in the Canaries faces a suspension of up to two years if convicted of trying to influence colleagues to bail a drug trafficker. The judge, a former president of the region’s criminal court, is accused by the prosecutor’s office of using his influence to persuade two other judges to lift a remand order against the trafficker. The charges were brought after phone conversations taped as part of a separate police inquiry in 2005 revealed that the well-known judge had a close relationship with a friend of the defendant and had apparently instructed the latter’s lawyer as to the arguments he should use in court during the bail hearing. Spain’s Council for the Judiciary has ordered its own investigation into the allegations against the judge, who has been suspended temporarily pending the outcome.

Child Prostitution

Airman remanded A member of the Spanish Air Force has been remanded in prison on charges of child prostitution. The 50-year-old warrant officer, who is based in Gran Canaria, was arrested after a lengthy investigation by police into allegations that teenage girls were being groomed on Internet to work in local brothels and apartments. Girls as young as 14 are thought to have been persuaded to engage in sex acts, some of them violent, with older men.The airman is accused of recruiting the girls, who were mainly from broken homes and poor families, and paying them to attend clients who responded to newspaper sex ads. He was sent to jail by a judge in Las Palmas after being positively identified by six girls in line up parades.

F e w t h i n g s i n l i f e a r e co n s i d e r e d p r e c i o u s , a n d w a k i n g u p to p e a ce, q u i e t a n d a n o v e r a l l s e n s e o f t r a n q u i l i t y i s w o r t h e v e r y p e n ny. Fr e d O ls e n , S . A . h a s c h o s e n L a G o m e r a a s t h e p e r f e c t s p o t f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e nt o f e x c l u s i v e l u x u r y v i l l a s a n d a p a r t m e nt s . O n e o f t h e p r i m a r y r e a s o n s f o r t h i s u n d e r t a k i n g i s t h a t L a G o m e r a i s g u a r a nte e d to k e e p i t s t r a n q u i l i t y, s i n ce o v e r 6 0 % o f t h e i s l a n d h a s b e e n a l l o c a te d to n a t u r e r e s e r v e s .

Good Morning For more information please visit: w w w. p u e b l o d o n t h o m a s . c o m o r c a l l: + (3 4) 92 2 62 83 8 0 + (3 4) 92 2 14 59 39 Pueblo Don Thomas, La Gomera, Canar y Islands, Spain.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Canary Islands

Putting children first

ATCC call for changes in divorce laws  A divorce is often painful

More and more the trend is to involve both parents in the full upbringing of the child

for all concerned: it marks the end of normal family life and brings about changes for everyone involved. Since the Divorce Law was passed in Spain in 1981 the number of separations has increased considerably each year. Unfortunately it is not only the married couple who are affected; it is often the children who suffer the most. They are frequently withdrawn from the lives of one parent as the other is given sole responsibility. They can be caught in the middle of disputes and can even be used as weapons in a tug-oflove battle that can only be damaging to their self-esteem. According to the Tenerife Joint Custody Association (ATCC), created in June of this year, the ideal solution is for both parents to have equal responsibility for the care and upbringing of their offspring. Experience has shown that children benefit most from a situation where

they can receive continued guidance and support from both their mother and father, and where both parents have an equal say about their upbringing. Unfortunately current Spanish legislation, dating from 2005, is not geared towards joint custody. Unless specifically requested by one of the parents, responsibility is automatically given to a sole carer. Traditionally this is the woman: in 2005 custody was given to the mother in 97 per cent of cases and only three percent to the father. The ATCC was established by people affected by divorce, of both sexes, who are convinced that joint custody is the best solution for the children. The organisation fights for the rights of children to be loved and cared for by their father, as well as the mother, and to continue enjoying being a part of the lives of not only both parents, but also their respective families. The association wants

to see changes in the laws to, “establish joint custody as an automatic initial measure in all processes of annulment, separation and divorce, except in special cases or where one of the parents prevents its application.” In many European countries there is a tendency nowadays towards equal parenting rights, and others have registered the benefits and are working towards changing attitudes. A booklet released last month in Ireland by the National Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents and their Children, Treoir, challenges traditional views, and aims to show the advantages of expartners putting the child’s needs first and working together. It concentrates on the moving away from a singleparent attitude and instead shows how providing two stable homes, rather than one where the child is only ‘visiting’, affords the greatest advantages in the short- and long term. The Tenerife ATCC took to the streets of Santa Cruz recently to raise public awareness of these issues and to publicise the changes to the legislation they are calling for. Many other family-based organisations across Spain are making similar stands. Society is changing and the laws need to be amended to reflect that.

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Canary Islands

Mental health

There was a party to launch the new bar and wellness centre

A special unit  La Gomera has the only

mental health unit in the Canary Islands boasting an independent unit for helping patients deal with drug addiction. The island’s unit, although under the auspices of the Unidad de Salud Mental, or mental health unit, is unique in that it assumes total responsibility for the assessment, treatment and posttreatment support of drug dependent patients throughout the island. This enables workers to advise over a wider range of associated issues and to give hands-on advice and support, instead of the more usual practice of making referrals, often too long-winded a process, too late to be effective. The unit consists of a psychiatrist and coordinator, two psychologists, a nurse

and two nursing auxiliaries. So far this year it has dealt with twenty-two cases of cocaine addiction; fourteen cannabis addicts; fifty-eight alcoholics; two tobacco addicts and sixteen opiates users. Once potential patients show their willingness to deal with their drug depend-

ency, the unit implements detailed withdrawal support programmes and follow up therapies for patients and their families. General talks, events and visits for patients and their families are organised. Thirty-four workshops have taken place this year, bringing, “very useful infor-

mation and vital support to both drug dependent and mental health patients and their families,” according to island health chief, Jaime Bernárdez, who announced his satisfaction at what he called, “the undoubted success of this small experiment.”

El silbo

Whistle on line  A webpage offering

free language tuition now offers the chance to learn La Gomera’s unique whistled ‘language’, el silbo. The webpage in question is <www.busuu. com> and potential students can watch a video explaining the origins and history of the silbo gomero, before learning how to whistle various simple phrases, such as “buenos días, buenas noches,” and the allimportant “una cerveza por favor.” The silbo gomero is not a language in the proper sense of the word, but a system of reproducing language - syllable by syllable - using whistles modified by

the introduction of fingers into the mouth. It consists of six basic sounds and, in favourable conditions, can be heard at a distance of three thousand metres. It was in common use when the Spanish arrived half

a millenium ago and was gradually adapted to reproduce Spanish, rather than the Berber, language used by the pre-Spanish population. It enabled islanders to communicate across the island’s deep ravines and was

in common usage until relatively recently. The silbo can still be heard all over the island today as it was saved from extinction by its inclusion in the island schools’ curriculum and today’s young islanders know how to use the silbo. The webpage in question, busuu, is named after a language spoken by only eight people in the Cameroon. It was started in May this year and has a regular user base of over forty thousand wouldbe students of all ages. The webpage’s popularity stems from the practical methodology used. Visitors to the page are helped to learn a variety of foreign languages using themebased sound and images, representing everyday situations.

Thomas Müller

Gomera Lounge  Long-term La Gomera resident Thomas Müller

has opened his latest venture, the Gomera Lounge, in Valle Gran Rey. At a party to launch the official opening of the Gomera Lounge apartments, wellness centre and piano bar, Müller recounted how he and his team, “had worked to create something new and exciting in the world of relaxation, tourism and well-being.” Guests at the launch party were invited to a guided tour of the apartments and roof terrace area. The venue, beside the sea overlooking the Calera beach in Valle Gran Rey, has been created in what used to be Casa Rudolpho, one of the first foreign owned apartment houses in the valley. Its previous owners retired and sold the premises to the Müllers, who have used a downstairs lot next to the building for some years to house Cristina Müller’s jewellery and stone shop. The Gomera Lounge is themed. Each of its floors “takes you to a different continent and each of its apartments to another country.” There is a comfortably furnished piano bar on the ground floor of the building, offering live music on a small stage area, and a rooftop ‘wellness’ suite, with whirlpool, sauna and treatment rooms overlooking the sea. The opening party was delayed until building work at the adjacent Hotel Playa la Calera - cause of much political wrangling - was finished and the wait was worthwhile. The outside area is now a plant-lined, pleasant place to sit rather than a frenetic building site access.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

World Heritage Cultural Site Free guided tours in English, German and French. Tourist Information Office Casa de los Capitanes Call to book tour: 922 631 194 Fax: 922 608 974 . E-Mail: turismo.laguna@cabtfe.es Mondays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm

Tourist Information Office Los Rodeos Call to book tour: 922 825 046 Fax: 922 608 974 . E-Mail: turismo.laguna@cabtfe.es Mondays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Carnival capers can lead to marriage break-ups

Canary Islands

Carnival cuts

Carnivals to be scaled down all over the islands

Marriages at risk

Divorces surge after holidays … and Carnival

 Experts have pinpointed holidays and Carnival

as danger points for marriage, judging by the number of break-ups immediately afterwards. Tenerife daily La Opinion investigated some of the reasons behind the higher divorce rate in the Canaries compared to other parts of Spain and attributes post-holiday splits to the pressure of spending 24 hours a day in each other’s company during holidays. Psychologist Begoña Moreno believes that a contributing factor also is the low participation in home chores by Canarian men. “During the rest of the year”, she argues, “when the family members are out working or at school, the lack of help in the home can go relatively unnoticed but it becomes glaringly obvious during the vacations and many women decide enough is enough”. The rise in breakups immediately after Carnival remains unexplained, however, although it could be related to infidelities occurring during the fortnight of late night revelry.

Fiestas hit by belt-tightening  Several

councils in the Canaries have announced they are to cut their annual ‘fiestas’ budgets due to the current economic crisis. The difficulties in finding sponsors and the need to cut costs all round have persuaded a number of councils to delete the usual

spending on Carnivals and folk events for at least the coming year. Los Llanos de Aridane in La Palma set the ball rolling by announcing that all next year’s Carnival activities will be pruned considerably, save for the open-air dances, which are the cheapest events to organise. Shortly after-

wards, as reported elsewhere in detail in this paper, La Orotava in Tenerife decided to downsize its Carnival for the next three years and is even considering eliminating entirely some of the lavish contests or at least moving them indoors to save money. Telde in Gran Canaria has

served notice that its popular livestock fair is due for the chop also as part of a major cost-cutting exercise. Only Santa Cruz de Tenerife seems untouched by the fiestas belt-tightening and is honouring its Carnival budget, believed to be in the region of six million euros.

Tenerife South

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Callao Salvaje

Clean up promised  Residents

and businesses in Callao Salvaje, in Adeje, are unhappy about what they see as the ongoing lack of attention being given to their village, despite the fact that they pay the same rates and taxes as other residents in the borough. Many of those who live and work in the area, which lies between Adeje and Playa San Juan, have now signed a petition in protest at the dearth of council attention, pointing specifically to the lack of street markings in the crossing by the plaza, the appalling state of the children’s play area, which is sited in the plaza in a zone with no shade whatsoever, the dirty state of pavements and the accumulation of rubbish in certain illegal sites. They also say that despite

The state of the streets and park in Callao Salvaje leaves a lot to be desired

some changes the village is still not exactly wheelchair friendly. One woman told Island Connections, “I won’t let my child play in the park at times, as it is littered with broken bottles, and who knows what else, especially

after the weekends”: The petition (available in a number of shops) calls on the Adeje council to “put an end to the abandonment which we are suffering at the hands of local administration and those

responsible for the zone”. But according to the council itself it is the latter which continues to bear most of the responsibility for the area. Island Connections contacted Adeje council re-

Playa Paraíso

Residents in ‘illegal’ shopping centre battle  Playa Paraíso residents

who are fighting to have a sea-front shopping centre declared illegal say their lawyer has produced more evidence pointing to serious irregularities committed by the council in granting planning permission. The residents say the Marqués Centre not only breaches coastal protection legislation but is also being used for a purpose other than that stated when the permission was sought from Adeje council. After a battle lasting years to prevent the centre from opening, locals were

astounded to learn that the ‘illegal’ construction had been legalised by the authorities at local and regional level. The resident’s lawyer Dolores Palliser says she has gathered “substantial evidence” that the centre has violated various panning regulations. “It not only occupies the public right of way on the shore but has one floor more than is allowed by the legislation. It is also being used as residential property instead of for purely commercial purposes, again in blatant breach of the law. It is now up to the courts to decide

what should be done with it”, said Palliser, who explained that she had been hired because the residents were angry that “one of the most beautiful parts of Playa Paraíso had been ruined by this building”. The head of the residents’ association which is waging the campaign against the centre, Benito Capone, says that a report drawn up for the court which is dealing with the case has already drawn judges’ attention to a series of irregularities. Residents say the Marqués Centre breaches coastal protection legislation

garding the complaints and were told that until Callao Salvaje, which in effect continues in the hands of a private developer, is handed over to the council, which must happen under law, they cannot regulate for the zone in full. They want that, according to the spokesperson, to happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, and in response to the complaints, the councillor responsible for services, Julio Gonzalo Delgado Díaz promised this newspaper that they would send a team down to attend to the children’s playground “today or tomorrow”. The local authorities have also, bit by bit, begun to introduce a number of street cleaning services, but it is not enough for the local population who are rightly concerned that they are not being given the same consideration as other rate payers.

Arona

Residents issue vigilante warning Residents of the town centre of Arona have warned they may organise their own street patrols at night in a bid to curb the spate of break-ins and robberies in the area. The warning was given by members of the Almácigo Residents Association, who say they are tired of asking for a more visible police presence in the town centre. Chairman Valentín Mena is adamant that the current situation cannot be allowed to continue: “We have made repeated representation to the council for action but nothing has been done and we have no choice but to patrol ourselves as a deterrent. “If the police won’t do anything, we will” he insisted in an interview with newspaper El Día. However, Mena stressed that if the residents do see anything suspicious they will call the police and not take the law into their own hands.

fruit felon

Watermelon thief arrested A woman from Adeje who stole vanloads of watermelons from local ‘fincas’ has been arrested. The 34-year-old was identified as the person behind the theft of nearly four tons of watermelons from two farms in the Granadilla area recently. The fruit, stolen over a period of several days, was sold to a number of shops in Buzanada and Los Cristianos but the farmers had noted the losses and alerted police, who managed to trace the van used to distribute the watermelons.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Ryanair

New routes Ryanair has announced a number of new routes flying out of Tenerife. From November the airline is flying to London (Stansted), Liverpool, Glasgow (Prestwick), Düsseldorf and Bremen. The London, Liverpool and Düsseldorf routes will operate three times weekly, those connecting Glasgow and Bremen twice weekly, potentially adding 180,000 passengers to the Ryanair fold in a year.

adeje

Local education The window for registration for courses under the Adeje Universidad Popular banner is open until November 21st. The 2008-09 courses will be offered in a number of centres around the borough, including Adeje Casco, La Postura, Santa Úrsula, Miraverde, Los Menores, Tijoco Alto, Tijoco La Hoya, Armeñime, Fañabe, Taucho, Callao Salvaje, and the Adeje youth and senior citizen centres. Among the subjects on offer are French and Italian for children and adults, mechanical drawing, Office 2007 and Nomina Plus packets, Junior Linux, make-up courses, learning games and quiromassage. Registration can be completed at the Adeje cultural centre, 9am to 1pm, or the Tijoco-La Hoya, Armeñime, Fañabe and Miraverde centres, afternoons only.

tenerife south

Water babies

Adeje pool reopens  Adeje’s municipal pool

has reopened its doors to the swimming public having carried out major upgrades to the pool and installations. As planned and on time the renovations took three months (work began on August 15th), though there are still one or two more changes to the building in the pipeline. The main alteration was the change in the depth of the main pool. Previously measuring 25 metres by 12.50 with a depth of 1.90 filling the pool required 312.5 cubic metres of water, by raising the bottom the pool now has a depth of only 1.55 metres, which will, as sports councillor Marcos Barrera González “mean significant savings not just of water, but in chemical products

Work on the pool has been ongoing since August of this year

needed to maintain the water in good condition and in energy consumption”. The smaller learning pool’s size remains the same. As well as savings in water and energy, the re-

duction in the depth of the water also contributes to the safety of users, says the councillor. “In the case of a necessary lifesaving operation is will be much easier to help the swimmer in dif-

Grain and gofio

Celebrating the humble cereal  Adeje recently held a

day in celebration of a very important part of our diet, the humble and often forgotten cereal. Cereal Day, organised by local agriculture and rural development councillor Elena Fumero, was a hit with the public, and saw people arriving from rural and urban

parts of the municipality as well as other parts of the island to witness, in the words of Fumero, “the main objective of the day, to revive the tradition and the old habits and keep them alive in a rural setting”: The activities were centered in Tijoco Alto, and consisted of a wheat thresh-

ing demonstration, a series of workshops looking at the grinding and milling process, kneading of gofio (traditional Canarian toasted cereal) and the making of tafeña, a gofio based dish. Visitors were also able to take part in a guided walk through Tijoco Alto with natural and cultural beauty spots along the way.

ficulty”, he added. During the same time the filtration system in the pools have also been overhauled, and tiles and grouting cleaned. Heating and boilers have also been checked and up-

graded where needed, and parts of the floor, which had been affected by rain blockage last year and warped as a result, have been rectified. Barrera González has stated that there is still work ahead, but the pool can now open and swimming and water-based classes go ahead. Other plans in the short term future includes the complete roofing of the pool; at the moment it is only partially covered with some air currents entering, causing water evaporation and temperature drops. Registration for classes has just started, so there is still time – the centre offers water based activities for babies from nine to 36 months, and thereafter in age groups – three to five year olds, six to nine year olds, 10 to 13 olds and those from 14 to 59 years of age. There are also activities for the over 60’s and water-based physiotherapy sessions for all ages.

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Italian convicted of lodger murder

The jury in the criminal court found the man guilty

man murdered by his Italian landlord in Playa de Las Américas in the summer of 2006 says his conviction is good news but “will never bring his brother back to life”. Sergio Riquelme was stabbed seven times during an argument over rent owed to the Italian, with whom he shared a house in the Las Bouganvillas development in Torviscas Alto. His

Disputed territory

Tenerife South Stabbing

 The brother of a Seville

tenerife south

landlord then disposed of the body by dumping it in a bin, which he then set alight. The body, bound and wrapped in blankets, was discovered by firemen who were called to put out the blaze. The jury in the trial at Tenerife’s Criminal Court heard from police that, when officers called at the house shortly after the macabre find, the Italian’s first words were that he

“wanted a lawyer” and “hadn’t killed anyone”. The court was also told that the Italian had spent two days cleaning and painting the house to get rid of the blood stains. Riquelme’s brother Joaquín welcomed the unanimous verdict, which will see his brother’s killer spend at least 20 years in jail, and said he hoped the sentence “would give him time to reflect on what he had done”.

The ownership of the waters off the islands is still disputed at times

Canaries ‘belong to Morocco’, claim  A Moroccan pupil at

a secondary school in Granadilla caused a minor row in class recently when he interrupted his geography teacher to correct a mistake (in his opinion). The teenager, who has been in a care home since arriving in Tenerife on a ‘patera’ boat some time ago, objected to a map

drawn on the blackboard because it showed the Canaries as belonging to Spain. In the ensuing argument with the teacher and classmates he refused to believe that the Islands are part of Spain and insisted they were Moroccan, according to “people back home”. The territorial dispute is far from being an anecdote, however.

Relations between Spain and Morocco are regularly soured by statements from the authorities laying claim to the Canaries. A few years ago, Morocco protested formally to Madrid that its waters had been violated after the Spanish government granted permission to an oil company to carry out exploratory drilling off the coast of Lanzarote.

Choo choo news

Train work to begin in 2011?

The meeting outlined the new route the south train would take through Arona

 At a recent meeting in

Arona, local mayor José Alberto González Reverón andtheTenerife’s Cabildo’s economic representative Carlos Alonso presented the finalised plans for the future south-based train regarding its run through the municipality. There have been many changes to the original routing, and those in attendance – from business, resident associations, farming and social collectives – were told that many of the objections

to the initial plan concentrated on the public interest and unnecessary environmental repercussions. The draft route would also have taken up a disproportionate amount of land, according to the top table speakers, with serious implications agricultural parts of Cho, Guaza and Las Galletas. Regarding the latter they have insisted that the line run parallel to the motorway. The suggested threemetre viaduct has also been

scrapped, according to the mayor and local authorities have also secured the promise of the construction of an underground channel to service the line which will also facilitate the placing of power lines underground. The mayor also told the gathering that as the train would now run underground by Guaza there would be no visual degradation of the zone by the mountain. According to Carlos Alonso “the train will enter the area parallel to the motorway towards Los Cristianos, and at the Guaza crossroads enter a tunnel passing under the Tf-1 and crossing, underground, the Guaza mountain without any affect on the national monument, arriving at the Los Cristianos station. Andrés Muñoz, director of Metropolitano, the company involved in the evolution of the line, explained that the train would offer “a real alternative to traffic congestion while minimizing the affect on natural protected spaces and urban zones”.

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Tenerife

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Parque Comercial AĂąaza

Photos: www.inselteneriffa.com

Media Markt madness!

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18,000 people passed through the doors of Media Markt, the German based electronic/ information/electrical store which opened its biggest base in Tenerife on November 3rd in the Parque Comercial AĂąaza. Queues of up to 500 formed before the doors opened on the first day at 9am, and eye witness reports spoke of scrums for bargains bordering on sale madness, as people rushed to avail of discount offers. From the moment they

opened the people kept coming, with over 1,000 registered before 9.30am. According to the centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director Kilian GonzĂĄlez â&#x20AC;&#x153;at one stage we had to stop people coming in because there just wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough room for themâ&#x20AC;?. He says they are also optimistic about the months ahead, and are preparing a lot of special offers in the pre Christmas rush, as well as planning the opening of a third store in the Canaries, in Telde, before the end of the year.

La EstancĂa

Ten reasons to celebrate restaurant La Estancia in Chayofa was opened in 1998 and due to its oriental flair not to mention exquisite cuisine it soon became very popular. Spanish royals Queen Sofia and King Carlos as well as many famous people from the world of film, theatre, rock and roll, have dined in La Estancia and, in a sense, made it their own. Today Thierry Goubert,

French chef, makes sure that every meal is going to be a culinary adventure and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised to read sooner rather than later that La Estancia is to be awarded with its first Michelin star soon. In 2003 it was appointed best restaurant on Tenerife by the daily local newspaper Diario de Avisos and has been the number one choice by many of our readers over the years. To celebrate the restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s

10th anniversary La Estancia is inviting you to enjoy a special programme of events throughout November. On Thursday 13th guests will be entertained by an opera singer, on Friday 14th the jazz band Contraste will take to the stage, on Saturday November 15th there is a Chill-Out evening. On all three nights the restaurant offer a special menu consisting of seven courses all at a very special

price. The anniversary menu consists of Bouche de la casa, a trio of foie de pato canaoes with three distinct textures, Tempura prawns, crustacean coulis and smoked salmon bonbĂłn, cream of dill. A grapefruit and vodka sorbet will cleanse the palate and prepare you for the main dish, of rabbit with wild morel mushrooms and a selection of desserts, all for a set price of â&#x201A;Ź39.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Tenerife

Icod-Santiago del Teide

The competition is to find the sexiest rear

Roadworks under EU microscope EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas is looking into the matter

Hot bot

Tinerfeño wins rear accolade  A Tenerife computer consultant has earned the right to compete in a forthcoming male Rear of the Year contest in Paris.

 The

road extension planned between Icod de los Vinos and Santiago del Teide is the latest public works project in Tenerife to come under the microscope in Brussels. The new road, which is designed to allow motorists to be able to complete the full circle around the island and, in particular, facilitate

life for residents of the Icod area who work in the tourist resorts in the south, is the subject of a new information request from the European Commission to Spain, according to a local ecology party. Jonás Pérez, spokesman for the Green Party in Icod said the proposed extension has been brought to the

attention of Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who has confirmed that he is looking into allegations that the project may be in breach of two EU environment directives. In a letter to David Hammerstein, a Spanish MEP, Dimas said that “if the road fails to comply with EU regulations on environmental impact all

necessary measures will be taken by Brussels to ensure the law is implemented”. It is believed the investigation focuses on whether the project has taken into account the possible destruction of conservation areas listed in the EU’s comprehensive list of biodiversity sites known as the Natura 2000 Network.

33-year-old Miguel Ángel Alvarez, who is from La Laguna, was voted the Spaniard with the sexiest bum in a website competition which ended recently. In addition to the cash prize of 3000 euros, he receives an expenses paid trip to Paris on 12 November to take part in the world ‘Show me your Sloggi’ contest, run by a leading underwear firm. 32 countries are expected do take part in the event, to be held in the Cabaret Crazy Horse, and Miguel Ángel, whose biggest fan is his mother (organiser of his on-line vote campaign), said he was hoping to do well. The world winner will pick up 10,000 euros in cash and a lucrative modelling contract for the underwear firm.

Tenerife

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Forthcoming events Helen Jamieson Dress Sale – 11am, November 8th, Hotel Palmeras Playa. Lunch with entertainment at the Orchid Garden, November 13th (sold out). Christmas Lunch – this is being organised at the Chiripa Villa, details to follow.

Friends of Tenerife

News and dates  The members of the

Friends of Tenerife have recently enjoyed a Ladies Lunch at Restaurant Lucas, on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz. This is a stylish restaurant with excellent food and was a great success. It has been decided – by popular demand – to be repeated early in the New Year.

Estrellas Theatre Academy are currently producing a CD of Christmas songs, the proceeds of sales of which are to go to the Friends of Tenerife. These talented students of Tony and Beth are as you read this, probably in the recording studios singing their hearts out, from babes of six and seven years old to the very oldest performers

in this successful Theatre Academy. We thank them very sincerely for all their hard work and hope that as many people as possible will buy the CD, which will cost €10 and will be on sale from the first week in December. Coast to coast walk – this is another fund-raiser for the Friends of Tenerife. A group of walkers from the south led by Sally Whymark are doing a six-day walk from Los Cristianos on the south coast to Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast. It will begin on November 2nd and end at the Martiánez beach in Puerto around 3.30pm on Friday, November 10th, when representatives from the committee will be meeting them.

November 11th

Remembrance Day Events  A number of organi-

sations will celebrate Remembrance Day, November 11th. At Costa del Silencio the Royal British Legion will hold a service of remembrance at Westhaven Bay at 12.30pm. Other church services include the Anglican Chaplaincy of South Tenerife, San Eugenio, Pueblo Canario, 10.15am, San Blas, Golf del Sur, 6pm and Espiritu Santo, Los Gigantes at 6pm. The South Tenerife Christian Fellowship will hold services at the Apollo Centre, Los Cristianos, 11am, and Coral Mar Square, Costa del Silencio, 11am. In the north of the island the Anglican Chaplaincy of North Tenerife will host a service at All Saints, in Puerto de la Cruz at 10.45 am. The English Library in Puerto de la Cruz will host a Wartime Sing-along on the day in question from

Photo: Courtesy of The Royal British Legion

Estrellas’ stars are producing a CD of Christmas songs

The poppy appeal raises funds in support of the work of the Royal British Legion

2pm – 4pm. Trisha Court will be providing the music with Taffy on keyboard. Appropriate dress is welcome and refreshments will be served. The Royal British Legion has dealt with a number of cases here in Tenerife over the past year – and there is an increase in the number of under 35’s

seeking help from the association. To raise funds through the annual Poppy Appeal the Legion will have 120 collecting boxes in bars, restaurants and businesses. If you would like more information you can contact the Poppy Appeal organiser Kelly on 610689601 or Don Young on 922 739486.

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horoscope

Horoscope

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

By Patricia Poole

Trisha’s Zodiac Predictions Period: 8th - 22nd Nov 2008

Aries (Mar. 21 – April 19). Arguments with employers or colleagues will be to your detriment. New relationships will surface through work related events. Insincere gestures of friendliness are likely to occur.

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Crossword

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Plan some family outings. Stabilise your own position by locking up your savings. You may find yourself changing crowds. Come to your own conclusions rather than taking the word of someone else.

Gemini (May 21 – June 21) You are best to tuck your money away where no one will be able to touch it, including yourself. Be prepared to lose friends or alienate loved ones due to your stubborn nature lately. Travel for business purposes may bring the highest returns.

Cancer (June 22 – July 22) Your involvement in sports or entertainment will lead to new romances. Get involved in sports groups or hobbies that attract you. Don’t bother trying to make someone you live with see your point of view.

Leo (July 23 – August 22) You can spend a passionate evening with someone you cherish if you make your plans early. Don’t get involved in other people’s private doings. You can make changes to your living quarters, but not everyone will be pleased with your efforts. Virgo (August 23 – September 22) Take care of the needs or responsibilities of elders. Let go of the past in order to progress. Your self esteem will benefit. Friends will be loyal and caring. Mingle with those who have similar interests, and you should be able to start something. Libra (September 23 – October 22) If you put your mind to it, you could entertain or host a multitude of social events. You will drive your emotional partner crazy this month. They won’t pay you back and you’ll be upset.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Your personal life will be disrupted if you have been too busy with business. Travel will be in your best interest. Job changes are in order. Go for interviews or send out resumes. Financial limitations will not be as adverse as they appear.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) Those who have been too demanding should be put in their place or out to pasture. You won’t be well received by superiors or by your spouse. Beware of colleagues who don’t have your best interests in mind.

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Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Don’t start any arguments unless you’re prepared to accept irrevocable results. You’re in the mood to party. Don’t confide in any relatives whom you know have a tendency to meddle in other people’s affairs.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Secret affairs could cause upset. You may have a problem keeping secrets. You should look into a healthier diet. You can increase the value of your dwelling. Look into residential moves that will give you more space.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Your emotional attitude with respect to your status and direction in society may be unrealistic. Plan to do things with your faithful pet or with youngsters who have interesting hobbies. You have been going through a period of change that no doubt caused problems with your loved ones.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Letters editorial@ic-news.com

Formal inquiry Dear Editor

n your front-page report in Edition 576, covering allegations of police brutality to Britons in Santiago del Teide, English MEP Gary Titley says he finds it hard to believe that there is no formal inquiry into such serious allegations “in a modern democratic state”. Well, Spain may have signed up to the European Project and adopted a UK style Constitutional Monarchy after the demise of Dictator Franco, but there are still sections of her state machinery where the ‘old ways’ are genetically encoded. I fear it will take more than treaty, handshakes and smiles for the cameras in Madrid and Brussels to eradicate heavy handed police action and arbitrary authoritarianism in some of Spain’s remoter Ayuntamientos (councils), especially on the islands. Titley and Santiago del Teide’s PSOE councillor, Inocencio Doble, seem to be the only people to come out of this with any credit. Titley for using his office as a lever to launch an inquiry, and Doble for courageously aligning himself with the alleged victims and even apologising on behalf of the town. The courts are so overloaded with cases the system is practically in meltdown. Start an action now, and the chances of getting a hearing before the London Olympics are slim to none, and nearly as expensive. Anyway,

people assume that top cops, prosecutors, lawyers and judges are part of the same shoulderrubbing fraternity. Then Doble is berated for his apology, with the other side saying he has “no right to speak on behalf of the town”! As an elected public office holder, I would suggest he has every right to speak for his constituents. In the same vein Vicente Garrido, the Canaries’ top prosecutor, draws a bleak picture of prison overcrowding on the islands. In your page four story he says ‘problem’ prisons in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are occupied by twice the number they were designed for. Well, with 40 per cent of the prison population being held on remand, awaiting a trial that could take up to four years to prepare, I would have thought the answer was obvious. Let these people out on bail, and you have the problem solved ‘at a stroke’. After all, until convicted they are innocent. Make the terms of bail as strict as you like, but surely people have a right to conduct their lives as normally as possible until a trial date has been set. For a modern democratic state it seems to offer the perfect solution. Sincerely Jonathan Pitman

Sorry to Tenerife Dear Editor

n another English language publication based website I read that there was a new Tenerife campaign to “promote tourism called ‘Sorry to Tenerife’, which aims to promote kindness and complicity of the inhabitants of the island with more than five million tourists who visit us annually and the local tourism sector.” Either my understanding of Spanish is really off (the campaign is called ‘Tenerife al Siento x Ciento’, which I would have translated as meaning, Tenerife with 100 per cent feeling, or something similar), or there is something deep, dark and hidden

in the message and the Cabildo are saying sorry for something that they have done to tourists! Help! An apologist Tenerife (Sorry!)

tenerife

Tenerife North

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Ain’t no sunshine

Free recycling

Giving and receiving

Weather blues  This year’s poor summer in the north of

 The Freecycle network is a growing body Without rain and snow in the mountains the water reserves will suffer

Tenerife had meteorologists puzzled and made folk irritable. August was eternally cloudy and September, usually the finest in terms of calms seas and kind temperatures, was a disaster.

world wide which serves to match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. The aim is to quite simply keep usable items out of the rubbish dumps and landfill. By using what we already have on this earth, you reduce consumerism, manufacture fewer goods, and lessen the impact on the earth. Another benefit of using Freecycle is that it encourages us to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process.

Indeed, having forecast heat waves for this year as a result of global warming, records suggest that this September was one of the coolest and dampest for years. The Spanish meteorological agency, AEMET, reported temperatures, especially in the northern regions of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, were actually cold, and that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, usually drier, were particularly damp although rather hot. This has been the coolest September since 1971 except for 1995. The first autumn rains usually fall between the middle and end of October and this year was no exception. However the timid rains this October failed to compensate for the lowest recorded rainfalls for sixty years between October 2007 and August 2008. Although the economy needs all the help it can get from tourism, the islands badly need rain and snow in the mountains to fill natural water reserves deep under the volcanic hills.

There are now a number of Freecycle groups in Tenerife. Founded on the 1st and 9th of March and the 28th of April 2008, the Tacoronte, Icod and San Miguel de Abona Freecycle groups are branches of the international Freecycle movement, which, to date, boasts 4,616 groups with 5,941,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box at:

Fin! www.freecycle.org

Down went the curtain  A simple note on the

window at the empty box office on 17th October announced that that evening’s late night film would be the last to be screened at the Chimisay Cinema in Puerto de la Cruz. Whilst outside billboards carried posters of the latest films inside there were just

a handful of people waiting for the projector to function for the last time. The Chimisay had died, after a long and agonising decline. It was the poor finale to over thirty years of entertaining the public in Puerto. To blame for the fall of yet another tradition are

the new technologies, pirated videos and the giant commercial centres which open all hours and where people flock not just to shop and to window shop, but also to see the films put on at the Yelmo Cineplex multi cinemas. The long queues around the block outside the Chimisay are just a distant memory. As

TacoronteFreecycle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com IcodFreecycle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com owner, Pedro Gonzalez, explained, his cinemas simply had to close. They have not made any kind of profit for six or seven years despite reducing the cost of a ticket to the minimum. Their main complaint is the same voiced by retailers. They could not compete with the commercial centres.

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SanMiguelDeAbonaFreecycle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com The group are keen to point out that Freecycle is about saving useful things from the rubbish dump, sharing objects that are still useful, getting rid of things we don´t use that are occupying space in our homes but is not about trying to obtain as many free things as possible, obtaining things in order to sell or auction them off or borrowing or lending things. To find out more get in touch with your local group and get busy freecycling.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Tenerife north

Recession reactions

Carnival cuts in La Orotava  The

failing economy has forced most town councils in Tenerife to cut budgets and those in power in La Orotava are the latest to announce a series of measures needed to reduce expenses. CC mayor Isaac Valencia expects to save €2.3m in each of the next three years. The most significant decision means the town will have to do without its traditional carnival galas for the next five years. In fact the carnival is being cut even further. The ceremony to elect the queen will now be held in the Theobaldo Power Theatre and only in the presence of the press and TV cameras. Isaac Valencia is even considering doing without a children’s favourite, the procession of the three wise kings

on January 5th. He is also cancelling the town’s participation at FITUR, Madrid’s annual tourism show. The mayor said the famous flower carpet and romería will not be touched. However, although it was not clear what he meant, he implied it might become more of a “home made” affair. Valencia hopes and expects the ordinary public will understand his decision. In fact many will feel relieved because the ordinary public spends a considerable amount of hard earned money year on carnival and other festivals. Other costsaving measures include a reduction in council subscriptions to newspapers and journals, cuts in protocol and advertising and the elimination of certain travel

The carpets to become more of a ‘home made affair’?

expenses. Staff will also be urged to reduce fuel, electricity and telephone bills and to cut down on office materials. The mayor gave one very revealing order. Councillors are to cancel their permanent parking tickets at the Mercadona car park. This will save the Council an astonishing €13,000 a year. Non-essential jobs are also to go, so there will be personnel cuts too. All three main opposition groups were quick to leap at the chance of criticising the Coalición Canaria nationalists. To start with they all think the cuts are superficial and will not cover up the foreseeable error of taking out massive loans some months ago. They told them to set an example and cut their big salaries. The PP and PSOE parties criticised the council for not having invested or fomented job creation initiatives. The independent and vociferous IpO reproached the Nationalists for having become too accustomed to overspending.

Punta Brava

Dogs in need of a home  After the authorities

in Puerto de la Cruz gave the order to demolish the International Animal Refuge at Punta Brava a month ago association members complained about having being treated like criminals. In fact they are certain the council was determined to punish them for having put up such a stubborn stand against eviction. They now believe their association is

in danger of disappearing altogether for the simple reason that they have nowhere else to house the dogs. Their official request to have a property in San Juan de la Rambla reclassified so as to enable them to build proper kennels has apparently been delayed at the Cabildo, giving the impression that everything is being done to prevent them continuing with their International Animal Refuge.

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At the same time the council in Puerto implied, half way through October, that they had 30 days in which to retrieve the remaining 27 dogs which were being housed temporarily in Granadilla. They also have 30 days in which to pay for the animals’ transfer and temporary care and housing. In fact the wording in the order states quite clearly that if the association failed

to comply, the dogs would be given away, taken on by the authorities or sacrificed. According to the association the council had promised the dogs would be housed at Granadilla over a prolonged period, supposedly to give them the chance of finding an alternative location for the animals. Many believe the council was punishing them for resisting the eviction

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Tenerife north

Santa Rita I

Old folks need a home ď šâ&#x20AC;&#x2021;The

authorities are desperately looking for adequate housing or a centre in which to put the old people affected by the recent fire which damaged the Santa Rita I old folkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home in Puerto de la Cruz. Although the building was not seriously damaged, two weeks later inspectors suggested it was not ready to take in the old people and that it should be thoroughly refurbished. The problem facing the authorities is what to do with the 300 old men and women who have been given temporary accommodation. Two hundred were taken in by the other home, the modern Santa Rita II and it is struggling to cope. Others are being cared for by relatives and some are in hospitals which are already stretched and need beds for emergency cases. It was suggested the old Taoro Hotel could be rapidly refurbished in order to house the old people

Fr Antonio on the phone shortly after the fire in the Santa Rita I home

from Santa Rita, but that idea was quickly sidelined by the Cabildo, which still hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decided what to do with the enigmatic building, once the finest and most distinguished hotel in the Canaries. The socialist party at the Cabildo suggested speeding up the building of the new north hospital near

Icod or adapting part of it so as to take the old folks on a temporary basis whilst Santa Rita I is restored. The hospital is due to open in three or four months. Meanwhile residents in Punta Brava have been collecting signatures in support of opening up Santa Rita without delay. However whilst Father

Antonio negotiated with the authorities to build his Alzheimer Centre in Puerto de la Cruz, another, related building, was being virtually completed. This is the Casa de la Espiritualidad (House of Spirituality). It has been built, in fact, to house the nuns who would eventually run the Alzheimer Centre.

Father Antonio has now agreed to negotiate with the authorities to persuade them to complete its construction and furnish it to take in the old people instead of the nuns. Work could be finished within three months and it would be the quickest and cheapest solution.

From here to Torquay de la Cruz has proposed sending a letter to their colleagues in Torquay in the hope that they might agree to twin the two towns. The idea came from CIT, the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Centre for Tourism Initiatives whose members, including VicePresident John Lucas, would like a possible twinning ceremony to coincide with next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Agatha Christie festival in June. Torquay already has two twin or sister towns, Hamelin in Germany and Hellevoetsluis

Touching up San Marcos Members of the governing CC/ PP (NationalistConservative) alliance at the council in Icod were very proud, early in October, when they reported on the good work carried out at San Marcos in recent weeks.

Agatha Christie connections

ď šâ&#x20AC;&#x2021;The council in Puerto

A lick of paint

in Holland, so why not one more? Socialist Mayor, Lola PadrĂłn, welcomed the initiative in order to promote international relations and to strengthen Puertoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional ties with Great Britain. She also underlined the positive tourism and cultural aspects of the idea. Agatha Christie spent a brief period in Puerto eighty years ago and it was enough to inspire stories like The man from the Sea in which Mr. Satterthwaite moved to a Mediterranean Island and which is part of The Mysterious Mr. Quin.

The work, sponsored by the regional Coastal Department, was long overdue and consisted mainly of repairs to the stone wall underneath the main steps onto the beach and refurbishing the hand rails and the ramp for disabled people. The council also had the street lamps painted up, as they had become very rusty, and replaced old rubbish bins and planted flowerbeds with fresh flowers. Touching up the old village with a lick of paint doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appear to be much to be proud about but, considering the state San Marcos has been allowed to fall into in recent years, any little bit helps. Wrong political decisions, especially twenty odd years ago, caused a great deal of controversy and fundamental changes to the beach, to the way fishermen kept their boats and to what has always been a traditional family cove. An artificial reef to the west of the beach, for example, stopped the natural cleaning action of the tide and the once transparent waters became murky. The decision to remove that reef quite recently has meant that the San Marcos waters have once again begun to regain their natural crystal clear transparency.

Mayor Lola PadrĂłn chatting to Christieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandson, Mathew Prichard at the unveiling of a bust in the writers honour in Puerto

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Tenerife north

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Credit: www.inselteneriffa.com

Walking on the moon

Space games on Teide  The

European Space Agency has been trying out robots in Las Cañadas, at the foot of Mount Teide in preparation for future explorations on the moon. They appear to be fragile but they are designed to withstand all sorts of conditions and adversities and to walk and travel over different surfaces and into areas human beings could not. At 2,000 metres above sea level in Tenerife the ESA is developing a programme which will enable these robots to be guided by satelThe rovers were designed by students from eight European universities

lite and to collect samples, as explained one of the Agency’s robotics engineers, Gianfranco Visentin. Eight robots were put through their paces at night time on the lunar-like landscapes of Teide. They have been designed by university students in Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Italy and Spain under a programme called Lunar Robot Challenge. The trials consisted of collecting rock and sand samples from within a crater close to the base of Mount Teide in search of any signs of water and then taking these to an operations base where the mother spacecraft landed. All robots have either large wheels or

spider-like legs and are remote controlled and they had to get to the bottom of the crater, some fifteen metres down, pick up samples and then return safely to base. The winning design, the most effective worker, will eventually be chosen to go to the moon. The models have to weigh less than 100 kilos, consume less than two kilowatts of power and occupy a spatial volume of less than 0.5 cubic metres. Teams from Germany, Italy, Finland, England, Switzerland and Spain took part. The robot designed in Spain, called The Moon Hound, began to be designed early in 2008 with the object of creating

a “simple and operative” vehicle. It is just over a metre long and has four large white wheels designed to move over stones. It has a folding arm and a camera. According to ESA members, places like Las Cañadas in Tenerife, so similar to what can be found on the moon, are essential for the design of these robots. Winners will be announced soon, but regardless of the final result, according to Gianfranco Visentin “even though only one team (from the University of Bremen) completed the mission, I believe everyone’s a winner here. All of the teams have had a fantastic experience”, he said.

Puerto tours

Buggies and horses  The town council in

Puerto is collaborating with local businessman, Antonio Suarez, with his initiative to bring back horse drawn carriages to Puerto de la Cruz in order to offer visitors rides through the attractive old town sector. Old time buggies, which could be seen in Puerto many years ago, have been replaced by the elegant calash, light carriages with hooded tops, which they hope will become a new

tourist attraction. Suarez, owner of six hotels, forgot his recent battles with the socialist group over the prohibition of playing live music on the terrace of the Hotel Marquesa, and took the reins of a magnificent white steed on 24th October to demonstrate what he has in mind to none other than Lola Padrón, mayor of Puerto, who became his first passenger. His carriage excursions through the town, initially from the main square as far

as Loro Parque, are to go through a trial period. Two four-seater carriages will be used to begin with and, if successful, there will be two more. Taxi drivers, the most likely to suffer the consequences, have apparently not objected. Perhaps they too realise that any tourist attraction will ultimately be in their interests too. However they did emphasise that whether they objected or not depended on the routes the buggies would be permitted to cover. Horse drawn carriages will tour Puerto on a trial basis

Gran Canaria

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

News in Brief

Unser Mann im Süden

‘Made in Mogán’ series a hit with Germans  A new German TV series filmed

on location in Mogán has proven to be a massive hit with home audiences. The ZDF programme, called Unser Mann im Süden/Our Man in the South, focuses on the adventures of Heinrich Hammerstein, a fictitious German Consul in Gran Canaria, and drew an audience of several million for the first episode which was shown at peak viewing time in October. Media reports estimated the number of viewers tuning in for the final episode at around 20 million, despite some poor reviews by TV critics, one of whom said the series “ranked among the 10 worst in German TV history”. The island’s tourist board is delighted

with the figures, not least because the name Gran Canaria gets many direct mentions in the series. Local beaches and other attractions feature prominently as Hammerstein resolves typical problems encountered by his compatriots, such as stolen passports, and some more unsavoury dilemmas, including an attempted kidnap. Gran Canaria’s tourism authorities say they intend to monitor German bookings in the coming weeks and months to see if the programme, which was filmed between February and April of this year in Puerto Rico and Mogán, influences holiday plans.

The Tappels café, near the Santa Catalina Park in the city centre, featured in the local papers recently as a result of the surprise deal, which sees regulars get a free coffee and sandwich on a given day of the week, which owner Javier Ojeda plans to change every month. Hundreds of customers took advantage of the offer on Wednesdays during October (Tuesdays this month), but Galicia-born Ojeda is confident that nearly every one of them, new or old, comes back another day and the loss is remedied.

The series attracted 20 million viewers for the final episode

Candidates forced to clean new shop opened Las Terrazas Centre in Jinámar (Gran Canaria), the biggest shopping mall in the Canaries, could face prosecution after ordering job applicants to clean the premises for an entire day. Five applicants for sales positions were summoned to

the store on a Sunday and told they would have to undergo a selection test, consisting of an eve-of-opening spring clean of the recently fitted shop unit. They were given cleaning products, cloths and brushes and told to clean the windows and shelves. One of the group withdrew after several hours of cleaning the

floor with a scraper while another complained of headaches caused by inhaling ammonia. At the end of the day, the candidates asked to be paid for their labours and for confirmation that they had got the sales job, only to be told that more applicants were to be ‘interviewed’ the following

day, 24 hours before the grand opening. One furious applicant contacted the Department of Employment the next day to inform them of what she described as a forced labour scam. The matter has been passed to a court in Telde, which will decide if the shop abused the rights of the applicants.

Las Palmas

Traffic fines double in Las Palmas  Police in Las Palmas have been accused

anticipated. The opposition PP party says the corporation has set itself the goal of “raising money in any way it can” and called on the mayor Jerónimo Saavedra to halt the current persecution of motorists. “We can’t understand how there are fewer officers on the streets yet traffic fines are on the increase. If Saavedra needs money, he should think of cutting overheads and getting rid of his highly-paid advisers” said PP spokesman Felipe Alonso.

E of waging a war on motorists this year after it emerged that revenue from traffic fines so far in 2008 is almost 60 per cent up on the start-of-year forecasts. The council had budgeted a total of 6.5 million euros for parking and related fines for the entire year but by the end of September police had already issued summonses to the tune of 7.5 million. The monthly average of just under 850,000 euros is 58 per cent higher than

Free breakfasts secure customer loyalty A cafeteria owner in Las Palmas who has been offering free breakfasts is convinced the offer will increase customer loyalty.

Selection test

 A fashion shop in the newly-

Tappels café

“I wanted to consolidate my customer base and add new ones and this is a good way. We are also serving Italian coffee which is more expensive for me and reduces my margins but it is a major draw” explained Ojeda, who recommends other cafés to follow suit to inject life into the district.

5.8 million euros

Resort facelifts Resorts in the south of Gran Canaria are to get almost six million euros for a comprehensive facelift. The regional government announced recently that it will contribute two million euros from its 2009 budget in to the scheme to renovate parts of San Agustín, Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas. The remainder of the money will be provided by Madrid (two million) and local government (1.8 million). No details have been given yet as to exactly what the money will be used for, however.

10 years Ambiance,Class and Taste

la Estancia R ES TAU R A N T E

we celebrate in November our Anniversary more information on page 16

Open 13.00 - 16.00 / 19.00 - 23.00 TEL. 922 729 359 · CHAYOFA, ARONA · WWW.LAESTANCIA.COM

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

By Barbara Belt

La Gomera

Green grow the rushes oh

In the middle  The

Gobierno de Canarias (Canarian regional government) has announced new funding for the regeneration of abandoned ‘middle’ rural areas on the island. Half a million euros will be spent on clearing unused, fertile land. Some seventyfive per cent of the island’s agricultural land has been left to gather weeds for decades now, so the new project will not be troubled by lack of choice. Fincas chosen will be cleared by a team of specially recruited workers. Initial, three-month work contracts will be provided for seventy islanders currently on the unemployment register. Work they are being contracted to do will be carried out in the “medianías,” ( the midheight, six hundred metres to one thousand five hundred metres zone of the island, between the coast and

the greenwood mountain areas.) The objective is to clear land for replanting and to regenerate abandoned areas. The Plan de Medianías, which is the name of the office implementing the project, is an island based organisation, funded by regional government. It was set up some years ago to try to halt growing poverty in the medianía area, increasingly abandoned by islanders over the last quarter century due to changing socio-economic conditions. The designation, for example, of the island’s central forest as the Parque Nacional de Garajonay in 1986 sounded the death knell for traditional activities like charcoal burning and pig keeping. These practices had long provided a source of income for medianía dwellers. At first, there was indignation and resistance. Protests that they were being denied access to their traditional

gradually dies out, or gets too old to bother. A relatively recent exception was the series of fires started by a ninety-three year old from the mountain village of Igualero. Depopulation accelerated in the medianías throughout the eighties and nineties.

Families moved down to coastal areas to find work in the tourist sector and easier access to schooling and services, producing the inevitable downward spiral of depopulation. Once half a community goes, the other half will eventually follow. When schools and shops close and aspects of small community life deteriorate, the desire to stay and soldier on in isolation disappears. Juan Carlos Moreno, the head of the Plan de Medianías, gives assurances that, “the new initiative will go some way towards encouraging regeneration in these areas.” He added that owners of fincas who wish to benefit from the fund, “must be prepared to plant and maintain their land after it has been cleared. In that way, he continued, “they will be eligible to apply for further help and support in the future.” In the present climate of rising fuel prices and uncertainty, it makes increasingly good sense to grow what we need here on the island.

easy. A lot of us suffered at the time. The authorities were against us. And now this. We’ve had proper assessments made of the state of this forty year old building and there is nothing wrong with it. We have legal

certificates to prove it. They want to throw us out of the town. The previous president of the club died not long ago and they are taking advantage of the situation to get us out. Well, I’ve been elected president by the members and we shall, of course, fight this move.” The club point out that they have no desire to be housed in the municipal building offered by the mayor, as they wish to remain “apolitical”. One of the original purposes of the club was to achieve independence from the town hall and the local political scene. “I can’t imagine this happening anywhere else in Spain,” he concluded.

Half a million euros will be spent on clearing unused, fertile land

work areas-long before the term ‘cultural heritage’ was in vogue- fell on deaf ears. The illegal continuation of such practices was harshly dealt with by authorities. Enormous fines imposed on the few individuals who tried to run their pigs in the forest put an end to resistance.

People relocated to other areas. The only vestige of the islanders’ continued resentment to the national park is an unfortunate penchant for setting fire to it, generally with alcohol fuelled ire during the fiesta season. This attitude is, in turn, changing, as the generation affected

Club closure

Agulo protest  The picturesque north-

ern village of Agulo was the scene of angry protests recently, when a neighbours’ club of long standing was evicted from its headquarters. Police were called to ‘accompany’ service workers sent by the town hall to disconnect water and electricity supplies to the building in question. A crowd of some fifty members of the club were gathered around the entrance of the building to register their protest at town hall action. To cries of, “this

is ours” and, “they have no right to do this,” local police assisted with cutting off the services, thus rendering the building useless as a social centre. Town hall workers then proceeded to close and officially tape off the building, making its continued use illegal. According to Agulo’s mayor, Néstor López, the two storey building, “is in a patently uncared for condition.” Citing, “changes in legislation to safeguard the safety of citizens,” as another reason for, “the necessity to take this action,” he of-

fered members an alternative to their present H.Q. a few days before the closure. The building had been the Centro de Amistad de Agulo, literally, the friendship centre, for over twenty years, with a membership of two hundred and forty. The building has two floors. The first floor housed a bar, small rooms where various activities took place and a room where local musicians, such as the Abrantes group, rehearsed. Upstairs is a large room where members met to play dominoes, chess or cards and an area where youngsters played table football. Club president Enrique Amaya expressed his disgust at town hall action

and “the way the mayor is trying to subjugate the town like this.” He reminded press that forming the club had required, “sacrifice and effort,” on the part of the members. “To become owner-members wasn’t

Business NEWS

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Timeshare protections

Directive welcomed by consumers

By Karl McLaughlin

 A

new Timeshare Directive approved by the European Parliament is due to enter force in Member States within two years, although concerns have already been voiced that Spain may act more slowly than other countries. The Directive, which was passed by a huge majority of MEPs in Strasbourg, with just 10 votes against, is aimed at increasing protection for consumers, while also increasing the obligations on timeshare traders. An estimated 1.5 million European citizens have already bought timeshare, many of them in the Canary Islands, but many buyers have complained that they were tricked into purchasing by underhand and hard-sell tactics by vendors. The main effect of the Directive is the mandatory 14-day right of withdrawal for all consumers, a period which could be extended by up to three months if vendors do not supply potential buyers with a standard list of information and other pre-contractual details concerning their products. And unlike the previous Directive, which applied to agreements

covering 36 months or more, this one covers all holiday clubs and timeshare-type holidays. Prior to the vote before the parliament the EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuleva said, “the proposal put to vote today fills in the loopholes in the current legislation by extending the scope of the Directive to cover not only timeshare but also longterm holiday products (such as discount holiday clubs), resale and exchange of timeshare. In addition, it will be clarified that consumers must bear no cost for using the timeshare or long-term holiday product during the withdrawal period. It will also be clarified that withdrawal can be notified to the trader by letter, e-mail, fax or other similar means. This will make it easier for consumers to prove that they actually withdrew on time”. Reaction to the new legislation has been positive both from consumer bodies and also from the main sector umbrella associations, including the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE), whose secretary general Peter van der Mark said it would help consolidate the position of reputable timeshare providers. In a state-

ment to Island Connections shortly after the European Parliament’s decision, Sandy Grey, chairman of the influential UK-based Timeshare Consumers Association, said “we heartily welcome the new Timeshare Directive, which will bring a much needed improvement to consumer protection in an industry which has suffered for too long from anti-consumer practices”. Malcolm Harbour, a British conservative MEP and his party’s spokesman on consumer affairs, said the new Timeshare Directive “responds to the needs of consumers and businesses in today’s Single Market. Consumers will be better informed before committing to contracts and thus less exposed to rogue operators. Many consumers have been reluctant to buy timeshare or timeshare-related products given their cross-border nature, and traders have faced legal uncertainty selling timeshare, given differing national legislations. This proposal will ensure that consumers are given more protection, and both traders and their customers will be more confident when they buy and sell timeshare or long-term holiday product”.

Santander

Santander voices publicity concerns  Spain’s biggest bank

has voiced its concerns at plans to make public the list of banks who receive help from the government to tide them through the crisis. The Zapatero government passed measures in midOctober to inject liquidity into the Spanish financial market and encourage banks to lend money to customers to kick start the economy. However, opposition parties tied their support for the measures, which will see 150 billion euros allocated to the

sector, to public information on which entities benefit from the temporary bailout. The Santander Bank says it is opposed to the information being made public because of the effect it could have on reputations. CEO Alfredo Saenz said the repercussions on the image and reputation of leading banks were ‘disproportionate to the aid received’ because recipient banks will be automatically viewed by the public as being in difficulty when that is not necessarily the case.

The government’s initiative was also called into question by the European Commission in Brussels, given the lack of information provided by Madrid when it sought EU approval for state intervention. Brussels is anxious that any liquidity initiatives or savings guarantees by Member States should be as transparent as possible in order not to distort competition by encouraging savers to divert their money to countries with the most generous measures.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Financial By Bill Blevins

Cash protection strategies in difficult times By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks  Governments around

the world are now making concerted efforts to shore up their banking systems by injecting capital and taking steps to increase liquidity. These moves will hopefully prove to be a turning point for the banking crisis. In the meantime we are now seeing examples of people losing some of their bank savings. The meltdown of the Icelandic banking system is affecting savers and businesses around the world. Compensation depends on where the bank subsidiary is regulated. Landsbanki Guernsey, for example, is currently not covered by a deposit protection scheme. Thankfully many other jurisdictions do have protection schemes, and many have recently been increased. In Spain the maximum is now €100,000

(up from €20,000); in the UK £50,000 (up from £35,000) and in the Isle of Man £50,000 (up from £15,000). For some people these levels are still too low. One obvious solution is to spread your money out across a range of banks, ensuring you (1) keep below the guarantee level at each bank; (2) use banks from different groups and (3) establish which guarantee scheme applies to that specific branch. For increased peace of mind you could move money out of the bank. One option is money market funds. While enhanced money market funds (also known as cash plus money market funds) are not recommended, you could consider institutional money market funds which invest in a diversified portfolio of high grade short term money market

The strongest investor protection in Europe is found in Luxembourg

instruments. These are rated higher than bank deposits at this time. Money market funds provide a higher rate than government backed paper (gilts), and do carry a higher risk. They are available denominated in sterling,

euros or US dollars and pay a yield comparable to overnight market rates. You could also move your capital out of cash and into investment funds. Obviously investment assets have been taking a pounding recently, but

what goes down must go up – they always have, it’s just a matter of when not if - and if you are in a position to take a longterm view this is a good time to buy since valuations are low. This applies to investments like bond funds

and real estate funds as well as equities. Always seek advice to ensure your investments fit your risk profile. Unlike with cash deposits, your units in a mutual fund remain owned by you. The manager simply manages your money for you but does not own it. Should the management company fail the investments remain yours and you find another company to manage them for you. The strongest investor protection in Europe is found in Luxembourg, and this is enshrined in its law. Assets within a Luxembourg insurance bond are in a secure location. Should a liquidator be appointed, it cannot touch your assets. They are completely segregated from the insurance company and the title documents are held by an independent bank – which acts as custodian, not owner. Luxembourg insurance bonds also offer very attractive tax benefits for Spanish residents. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www. blevinsfranksinternational.com

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Business

LegalMatters

Banco de España

By John Hatrick, Ternerife Solicitors

Legal questions and answers

Bank Guarantees Banco de España

Business confidence continues at rock bottom Q. I am purchasing an ‘offplan’ property in Tenerife which is due to complete in 18 months time. The payments are to be in three stages, namely 20 per cent within a month, a further 20 per cent in nine months and the balance of 60 per cent on completion. I have asked my lawyer about obtaining a bank guarantee in case the developer runs out of cash or goes bust. The lawyer is telling me it is not necessary as he has checked out the developer who looks perfectly sound.

Is this correct? I don’t feel confident about handing over such a large sum of money without certain reassurances. What would happen if the developer goes into liquidation, as I assumed I would end up getting nothing back? A. It is surprising to hear of a lawyer giving such advice when there is a specific law providing a mechanism of protection for consumers in the form of bank guarantees. It also seems rather presumptuous of the lawyer to assume that the developer

is sound, when some of the largest and most established construction companies on the island (and indeed around the world) have recently gone into liquidation. More so now than ever, all purchasers of off-plan property should insist that the developer provides a bank guarantee. Without it, the purchaser risks losing everything if the developer runs out of money or goes into liquidation. A guarantee will ensure that a third party (a bank or perhaps a large insurance company) will stump up the cash should the developer not finish the works.

Tenerife Solicitors are pleased to announce the opening of our new office at Club Atlantis in San Eugenio. For a limited time only we are pleased to offer a fixed fee for property conveyancing (whether buying or selling a property) of only 1,300€ Euros. We are the ONLY English Solicitors registered and authorised to practice in Tenerife. We offer a variety of legal services to British visitors and Ex-pats alike, including:

SPANISH LAW (MATTERS WITHIN TENERIFE / SPAIN) · Property Sale and Purchase / Conveyancing · Spanish Wills · Translation of Spanish Documents

ENGLISH LAW (MATTERS WITHIN ENGLAND & WALES)

 Confidence among Canarian businesses remains at rock bottom and shows no sign of improving, according to the two main Chambers of Commerce here.

The latest Business Climate survey compiled for the region’s two provinces reveals that confidence plummeted by 10 points by the end of the third quarter of 2008. Almost 1,300 firms throughout the islands were surveyed on their expectations for the rest of the year and the picture painted could not be more gloomy, particularly in the construction and property market sectors. Almost one in three firms admitted they were having problems obtaining loans, while just three per cent said they anticipated hiring more staff by the end of December. The Chambers called on banks to “pass on immediately to businesses” the positive effects of the rescue measures adopted by the Spanish government to inject liquidity into the market.

Good news for Vueling  Amid

all the gloom in the airline sector, including the collapse of a number of well-known companies of late, lowcost carrier Vueling has reported a massive turnaround in fortunes in

the first nine months of the year. The airline, which flies to Tenerife and Gran Canaria from Madrid and Sevilla, posted a net profit of 14 million euros to the end of September, compared to losses of over 30 million

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Eliminated ! Insect control Rat and mice control Disinfection Legionnaire’s disease treatments APPCC: Implantation of food quality systems Courses for food handlers Wood treatment and conservation Magnesium and aluminium phosphate treatments

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Alternatively, visit our website www.tenerifesolicitors.com or email us at info@tenerifesolicitors.com

for the same period last year. The news, notified to the Spanish Stock Exchange recently, triggered a rush for Vueling shares, which rose by 30 per cent on the Ibex market within hours of the announcement.

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Opening Hours: Mon - Thu: 9.30am - 1.00pm / 2pm - 6pm Fri: 9.30am - 1pm / 2pm - 5pm. Sat / Sun: Closed Tenerife Solicitors is a trading name of HATRICK & CO SOLICITORS, who are regulated by both the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England & Wales (www.sra.gov.uk) and the College of Abogados (Lawyers) in Tenerife (www.icatf.es). We also hold separate Professional Indemnity Insurance Policies for £2 Million GBP in England and €3 Million EU in Tenerife in the unlikely event of a professional claim against us.

Fernando Beautell, 25. Polígono Costa Sur. 38009 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Tel: 922 22 00 00 · Fax: 922 22 22 23 · www.seranca.com · info@seranca.com

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Business

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Business

Zec : www.zec.org / invest@zec.org

What is the zec?

The ZEC Zone – the best tax regime in Europe

hereas mainland Spain and the rest of Europe apply company tax at a general rate of between 25 and 30 per cent, in the Canary Islands companies which comply with a series of requirements can pay company tax at a special rate of four per cent. The Canary Islands Special Zone is a low tax zone created within the framework of the Canary Islands Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) for the purpose of promoting the economic and social development of the Islands and diversifying their production structure. The Canary Islands Special Zone was authorised by the European Commission in January 2000 and the benefits provided by the Canary Islands Special Zone will initially remain in force until 31 December 2019. Who can set up in the ZEC? In general terms, any entity which intends to carry out an industrial, commercial or service activity included in the list of authorised activities. The ZEC covers the whole territory of the Canary Islands, with the following specifications:

the ZEC Authorised activities The list of activities authorised within the tax regime is wideranging (with the exception of financial and insurance services). The most notable sectors are: • Biotechnology and aquaculture • Manufacture of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics • Audiovisual production • Renewable energy • Computers and telecommunications • Electronic commerce • Commission trade • Contact centres and other outsourcing • Airlines and aircraft repair • Services related to tourism ZEC has a range of experts on hand to advise anyone intersting in setting up a company

throughout all the Islands industrial zones. Tax incentives for ZEC companies Corporate income tax: The fixed tax rate is set at four per cent. Transfer tax and stamp duty: ZEC entities benefit from certain exemptions on Transfer Tax and Stamp Duty.

• Entities whose corporate purpose is the undertaking of service activities may set up anywhere within the territory of the Canary Islands.

Canary Islands General Islands General Indirect Tax (IGIC): Exemption on the provision of goods and services among ZEC entities and on the importing of goods.

• Entities whose corporate purpose is the production, transformation, handling or commercialisation of goods may only set up within certain areas designated for these purposes. These areas are located

Non-residents: International Double Taxation Agreements signed by Spain apply in the ZEC, as well as the European Union Parent-Subsidiary Directive and the exemption from withholding tax on interest

increase must be over 750,000 euros.

The ZEC

Requirements Companies wishing to take advantage of the ZEC tax incentives must fulfil the following requirements:

has played a decisive role in the establishment of international companies in the Canary Islands and capital gains on moveable assets. Other benefits, Canary Islands Investment Reserve (RIC): The subscription of shares or participations issued by ZEC entities is permitted as a means of using funds from the Canary Islands Investment Reserve. The amount of the issue or capital

• Create five jobs in the case of Gran Canaria and Tenerife and three in the other islands • Invest €100,000 in fixed assets in the case of Gran Canaria and Tenerife and €50,000 in the other islands • Carry out authorised activities • Be a newly created entity or subsidiary • One of the administrators must be resident in the Canary Islands • Present a report describing the project • Have the head office and effective place of management within the geographical area of

These fiscal incentives have encouraged the establishment of companies in sectors which have previously been limited in the Canaries, favouring diversification of the economic structure of the islands. Thanks to the encouragement offered by the ZEC, clusters of businesses have been created which are now in position, in areas such as biotechnology, telecommunications, renewable energy and audiovisual production, and which constitute niches of emerging markets in the context of the world economy. At the same time, the ZEC has played a decisive role in the establishment of international companies in the Canary Islands. In this context, the companies within this preferential area which have now reached 563, have a notable presence of foreign capital (around one third).

English Lawyers & Spanish Abogados Our specialised legal team can assist in various aspects of English and Spanish legal services including: Property, land & conveyancing • Criminal, commercial & employment law Wills, probate, tax & estate planning • Family & divorce law Timeshare & seasonal ownership • Civil litigation & personal injury Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, French & German Contact us now for a Private Consultation: 922 719 520 Tenerife Office: Avenida de Los Pueblos, Parque Residencial Villaflor, Local B-20, San Eugenio, 38660 Costa Adeje

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

business promotion

Living & Lifestyle

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

part I

Manual Lymphatic Drainage As we all know, today we do not live the way our bodies were designed. By Nicola Roberts

n prehistoric times a man would be considered very old if he reached the age of 21. Our diet would have been very simple and would depend on what was in our locality. We walked on our bare feet and continually foraged for food. Nobody would have been overweight, our lymphatic systems then were not overloaded and our continuous moving about activated the pump in the muscles. It seems to be only as our lives have become more comfortable

that lymphatic related diseases have become more and more apparent. Basically everyone can probably benefit from manual lymphatic drainage massage since it stimulates the lymphatic system, thus internally cleansing the body. However, in a similar way to massage, there are contraindications. Both acute and chronic conditions can be treated and the main aim of treatment is to get the body’s own internal system balanced. The lymphatic system is the second circulatory system of

the body. The importance of the lymphatic system can be summed up as the body’s own internal spring cleaning system. Lymph cleanses the tissues and its main functions are to drain and filter tissue fluid from the body along with any bacteria, viruses and other particles that need removing, carrying out a vital function in order to regulate the immune system which in turn, protects the body against infection and the development of terminal illness. When the system is not working at its best, the body is

affected – and the longer the condition is left, the worse the symptoms become. Ill-health, allergies, damaged or removed lymph nodes or an imbalance in other body systems all have an effect and force the lymphatic system to work harder as it tries desperately to correct the condition.

the chance of catching infections more easy) • A slower ability in fighting infection • Fluid retention • Poor colour, a change in skin and hair condition and texture • A reduced metabolic rate • Lack of energy and headaches

Symptoms can show themselves in many forms:

Nicola Roberts is the owner of Bellissima Hair and Beauty in Los Gigantes and San Eugenio Alto. For information or appointments please call 922 867 343 or 922 719 355.

• Swelling and tenderness of the lymph nodes • Lowered immunity (making

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Living & lifestyle

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Fashion:

Take me or leave me.....

DENTAL CLINIC FAÑABÉ PLAZA

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We have now a large range of the quality ivory furniture - at very special prices made from Silver Birchwood - perfect for dining, bedrooms and salons. Packages for new apartments including beds and curtains. Bed linen, lamps, mirrors and decorative items.

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Stradivarius offers fashion for the young in dynamic and original designs, reflecting the latest trends in fabrics and accessories. Their 430 spacious shops in 28 countries are full of colour, music and atmosphere. Stradivarius shops can be found in most shopping centres in the Canary Islands. There’s one near you. All photos: Grupo Número1

We are in the Avenida de Emigrantes on the corner of Calle Altamar (next to Encuentro). Playa San Juan. Tel. 922 86 65 21 Mobile 619 281 655

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Living & lifestyle

DOCTOR

FAMILY MEDICINE / G.P. Lic. 06089

Manuel De La Flor HOME / HOTEL VISITS

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Tinerfe El Grande, 9. ADEJE (next to Postal Office)

697 888 666 for the doctor 637 245 270 for your health &

nutritional advice

You are living in, or visiting Tenerife You will smile again and never forget your visit – it will change your life. 80% of people over 25 years of age just cannot turn their head around to see behind them with headaches, constant stress in their face, pain, cannot sleep properly, fear of strokes, constant pain killers, sleeping tablets etc., etc. One visit to Michael, the Shiatsu Practitioner, will stop it immediately in two hours (€225.00). You U must NI visit his website just to realise who EX S S I E Michael Clark X is. No practitioner can master him UN in his profession.

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Give Michael a call anytime on his mob: 636 239 940 www.me-reliefnews.com

Dear Dr. De La Flor, I’m a 35 year old healthy woman rarely ever gets sick. Should I get the flu vaccine? I got the shot a couple of times a few years ago and the last time ended up with the flu anyway (but only for a couple of days). Please let me know if you think it makes sense for me or not. Thanks! Catherine

Dear Catherine, It’s perfect timing to pose your question. The influenza (flu) virus is highly contagious and is most often contracted during the next few months. By far, the single best way to avoid the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each autumn. While just about anyone, without regards to health status can benefit from being vaccinated against the flu, the World Health Organization recommends that certain groups of people make it a priority to get the shot. Anyone who falls into one of these categories should make an appointment with their doctor now as flu season is currently upon us. Children six months to five years of age and adults who are 50 years of age or older; women who will be in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during flu season; anyone with chronic health problems, weakened immune systems; anyone living or working in a nursing home

or care facility People should also be vaccinated if they are likely to be exposed to flu (such as teachers) or if they are going to be around people at high risk for complications if they were to get sick. People who have close contact to any of those in the above groups should get the flu vaccine. I would say that it absolutely makes sense for you to be proactive and get yourself vaccinated this year – and every year.

Dear Doctor, My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes six years ago. He’s been taking Metformine for around five and a half years now. He’d been pretty stubborn about following the diet that his doctor recommend and never had the time nor energy for much physical activity before he retired last year. We moved here at the beginning of the year and he’s gotten much better at taking care of himself. He plays lots of golf, regularly walks with me and has even improved his eating habits. Can he stop taking his medication now that he is better at managing the diabetes? My husband is convinced that all doctors just want to write as many prescriptions as possible. Thank you for your advice on this matter. Sincerely, Dorothy

Dear Dorothy, It’s great to sense your concern for your husband’s health! Considering the changes that you say he’s made, thankfully it sounds like it may be becoming a priority to him as well. It would be great for us men if we listened more often to our wives ah! He’s right on target with working to control the diabetes through diet and exercise, both “effective and inexpensive medicines.” Maintaining a healthy weight by staying active and following a diabetic diet are proven to be the best ways to manage diabetes. An often ignored, but just as important aspect is to use moderation when consuming alcohol. My advice before quitting the medication is to talk with his GP and undergo a basic check up. If he’s over 40, an EKG is highly recommended to check the most important muscle of the body “his heart”!

Dr. De La Flor, G.P. is licensed in medicine & general surgery. He holds certificates in nutrition, medical exercise and human performance from the University of Berkeley in California, the American Council on Exercise and the U.S. National Strength & Conditioning Association. He is a strong believer in work/life balance and spends much of his time outside of his surgery on the tennis court or chasing his four kids around the neighborhood.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Mouth Cancer Action Week

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Mouth Cancer Week runs from 16 to 22 November

 In the UK, Mouth

C.C. El Camisón, Local 53 · 38360 Playa de las Américas. Tenerife · Tel 922 79 85 87

Did you know that most people’s first spinal cervical vertebrae (known as the atlas) is dislocated? The consequences of pressure on the spine, on arteries, nerves and muscles are severe physical and psychological dysfunctions like: head, neck, back, hip and knee pain, pelvic obliquity, organic problems, dizziness and ear pain, dysfunctions of the immune system, just to name a few. Atlasprofilax by R.C. Schümperli is a method to bring the atlas into its correct and natural position with just one treatment. Without risks. The selfhealing process will start immediately.

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Health specialists confer of the three day event was to share knowledge across disciplines and to further understanding of the latest technology and treatments for the diseases that are most prevalent in Canarian society today. The programme included topical discussions on illnesses such as autoimmune deficien-

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A total of 150 doctors and physicians from around Spain took part in the XII Canarian Internal Medicine Convention recently. Specialists from fields such as neurology and cardiology attended the conference, which took place at the Hotel Costa Meloneras in the south of Gran Canaria. The aim

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passing on the disease, via the transmission of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which can be found in the lining of the mouth and throat, the cervix and the anus. While certain habits undoubtedly make you more likely to develop mouth cancer, research has found that one in four young people who develop the condition present none of the major risk factors. To help reduce your risk of developing mouth cancer, avoid excessive exposure to sunlight to help prevent lip cancer; eat green and yellow fresh fruit and vegetables every day - bananas, peppers, broccoli, beans and cabbage are good sources of beta-carotene which can help to prevent other cancers too; get medical advice if an ulcer or white or red patch does not clear after three weeks, and visit

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Tel. 922

of people recognised smoking as a major risk factor, yet only one in two correctly identified alcohol as a cause. Smoking is the most common cause, and research has found that switching to low-tar cigarettes does not help. The same risk applies to users of chewing tobacco, paan, areca nut and gutkha. Drinking alcohol to excess poses almost as big a risk as smoking. Additionally, because alcohol helps tobacco to absorb into the mouth, people who smoke and drink to excess are up to 30 times more likely to develop the condition. The important thing is not the type of drink consumed but the total volume of alcohol. There is increasing evidence which shows that oral sex can be a contributory factor in

your dentist regularly. Mouth cancer can appear in different forms, sometimes as a white or red patch, but most often as a painless ulcer that doesn’t heal. It is important to examine your mouth on a regular basis. If in doubt, you should arrange an appointment with your dentist or doctor. Please insist on having this checked out, because worryingly, all the symptoms can be mistaken for something far less serious. If anything suspicious is found, patients are referred to a specialist for further tests, advice, and treatment if necessary. A small sample of cells from the area (a biopsy) will be taken for examination and if the patient is found to have mouth cancer then further tests, such as blood tests, x-rays or body scans may be needed to find the exact site of the cancer. After diagnosis the specialists will design a treatment plan that is best suited to the individual patient’s needs. The three treatment options are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Early detection and treatment is critical as it considerably increases survival chances, allows for simpler treatment and results in a better quality of life for sufferers. If in doubt, get checked out. More information at www.mouthcancer.org

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Cancer Action Week runs from 16 to 22 November and is designed to increase awareness and take action against cancer. Around 5,000 cases are diagnosed annually in the UK where the disease kills one person every five hours. It can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat. The figures are certainly high in the Canaries too. This year’s campaign is using the slogan ‘If in doubt, get checked out’ to raise awareness of the importance of early detection. Treated in its early stages mouth cancer is curable but left later it kills around one in two. Alarmingly, the British Dental Health Foundation National Dental Survey in 2007 found that around half of the population had never heard of mouth cancer. Over 80 per cent

Living & lifestyle

cies and heart failure. Also covered were blockages of the blood vessels and infectious diseases. Practical workshops on the diagnostic stage, hypertension treatments, diabetes and the early detection of atherosclerosis, a disease affecting arterial blood vessels, also took place. The president of the organising commit-

tee, Pedro Peña Quintana, stated that the objective of the conference was to, “extend our connections across all fields, including general practitioners, endocrinologists and kidney specialists, to ensure, through coordination and interaction, that health care from diagnosis to treatment is as effective as possible.”

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Living & lifestyle

Counselling

Goodbye to

By Patricia Poole

wrinkles Keeping your brain in 30 min!!

healthy and smiling

before

 I remember my mum

saying that carrots keep your eyes in good condition, and broccoli keeps the mind sharp. The brain is like any other muscle in the body that gets stronger with proper exercise and shrivels if neglected. To keep the brain functioning at its full potential, researchers say there are specific lifestyle adjustments which can be made that can benefit many important brain functions. Brain health shouldn’t be something you first start thinking about in middle or old age. Just as you need to exercise your body throughout life to keep it healthy so too does your brain require a daily workout to keep it vital and alert. It is common for people to experience a gradual decline in their mental abilities as they age. We are told that this is normal and is the result of age-related structural changes in the brain, and that such changes are inevitable. But you know what? There’s a lot of evidence coming from the latest research into brain health that brain aging is only ‘normal and inevitable’ if you do nothing to prevent it. This means that it doesn’t have to happen to you - that you can keep your brain healthy and in ‘tip-top’ shape, enjoy being creative and

after

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The question is how? Research findings point to three main ways to support your brain: healthy diet, mental activity and getting physical with the brain. The first two have been promoted for many years. However, the third - getting physical with the brain - is not widely known yet may well prove to be the most powerful factor in maintaining brain health. What does ‘getting physical’ with your brain mean? To make the explanation simple I’ll define getting physical as anything that is clearly not diet related nor a mental activity such as puzzles, number sequence exercises, memory games, practicing musical instruments and so on. So what can you do

to get physical with your brain? Plenty! There are many ways of using physical activity to boost your brain-power and keep you as sharp as a tack regardless of your age. What’s more, you’re likely to find getting physical with your brain so easy and enjoyable that you can readily picture yourself doing it for life.

Physical exercise: Physical exercise can encourage a healthy brain to function optimally in ways that are not widely known or their value appreciated. For example, exercise can help the brain by promoting the production of new neurons (brain cells) and strengthening the connections between neurons.

Reduce stress levels: Stress plays havoc with the

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functioning of the brain and the body systems it controls. In particular, the sustained presence of stress hormones in the bloodstream can damage brain cells

Promote the generation and circulation of sexual energy: Sexual energy can play a key part in supporting mental health as it fosters, for example, the movement of chemicals called neurotransmitters between neurons. These play a critical role in the communication of information between nerve cells. As an illustration, the neurotransmitter serotonin associated with sexual behaviour and arousal is involved in a number of functions including influencing mood and alertness. The key is to be consistent and to keep at it.

Pets corner

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Loro park Environmental funding

Giving a helping hand

Pets Portrait

Persephonie’s babies

 The

Loro Park Foundation recently committed further funding for environmental programmes to take place in 19 different countries.

We let you know in Island Connections edition 567 that Persephonie the tortoise laid her eggs on 30th May this year. Five baby tortoises have recently hatched, and here they are, already having clawboard classes.

Ladies who lunch

Get shopping

The decision to increase investment by 70,000 euros was made public at Loro Park’s recent Tenth Annual Conference. The rise takes the organisation’s total financial commitment to investigation and practical projects to 827.876 euros. At least 31 different schemes will be undertaken, including recovery programmes for endangered species, particularly parrots; educational activities and cetacean protection. Internationally recognised experts in the field of conservation, from both the public and private sector, were involved in the decision as to which projects

Funding allocations have including assistance in raising chicks from 162 different species

are to be given priority. After two in-depth studies various new endeavours were chosen, as well as continuing support for programmes initiated by the foundation previously. Earlier successes have included the raising of

1,133 chicks from 162 different species and subspecies of birds. One of the most important projects is the opening of the first centre dedicated to the Spix’s macaw. These birds originate from Brazil and have

Suger and spice!

Treat your pet healthily  On

Wednesday November 12th at Conil there will be a silent auction coffee morning starting at 11 am. Christmas shopping has never been this easy! Among items for sale will be original paintings, jewellery, CDs, DVDs, table lamps, a Morse book set, bubble-jet B&W printer, scanner, ceramics, silk pashminas/wraps, set of glasses and much, much more News soon on the annual Christmas lunch, Teguise trip with tapas, the Thai lunch, a gardening talk and a series of literary lunches – watch this space. The LWL is looking for storage facilities, preferably between Costa

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Teguise and Güime – and only needs access on the last Saturday of each month. If you can help, please call Terry Shelton on 928 591438, 620 949273, who has kindly taken over the running of the LWL stalls The LWL was started in November 2000 in order to raise additional funds for the abandoned animals in the SARA shelter and raised over €73.000 in their first seven years. They have raised over €7,900 so far this year. To book, find out about other events, make new friends, meet up with old ones or join their mailing list call/fax 928 832666 or email info@ladylunch. com.

I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice-cream

 If you want to look

after your pet’s health more help is at hand thanks to several new products which will be on the market by Christmas. Vital Ice Cream, based in Malaga, is about to release a number of lactose- and sugar-free treats for cats

and dogs. Tempting ice cream tastes on offer will include traditional flavours such as cream and vanilla and also some surprises, like ham. Dogs and cats are lactose intolerant and should not be given cow’s milk. However, to combat any negative effects the

company has treated the milk in their products with lactase – an enzyme that makes the dairy product easier to digest. The sugar has also been replaced with maltitol, which has fewer calories, does not promote tooth decay and has less effect on blood glucose. As factory methods to produce the new treats are similar to those already used for the company’s other products, meaning little investment is needed, it is promising that prices will be kept reasonable. A half litre tub will cost around three euros, and individual bars and cakes will also be available. To ensure the success of its product the company is financing a study by the Cordoba Veterinary Faculty on the healthiness and palatability of the ice creams, the results of which will be made public. One result that has already been seen is that cold foods are more attractive to dogs and cats than hot ones, so ice cream all round then!

Koala Sur Koala Sur The love, the care and the respect which you give to your pet, and the place your pet holds in your home and your family reflects the dedication and responsibility needed to support the decision to make your pet a part of your life. At Koala Sur we have all you need

to welcome your new family member into your home: food, hygiene, toys, hair care products, accessories, guides and books, and much much more. Koala Sur, with a shop of more than 500 square metres, has all you need to meet your pet's every need.

been extinct in the wild since the year 2000. Loro Park has so far succeeded in raising 78 of them in captivity and is presently working with local inhabitants in areas of Brazil to ensure the release of many examples into the wild. Studies will also be continued on immunology and bioacoustics of cetaceans, in conjunction with the universities of la Laguna and Las Palmas. Loro Park’s environmental projects are backed financially by many institutions from around the Islands, including Kalise, BBVA, Pepsi and Banca March.

K9 News

December events Saturday, 06th December K9 Tenerife Annual Dinner Dance (please note that due to the dance there will be no car boot sale on December 7th) Saturday, 13th December Nearly New Sale at Scoobies, Callao Salvaje (morning) Sunday, 14th December Possible Sponsored Dive (more details to follow) Friday, 19th December Charity Auction at a venue to be confirmed Sunday, 28th December Friends of the Animals Car Boots Sale (morning) Contact Pat the Cat (608 121 081) for more details or if you would like to hold an event for us at your business!

Digs 4 Dogs Professional dog care at our purpose built

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what’s on

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

What’s On Tenerife

MUSEUMS & CULTURAL EVENTS [ Tenerife ]

Auditorium Tenerife www.auditoriodetenerife. com

Av. Constitución, 1 38003 Santa Cruz phone 902 31 73 27

stands. The Wednesday market at Playa San Juan will be extended from October 15th to include two popular sections, car boot and fruit.

FIESTAS & CULTURAL EVENTS Chestnut month 2008 – Acentejo La Matanza, La Victoria and Santa Úrsula November 8 to 16, gastronomic days for restaurants in the area, Cooking with Chestnuts

La Baranda WINE MUSEUM A renovated 17th century Canary Island hacienda used by the Island Cabildo to promote local quality wines. Autopista Gral. del Norte. Km 21, (El Sauzal exit), 38360 El Sauzal, Tel.: 922 572 535 Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm. Wine tasting and shop until 10 pm, Sunday and Bank Holidays from 11 am to 6 pm, closed Monday.

November 8 to 16, photographic contest Chestnut Month 2008. Entries can be submitted up to November 12.

www.teatroguimera.es

Plaza Isla de la Madera, 2- 38001 Santa Cruz phone 902 36 46 03

CajaCanarias Cultural Centre www.canarynet.com

Pl. el Patriotismo, 1 38002 Santa Cruz phone 922 471 000

Museum of Science & Space (MCC) www.museosdetenerife. org

C/ Vía Láctea, s/n 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna phone 922 315 265

Museum of Nature & Archaeology (MNH) www.museosdetenerife. org

C/ Fuente Morales, s/n 38003 Santa Cruz phone 922 535 128

THEATRE November 7, Arenas de Oriente, 9 pm, Auditorium Santa Cruz

November 7, 8.30 pm, Somos 2, Guimerá Theatre, Santa Cruz

www.museosdetenerife. org

C/ San Agustín, 20/22 38201 San Cristóbal de La Laguna phone 922 825 949/43

Tenerife Anthropology Museum www.museosdetenerife. org

C/ Vino, 44 38270 Valle de Guerra (La Laguna) phone 922 546 300 [ Gran Canaria ]

Cuyás Theatre www.teatrocuyas.com

Pérez Galdós Theatre www.teatroperezgaldos.es

Castles Tours: Tenerife History Museum offers guided tours around the island’s castles for schools and groups. More information on 922 825 949 Kurt Elling

November 8, 8.30 pm, Laura Herts (humour), Guimerá Theatre, Santa Cruz

November 12 to 15, Ársenico por compasión, Guimerá Theatre, Santa Cruz

of national and international relevance about the complex social processes of the five continents.

November 21 to 22, Manolo Vieira (humour), Guimerá Theatre, Santa Cruz

MUSIC November 8, 8 pm, folk music, Valle San Lorenzo cultural space

November 9, 8 pm, Galliano / Rubalcaba Project (jazz), Auditorium Santa Cruz

November 14, 8.30 pm, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Auditorium Santa Cruz

November 15, 8 pm, chamber music, Las Galletas cultural space

Tenerife History Museum (MHAT)

Photo: Christian Lantry

Guimerá Theatre

November 19, 5.30 pm, folk

EXHIBITIONS To November 8, photos by Vicky Delgado, Sala de Arte Juan Cas, La Laguna

To November 8, Voces del Jardín, La Recova, Santa Cruz del Teide, a project in which all the museums of Tenerife are participating to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Archaelogical and Natural Science Museums.

information about trekking routes: 922 725 180 or www. arona.org

All year round, guided

To November 10, Photos of

walks for groups through the most emblematic buildings of the lovely northern town of Los Silos. Contact Oscar in their information office on 922 841 086.

Cantabria, Arona town hall

November 14 to December 10, paintings by Ángeles García

November 20, 9 pm, Kurt

Círculo de Bellas Artes, Santa Cruz

Elling, Auditorium Santa Cruz

To November 23, Error by

November 21, 8.30 pm, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra

Marina Núñez, El Tanque Cultural Centre, Santa Cruz

November 22, 12 noon,

To November 23, paintings by

concert in the church square, Los Cristianos For a full list of events, go to www. lagenda.org/musica2.htm.

Fernando Álamo, Cabrera Pinto Institute, La Laguna

festival closes with Verdi’s Otello produced by Giancarlo del Monaco and directed by Mario de Rose in the Sala Sinfónica of the Auditorio de Tenerife.

FILM FESTIVALS

November 23, La Fortaleza, Masca, 5 h, difficulty: medium, more information: 922 127 938 or www.elcardon.com

Discover Arona. More

Díaz, Las Galletas Cultural Centre

November 8, the opera

Hiking:

To November 10, Memorias

music groups in the streets of Las Galletas

OPERA

Saturday of every month. The activity may be combined with snorkelling, hiking, climbing or potholing. More info on 922 127 938.

To November 16, Ubay Murilo,

To November 29, sculptures by Rosa Hernández en Perspectiva, Auditorium Santa Cruz

To December 20, Grabados (engravings) de Goya, CajaCanarias Cultural Salon, Plaza de Patriotismo 1, Santa Cruz

To December 29, Rosa Hernández in perspective, paintings and sculptures. Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz

Until November 8, Miradas

SPORT & NATURE

Doc, Auditorium, Guía de Isora. Samples of documentary films

Tours by kayak for all abilities: Last

Kayak

Barranco del Infierno (Adeje): Mondays to Sundays from 8.30 am till 5.30 pm. No access allowed after 4 pm. Price: 3 euros. Max. 200 people a day. Free entrance on Sundays. More info and reservation on 922 782 885.

Guided trails for the general public: The National Park’s interpretation service offers guided tours free of charge. You need to book in advance with the National Park Office (Tel. 922 290 129/922 290 183).

Miscellaneous Alcalá market has reverted to Sunday following public demand complete with food

Masonic Meetings in the south of Tenerife. Visitors always welcome. Tenerife Craft, Chapter, Mark. For more information phone 922 794 502 or 922 732 386.

Ciudadanos Europeos (European Citizens Group) meets monthly September to April at the Cultural Centre (Casa Cultural), Los Cristianos. Full programme of interesting speakers, advice, and social activities. Please note change of the date of the next meeting scheduled for November 19th. The next meeting will now be held on Wednesday 3rd December, commencing 7.30 pm. A dinner will be held on Wednesday 26th November at Restaurant Casa Tres, Sunset Bay, 7.30 for 8pm and a Christmas dinner on Saturday 20th December 7.30 for 8pm also at Casa Tres. Non-members welcome. For further information contact the Social Secretary Vanessa Cloutt on 922 742 011.

K9 Pleasure Island in Playa de las Américas, just behind Lineker’s bar in Starco, now hosts the K9 and San Francisco charities for animals car boot sale. All proceeds go to the charities. Stallholders are very welcome but booking is advised, enquiries and reservations can be made by calling Pat the Cat on 608 121081. Open from 8am to midday, great for bargain hunters and those who love a good rummage.

English Library Calle Irlanda, Parque Taoro, Puerto de la Cruz: Monday 3pm to 5.30pm, Wednesday 10am to 12 noon, Friday from 4pm to 6pm

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 and Saturday 11am to 1pm. Information: Julia Gaskell 922 37 25 79

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in the South: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5.45pm, Friday at 11.45am. 1st Floor Apolo centre, Los Cristianos (next to bus terminal). For more information call 630 478 448 (24 hrs).

MUSEUMS & CULTURAL EVENTS Casa Lercaro C/ San Agustín, 20-22 38201 San Cristóbal de La Laguna Phone 922 82 59 49

Casa de Carta Tacoronte main road, Valle de Guerra, s/n 38270 Valle de Guerra (La Laguna) Phone 922 546 300

Gran Canaria FIESTAS & CULTURAL EVENTS November 7 to 9, International kite festival, La Oliva, Fuerteventura

November 6 to 9, Womad 2008, Santa Catalina Park, Las Palmas

CONCERTS

Die Geheimnisse der Sterneküche zum Selberkochen HHH

Kochschule Finca Montimar mit Joachim Figge Name: Joachim Figge Job: Chef Job Experience: more than 40 years Career highlights: Dinner for Prince Charles together with Alfons Schubeck Gala dinner and celebration of 40 years of the German Federal Republic with Heinz Winkler, etc. Aspirations: To bring the secrets of top class cookery closer to everyone The cookery school will offer courses from beginners to advanced: H Light Atlantic cuisine H Canarian-Spanish fish dishes H Tapas and their extensive varieties and lots more from taster foods to professional level Finca Montimar

November 11 to 16 and 18 to 19, 9 pm, Les Luthiers, Auditorium Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

November 17, 8.30 pm, Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, Auditorium Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

November 21 to 22, 10.30 pm, Kurt Elling, Auditorium Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

November 22, 8.30 pm, Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, Auditorium Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

Fridays: 11.30pm, Municipal

Archaeology Guided visits to the principal digs in the island: Bentayga (Tejeda), Cenobio de Valerón (Guía) etc. For more information 928 219 229.

Markets Every day: San Bartolomé de Tirajana, 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm, craft fair in the Parque Europeo

Mondays: Santa Lucía de Tirajana, 8 am to 2 pm. Farmers’ market in the neighbourhood fair ground

Tuesdays: Mogán, 8 am to 2 pm. C/ Paco González

Wednesdays: Santa Lucía de Tirajana, 8 am to 2 pm. San Bartolomé de Tirajana, 8 am to 2 pm. San Fernando

Thursdays: San Bartolomé, 10 am to 5 pm. Craft fair in the Maspalomas parking terrace next to the Global bus station, Agüimes, 8 am to 1 pm. In front of the borough swimming pool. Gáldar, 8am to 2pm. Plaza de Santiago Mogán, 8 am to 2 pm. Marina

Saturdays:

For more information call: Tel. 922 72 90 81 or 616 55 25 17 HHHHH Personal gourmet catering for private events in your own home

Auditorium Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

m’zungu by Félix Juan Bordes, Casa África, Las Palmas

Until November 15, El grito

THEATRE

de Pepe Damáso, Caja Canarias Cultural Space, Las Palmas

November 7, 9pm, Joan as

November 7 to 30, Sonatas

policewoman, El Rincón del Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas

de una esquina (fotos), Victor Jara Theatre Until December 14, México abstracto, La Regenta, Las Palmas

November 7 to 9, Barroco, Cuyás Theatre, Las Palmas

November 7, 8 pm, Mo’ Better

Until January 4, Travesía,

Blues (film), Salon de Actos del Edificio de Humanidades Agustín Millares Carló, Las Palmas

Until June 2009, sculpture by

CAAM Las Palmas

November 14, 8 pm,

Agoney Santana, Saulo Torón square, Las Canteras, Las Palmas

Acordes y Desacuerdo (film), Salon de Actos del Edificio de Humanidades Agustín Millares Carló, Las Palmas

SPORT AND NATURE Trekking

MUSIC

alberguelaaldea.com, or Valleseco 928 618740.

Fridays:

November 8, 8.30pm, Aristides Moreno, Teror Auditorium

what’s on

EXHIBITIONS

Until 21 November, selection

Bands concerts at Parque San Telmo, Las Palmas and 7.30pm Canarian dance and popular music in Pueblo Canario (Parque Doromás), Las Palmas

of the winning entries in the 3rd international children’s book illustrations, Public Library, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Biblioteca Insular)

November 7, 8.30 pm,

Until November 14, Paintings:

Philharmonic Orchestra,

AEA Tubab: África es así,

Local councils in various areas of the island organise guided treks and other open-air activities. For more information, call UPNature, Guanarteme 928 270084 or 928 473265, Arucas 928 621754, Maspalomas 928 764201, Tablero 928 140640, Mogán 928 158805, Aldea de San Nicolás de Tolentino 928.891.252 or www.

Telde, 8 am to 2pm. Plaza de San Gregorio Arucas, 8 am to 2 pm. C/ León y Castillo, Santa Brígida, 8 am to 8 pm. Near the Borough Park. San Mateo, 8 am to 8 pm. Town centre

Sundays: Telde 8 am to 2pm. Ramblas de Jinámar, Santa Brígida, 8 am to 2 pm. Near the Borough Park San Mateo, 8 am to 3 pm. Town centre; Valsequillo, 8 am to 2 pm. C/ Isla de la Gomera; Teror, 8 am to 2 pm. Near the Basílica of Nuestra Señora del Pino Moya, 8 am to 2 pm. Bus station; Valleseco, 8 am to 2 pm. Town centre San Bartolomé de Tirajana, 8 am to 2 pm. San Fernando & La Vegueta, Las Palmas, 11 am to 3 pm. Flowers, children’s area, art and crafts, with popular Canarian dancing, music and food

Church Services: Living Spring Pentecostal Church Guaza Calle Almorejo 2, beside the Guaza sports complex. Rev. and Pastor (Mrs) Nelson Olajide Tel: 609 505 915. livingspring75@hotmail.com The Anglican Parish of All Saints Puerto de la Cruz Sunday services 9.30am and 11am 29 Carretera Taoro. Parish Priest: David Jenkins. Tel: 922 384 038 www.allsaintstenerife.com Saint Francis Anglican Chaplaincy Tenerife South Chaplain Fr. Keith Gordon, phone 679660277 or 922742045 Christian Fellowship Los Cristianos 1st floor of Apolo Shopping Centre Pastor Adrian McBride. Tel: 922 790 007. Costa del Silencio Coral Mar. Sunday Services 11am-6pm. Mothers & Toddlers group Tue.10.30 to 12 noon. Counselling and info: Pastor Bill Jeffrey Tel: 617291751. www. silenciochurch.com Calvary Assembly International Church Buzanada Sunday 11.00am, Wednesday 7.30pm Nursery is provided during the Sunday morning service as well as Sunday School for children under 12. For more information, for counselling, or for information about the International Bible Institute, call: Missionary / Pastor Mark G. Baumgartner 628 107 316. Catholic Mass Puerto de la Cruz International service Sundays (almost always in English) in the Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia parish church Los Gigantes Daily mass in English in the Espíritu Santo church St. Sebastian’s Inclusive Church Mogán, Gran Canaria Sundays 7pm at Cordial Mogán Playa Chapel

Canarian C-Days www.diasc.com/diasc/ Travel between the islands

to cultural events is 50 per cent cheaper on certain days and for selected events with Fred Olsen, Islas Airways, Binter and Garajonay Express.

Discounts on hotels and car hire are also available.

You will need to book by

C DAYS At the time of going to press the C Days web site was not announcing any events for these dates. Check for the special selection of subsidised cultural events on http://www.diasc.com/ diasc/

telephone 902 292 999, Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm or via the web

Make sure you know the full price of the ticket (including Canarian residents’ reduction) to ensure you receive the full discount.

Gadget TRENDS

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

SuperGadget

VERBARIUS

Swinxs

Motorola AURA

The talking clock– properly answers the age old “what time is it” question. http://www. planetapluton.com/verbarius-p-134.html

Go on, say it, swinx and roundabouts – new gaming fun for all the family

The mobile with bling

Grundig Audiorama 9000

Philips GoGear Luxe, with bluetooth

Great balls of sound

More and more for phone users who’d rather not call anymore!

http://idleparis.co.uk/grundig-gets-balls-ofsound-audiorama-900/

http://www.swinxs.com/swinxs/language.php

http://www.xataka.com/2008/10/27-philipsgogear-luxe-con-bluetooth

http://www.dexigner.com/product/newsg16051.html

Vudu HDX, That voodoo that you do so well – the best for HD downloads on the market http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_10510059371-1.html

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Food for Thought

restaurant review

Pinocchio an Italian family restaurant

mussels a la mariniere, kebabs with tomatoes and pimientos de padrón (peppers in sea salt) as well as the usual range of focaccia. For your main course, you can opt for pasta, meat, fish or pizza. Apart from well-known Spaghetti Carbonara or Spaghetti Bolognese there is Spaghetti allo Scoglio with seafood and tomato, Spaghetti alla Vongole with clams, Spaghetti alla Matriciana with onion, bacon and tomato and Spaghetti with courgette, prawns and cream. The range of Penne is equally broad. One of the specialities are Penne

Strogonoff with meat, mushrooms, pepperoni, tomato and cream. The home made Gnocchi all taste superb - the simple Gnocchi al pesto as well as more sophisticated dishes like the Gnocchi Pinocchio with gorgonzola, cream and radish lettuce. There is also Tagliatelle, Panzerotti, Raviolo and of course Lasagne. For pizza fans there are over 30 pizzas to choose from. Rather unusual for an Italian restaurant: you can also choose from three different main courses with rice. There is rice with mushrooms, rice with seafood and rice mare e monti with mushrooms,

Restaurant and Cocktail bar I celand ic Restau rant with S outhe rn Flai r

BAR & GRILL

Terrace with amazing sea views Open daily from 2 pm

king prawns in cognac with rice. Italians are also famous for their heavenly desserts – so make sure you have room for a Tiramisu (one portion is enough for two!) or any of the other sweets at Pinocchio. Not only the food and the chef in the Pinocchio are truly Italian, also the friendly waiters contribute to the vivid and at the same time relaxed atmosphere that is associated with the Italian lifestyle people all over the world enjoy so much. The restaurant is open

pinocchio Italian restaurant. Near Aqualand, San Eugenio Alto Las Américas Table Reservations : 922 792 958

every day from noon and there are special prices for general and office parties. You will find it near the Aqualand in San Eugenio, opposite the car park behind El Molino Blanco. Table reservations on 922 79 29 58.

St Eugen’s

Live Music Cocktails · Bar & Restaurant

Enjoy the best

compere

on Tenerife!

Twice a Week 8pm - 10pm FREE LOCAL SHOT with every mixed drinks Tuesday: Ladies / Friday: Men

International cuisine  House specialities  Snacks  Ideal for parties  Gourmet buffet, made to measure  Large selection of cocktails  Spanish ‘green’ wines 

CC Salytien, Local 37, 50 metres in front of the underground parking Playa de Las Américas (next to the Casinos) Tel: 922 798 944 · Email: mio.bar.grill@gmail.com

dried tomato, prawns, parsley, oil and lemon juice. If you are neither in the mood for pasta, pizza nor rice, go for fish or meat – you might be surprised at how well Italians know how to do a proper, tender fillet steak. Steak is served with green pepper sauce, balsamic vinegar, fine herbs (extremely delicious) and mushroom sauce and if you didn’t know any better you might think the Italians invented the steak. Other meal dishes include veal escalope, chicken breast, lamb chops, pork spare ribs and pork chop. If you prefer fish, why not try grilled sword fish or

Pool Hall · Games for children · Internet Café · Live Football Shown

One of the biggest live entertainment bar / restaurants in the South Aqua Park C.C. San Eugenio Sky Park

CASINO Garden Hospital City San Eugenio SALYTIEN

Mercadona Ocean Beach

Palo Blanco

cas vis Tor St Eugen’s

Las Américas Hotel Jardín Tropical

Now open from 5pm · From 12 noon on weekends Happy Hours till 8pm Palo Blanco, opposite to Shopping Centre San Eugenio San Eugenio, Playa de Las Américas Tel. 922 71 33 76 · www.steugenstenerife.com

©/558/08

he Pinocchio restaurant in San Eugenio Alto is much more than just another Italian eatery serving pizza and pasta. Apart from its huge and fabulous menu, which includes various non-Italian dishes, the open space, the quick and friendly service as well as the family friendly setting make Pinocchio stand out. At the rear of the premises a bouncy castle and a mini playground make sure your kids don’t get bored while you enjoy a romantic meal for two. A selection of 16 starters includes different salads, vegetables on the griddle, fried camembert with jam,

Food for Thought

Taking a look at Spanish Cheeses ::

Valencia cheeses The Valencia region lies on the east coast of Spain

t borders to the north with Cataluña, to the south with Murcia, to the west with Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon and to the east with the Mediterranean sea. It has Mediterranean vegetation and its orography mainly comprises coastal plains, although we also find mountainous areas in the province of Alicante. In the Valencia region we find the following types of cheese: de Alicante, Cassoleta, Servilleta, and de la Nucia. Alicante cheese is made from goat’s milk. It is also known as Blanquet. It has a cylindrical, discoid shape and is a fresh cheese. Cassoleta, Servilleta and la Nucia cheese are made with a mixture of goat’s and milk’s milk. Cassoleta is disk-shaped, with the top side in the shape of a volcano, while Servilleta is globe-shaped. La Nucia, also known as Queso pastel due to its peculiar shape (truncated cone) started to be made in the town that gives it’s name to the cheese. All of them are normally eaten fresh, they are soft, whitish and very moist. Some are left to mature for a short time, turning straw yellow. Their paste is compact. Information and images from España y sus quesos (in Spanish, English and French) by José Manuel Escorial, ISBN 84-611-2686-6 (around 60 euros). With the kind permission of the national federation of milk industries, FeNIL and the Spanish Institute for External Commerce, ICEX.

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Food for Thought

Competition

Win a Jeep with Nestlé  International

food company, Nestlé, are offering four lucky customers the chance to win a magnificent Compass 2.0 CDR Diesel Sport Jeep. It is very easy, just by buying a Nestlé product you could win one of these great prizes. Register your email address and password on the competition site, www. ganaunjeep.es, enter into the site and introduce the date on the purchase

ticket. You can enter once a day and as many days as you like until the promotion finishes on the 31st March 2009. Introduce the E.A.N code you will find on the product (a list of the products included in the promotion is on the site) and cross your fingers. Somebody has to win, why shouldn’t it be you? Remember, the more entries you have the more chances you have to win.

New ways with forbidden fruit

An apple a day

 With

seven microclimates in operation on the island of Tenerife, the wealth and excellence of agricultural produce is amazing, one

of the stars of the El Sauzal firmament is the local apple, the reineta. To promote this local leading light, the council organise a series of events in and around the town which include a competition for dishes which use this fruit as one of the ingredients. The first prize in the restaurant section for a traditional fried sweetmeat using reinetas went to the Martínez restaurant and was prepared by Nieves Gutiérrez and the highest award for the amateurs went to Isabel Gómez for her creation using puff pastry and the reineta apple. Among the cooked dishes, the first prize was the creation of Elena Pérez, a surprising quiche of sardines and reineta apple purée and the best kilo of reinetas was entered by Coriolano Domínguez.

- Founded over 25 years ago - International atmosphere - All the family will feel at ease - A favourite amongst residents Specialities: Pizzas; Fresh pasta, Excellent meat and fish dishes. Special daily menu includes Mexican dishes

©IC575/08

Open daily from 1pm to midnight

Your new meeting place in Piedra Hincada

Eat, drink and be merry! LA SABINITA

RESTAURANT

LA SABINITA 1 metre long pizzas • 1 metre long sausages More than 50 types of beers • Fresh bbq meat (cooked over coal) Hen / Stag nights • Birthdays & all types of celebrations Tue - Sat 6pm - 12am. Sun 1pm - 12am. Closed on Monday PIEDRA HINCADA, NR.42 - GUÍA DE ISORA TAKE THE EXIT 'PIEDRA HINCADA' - THEN FOLLOW THE ROAD UPHILL FOR 2 KM

The Real Italian Cuisine The best Italian cooking and an authentic logfire oven for a Pizza without comparison

Terrace & Bar Reservations

922 750 926

Successful recipe

 The fourth annual gastronomic

congress in La Palma has consolidated the importance and success of this event in promoting local products.

Under the official title of Gastronomic congress of the island of La Palma, the five day congress combined a variety of top chefs and other experts to promote quality products, the majority from La Palma, and to enrich the gastronomic offer in the islands. In the words of a national gastronomy award winner, Manuel Iglesias, the idea is to, “promote the landscape of the islands, promoting at the same time the farm products by designing quality dishes”. Star products used by the top chefs to create new flavours and textures included local potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, gofio (ground toasted cereal meal) pepper, the meat from the autonomous black pig, honey and cheeses.

Open 6pm - 1.00am. Closed Mondays. C/ Austria 9, San Eugenio Alto

©IC/574/08

New ways with traditional foods

Restaurante

La Romántica International cuisine, flambées a speciality Superb food, stylish service, a touch of class in Callao Salvaje

Tel. 922 741 518 Open daily 12 midday - 11pm

El Ancla, nº 21. C/ El Jable Callao Salvaje, Adeje

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Food for Thought

Making the Most of Seasonal Food ::

Food Ideas

A-peeling

Autumn soup  We’re

heading for the beginning of the sniffs and sniffles season and when you’re feeling a bit below par, nothing is as comforting or as easy to swallow as a hearty bowl of soup. This traditional Canarian recipe is packed full of vegetable protein, vitamins and goodness for a great pick-me-up or just a healthy meal. One of the main ingredients is pumpkin, at its best in value and condition at the moment, although prices do tend to go up around Halloween. One of the largest varieties of squash, the pumpkin is available in green although the most popular varieties are orange and yellow with characteristic vertical grooves. It can be sliced and roasted in the oven until soft, steamed, boiled and mashed or stuffed and baked as you would with a marrow. Spiced pumpkin is a popular sweet filling in the United States for pumpkin pie. This vegetable is high in beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A and it is also a good source of fibre, vitamin C and potassium. Rancho is a word which originally applies to a one-pot meal made for many people such as soldiers or

prisoners. We have used chicken legs as they can be removed if you wish or shredded into the soup. As the dish contains vegetable protein with the chick peas, we tend to take them out for use in salads and sandwiches. A popular alternative to the chicken is salted pork ribs.

Canarian Rancho Ingredients • Two chicken legs • 200 g pumpkin • 100 g marrow • Olive oil • 1 onion • 1 leek • 3 garlic cloves • 1 carrot • 4 potatoes • 100 g chick peas • 100 g fideo 4 (thick fideos) • 2 chicken stock cubes • Chopped parsley to garnish

CROQUANT British Bakery & Coffee Shop

Another great new peeler from the Swiss knife company Victorinox. Ergononomically designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and priced at just 2.50 Swiss francs, this little gem will cut the peeling task time down and stop those awful hand cramps which set in after a long session. Buy on line at www.

Preparation 1. Soak the chick peas overnight 2. Peel and chop the onion, garlic and leek and fry gently in the olive oil until golden.

victorinox.ch.

Say it with fruit

3. Add peeled and chopped pumpkin, marrow, carrot and chicken legs with 2 litres water and chicken stock cubes, bring to boil.

4. Once boiling add the chick peas with a slotted spoon slowly. The water must be boiling in the pot as you add them if you want the skins to soften.

5. Once they are all in, boil for 10 minutes before lowering the heat to a gentle simmer for 70 minutes.

6. Peel potatoes and split roughly with a knife so that they have rough edges which release more starch to thicken the soup.

7. Remove chicken to put aside or shred and add just before serving. Add potatoes to pot and 10 minutes later add fideos.

8. Simmer 10 mins, garnish and serve with a chunk of local bread.

Autumn blues can be blown away by keeping up your vitamin intake and what nicer way to say you care than sending a fruit basket to a friend. Fashion Fruit offer a complete service and a variety of baskets with exotic names such as Phuket or Taj Mahal for any occasion or individual. There are selections for him, for her, for gourmets and children and special occasions. Check out the web site at www.fashionfruit.es

Baguette tray

NEW in Puerto Santiago

sauc Pizza - Pasta - Brasa

Fresh homemade Pasta Pizzas - Fresh Fish - Meat Eat in or take away

Sandwiches, sausage rolls, pasties, etc.

Homemade desserts Great Range of Spanish and Italian wines

Mon - Wed - Thu till 5 pm: Starter + main course + drink + coffee only 10€ Wed - Mon 1pm - 5pm / 7pm - 12am

Special cakes for special occasions

Calle la Gaviota. Playa de la Arena, Puerto Santiago On the main road between Hotel ‘Barceló Varadero’ and Mercadona

The Apolo Centre - Los Cristianos Avda. Gral. Franco - Los Cristianos Mon - Sun 8am - 5.30pm Tel: 922 798 133

©IC/572/08

Tel. 922 860 744

There’s nothing like the aromas of fresh coffee and freshly baked bread wafting through the house – and now with the baguette tray you can ensure those handy semi-cooked supermarket baguettes are baked to perfection. The thousands of perforations in this pan allow air to circulate, cooking the bread evenly all over.

£7.99 online from Lakeland.co.uk

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

WineGUIDE

By Gerald Ruben

Zenzero

Room for improvement A

new restaurant in Adeje opened its doors to the public about eight weeks ago and it was about six weeks after it had opened that Vivienne and I first went there. It was a Friday night and as it happened it was not a night to remember, but bearing in mind that the restaurant had only recently opened, and that there were possibly still teething problems I decided to leave it for a couple of weeks and then return and see if it had improved. For our second visit we were joined by two friends, Veronica and Barrie, both of whom we have known for a considerable time and who enjoy good food and wine. I have got to admit at this point that I am finding it very hard to write about this restaurant, as how can you argue about success and still make a number of criticisms. First of all Zenzero does not set itself out to be a Michelin star restaurant, it is a middle of the road Italian restaurant with a menu that I think is too big for the capabilities of the kitchen staff. The menu has been altered since we went the first time but unfortunately instead of reprinting the menu they have obliterated the dishes they can not offer with a

big black felt pen, what a shame. When we arrived we were offered a very well positioned table inside the restaurant, which was well laid with sparkling glasses and good cutlery. There were three or four other tables taken with two or four people on each. I found it difficult to understand why we were then only offered three menu’s for the four of us. With the extensive number of dishes they offer it takes a while to make a choice and to remember what you have chosen if you have to pass your menu to another member of your party, extra menu’s can not be that expensive . After our order

The restaurant is extremely

with Spanish clientele

popular

was taken and the wine and water had arrived there was a considerable wait until the food arrived. We had noticed this on our first visit but had put it down to a settling in period, but as the restaurant began to fill up we saw other customers looking around for their food. One of the joys of going

out to dine with friends is the pleasure of chatting over dinner, here it is next to impossible. Whoever designed the interior did a good job so far as fixtures and fittings, but where the acoustics are concerned missed the plot completely. In fact someone said that the best way to communicate would be to send a text message and hope they heard the phone ring.. When this restaurant gets half full the noise level is so high that you can hardly hear what the person next to you is saying, it could so easily be remedied by some soft background music and some baffles around the room to break up the sound. My last moan is the extremely bright

lights which do not flatter anyone and certainly do not add to the atmosphere of the restaurant. They can cater for about 110 covers inside and handle another 60 on the terrace outside, this is all managed with three working in the kitchen and three serving in the restaurant. So is it worth a visit? Yes, if only to make your own minds up, but don’t try and get a table after nine o’clock as the restaurant gets packed out with mainly Spanish, who appeared to order mainly pasta and pizzas it seems to be the in place to go and be seen at. From a wine point of view we had a Campillo crianza 2005 priced at €19 and a

The menu may be

too extensive for the kitchen

bottle of Viña Sol at €13.50 The wine list is not big and in my opinion is over priced. This may explain why there are very few bottles of wine on the tables with most of the customers drinking soft drinks or beer. I hope as time goes by they are able to resolve the problems with the lights, noise and service as everyone who is working there is trying hard and they deserve to establish a business to be proud of.

...how a real restaurant should be! Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks

• Fresh fish, paellas, vegetarian menu, pasta, pizzas • Specials: Suckling pig, T-bone steak, mixed meat barbecue • Great range of wines. Cocktails Open 7 days a week from 9am to 11.30pm. Kitchen open all day Golf del Sur. Avda. Galván Bello s/n. 200 metres before the right hand turn to CC San Blas

©IC/577/08

Live music every evening • Flamenco show every Tuesday

Showbiz By Barbara Law

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

The multi talented Cormack Brothers At present, as hard pressed people go on a credit crunch diet, they are looking for bargains two-for-one so to speak. ing their own style. Leon added another string to his bow as a successful DJ, and got a platinum disc for his dance hit Shine On and not to be outdone Aaron secured a gold disc for sales of more than 100,000 for his album New Dance. By

By most people’s standards

The Cormack Brothers have had tremendous succes The Cromack Brothers’ talent is second to none

got one last Friday, no not in the way of food, but entertainment. Celebrating a good friend’s birthday, four of us went to Bianco’s restaurant situated on the first floor in the Safari commercial centre, opposite Parque Santiago III in Playa de las Americas. Believe me, it’s not only the food there that’s excellent, for the atmosphere and position is second to none. Surrounded by twinkling lights, the night was complete with the excellent music I heard, played and

sang by the Cormack Brothers, Aaron and Leon. It’s quite a few years since I had seen the boys performing on stage. In fact they were then young teenagers whose father used to bring them along to play in a venue I used to sing at in Los Gigantes. They attended Wingate School at the time and had formed a fantastic tribute show to The Commitments with fellow pupils, which was a huge success here on the island. On leaving school both boys were determined to make it in show business

and encouraged by their parents, it wasn’t long before other people spotted their talents and they were whisked away to Paris by a private executive record producer who encouraged them to develop both their musical and song writing gifts. After spending some time in France and then London, they signed up with a new management and secured a record deal in Spain, which resulted in them touring all over the country, as well as Portugal, Holland and Belgium, plus Asia for two exciting years.

Asiatic

Asiaticoo Asiatic Buffet Libre Asiatic

Japanese, Thai and Chinese Cuisine Choose your sauce and our chef’s will prepare your Wok, Grill & BBQ in front of you.

A variety of Asian snacks, fresh meat & seafood

EAT WHATEVER AND HOWEVER MUCH YOU LIKE We invite you to eat whatever and however much you like from our wid e variety of cold and hot d ishes, d esserts and ice-creams of all kind s.

7,90€ All day buffet

only

Tel. 922 797 168 • Fax 922 795 618 Lunchtime 1 pm – 4.30 pm Evenings 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm Blvd. Chajofe 10 • Los Cristianos (Formerly Mercedes-Benz)

sushi

Curiously, even though they had reached number five and number eight respectively with their first two record releases they were dropped after their third single, which just goes to show how rapidly things can change in the record business. It’s hard to be so close to fame and having it taken away from you, but that’s show business. However, being young and ambitious the duo returned to Tenerife, invested in a recording studio, bought a show bar and began writing new music with a passion, and discover-

most people’s standards The Cormack Brothers have had tremendous success, but for these two ambitious music men the right moment has still to materialise. Maybe it could happen for them next year with their new venture in New York, which is on their agenda, after tying up a song writing deal, which could see their music compositions used as theme tunes on TV, and in movies, and who knows, bring them another record contract deal to make them household names. With such a busy schedule, I find it hard to believe that the

brothers find time to help other aspiring artistes on the island, but their studio is also available to hire for anyone who would like to make a record of their own material on CD. They can provide as much impact as you would like, helping you to mix or even put their own words to music. They have recently been helping 16 year old Charlie Karson who was a finalist in the recent Tenerife’s Got Talent contest, during which he sang a number written by the Cormack’s which is to be released by a major recording company this month. Whatever the brothers do in the future I’m sure they will finally achieve the success they deserve, for their determination is infectious and their talent second to none, and they are finally in control over their own music and destiny. The Cormack Brothers perform their music at Bianco’s every Tuesday and Friday evening and also every Thursday at the Amber Lounge at Plaza Del Duque, Fañabe, another classic Italian restaurant which has a beautiful setting with an ocean view. It’ very difficult to get the music just right to suit a restaurant clientèle but the boys certainly succeeded with the music of Take That, James Blunt and Boyzone to name a few. They also included a big favourite of mine The First Cut is the Deepest. They really create a great sound at a perfect sound level, and their choice of songs suit a wide age group. Treat yourselves at one of these classy restaurants and listen to some great music. What more would you want for a great night out? You can visit the Cormack’s website a www.cormack.co.uk or telephone 609 146632 for information.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Decotta Mckena y Santafé

by Mike Rutter  This wasn’t my

intended article this week; but I was intrigued and concerned to read on the BBC web site, of a custody case in New Zealand. The child involved was nine years of age and had refused to tell her friends her name; a name which she hated, and simply went by “K.” The judge ordered that the child be made a ward of court so that her name could be changed. Regrettably, I kid you not, this poor child was called Talula does the Hula from Hawaii. The judge apparently stated that “the court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which the child’s parents have shown in choosing this name” judge-speak for complete idiots. Apparently New Zealand has a policy not to allow names that would cause offence or that are longer than 100 characters, but regrettably bad taste is not a reason to refuse. Officials in New Zealand had previously refused to register Sex Fruit, Keenan Got Lucy, Yeah Detroit and Fish and Chips (twins): but not, unfortunately for the children involved, Number 16 Bus Shelter (place of conception?), Violence, Midnight Chardonnay (reason for conception?) and Benson and Hedges (also twins). In the world of the socalled celebrity there are numerous examples of

unusual names, (shall we say), Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates called their children Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom and Little Pixie. Paula continued the theme with the child she later had with Michael Hutchence, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. David Bowie called his son Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones. Even Jamie Oliver got in on the act calling his daughters Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo. I suppose I should also mention Jordon and Peter Andre who named their daughter Princess Tiaamii. What of the UK? Are parents able to give a child a name, no matter how bizarre it may be, or is there some check on the excesses of parents? I actually didn’t know, so I went to the relevant government web site. No success. I contacted the General Register Office: who were extremely helpful. They confirmed that there are no restrictions in England and Wales as to what parents can call their children. The only instruction to registrars is that the name(s) should not be offensive, though if parents do want to have an unusual name, the registrar will, thankfully, point out the potential difficulties a child could face through their life and try to persuade them to give the child a more conventional name. It is of course possible to subsequently change your name if you wish, but you cannot, except in very limited circumstances,

El Patio

Don’t lead your child on a merry dance with an inappropriate name

What’s in a name

Business Promotion

change a name on a birth certificate. Indeed English law allows a person to change their name without any form of legal process provided the change is not for an illegal/unlawful purpose. Proving that you have changed your name is of course another matter. The way to do that is to have prepared a Change of Name Deed, commonly, though wrongly, called a Deed Poll. There is no requirement to register the Deed, though you can if you wish, at of course a significant cost, as the deed is lodged in the Enrolment Books of the High Court, situated in the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, London. In addition the details are published in the London Gazette. As a matter of interest the High Court forms part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales which somewhat ironically, is changing its name to the Senior Courts of England and Wales, having previously changed it from the Supreme Court of Judicature! So if you or any of your family or friends are or will be thinking of names for a child, please remember the words of the New Zealand judge “It (a name) makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.” Remember also that although the names may be perfectly reasonable; consider carefully the initials for they can also cause embarrassment unintentionally. Mike Rutter is an English solicitor at De Cotta McKenna y Santafé, Costa Adeje and specialises in Family, Wills & Probate law. Tel: 922 719 520

Celebrating five years

 Five years have gone

by since El Patio in Las Chafiras opened the doors of their new showrooms. From day one people on Tenerife were delighted to be able to purchase well known brands like Kettal, Evolutif, Trinconfort, Kettler, Royal Garden, Das Original and Sunfurniture, to name but a few in the showroom, and in most of the cases the furniture could be delivered immedi-

ately, because El Patio held the items in stock Last year the size of the showroom doubled to over 900 m2 and El Patio has become one of the best stores of its kind regarding their service and quality products. The staff of El Patio want to thank their clients for the confidence they have shown in their business by recommending them to their friends. To celebrate their fifth anniversary

El Patio has a special offer (during the month November while stocks last) – two sets of a table with four Monaco chairs in the wicker weave colour Indo Coffee. Table available in 90x90cm or 106cm round with safety glass top with up to 25 per cent discount. Call and see their excellent showrooms behind the bingo in Las Chafiras, visit www.patiosur.com or call them on 922 736203.

Business Promotion

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Sanasty

Tenerife Lifeline

25 years of driving for you

Don’t leave home without it  At last there is a

 Sanasty, the car rental

company that started in 1983 continues to go from strength to strength. With a fleet of over seventy vehicles ranging from the work horse Citroen Saxo, through the new range of Citroen C series up to the eight-seater Jumpy, they are able to provide every need of vehicle rental, not only for the holidaymaker, but also offer monthly rentals at competitive prices for residents looking for transport but not wanting to enter into owning their own vehicle. They have taken into account the current credit crunch situation faced back at home in the UK by people on holiday and have tailored their prices so you can still afford to have your own transport and take advantage of the delights Tenerife has to offer. Mark, Mike and Jean at Sanasty are there to help you enjoy your holiday, not only in renting you a car at a very reasonable price, they now provide a ticket service for most of the attractions on the island, including the new

Sanasty, serving customers for 25 years

Siam Park in Las Américas, and the ever-increasingly popular Yellow Submarine trip down at the new San Miguel Marina in Amarilla Golf. The head office based in Cristian Sur, Los Cristianos, behind the restaurant El Brasero also has a five-station three megabyte ADSL access internet café, very accessible to Beverly Hills Club and Royal Palm area, costing only €1 for 20 minutes. The second office in El Beril, near Hotel Altimira also has internet access and offers

the same friendly service. If you intend renting a car for four days or more, they will deliver the car to either the South airport or to most hotel and apartment locations in the south of the island. There are no hidden extras with Sanasty, baby seats, child booster seats and roof racks are at no cost. For more information, don’t hesitate to ring them on 922 751130, you’re guaranteed a friendly welcome. So, what are you waiting for? Give them a call, you won’t be disappointed.

counts from many of the guidebook to moving people Leslie and living in Tenerife spoke to durthat reflects the ing the course reality of what life of researching is all about here, the the book and good bits, the great their anecdotes bits, and the not so often reflect wonderful bits. more accurately Unlike many oththan any chart er publications that or informative seem to have been list can the realicobbled together ties of life abroad. using a variety Real life in real of unacknowltime, not dressed edged sources up in tourist or (internet, other promo speak, inguide books, valuable. This book travel agent is a must, or to put blurb or governit more plainly, you’d ment publicity) be a fool to consider A great re source, a Tenerife Lifeline, moving to Tenerife great read , a true lif eline written and edited by Leslie without it. It does exBeeson, is a first hand view works. There is a detailed actly what it promises on of life here – or rather a and thorough look at the the cover – offers a practicombination of first hand public health system and cal lifeline to those who are views. private health care opplanning or even just toyTo research the book tions, and reams of inforing with the idea of makLeslie solicited the views of mation on working here. ing the move. hundreds of Tenerife exApart from the inforpat residents (we know, mation contained in the Available via the Island we were among them) and book (and it is well reConnections website (isthe book reflects their ex- searched and accurate, landconnections.eu), just periences of life here, from with relevant ‘further inclick the relevant link, from moving to buying and set- formation’ sources listbooksellers around the isting up a home, opened where appropriate), land (for full listing visit ing a business, buying a Tenerife Lifeline is also a www.tenerifelifeline.com/ car, starting a family and good read. Each chapter is retailers.html) or online on how the education system peppered with real life acwww.tenerifelifeline.com

Homestyle Direct

Stock Clearance sale now on!  With many items up to

50 per cent off original price, Homestyle Direct is more than worth a visit. Homestyle Direct continues to provide fantastic value, choice and style with their huge clearance sale. Every sale item is reduced by 10 per cent to 50 per cent off the original price. So if the current euro rate is eating into your budget, a visit to Homestyle’s ample wellstocked showroom is a must. They are now clearing stock at greatly reduced prices to make way for the brand new exclusive Bed and Sofa bed centre which includes many items at lower prices without compromising on quality. With 18 years in the business they can offer customers superb quality in

home furnishing in different sizes and colours to suit your home and all at incredible prices. They also have many styles of furniture to choose from, not only from stock, but also in a variety of catalogues. Their extensive range includes leather suites dining room and bedroom furniture and also a range of bedding in English sizes (feet and inches). Homestyle have possibly the biggest choice in UK manufactured divan beds and mattresses and sofa beds in the South. Not only are they available in different sizes, you can also choose the quality (soft, orthopaedic or back-care) plus storage options at low, low prices. And now with the new Bed and Sofa bed centre opening they will be able to offer

over 50 different styles of beds and sofa beds all under one roof! Since opening in Tenerife four years ago, Homestyle Direct has doubled in size. Though they are a relatively new store, they are not a new business; they have an 18 year highly successful

track record behind them in the UK where they carry most items in stock thus reducing delivery times to a minimum. With a one bedroom furniture pack now starting at 2,995 euros there has never been a better time to refurbish your apartment or

turn your new house into your dream home. The pack includes two sofas, dining set, beds, coffee table and lamp table set, TV unit, kitchenware, mirrors, pictures, lamps, bedding and curtains, plus much more. This special offer includes free local delivery and assembly. You also have the option of changing anything within the pack to meet your individual requirements and tastes. The in-store stock is constantly being updated so whether you need just one piece of furniture or to furnish a full house Homestyle have the facilities to meet your needs. In addition, to help their customers to fully furnish their new dream home, they are now able to offer three easy ways to make

their money go even further. Select your goods from the fantastic range on display and choose from one of our three money saving options available (exclusive to Homestyle customers). 1. Pay in pounds at a rate of €1.40 to one pound sterling.* 2. Pay in euros – ask for the euro cash discount.* 3. Pay for your goods with our exclusive no deposit zero percent option and spread your payments over 6-12 months. (* subject to minimum spend and acceptance by bank for No.3) Visit their showrooms in Las Chafiras, or phone them on 922 736849. The store is open Mon-Fri 10am – 6pm,

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

island connections media group Karen Swift - Classifieds Manager Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 9am – 6pm

Classified information

To Cho - Guargacho -

ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Las Galletas

LAS CHAFIRAS

FIRE STATION ITV

To Golf MERCADONA del Sur

To Los Cristianos Las Américas To San Miguel To Airport Santa Cruz

To Los Abrigos

For personal and professional help in placing your classified in Island Connections all you need to do is pop along to our new offices in Las Chafiras and speak to Karen. Not only is Island Connections here to ensure that your advertisement reaches it’s target market, we will also advise on sizing requirements for maximum exposure, with prices to suit your pocket. Lineage classifieds start from just 15 euros, while boxed advertisements are from 55 euros. If you’re thinking of a long term advertisement deal, ask for our special rates.

How to find us

We are just down the road from Mercadona and the Cepsa Petrol station in Las Chafiras on the old Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos road. Island Connections can be found in the same building as Frant frozen food and Pit Team. Down the side street on Calle Francisco Feo Rodriquez, we are located upstairs in office 4.

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player to assist sales and marketing departments in liaising with Russian and English speaking clients. You must speak and write Russian to a fluent standard. Tel: 922 718 041

Trendy restaurant in La Caleta looking for waitress (2535 years) with experience, who speaks English and Spanish, 687 468949

www.islandconnections.eu

Update your current affairs knowhow

classifieds / situations vacant

 Promotions company with more than 10 years experience is selling attractive, high quality products in Tenerife at markets, 5* hotels and superstores.is looking for open minded full/parttime promoters, which like to present and sell in a live promotion. No selling experience is required! Contract + Social Security + Fixed Salary + Commission is guaranteed. Feel free to contact us for further information. Office: 922 78 91 98 Fax: 922 789198 Mobile: 629 493799.  Lapdance Club opening in Playa de Ingles, Gran Canaria, November 2008. This very up-market respectable English club requires Pole and Lap dancers of all Nationalities and offers very high earning potential. (in excess of 200-300€ per night) Previous experience not essential as training available. Accommodation also available. Send details to Islandproductions@ hotmail.co.uk and include photo. Phone 665490248.

Qualified Beautician required for new beauty salon near Puerto Colón, Playa de las Américas. Approx. 30 hours/ week. Tel. Nancy on 636 605053

Are you DRIvenSM to Excellence? Diamond Resorts International® is a hospitality brand committed to simplicity choice and comfort.

We are looking for a SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER to lead the Inhouse and Tour Operator Marketing Programmes in Tenerife and to also develop other local programmes. Prior managerial experience essential. Languages an advantage. Immediate start and full training given.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Please e-mail CV to Florymer.Mora@diamondresorts.com Diamond Resorts International® is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are looking for a new sales team in the South of Tenerife, English / Spanish / German Send your CV to: info@barrespropertytrading.com or call this number for an appointment 0034 646 187 740

Advertising Consultants (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura)

Positive attitude and strong character. Self discipline and sales experience. Spanish or German language to negotiation level. Self motivation and team skills. Teachability and 100% integrity. Trustworthiness and references. Then you could be what we are looking for. Newspaper experience would be an advantage, but not essential as training will be given. If you would like to apply for these positions, please send your CV, two references, up to date photo and covering letter to the Managing Director and apply using the details provided here,

E-mail: director@ic-news.com henrycruz@ic-news.com Fax: 922 79 58 10

Constantly updated news Information & tourist guide Interviews & feature Yellow pages Newspaper archives Island Connections Media Group Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6 38620 San Miguel de Abona

T M

We require a high calibre individual who is a Native Spanish or German speaker with reasonable knowledge of English to join our multi European sales team. You will have the potential to earn a substantial income, within an established intellectual and highly professional organisation (the leader in our sector). If you possess a positive attitude, strong character, self discipline, self motivation, are a team player, trustworthy and are still willing to learn, we would like to talk to you!

Read the online edition of Island Connections’ newspaper daily

Tel. 922 750 609 Fax 922 795 810 info@ic-news.com

Classifieds / General services

ď &#x2020; On our finca we lovingly look after pets (dogs, cats, birds) in your absence. German animal hostel in Tenerife South for over a decade. Special prices for long term residence. Tel 922 772370 (Granadilla)

Citroen C3, 5 door, 2005 (August), A/C, electric windows, central locking, white, 80,000 km, 4,000 euros, tel 628 634850

ď ś Business Opps ď ś

ď ś Masonic Meetings ď ś

ď &#x2020; For lease restaurant, working with good client base, Beautiful local with a family feel, ample parking, tel 637 560700 ď &#x2020; Bar/cafe for rent, Las Americas, frontline, great views, big kitchen, 1,200 euros per month, 628 100114

For rent excellent commercial building Three floors, Adeje centre (in front of the council), 720m2, 3,500 euros, 2 monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bond required. Possibility of renting individual floors.

Tel. 696 462 383 English Tel. 647 957 222 German Comercial local for sale 62m2, situated in CC Parque Bulevar, Santa Cruz. Ground floor, air-conditioned, water sprinkler system, smoke extractor, natural stone floor, 200,000 euros. Tel 629 641025

LODGE TEIDE meets in Puerto de la Cruz on Wednesday evenings contact John Hughes on 922 38 22 29 email taffy007naeve@ yahoo.com

The Timber Specialists Kitchens, pergolas, fitted wardrobes, decking, staircases, windows and doors and much moreâ&#x20AC;Ś For a free, no obligation quote contact us onâ&#x20AC;Ś

CARPENTRY - SUNBLINDS - CONSTRUCTION

Tel. 922 782 683 - 618 776 167 Âˇ lyden@venli.com Nave 1, Barranco de las Torres, Adeje 38670

Canaries & British Aluminium Systems, SL A British Owned Company

NEW SHOWROOM NOW OPEN TO THE TRADE & PUBLIC New products now added â&#x20AC;&#x153;See the best display in Tenerifeâ&#x20AC;?

Patio Doors, Doors Windows, Insect Screens, Mirror Wardrobes, Balcony Screens/Partitions, Security Doors, Gates & Shutters, Pergolas, Balustrades, Cupboards, Roofing, Mobile Roofs, Electric or Manual, Extensions, Conservatories, Shower Screens & Cubicles. All set in our new unique Inhouse â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conservatoryâ&#x20AC;? Numerous glass and mirror types Âˇ Cut glass while you wait We only sell what we make - We are not middle men! PolĂgono Industrial Las Chafiras III Have Iceland on your right, 2nd left, on your left Tel: 922736738 Fax: 922735123 Mobile: 658 856 893 / 4 / 6 Email: info@canariesbritish.com

Meridian

Window Company SL Manufacturers and Installers of Quality

UPVC & ALUMINIUM

ÂŠIC/574/08

ď ś Cars for Sale ď ś

Windows, Doors & Conservatories

:: Free no obligation quotations :: Now available 0% interest free credit on all products Visit our factory showroom in Buzanada, 308 Ctra. General Guaza Tel: 922 721 353 / 649 559 866 Âˇ Fax: 922 721 151 info@meridianwindows.net Âˇ website: www.meridianwindows.net

Ventanas Tenesur SL Windows, doors, shutters

High quality German UPVC at competitive prices. We also supply & fit all types of aluminium products. Visit our showroom on two floors at Valle San Lorenzo. Call for free quote: Tel. 627 511 606 Office/fax: 922 766 494 Web: www.ventanas-tenesur.com E-mail: ventanas-tenesur@hotmail.com

Solar fantĂĄstico

Skilled Builder Robert McAlees

As seen in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dream Home DIYâ&#x20AC;? Tenerife Lifestyle magazine I listen to what you want and make sure you get the best. I can replace that faulty tap or renovate your home. ď Ź Over 30 yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience. UK qualified to advanced skills status. ď Ź ď Ź

Call any time 922 814 073 / 605 469 352 rmcplumb@yahoo.co.uk

Tony the Welder â&#x20AC;˘ Security Grilles â&#x20AC;˘ Gates â&#x20AC;˘ Railings

-BQUPQT GSPN Ĺ&#x17D; p #BTJD TZTUFNT GSPN Ĺ&#x17D; 3FQBJST BMM DPOTVNBCMFT GPS ZPVS 1$ *OTUBMMBUJPOT p ZFBST FYQFSJFODF 4QBOJTI 7JTUB MBQUPQT VQHSBEFE UP &OHMJTI 1 0 "

â&#x20AC;˘ Steel Fabrication â&#x20AC;˘ On-site Welding Fully Qualified Legal Craftsman 27 years experience, 14 years Tenerife

Tel:

COMPUTER SALES AND SERVICE

659 489 690

Property Secured, Quality Assured Reformas Full Renovation work Would you like to change your house or apartment into a beautiful & cosy home? Or maybe all you need is a small renovation job? All with top quality finishing?

tel: 677 799 475

4VFĂ&#x2019;P "[VM MPDBM $BMMBP 4BMWBKF "EFKF 1IPOF p .PCJMF & NBJM JOGP!FB[ZQD UFOFSJGF DPN

Refurbishment

of Houses and Apartments Âˇ Painting and Decoration Âˇ Âˇ Tiling Âˇ Âˇ Plumbing Âˇ Âˇ Electric installations Âˇ Âˇ Complete bathrooms Âˇ Fully Qualified Legal Craftsman with more than 15 years experience. Located in the South of Tenerife.

Tel.

637 293 176

ÂŠIC/576/08

ď ś Animals ď ś

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

ÂŠIC/542/2007

ADEJE INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB

922 581 772

Fax 922 580 990 The family friendly car hire company

Classifieds / General services

Tenerife

Authorised installers for ď Ľď Śď ¤ ď ¤ď Ľď Ś ď Śď ¤ď Ľ

Air Conditioning S.L.

Air Conditioning from 595â&#x201A;Ź Fully installed, 3 year warranty

1st call Handyman Âˇ Electrical Plumbing Water Heaters Minor building works 24 hour call out

OUR RATES ARE INCLUSIVE OF: â&#x20AC;˘ Full insurance cover â&#x20AC;˘ Government taxes at 13%

â&#x20AC;˘ Unlimited mileage â&#x20AC;˘ Latest models

/0 )*%%&/ &953"4 FREE:

DANISH RENT-A-CAR Âˇ A reliable and friendly service Âˇ Fully comprehensive insurance, no extras Âˇ Free child seats, GPS (3 Euros a day) Special offer: Âˇ Special long term rates Citroen Saxo 7 days only â&#x201A;Ź139, Âˇ VIP hire car service all included Hotel drop off and collection Airport service, street maps, tour information Voucher for free entrance into theme parks

Poul's Auto â&#x20AC;&#x201C; your car-hire company in South West Tenerife Mon-Fri, 8.30am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 midday, 5pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7pm / Sat 8.30am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 midday / Sun 10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 midday

Tel: +34 922.740.742 Âˇ www.poulsauto.com

NEW Internet CafĂŠ

8F OPX IBWF B GJWF TUBUJPO JOUFSOFU CVSFBV XJUIJO PVS PGGJDF FVSP GPS NJOVUFT ADULT BEGINNERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

BALLROOM AND LATIN AMERICAN DANCING LEARN THE BASICS IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS NEW CLASSES MONDAYS 8.30PM - THURSDAYS 7.00PM CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LATIN/DISCO FOR 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 YR OLDS STARTS MONDAY 4TH NOVEMBER AT 4.00PM AT THE DANCE STUDIO VAMOS A BAILAR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DANCE CC PERLA BLANCA. CALLAO SALVAJE FOR FURTHER DETAILS TELEPHONE 636 817265 OR 617 926929

P.J ELECTRICAL SERVICES

Japanese massage, energise your mind and body, getting inside a deep relaxation with a real oriental massage, Anna, Los Cristianos Tel: 677 115021

ALL ELECTRICAL WORK CARRIED OUT BARS RESTAURANTS APARTMENTS DOMESTIC COMMERCIAL FAULT FINDING 24 HOUR SERVICE 7 DAYS A WEEK ALL AREAS COVERED BULLETIN AND 647 039 656 ADEJE grigg1@hotmail.com pjelectrical.vpweb.co.uk

CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

Are you an older person who lives alone, or are you a friend of someone who does? Did you know that Tenerife Nursing & Care SL offer a FREE contact service? We arrange for a regular time to contact each other and if we do not hear from you we will call round to check if everything is OK and we can always be contacted 24 hours a day if an emergency arises. To register for this FREE service contact Sally or Bob on 922 396 388 or 639 977 334

Private Spanish lessons for English people in your own home in the South, very reasonable rates Tel 671 314367

Reiki Healing Healing Tantra Reflexology NLP coaching Personal Life Coach

Las AmĂŠricas and Puerto Santiago If you need some TLC & Support in your life phone

Spanish lessons for private or business. If you are fed up of formal boring classes come to me and you will have fun and learn a lot

tel 617 451253 / 922 788508, private lessons or groups

rent a car Hermanns Franz Hermanns S.A. Avda. General Franco, 20. E - 38650 Los Cristianos, Tenerife, Spain Tel.: +34 922 79 11 10 Âˇ Fax: +34 922 79 10 18 info@hermanns-cars.com Âˇ www.hermanns-cars.com

Los Cristianos Âˇ Phone 922 79 11 10

671 100 874

ÂŠ/571/08

â&#x20AC;˘ Baby seats â&#x20AC;˘ Roof racks â&#x20AC;˘ Booster seats â&#x20AC;˘ Airport service (South Airport only - Min. 4 day hire)

We guarantee:

Collection and delivery, building and garden materia etc. 30 euros / hour and mileage Steve 922 715189 637 196723

BR ITISH RUN

Tel. 606 666 443 or 922 718 390

Family company 27 years on Tenerife

Man and truck for hire

Sanasty S.L.

E-mail: tenerifeac@hotmail.co.uk . www.tenerifeairconditioning.com

Tel. 922 718 390 or 606 666 443

namaste.tenerife@gmail.com Tel. 671 100 874 / 922 860 832

Rent a Car

For a free no obligation quotation call:

Âˇ Âˇ Âˇ Âˇ

Discover a sensual journey of massage, breathing and astounding joy. Spiritual, sexually healing, Tantra is the ultimate gift to yourself

-PDBM OÂ? $SJTUJBO 4VS -PT $SJTUJBOPT 5FM p 'BY &NBJM TBMFT!TBOBTUZ DPN -PDBM OÂ? $ $ &M #FSJM $PTUB "EFKF 5FM 'BY &NBJM FMCFSJM!TBOBTUZ DPN

web: w w w. sa n ast y.co m

Quality British Builders ď Ą Design & build villas ď Ą Specialist in timber

frame constructions ď Ą Villa & apartment refurbishments ď Ą Kitchens - Pergolas Bathrooms etc FAMILY BUSINESS - ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Casa Ocho S.L. Âˇ Tel. 618 430 171 E-mail: casaocho@hotmail.com

â&#x20AC;˘ Kitchens/Bathrooms â&#x20AC;˘ Buit-in Kitchens â&#x20AC;˘ Windows, Doors â&#x20AC;˘ All types and styles â&#x20AC;˘ All renovations and extensions

â&#x20AC;˘ Reliability â&#x20AC;˘ Competitive prices â&#x20AC;˘ 15 years in Tenerife â&#x20AC;˘ Excellent workmanship â&#x20AC;˘ References, reconciliation

Klaus-Dieter PĂźschner Âˇ Master Carpenter Mobile phone 608 64 58 05 Âˇ Tel/Fax 922 72 96 00

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been renting cars for 30 years - so we can offer experience with mobility.

ÂŠIC571/08

INVITE LADIES TO JOIN THEIR NEWLY FORMED SECTION FOR DETAIL'S TEL. JANICE RICHARDSON 636 664 613

Local, national and international removals

www.crownwayinternational.com

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Classifieds / General services

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

END OF SUMMER SALE!

Lounge + Bedroom only

ď ś Property For Sale ď ś

PROPERTY RENTALS S.L. The best selection of long term rental properties in the Canary Islands

â&#x201A;Ź1295

1x12000 btu & 1x9000 btu *Contact us for details and site survey

Choose from air conditioning, fan heating or dehumidifying.

Be comfortable whatever the weather!

IT YES! L A U Q CHIN MA

SERVICE CONTRACTS now available for business & domestic clients, carried out by our

*Illustration purposes only

From

ď ś Prop. Rent ď ś

â&#x201A;Ź585 FITTED

FULLY QUALIFIED ENGINEERS

Invest in the Best, with AC Direct - Established Professionals YOU CAN TRUST!

Domestic, Commercial & Industrial, with good after sales service.

A C DIRECT 902 789 189

ONE BEDROOM Los Cristianos El Dinastia, El Mirador. Fr 600â&#x201A;Ź per mth.

Mare Verde Exceptional one bed-roomed at a give away price. Excellent investment. Ref: AP-2075 106000â&#x201A;Ź

Palm Mar La Fuente, La Arenita, Cape Salema, Laderas Palm Mar, Fr 500â&#x201A;Ź per mth. TWO BEDROOMS Los Cristianos Port Royale, El Dinastia, La Finca, Fr 700â&#x201A;Ź monthly. Palm Mar Paraiso Palm Mar, Terrazas del Faro. Fr 700â&#x201A;Ź monthly.

Torviscas: AP 43

Delightful, recently reformed 2 bedroomed apartment. Stunning views over pool to ocean. Secure. Bargain at 160000â&#x201A;Ź San Eugenio Alto Las Brisas: Special two bed-roomed, two bathroom, pool level, bungalow large balcony (22M2) with great ocean views. Ref: AP-3046. 215Kâ&#x201A;Ź

THREE BEDROOMS

www.acdairconditioning.com

ON THE MOVE? â&#x20AC;˘ Weekly sailings to and from the UK and Ireland â&#x20AC;˘ Worldwide network - we can move you anywhere in the world! â&#x20AC;˘ Professional packing service

Call our Canarian Regional OfďŹ ce on 922 581 805

EMAIL: info@migrateglobalcanarias.com TM

Las AmĂŠricas 1.050â&#x201A;Ź per mth. Amarilla Golf Town house/pool. 1.050â&#x201A;Ź per mth.

Horizon Property Rentals L.G. Res. Los Seres, Local 9, C/ Oregon, Los Cristianos

Villamar: AP-3057 Spectacular one bed-roomed apartment with 80m2 including wrap around terrace of 30m2 overhanging ocean. 240000â&#x201A;Ź

info@horizonpropertyrentals.com www.horizonpropertyrentals.com Tel: 922 777 653 Âˇ 606 859 372 Fax: 922 792 095

La Escalona 4356M2 of level land. Large road frontage. 750M2 urban. Rest pending in very near future. Great investment opportunity. Ref: LA-Marie. 378000â&#x201A;Ź

GLOBAL

International Removal Specialists

AIRES L Solar systems Sanitation systems

Swimming pools Air conditioning

Thomas Dolz has a German engineering diploma and is an expert on sanitation, heating and air conditioning systems

AIRESOL CANARIAS, S.L. Plaza de Venezuela, 1. 38670 Adeje (Behind the bus stop - between the Post Office and the Health Centre) Tel.: 922 79 28 39 - 922 79 44 93. Fax: 922 75 06 02. Mob: 630 410 011

SKIP HIRE & BUILDING MATERIALS DELIVERY (&/&3"- 53"/41035"5*0/ 0' "-- #6*-%*/( ."5&3*"-4 4BOE p #BMMBTU p $FNFOU p #SJDLT p #MPDLT

$BMM

For rent 2 bedroom apartment, 100m2, American kitchen with separate utility/ washroom, large dining/living area, fully furnished, swimming pool, close to all amenities in Costa del Silencio, long term only (over six months). 665 euros per month including 65 euros towards water and electric. Tel. 608 016863

Lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom duplex apartment for rent in Amarilla Bay, Costa del Silencio. Fully furnished, English community TV, three terraces, washing machine, comunal pool, 650 euros per month. Tel 659 489690 for more details

Amarilla Golf Magnificent new townhouses overhanging marina and adjoining golf course. Unique location. Prices from 369000â&#x201A;Ź. Ref: ND

Chayofa Modern townhouse 195m2 built. 3 beds. 3 baths. Large garage. Pool. Outstanding views. Immaculate. Ref: CA-3058. 429500â&#x201A;Ź

FaĂąabĂŠ Unique townhouses. Only a few remaining. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, huge basements 115m2. From 540000â&#x201A;Ź. Ref: CA-2149

Roque del Conde Modern dream Mansion. 270m2 constructed 4 beds, 4 baths, pool & garage. Stunning views. Ref: CA-3000. 990000â&#x201A;Ź PCI Irish estate Long established agents have a huge British bar/restaurant selection of bars and in fantastic, high profile, restaurants, residential location. Enormous both from plans and potential. Freehold. resale, investments, Owners retiring. hotels and development LO-1099. P. O. A. land. API 159. FIABCI

C. C. San Eugenio nÂş 77, first floor, Playa de Las AmĂŠricas Âˇ Tel. 922 71 54 59

www.pci-international.com info@pci-international.com

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Classifieds / property

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Classifieds / property

Lennox

The family firm you can Trust SAN MARINO - Los Cristianos

PRICED FOR QUICK SALE 1 bed apt with sea views. South facing position on a popular holiday complex in central Los Cristianos close to shops, bar & restaurants. Sold furnished & includes private parking space. Communal pools, bar & reception. PRICE: 125,000€

Ref:AP1603-1

TOWNHOUSE - Charco del Valle Spacious 3 bed 2½ bath townhouse with seperate studio apartment. Totally refurbished, sensibly priced property with new, fully equipped independent kitchen, 3 terraces plus large roof terrace with panoramic views to sea & La Gomera. PRICE: 199,000€

Ref: TH251-3

PARQUE TROPICAL - Los Cristianos

Beautifully presented 1 bed penthouse apt. Bright lounge with open plan kitchen, fully equipped to a high standard. Bedroom and lounge with doors to terrace with sea views. Communal pool. Viewing recommended. PRICE: £129,995

Ref:AP1392-1

TIGAIGA I - Parque del La Reina 2 bed corner apt in residential area. Good-sized terrace & views to complex pool & gardens. Spacious loungedining area, independent kitchen with utility, fitted wardrobes. Includes parking space & storeroom. PRICE: 103,950€

Ref: AP1638-2

EL MIRADOR - Los Cristianos

Selection of beautiful 1 & 2 bed apts in very popular complex, close to shops, bars & restaurants. Ground floor apts with large terrace/garden. Penthouses with roof terrace & sea views. Parking spaces & storerooms available.

PRICES FROM ONLY: 157,500€

LA DUQUESA - Playa Fañabe Beautiful linked 3 bed 2 ½ bath villa in prestigious area. Large independent kitchen, seperate dining room & 65m² garden & terrace with bbq area. Integral double garage plus 4th bed/office/playroom. Fabulous communal pool area.

Ref: V442-3

PRICE: 495,000€

BUSINESS SALES Ref: CO-747 Fish & Chip Shop

Ref: CO-745 Café Bar

Brand new Fish & Chip Shop purpose built to meet all legal regulations. Opportunity!

Excellent café bar in the heart of Las Americas. Currently only open in the daytime. Good takings & lots of potential. Ideal for a couple.

Ref: CO-751 CaféBar

Ref: CO-668 Non-Catering Business

BARGAINPRICE-compact, beautifullypresentedcafébar inanupmarketarea.Idealfor onepersonwithparttimehelp.

An Aladdin’s Cave of gifts, newspapers, clothes & confectionary in the main reception of a high occupancy

Price: 25.000€

Price: 12.000€

Price: 45.000 €

Price: 80.000€

Estate Agent/Inmobiliaria/Business Specialist

Between Bankinter and the Hotel Reverón in Los Cristianos

Tel.: 922 79 29 52

Email: info@cmltenerife.com

www.cmltenerife.com

 Prop. for Rent 

 Prop Wanted 

 For rent in Las Galletas, one and two bedroom apartments in first line of the sea for short time rent, 500, 600 and 720 euros, tel 922 7002387 (ask for Luci) 9-13 and 16-20pm

 Desperate to sell your proper ty ? Bought an ‘Investment’ pre construction, and can’t sell ? We will buy your house or apartment for Cash, and complete within 28 Days. We are not Estate Agents. Sell before the market deteriorates even further. Call 922 720222 or visit www. tenerifehomebuyers. com

 One bedroom apartments for rent, just refurbished, 450 euros per month, tel 666 808182  LAS AMERICAS. Central furnished renovated 1 bedroom apartment,parking possibilities. €500 plus expenses. CHAFIRAS. Furnished 1 Bedroom flat, private grounds, quiet, central, ample parking. Guarantees required. €330. CHAFIRAS. Warehouses, approx. 265m2 and 100m2, toilets, ample parking and access. €1,416 and €660. Guarantees required. NO AGENTS. 922 275972/676528578 (except 3pm to 5pm).  For rent long let, large 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom house in La Florida, near Valle San Lorenzo with garage space, 865 euros per month, tel 922 722040  Garage for two cars, directly on Playa Arena, Puerto Santiago, tel 922 748201

Apartment for rent Los Menores, Adeje, South Tenerife, simple ground floor apartment in family home, quiet residential area. Furnished. 1 bedroom, lounge, IKEA kitchen, 1 bathroom, access to garden and swimming pool. Deposit required. Rent 400 euros including bills. Tel: 686 79 8367. For rent 2 bedroom apartment, 100m2, American kitchen with fridge freezer and microwave, separate utility/washroom, large dining/living area, fully furnished, swimming pool, onsite supermarket, close to all amenities in Costa del Silencio, long term only (over six months). 665 euros per month including 65 euros towards water and electric. To view call 608 016863

 Prop For Sale  furnished. Quiet zone, Price: 330.000 euros, Tel: 650.792.742

FOR SALE

Plot of urban land in Roque del Conde

 Torviscas Alto/ Resid. Casablanca, directly from the owner!!! Very beautiful apartment (53m2) in the most exclusive zone of Tenerife, 1 bedroom and an small office-room, very big bathroom, 35m2 terrace with precious views, luxury complex with swimming pool and gardens. Garage and store-room. Only 6 months old!!! Price: 183.000 euros, Tel: 650.792.742

Reduced! Fantastic investment opportunity. Urban plot 613m2 in a dominant position with breathtaking views, with a licence to build a gorgeous villa of over 232m2 over 2 floors, plus pool & garage. Want to build your dream home or make a healthy profit? Villas here sell for 900K Plus. An opportunity not to be missed! €250,000. Interested?

 Los Cristianos, apartments by the sea, one and two bedroom, pool, impressionable, panoramic views, garage, 120,000 and 135,000 euros (no agents, 922 752759 / 608 425426

 For sale, Torviscas Alto, superb three bedroom + study end of terrace town house, ensuite, family bathroom and separate ground floor WC, garden, terraces, integrated garage, security gates, Spanish and Sky TV with two connections, telephone/ internet, only 84 euros monthly community fee, clean and tidy complex with pool and services, full CCTV system on secure complex, reduced sale price – 15 %, 314,000 euros for quick sale, mobile 628 570299

A beautiful wellness centre set in 430 room prestigious hotel in the South/West of Tenerife. 450m2 full of Ethnic chic and Asian charm. 5 year renewable lease – only 600 euros a month. Greatly reduced 135,000 euros, genuine reason for sale. Easy to run, more details phone

 El Médano, directly from the owner!!! New, precious detached house, 3 bedrooms, 2 modern bathrooms, indep. kitchen, 3 terraces,bbq, luxury complex with 2 swimming pools, 42m 2 closed garage,very exclusive

 Los Cristianos, apartments by the sea, one and two bedroom, pool, impressionable, panoramic views, garage, 120,000 and 13 5, 000 e ur os ( n o agents, 922 752759 / 608 425426

 Mick Chalmers, retired fishmonger (ex UK), now property dealer in Tenerife will buy your ‘place’ for cash if the price is right. Tel 664 824244 or email mickthefish-@ hotmail.com  Penthouse/ apartment 3 / 4 bed, 2 bath, comunal pool, large balcony in or around Los Cristianos by English family, upto £225,000, (0044) 1642 713365 email lotuselectrical@ btconnect.com

 Prop For Sale 

Excellent opportunity

Frontline studio apartment for sale, partly furnished in a superb position with views of La Gomera. Recently refurbished. Superb holiday or residential home; quiet zone, near to shops and restaurants. Contact C. O’Flynn, 686 586 519

Phone 629 925 932

For Sale

671 100 874

Apartment for Sale due to relocation

Tabaiba Alta, Tenerife, Sunny, spacious apartment, parquet floors, 5 mins from German School, 10 mins Santa Cruz. Quiet residential area. 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, separate kitchen, lounge, washroom, large terrace with sea views, small private garden, double garage with 2 lock up storerooms, satellite TV. Next to bus stop. Asking price 239,000 euros. Tel: 686 798 367

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Classifieds / GENERAL

 Contacts  Contacts  Contacts 

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Motoring

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Mazda2

That’s Zoom Zoom!

he new Mazda2 has been redesigned for a new generation. It’s good looking, lighter, faster, more fuel-efficient and more fun to drive. Both the 5-door and 3-door models boast stylish aerodynamic design, an impressive range of standard equipment and comprehensive safety features, making the Mazda2 an obvious choice for young and young-at-heart drivers. There are three levels, Active, Active+ and Sportive. Active models are supplied with sporty 15” alloy wheels while the Sportive’s wheels are 16”. The Mazda2 Sportive also features the sports styling kit including front sports bumper with two-bar sports grille, front fog lights, side skirts and a rear roof spoiler. There is ample room to stretch out inside plus plenty of luggage space. The car is finished to a high standard

and has an impressive level of detail throughout. The high-mounted gear knob makes changing gear effortless, while remote steering wheel audio controls and an auxiliary jack for MP3 connection make for an easy change of mood. Depending on the model you choose, there are two, four or six speakers to blast your music out of. There is a host of clever and practical storage spaces and the front seats offer the best adjustability in this class so you can find the perfect driving position. In the three-door, the doors open wide creating a big space to climb into, made even bigger as the front passenger seatback tips down and the seat slides forwards. Once passengers are in (or out), you can return the seat to its original position, where it locks safely back into place. The body shell uses hightensile steels making the car

quieter, stronger and, when combined with numerous other weight-saving measures, lightweight, at less than 1,000kg. This means that it will perform better, guzzle less fuel and produce lower CO2 emissions. The Mazda2 is supplied with finely tuned 1.3 and 1.5-litre petrol engines, or an advanced commonrail turbocharged 1.4 litre diesel. The Mazda2 has Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) which reduces steering effort at low parking speeds and is combined with a quick steering ratio for easy manoeuvring on busy urban roads and excellent stability at high speeds. It’s ideal for nipping in and out of busy city traffic and easy to park. All models feature front electric windows, plus air conditioning in the Active+ and climate control air conditioning in the Sportive models.

Euro NCAP has awarded the Mazda2 5-door hatchback five stars for adult occupant protection the highest possible ranking. The car also received four stars for child protection and two stars for pedestrian protection. A host of active safety measures are standard on all Mazda2 models and the Sportive includes cruise control, fog lights, rain sensing wipers and auto lights as standard.

The Mazda2, available from 10,130 euros, comes with a five year guarantee and is designed for you to sit back, have fun and completely enjoy the ride. For more information, contact Autoquality, Carretera General del Rosario, Km55 Taco, 38108, Santa Cruz. Telephone 922 315917/8. www.mazda.com or www. mazda@grupoflick.com

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

By George Reed

Boxing

Hatton aims to trick the magic man Eddie Shaw (Trainer) – He has turned defensive boxing into a poetic art. Trouble is, nobody ever knocked anybody out with a poem

icky Hatton should need no motivating when he enters the ring at the M.G.M. Grand in Las Vegas on the 22nd November, not after some of the remarks his opponent Paulie Malignaggi has passed regarding The Hitman’s capabilities as a boxer. The New Yorker has stated that Ricky Hatton is overrated and not a talented fighter, who doesn’t have blazing speed or amazing power, that he has limited skills and doesn’t counterpunch well, without the brains or the know-how to put different combinations together. And he doesn’t have a good defence. “I assure everyone”, he said. “I couldn’t care less about what everyone is thinking, Paulie Malignaggi will beat Ricky Hatton. I’ve made that promise. I promise you, I will beat Ricky Hatton. Ricky chose to fight me at the M.G.M. Grand where he was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather. He’s going to hate the sight of it when he loses there again”. It’s Paulie Malignaggi the “Magic Man” talking about himself again, which is what he does best, apart from throwing punches. The fighter, who in his younger days, used to mug kids in New York’s ghettos for their pocket money, has also accused Hatton of being a dirty fighter

who is over-rated, insisting that Ricky’s status in world boxing doesn’t bear close examination. “In a way the public has been conned”, he said. “He has a sparkling record but it’s been made for him. His opponents have been hyped up to be better than they really are”. Malignaggi, now 27 years of age, was born in America, the son of an Italian footballer, but moved back with his family to Sicily when he was only a few months old. At the age of six he returned to America, unable to speak a word of English and shortly after his father Sebastiano walked out of the family home. He lost his way for a few years running riot on the streets of Brooklyn, until his grandfather took him to the famous Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, where he still does his training. It changed the youngster’s life and he became a top amateur boxer before turning professional at 20 and in his 26 fights he has lost only once, that was to the brilliant Puerto Rican, Miguel Cotto in June 2006. After being bashed about by the vicious punches of Cotto for 12 rounds and losing on a points decision, he was left with a broken right hand and suffered from internal bleeding. With the belief that the beating had also affected him mentally, it appeared as if the end of Malignaggi’s career might

be close at hand, for Cotto’s iron fists had more or less ruined the careers of one or two other fighters previously. However Malignaggi proved that he is a tough nut to crack for after allowing himself eight months to recover he came back into combat to win an easy points decision over Edner Cherry and then retained his world title belt in June on the undercard of the Hatton

Malignaggi is a smart mover himself but he’s no Floyd Mayweather Jnr

Can The Hitman be caught by Malignaggi?

versus Lazcano fight in Manchester, by dominating Lovemore N’Dou for the major I.B.F. Junior welterweight title. Malignaggi’s hard upbringing, he believes, has given him the toughness to grab Hatton’s I.B.O. and Ring Magazine titles to place him in the ratings as the number one light welterweight in the world. Malignaggi has been successful in three fights since his trouncing by Miguel Cotto and his defeat then will be a fading memory. However Ricky has only had one contest since losing to Mayweather and is probably still engaged in the delicate work of reassembling his shattered confidence. The memory of what the brilliant boxing technician did to him in the eighth and tenth rounds especially, will be hard to shake off, with Mayweather’s slippery moves, it must have been like trying to grasp hold of a pig that’s been covered in grease. Malignaggi is a smart mover himself but he’s no Floyd Mayweather Jnr. and he’s no puncher, having stopped only five of his 26 opponents. He fractured his right hand in his last fight, which won’t help, but he’s a very accurate puncher who could catch The Hitman often, even if he doesn’t hit hard. He’s also very elusive and can take a punch. He took the best the hard punching Miguel Cotto could dish out and didn’t buckle, so I can see his tussle with Hatton going the full distance, and Ricky snatching a points decision with his aggressiveness. Ricky’s new trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr. who did a four year stretch in prison for smuggling cocaine into the United States, has been preparing Hatton for the past two months. He says that it will be enough time to get him ready for Malignaggi and to bust his a..e. I have a feeling that it won’t be that easy.

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

sport

Megabowl

Volleyball

Marichal rediscover form of old

TENERIFE

Compiled by Doreen Lemm

10 pin bowling league results

 Tenerife’s top women’s

volleyball side appears to have rediscovered its old touch after a couple of years out of the trophy limelight. Now known as TuBillete. com following a lucrative sponsorship deal with a wellknown local travel agent, Tenerife Marichal easily won the Super Cup curtain raiser to the season in October and then picked up full points from the first three league games, including an impressive defeat of Murcia 2005, last year’s champions. Coach Jan de Brandt has imposed his philosophy on the side and Turkey international Neslihan Darnel is now showing the scoring form that made her one of

The side are showing the kind of form that saw them top of their game

Europe’s top players before her long lay-off to have a baby last season. The side appears to be running into top form at just the right

time, ahead of the group fixture against French giants RC Cannes in the European Champions league at home on 12 November.

Lions Clubs International

Fun Golf  The monthly Fun Golf

Competition in aid of Lions Clubs International was held at Los Palos again. For another month there were no Ladies nearest the Pin, if it carries on it will be Ladies nearest the fairway!

1st Jack Fisher Marilyn Pendleton 2nd John Bedworth Ian Harvey 3rd Ron Barnes Peter Rawson Nearest the Pin Mick Jones Booby Prize Sam Stitt - Lorna Campbell Smith The Scallywags Golf Society held its Annual Prize Bash at Oasis Restaurant,

Tenerife Royale Estate Agents SL Tuesday singles league Week 27 No player (0) Barry Smith (6) forfeit Kevin Capper (8) no player (0) forfeit Margaret Conner (8) no player (0) forfeit Michael Portway (0) Adam Davis (8) Jeff Lemm (2) Sue Long (6) Helley May (6) Gill Morton (2) Avril Taylor (6) Allan Billing (2) Chris Rose (4) Steve Carter (4) Jacquie Gibb (6) Charlie Conner (2) Smudge (2) Margaret Street (6) Kevin got the 5-7-10 split. This league has been plagued with forfeit matches due to players dropping out, so it has been decided to rearrange the second half of the league matches omitting the players who no longer attend. Adam is clear at the top of the league at this stage.

Week 1 (second half)

Chaparral on Sunday 12th October. Golfers, wives, partners and friends attended the prize giving, Harry Fleming the winner with Mick Jones second and

Frank Moss third. A quiz was held to raise money for cancer €150 of which will be passed on to the fund raisers and the afternoon finished with a game of charades.

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Saturday doubles league Week 42 Los Inflamantes (4) 3 D’s (4) Davrons (6) The Pink Tacos (2) The Arg’ylls (8) no team (0) forfeit Going Dutch (4) Exiles (4) Ladybirds (6) Troubleshooters (2) Chocolate Starfish (4) Smart as a Frog (4) Two excellent games for Sue (Davrons) – 210 and 204 (we won’t mention the middle game) and a fine 204 for Ros (Ladybirds).

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Dave Simpson (8) no player (0) forfeit Duncan Wallace (8) Margaret Street (0) Helley May (0) Allan Billing (6) Dave Dixon (8) Kevin Capper (0) Avril Taylor (8) Jacquie Gibb (0) Steve Carter (4) Margaret Conner (4) Chris Rose (2) Jeff Lemm (6) An exellent 244 for Duncan.

No team (8) Ladybirds (8) forfeit Chocolate Starfish (6) Going Dutch (2) 3 D’s (6) Smart as a Frog (0) forfeit Los Inflamantes (6) Exiles (2) The Arg’ylls (0) The Pink Tacos (8) Bowlers on form – José had a superb 242 and 224 and partner Fernando had a 202 (Los Inflamantes), 215 for Bob

and Steve had a 200 (The Pink Tacos). Dave Stell (3 D’s) bowled a 206.

Saturday International doubles league Week 39 Compostela (4) Tasquita Damián (4) Mireva (4) Video Club Dayu (4) Delfin Computer Guargacho (6) Cons. Iglesias Raña (2) 200 for Frank (Video Club Dayu).

Week 40 Mireva (6) Delfin Computer Guargacho (2) Tasquita Damián (8) Cons. Iglesias Raña (0) Video Club Dayu (2) Compostela (6) 200 for Jose (Mireva).

Tenerife Royale Estate Agents SL Sunday doubles league Week 28 final week No team (0) Pinseekers (8) forfeit Racketeers (4) The Market Taverners (0) Buccaneers (8) Nothing but Trouble (0) U Bin Framed (2) M&S (6) Fine 207 and 200 for Steve (M&S). Doreen (Racketeers) went through the final game without a spare, but redeemed herself in the second game starting with a strike and then getting a 2, 7, 10 split. Pinseekers, Ron and Dave Simpson’s victory gives them the league championship with Buccaneers, Dave Dixon and Stell second. Maureen and Steven (M&S) take third place. High Average Men goes to Ron Howling with the Dave Dixon, Dave Stell duo just a fraction behind. The Ladies High Average goes to Carol Vedmore, who has bowled well constantly through the season. Fun Bowl and Presentation – 9th November, new league commences 25th November.

Monday pub league Week 8 Bar San Juan (4) Quayside Bar (4) Cafe Royale (2) Fisherman’s Bar (6) Razzmatazz (8) FCUK ‘em (0) forfeit 200 for Fisherman’s Bar, Ron.

Sport

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

The derbies are always highly emotive affairs

Hunter and hounds

A man and his dawg By Barbara Belt  La Gomera’s Federación

Island sides

Derby ticket prices frozen  Las Palmas and Tenerife have reached an

agreement not to increase ticket prices for this year’s two second division derby fixtures. Recent speculation that both clubs intended to cash in on the healthy rivalry by raising the prices of tickets made available to away fans was ended when the respective chairmen met to announce that last year’s prices would be respected. The news comes just a couple of weeks before the first of the derbies in Las Palmas on 22 November. As a gesture of goodwill, Las Palmas have offered to house the hundreds of Tenerife fans who will travel over for the game in a bigger part of the stadium even though it will mean relocating many home season ticket-holders in other parts.

Valladolid

Suárez does a Beckham Tenerife player Alexis Suárez has copied David Beckham and offered to take a free trial to see if he can play later in the season.

The venue chosen was the Barranco de la Villa in La Gomera capital San Sebastián and the event was included in the programme of cultural, religious and sporting fixtures held during the months of September and October in honour of the island’s patron saint. The event was the Campeonato Insular de Caza Menor con Perro, hunter and gun dog championship, and it attracted competitors from all of the island’s flourishing hunting societies. Champions of each of the societies and last year’s winner competed in what a spokesman described as, “an enjoyable sporting atmos-

phere, free of incident.” This year’s champion is Sebastián Mesa Ramos, who won with one thousand eight hundred points. He is a member of the Nuestra Señora del Paso society. Ramón León Cabrera, from the Nuestra

Señora de los Reyes society, who scored one thousand, seven hundred points, was second. Ángel Berzal, Claudio Darias and Antonio Gaspar Vera were in third, fourth and fifth places respectively. Trophies donated

by the capital’s town council were presented to the winners by the mayor of San Sebastián and the Cabildo sports councillor and all participants received souvenirs of the event, donated by Mutuasport.

League leaders

Villain Eto’o hailed as hero  Just

 Former

The 34-year-old defender, who played for Tenerife in the first division, was released by his previous club Valladolid recently and, rather than face a long lay-off, offered to train with Las Palmas. The club says he is very welcome but insists no deal has been

Insular de Caza, the hunters’ federation, celebrated the main event in its yearly calendar in mid October.

The defender played for Tenerife for eight seasons

signed or negotiated. “If things turn out well and he performs, he could be an interesting signing. For the moment he is here on a train-only basis” said a club official. Suárez began his professional career at Las Palmas in 1992, before moving to Tenerife, where he spent eight seasons.

a few months after being told he had no place in the Barcelona side, Samuel Eto’o is close to rivalling Lionel Messi as the crowd idol at the Nou Camp. The Cameroon international, who had been linked with a move to the English Premiership after Barcelona appointed Pep Guardiola as manager in the summer, notched up the fastest hat-trick ever scored in the Spanish first division against Almería and showed once again that Guardiola’s initial

reluctance to keep him was totally off the mark. The striker’s nine goals in seven games lifted him temporarily to the top of the goalscoring table ahead of Valencia’s David Villa but more importantly for him they have put him firmly back into Barcelona fans’ hearts, after being heavily criticised for his reaction when it looked as if he was on his way out of the Nou Camp. The Cameroon has regained the kind of popularity he enjoyed previously

EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

SPORT

International soccer ::

Stars come out to play in Tenerife this December!  Great news for local Tenerife football fans as December heralds the return of world-class, slowmotion Master’s football to the island. Following on from last year’s hugely successful inaugural tournament, a wide range of star teams and players will be coming to compete in the 2008 Soccer Experience Master’s 7’s International Tournament. Once again the tournament has come about from people continually asking Martin Tierney, of Soccer Experience to bring another tournament to the island with some of his ex top pro friends! The highly anticipated return of legendary ex-Liverpool Nº One Bruce Grobbelaar will be on many people’s wish-list. Bruce proved to be a huge hit both on and off the field last year, bringing entertainment in his own trademark style to the matches and even to the

Ali Mauchlen and Bruce Grobbelaar know whats in store for them this year

after-event Q & A session. This year, however, Bruce will be accompanied by a whole galaxy of stars… Another returning football giant, Ali Mauchlen, will be bringing the doubly successful Leicester City Sky Master’s team, including former Turkish International who only just retired recently from

the Premiership, Muzzy Izzet. City must be one of the early favourites in what should prove to be a great weekend of Master’s football. The inclusion of players from the two Glasgow giants, Celtic and Rangers, will bring an extra twist to this year’s tournament. Celtic Masters will be led by Darren Jackson

and their roster includes former internationals Tom Boyd of Scotland, Reggie Blinker of Holland and Johan Mjallby the Swedish giant to name but a few. Rangers Select will also have a very strong line-up which includes the towering Dave McPherson, Scott Nisbett and Marcus Gayle. The

appearance of the legendary Nayim will be of great interest to all followers of English and Spanish football. As football fans will remember, Nayim is lauded in Spanish soccer folklore after scoring an amazing winner from the half-way line for Zaragoza against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup final. The participation of Nayim might even provide a chance for local Spurs’ fans to finally witness some quality soccer this year. Added to this already stellar line-up, will be a few specially invited teams from Lanzarote, N. Ireland, England and Scotland. Soccer Experience will once again have its very own team, comprised of invited players from Asia and the USA. As reigning champs, Soccer Experience will find it exceptionally difficult to hang on to their title this year. One of the real joys of the tournament, however, is the opportunity for eight invited local teams to pit their wits against the stars. For many, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and a chance to learn or to beat the true masters of the beautiful game. The eight invited Tenerife teams will come from teams who take part in the weekly Tenerife Soccer Experience

7-a-side leagues. These local guys think they are getting ready to play in the World Cup, so it will be great fun to watch the weekend of football for all. The tournament will take place from 6pm Friday evening 5th December and from 10am to 6 pm Saturday 6th December and Sunday 7th December at the fantastic Adeje Las Torres Sports Complex just off exit 79B on the TF1 with entertainment provided for the whole family over the whole weekend. The Sunday evening awards event will also be very special as it allows the general public and players from the tournament the opportunity to ask questions directly to the stars about great moments from the past, e.g. is Nayim on David Seaman’s Christmas card list? Or Bruce “why did you wobble your legs in the penalty shoot out of the European cup final”! Come along and watch a whole weekend of top ex pros playing football and join the fun! For more information on the fun, slow motion football weekend please check out the website: www.soccerexperience.com or call 654200470 for any further information on sponsorship packages available that might suit your company.

Soccer Experience :: Sponsored by Island Connections ::

Taylor’s Lounge lead in both leagues!  Big congratulations go

out to team Captain John Parkes and his Taylors Lounge Open and Masters teams who have been the better side in both leagues thus far after the opening weeks of the new Autumn season. Sometimes they have had to work for the wins in the Open League and they were pushed all the way by the ever improving Spanish team The Canyanyans, led

by the league’s very own Rafa Benítez. Taylor’s only won the game with a last minute very controversial goal that needed goal line technology or a very dodgy Russian linesman to confirm if the ball had crossed the line! In the Masters league they won the top of the table clash with Planet Football, which amazingly included not only one, but two goals from goalkeeper

Simon Gilbert. The big man played a long ball up the field and it bounced over the keeper and straight into the net. Johnny, the Planet Football keeper, was very unlucky as he was rather blinded by the sun - twice! so for the first time this year in the Soccer Experience 7’s leagues a goalkeeper scores direct from a goal kick! Everyone now has to play catch up on the Taylors Lounge teams.

OPEN 7’s LEAGUE STANDINGS Teams 1. Taylors Lounge 2. Morfitt Steelers 3. Ironcraft Services 4. Monkey Beach Club 5. Eclipse Cafe (Callao) 6. The Canyanyans 7. Northwest Insurance 8. Hole in the wall

Played

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4 3 2 2 2 2 2 0

0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

0 2 1 2 3 3 2 4

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12 9 7 7 6 6 6 0

MASTERS 7’s LEAGUE STANDINGS Teams 1. Taylors Lounge 2. Planet Football 3. Tenerife Warriors 4. Morfitt Master’s 5. Rachael’s Motors 6. Cold Flow 7. Harley’s Bar

Played

GF GA Points

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3 3 3 3 2 1 0

1 0 0 0 0 1 0

0 2 2 2 1 3 5

23 30 33 22 18 20 14

14 18 26 23 15 28 37

10 9 9 9 6 4 0

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CD Tenerife

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008

Snakes and ladders

25/10/2008 Cordoba CF 2:0 CD Tenerife With the season approaching its quarter way mark CD Tenerife travelled to Córdoba hoping to consolidate their position as promotion contenders. Having beaten Córdoba convincingly already this season – in the Copa del Rey in early September – these hopes were not unfounded. That result was at Santa Cruz however, while this fixture took place before 9,000 screaming cordobistas in their Nuevo Arcangel stadium. A goalless first half saw the Blanquiazules create the better chances, with Alfaro and Juanlu Hens coming close, and Nino unluckily hitting the bar from a right foot curler. The island side also had a good penalty shout for handball turned down by ref Gonzalez Gonzalez. Tut tut. Córdoba had their moments too, it must be said, and looked much more threatening than they did in the earlier Cup game, with Álvarez and Flores looking dangerous. On the whole, however, Tenerife fans were justifiably pleased with the team’s first-half effort. The main worries were Nino’s lack of sharpness, and Raul Navas, who was having a blinder in goal for Córdoba. Nursing a minor injury Nino had not trained with the squad in the days leading up to the game. But even a

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75 per cent Nino is a match for most defences, and with Alfaro, Kome, Richi and others all proven goalscorers it seemed unlikely the game would remain goalless for long. It didn’t. Unfortunately it was Córdoba who broke the stalemate on the 61st minute, with Pablo Ruiz heading in unstoppably from a beautifully flighted lateral free kick. Four minutes later Cordoba doubled their goal tally. Pau Cendrós’s clumsy and despairing lunge as a quick move saw Ceballas threaten inside Tenerife’s area giving the ref no choice. This time there could be no complaints, and Yordi made no mistake with the spot-kick. The result tumbles Tenerife down the table, and gives enemies of manager Luis Oltra an excuse to sharpen their knives.

CLUB

02/11/2008 CD Tenerife 2:0 Rayo Vallecano de Madrid In almost a mirror image of the last week’s game, the visitors were the more dominant team in the first half, but after squandering two or three good chances, ended up losing by two goals. This time Tenerife were the beneficiaries of good fortune and inconsistent refereeing… oh, and two goals of such immaculate execution that they should be shown repeatedly to students of football in academies worldwide. Rayo came to this fixture with a tidy record, and ambitions to grab a point or three from a Tenerife side on a two game losing streak. Manager Luis Oltra could again feel the cutlass points prodding him along the gangplank into oblivion.

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11,000 came to the Heliodoro and had to suffer a nervy first half. Both sides were aware of the importance of the game, and after the usual adventurous opening minutes from Tenerife – where they hit the bar – the tempo was reduced dramatically as neither side showed any inclination to take risks. Rayo goalie Cobeño even started to use time wasting tactics on his goal kicks which, with most of the game still to play, irritated fans and players alike. Gradually Rayo began to establish dominance over the blanquiazules with individual battles for possession more often going the visitors’ way. This led inevitably to Rayo getting more goal chances. Collantes and Piti both tested Tenerife keeper from long range, then the giant Diame headed onto the crossbar, and Aganzo missed a sitter. Hard man Martínez picked up a yellow as he sliced down Rayo’s left-winger as they both chased the ball into Tenerife’s half. The Blanquiazules had

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the initiative back to Rayo. Rayo could not convert the couple of very good chances that came their way in this period, and Tenerife again started to press their attack. Nino absolutely terrified Rayo’s defenders. Constantly alert for opportunities, he is capable of causing havoc out of nothing. From a speculative long ball down the line, he gained control on a sixpence and despite two defenders snapping away at him, he created a blasting shot that grazed the crossbar. Then, on 88th minute, he cheekily lobbed Cobeño under pressure. It was a master class in control and timing. 2-0, and game over. Nino’s contribution was rewarded with a standing ovation as he made way for Ángel in injury time, and it was well justified. The three points puts CD Tenerife at sixth in the table, just four points off the pace, and eases the pressure on Luis Oltra. Next up: Levante away, and a homer against Real Sociedad, both sides every bit as anxious as Tenerife to regain La Liga status. In the truest sense these are testing times.

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their moments too, and with Alfaro and Juanlu Hens firing good shots - it was not all one-way traffic. But the feeling was that Tenerife were struggling, and after Martínez was dismissed for a second yellow, it seemed the struggle was going to intensify. The booking was ridiculous, with the ref reacting to Cobeños’s dramatic protests after Martínez had collided with him. It was innocuous enough, and the ref probably regretted his hasty decision because he certainly made up for it in the second half. Reduced to ten men, Tenerife rolled up their sleeves and bared their teeth. I felt sorry for captain Martínez, because his team played so much better with him in his early bath. Of course, it wasn’t his fault. As is often the case, teams show real grit when their backs are against the wall. In the final period of this game, Tenerife demonstrated the truth of this. Ricardo assumed Martínez’s armband and ran

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the show from the middle. His example influenced the rest of the white’n’blues, and those individual battles for possession started to go Tenerife’s way. Some of the Tenerife challenges were a bit ‘fruity’, with even the perpetrator stopping play for a millisecond as he awaited the ref’s whistle, but in this half he wasn’t inclined to blow every time a player ended up on the grass. This benefited Tenerife massively and encouraged the free flowing attacking football that we know Tenerife are capable of. On 64th minute Nino, surging forward with the ball, had Juanlu Hens on his left as he approached Rayo’s goal with a defender to beat and another in close attendance. With a touch of pure gold, he laid off the ball for Juanlu to take the chance perfectly. 25 minutes to defend a one-goal lead for a great victory put everyone on edge. It was dry mouths and white knuckles all round, especially as Tenerife dithered in the moments just after the goal. Unable to decide whether to defend stoutly, or resume the flair game that got the goal, they opted for nothing in particular and thus briefly surrendered

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1. Hércules 2. Salamanca 3. Zaragoza 4. Xerez 5. Castellón 6. Tenerife 7. Rayo 8. Albacete 9. Huesca 10. Real Sociedad 11. Girona 12. Gimnástic 13. Levante 14. Córdoba 15. Alavés 16. Eibar 17. Las Palmas 18. Celta 19. Murcia 20. Elche 21. Alicante 22. Sevilla Atco.

Tenerife found scoring form against a tough Rayo Vallecano

Second Division League 02/11/2008

Words and pics by Spike Jones  CD Tenerife are travelling around the board game of the second division table and have encountered a few more snakes than ladders of late, but latest results show a welcome determination to stay the course.

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EDITION 577 :: 08/11/2008 - 22/11/2008 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS