Island Connections 582

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The Canary Island’s biggest fortnightly English newspaper read by thousands of tourists & residents Edition # 582

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16th - 30th January 2009

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Stalling the crisis ADEJE’S NEW AGROMERCADO IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC EVERY WEEKEND, 8AM – 2PM

T

he opening weekend of the new Adeje Agromercado was hailed as a great success for stall holders, the local council, and the public in general, who attended in their droves.

Residents of every hue were eager to see for themselves the local produce on offer, and the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables that assailed the nose as you entered the market was enough to whet the appetite. With live music provided by a local folklore group, bouncy castles and tasters on offer in the food and drink department, this was indeed a happy event. In all there is room for up to 55 stalls, with 30 of them currently in use. As well as locally grown fruit and vegetables, wine from the region is also sold as are a variety of traditionally

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Exclusive Interview

Tomás López Betancor FIREMAN AND CLIMBER

Who recently braved the chilly wilderness of Mount St Valentine and lived to tell the tale Pages 6-7

Cocaine haul BEACH WORKERS FIND COCAINE with a street value of almost two million euros washed ashore in Vallehermoso.

produced cheeses, cakes and biscuits. In line with the move to eliminate the use of plastic bags, produce is sold in paper or cloth bags, both “to assist in the preser vation of the environment and to prepare the public for changes regarding the use of plastic bags which will come into effect in 2010”, said local agricultural and rural development councillor Elena Fumero. Fumero welcomed the opening of the market as giving a boost to the local agricultural sector, “which we have to maintain...as well as of fering people a point of sale where they can find quality goods at acceptable prices”. The market, opposite Makro, is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 2pm, with off-road parking for up to 40 cars.

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Flying boats OVER PUERTO The attempt to introduce a sea plane service to the Canary Islands in the 1950s.

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Football

CD TENERIFE The side return to the fray hovering close to the promotion zone.

See page 13 for more information.

Page 63

...Always near to you with our offer of Spanish and British products!

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The Sports Megastore, 8.000m

Motorway Santa Cruz La Laguna, Exit “Las Chumberas”.

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Canary Islands PRESIDENTS AND POLITICS

Index >

Presidential meetings

Special 6 / 7

Tomás LópezBetancor fireman and climber Canary Islands News

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

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Tenerife South General

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North

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G. Canaria

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La Gomera

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Business News Financial Blevins ZEC

The Canarian Government has received assurances from Madrid that the sharp increase in the region’s population will be taken into account fully in any new funding model approved.

The region’s president Paulino Rivero sought the guarantees in a recent

meeting with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and said afterwards he was happy to hear that the 20 per cent rise in the population in the past decade would be a major factor in determining the funding to be received in coming years. Rivero also asked for the Canaries’ special tax re-

gime (no VAT etc) to be respected in the new model.

Despite what would appear to be a negotiating success, four of his predecessors denounced a lack of confidence in the island’s politicians the following day on a radio chat show. Lorenzo Olarte, Manuel Hermoso, Román Rodríguez and Adán

Scientific community worried

Risks from volcanic activity increasing

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High Tech Gadgets

Martín were united in the opinion, voiced by Olarte, that there is, “a crisis of confidence in the political classes”. The most recent of the ex-Presidents, Adán Martín announced, “it is time to take responsibility over politics lack of prestige,” adding that he believed working in politics to be one of the nicest jobs, despite the fact that, “there will always be some black sheep”.

Manuel Hermoso went further declaring that even the courts were now affected and that, “judicial decisions are politicised” a situation he believes should be dealt with.

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an eruption now would have, due to population growth and land usage.

For instance, in 1909, when the last eruption took place in Tenerife, there were 137,302 habitants. Presently there are almost 900,000. Cities and towns cover the island in great swathes and an eruption could easily affect many tens of thousands of people and the damage be significantly greater than before.

Education

Primary school problems Disruption is inevitable in state primary schools throughout the Canaries over the next month or so as almost 2,000 primary teachers retake competitive exams for permanent posts.

The exams were ordered to be retaken after an investigation discovered marking discrepancies by the assessment panels when they were first sat back in 2007.

Posts were initially awarded to 260 candidates but the designations have been annulled and all the teachers now have to go through the entire process again, which will take at least a month.

However, it is not certain that the solution imposed by the education authorities will end the problem, given that the 260 have already launched legal action to reclaim their posts and a ruling in their favour would void the newly recommenced selection procedure. Meanwhile, primary schools can expect many absences in the coming weeks as the teachers prepare for and sit the tests.

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Pets

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Taste, smell, savour the finest Italian cuisine

María Bonita restaurante tapas bar

“Oggi

Scientists are worried that volcanic activity may be on the increase

Food Business News Rest. Review Seasonal food Food Cheeses Wine

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Classifieds Situations vacant Motoring General services Property

51 52 53 55

Sport 58 59 60 63

there have been eruptions in the last 500 years, three of them having taken place during the last century.

Regardless of this official recognition Pérez criticised the fact that, to date, neither the State Plan, nor the Special Emergency Plan regarding Volcanic Risk in the Canary Islands has been formed, despite the urgent need for them being cited in the 1996 directive. Secondly, the Canarian Volcanological Institute (IVC) has still not been created, even though the high priority proposal was accepted unanimously by all political parties, both here and in Spain, in 2005 and 2006. This apparent lack of concern of the risks may be due to a combi-

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nation of circumstances.

Amongst these Pérez stated that many people view the possibility of an eruption as being minimum, due to their relative infrequency.

Also, there is an erroneous belief that recent eruptions haven’t caused any deaths, when in fact there are 22 known fatalities according to Doctor Carmen Romero from La Laguna University.

Added to this is the conviction that volcanic eruptions in the islands are relatively calm. They may have been over the last 500 years, but this does not take into account that colossal eruptions have taken place before that. Last, but not least, is the failure to recognize the different effect that

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According to reports in local newspapers Canarias 7 and La Opinión, Nemesio Pérez, president of the Spanish Volcanological Society, has affirmed that the possible dangers from volcanic activity in the archipelago are rising.

Increased pressure on the environment and lack of awareness, positive action and adequate monitoring of the situation are all causing concern in the scientific community here and in Spain.

The Basic Planning for Civil Protection Directive of 1996 stated that the one region of Spain presently at risk from volcanic activity is the Canary Islands. This is due to it being the only area where

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Mobile phones

Recharge on the run Residents of the archipelago will soon be able to recharge their mobile phones and other electronic devices in public places around the islands.

A new device called a ChargeBox will be installed in locations such as shopping centres, hospitals, universities, hotels, health centres, airports and town halls.

A total of 25 of the machines will be running by the end of January, and 100 by the close of 2009. Customers can not only recharge their phones, but also Nintendos, iPods, Blackberrys, palmtop computers and portable PlayStations.

The equipment is simple and easy to use. Just plug in your gadget in one of the secure boxes and, on payment of one euro, it will receive 30 minutes of charge.

The Canary Islands is the second area of Spain, after Barcelona, to install the machines. According to the producers, A&T, it is the answer to modern society’s increasing need to be in touch continuously. A spokesperson affirmed, “this invention covers a particular necessity. All of us have run out of batteries at one time or another and mobiles have more and more tools that consume batteries quicker, which makes it more probable they’ll run down just when you need them most.”

Apparently studies have shown that users of mobile phones in Spain are left without batteries during a call or message three or four times a year. In the area of Catalonia, where the first ChargeBoxes were installed just under a year ago, their use has risen by 225 per cent in the last six months.

CANARY ISLANDS

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BRITISH CONSUL

Adios Stephen “You’ll have to send me a regular supply of papas arrugadas and mojo”...so Stephen Jones, British Consul in the Canary Islands for the last few years, bade adios to us as he prepared to take on his next post, Consul to the very large ex-pat and holiday maker population in Málaga.

Stephen arrived in these islands in 2007, marking a new direction in the British Foreign Office’s consular services, coming as he had from outside the service with a wealth of experience in tourism.

And that fresh approach was well received...two years on he is rightly proud of the work he and

the dedicated staff have done here in the islands, with a new public office operating in South Tenerife and the appointment of an Honorary Consul in Lanzarote to name but two recent developments. “I’m very proud of what we have achieved,” Stephen told us, adding that personally as well as professionally “I love the Canary Islands...but you have to move on in life, and I am really excited about going to Málaga”.

Stephen clarified too that in one way he was actually “going home”, as his mother and father Outgoing Consul Stephen Jones

live on the Spanish peninsula.

However he added that he wasn’t exactly looking forward to the winters. Stephen’s replacement is Mathew Vickers, who hails from the private sector in the UK where he has been working in sales, marketing and customer care. His first day in the office, the weather was a little overcast and he joked, “it was quite like being at home in Glasgow. Seriously it’s great to be here. I really like what I’ve seen of the islands and everything so far and I’m looking forward to getting around, meeting people and carrying on with the great job that I believe Stephen has been doing in the Canaries.”

Education

Unequal opportunities

The Canaries has a high level of foreign students

Globalisation became the hip word for economists in the late 1980s but few specialists foresaw the impact on the social and educational fabric of our communities.

The Canaries is one of the Spanish communities with the most foreign students in its classrooms and in among the 30,000 or so children are 1,864 Moroccans. It has recently been pointed out that there are only four teachers qualified to teach the Arab language and Moroccan culture in two centres in Tenerife,

four in Gran Canaria and one in Lanzarote. These normally after-hours subjects began in 1985 after an agreement was signed between the central Government and the Kingdom of Morocco to make sure the children of emigrants didn’t lose sight of their roots. The teachers are civil servants of Morocco and paid for by that country.

Whilst the intention has to be applauded, parents of other ethnic groups and nationalities could rightly ask, “what about us?”. Where are the Government

agreements and home state-paid teachers in the Hindu language and culture for instance or Gaelic, Croatian, Rumanian, Russian and all the rest? In addition in a country which has just taken religion out of the school curriculum, the central government pay for a teacher of Islam in the Canaries.

Meanwhile the teachers continue their fight to be paid on a par with their colleagues from the peninsula, a struggle which has now been going on for two years.

Whenever statistics are being quoted, Benjamin Disraeli’s line comes to mind of, “lies, damned lies and statistics”.

The Canarian Education Ministry has been using a document which was published some months ago by local daily El Día, showing the teachers in the islands to be among the best paid in the country, however that information doesn’t take into account long service supplements. An experienced teacher with 25 years service in the Canaries is paid less than any similarly experienced colleague in Spain. The difference is not to be sneezed at, with teachers in the Balearics for example earning up to 7,000 euros more

per year. The quality of education for our children depends on the quality of the teachers and on those children the future depends. It is essential that experienced members of teaching staff are encouraged to continue to work in the islands and that can only be achieved by improving their pay and conditions.

Domestic violence

Women at risk The latest statistics released for the first 10 months of 2008 show over 10,000 women have called the helpline 112 to report domestic violence.

Around two thirds of the 10,927 calls were for information, but 3,015 were urgent calls where the lives of the victims were at risk. Nine women in the Canaries lost their lives in 2008 at the hands of their partners, six of them in December.

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

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EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CANARY ISLANDS

La Palma

SUSPICIOUS FIRE?

Seima again

PATHOLOGIST SHORTAGE

Burial delayed

By Barbara Belt

T

he village of Seima, abandoned and forgotten for half a century, is in the news again.

Its abandoned, roofless houses and desolate farmland were the recent backdrop for a sad drama of accusation, denial, questions in parliament and cruelty. As reported in this newspaper, a herd of horses was put out to graze around Seima over six years ago, with the short term intention of procuring the grant aid then available for livestock keepers.

The longer term, hidden, agenda was to put adequate road access into the area and then renovate the houses. The abandoned village would live again, its houses converted into valuable units of accommodation for rural tourism.

Rumours that a high ranking politician’s family had bought fincas in the area were widely circulated at the time.

The plan backfired after a falling out between the horses’ owners. The subsequent withdrawal of protection from on high exacerbated problems, leaving the unfortunate animals to go it alone in an area with scant grazing and even less water.

The horses’ condition deteriorated, leading to a disgraceful situation of starvation. Ten emaciated animals were eventually rescued and

led out of Seima to safety.

They are currently being cared for in two stables in Tenerife and will be sold on to new, and hopefully better, owners, as soon as they are fit. It marked the supposed end of the village’s brief and unfortunate spell of media attention.

Then, at the end of the year, Seima was the focus of attention again.

Mysteriously, given that the weather had been uncharacteristically cool, cloudy and wet, the area around the village caught fire. The cause is, “unknown”.

Since nobody lives or farms there, we can assume

ABANDONED HOUSES COULD BECOME

high rental rural TOURISM ACCOMMODATION

that this was no hearth or garden fire that spread. Had the weather been good, the fire could have been attributed to hikers who habitual-

ly use the walking trails that pass through the village but the weather had been unsuitable for hiking and there were no hikers.

The island’s power lines are of dubious safety and were blamed for the dreadful fires suffered in April.

There are, however, no power lines in Seima.

The alarm was raised at just after 11 a.m. when motorists on the San Sebastián to Playa Santiago road noticed distant smoke. The police were called and the island’s fire fighting helicopter was subsequently sent.

After dumping water on the area for some hours, the

helicopter crew managed to extinguish the fire, which by then had burned an area of over eight thousand square metres.

Fire crews later spoke of, “the difficult access to this uninhabited area,” that caused problems in getting to the fire more quickly.

Sceptics remark on the unlikely natural causes attributed to the fire so far, given the absence of the usual factors.

The plan to push for road access to the horses came to nothing. Perhaps if the area now becomes a fire risk, an access road will go in after all?

THE PLIGHT OF A FAMILY FROM LA PALMA WHO WERE PREVENTED FROM BURYING A DECEASED RELATIVE FOR SEVERAL DAYS HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ISLAND’S PATHOLOGY SERVICE. The dead man’s family, from Los Llanos de Aridane, were forced to wait much longer than usual for the mandatory post mortem because one of the two pathologists was on holiday and the other was on sick leave. The local court asked for back-up from Tenerife but bad weather prevented the designated replacement from flying to the island. Until last year, there were three full-time pathologists on La Palma but one of the posts was cut in a restructuring of the island’s legal services, a decision which has angered justice employees. “The two current pathologists do their best to cover needs but they can’t work miracles and they don’t have the back-up needed in the event of holidays or illness,” said a spokesperson.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

UGT union

Social unrest warning Tenerife’s branch of the UGT union, one of the two most powerful in Spain, has warned the government that social unrest is a real possibility unless it changes its policies and increases support for families in need.

José Juan Benavente, secretary general of the union here, said that unemployment and other benefits currently being paid to people who were made redundant in 2007 are due to end soon and, with little prospect of the recipients finding work in the current climate, there is a real chance that unrest will break out. “The government has failed to include provision for such eventualities in the 2009 budget but is happy to earmark 142 million euros to create a regional police force. People will have to provide for their families in some way or other and no doubt they will take misguided decisions and even go to extremes,” he warned. The comments have been criticised in government circles as “unhelpful” and exaggerated.

CANARY ISLANDS

HOME FINANCES: PAY LESS TAX

More cash in hand New taxation regulations are in place for employed individuals with mortgages or home improvement loans who earn less than 33,001 euros a year. In an attempt to help home owners who may be

feeling the pinch, the central government has made it possible for you to pay two points less tax from your salary each month. Previously you paid the tax and would

then reclaim a rebate the following year, now however by submitting a simple form you can reduce the amount of monthly tax you pay.

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Obviously the tax rebate you receive the following year will be downsized accordingly. You can download the form, modelo 145 from the Island Connections website at www.islandconnections.eu/ or alternatively, go to the home web site for the Spanish tax office at http://www.aeat. es. Click on Retenciones 2009, then Otros: Modelo 145. Comunicación de datos al pagador (art. 82 del Reglamento del IRPF) and finally on 145 to obtain a printable PDF document.

Complete and hand over to your employer.

Ryanair pull-out

Fuerteventura looks to Denmark and Poland The authorities in Fuerteventura have moved quickly to try and alleviate the gloom caused by the closure of Ryanair’s nine routes to the island as of the end of the month.

The island’s Cabildo says it is delighted at securing a deal with tour operators from Denmark and Poland for weekly flights from Aaarhus (Denmark’s second biggest city) and Katowice respectively, with a further flight from Copenhagen in the pipeline.

Tourism councillor Agueda Montelongo welcomed the news and said the flights would bring badly-needed holidaymakers, including many first time visitors. The Polish route is of particular interest given that it gives the island a head start over other parts of the Canaries in terms of opening a niche in the country. The Cabildo stresses that studies show that Denmark is the best prospect for short and mid-term growth in visitor numbers, especially in winter, with figures steadily increasing since 2007.

POLITICAL BOMBSHELL

Speaker advocates immigration ban One of the most diplomatic politicians in the Canaries has kicked off 2009 with proposals that immediately triggered widespread reaction for and against.

Antonio Castro, the veteran Speaker of the Canarian Parliament, was not expected to cause controversy with his annual summing up the events

of last year and his wishes for 2009, but he raised eyebrows in calling for a ban on immigration and even limiting births in order to ease the pressure on the Islands. In an interview with Europe Press, Castro warned that if we hope to stop, “eating up our land at the current rate, we need to take steps such as prohibiting immigration and

curbing the birth rate,” in order to ensure that people living here can benefit from housing and a job.

Although part of a much longer interview, in which he called for the region to impose its weight in national politics, the comments have been highlighted extensively by the Canarian media and have fuelled major debate, with some accusing Castro of generating xenophobia, while others have expressed support for his ideas.

Castro’s speech has brought mixed reactions

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

By Karl McLaughlin

Back from the abyss, the true story TOMÁS LÓPEZ-BETANCOR, FIREMAN AND CLIMBER WHO RECENTLY BRAVED THE CHILLY WILDERNESS OF MOUNT ST VALENTINE AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE

H

ome-grown products helped save the bacon of three Tenerife climbers who had to be rescued by the Chilean Army after treacherous weather conditions forced them to abort their bid to scale one of the most notorious summits in the southern hemisphere.

Fireman Tomás LópezBetancor, better known to friends and family as ‘Piru’, was one of the trio who featured prominently in the news in the Canaries and the rest of Spain around Christmas when details of their gruelling experience emerged. Now safely back home, Tomás says he is better equipped to talk about his ordeal, having had time to digest the events which occurred in the snowy wilderness of Mount St Valentine, a massive glacier and the highest peak in the region at 4,058 metres.

The 40-year-old fireman, who is based in San Miguel in the south of Tenerife, can make light of the experience now, but he is under no illusions that he and his two colleagues - veteran

climber Diego Amador and Alfredo Ramírez, a policeman from Granadilla - are fortunate to be alive. In an exclusive interview with Island Connections, he relived the adventure which should have been one in a lifetime but almost proved fatal.

“The problems began a few days into the climb: the weather had been unusually warm, with temperatures up the mountain in the 20s on Day 1, but it changed suddenly and we were caught right in the middle. We saw the storm coming on our barometer and immediately called on the satellite phone to give our coordinates in case something went wrong”, explains Tomás.

And wrong it went. The blizzards grew so strong that at times they could not see their tent even when it was just 10 metres away.

The winds topped 100 kmh and the driving snow made further progress impossible.

“We decided to stay put and not try and move. Strange as it may seem, because snow is usually considered ‘dry’, our gear got wet and as the temperatures plummeted everything froze rapidly.

Diego’s gloves were wet and it would have been dangerous to wear them due to the real possibility of frostbite, so we shared the other pairs in shifts. Our real concern was that the snow which was falling almost horizontally would find its way into our pockets, through our clothes and make them damp inside.

Combined with our perspi-

ration as we dug ourselves out, it was a recipe for disaster because we could have frozen in an instant. We were forced to change into our dry clothes and actually put the wet ones over them to try and dry them partially using our body heat, rather than let them freeze”.

Disaster struck when the three men lost their main

The rescue itself was a nervejangling affair tent, a sturdy one Alfredo had borrowed from a mountaineering club for the expedition. The tent collapsed under the sheer weight of the snow, which the trio could not clear fast enough.

The rods snapped and it was rendered unusable, forcing them to abandon it and huddle up in the much smaller second one, which was not ideal for cooking and eating. Food during the fourday ordeal consisted largely of cooked spicy sausage - smuggled into Chile despite the strict health regulations (“we knew they would check us at the airport so we put some decoy meats in one rucksack and let Customs confiscate them”) and Canarian ‘gofio’, which

was mixed into hot soup made using melted snow and beef stock. Despite the devastating loss of the tent, one piece of advice received from a member of Spanish TV’s extreme adventure programme Verging on the Impossible, came in very handy. “We were advised by one of the presenters, who had been to the same area a few years before and also got into difficulty, not to take the usual down-filled sleeping bags in case they would get damp and the feathers would harden. At the last minute we bought fibre bags instead, which turned out to be the best decision we ever made”. Nonetheless, the bags had to be protected at all costs at the height of the snow storms, even inside the tent, and at times the three climbers were forced to keep at least one rolled up tightly and share the other(s) for sleeping, although Tomás prefers not to elaborate further on just how Up Close and Personal (to borrow a film title) the arrangement was. Sleep was very rare, in any case, given the constant need to protect the tent from total burial or from collapsing under the weight of the snowfalls. “We each worked 30 minute shifts, shovelling away the snow from around the tent. There was not a moment of proper rest during the blizzards.

Even the vapour from our breath condensed inside the tent, settling on boots and gloves and freezing them.

We resorted to stuffing the gloves down our underwear to keep them warm for use outside. We realised that although it was our Holy Grail the ascent to the summit was out of the question and the priority had to be to get off the mountain as soon as possible”.

Versions concerning how the help actually arrived varied depending on which news source was believed, but Tomás was happy to set the record straight for Island Connections. “The battery on the phone was

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

almost flat and we reckoned we had enough for only one call. Although we had taken details of a contact number for the police at a village a long way below the glacier we were on, there was no guarantee the call would be answered and we did not want to leave a message on an answering machine. So

to say they were organising a rescue attempt.”

That was not the only call received, however.

Mercedes also called Julio, brother of Diego Amador, to let him know what was happening and he contacted the local media in the Canaries. Shortly afterwards, a Spanish radio sta-

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into the rotors of the hovering helicopter and cause it to crash. Ironically, when we had spent four days working our guts out to keep the snow off everything, this time we had to rely on it as a dead-weight to tie everything down for the rescue”.

An initial window of opportunity for the rescue was

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

7

ley”. Tomás knew what he was talking about because he served in helicopter rescue crews for years in the Canaries before joining the fire brigade.

They accepted the advice and at exactly 09.20 we heard the wonderful sound of the helicopter blades and jumped for joy, rushing to

him with a large mirror. We hadn’t a clue what he was talking about and then it dawned on us that he had seen the glint from the mini solar panel that charged the battery on the satellite phone. It was pure coincidence that we had set it up to catch the sun as he was flying high above us.

they almost did not bother with the rescue because they believed that the ‘emergency’ might be a stunt cooked up by a reality show. “They did a lot of background checks to verify if the reports from Spain about our plight were true. The pilot confessed he feared he would end up

pack what we could. The chopper flew over and the co-pilot threw a box out to us and moved off. Alfredo thought it was a food parcel and began cursing them aloud for leaving us. But it was just a smoke canister to check the wind and mark the site! We managed to get aboard in record time (the pilot would not let us take any of the gear so when it thaws up there someone will find a fully-furnished apartment!) as the helicopter hovered dangerously in the strong winds. My hands were so frozen I could not close the door and the copilot had to jump out and do it for me”. It was only when they landed safely a few thousand metres down the valley that Tomás and his colleagues realised just how massive the rescue operation had been. “It was like a war planning room, with officers and logistics people everywhere. The pilot of a reconnaissance plane that had been sent up to spot us congratulated us on our ‘quick thinking’ in flashing

We have been promised an aerial photo of the flash that probably helped save our lives”.

After a couple of weeks back home, how does Tomás now view the experience?

“The short holiday we took afterwards in the area before returning certainly helped cheer us up and end the sepulchral silence we had endured for much of our time on the mountain. I personally feel that this was in no way a defeat. Just think how many explorers have to give up as they try and trek alone across the Antarctic.

Nature is nature and when it throws the full force of its bad weather at you, you have to accept it. It would have been foolish to go on with the ascent, even though for some the failure might be perceived as a blemish on their mountaineering career”.

The ordeal was not without its anecdotes, some of which have already been referred to above. The best was certainly the revelation by the helicopter crew that

on a Spanish version of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and was a bit sceptical about the whole thing.

Ironically, the three climbers had become minor celebrities, even to the ridiculous extent that, at the height of the unfolding drama, a Canarian radio station staged a surprise phone call to one of them from his anguished mother, live on air.

The unwelcome intrusion led them to channel information through just one source - a journalist friend of Diego Amador - so that they could keep the news under control. Since their rescue they have featured on Spanish CNN and in all the main newspapers, both here and in mainland Spain. And now Island Connections.

Celebrities indeed….

But ‘Piru’ Tomás has other things on his mind, not least thanking his wife Mercedes and recuperating the seven kilos he shed on his Chilean adventure. Some would kill to lose that much weight over Christmas. In Piru’s case, it could have killed him.

2

3

1. Tomás López-Betancor pictured back in Tenerife with his niece and Becky the labrador 2. Starting the gruelling ascent up Mt Valentine in Patagonia 3. Tomás and Alfredo look tired but relieved on board the helicopter

we rang my wife Mercedes at home in Tenerife and put her in the picture. Just as well, because the police number turned out to be wrong”.

Mercedes, who is from Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera, was a safe bet because, as coincidence would have it, she is a coordinator at the Canarian government’s 112 Emergency Services hotline and knew exactly what to do. Even though she was not at work that evening, she had her wits about her and trawled Internet for phone numbers for Chile’s Civil Protection HQ and managed to get in touch with a senior official to update him on the plight of the stranded climbers. “Within half an hour we got a call from the Chileans

tion rang the men up to ask for an update. Which was the last thing they wanted as they dug frantically to keep out of trouble. The rescue itself was a nerve-jangling affair, although not without some anecdotes. Initial bids to reach the trio by air had to be called off due to the bad weather further down the glacier valley, which prevented the Army helicopter from flying up the mountain, even though conditions were relatively good further up. The climbers had to prepare a makeshift landing zone, including a windsock to give the pilot an idea of the wind strength and direction. “We had to secure everything as tightly as possible to ensure no loose clothes or gear would be sucked up

identified for 6am and the three men, euphoric at the call the previous day, were ready and waiting in the early morning light. However, the attempt had to be aborted due to the worsening conditions, a decision which Tomás admits caused them massive heartbreak.

“Our spirits sank and the nerves grew by the minute.

We had missed the window and were told another try could not be made for at least several hours. The weather was deteriorating badly and we had to shift our location again. We were terrified at the prospect of another day and night out in the open and asked the pilot to try again by flying much higher to avoid the bad weather in the val-

8

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CANARY ISLANDS

Population statistics

La Gomera

Cruise criticism

It’s official

Only the one

La Gomera’s population is steadily rising, according to figures just released.

By Barbara Belt

T

he Balmoral docked at the new port of Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera in late December, during a fourteen day cruise out of Dover.

Two cruise ships, the Balmoral and the Black Prince, were in fact scheduled to visit the port that day, carrying nearly two thousand passengers to the island for a day’s visit, but only one arrived.

The Black Prince docked in San Sebastián at eight thirty in the morning, while the Balmoral docked in Valle Gran Rey at the same time.

San Sebastián’s port cannot cope with two large extra vessels at present, although current work on the port will greatly increase its capacity in the future. Passengers were to be taken on island excursions while the boats changed places, with the Black Prince then arriving in Valle Gran Rey at two thirty. Valle Gran Rey council had organised a craft and produce fair and market along the quayside, in conjunction with local shops and businesses.

The idea was, “to show a little of the culture of Valle Gran Rey and the island ...to mark the event with a day of fiesta for lo-

The Balmoral sailing into Valle Gran Rey’s new port

cals and visitors, with plenty of food, enjoyment and good music,” according to a press release. Many events were programmed to take place in the afternoon to coincide with the arrival of the Black Prince.

The Balmoral arrived as scheduled. In good shape after an ingenious refit in German shipyards to increase her capacity the ship was, literally, cut in half, extended and reassembled, the stately liner brought one thousand, three hundred and forty two British

passengers into Valle Gran Rey. They were welcomed by local authorities, had a brief look at what was on offer and were bussed off to see the island. The Balmoral then left to pick up her passengers later in San Sebastián, leaving the quayside clear for the arrival of the Black Prince.

By this time, rumours were rife that the Black Prince would not be arriving. Musicians booked to play confirmed they had been cancelled. They were told the second ship

could not come, “due to bad weather”. As only one member of the group is actually blind, there was much incredulity as the day was calm and clear.

Local shop owners and craftsmen, encouraged to wake up early and man stalls on their day off, apparently for nothing, were understandably fed up. Island Connections chanced upon tourism councillor Ricardo Cabrera and asked him if it were true the boat was not coming. “No, it’s not coming.

It can’t. It’s an old boat.

Although it’s smaller than the Balmoral, it doesn’t have the steering systems it needs to be able to dock safely, so it will stay in San Sebastián”, he said.

The afternoon’s events were cancelled, leaving stall holders high and dry and the town wondering how a shipping company, a port authority and a town council could fail to notice a ship’s technical characteristics, until late in the morning of the day it was due to arrive.

After a population high of more than thirty-five thousand during the nineteen forties, the island’s population went into steep decline as thousands of islanders chose to emigrate.

The island was one of the last strongholds of a near feudal system, where the land was owned by a few, ‘cacique’ families. These families were the descendants of the Spanish noblemen adventurers ceded land in the Canary Islands for being faithful to the Spanish monarchy during the Spanish conquest. Until the mid nineteen fifties, their power in La Gomera was virtually undiminished, leaving little room for workers to make the same upwardly mobile push enjoyed by, for example, their English counterparts a quarter century earlier.

Emigration in search of better possibilities was a popular course of action and the island’s population plummeted as whole villages left for Cuba, Venezuela and, to a lesser extent, Uruguay and Argentina. The results of the census taken in January two thousand and eight have now been published by central government and it’s official: the number of people living in La Gomera is higher, at twenty-two thousand, six hundred and twenty two, than it has been for the last thirty years.

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Longest cold spell since 1973

The current cold spell which affected many parts of the Canaries over Christmas and well into 2009 is making this winter the worst for 35 years, according to the Met Office.

Readings from weather stations on several islands confirmed that, although the situation was much better than in the rest of Spain - where Arctic temperatures were experienced over the first weeks of the year - the last time the Canaries suffered such a prolonged chill was back in 1973.

The Met Office says that late November and early December were particularly cold and wet.

Ex-pat residents agreed with many stating that this is the coldest winter in the islands most of them have experienced, and more than one last minute request for hot water bottles and heating systems from Father Christmas and The Magi were sent.

MORE STATISTICS

They keep on coming

Any doom and gloom about the current economic situation in the islands hasn’t stopped another 50,000 people taking up residence here lately.

According to figures released recently there are now 2,075,968 people officially registered as living in the archipelago, precisely 50,017 more than the previous year. Almost 28,000 of these new residents are in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which covers Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma, with the rest being in the other islands which form the province of Las Palmas.

The Canaries still has one of the highest population growth rates throughout Spain, beaten only by the Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, Valencia and Melilla.

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Carnival songs complaint

Satirical Carnival songs deriding gays and lesbians could see Las Palmas and Santa Cruz councils hauled before the European Court of Human Rights.

The Canarian Association of Gays and Lesbians says it has filed a formal complaint against the two corporations, as organisers of events that openly promote the use of songs which are offensive to its members.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

CANARY ISLANDS

9

FREAK WEATHER

Tornados Only one of the tornados reached land

A rare phenomenon made an unexpected Christmas appearance on the island, when residents of Playa Santiago in La Gomera were astonished to see a small, but perfectly formed, tornado making its way slowly across the sea, apparently towards the shore.

The tornado sped up, changed course to head straight for the village and eventually hit the beach and then the village, sending sunbeds and rubbish bins flying some four hundred metres into the air

and along the promenade.

An old house close to the shore was damaged and lost most of its roof, as tiles were whisked into the air and sent flying. Luckily, no injuries were reported.

A second tornado formed close to the shore shortly after, causing some trepidation as locals scrambled to secure everything, but it veered off to one side and did not reach land.

In the island capital San Sebastián, at around the same time, two more tornados were spotted out at sea between Tenerife and La Gomera. They moved

quickly towards San Sebastián, again causing alarm, but never reached land.

Tornados are relatively common along the West African coast, but are extremely unusual in the Canary Islands. They are rotating, vertical columns of air stretching between a cumulonimbus cloud, sometimes referred to as a ‘mother cloud’, and the surface of the Earth and usually travel at between sixty and one hundred and eighty kilometres an hour for a few kilometres before dissipating.

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The couple lost their way in the Barranco de Imada

Two Belgian tourists have been rescued by the Guardia Civil after losing their way whilst out walking in La Gomera.

The sixty-six year old man and his wife of sixty-four were staying in the northern village of Hermigua, but had gone for a day’s walking on the other side of the island, on a footpath near Alajeró.

In the steep Barranco de Imada valley, they lost

sight of the footpath after mistakenly following a goat path. The walk had taken them longer than expected and, as the light failed, they were unable to make out the correct route back to the footpath.

The Guardia Civil were alerted and a search party set out to comb the area and the couple were eventually found at two forty-five in the morning. They were both suffering from mild hypothermia, but were oth-

erwise unharmed. Once rescued, they were taken to Playa Santiago’s medical centre for treatment.

The man also received treatment for damage suffered when milk from the tabaiba plants growing in the barranco got into his eyes. Although the majority of the island’s footpaths are signposted nowadays, signs are often confined to the beginnings of paths, or where two paths cross.

Land and helicopter rescue services are called out on a regular basis during the winter months to find lost or injured walkers.

It is apparent that visiting walkers are often surprised by both the arduousness of some of the paths and the scant signposting.

They are presumably used to less demanding walking conditions and whilst it is impossible to change the island’s contours, it may be that more specific local information is required to help prevent such unwelcome holiday adventures.

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EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CANARY ISLANDS

LA GOMERA

Phoenix festival

By Barbara Belt

T

he phoenix, according to Egyptian and Greek mythology, rises from its own ashes.

There was much of the phoenix about the PsyRock Festival in Vallehermoso, La Gomera, recently.

Ads for the six-day festival appeared on internet sites in October. The official site was <www.psyrock.de> and is still there. PsyRock is music: ‘psy’ from psychedelic and ‘rock’, from, well, rock.

Music buffs will know it has little to do with either psychedelic, or mainstream rock music, although the ambient decoration and light shows are reminiscent of sixties light shows. Though advertised as ‘progressive trance’, it is closer to Berlin electronic music.

PsyRock has an international following.

Festivals are faithfully attended by a core of international youth, whether in Goa or Hamburg.

A New Year’s bash at a beach venue in warmer climes seemed attractive.

News, in mid-December, was that one thousand, five hundred advance tickets were sold.

Travel packages and bus service between San Sebastián’s port and Vallehermoso were also offered. The PsyRock e-

poster advertising the festival listed, “over eighty international DJs, workshops, laser shows, a shop area, showers, camping, food and drink, a fire show, fireworks, shows and a chill-out area.” In short, everything the festival goer expects, all for fifty-nine euros in advance or seventy-four at the entrance.

Businessman Pedro Suárez rented the Parque Maritimo - for a reported five thousand euros - to German organiser Dirk Künecke. The area around two swimming pools would house the main event over six days.

Künecke had also rented the nearby Castillo del Mar, owned by Thomas Müller, as a ‘backstage’ area. It was for private use only, officially closed due to problems with the coastal authority.

Residents were recruited as bar staff and security stewards in December. As the month progressed, rumours of inflated reports of ticket sales and cancellations by some performers began.

Two days before the festival, there was no sign of the promised campsite, or other facilities. The camping area land had been subject to a price rise, which Künecke re-

fused to pay. There would be no camp site. There were no shower facilities and no toilets either. There was no site manager to rig up alternative camping or sanitary provisions. A storm was blowing in and local sound crews were concerned about erecting their gear.

Then, festival-goers started to arrive from Germany, France, Holland, Switzerland, England, Italy, Belgium, Monaco, Denmark, Norway and the U.S.A, having spent considerable sums of money to get there.

They were shocked by what they found. There was nowhere for tents, and apart from one pool shower and a couple of toilets, nowhere

to wash and no toilets. As heavy rain hit the area, people crammed into hire cars, or found whatever shelter they could. Nassim, supposedly in charge of camping, left. “It was terrible,” he said.

“People were crying, furious... and wanted their money back, but nobody knew where the organiser was. I couldn’t stand it. They had to sleep in cars, or wherever. They were cheated.

It was shameful.”

With only one bar selling expensive beer and water, one small food tent trying to feed, “about five hundred people” and bad weather, things were miserable. The DJs started anyway. Light and laser shows were impressive, but pressure on facilities was reaching criti-

cal level. Security stewards from Spain, “totally fed up with having to deal with chaos”, said goodbye and left.

A decision to open the Castillo to everyone was taken as the only possible solution, and was a turning point.

There was a bar, food with reasonable prices, toilets, shelter, friendly staff and comfortable surroundings.

The Parque Maritimo quickly emptied, lights and music still going, as word got round.

The whole festival moved into the Castillo del Mar. Tanja Schroder, long term La Gomera resident, describes what happened: “People came in and were so relieved to be there! It was packed, but there was no trouble.

Everyone made the best of it.

There was a good atmosphere - it could have been chaos, but everyone helped.”

“We weren’t equipped to deal with so many people. Our eight-hour bar shifts lasted for thirteen. People were so grateful. They came from everywhere, there were so many languages being spoken!”

“The police kept coming. It was supposed to be a private area, not open to the public, but they couldn’t close it.

Where would everyone have gone? No authorities tried to help. The whole thing was extraordinary. I’m exhausted, but I wouldn’t have missed it... it was great in the end”.

The organiser was not available for comment.

Vallehermoso council was also conspicuously absent throughout. Asked, on day two, what it proposed to do about the total lack of sanitary facilities, Island Connections was told, “there’s nobody here to comment at the moment.” When pressed, the spokesman proffered, “this is a private affair.

People should complain to the organisers.”

The council’s repeated intention to attract tourists to Vallehermoso rings hollow.

There were between four and seven hundred visitors there for six days, suffering the consequences of a badly organised, fraudulent event.

Disaster was averted by individuals like Tanja, the visitors’ goodwill and the Castillo del Mar.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

CANARY ISLANDS

island where politicians are famously persuadable and a large company’s lobbying power is apparently limitless, the real issues are debated elsewhere.

INTER ISLAND TRANSPORT

Sad but true

Place your bets in any of the island’s numerous bars: a) How, exactly, will these particular facts be scrambled and rearranged, so that the big boys get the contract?

By Barbara Belt

L

a Gomera’s lost ferry saga lurches onwards.

Readers may remember the furore caused by the suspension of the Garajonay Exprés service, linking Los Cristianos, San Sebastián, Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey? The disappearance of the line, caused principally by regional government’s ponderous workings, has caused problems for islanders in general, but has hit students, the elderly and everyone connected with tourism very hard.

The sole beneficiaries of the disaster are the island’s taxi-drivers, whose raised prices have done nothing to ameliorate damaging transport problems now suffered by the island’s tourists.

Promises were made, by both the Cabildo and regional government that the situation, “would be resolved”, by December the nineteenth, when ferry companies interested in operating the line had to submit tenders.

The choice would be made, “promptly”, so that, “by late December”, the successful company would be notified, contracts drawn up and the green light given for the reinstatement of the ferry service, “early in the new year”.

Three tenders were submitted, with one obvious winner, given that only one of the companies owns

and offers two boats of the correct characteristics. (The line is difficult to operate well without two boats.)

Ustica Lines SPA is the company in question. The company offers its two boats, the Vittoria M and Ferdinando M, built in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Each can carry three hundred and sixty-four passengers. Both are able to dock at Playa Santiago, the smallest port on the route.

The two other bidders for the service are large, locally high-profile companies.

One offers just one, 1991 built, rented boat capable of fully covering the service, with capacity for two hundred and fifty passengers. A large back up boat, unable to dock in Santiago, will be used, “in conjunction with a bus service.” The other company also offers just one suitable, 1990 built, rented ferry, this time with no back up service at all. Not a difficult choice then you would think.

However, December the twenty-third was deadline day for the decision and a last minute announcement was made at ten that morning that the decision would, “be deferred until December the twenty-ninth.”

The reason given was that, “the members of the committee responsible for making a decision need more time to make a better assessment of the various tenders.”

Canarian Government

Rent aid to continue The Canarian government has promised to continue a scheme to encourage people with extra properties to rent them out, despite speculation that the programme is about to be dropped at national level.

The head of the regional Department of Housing, Jerónimo Fregel, said the 6,000 euro incentive to home owners to let their properties for five years remained a priority for the government, particularly at a time when buying a house has become virtually impossible for young couples.

According to Fregel, the incentive has been well received by owners, with a 200 per cent increase in the number of houses and flats signing up to the scheme in 2008, compared to 2007. According to recent reports, the Spanish government is dropping the incentive from its National Housing Plan for the next four years, a decision which will force the regional governments to offer the grant instead.

11

Ustica offer two boats of the correct characteristics

On December the twenty-seventh, a further announcement was made, “the meeting organised for the twenty-ninth of

December will not now take place.

The three companies concerned have been informed. The meeting has been postponed until

further notice.” So much for assurances and promises.

No reason was given for the further delay and so, as is customary on an

b)How long will it all take?

Questions about the identity of the committee members remain unanswered, as we go to press.

12

Tenerife South

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

COSTA DEL SILENCIO

PLAYA SAN JUAN

Medical centre saga The Guía de Isora council is to ask the Canarian government’s department for health to give it the responsibility for the completion of the medical centre in Playa San Juan.

Antonio Álvarez

Despite repeated promises made by the health department, the completion of the centre is now running two and a half years late.

Work began four years ago.

The council wants to put an end to the delay in the completion of this medical centre which should have been up and running since mid-2006.

To achieve this, the council is to formally request that the Canarian government’s department for health rescinds its contract with the constructor for failing to complete the project within the prescribed timescale, and that the authority and financing of the work be transferred to the council which can directly supervise its completion.

The final date up to which the works could have been completed under current conditions was reached in December, Despite this, the works are continuing, albeit at an agonisingly slow rate, and all indications point to

the fact that this situation is not likely to change.

Following 30 months’ delay, during which the council has repeatedly requested that an efficient solution be sought, no improvements have been noted.

Coinciding with the expiry date for the completion of the centre, the councillor for Guía de Isora’s health department, Antonio Álvarez, announced that he has formally demanded action, and that the department for health rescinds its contract with the constructor, which is incidentally the second to have been contracted, after the first company failed to comply. He wants the council to be responsible for contracting a new constructor and for directing the work on this medical centre which will ensure that the people of Playa San Juan have the best possible health service available as soon as possible.

The new medical centre was, in its time, planned to provide healthcare for more than 5,000 people in the Playa San Juan area. Today, the population of the town alone exceeds this figure.

More than 5,000 people and only one medical centre is clearly not enough.

Extended works The road improvement works which have already affected Calles Diana and José Antonio Tavío in Costa del Silencio are to be extended to include two more roads: Calles Minerva and De la Te.

The work, which is to be carried out during 2009, has a budget of over 1.7 million euros, and will include extensions to the pavements and parking areas, the creation of gardens, new road signs and the elimination of obstacles with the disabled in mind. At the same time, work will be done on the water supply, drainage and public lighting systems. The project is to be financed by the State local investment fund.

To minimise inconvenience to residents and visitors, the work will be undertaken in sections. The mayor of Arona, José Alberto González Reverón stated that, “this project is absolutely necessary due to the general bad condition of these roads which are situated in an area which has always been dedicated to tourism”.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

LOS CRISTIANOS

TENERIFE SOUTH

13

Adeje

Agricultural market opens In the swim The municipal swimming pool in Los Cristianos was used by around 15,000 people last year.

More than 800 people have visited this very popular pool every day, as well as the 2,800 children who have benefitted from the swimming programme which is organised jointly with CajaCanarias every summer.

It has also been chosen by more than 20 high level European swimming groups, who come from Germany, Sweden and Finland amongst others, thanks to the local climate and the quality of the installation which is the only municipal pool authorised by the Spanish swimming federation. It has also been the scene of various regional championships, training courses for lifesavers, entry tests for the security forces and is heavily used by groups of handicapped people due to the fact that it is equipped with a hydraulic chair.

The timetable for the Los Cristianos municipal swimming school has been altered, and the result of this has been a significant reduction in the waiting list for those wishing to take advantage of courses.

A new agricultural market in Adeje has been inaugurated by the mayor, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, the councillor for neighbourhood attention, municipal services and housing politics, González Delgado Díaz and the councillor for parks and gardens, medium altitude areas, agriculture and rural development, Elena Fumero Álvarez.

All the members of the Adeje association of countryside workers (ASTRACA) and other businesspeople of the district also attended, so that they could see the new market for themselves, which has been open to the public since 10th January.

During the inauguration, the mayor emphasised that, “we had an obligation to create, as a service for both farmers and consumers, an original and modern agricultural market, and that is what we have done”.

He stressed that, “this municipal infrastructure is

extremely important to us for various reasons, primarily because it brings us closer to an agricultural sector which we need to maintain and respect, as it forms part of the traditions which characterise us and make us unique”.

The Agromercado de Adeje is situated on a plot of 2,500 square metres in the Barranco de las Torres industrial area, with the building

itself occupying 600 square metres. It is divided into two parts, the first includes areas for reception, administration, and transformation and conservation of agricultural products.

The second area is for direct sales to the public.

There are 117 members and a maximum of 55 stalls which will display and sell high quality and

original fresh local products plus bakery, cheeses, wines and hand crafts. The mayor hopes that, “the producers and consumers will be encouraged to use this market and help it to work well, because in this way we will be contributing towards the development of new activities which will generate income and jobs, helping us to live a little better”.

14

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

TENERIFE SOUTH

ADEJE

Las Chafiras

Tree planting

San Miguel mayor, Valentín González

20 NEW TREES IN THE NEW URBAN PARK AT LAS NIEVES.

More roadworks

Students from the occupational workshop at Los Olivos in Adeje, which depends on the local council’s department for community wellbeing, recently planted 20 trees in the new urban park at Las Nieves. Each of these trees has been labelled with the name of the participating student. The happy event was also attended by the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, the councillor for community wellbeing, Carmen Nieves Rodríguez

and the managers of the company responsible for the park, IKA Garden, Sebastián and Juan Manuel Vargas.

The mayor commented that, “with this initiative, which was arranged jointly by the Adeje council and IKA Garden, the objective was that the students of the occupational workshop would feel that this urban park was theirs and that they will also be able to follow the growth of the different types of trees that they have planted”.

Carmen Nieves Rodríguez

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explained that, “this project, which fell within the workshop activities planned for 2008, complemented the therapies which are given to the students, as do music, dance, plastic arts, theatre, etc”.

She added that, “we understand that this project has also given the students’ families a breather and that it has not just been a symbolic act because the students can now watch their trees grow and visit the park for a very special reason”.

Sebastián and Juan Miguel Vargas see the Parque Urbano de Las Nieves not only as an open space for the whole family to use, but also as a tool for social integration, and insisted that, “the participation by the students of the occupational workshop at Los Olivos constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the park project because in this way, the local population have become more aware of the different realities which co-exist in the Adeje area”.

The San Miguel council has commenced work in the Las Chafiras area to improve rainwater drainage.

A budget of nearly 267,000 euros has been aside for the work which was deliberately not started until after the Christmas season in order to cause minimum inconvenience, and which should be completed within three months.

Valentín González, the mayor of the San Miguel council, stated that, “the work included within the first phase of this project affects all of Calle Uruguay and consists of the installation of a rainwater channel, new pipes for water supply and drainage, and the repair of the road surface in the affected area”. Calle Uruguay is the main route for those leaving the TF-1 motorway who wish to cross through the industrial estate to access the Calle Ten Bel area.

Vitelio Delgado, councillor for urbanisation, commented that, “the commencement of the work coincided with the end of the Christmas shopping campaign because we didn’t want to affect commercial activity in any way or cause more inconvenience than necessary”.

Delgado emphasised the importance of this type of work, with which the main centres of the district were being supplied with appropriate systems to absorb and channel rainwater, to avoid flooding problems and the risks which they pose.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

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16

Tenerife

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CASA CUNA

News in Brief

Oh what fun

MAN BITES WOMAN

Shop raider bites assistant A sales assistant in a pet shop in Cabo Blanco suffered an unusual injur y during a recent raid on the premises.

The shop was held up by a man who took the 80 euro takings from the till but was prevented from leaving by the woman, who grappled with him as he tried to make off. The raider proceeded to sink his teeth into her right arm in a bid to break free, causing an ugly bite wound which needed treatment. The 36-year-old robber, a local man, was later arrested by Arona police.

The incredulous assistant commented afterwards that she had worked in the shop for ages and had never suffered a bite from the animals in her care.

PHOTO COMPETITION

Almonds in bloom Great fun and lasting memories for kids who really need them There is a lot of charity work done in the south of Tenerife and this Christmas was no exception as on the 19th December Linekers bar welcomed the children of Casa Cuna orphanage

into the bar for their annual Christmas party.

The children were given a fantastic day with food supplied by Snappy’s bistro, Santa’s grotto and entertainment in the form of a magician. This year’s party was

organised by Mark Sibson from Direct Telecom with the usual suspects helping along the way. Even though business is tight at the moment many local businesses donated money but it was Resort Properties who re-

ally helped by donating nearly €700 which paid for the presents for the children and the transport to bring them to the south. The children went home with great presents and fantastic memories of a great day.

SAN MIGUEL DE ABONA

Bar owner serious after stabbing The owner of a bar in Las Chafiras in Tenerife was rushed to hospital in a serious condition after being stabbed by a customer who refused to pay his bill.

The owner of the Tasca Tara, just around the corner from the offices of this newspaper, tried to prevent the man and his girlfriend from leaving the premises

by blocking their path at the door of the bar shortly after 3am on Thursday January 8th.

However, the customer, a 23-yearold local man, picked up a steak knife from a table and plunged it into his ribs and ran off. He was arrested a short time later by police as he hid in a nearby street. As we go to press the condition of the owner is unknown.

If you’re planning to take part in the annual almond blossom walk on Februar y 7th of this year why not take your camera with you.

The Santiago del Teide council are organising a photography competition for non-professional photographers of all ages and nationalities with the walk as the theme. Entrants can submit up to three photographs, either in colour or black and white, and will have up until March 5th to present their entry.

Prizes of €300, €200 and €150 will be awarded for the top three entries and all the photographs submitted will go on display at the town hall central patio for two weeks. More information from Santiago del Teide council offices, 922-86-31-27 ext. 234-235.

LEGAL ACTION

Arona police appointment The association of senior local police officers in Tenerife has threatened legal action against Arona council over the appointment of its new head of police.

The council announced recently that it had chosen an officer from mainland Spain to occupy the post rather than appoint the current acting head, who has been in the post for eight years. The news prompted an angry reaction by the association, which says the town’s mayor has “broken all the rules” by not organising a selection procedure in the Canaries to fill the vacancy. “This is not an objective procedure based on merit and we will challenge the decision in the courts if necessary to have it reviewed” said a spokesman.

The Media Group under one roof Island Connections | English newspaper Kanaren Express | German newspaper The Magazine | English magazine Express FM | German radio C/Francisco C/F i Feo F Rodríguez, R dí No. 6, Pol. Ind. Las Chafiras. 38620 San Miguel de Abona · Tenerife · Tel: +34 922 750 609 · Fax: +34 922 795810

island connections media group

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

17

TRANSPORT FINANCE

Guía de Isora

Bank backs southern train

Car park plans Plans have recently been published by the Cabildo’s tourism depar tment in the of ficial provincial bulletin (BOP) for the construction of a car park in Guía de Isora town centre, with a budget of just over 1.8 million euros and a completion period of 18 months.

The plans for this project, the news of which should be welcomed by local residents, are on public display at the town hall and anyone who is interested in registering their objections can do so before 28th January.

Accor ding to local newspaper Diario de Avisos, Héctor Gómez, Guía de Isora´s councillor for tourism and local development, explained that this project forms part of the island plan for touristic infrastructures which is coordinated by

TENERIFE

the Cabildo. The idea is to create a car park with more than 90 places in the area of El Pilón which should meet the requirements in the town centre where the auditorium, local council and cultural centre are also located.

The car park would be partially underground with an open space on the upper floor.

Gómez hopes that work will begin during this year.

He also explained that this project forms par t of a municipal plan for public car parking, and it is hoped that plans will move ahead for others in the area such as La Mandiola in Alcalá.

There are also plans for new parking areas in Playa San Juan, and for this project there is a competition running to find the best ideas.

Despite a disappointing and heavily criticised offer from the central Government’s Ministry of Development, the tinerfeñan Cabildo has received the go ahead on finance from the European Investment Bank (BEI).

Island president, Ricardo Melchior, was scathing in his criticism of the proposal from the Ministry in an interview on Canal 4 television calling the cash on the table offer of five million euros, “taking the mickey.”

Melchior fumed, “five million euros, when the Ministry spends thousands of millions of euros on the trains.

I don’t want to take anything from the Andalusian train or that of Aragón or Castilla, all I am asking for is that we, who represent four per cent of the population, should be given four percent of the Development budget (20 million euros), although I should ask for more, eight, nine or 10 per cent because they have done nothing for

Ricardo Melchior accused the Ministry of, “taking the mickey”

us in all these years. Instead of that they offer us 0.01 per cent – that’s the great contribution of the Ministry.

He also pointed out that where in other regions, the Ministry had paid for the draft projects, the compulsory purchase orders and the work, the Cabildo had ordered and paid for the draft projects for the southern and northern trains and arranged

for the land necessary to be reserved in the island urban development plans. Nor are they asking for all the cash for construction, this is to be raised in a similar finance system as the tram, with a mixed private/public participation and they now have the BEI’s agreement to finance the construction.

Island politicians hope that the southern train will be up

and running by 2017. It will join Santa Cruz with Playa de las Américas in 35 minutes, with a further extension planned to the new port at Fonsalía in Guía de Isora.

It will take passengers and goods with stops in Guía, Torviscas, Los Cristianos, Reina Sofía airport, San Isidro, Fasnia, Candelaria, Acorán and the central junction in Santa Cruz.

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EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

TENERIFE

HIKING

News in Brief :

New routes for tourists The experienced team of guides and environmental educators of El Cardón are now offering a series of walks specifically aimed at the tourists.

The island’s walking areas are stunning but can be enhanced a thousand fold if you have a good guide to tell you, for example, which are the endemic plants which only grow in that area and nowhere else in the world, which insect helps in the composting of Teide’s white broom, how to touch the top of Teide whilst standing several miles away in the Bolico heights or which stone floats, which wood sinks and which tree weeps.

The staff of El Cardón has been showing the wonders

of Tenerife to a wide range of people and age groups for 10 years now and their presentations and professionalism is superb. The new routes will be running regularly on specific days every month.

The marvels of the laurel forests is on offer every Tuesday in the Monte de Agua, El Teide is the setting on the first Saturday of the month and the Masca ravine on the second Saturday of the month.

Caving in the world famous San Marco cave takes place on the third Saturday of the month and kayaking off Punta de Teno is reserved for the fourth Saturday of each month.

For more information contact 922 127 938 or email info@elcardon.com.

ALCAMPO

Touch the top of Teide from Bolico

Ciber action

Protect the breeding grounds link from http://www. ecologistasenaccion.org/ spip.php?article12974 will prompt an email to be sent to the Ministers for the Environment in both the central Government and here in the Canaries.

The message in Spanish states that the breeding grounds are a key factor in the maintenance of the already deteriorated marine biodiversity of the Canaries.

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to reduce their level of protection based on totally false arguments with little investigation, I support the application of well known members of the Canarian scientific community in asking your Ministry to classify the local breeding grounds as a habitat in danger of disappearance.”

Click on the link to register your support.

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Ben Magec has launched an Internet action to protect the breeding grounds around the coast.

They are worried that many of the actions planned by the Canarian Government and backed financially by the central Spanish Government will have an irreversible effect on the breeding grounds around the coast and a subsequent effect on the biodiversity of the Canarian waters.

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Ben Magec want to save the breeding grounds

Puerto de Santiago

New cultural centre planned According to Santiago del Teide mayor Juan Damián Gorrín Ramos work on a new cultural centre for Puerto de Santiago should begin soon, with no bureaucratic hold-ups envisaged as this is a local project with local financing. When complete, the new building, billed as a tourist and cultural centre, will have three floors with various spaces and utilities at the disposal of residents and visitors. There will also be a theatre/auditorium on the third floor with 432 seats, dressing rooms, toilets, lifts, a box office and a terrace. Downstairs people will have access to a number of multipleuse salons and meeting

Puerto de Santiago to have a cultural centre

rooms, a library and archive and a cafeteria. According to Ramos the cost of the building should be in the region of three million euros, and once completed will be “a key installation” for the area. He also told local paper Diario de Avisos that such a centre was “fundamental for the local populace”. It will be similar in

its offer to those centres already operating in Adeje and Guía de Isora, adding to the working network of structures of this type in the south east of Tenerife.

A large urban park to be developed alongside the new centre is also planned, work on which could begin as early as March of this year.

Uncertainty continues La Laguna mayor Fer nando Clavijo, is convinced that the shopping galler y at Alcampo will not be demolished, but acknowledges that it may have to undergo a change of use.

The Supreme Court has already ordered that the extension to the Alcampo shopping centre be demolished, but instructions to actually do so have never been issued. The extension has a works licence, although its commercial licence has been withdrawn.

Several points need to be clarified, bearing in mind there are a series of businesses operating legally from the gallery, and Clavijo stated, “the cour t must inform us whether or not the premises can be legalised”.

Meanwhile, Fedeco (the Tenerife business federation) has recently announced that it will be denouncing La Laguna’s council and the Canarian gover nment in the anti-corruption court for allowing a shopping centre which fails to comply with the law to remain open.

The case is a complicated one which the mayor described as, “a gallery with 14 establishments inside, all with a commercial and opening licence. But the gallery doesn’t have a specific commercial licence”.

GÜÍMAR

No to fish farms The mayor of Güímar, Rafael Yanes, recently met the president of the local fishing association to discuss the impact on the coastline of the proposed installation of fish farms off the beaches of El Socorro and El Puertito.

Both the mayor and members of the association are strongly opposed to the development of fish farms in this area, an activity which, according to experts, must be carried out in areas with calm seas to avoid contamination of beaches. The fishermen are especially put out because their fishing areas have already been limited and look to be reduced further.

They have asked the councils of the five municipalities which form the association – Güímar, Arafo, Arico, Candelaria and Fasnia – to join forces in their opposition.

Yanes emphasised that the beaches at El Socorro and El Puertito are the most popular bathing areas in Güímar, and for this reason he has given his total support.

19

TENERIFE

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

LA LAGUNA

Three Kings

Helicopter scare Cutbacks by the Canarian government almost altered the format of this year’s Three Kings celebrations in the Tenerife capital.

Thousands of children looked is if they would be disappointed at not being able to see the gift-bearing Kings land in the middle of the city’s football stadium by helicopter, as has been the tradition for many years.

The Kings’ request for the aircraft was turned down by the regional government for financial reasons and the Council opted not to charter one for the day, again due to the high cost.

A Canarian government spokesman said that advance notice had been given to the organisers of the event over a month beforehand that the cutbacks would deprive them of the usual loan of the helicopter, as all, “unnecessary uses” had been banned to save money.

Negotiations with the Fire Brigade led to a new format for the arrival (in fire engines) but the Spanish army helped out at the last minute and offered one of its choppers to save the day.

Crisis fall out

Carnival Museum put on hold Plans for a carnival museum in Santa Cruz have been put on ice by the local city council due to the current economic crisis.

The project was due to get under way shortly but the corporation now feels that the 4.5 million euro cost is inappropriate in the current climate. Fiestas councillor Maribel Oñate has confirmed that the museum, which will exhibit items associated with the capital’s carnival over many decades, will still go ahead but the plans have been shelved for at least a couple of years.

Harpoon attack

Point taken A row between two brothers ended with one in prison and the other in hospital.

A noisy altercation between the two siblings in their home in an apartment building where they live in Tacoronte was apparently over the volume of the music one of them was playing. In the heat of the moment, or so it is assumed, one of the two fetched a harpoon and shot his brother in the leg with it, perforating his left thigh. Given the gravity of the injury, the shooter himself phoned the emergency services who took his brother to hospital while the former was detained by the police.

Farmers’ market closed La Laguna council has ordered the closure of the popular farmers’ market after 45 years in operation.

Stallholders were notified of the decision recently and are far from optimistic that the closure will be reversed, despite growing support, including a petition, from the public. The shut-down is the last stage in a tense battle triggered by complaints from stallholders in the covered part of the market that their counterparts outside have repeatedly breached rules governing local origins of produce sold.

The covered market can sell fruit and vegetables from any source, whereas those outside must sell their own produce or that bought from local farmers only. 15 families are at risk of going out of business due to the decision, which has been welcomed by all but one of the indoor stallholders.

Commenting on the closure, butcher Benito Díaz slammed the council for not acting to close down the extension at the Alcampo shopping centre despite several court orders ruling that the new shops were built without the correct planning permission. “They (the council) are afraid to take on the big guns but are happy to close down people who have earned their living for 45 years here,” he said.

The market’s oldest trader, 71-year-old Venancia Delgado, broke down in tears when the notifications were received from the council. “I have been here most of my life and have grown old at my stall. Who will take care of the families who have been thrown out?” she told local paper El Día, which has provided extensive coverage of the controversial closure.

Traders criticised unequal treatment with shopkeepers in the Alcampo centre

Cathedral restoration work to start Work to restore La Laguna’s cathedral is due to start in earnest in a few months after seven years of delays.

Repeated disputes between the local authorities, the Bishop’s Office and the Ministry of Culture in Madrid over which parts will have to be demolished due to safety concerns have held up the project but it now seems that progress will be faster following the awarding of the tender to a prominent

Tenerife architect, who has taken six months to draw up the definitive plans for the restoration of the roof and dome. The Cathedral’s Dean says he anticipates work proper to begin in June once the plans are finalised.

1. 5 million euros have been allocated from the state budget to fund the roof work. The announcement has been welcomed by the city’s tourism authorities, who say the permanent closure has been a source of frequent complaints by foreign visitors to La Laguna.

The restoration work should start shortly on this landmark building

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20

HOROSCOPE

Horoscope

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Period: 16th -30th Jan 2009

Aquarius 20th January to 18th February Seek out groups of people who hold similar views or who might challenge you in interesting ways. It’s a great way to rekindle romantic feelings, too! You might need to deal with an electrical or communications glitch, but once it’s fixed, all systems are go!

Pastime

Crossword

Pisces 19th February to 20th March Work issues dominate, so expect plenty of time away from home (at least mentally). Your positive energy helps you with closing deals and signing new agreements and you should proceed at full speed. Be extremely loving, but be sure to reserve some love for yourself!

Aries 21st March to 19th April You could find yourself getting upset and unable to explain why. Just sit it out.

Later, you should be ready to take action at a moment’s notice. It’s a good time to make positive progress on your plans and you may find your passions revived.

Taurus 20th April to 20th May You’re feeling pretty good, if a little uncertain, and you may find that your social standing improves without your having to do much. It’s a good time to work with large groups. Keep smiling as much as you can while frustrating obstacles get in your way.

Gemini 21st May to 21st June Slow down and don’t take on too much - if you move too quickly, you will only have to backtrack in the future. You may want to just let others take all the risks.

Work should go well and your social life becomes rather interesting.

Cancer 22nd June to 22nd July Follow your own intuition, it doesn’t usually let you down. Your mind will be quite active and you need to act as thoughtfully as possible. Big issues are important to you and your philosophising may result in big changes if you decide the time is right.

Leo 23rd July to 22nd August You’re entirely focused on personal issues, and you can see what your friends and family are going through. Look at people more skeptically and don’t expect lies so much as misunderstandings, though. Romance and new beginnings are on your mind this month.

Virgo 23rd August to 22nd September Something small attracts your attention and curiosity. Your creative energy opens up and you should be able to have fun with it if you let your mind roam. You may fancy some time off to hang out on your own, if you can pull it off.

Libra 23rd September to 22nd October You must decide between your giving and your needy sides. You can compromise, but it might take some effort. Ideals are important, and if you can bring your work and home lives back in line with your beliefs, you should start to feel much better.

Sudoku

Scorpio 23rd October to 21st November You feel amazingly confident in your abilities and should make the most use of them as possible. You might just blow away the competition! New people and new experiences come your way. Enjoy them but make sure that you separate your fantasy life from reality.

Sagittarius 22nd November to 21st December Spend time taking care of your own needs and building up your means of selfsufficiency as best you can. Your intellect is busting out with all sorts of great ideas so bounce them off friends and colleagues. You might dream up a winner!

Capricorn 22nd December to 19th January Call a good friend or relative - someone is just waiting for your call. If you’re feeling down, just persevere through the darkness. You should start to see glimmers of hope and remarkable success soon after that. Your hard work pays off so relax and celebrate.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Letters

YOUR OPININION

21

Vox Populi

editorial@ic-news.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

No cats need apply Dear Editor Though I have lived here for many years and am a regular reader of your paper, therefore quite up on the situation regarding abandoned animals in Tenerife, even I wasn’t aware that officialdom would appear to discriminate between cats and dogs...but this, so it would seem, is the case, in Adeje at least.

The other day I was walking my dog in Callao Salvaje when I spotted a small cat – well a kitten – on the road who was obviously in some distress.

She was lifting her front paws and head but unable to move her back legs. She was lying in the middle of the road, no doubt the victim of an early morning hit and run.

We picked her up and though she would appear to be a street cat she allowed me to carry her into the garage where I found a box for her and got into the car to find help. Asking for directions to a vet in Playa Paraíso, a local taxi driver advised that I take the animal to the municipal rubbish offices just by the La Atalaya roundabout (opposite the Punto Limpio) as they took in abandoned cats and dogs.

This was welcome news indeed.

We (me, the cat and a very concerned three-year old) drove there at once and went to the office where we were met by a less than sympathetic man who was not in the least bit impressed by my story. ‘You can leave it here but probably no-one

will come and look at it’ I was told and when I asked did he mean that the kitten would just be left to die in the box the response was a shrug of the shoulders. ‘Abandoned dogs are looked after, but cats....’ was the only explanation. Quite astonishing.

Of course we didn’t leave the cat there but drove to K9, where the very caring Hazel took over and as I write the letter the kitten is in the care of a vet. She has a broken knee and possible internal injuries. There was no hesitation on the part of K9, even though this is a street kitten, and the chances of a home for her are slim. What happens next depends on her injuries, the vet and donations – to save her she may need a knee operation which would cost a few hundred euros.

So, are there people out there who would help cover the cost of such an operation – can I ask that if they are they contact K9. Even if this particular kitten cannot be saved, a donation to this organisation is always a worthwhile investment.

A big thanks to the audience, who braved monsoon conditions and unfamiliar terrain to attend the performance. Thankfully from all the congratulations received, they felt it well worth the effort. A round of applause greeted the announcement

Though I have my residence in England I have my own apartment here in Tenerife.

Whenever I can I come here and stay for a while. Why Tenerife? Because of the climate.

Brian, CALLAO SALVAJE I was suffering from osteoporosis and back pain. A specialist in England recommended Tenerife to me to alleviate my pains. I have lived here for ten years now and the back pain has never returned.

Yours A concerned resident Callao Salvaje

Dear Editor

Everyone was so helpful, The Library Volunteers, All Saints, the Escuela de Idiomas, friends, and of course the cast. Unfailing good humour, willingness to “put themselves about”, and a constant striving for perfection. What more could anyone ask for?

Jeanette, LANCASHIRE/GOLF DEL SUR

I still want to know though why abandoned dogs are considered worthy of Adeje’s official attention but cats no! Can anyone out there give me the answer?

Tenerife Travellers My thanks are due to all those who helped to make the Christmas Extravaganza (performed by The Tenerife Travellers at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, Agustin de Bethancourt, Puerto de la Cruz) such a success.

Why did you choose Tenerife as a place to live?

that The Tenerife Travellers will be presenting an extraordinary production to honour the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II (April 21st) and wave the flag for St. George (April 23rd).

Gisela, PALM MAR

Janette, ARMEÑIME

We came every year for holiday when we were still working. Now we are pensioners and live for six months of the year in Germany and the rest of the time in Tenerife. We like the variety in Tenerife, the different landscapes and the alternative activity choices.

After six years of hard working in Ergotherapy in Germany I needed “time out” and started work experience abroad for six months. I worked for the Asociación San Juan, an association that is working with disabled persons. I then found the love of my life here in Tenerife and returned. The association also offered me a job. I recently had a baby and I am staying for good.

Ursula, PLAYA SAN JUAN

Peter, LOS CRISTIANOS

When I first came to Tenerife in 1987 for holidays I felt that the weather and climate were good for my health. Then I became seriously ill and returned for a course of treatment. I then decided to stay during the cold winter months in Tenerife and spend the summer months in Germany.

The reasons to live here: the weather, the food, the sporting possibilities. I windsurf in El Médano and cycle.

The cast are already straining at the leash, longing to see what challenges face them. Book the date Friday 21st April, brush up tiaras and medals, shake the dust from your flags and there will be a celebration that will never be forgotten.

If you want the fun to start earlier, leave your name at the English Library or contact me direct on 922 585 003.

You will discover talents you never even knew you had.

Brenda Baraona.

22

Tenerife North

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

PUERTO DE LA CRUZ

NORTH NOT WORKING

Cat and mouse games

Jobless rising

The regional nationalist tourism chief, José Bermudez, has accused the socialist council in Puerto de la Cruz of playing a cat and mouse game with regards reactivating the town as a prime tourist resort.

Small retailers in Icod are running into deep trouble

The regional chamber of commerce released sad statistics late in 2008. They simply confirmed the worrying unemployment trend which is being pushed to the limit by the economic crisis.

The number of people looking for work in the Canary Islands has risen sharply to 18 per cent of the working population.

This puts the Canaries in the third worst position, in front of Melilla and Andalucía, traditionally the poorest autonomies in terms of unemployment.

The number of people on the dole queue in the north of Tenerife by the end of November had reached 24,200. This means that 30 per cent of all jobless in Tenerife come from the northern regions. The worst hit towns have been Icod, where small retailers are running into deep trouble, Los Realejos, which has a large population of

construction workers, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. Nearly 14,000 of those now on the dole have lost jobs in estate agencies, shops and the hotel industry.

Over six thousand come from the building trade. Assistance is due from the Spanish government which has released 8,000 million euros for use by town councils to provide jobs with public works and other projects and towns in the north of Tenerife are due to get between four and seven million euros towards job creation schemes.

In Icod 90 of the hardest hit families are to receive help from the council simply to help pay household bills. The council itself has been given 59,000 euros towards that initiative and some of that cash will pay the families’ electricity and water bills, as well as helping towards essential reforms and household appliances.

Puerto. It would be the most logical step. After all they have a governing alliance at regional level.

Meanwhile, Lola Padrón as socialist mayor has been unable to convince the voters and she seemed to be being outshone consistently by her number two, Coello, who now appears to have become suddenly deliberately quiet.

Therefore the time might be temptingly ripe for a vote of no confidence in the socialist leadership.

However, there are two reasons why the nationalists

in Puerto, led by veteran politician and twice mayor, Marcos Brito, might still bide their time. The main reason is that Eva Navarro, whom Brito cannot stand, is still leader of the local PP conservatives. The other is that he said back in October that he would not provoke a vote of confidence and would support the socialists in sound policy decisions.

Nevertheless he is a politician, and although he cannot be seen to be in too much of a hurry to grab power again, the temptation

and the pressures to do so might be too much. On the other hand, no sensible politician wants to be at the helm during an economic crisis, even if the town badly needs strong government to see it through the storm. What might sway the decision would be if the regional conservatives sacrificed Eva Navarro and asked her to move on. That possibility would seem to be very much on the cards and necessary in terms of future conservative progress in Puerto de la Cruz.

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He was particularly critical of socialist councillor and deputy mayor, Jaime Coello, who accused the nationalist government early in December of punishing Puerto simply because it wasn’t run by fellow CC nationalists. In fact it would seem to be clear that behind all the talk is a carefully orchestrated campaign to try to speed up a possible return to power by the nationalists in Puerto.

This would imply the local nationalists asking the conservative PP group to sign another governing pact.

Their past alliance ended in bitter recriminations and the conservatives then joined the socialists in an unlikely alliance which came to an abrupt and expected end last autumn.

There are indeed definite moves being made towards a new agreement between the nationalists and the conservatives from outside

Marcos Brito has reasons to bide his time

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Masca access

Beware the falling rocks A huge rock tumbled onto the access road to Masca from Santiago del Teide on New Year’s Day. Local inhabitants said it was lucky it happened in the early hours when there was no traffic about. The authorities cut the road off with barriers, meaning anyone wanting to get to the village’s tourist attractions and to the deep gorge would have to take a long detour via Buenavista.

However the barriers didn’t stop clever tourists who simply went around them. It is thought the rock fall was caused by the heavy rains on 30th December, a reminder that falling rocks are a common phenomenon during heavy winter rains.

Health warning

Mushroom alert Three people have needed medical attention after eating poisonous mushrooms recently.

One of the three was so badly affected that he is now on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

The mushrooms were collected in La Esperanza and Santa Úrsula and warning notices have now been posted. If you are not absolutely sure of a species take them to a specialist before eating them.

TENERIFE NORTH

23

FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HILL

A flying boat over Puerto

By John Young

AN AFTERNOON TEA ON THE 9TH JANUARY WAS SUDDENLY DISRUPTED BY A DISTANT DRONE.

Passengers travelled in great style on board

An entry in the diary of a British resident living in Puerto de la Cruz in 1956 remarks on how the routine of afternoon tea on the veranda with her baby daughter on the 9th January was suddenly disrupted by a distant drone.

It had made her shiver because the noise was similar to the sound of a German bomber high over her father’s farm in Kent as it headed to release bombs on the London docks during the war. It was certainly an aeroplane but she knew it wasn’t the usual roar of the island-hopping Dakota on its way to the landing

field in La Palma. As she searched in the sky the drone turned magnificently into the impressive roar of a huge sea plane making a triumphant pass over the northern coastline of Tenerife.

What she didn’t know was that her cousin Tom was a passenger on the plane and that this once in a lifetime flight over Puerto de la Cruz was the result of another of his entrepreneurial ideas.

That Short Solent flying boat belonged to Aquila Airways Ltd. The company began a regular service from Southampton after its founder, Barry Aikman,

bought a number of the aircraft from BOAC, which was withdrawing its fleet of sea planes. To begin with they were just used as freight carriers but they were later converted into luxury passenger aircraft for the new tourism routes.

The company’s first holiday route was to Madeira via Lisbon but they later extended it to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and opened new routes to Capri, Santa Margarita and Montreux.

The cost of a return ticket to Madeira was £87, the equivalent of £1,700 today.

So passengers travelled in great comfort and were

served with ‘silver service’, reflecting early days of tourism when standards were expected to be extremely high.

It was a time when the thoughts of attracting mass tourism to the Valley of La Orotava were beginning to take shape and the British lady’s diary seemed rather sceptical and concerned about her cousin, Tom’s ideas. He wanted Aquila Airways to fly to Tenerife as well as to Las Palmas. That is the reason he was on that Short Solent flying boat and why he had agreed with the company and pilot Jim Broadbent to make a small diversion, by flying round the coast of Tenerife before continuing on their way to Las Palmas. Naturally passengers on their way to holiday in Las Palmas were thrilled.

Teide was sparkling with a fresh coat of snow and the Orotava Valley, even for an instant as the flying boat passed by, was an enticing vision of paradise.

Sadly the Aquila Airlines flying boats never came to Tenerife. The idea never prospered. To begin with the local authorities took their time to digest the initiative, especially as the aircraft would have to

compete for space with ships in the Santa Cruz harbour. Landing in the rarely calm seas off Puerto de la Cruz was simply out of the question. But tragedy was to mark the end to Aquila Airlines just two years after that flying boat disrupted the lady’s afternoon tea on the veranda in Puerto.

A Solent flying boat on its way to Las Palmas developed engine trouble soon after taking off from Southampton and crashed on the Isle of Wight. The crew and all 35 passengers were killed. As a result confidence in the safety of those flying ships began to falter. At the same time it became known that Aquila had begun to have difficulty finding spare parts for the aircraft.

They were forced to cease trading in 1958.

Coincidentally it was the same year when Jim Broadbent, who flew that magnificent flying boat past Puerto de la Cruz in January 1956, is presumed to have died. He had begun to fly for a Portuguese airline called ARTOP and no trace was ever found of him after he radioed to say he was making an emergency landing in the Atlantic.

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24

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

TENERIFE NORTH

MARINE BIODIVERSITY

Marine conservation

Humpbacks off the northwest

Fish cage sites in the south have been controversial

No fish farms please

Experts believe that the whales may be taking a liking to the islands They have never been frequent visitors to these islands but the sight of a mother humpback whale and her newborn of the northwest coast of Tenerife has thrilled whale experts who think they may be taking a liking to the archipelago.

SECAC, the regional Society for the Study of Whales, has recorded spot-

ting only about a dozen of the humpback whale species in Canary Island waters in the last ten years, including one which got confused and beached itself on the south of Gran Canaria in the 1990s.

But in 2008 there were two sightings, which the Society considers very exciting news. Teo Lucas, a member of SECAC and a

whale expert, photographed the mother and baby humpbacks on 6th December off Teno Point. He had been looking for them after locals had reported spotting whales off the coast below El Guincho, between Icod and Garachico and believed their presence confirmed that the humpback had actually chosen these waters to give birth in, a clear sign that

she felt at ease here. Indeed Lucas thought their being here was a sign that protection measures against whaling were having an effect, although climate changes might also have something to do with it.

He said it had been magnificent to be able to photograph the 17 metre whale and her baby at such close range.

The town council in Los Realejos has asked the regional government’s fisheries department not to permit fish farms to be set up along the northern coastline.

Although these marine fish farm techniques, which have been so controversial in the south of Tenerife, are considered beneficial in certain areas, the north coast, especially along the northwest, is supposed to be part of a protected area.

It is believed placing the required cages along the north coast would not only damage the natural marine ecosystem but

also provide an ugly visual impact, just when efforts are trying to be made to actually lessen ugly structures so as to attract better tourism.

Besides, investigations have revealed that fish farms do produce a large quantity of residual organic material which might have a lasting negative effect on the local marine environment. One of the negative effects, especially in areas close to important ravines like the Ruiz barranco, protected partly because of bird species in the area, is that the fish farms would attract more seagulls.

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TENERIFE NORTH

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

25

XENOPHOBE CRITICISM

Icod budget Confrontation was avoided and the budget approved

Mayor won’t budge In his usual style, Isaac Valencia, the longstanding Mayor of La Orotava, refuses to accept that his use of words at the CC nationalist’s party conference back in December may have been a trifle inadequate.

Political crisis called off The opposition socialists at the Town Hall in Icod had probably been hoping for a political crisis involving the governing alliance between the majority CC nationalists and their PP conservative partners over the budget.

However the conservatives had second thoughts at the last minute and decided to vote in favour of the 2009 budget after all. The socialists were left alone in opposition as the budget was approved.

They accused the nationalists of producing a very

stingy proposal, ignoring claims that strict spending controls were inevitable in these times of economic crisis.

Understandably the socialists were highly critical with the reduction of five per cent in money set aside for education, culture, sports and youth programmes. However they would not take into consideration the fact that the 16.8m euros budget is only 1.2 per cent less than 2008’s or that 9.5 per cent more is being spent on the social services, equal opportunities and citizen participation initiatives.

During a controversial speech at the conference he referred to the Canary Islands being at the mercy of “the Moors”, a derogatory term for the Moroccan neighbours from where so many of the island’s illegal immigration and sometimes petty criminal elements arrive. Despite being told off by his own party members for not being politically correct, and although he was suddenly left without open support, he refused to apologise. In fact, during the last council meeting in 2008 the conglomeration of left wing opposition groups proposed that a programme should be introduced to prevent racism and xenophobia in La Orotava.

The mayor’s own nationalist councillors voted in favour.

Isaac Valencia abstained.

Mayor Valencia refuses to back down

He continues to believe, as perhaps many local people do, that the islands could be invaded slowly by this continuing flow of illegal immigrants, and that Madrid should be doing a great deal more to prevent it.

Valencia is an experienced politician and has always had a tendency to know how to reach the heart of the real

grass root local. In times of economic crisis and rising unemployment, and when support for the nationalists has fallen, there is no subject more conveniently tender to touch than the concern about the foreigner taking over. Nevertheless one of his lieutenants, Juan Dómiz, did attempt to defend his boss by suggesting his words at the

conference had been taken out of context. “He is in fact a tolerant man!” said Dómiz.

The opposition would have none of that and rubbed it in by suggesting that if the mayor were indeed such a tolerant man, he had missed a wonderful opportunity to apologise for possibly offending the Moroccans and other immigrants.

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Gran Canaria

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

23 FESTIVAL CONCERTS

News in Brief

Auditorium stages all

PROSTITUTION RACKET DISCOVERED

Fake passport lead A fake Lithuanian passport detected by police in Gran Canaria has led to the arrest of six people and the break-up of a network that supplied counterfeit documents to Russian prostitutes working on the island.

The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas has a monopoly on the concerts organised in Gran Canaria as part of this year’s Canarian Classical Music Festival.

The discovery was triggered after suspicions were raised with regard to a passport presented by a foreign woman who worked at a wellknown lap dancing club in Las Palmas. Checks in Lithuania revealed that the passport had been stolen some time ago and had been used to copy other passports which were distributed to Russian prostitutes, in some cases prior to arrival in the Canaries to enable them to enter as EU nationals. Police say the fake passports were sold for up to 2,000 euros. One of the six people arrested is a man from Las Palmas, while the other five are all Russian or Lithuanian.

All 23 performances on the island between 10 January and 16 February are being staged at the venue, including three by the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra. Other highlights include concerts by the Vienna Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the traditional appearances by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra.

Featured composers in this year’s Festival programme include Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schubert and Strauss.

Tickets for the concerts can be obtained directly from the Auditorium or on the Caja de Canarias hotline 902 405504.

CUSTOMERS’ MONEY STOLEN

Bank manager re-arrested A former bank manager from Agüimes in Gran Canaria has been arrested for a second time in connection with the disappearance of almost one million euros from customer deposits.

All 23 concerts are to be held in the Auditorium

Swimmers reject council

Beijing duo refuse Carnaval offer Two Gran Canarian medal winners from the Beijing Olympics have turned down the offer of a prominent role in this year’s Las Palmas Carnaval.

The pair, synchronised swimming silver medallists Paola Tirados and Thais Henríquez, are believed to have withdrawn after failing to reach an agreement with the city council over payment for their participation in the event that traditionally kicks off the festivities. According to lo

cal media reports, just 300 euros were offered for the appearance at the official launch, a fraction of the fee paid to local actress Antonia Sanjuan in 2007 for a similar role. Instead, two local Olympic yachtsmen Aaron Sarmiento and Orán Barreiros, and blind swimmer Enhamed Mohamed who picked up four golds in the Paralympics- have been recruited for the event.

The man was quizzed about the missing money back in September but was released due to lack of evidence. However, police and the bank now say they have solid proof that he was behind the siphoning off of large sums of money from accounts over two-years up until last summer.

SPEED OPERATION

British woman arrested A 39-year-old British woman was one of nine people arrested in Gran Canaria following the break-up of a speed distribution ring.

Police seized 2.5 kilos of amphetamine sulphate in raids carried out in the first week of January. The gang is said to have distributed an average of four kilos of the substance every month for conversion into speed, which was sold in well-known tourist nightspots. The other people arrested are two Belgians and six Spaniards, the majority of whom have previous drug convictions. Several luxury cars and a substantial sum of money were also seized in the raids, according to local media reports.

Paola Tirados, one of the swimmers who rejected the council’s offer

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By Barbara Belt

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Migration

First boat of 2009 The first migrant boat of the year to arrive in the Canaries landed in La Gomera and not the more frequently-used ports of Los Cristianos in Tenerife or Arguineguín in Gran Canaria.

Almost 80 males from different countries in subSaharan Africa made their way by sea to Valle Gran Rey, a short distance from the Hotel Gran Rey in the La Puntilla district of the coastal town. Locals who spotted the wooden boat around daybreak as it approached to within a few hundred metres of the shore near the hotel alerted the authorities and by the time the migrants were escorted into the nearby harbour a small team of volunteers was on hand to provide treatment for hypothermia and other conditions suffered by the occupants as a result of their ocean ordeal. The anguished arrival was in marked contrast to the stop-over just a few days before by the cruise liner, the Balmoral which was paying its first ever visit to Valle Gran Rey’s newly developed harbour as reported on page 8.

La Gomera

DRUGS HAUL

Cocaine mystery

By Barbara Belt

The drugs were washed up on Vallehermoso’s beach

Northern town Vallehermoso was the scene of a recent mystery drugs haul, when twenty kilos of high grade cocaine mysteriously appeared on its rocky beach.

The cocaine, in sixteen packages, was found by two employees whilst cleaning the beach area at nine thirty one morning.

Some of the packages were open, revealing smaller packages inside.

The older of the two men cut one open with his penknife and dismissed the white powdery substance that spilt out, “as lime, or something like that.”

His companion, a younger man, thought it strange that lime was packed in packages marked with the word ‘JUST’ and remembered seeing pictures of similar packages on television news of drug hauls. He telephoned the local police. The municipal police duly notified the

Guardia Civil and between them they gathered the packages from various points on the shoreline and took them for testing. The cocaine was subsequently discovered to be, “of great purity,” according to the Guardia Civil and was obviously was still uncut, as it was pronounced by the police to be, “of ninety-eight per cent purity.”

Street value was estimated by the police at between one and a half and two million

euros. Most cocaine on sale on the street is cut with a variety of diluting agents, white powders ranging from aspirin or amphetamine, to Ajax bathroom cleaner. The obvious motive is to increase profit and these substances are added as it passes down the line of sale, often many times.

The cocaine so routinely bought all over the Canary Islands for casual so-called recreational use may be as little as fifteen to twenty per cent pure.

The Vallehermoso cocaine was obviously destined to be processed in the same way, before being distributed, but for some reason never arrived at its destination.

The police, exercising considerable powers of deduction, have announced that the cocaine “was washed in by the sea.” More than that is not known, although, “investigations are taking place.” Incredibly, police seem to have decided that the hapless man who

27

public-spiritedly informed them of its existence may be the key to the mystery.

Whilst it may be surprising, members of the public do generally act honestly. This young man will certainly think twice before doing so in future.

The experience, or more specifically the police attitude, has taught him that honesty is not always the best policy.

Now, understandably, wishing to remain anonymous, he says, “my mobile telephone’s tapped - I didn’t believe it at first, but it is.

My movements are noted and my friends and I are questioned and bothered by the police as if we are criminals. It’s horrible. I wish I’d kept quiet.”

As it is hardly likely that a drug smuggler would alert the police when his merchandise successfully reaches a deserted beach, the police attitude is, in turn, a mystery. It would have been easy to say nothing, shove a couple of packages into a pocket and make a great deal of money. In the meantime, anyone who has lost twenty kilos of cocaine should contact Vallehermoso police urgently.

Valle Gran Rey

Drowning in Arure

Tragedy strikes for a second time in Arure

By Barbara Belt

A seventy-four year old Arure man, J.P.H, has been found dead near his home in the village of Arure, Valle Gran Rey. The alarm was raised by walkers, who found the man’s body face down in a pool of water. He had last been seen alive by neighbours at eight o’clock the previous evening, as he made his way home. He was walking along a footpath behind the church in Arure and was in apparent good health. It

appears that J.P.H. fell, and subsequently drowned, in one of the pools of water formed there during recent heavy rainfall. The pool was relatively shallow, with less than half a metre of water.

There were no signs of violence.

Local police, the Guardia Civil, health personnel and the island judge were called to the scene of the accident at the hamlet of Las Casitas.

Arure, although part of the municipality of Valle

Gran Rey, is a small, mountain village outside the valley. It was formerly the most important part of Valle Gran Rey, being both the administrative and political seat of power. Valle Gran Rey’s town hall was in Arure until the 1940s, when it was decided to relocate down as the valley’s population exceeded Arure’s. The decline of the village continued throughout the following decades as many people emigrated to Venezuela or

Cuba in search of a better life. Today’s Arure has a predominantly ageing population. The village school has only eight children and there is, frankly, little to offer younger families, who consequently tend to leave as soon as possible.

This is the second tragedy in the village within a short time. As reported in this newspaper, another Arure man was recently found dead in the same area, having hung himself.

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 n t 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 n te 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 .

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28

Business NEWS

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CAJA DE CANARIAS

New bank chairman

The Caja de Canarias has a new chairman

One of the biggest savings banks in the region has appointed a new chairman.

The Caja de Canarias, which draws its customer base almost entirely from the eastern Canaries (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) chose Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro just before Christmas and the appointment has been generally well received, despite some initial criticism that the choice was a political imposition by the PSOE party.

Suárez del Toro, an industrial engineer by profession, is better known as the world president of the International Red Cross, a post he has held since 2001. He holds six honorary degrees from various universities in Asia and Latin America. He replaces Antonio Marrero, who steps down after eight years at the helm of the bank. Suárez del Toro refuted claims that his candidacy had been the work of the PSOE, insisting that he agreed to put himself forward for the job after receiving clear signals across the political spectrum that he would be supported.

CONSTRUCTION BOSS SPEAKS OUT

“Scared politicians”slammed According to Plasencia politicians are frightened of ecology groups The head of Tenerife’s construction businesses has accused the government of failing to stand up to the green lobby, who he says are crippling progress in the Canaries.

Photo credit: Mataparda at flickr.com

In a New Year message, Antonio Plasencia, recently re-elected as chairman of the province’s association of building firms for the next four years, said the authorities were, “running scared” of ecology groups who know only one word: “No”.

Plasencia, who owns one of the biggest construction companies in the region, said the freeze on new hotels and tourism developments was a direct result of the timid stance of politicians and their constant bending of knee to conservationists.

He called on the government to allow local councils to move forward with their development plans, particularly for rural areas in danger of becoming totally abandoned if action is not taken quickly.

CANARIAN TOMATOES

Doldrums continue The sliding fortunes of what used to be the Canaries’ most famous export, their delicious tomatoes, continue.

Figures from the Department of Agriculture show that exports of the prized fruit are now only half they were just seven years ago. Only 125,000 tons of tomatoes are now

exported, compared to over 250,000 tons back in 2002 and the situation could deteriorate further unless action is taken, say growers.

Competition from Morocco, where labour is much cheaper, and the sell-off of tomato-growing land to make way for hotels and apartments for tourism in recent years, along with the effects

of diseases such as tomato leaf curl, are the main causes of the decline.

Export associations have called on the government to offer subsidies to reduce the cost of shipping the fruit from here to northern Europe, especially the UK, where Canarian tomatoes have been part of a staple diet for over a century.

The local product has been hard hit

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Financial By Bill Blevins

29

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t join the queue

By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks

W

ith everything thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been going on in the ďŹ nancial markets and the media sensationalising each bit of news, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth taking a step back to try and see the wood for the trees again.

Companies wanting to raise new capital to expand typically have three main options: they can borrow it from the bank for which they will, over time, repay the capital plus interest; they can offer investors ďŹ xed interest bonds for which, over time, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll repay the capital and higher interest; they can issue shares.

Companies borrow from banks or by ďŹ xed interest bonds if they believe they can re-invest the loan to make more money than the costs of borrowing.

When companies issue shares, the owners believe they can re-invest the funds to make greater net gains, even though theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll own less of the business as a result.

The ďŹ rst fundamental is that equities are expected to outperform cash and ďŹ xed interest bonds.

The second is that to reduce the risk, investors should invest in professionally managed funds spread over many companies in different sectors.

Once a company has

issued shares, supply and demand drives their price on any given day.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s similar, for example, to selling a porcelain collection at auction.

A seller hopes the buyers all want to buy porcelain and that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only seller.

Buyers hope theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the only ones and there are many sellers. Competition

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between buyers should drive the price up.

Competition between sellers should drive it down.

Exactly the same goes for shares.

Company proďŹ t forecasts and economic results do play a part. Every investor, whatever theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buying, wants to believe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that will make

them a proďŹ t over time.

In the case of company shares however, if its proďŹ t announcements are below expectations or economic data unfavourable, investors re-consider whether they should keep the shares.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s therefore investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; emotions, rather than company or economic news, which impacts the price of shares.

The herding mentality of the human race is very evident in the stockmarkets.

When the equity buying band wagon has reached the maximum, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when markets start falling.

When the market has bottomed, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when no one is buying when they should be.

Looking at the porcelain auction, if you wanted to sell a collection but learned that every other collector would also be trying to sell, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d probably stay away. If you were a buyer, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the auction youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to be at. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strange and unfortunate that stockmarket investors

forget this logic and buy when shares look expensive and sell when they are cheap because everyone else is also selling theirs.

So, the third fundamental is that investors shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow the herd - those that do generally lose out.

The fourth is that as a result of the herding mentality, share market movements tend to be over exaggerated on the way up and down, and driven partly by emotion rather than logic.

The herding mentality resulting in wholesale selling of shares appears to have created a false doomsday scenario.

This gives investors the opportunity to purchase equities at what may later prove to be bargain prices.

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www. blevinsfranksinternational.com

30

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

BUSINESS

De Cotta McKenna y Santafé

Promotion: Tenerife Property Shop

Disciplinary dismissal

PART I

THE STATUTE OF WORKERS REGULATES “DISCIPLINARY DISMISSAL “IN ARTICLES 49.1K, 54 – 57.

Disciplinary Dismissal is a decision of the Employer to dismiss an employee as a result of the employee’s failure to carry out his duties under the terms of his contract.

To have a valid dismissal, the employer has to respect the formal requirements established by the law and show that the reason for dismissal is within the grounds as set out in article 54 in the Statute and not for any other reason eg spite. Spanish Law does not allow dismissal without cause.

International Property Award Success!

T

enerife Property Shop has received two International Property Awards at the recent ceremony in London. But what does that really mean to people who want to buy or sell a property?

The prestigious International Property Awards gala was held on the 27th September, in London. This glittering event took place at the Park Lane Hotel, and Tenerife Property Shop scooped two awards: a proud moment!

Tenerife Property Shop has been recognised as the best Estate Agency in the Canary Islands, and has also won the award for best real estate agent marketing. The awards follow previous successes that the company has had, but winning this year is the result of the continual effort to improve the service offered to clients.

“We are continually building on our success, and ensuring that we remain several steps ahead of the rest of the market. Last year, we ensured that every member of staff was covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance, protecting clients, their money and their homes to a greater level than any other agent in Tenerife. This year we have built on that by offering all new purchasers a Title Insurance.

This unique insurance protects a purchaser to such a high degree, and for a period of twenty years.

At a time when many companies are cutting back on marketing their clients’ properties,

If an employee is dismissed without cause or without the employer following the rules established by the law or puts forward a cause that does not justify dismissal the Statute enables the worker to challenge the dismissal.

would be deemed to be appropriate; the judge will therefore investigate each allegation to decide whether or not the employer can justify dismissal in the circumstances alleged.

Valid grounds for dismissal:

The guilty conduct or the act in question must be attributable to the deliberate act or failure to act or to the negligence of the worker.

Article 54 of the Workers Statutes provides that for a dismissal to be valid the employer must show that the employee is guilty of a serious “unaccomplishment” or breach of contract by the employee.

If a challenge is made and the judge decides that the

The breach must be serious, if not a lesser sanction

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But what do these awards really mean to you, if you are interested in buying or selling property? A recommendation is only as good as the person who made it and buying and selling property are probably the biggest transactions you will make in your life.

So a recommendation should always be from someone who understands the profession and who you trust. The impartial panel of judges involved in selecting the winners of the International Property Awards could hardly be more qualified: Eric Pickles, British Shadow Secretary of State; Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents; Phil Spencer, property expert and presenter of Channel 4’s Location and Relocation TV shows; Imtiaz Farookhi, chief executive of the National House Building Council… it would be difficult to assemble a more experienced and competent group of judges. So when you next need to buy or sell a home in Tenerife, make sure you do it the safe way and give the award winning Tenerife Property Shop a call.

dismissal was null or unlawful, the employer will be ordered to reinstate the employee in the case of nullity or reinstate or compensate the employee if the dismissal was found to be unlawful.

This action must be exercised within twenty days of the date of dismissal. (art.

59.3 Statute of the Workers).

If the worker does not challenge the dismissal within this time limit, the dismissal stands, irrespective of its lawfulness.

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Art. 54.2 Statute of the Workers provides the grounds for a valid dismissal as: a) Repeated unjustified absence or lack of punctuality b) Undisciplined or disobedient behaviour c) Verbal or physical abuse to the employer or to colleagues or their family members. d) Transgression of contractual good faith and abuse of confidence whilst performing work tasks. e) Continuous diminishing productivity from the normal or agreed work output. f) Habitual drunkenness or drug abuse should they be negatively affecting the employee in the workplace.

yo

g) Prejudice/abuse against the employer or work colleagues for difference in views, racial, ethnic, religious, people with disabilities, sexual orientation, age and sexual abuse.

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We are the only company on the island to offer this to our clients”, said Mary Spencer, Director of the award winning estate agency.

Tenerife Property Shop are as active as ever. “In the last two decades, we have seen the property market go through its cycle more than once,” commented Bruce Grindley, a director of Tenerife Property Shop. “But its no good simply cutting back, or else you are not performing the service you have promised to the many vendors who have trusted you with the sale of their property. This award for Best Estate Agency Marketing should show all vendors that we are really committed to finding buyers for their properties.”

What happens if an employer dismisses an employee without cause?

Part two of this article will be published in our next edition.

Evening: reservations rrecomended

Centro Comercial Safari · 1ª Planta · Local 5 Playa de las Américas · Tenerife Tel. 922 797 190 · e-mail: info@mariabonitatenerife.com

For any further queries regarding employment law or any other matter regarding English or Spanish Law please arrange a fixed fee consultation at our offices of De Cotta McKenna y Santafé on 922 719 520 or email tenerife@decottalaw.net

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

BUSINESS

31

ZEC Feature : www.zec.org

Five Misconceptions about the Canary Islands Special Zone

By JosĂŠ Manuel Cerezo, Director of External Relations, ZEC

I

nvestors are clearly not taking full advantage of the beneďŹ ts available to them through the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC).

This is primarily due to a lack of knowledge about the tax instrument: although many people have heard of it, few know what it really is.

As a result, a good opportunity is being missed to create companies which not only provide high economic returns, but also create wealth in the most important sectors for the economic development of the Islands.

The common misconceptions about the ZEC originated with the way the tax instrument developed. From the time it was ďŹ rst mentioned in 1994 until it was ďŹ nally set up and ratiďŹ ed in 2000, the ZEC underwent radical changes. The ďŹ rst proposals were completely different from what the ZEC actually became, and this has created false impressions at all levels, from business representatives and tax advisors to law ďŹ rms and consultants.

The aim of this text is to clarify the most commonly-held misconceptions about the ZEC. One frequent misunderstanding is the belief that ZEC companies must be located in designated areas. In the case of entities involved in the service sector, no such restriction applies: they may be located anywhere. The requirement to be located

in designated areas only applies to companies involved in industrial activities and wholesaling, which do have to be located in speciďŹ c zones. While in the past this may have involved some inconvenience, since January 2005 the size of the designated areas has been increased to 38,000 hectares in locations throughout the Islands, consisting of virtually all the industrial estates currently in existence and their areas of inďŹ&#x201A;uence. Related to this misconception is the mistaken belief that being a ZEC company means it is not possible to take advantage of other tax instruments such as the Free Zone. This is not true. In fact, if ZEC entrepreneurs make the business decision of their own accord to set up in the Free Zone, they can take advantage of the tax beneďŹ ts inherent in the two regimes. This represents a double advantage directly affecting the competitiveness of the business project.

Neither is it true that the ZEC excludes already existing companies: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m already in business, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be part of the ZECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?. This is not so and in fact the legislation pertaining to the ZEC provides two possibilities for already-existing entities to take advantage of what the ZEC has to offer. In the ďŹ rst instance, there is the assumption of pre-existence involved in the investment and job creation requirements for all ZEC companies (investment of 100,000 euros in ďŹ xed assets in the ďŹ rst two years and the creation of ďŹ ve new jobs within six months for the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and a 50,000 euro investment and creation of three jobs in the other islands) which must be in addition to what already exists within the company. However, in this case the company must be wound up and a new legal entity created, which is not always a simple matter.

The second option is much easier and is also possible for any entity considering setting up new business activities. In this case, all that is required to become part of the low tax zone is to create a legal entity to provide a framework for the new activity, and to satisfy the job creation and investment requirements.

Similarly, a certain amount of confusion exists in relation to the size of ZEC companies. There is a commonlyheld belief that the low tax zone is aimed at large companies, when in fact ďŹ gures show quite the opposite.

More than 90 per cent of the companies which have been authorised to operate in the ZEC are small or medium-sized companies. The ZEC legislation speciďŹ es the minimum requirement to create ďŹ ve or three jobs, depending on the island where the company is located, and allows six months for this requirement to be met. It is not necessary to exceed the minimum numbers of jobs.

Finally, the ďŹ fth misconception is that the Canary Islands Investment Reserve (RIC) is more appropriate than the ZEC for companies operating in the Islands.

However, as with many

things in life, it depends.

From a tax point of view, the RIC is effective for companies planning major reinvestment over a long term, but if this is not the case, the ZEC is more suitable for entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests. In many cases companies have assigned funds to the RIC simply out of inertia, but once the need for productive reinvestment no longer exists, they are obliged to comply with their tax commitments for no return. While it may be true that becoming part of the ZEC is not an immediate process (entities must ďŹ rst apply for authorisation) and that the RIC has more followers, in the long run the results pay off in more cases than may be immediately apparent. In addition, with the European Union having authorised the extension of the ZEC time frame until 2019, it is now possible to use RIC funds for ZEC projects in the case of activities considered vital for the economic development of the Canary Islands. It is therefore no longer a question of having to choose, as the two incentives now complement each other.

After this attempt to clarify the misconceptions and confusion in relation to the

Canary Islands Special Zone by outlining what the ZEC is not, it is now time to give a brief overview of what the tax regime actually consists of. In order to encourage the diversiďŹ cation of the economic base of the Canary Islands so they are not entirely dependent on construction and tourism, the European Union endowed the Islands with a low tax zone combining the best tax conditions.

Entrepreneurs are offered a very simple proposition: in return for creating jobs and investing in the Canary Islands, they will have very few taxes to pay. In this way, on becoming part of the ZEC, entities pay Corporate Income Tax at a single rate of four per cent, as opposed to the rate of 25 per cent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 per cent in force in the rest of Spain. While there are more tax beneďŹ ts in the ZEC, this one concerning Corporate Income Tax constitutes the major advantage.

Find out about the tax beneďŹ ts available to you by operating in the Canary Islands, talk to your tax advisor and contact the specialised staff of the ZEC. For more information: invest@zec.org, www.zec.org

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EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

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Q-Bass Unleashed with Chris Merrick Tuesdays & Thursdays Midday

Sunday 7pm & Friday 2pm

Dinner In Ibiza with Tony H Saturday 8pm The Lounge King with Agent 69 Friday 9pm Zoologic Radioshow with Café del Mar’s Valentin Huedo winner of the 2008 Ibiza 2008 resident dj award.

Thursday 5pm & Sunday 11am

Soul Unsigned with Phil Driver A weekly selection of the world’s most influential newcomers to the Soul and Jazz scene. Thursday 6pm & Monday 9pm

Brazil Eclético with Anna Paula Reis Bossa Grooves, Brazilian Blues and Eclectic Excellence. Friday 8pm & Sunday 3pm.

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34

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

LIVING & LIFESTYLE

Balanced Diet Beauty:

PART II

IT IS PROBABLY BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO CATER FOR PEOPLE THESE DAYS.

By Nicola Roberts

M

any people seem to avoid certain types of foods for any number of reasons, other people may be allergic to certain food types which in some cases may lead to deadly consequences.

Fresh fruit and green vegetables are full of antioxidants, vitamins C and E, and betacarotene which can help with the prevention of cancers by mopping up reactive forms of oxygen known as free radicals. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if you consume a diet of chips and Mars bars you will have a face full of spots, but in a way it is possible to improve our general well being by balancing our diet and being sympathetic to the basic needs of our Stonehenge bodies.

Even children are now placed on avoidance diets, for example no orange juice or Coca Cola as there is a risk that artificial colourings may send the child into hyperactivity.

A food intolerance is a reaction triggered by eating certain foods, sometimes symptoms can be recognised as long-term ill health or vague and unchanging symptoms, for example aching joints, lethargy, sore throats, etc.

For example a gluten intolerance is when sufferers may feel constantly lethargic and in need of a holiday, gluten is found in many, many foods including flour, sauces and pastas.

Summary • Eat three moderate meals a day rather than one large one and remember it’s the type of food not necessarily the quantity of food which matters • Choose low-fat foods, for example grilled, steamed or poached and eat less fried foods especially deep fried foods • Use all fats such as oils, spreads, margarines and butter as sparingly as possible.

An allergy is a reaction to a substance which activates a very specific mechanism, the sufferer’s symptoms are extreme and dramatic, for example vomiting, rashes, swollen lips, breathing difficulties and in extreme cases even death. Some foods which cause allergies include shellfish, strawberries and nuts.

• Choose fresh fruit instead of puddings • Avoid crisps or savoury snacks, sweets, chocolates, ice-creams, cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks • Use wholemeal bread instead of white • Choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of pasteurised. intestinal upsets, skin eruptions, aches and pains, bloating, mood changes, fatigue etc. Some people are recommended to fine tune their diet by eating: • Fresh meat, poultry and game which should not be smoked, pickled or salted

• All fresh vegetables which should be peeled or scrubbed • Non-citrus fresh fruit which should be scrubbed and peeled • Olive oil, sea salt, herbs and spices, buckwheat, soya and water in abundance So therefore, with the given

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.

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information we can say that what we are is reflected by what we eat! Some foods will protect our bodies from disease, for example soya reduces the risk of breast cancer and it has been proved that eating a substantial amount of soya can actually alter a woman’s menstrual cycle!

• Drink plenty of fluids like water and low calorie soft drinks.

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.

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Also becoming more common is ‘food sensitivity’. The causes are essentially unknown but chemical additives or pesticides may be a factor, or some foods may cause a physical reaction which we don’t understand.

Common culprits seem to be dairy products, citrus fruits, coffee, tea, fish, sugary products and chocolate. They may cause a wide range of gastro-

• Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and salads

LIVING & LIFESTYLE

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

35

Fashion:

United Colors of Benetton

CHILDREN’S SPRING COLLECTION

F

resh, simple and lighthearted. These are the ingredients of United Colors of Benetton’s spring collection for the children of the world, an unfussy fashion universe focused on colour and on the latest trends. Available soon at a United Colors of Benetton store near you. All photos: www.benettongroup.com

New collection now in stock

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36

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

LIVING & LIFESTYLE

CALL FOR UNITY

Health: Dr. De La Flor

House Calls with Dr. De La Flor Dear Doctor,

Protect community wellbeing healthytenerife@gmail.com

Coke based drinks are not the healthiest of choices

I drink a lot of cola-type fizzy drinks especially with the warm weather we have here. Is it true that these drinks can damage your kidneys?

Thanks, Rodney

Dear Rodney, Well, a recent study by a top US university says that they double your risk of chronic kidney disease. The researchers already knew that consuming any type of soft drink is associated with several risk factors for kidney disease (hypertension, diabetes, and kidney stones), but the spike in the cola category was remarkable.

Experts suspect that the consumption is also associated with significantly lower bone density in women, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Beside, we all know that the type of sugars in these drinks are real vandals and tough to metabolize.

Bottom Line: If you’re going to indulge in an occasional soda, go for Sprite, 7-Up, ginger ale, and the like—the NIH study found that noncola drinks didn’t have the same impact on the kidneys.

As a rule of thumb, and some of you already know my way

DOCTOR

of thinking, have sodas as ‘treats’ Enjoy them once in a while but make sure that they are not part of your daily nutritional arsenal.

Dear Doctor, My husband and I as well as a couple of other people at work have come down with the flu. What remedies do you suggest?

Sincerely, Karen

Dear Karen, My best remedies are mostly natural. Since the Flu

is due to a nasty virus that loves to visit us around winter time, it’s a waste of time to take antibiotics as they are absolutely ineffective at fighting off a virus.

I love warm stuff that includes chicken soup with plenty of vegetables and hot teas with lemon and honey.

Remember to have several oranges and kiwis because of their high content in vitamin C. If your throat seems affected make sure you keep it moist. Steam/humidifiers are a great idea, especially if you have chronic diseases that affect your respiratory system or you smoke. There’s a natural product called Sinus that I recommend to all my patients with sinus

congestion and can also be used to ease congestion on lower airways.

It contains menthol, essence of eucalyptus and pine. Breathing in steam can break up congestion in the nasal passages, offering relief from a stuffy or runny nose. Saline drops can help too.

When it comes to temperature you have to bear in mind two things.

If it’s too high it’s worth taking some paracetamol. If it is mild, let the temperature actively fight the virus since it makes your body inhospitable for it. The key thing about temperature is to stay properly hydrated.

And my last piece of advice is to rest..

Try to get as much rest and sleep as possible … an extra nap per day doesn’t require prescription, it’s free and your body will love you for it!

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.

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Communities are being asked to pull together more

The president of the Canarian Neuropsychiatry and Mental Health Association, Francisco Rodríguez Pulido, recently made a plea on Radio San Borondón for all institutions to, “protect the mental health of the population during this time of global economic crisis.”

Suggestions, in line with those made by the World Health Organisation, include the urgent reorganisation of social networks to protect the most vulnerable, including the poor, elderly and disabled. Also, to have effective schooling that prepares children for the changes that are coming over the next 20 years. It is thought that a cohesive approach to education and health would make a major contribution to positive community feeling and therefore a reduction in aggression and social unrest.

FLU VACCINATIONS

Jabs till March

The regional department of health are reminding people that they are continuing to vaccinate residents of the islands against the flu, and will do so until March of this year.

While they report that the medical personnel in the islands have administered the majority of the vaccinations ordered as part of the anti-flu campaign, there are still doses available to those members of the public who need them, as well as those who require a pneumonia vaccine.

According to the experts, the islands have seen a slight rise in the number of flu cases reported – by the second last week of December 2008 they were registering 150 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, which, according to the department, could indicate the beginning of an epidemic.

If you fall within any of the risk or recommended groups (which includes those with a history of flu related complications as well as those working in a care capacity, or any employment that brings you in contact with the general public on a regular basis and frequent travellers), contact your health centre in the usual way (by calling 012) or via the website http:// www.gobiernodecanarias.org/sanidad/scs/gc/18/ Cita_Previa/asp/ to make a specific appointment for a vaccination.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

LIVING & LIFESTYLE

37

CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Less work for the tooth fairy Over half of children aged 12 in Spain have tooth cavities as well as an astonishing third of five and six year olds keeping the tooth fairy, or as the locals would say the ratoncito Pérez (Pérez the mouse), very busy indeed.

In an effort to reduce these appalling statistics the Canarian health service established the Dental Health Plan for Children.

The Spanish government recently consolidated the national programme to provide free dental care for children by providing half the cost of tests and treatments. The other 50 per cent is supplied by the individual autonomous regions.

This agreement means that, in the Canary Islands, over 180,000 youngsters will benefit from the service.

Children in the archipelago will also have access to a

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

Canarian Government ANNOUNCE THEIR

free dental care plan

greater range of treatments than those in other areas.

For instance, whilst in Spain the age range for the plan is seven to fifteen, in the archipelago it will begin at six years old. In addition, whilst annual check-ups, removals and fillings are all included in the basic care package nationally, youngsters around the islands will also

benefit from further services including preventative measures and treatment for a variety of mouth infections. The specialist services will cost an estimated half a million euros extra.

An agreement signed with the official bodies representing the dentists from both the provinces of Tenerife and Gran Canaria

means that patients will have the choice of visiting a national health dentist, based in local health centres, or over 100 private practitioners who have pledged their support for the plan.

The programme will be run in a progressive manner, with a total of 80,000 six to nine year olds being attended during 2009 and

older children being seen in the following years. The Spanish government also recently launched an educational campaign aimed at children and their parents.

Information on how to prevent tooth decay and gum disease will be disseminated in newspapers and magazines as well as on the television, radio and internet.

The initiative, which has a budget of 2.2 million euros, encourages healthy habits such as cleaning teeth after meals, eating a diet low in sugar and the necessity of regular check-ups.

FINANCE AND HEALTH

Crisis time for relationships Economic uncertainty can have a much more profound effect on people’s lives than many realise.

When doubts about the future are allowed to take over, all aspects of our lives are affected and one of the very real consequences of the present climate is the change in, or deterioration, of family and personal relationships.

For example, a shift in balance in a partnership may be necessary. Women may have to work, leaving fathers at home to care for the children. Youngsters will also, of course, be affected by any worries or negative

emotions their parents are experiencing. A rise in arguments around the house will immediately be reflected in their behaviour as they too become insecure and fearful.

But it is often men who are most affected emotionally by an economic crisis.

Fathers, often programmed by society to be the one who provides, who are suddenly unable to support their families are prone to feelings of worthlessness and failure.

Negative emotions manifest themselves in various physical illnesses. Tension headaches, stomach upsets, insomnia and back pain are

Comp leme glas ntary cham s of pagn e

common signs of stress and one of the first aspects to suffer in a relationship is often sexual intimacy.

According to a study undertaken by Doctor Luis Prieto, head of the urology department at the Bernabeu Institute, Spain, there is currently a rise in cases of impotency due to the economic crisis. A report on the study, published on the institute’s website, states that impotency has increasingly a, “psychological origin”.

Prieto states that, “the relation between the economic crisis and erectile dysfunction is based on the development of anxiety and low self-es-

teem.” This can of course put even more stress on already stretched personal relationships. Doctor Prieto recommends, once physical factors have been overruled, that talking through problems, either with a specialist or a partner, can in itself be a solution. There are several drugs on the market that can also help and lifestyle factors, such as taking regular exercise, getting enough rest, eating a balanced diet, limiting alcohol intake and stopping smoking can all make a huge difference.

Personal relationships are affected by financial factors

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38

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

LIVING & LIFESTYLE

Handy Phrases

Spanish for health A visit to the doctors or hospital can be difficult if you can’t speak Spanish.

However, these simple phrases will help you understand and be understood.

DESCRIBING YOUR SYMPTOMS: I have a pain (here): Tengo dolor (aquí) I have stomach / back / chest pain: Tengo dolor de estómago / espaldo / en el pecho I have a sore throat: Tengo dolor de garganta

All the time: Todo el tiempo

Open your mouth: Abra la boca

A little: Poco Continuous: Continuo

Every so often: De vez en cuando

I feel nauseous / sick: Tengo nauseas

EXISTING CONDITIONS

I have diarrhoea: Tengo diarrea I am very congested: Tengo mucha congestión I have a headache: Tengo dolor de cabeza I have cramps: Tengo calambres

You need a biopsy / operation / scan / X-ray: Necesita una biopsia / operación / ecografía / radiografía

Every day: Cada día (Pain) stabbing / dull / throbbing: Punzante / sordo / pulsante

I have a temperature: Tengo fiebre

Breathe normally / deeply: Respire normalmente / hondo

Intermittent: Intermitente

I have earache: Tengo dolor de oído

I feel dizzy: Tengo mareos

You can get dressed now: Puede vestirse ahora

A lot: Mucho

WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND: I don’t speak Spanish: No hablo español:

I am allergic to penicillin: Soy alérgico(a) a la penicilina

Do you speak English?: ¿Habla usted inglés?

I’m diabetic / asthmatic / epileptic: Soy diabético(a) / asmático(a) / epiléptico(a)

I don’t understand: No comprendo

I’m pregnant: Estoy embarazada

(Speak) more slowly, please: Más lentamente / despacio, por favor

I have anaemia / arthritis / varicose veins: Tengo anemia / artritis / varices

Please say that again: Repítamelo, por favor

I have high blood pressure / low blood pressure: Tengo hipertensión / hipotensión

Could you write that down?: ¿Puede escribírmelo?

I have sunburn: Tengo quemaduras de sol

WHAT THEY MAY SAY TO YOU:

I have something in my eye: Tengo algo dentro del ojo

What’s the matter?: ¿Qué le pasa a Usted?

I have difficulty breathing: Tengo dificultad en respirar

Is this the first time this has happened?: ¿Es la primera vez que pasó?

I am sick a lot: Vomito mucho

I advise you to go to hospital: Recomiendo que vaya al hospital.

It itches: Me pica

Can you feel anything here?: ¿Siente algo aquí?

I get pain when I pass urine / open my bowels: Me duele cuando orino / defeco

Roll up your sleeve: Súbase la manga Undress down to the waist / completely: Quítese la ropa hasta la cintura / del todo

FREQUENCY AND TYPE: Sometimes: A veces

Lie on the couch: Échese en la Camilla

GETTING AROUND THE HOSPITAL: Where is the neurology / cardiology / haematology department?: ¿Dónde está el departamento de neurología / cardiología / hematología On the left / right: A la izquierda / derecha Go straight ahead: Sigue todo recto It is upstairs / downstairs: Está arriba / abajo The first / second / third: El primero / segundo / tercero

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We recommend one visit annually – First Check Up free Mon - Tue - Thu - Fri: 10am - 1.30pm / 4pm - 7.30pm Wed: 10am - 1.30pm

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All of our hearing aids come with a 30-day, money-back guarantee

Hearing aids consultants Founded over 100 years ago Los Cristianos: Policlínica Spreafico Edificio Simón, local 1. Tel: 922 79 05 63 Santa Cruz: Clínica Barajas C/ Pérez de Rozas, 8. Tel: 922 27 54 88 ©IC/550/2007

Pets corner

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

39

STREET HYGIENE Pets Portrait

Moving experience

But mum, why can’t we leave it in the car?

Live Arico

Nearly new sale Everything in the Live Arico Nearly New Shop is on sale throughout January for either 50 cents or €1 per item!!

Yes its true, come along and see for yourselves.

Also, Eugenio’s sister will be offering dog grooming for only €20 for a small / medium dog and €25 for larger dogs. This is by appointment only, please call Karen on 687905511.

The shop is situated on the top level of Coral Mar, Costa del Silencio, and sells clothes, books, toys, household items and much, much more.

In addition, Sally from Tenerife Nursing and Care is on hand daily to discuss any medical issues you may have. They are also hosting various events in the shop for example, medical talks, Reiki, head massages, spiritual healing, dog training issues with our official trainer Natalie Pennance, veterinary care and a host of other events.

You will also be able to see pictures and information on some of the many dogs Live Arico have for re-homing displayed on the walls as well as the ‘dog of the week’ paying a special visit to the shop. If anyone has anything they would like to donate or any queries then please contact Lynda on 671 105913.

Thanks to...

Tenerife Property Links, Golf del Sur for allowing us the use of their terrace for a bring and buy sale in December. A quiet one, but we still raised €120.

The Central Station Bar, the Patch, Las Americas for a benefit night on 20th December, raising €455.

Thanks to Shona and all the wonderful staff, A fantastic €1,380 was raised at the Market Tavern, Los Cristianos with a sponsored leg wax / pink dying of hair, all assisted and supported by Studio 5 Hair Salon. Thanks so much to all.

The Olde Ocean Bar, Fañabe who held a benefit night on the 22nd December raising €160, and on the 27th, The Albatros Bar, Costa del Silencio raised €170 from a raffle and ‘guess the coins in the jar’ competition.

They also handed us €700 from their ever popular bingo quiz, hosted by Dave Tracey every Friday evening. A thousand thanks from all at Live Arico.

Thanks this year also go to everyone who has helped and supported the organisation during 2008, either by donating money, prizes, items to sell or just simply their time. A few that spring to mind are Studio 5 Hair Salon, Los Cristianos, Dynamic Systems for the wonderful website, The Market Tavern Los Cristianos, Albatros Bar Costa del Silencio and Dave Tracey, Tenerife Property Links, Lynda, Sally and everyone connected with the Live Arico nearly new

Pick up after your pooch The streets are often paved with, not gold unfortunately, but dog excrement.

However, it’s not really the animals that are to blame; it’s the irresponsible owners who don’t take the few moments necessary to clear up the mess. Now, residents in one area of Spain, Campamento, have made a proposal that could mean an end to poop city and make owners take responsibility for their actions. They suggest that the latest methods of DNA collection could be applied to dogs, taking the place of the present system of micro-chipping. This may also be less harmful for the animals as there would be no need to introduce permanent foreign objects

shop, fundraisers Karen Clack and Suzy Q, Let It Be Peru Las Galletas, Tenerife Forum (www. tenerifeforum.com) , The Property Line Golf del Sur, Happy Days Costa del Silencio, Bars and Restaurants of the Top Square Golf del Sur, The Theatre Bar San Eugenio, Snoopy´s Bar San Eugenio and Vanessa V, Charlie Karlsen, Central Station The Patch, Ye Olde Ocean & First Till Last Fañabe, Oscars Bar Las Americas, Paul Lee, Jesse Garon, Jack Cantrell, Garden City Pool Bar San Eugenio, Bar 39 Los Cristianos, Gary Blade, Los Toscales Valle San Lorenzo, Pete from Winter Gardens Gym &

Digs 4 Dogs Professional dog care at our purpose built

KENNELS 6 mins from San Isidro Only 10 € per day Collection and return Service available For rates and availability phone Alan or Lesley on 680 278 254 or 922 772051 after 5pm

into their bodies. Currently, an owner can only be brought to charge if they are caught in the act, however, with irrefutable DNA evidence, people who repeatedly offend would face fines of between 511 and 1000 euro.

The area’s neighbours association has been running an educational campaign since 2005 called, well, “It’s your street, don’t poo in it”. It is hoped that the organisation’s proposal will be taken up by the council and local police. A similar scheme was implemented in September of last year in an Israeli town called Petah Tikva. So far the system seems to have been a success and the streets are much cleaner.

Poochies Pet Hotel, Three Horseshoes Callao Salvaje, Castaways Los Cristianos, Spanish Nights Golf del Sur, and just everyone for every little bit of help. If we missed anyone, a thousand apologies, nevertheless, heartfelt thanks.

A partridge in a pear tree And where has your money gone? Well, we have rescued some 350 dogs, 75 cats, seven iguanas, three parrots, three turtles and four Vietnamese pot belly pigs over the year.

We had several street animals sterilised. We designed an educational

campaign for three different town halls and schools. We held a photographic exhibition in Los Cristianos in January and a dog show in La Camella, Arona.

We will also be working on an educational campaign in Arona.

And, thanks to a denuncia we made, the Canarian Government closed down an exotic park zoo in Los Cristianos, where the animals were in a terrible condition. Let’s hope 2009 will be a better year for the animals of Tenerife..........

Up and coming events

Live Arico are holding

an Alternative Therapies Day on Saturday the 17th January from 10am until 5pm at The Terrace Bar, Amarilla Golf.

The entrance fee is only €5 and you can try a taster session in various massages, reflexology and life healing to name but a few..

There will also be stalls for crystals, greetings cards, sun care, Bach flower remedies and aloe vera.

Please contact Eugenio 649001907 or Karen 687905511 if you can help us, many thanks.

Where can you get everything for your dog under one Kennel?

At Don Perro where else?

• Choose your puppy with confidence, guarantee & vaccinations, from Don Perro ro rro py’ py • Free course included ‘Care for your puppy’ (Car not included!)

O DON PERRO

For all your dog’s needs s Call us now 922 73 58 24 We are 2 minutes from the TF-1 at Las Chafiras, Carretera San Miguel

www.don-perro.eu and woof for yourself!

40

WHAT’S ON

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

What’s On

Gran Canaria

Tenerife

MUSEUMS & CULTURAL EVENTS [ Tenerife ]

Auditorium Tenerife www.auditoriodetenerife. com

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

Guimerá Theatre 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

Tenerife History Museum (MHAT) 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

MUSIC/THEATRE FIESTAS January is the month of wine in the Orotava Valley, and to celebrate this, the local wines will be promoted in various restaurants in Puerto de la Cruz throughout the month. More information: www.asviten.org.

Until February 11, exhibition Arte Puro (pure art), Casino, Hotel Mencey, Santa Cruz

Until February 21, Mirta Silvia Tabares, artist, displays her paintings at the Abama Art Gallery, Hotel Abama, Guía de Isora.

THEATRE & SHOWS

Ciudadanos Europeos

SPORT & NATURE

MUSIC

Kayak

January 21 and 28, 10.15 pm,

Tours by kayak for all abilities: Last Saturday of every month.

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

Tango Nights with FER (piano), Finca de Arte, Chayofa

January 24, 8 pm, chamber music. Las Galletas Cultural Centre

January 25, 6 pm, Victoria Carlisle and Patrick Doumeng (classic harp and violin). Asturia Bambi Centre, Puerto de la Cruz.

Entrance: 5 euros.

Hiking: Discover Arona. More information about trekking routes: 922 725 180 or www.arona.org

All year round, guided walks

music, Los Cristianos Cultural Centre

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.

CINEMA

Barranco del Infierno

January 26 to February 1, Festival del Sol, the 3rd

(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.

January 31, 8 pm, chamber

International Festival of Gay and Lesbian Cinema in Tenerife. Casa de la Cultura, Granadilla, exConvento de Santo Domingo, La Laguna and Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA), Santa Cruz.

EXHIBITIONS Until January 31, Santa Cruz de la mar pequeña, el faro de los canarios, Sala de Arte CajaCanarias, Candelaria (old town hall) Until January 18, Soviet photo montages 1917-1953, Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Santa Cruz Until January 31, Cosmos: De Kupka a Kubrick, Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Santa Cruz

Until February 15, Espacios Abiertos III, contemporary photography exhibition. All photos taken in the Canaries

by Canarian photographers.

Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm.

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

January 11, 8 pm, Tenerife Ballet: Carrusel de Estrellas (carousel of stars). Gala for the benefit of AMATE. Teatro Guimerá, Santa Cruz January 30, 6 pm, January 31 and February 1, 12 noon, 4.30 and 7.30 pm, Sesame Street Show, Pabellon Santiago Martín, La Laguna. A live theatrical and musical show in which the children will form part of the action. Tickets 20 to 35 euros.

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.

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).

(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. For more information, contact the Social Secretary, Vanessa Cloutt, telephone 922 742 011 or e-mail:ceten@fsmail. net.

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 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).

MISCELLANEOUS Alcalá market has reverted to Sunday following public demand complete with food stands. The Wednesday market at Playa San Juan has been extended to include two popular sections, car boot and fruit.

MUSEUMS

La Baranda WINE MUSEUM

Casa de Carta

A renovated 17th century Canary Island hacienda used by the Island Cabildo to promote local quality wines. Autopista Gral. del Norte.

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

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

Until January 25, musical based on the music of Mecano, ‘Hoy no me puede levantar’. Teatro Pérez Galdos, Las Palmas January 21, 9 pm, Vuelve Tequila with Alejo Stivel (vocals), Ariel Rot (guitar), Daniel Griffin (percussion), José Luis Hernández (bass), Jesús Rodríguez (guitar) and Mauricio Mietta (keyboards).

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas January 31, 10.30 pm, Jazz: The Charlie Parker Legacy Band.

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas.

EXHIBITIONS January 21 to March 28, exhibition La Entidad y su Patrimonio, with paintings by Julio Romero de Torres, Francis Bacon, Christo, George Segal, Miró Mainou, Juan Ismael, César Manrique, Pepe Dámaso, Manolo Millares, Juan de Miranda, Giraldo, Plácido Fleitas and Felo Monzón. CICCA, Las Palmas Until June 2009, sculpture by Agoney Santana, Saulo Torón square, Las Canteras, Las Palmas Until June 2009, Un mar de Vergüenzas, Saulo Torón Square in Las Canteras

NATURE Trekking 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.alberguelaaldea.com, or Valleseco 928 618740.

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

MARKETS Arguineguín: Tuesday, Gáldar: Thursday, Mogán: Sunday, Puerto de Mogán: Friday, Telde: Saturday, Terór: Sunday, Vecindario: Monday and Wednesday – all 8am to 2pm.

Playa del Inglés, every day except Sunday, 7.30 to 11.30pm. Rastro, Sunday 8am to 2pm, bus station, Las Palmas.

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/

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

25TH CANARY ISLANDS MUSIC FESTIVAL Events 16 – 30 January

Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria January 16, 8.30 pm, Bach Collegium Japan I, conductor Masaaki Suzuki, with Gerd Türk (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Dorothee Mields (soprano).

G.F. Haendel: Concerto Grosso, op. 6 No. 6 Laudate Pueri Dominum ‘Great Victor, at your feet I bow’ (Belzazar)‘Hail wedded love’ (Alexander Balus) ‘Dixit Dominus’ Tickets, Series 1 · A-65€ B-50€ C-30€ D-20€ January 17, 8.30 pm, Bach Collegium Japan II, conductor Masaaki Suzuki with Gerd Türk (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Dorothee Mields (soprano).

J.S. Bach: St. John Passion.

Tickets, Series 2 · A-65€ B-50€ C-30€ D-20€

January 16, 8.30 pm, Wiener Philharmoniker II, conductor Lorin Maazel. G. Mahler: Symphony No. 7.

Tickets, Series 2 · A-100€ B-85€ C-55€ D- 40€

January 19, 8.30 pm, Bach Collegium Japan I, conductor Masaaki Suzuki with Gerd Türk (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Dorothee Mields (soprano).

G.F. Haendel: Concerto Grosso, op. 6 No. 6 Laudate Pueri Dominum ‘Great Victor, at your feet I bow’ (Belzazar) ‘Hail wedded love’ (Alexander Balus)‘Dixit Dominus’.

Tickets, Series 1 · A- 65€ B- 50€ C- 30€ D- 20€

January 20, 8.30 pm, Bach Collegium Japan II, conductor Masaaki Suzuki with Gerd Türk (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Dorothee Mields (soprano).

J.S. Bach: St. John Passion Tickets, Series 2 · A- 65€ B-50€ C-30€ D- 20€

January 18, 8.30 pm, Wiener Philharmoniker I, conductor Lorin Maazel. R. Wagner: ‘The Ring without words’ (arrangement by L. Maazel).

Tickets, Series 1 · A-100€ B-85€ C-55€ D-40€ January 19, 8.30 pm, Wiener Philharmoniker II, conductor Lorin Maazel. G. Mahler: Symphony No. 7.

Tickets, Series 2 · A-100€ B-85€ C-55€ D- 40€ January 24, 7 pm, Justo Romero, ‘Isaac Albéniz, del Teclado a la Gran Ópera’ (from the keyboard to a grand opera) January 24, 8.30 pm, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria II, OFGC Choir, Children’s OFGC Choir, and the Choir of the Cambra de Palau de la Música Catalana. Conductor, José de Eusebio with John MacMaster (tenor), Ana María Sánchez (soprano), Larissa Diadkova (mezzosoprano), David Wilson-Johnson (baritone), María Rey-Joly (soprano), Augusto Brito (baritone-bass), Juan Antonio Sanabria (tenor), Radoslav Wielgus (baritone). I. Albéniz: Henry Clifford (concert version opera) Tickets, Series 1 · A-55€ B-45€ C-25€ D- 20€

January 25, 7 pm, Justo Romero, ‘Isaac Albéniz, del Teclado a la Gran Ópera’ (from the keyboard to a grand opera)

January 27, 8.30 pm, Gustavo Díaz-Jerez, piano. I. Albéniz: Suite Iberia.

Tickets, Series 2 · A-30€ B-25€ C-20€ D-10€

January 26, 8.30 pm, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria II,

January 28, 7.30 pm, Raquel Cristóbal, presented by Lourdes Bonnet, ‘Encuentro con la Compositora’ (meeting the composer)

OFGC Choir, Children’s OFGC Choir, and the Choir of the Cambra de Palau de la Música Catalana. Conductor, José de Eusebio with John MacMaster (tenor), Ana María Sánchez (soprano), Larissa Diadkova (mezzosoprano), David Wilson-Johnson (baritone), María Rey-Joly (soprano), Augusto Brito (baritone-bass), Juan Antonio Sanabria (tenor), Radoslav Wielgus (baritone).

I. Albéniz: Henry Clifford (concert version opera) Auditorio de Tenerife.

Tickets, Series 1 · A- 55€ B-45€ C-25€ D-20€

January 28, 8.30 pm, SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg I, conductor Michael Gielen with Katia and Marielle Labèque (piano).

R. Cristóbal: Spectra Sonoris. Commission of the Festival. World Première. L. Berio: Concert for two pianos and orchestra P. I. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4.

Tickets, Series 1 · A- 70€ B- 55€ C-30€ D-25€

WHAT’S ON

41

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

January 29, 8.30 pm, SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg II, conductor Michael Gielen with Hanno Müller-Brachmann (baritone).

G. Mahler: Blumine ‘Des Knaben Wunderhorn’ A. Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 (second version) Tickets, Series 2 · A- 70€ B- 55€ C- 30€ D- 25€

www.diasc.com/diasc/ Travel between the islands

January 30, 8.30 pm, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife II, conductor David Atherton with Viktoria Mullova (violin).

I. Stravinsky: Scherzo à la Russe ( orchestral version) I. Stravinsky: Concert for violin I. Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947) Tickets, Series 2 · A-50€ B-40€ C-25€ D-15€

Discounts on hotels and car

Christoph Eschenbach. Pintscher: Osiris L. v. Beethoven: Egmont.

Overture F. Schubert: Symphony No. 9, D.944 ‘The Great C Major’ Tickets, Series 1 · A-85€ B-70€ C-40€ D- 30€

January 30, 8.30 pm, The Philadelphia Orchestra II, conductor Christoph Eschenbach with Leonidas Kavakos (violin).

B. Bartok: Concert No. 2 for violin and orchestra A. Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 Tickets, Series 2 · A-85€ B- 70€ C- 40€ D-30€

All tickets available in advance from: 902 405 504 (La Caja de Canarias), 902 317 327 (CajaCanarias), or from special ticket vending machines at branches of these two banks, at the ticket box of the auditoriums, or online at www.generaltickets.com or www.festivaldecanarias.com

January 28, 8.30 pm, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife II, conductor David Atherton with Viktoria Mullova (violin). I. Stravinsky: Scherzo à la Russe (orchestral version)I. Stravinsky: Concert for violinI. Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947) Tickets, Series 2 · A-50€ B-40€ C-25€ D-15€

January 29, 8.30pm, The Philadelphia Orchestra I, conductor

to cultural events is 50 per cent cheaper on certain days and for selected events with Fred Olsen, Islas Airways and Binter. hire are also available.

You will need to book by 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.

42

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Mesón Castellano For those who enjoy typical Spanish cuisine, the Mesón Castellano will be a gastronomic dream come true.

O

The menu selection on offer is of superb quality, excellent value for money and as an additional incentive, for those who work or prefer to dine late, they are open six days a week until 2 am.

For starters, try some of that excellent Serrano ham, some slices of Manchego cheese or the Russian roulette of Pimientos de Padrón (tiny pointed green peppers with sea salt sautéed in olive oil which are normally sweet,

but now and again give you a piquant surprise).

There really should be a better word than cold cuts in English to describe the incredible selection of spicy sausages, chorizos, dried and salted fillet of pork and a long etc. that is the inheritance of the Spanish nation. Each slice delights and tempts you to try the next, why not try a mixed platter? For a main course be tempted by the freshest

EL CAMISÓN PLAYA DE LAS AMÉRICAS

Open Wednesday to Monday UNTIL 2 AM 922 79 63 05 922 79 21 36

of seafood and fish bought from the local boats or flown in from the wholesale fish markets of the Spanish peninsula daily. Or if meat is more to your liking, El Mesón has the most exquisite selection of Spanish cuts, including of course, those delightful one-bite, tiny baby lamb chops.

From the thousands of bottles in their bodega, they have drawn up an extensive wine list which holds an excellent choice to suit all palates and pockets and Manolo is delighted to discuss the selection with

you and help you choose the right wine to complement your choice of meal. To round off your gastronomic experience, there are few cuisines that can match the variety of delicious desserts that are on offer in Spain.

Our personal favourite was Crema Catalana, break through the crisp caramel topping to savour the subtly vanilla flavoured, melt-inyour-mouth pudding below.

Treat yourself to a taste of authentic Spanish cuisine at Mesón Castellano.

Booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

©IC/580/08

wner Manolo Martín, spends an inordinate amount of time and skill searching out the best and freshest of ingredients and preparing specialities that you would normally only find in the centre of the Spanish peninsula. As soon as you enter the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant you are struck by its truly Spanish identity, all the rooms are decorated with authentic Spanish touches such as original trophies from traditional bullfights.

The Serrano hams not only add to the décor, but also to the wealth of appetising aromas which assail your senses to beguile the spirit and stimulate your appetite as you walk through the door.

El Mesón, as it is known to its many regular customers has a wide range of menu choices from typical tapas to the full spread of five and six courses considered necessary in some of the heavier eating regions of central and northern Spain.

Residencial El Camisón, Playa de las Américas Open from 1PM till 1AM Tuesday closed Tel: 922 79 63 05 922 79 21 36 www.mesoncastellano.com

Mesón Castellano Superb Spanish Cuisine

Offering the best in meat, including steak, pork and lamb, not to mention our fine range of fish, cold cuts & tapas.

We combine tradition and good taste to offer you the best of our gastronomy, plus an extensive selection of top quality wines from our Bodega.

©IC575/08

- 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

Open daily from 1pm to midnight

Restaurante

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

Al e

Goodfellas you to

Open daily 12 midday - 11pm

anny wel co

me

Tel. 922 741 518

D c&

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

Good food, good ale, great service Pool Bar, Apts Dinastía, Los Cristianos. Next to Paradise Park

Established 7 years San Telmo · Las Vistas Beach · Los Cristianos · Opposite the fountain ©IC/558/08

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Food FOR THOUGHT

43

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Wok International

WOK INTERNATIONAL OPPOSITE THE VALDÉS CENTRE OPEN MON-SUN

TABLE RESERVATIONS :

922 797 168

I

magine a marvellous variety of Sushi and your favourite styles of Asian cooking, combine them with the finest of fresh meat, fish and shellfish and you will begin to have an idea of the incredible variety on offer at the Restaurante Wok International.

Owner Mr Chen already had several Chinese restaurants, but he wanted to offer much more, something different from the rest.

As

Asiaticoo Asiatic Buffet Libre As

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 wide variety of cold and hot dishes, desserts and ice-creams of all kinds.

All day buffet

7,90€ ONLY

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

sushi

With his Restaurante Wok International, one of the first restaurants of its kind, he is able to delight all his guests from anywhere in the world. Whether you choose Chinese or Spanish cuisine, or Japanese sushi, the staff can provide you with your heart’s desire and the good news is that you can help yourself to as much as you want to eat at their hot and cold buffets.

If five or more people go along in the evening for a birthday celebration, the person whose birthday it is only pays for his or her drinks, Mr Chen invites him or her for a spectacular feast, absolutely free. This offer is also available the day before or the day after the birthday too, just present your ID card or passport as

proof that it really is your birthday.

The atmosphere is instantly welcoming with the mixture of the traditional Chinese decor, modern furnishing and friendly, efficient staff. Service is swift and excellent. Once you have chosen from the excellent prime materials on offer, you take the raw food over to the wok and griddle section, choose one of the sauces on offer and you can stay and watch the spectacle of your food being prepared.

Alternatively, English speaking Jike or one of his team will bring it to your table. There is also a huge buffet selection for starters, main courses and desserts, leaving you totally spoilt for choice.

There is space for up to 250 people and

if you or a guest have mobility difficulties, the whole building has been designed to be wheelchair friendly. The truly amazing choices on offer have to be seen and tasted to be believed. Fresh pork, lamb, beef, the best and freshest fish that can be found in the market, prawns, crayfish, mussels, clams and even oysters.

Try it for yourselves!

For superb choice and excellent value for money, check out the Restaurante Wok International at Boulevard Chayofe 10, Los Cristianos (between OfiPapel and the BP petrol station, opposite the Valdés Centre).

Open Monday to Sunday, 1.30pm to 4.30pm and 6.30pm to 11.30pm. Mr Chen and his team look forward to welcoming you.

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 Mob. 636 378 017 • PIEDRA HINCADA, NR.42 - GUÍA DE ISORA TAKE THE EXIT 'PIEDRA HINCADA' - THEN FOLLOW THE ROAD UPHILL FOR 2 KM

44

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Recipe In Pictures

Making the most of seasonal food

Recipe and photos provided by Montesano

Spanish stuffed potatoes

This quick and easy meal is a household favourite in many parts of Spain especially during the Winter months. Its main ingredient Montesano Iberian sobrasada paté is made from a national breed of pig, the Iberian pig. However, it isn’t only the breed of pig that gives the products from this animal their special flavoursome taste, but also the way they are raised and the methods of curing and preparing the various cuts.

Iberian pigs feed mainly on grass and acorns during the fattening period producing a different kind of fat which is high in oleic acid and therefore cardio-friendly. Montesano meat and meat products company, has its main headquarters in Tenerife in addition to their Extremadura installations and provides one of the most consistent quality items across the board and across the full range of meats and

delicatessen style meat products which is why we recommend their use. The Montesano sobrasada meat paté used in this recipe is available in various stores across the Canaries and can easily be found for example in the Alteza and HiperTrebol (Grupo Jesuman) stores.

Potatoes stuffed with sobrasada paté

Preparation 1. Wash the potatoes and put them to boil in their jackets in a pan full of water with a pinch of salt. At 15 minutes onwards begin to test with a fork and when the fork comes away without picking up the potato, remove from heat.

2. Leave to cool, peel and hollow them out with a spoon or a scoop, reserving the removed potato.

Ingredients • One kg of small to medium potatoes • 300 g Montesano Iberian sobrasada paté • 250 ml double cream • 50 g grated cheese & salt

3. Mash up the reserved potato with the sobrasada paté, put the mixture into a pan and heat with the cream until blended together. Remove from heat and fill the hollowed out potatoes with the mixture.

4. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and put them in an oven preheated to 200ºC until the cheese melts. Serve with a salad.

Restaurant and Cocktail bar I celandic Restaurant with S outhern Flair

BAR & GRILL

Terrace ace with amazing sea views Open n daily from 2 pm

International cuisine House specialities Snacks Ideal for parties Gourmet buffet, made to measure asure 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

CASINO SALYTIEN

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Food Ideas; Our favourite cookware shop is also holding its spring sale at special prices. All items from http://www.lakeland.co.uk/.

Kids kitchenware

Specially designed for smaller hands, the bright colours of this kitchenware are sure to tempt your youngsters away from the Nintendo. The name of the cookware is Miniamo which means ‘love your little ones’ and it is made from virtually unbreakable melamine or silicone. Set comprises 25cm non-stick baking tin, decorative star stencil and a sieve/sifter.

Reduced from £9.78 to £2.88.

Mulled wine whisk

The crisp days of early spring are ideal too for a warming glass of mulled wine. The set comes with cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and a whisk to stir in flavour and cheer whatever the season. Contains everything you need to make around 1.5 litres. Made

by Lomer and reduced from £5.86 to £2.93.

Luxury teatime

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

SAY CHEESE

2009 World Cheese Awards The next edition of the World Cheese Awards, which is considered the most significant event in the world related to the cheese sector, will take place in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria between 30th September and 4th October 2009.

The budget for this year’s event, which will mark its 20th anniversary, is 700,000 euros of which public institutions will contribute 150,000 euros. It is hoped that at least 4,000 cheeses from all over the world will be presented.

The official meeting at which the announcement was made was attended by the director of the Canarian Institute of Food Quality (ICCA), Guillermo Díaz Guerra, the councillor representing Canarian Rural Environment, Águeda Fumero, the councillor representing Proexca, Javier Mariscal, and the president of The World of Fine Foods, the organisers of the event, Robert Farrand. During the

meeting, the president of ICCA commented, “we have a product of the highest quality with which to generate a first class economic activity.

Not only will it be a source of income, but it will also form one of our best assets to present overseas”.

It had already been decided at the end of September that the Canaries would be nominated as the next ven-

ue for this annual event.

The previous edition which was held in Dublin attracted more than 2,400 cheeses.

In the last six editions, cheeses from all over the Canaries have won more than 40 medals.

Last year, of the 45 Canarian products entered, 15 received medals and one of these, a cured goat’s cheese covered with paprika and gofio from Arico, was

declared the best cheese in the world. Running parallel with the World Cheese Awards will be a world congress on cheese with food samples from all over the world.

This event is expected to help many Canarian farmers and cheesemakers as well as Canarian products which can be exported as they will be presented with an opportunity to open new markets.

Canarian cooking

New recipe book

This pretty teapot brings summer teatimes to mind.

Fine bone china and beautifully decorated this Berry Fields teapot will make teatime a special treat. Reduced from £19.56 to £9.78.

45

Experienced cookery writers, Remedios Sosa Díaz and Alberto Hernández Salazar, have just released a brand new recipe book, Lo mejor de la cocina de Gran Canaria (The best of Gran Canarian cooking).

The book contains 100 recipes based on traditional island cooking.

Sosa

St Eugen’s

Live Music Cocktails · Bar & Restaurant

Canarian recipe books, ks, many also published in English and German, n, although the latest st addition will only be e available in Spanish for the time being.

On sale in major book stores, or direct from the CCPC in La Laguna priced around eight euros.

Enjoy the best

compere

on Tenerife!

Ristorante - Pizzeria - Bar

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

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

©/558/08

One of the biggest live entertainment bar / restaurants in the South 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

assures future readers that the recipes are very simple to make, for any level of ability, as each stage is fully explained.

The book has been published by the Centro de la Cultura Popular Canaria, the Centre of Canarian Popular Culture, who are already well known by foodies for a number of

Specialising in Italian Cuisine Special prices for general & office parties Barbecued meat Authentic pizza Kids park Open everyday from 1 pm - 1 am San Eugenio Alto, Playa de Las Américas (opposite Aquapark). Tel: 922 79 29 58 - 699 445 292

46

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Taking a look at Spanish cheeses

Cooking with cheese A SERIES OF RECIPES CREATED BY THE BEST OF TODAY’S SPANISH CHEFS

Piglet crunch and Torta de la Serena on top of wild asparagus sauce and lemon juice

By Fernando and Ainhoa Bárcena (Aldebarán, Badajoz)

Once cooked, let them cool and bone them, but be careful not to rip the skin.

Ingredients:

2.Then place on the parchment

• 2 loins with skin from a suckling

paper and bake at 194 degrees for one hour.

pig • 1 bay leaf • Ground pepper • Salt • 2 garlic cloves • 1 onion • 7oz Torta de la Serena (sheep’s milk cheese) • 2 parchment paper sheets • 4 shallots • a handful of wild asparagus • 1.75oz butter • Tarragon • 0.87oz flour • 2 limes • Syrup • Olive oil

3. Blanch the wild asparagus.

4. Toss chopped shallots in butter; add asparagus and a bit of flour.

Wet the mixture with asparagus water and blend through a sieve.

Peel the limes and chop skin finely.

Simmer it in syrup by adding the juice from the limes.

5. Cut the pork into squares or triangles and brown in a non-stick pan with a few drops of oil 6.On a tray, place one layer of pork, one of cheese and another of pork. Bake.

Preparation: 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.

Presentation: 1. Put the two pork loins into iced water for one hour to bleed.

Boil them with thyme, black pepper, salt, onion and garlic.

Pour wild asparagus sauce and lime juice on a plate and arrange the pork.

...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

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

By Gerald Ruben

WineGUIDE

47

A beautiful lady, a reindeer and a bottle of Ice wine Y

es they all have something in common, the beautiful lady is Lesley the partner of David Pembridge one of the senior Captains with the P & O line, the reindeer was given to the ship by Aslak Lefdal and the Ice wine came from Canada and was a present to Vivienne and myself.

Lesley with Sven the reindeer

amount of prompting from the Staff Captain, it was decided to mount the head on the after bridge bulkhead, as a permanent lookout, with a sign reading, ‘Sven the ever watchful’. Since then all of the new P & O ships have received a Sven on their first call to Olden.

Lesley who travels everywhere with David hails from Canada, and on a recent visit to that country to see her mother and father, she and David did some extensive travelling in that beautiful and interesting country. They had timed their visit during the fall, when the leaves and foliage are at

All for

one and one for all

their most colourful. They hired a car and drove for miles, ending up in Ontario, which in turn brought them to the prestigious winery of Magnotta. Magnotta is Ontario’s third largest winery and the only company of its kind in Canada licensed to produce and sell wine, beer and distilled products.

With over 3,000 awards to date for product excellence, Magnotta is Canada’s most award winning company.

The company was founded in 1990 by Gabe and Rossana Magnotta, however like some events in life, it was the LCBO’s announcement that they had no shelf

space for Manotta products that triggered an emergency re-draft of their marketing plans. Selling directly to the public they overcame adversity. Now they have prime locations of their own throughout Canada.

Their head office is in Vaughn, in Ontario, just a few minutes north of Toronto.

The company has more than 180 acres of vineyards in the heart of Ontario’s Niagara grape growing region. They also own over 351 acres in the Maipo Valley, Chile’s most sought after growing region. Their wines are all VQA or Vintner’s Quality Alliance. VQA is a

These systems are typically administered by a governing body of individuals from the wine industry, almost everything from the grape varieties permitted to the way and how a wine must be aged is controlled. Strict limits are placed on such things as yields and sugar levels at harvest.

The Ice wine from this winery is produced from frozen grapes hand harvested in the depths of winter at temperatures of eight degrees or lower. The frozen grapes are immediately crushed releasing a tiny amount of sweet, highly concentrated nectar which is slowly fermented over many weeks. Through a delicate and painstaking process frozen grapes are

vinified into the spectacular and incomparable taste sensation known to the world over as Ice wine.

The VQA stipulates that grapes cannot be artificially frozen. The other rules and regulations stipulate that the finished wine must have a Brix of 35 degrees or higher, (Brix is a measurement of dissolved sugar to water mass of a liquid). The alcohol must derive from the natural sugars of the grapes.

The harvest of Ice wine must start after November 15th and all Ice wine processors are required to attend a VQA Ice wine standards seminar each year. Ice wine actually originates in the Rheingau region of Germany and is typically produced from Vidal, Riesling or Gewürztraminer grapes. Many wineries are experimenting with various other vinifera varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The wine goes extremely well with aged blue cheeses but most of all with a good foie gras.

Having done some extensive research into the wines of Canada I will feature them in another article soon, I just did not realise the extent of wine production from this country and have Lesley to thank for pointing me in this direction.

Savour some of Europe’s Finest Cuisine

io

“Oggi cucino” “Hoy cocino ”

yo

The lunchtime Menu is a must!

“Aujourd'hui,

je

cuisine” ©IC578/08

A few days ago David brought the cruise ship Oriana into Santa Cruz, Tenerife. We were invited to go aboard and have a conducted tour of the ship. Having negotiated the strict security system that they have in place David and Lesley showed us the magnificent vessel that is home to them for the next few months. The photo of Lesley with the reindeer on the bridge of Oriana tells the story of the chap who built the berth and facilities at Olden in Norway. Aslak Lefdal, culls the reindeer each year and decided to make a present of the stuffed head to this ship when it made its maiden call in 1995. The head spent a while in various places, including a spell in the Staff Captain’s cabin.

After some serious thought, and no doubt a certain

controlled system that has been in use since 1988.

It is the Canadian equivalent of France’s Appellation D’Origine Controlee or AC. The system is designed to guarantee the origin, character and level of quality of the wine being produced.

Reservations recomended

María Bonita restaurante tapas bar

Centro Comercial Safari · 1ª Planta · Local 5 Playa de las Américas · Tenerife Tel. 922 797 190 e-mail: info@mariabonitatenerife.com

48

Showbiz S

By Barbara Law

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Pop’s fake phenomenon H

elping to keep the Beatles’ music alive here on the island of Tenerife is Billy J Lennon, with his Magical History Tour.

A John Lennon fan and look-alike, he has one of the most popular acts on the island’s entertainment scene.

The twist to the show is that the other three members of the group are not regulars, for each performance he chooses three members of the audience to participate.

He dresses them up in Beatles’ attire and wigs, gives them their instruments to mime with and off they go. It’s very effective as they sing along, for how many people don’t know the words to the Beatles’ songs? With the audience getting really involved in the one hour trip down memory lane, it’s all rousing stuff, with the punters more than willing to join in he party. There may be many copycat artists on the island’s entertainment scene.

They may not be the real thing, but they offer a genuinely good night out.

Over the years since the look and sound alike acts became popular, a number of copy bands like Bjorn Again and the Bootleg Beatles became real crowd pullers in their own right world wide.

If Jim Morrison, legendary lead singer with

the Doors, were still alive today he might well have been disturbed over the years to discoverer that he was being impersonated. In fact all four of the Doors were the subjects for a long time of a highly convincing piece of impressionism by four long haired men from the Antipodes who toured the globe performing Doors’ songs with great success.

They played on 60’s instruments, presented an authentic stageshow and their music was a dead ringer for the original recordings. They called themselves The Australian Doors Show and were one of a growing number of copy bands to hit the scene, recreating the songs of some of pop music’s most famous groups. In many cases the original group, or at least some of their members, were long dead.

Other bands, such as the Counterfeit Stones, who were based in London, took advantage of the fact that public appearances from the real bands were rare. The biggest hit of any

Mamma Mia has kept the music of Abba alive and well

of the copy bands over the years was probably Bjorn Again, with their ABBA show, probably due to the release of the ABBA Greatest Hits album and later the West End hit musical Mamma Mia, now a major film with Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

The group, also Australian, looked and sounded uncannily like the original, even speaking with mock

Swedish accents on and off stage.

The Bootleg Beatles, four men – two of them from Merseyside – also did tremendous business, performing the songs of the world’s most popular group. Neil Harrison, who managed the Bootleg Beatles and played the part of John Lennon, said that authenticity had always been their

main objective, even down to the member impersonating Paul McCartney, playing a genuine HofnerJohn bass, which was costly. Only the beards and the moustaches which they donned as they progressed on their musical journey through the 60’s were false. Some of the groups, such as the Doors, were so realistic that even though Jim Morrison had been dead for a number of years, having been found dead in his bath in Paris, female fans still clambered on stage to mob the copy singer.

I often wondered if these bands and others like them could be committing a breach of copyright.

A few years ago the leading entertainment solicitors in the UK who specialise in copyright law, made this comment on the legal position of counterfeit bands of artists. “Broadly a successful artiste would have to show that the use of a similar name of get-up has, or will cause confusion in the minds of the public, between the replica group or artiste and the original”.

He added, “if the replica

has added adjectives to the existing name, proof of confusion may be difficult. It would appear then that since these artistes make it abundantly clear that they are not the real Stones, Beatles or Doors, legal action would be difficult, however they could run into problems if they used photographs or posters of the original group”.

So if you see Tom Jones at Brahms and Litst, Celine Dion at Oscars or The Drifters at Divine Soul don’t expect to see the ‘real thing’. Although many of the impersonators on the island are excellent performers, as good if not better than you will see in TV’s Stars in Their Eyes, in the UK, and provide entertainment which is both inexpensive and reliable. Don’t be so naïve as one lady I recall kicking up a fuss outside a bar she had visited and walked out of, complaining that she had been conned into going in to see the ‘real’ Shirley Bassey, even though there was no admission charge and drinks were normal bar prices. However they had advertised “Live Tonight – Shirley Basset” – naughty!

So holiday makers, if you happen to see Elvis jogging along the beach in his full regalia, all burst into a chorus of “I just can’t help believing…”

NEW in Puerto Santiago

First class modern international food

sauc Pizza - Pasta - Brasa

One of Tenerife‛s up and coming restaurants.

A delightful stylish restaurant in a wonderful tranquil setting offering an extensive modern menu and the very best of service.

©IC/558/08

Car park 50 metres from restaurant Open Mon – Sat 7 'til late For reservations call 922 712 257 after 6pm.

Av. Colón, C.C. Club Atlantis, San Eugenio, Puerto Colón

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

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

Tel. 922 860 744

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

BUSINESS PROMOTION

49

DIGS FOR DOGS

Your pets’ home away from home

a kennel. Allen is now also providing a quarantine service for dogs returning or going to the UK. This includes advice on what is needed, plus the use of a quarantine kennel near, but separate to, the other kennel

accommodation. All dogs entering the UK must have had a rabies inoculation and have completed six months quarantine prior to the entry date. The quarantine period does not start on the day of the inoculation as a lot of

owners think, it begins after the dog has had a blood test following it, which is normally one month later, so the waiting period is normally seven months before entry into the UK. When a flight is booked for a dog to the UK, the airline pass the arrangements to a live animal handling company.

Allen will liaise with that company to ensure all runs smoothly. He will also take your dog for the necessary clinical examination 24 hours before the flight and then transport your dog to the airport, dealing with the airport authorities, making sure your pet reaches the cargo bay safely. Tenerife, like the UK, is rabies free but the requirements must be adhered to if you want to take a dog to the UK. The service provided by Digs For Dogs is designed to take away all the hassle and stress of the arrangements and with Allen’s expertise, you should have everything in place for a smooth transition for your dog.

With all they have to offer, and for an extremely caring attitude, you can’t go wrong in trusting your dog into the care of Digs For Dogs. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.

square metres. They are in three blocks of nine apartments each, some on the lower floor having a terrace and a garden, and others having a roof terrace, and all enjoying access to two private swimming pools.

Another plot is occupied by small terraced houses for young families, with two

bedrooms plus an additional bedroom or study on the roof terrace. They have been built on an area of between 100 and 185 square metres each, and they also have their own swimming pool plus another which is exclusively for children.

A further plot contains three-bedroomed terraced houses on between 118 and 370 square metres each.

These also have two private swimming pools plus a private garage which will accommodate two cars and which have direct access to the house. Finally, there are three types of villas, with four or five bedrooms, each with a private swimming

pool, alarm system, video entrance system, air conditioning, private garage for four to five cars and centralised vacuum suction throughout the whole house. They each occupy 308 of their 410 square metre plots.

What more could you ask? There is something at Lajas de Chapín to suit everyone, and don’t forget they are ready to move into immediately. Why not make your dreams come true?

Lajas de Chapín is just off the TF-47 Alcalá to Tamaimo road in Puerto de Santiago, overlooking Los Gigantes. For more information call 901 101050 or 922 867019.

Digs For Dogs is a luxury kennelling service at a very affordable price.

Allen and Lesley opened their purpose built kennels almost two years ago, drawing on Allen’s previous expertise as a Ministry of Defence Police dog Trainer.

Initially they only intended to have three kennels, but such has been the return demand from customers that they now have nine, plus a quarantine kennel for dogs returning to the UK. The accommodation at Digs For Dogs, which is situated in a delightful setting at Los Blanquitos, approximately six kilometres from San Isidro and three kilometres from Granadilla, includes an exercise area and all dogs are given personal attention by Allen and Lesley, so they are not just left to their own devices.

The enthusiasm and caring attitude towards

their charges is obvious as soon as you enter the premises. All information about each dog is used to enhance the care they are given and neither Allen nor Lesley have to look at their written records to recall the likes and dislikes of a dog staying with them. Often, a dog will be with them in the home environment, not just in the kennel, dependent upon its character and what the owner has requested.

If your dog has a particular nutritional requirement or you like it to have a certain kind of food, this can be arranged without any problem by discussing what is needed with the proprietors.

All the kennels are kept scrupulously clean and a visit to check the accommodation for your dog before you book is encouraged. Whilst prior notice is not necessary,

Leave your pet in the experienced and caring hands of Allen and Lesley

otherwise this would defeat the object of a check, a quick call just before is recommended to make sure Allen or Lesley are there.

The cost of a kennel is 10 euros per day or 16 euros per day for two dogs sharing

LUXBA DEVELOPMENT

Lajas de Chapín The Lajas de Chapín development, just outside Los Gigantes in the southwest of Tenerife, is extremely special and select.

The Luxba slogan says it is, “your natural space”. It is a way of life which will make a big difference to you and your family, in an exceptional area from where you can enjoy the most wonderful

sunsets behind La Gomera, and know that the marina and golf courses are nearby.

But maybe the most important aspect of this development is security, not only security within the complex, but the knowledge that all the properties are completely finished and already have their licences which declare that they are fit for habita-

CROQUANT British Bakery & Coffee Shop Sandwiches, sausage rolls, pasties, etc.

tion, so you can move in and enjoy them with absolutely no risk at all. With no need to cross your fingers and hope that your home will be finished on time, this must be your dream come true.

Lajas de Chapín is a private development of three different types of homes surrounded by gardens. All are of superior quality and fitted with fully equipped kitchens to give the standard of luxury that Luxba clients rightly deserve.

One plot is dedicated to two-bedroomed apartments constructed on areas of between 105 and 125 square metres, and three-bedroomed apartments on areas of between 123 and 198

BAR REST. ROMERO BRASAS DE CHIRCHE

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

©IC/572/08

www.alternativa7.tv C/ Camino Viejo, 3 Chirche (Guía de Isora)

922 85 11 38

50

BUSINESS PROMOTION

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

ENHANCE BEAUTY

Enhance your natural good looks Most of us could do with a little enhancement

More and more often women are turning to permanent cosmetics to enhance their natural beauty and where better to go than Enhance Beauty at Balcón del Atlántico in Torviscas Alto?

Providing beauty treatments as well as training, owner Julieanne Laurens said, “permanent make-up is ideal for anyone who wants to look and feel great every day without having to spend hours in front of a mirror.

“With permanent cosmetics you can have - all day and every day - larger looking eyes with eyeliner and thicker lashes or, amazing lips that look fuller and give a younger looking mouth using permanent lip colour and lip liner. Also, you can have perfectly shaped eyebrows that make your eyes look much bigger and your brow line smoother, in effect an instant eyelift without sur-

gery or Botox. “And remember you are always in control of your look - you can go for subtle, understated or more obvious. Whatever look you want, I can help you get it - and keep it.”

Breast areola and nipple restoration Implanting colour to a damaged areola or scar tissue to restore the patient’s affected area creating a natural look which in turn helps the patient to have more confidence after surgery.

Pigments are made up to match the natural skin tones of the breast or the areola. It is then implanted via a stateof-the-art pigmentation machine into the affected area.

Scar tissue is coloured to blend into the surrounding area and the damaged areola can be made to look its former self.

So how does it work?

Permanent make-up is a safe and natural looking alternative to the daily routine of applying make-up in

the morning and throughout the day. It is a state-ofthe-art technique of permanently applying make-up via interdermal micropigmentation. Properly applied by an experienced technician permanent make-up will be more natural and realistic compared to conventional cosmetics.

Is it expensive?

Not if you look at the long time effect, how much you

pay for liners, lipsticks, mascaras etc over the years, not to mention how long it takes to apply.

How long does it last?

Permanent cosmetics are permanent. You will always have a permanent marking in your skin, however over time you will notice a gradual softening of colour occurring. Many clients feel that this is an advantage as they feel their make-up will

age with them. Julieanne recommends a colour enhancement for those who wish to keep their make-up looking as fresh as possible; this would take place after around 18 months to three years depending on colour, body chemistry and lifestyle.

Sterilisation?

“Safety and hygiene is my priority,” said Julieanne, “only sterile, disposable needles are used and are

disposed of straight after treatment. “I welcome the opportunity to share my accumulated years of experience in the cosmetic world.

I have been in the beauty industry for the past 10 years as a proprietor of a very busy beauty training academy.

“My training was sought in both the UK and USA, specialising in Natural Appealing Permanent Cosmetics.

“I am a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals USA, the Guild of Professional Beauty, Professional Beauty Direct and Babtac. I am also the founder and Director of Hollywood Lashes® Semi-Permanent Eyelash Extensions”. As well as the fabulous list of permanent cosmetic treatments, Julieanne offers so many more services, from non-surgical face-lifts, facials, bridal make-up, microdermabrasion, detoxspa, body contour wrap, waxing, lash and brow tinting/perming, eyebrow shaping, Hollywood eyelash extensions lasting up to two months, spray tanning, nail extensions,(beauty course with recognised certification.) For more details call Julieanne directly on 922 717 380. Mobile: 692 045 460 or email enhancebeautytreatment@hotmail.com.

SIAM PARK

Making waves Give yourself a break in paradise!

• Small four-star-hotel • Tranquil, close to ocean • 30 m solar-heated pool • Creative menu • Coffee and cakes • Special events • Banquets and private celebrations

The place for magical moments More Info: Hotel Luz del Mar Avda. Sibora 10, Los Silos Tel. 922 841 623 info@luzdelmar.eu www.luzdelmar.eu

Siam Park had been open for 100 days by Christmas 2008 with a very positive balance, so there was a double celebration. Europe’s most spectacular water attraction theme park closed this first period with the clear objective of offering fun and high quality services, as well as protecting the environment with the use of latest technology, including the first and only natural gas plant in the Canary Islands which is used to heat the park´s water. This great achievement gives warm water at 24 degrees all year and at the same time minimises the impact on the environment with the emission of 70 per cent less poisonous gas into the atmosphere.

The park has welcomed thousands of people from all over the world during this first hundred days, including distinguished visitors like Her Royal Highness Maha

Germany, Russia, Norway, Cuba, Italy, Scotland, the USA, France and Spain among others. Spanish newspaper El País’ supplement El Viajero presented Siam Park with the headline “Human torpedos at the giant slide – Siam Park, a new waterpark in the south of Tenerife thought big”, The Independent placed Siam Park among the top five theme parks in Europe and The Times said it in one word “Spectacular”.

Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess of Thailand, Begum Inaara, director of some of the most important tour operators in the world, and Manchester United player Paul Scholes.

The park has received hundreds of congratulations on its web site www.siampark. net and in the blogs dedi-

cated to the park which are posted daily on the internet.

Siam Park has attracted the attention of various national and international mass media, such as outstanding news, television programmes and illustrated reports, and prestigious publications from England,

The most popular attractions have been The Dragon and the Tower of Power, the outstanding artificial beach which is the whitest in the Canary Islands and the Wave Palace. All the visitors have been really impressed

by Siam Park’s exotic setting and natural landscapes.

The park has been chosen to host numerous events such as the Tenerife Champions Cup, Kick Boxing World Championship, surf clinics,

the Loro Parque-Siam Park cycling prize presentation, and a wide variety of successful cultural activities. Siam Park is currently planning its agenda for this year so that it can offer a new range of thrilling attractions to its visitors. The activities programmed for 2009 started recently with the Hawaiian Tropic beach party.

Christoph Kiessling, director of Siam Park, has expressed his satisfaction with the number of visits so far, which prove the international interest in the park and its success. With 185,000 square metres, 20 million litres of water and all its safety measures, Siam Park combines the latest technology that has been used behind the attractions with the mystery of the ancient kingdom of Thailand which transports visitors to faraway and remote lands. For more information, go to www. siampark.net.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Island Connections Media Group Karen Swift Classifieds Manager

OPENING HOURS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9AM – 5PM

Collection Points

Las Chafiras Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6º- first floor. Pol. Industrial Las Chafiras 38620 San Miguel de Abona.

Tel. 922 750 609 Fax: 922 795 810 To Cho - Guargacho - Las

ISLAND CONNECTIONS LAS CHAFIRAS

TF-1 to Los Cristianos Las Américas

01.

Situations Vacant CLASSIFIED’S DEADLINE The deadline for edition 583, which is published on 30 January, is Thursday 22 January at 5pm.

No classified’s will be taken after this date.

more than 10 years experience

High pay structure

superstores.is looking for

World’s Los Cristianos. leading Calle El Rodeo. timeshare Apt. Royal Palm Reception. company Tel. 922 750 609

promoters, which like to

Galletas

ITV

To Golf MERCADONA del Sur

To Los Abrigos

To San Miguel TF-1 To Airport Santa Cruz

Royal Palm

Immediate start Castle Harbour · · ·Paradise Park Los Alisios

Acomodation CC Passarella Cristian Oasis Sur Available Beverly Hill Steve Atlántida Reverón 600 372 514 Victoria ROYAL Court

Mar

PALM

y after Jardines Sol4pm SUNDAY MARKET

Canarios

Rates

Commercial and Marketing manager for a company in the tourism sector The successful candidate will have: > Knowledge of the tourism marketing sector > 25 - 40 years of age > Secondary or tertiary education with qualifications > Relevant experience > Fluent English (other languages an advantage) > Their own car > Flexible hours > A working knowledge of the Internet, Web, Windows and Office

Send your CV to tenerifehosteleria @yahoo.es

is selling attractive, high quality products in Tenerife at markets, 5* hotels and open minded full/part-time 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 fur ther information. Office: 922 78 91 98 Fax: 922 789198

Haarstuido 2000 in Los Cristianos is look for a temporary stylist, German/English speaking from 14.00-19.00 hours

We are looking for

PROFESSIONAL TIME SHARE REPS and

TELEMARKETERS to work in a professional environment running in-house and fly-buy operations. Must be self motivated and hard working.

Resorts affiliated to Interval International.

Rewards: Time share reps - 18 per cent plus commission; telemarketers - basic plus commission.

If you have what it takes give us a call on (0034) 922 716 943 · Mobile 628 226 439

Tel 922 791 675

Mobile: 629 493799.

Tenerife Pearl / Perla Canaria is looking for models for its campaigns

We continue to grow... yes!

If you are between 18 and 30 years old, female, and you have all it takes to convert yourself into one of our models and do NOT possess a contract with any model agency, please e-mail us with the following information:

Even in the current economic climate we need extra help in order to fulfil our customers needs... We require the best in the marketplace. Have you got what it takes?

Advertising Consultants

Tenerife Office Tel: 922 750 609 Mob: 609 581 632 Fax: 922 795 810

• 3 photos (face, profile, body) • Personal info (full name, date and place of birth, phone nº, city, e-mail) • Measurements (height, breast, waist, hip, weight, eye and hair colour)

Classifieds Section: classifieds@ic-news.com

to marketing@tenerifepearl.net

Lineage classifieds: From 15.75 € Boxed Ads: Black& White 57.75€ Coloured 68.25€ Long Term: Ask for our special rates Island Connections Newspaper http://www.ic-news.com Daily News Site http://www.newscanarias.net

Sales Department: sales@ic-news.com

Our media group has traditionally led the field and will continue to do so by hiring the best and remunerating them accordingly.

(Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera)

Night Owl (Sales person) (Tenerife)

Gran Canaria Office Tel: 928 353 279/ Fax: 928 359 744 grancanaria@ic-news.com

Class. Info 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.

Circulation controlled by: Distribución Gratuita

Publisher & Proprietor Tina Straub, Joe Schacher

Island Connections S.L. C.I.F: B-38748315 Printed by Artes Gráficas del Atlántico S.A. Dep. Legal: TF-287/93

51

Promotions company with

Sales staff wanted FIRE STATION

CLASSIFIEDS / SITUATIONS VACANT

INSURANCE CONSULTANT REQUIRED The successful candidate must be highly motivated responsibilities will include cross selling all P&C lines of business and maintaining a successful follow up program.

Requirements: 1-3 year’s sales experience is required.

Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) Demonstrates high standards of professional conduct.

Send CV to: rw@tvt24.com

Do you possess: 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.

If so then you could be what we are looking for. Media experience would be an advantage, but not essential as training will be given.

If you would like to apply for any of the above positions, send your CV, two references, an up-to-date photo and covering letter to director@ic-news.com • henrycruz@ic-news.com • Fax: 922 79 58 10

52

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CLASSIFIEDS / GENERAL SERVICES

Audi A3 - 1.8T Engine: 1.8Litres kms: 182000 kms Year: 2000 Petrol Doors: 2 Price: 8200â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 606552281

The family friendly car hire company

02.

Opel Astra G Caravan Engine: 1.7Litres kms: 169000 kms Year: 2000 Diesel Doors: 2 Price: 4300â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 617878616

Motoring For the best car hire around ring

Niza Cars on 922 792 919 or Fax 922 793868

Fiat Seicento, 2001, 1.1sx, 3 doors, red, taxed, ITV 2009, many new parts (bills supplied), quick sale returning to UK, 1,950 euros ono, tel 677 731067 Mitsubishi Montero SWB, 1995, ITV June 09, A/c, CD player, elec. Windows, sun roof, metalic grey, recent full service, excellent condition, return to UK forces sale, 5,500 euros, tel 637 114961

Family company 27 years on Tenerife

Toyota Land Cruiser Engine: 2.5Litres kms: 200000 kms Year: 1993 Diesel Convertible Doors: 2 Price: 9500â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 922263181

DANISH RENT-A-CAR We guarantee:

Nissan Vanette Engine: 2Litres kms: 100000 kms Year: 1992 Diesel Doors: 4 Price: 2000â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 635498764

¡ A reliable and friendly service ¡ Fully comprehensive insurance, no extras ¡ Free child seats, GPS (3 Euros a day) Special offer: ¡ Special long term rates Citroen Saxo 7 days only â&#x201A;Ź139, ¡ VIP hire car service all included

Volkswagen GTI Engine: 2Litres kms: 52000 kms Year: 2005 Petrol Doors: 2 Price: 18500â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 679412358

Hotel drop off and collection Airport service, street maps, tour information Voucher for free entrance into theme parks

Smart Musso Engine: 3Litres kms: 69000 kms Year: 2002 Diesel Doors: 4 Price: 10000â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 600568333

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

Vo l k s w a g e n Pa s s a t Engine: 1.8Litres kms: Year: 1998 Petrol Doors: 4 Tel: 922724257

Tel: +34 922.740.742 ¡ www.poulsauto.com

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VW Golf plus TDI, 105, DSG-automatic, metallic grey, 2006, 27.500km, air con, radio/CD, autoparking, spor ts seats, excellent condition, tel 922 716273, 630 849928

Mercedes-Benz C 32 AMG Engine: 3Litres kms: 65000 kms Year: 2001 Petrol Sun roof Doors: 4 Price: 24000â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 687451431

BR ITISH RUN

F ord F oc u s Engine: 1.6Litres kms: Year: 2006 Petrol Doors: 2 Price: 12250â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 615294522

Jetski Yamaha GP, 1300 R, 20008, 170 PS, 2 seats, good as new, 9.000 euros, tel 609 130551

Opel Corsa 1.2, low km 4 years old, fully serviced with air con - â&#x201A;Ź4,500 Tel 629 594 590 or 922 777 652 Renault Clio, 1.2, 16v Community, 5 door, white, 2005, Air con, cruise control, alloys, 76,000 kms, 5,950, tel 617 253055 Private sale, red Ferrari, Mondial, 1990, 40,000 kms, excellent condition, tel 687 744225 Suzuki Jimny 1.5D, 2004, 52,000 kms, air con, alarm, fender, hardtop, 8.800 euros, tel 609 130551 Toyota Celica Engine: 1.8 Litres kms: 90000 kms Year: 1997 Petrol Price: 11500â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 649911000

Volkswagen Golf GT Engine: 2Litres kms: 30000 kms Year: 2006 Diesel Sun roof Doors: 2 Price: 22000â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 650355052

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

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C i t ro e n C 2 E n g i n e : 1.4Litres Kms: 46000 kms Year: 2004 Petrol Doors: 2 Price: 6500â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 670308105 Daewoo Korando Engine: 2.9Litr es Kms: 138000 kms Year: 2000 Diesel Doors: 2 Price: 5000â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 619471733 BMW 523i Engine: 0Litres Kms: 132000 kms Year: 1998 Petrol Doors: 4 Price: 8500â&#x201A;Ź Tel: 679398108

03.

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

CLASSIFIEDS / GENERAL SERVICES

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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.

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Numerous glass and mirror types ¡ Cut glass while you wait We only sell what we make - We are not middle men!

SOLAR FANTĂ STICO

Skilled Builder Robert McAlees

I listen to what you want and make sure you get the best.

I can replace that faulty tap or renovate your home.

Over 30 yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience. UK qualiďŹ ed to advanced skills status.

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

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

Reformas

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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 ďŹ nishing?

tel: 677 799 475

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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

ŠIC/576/08

All work fully guaranteed and insured.

Canaries & British Aluminium Systems, SL

Adultsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ballroom, Latin American, Tap or Freestyle Childrensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ( 2 1/2 - 7yrs).

Introduction to Dance.

Many other classes in ballet, hip hop, modern, musical theatre for all ages.

As seen in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dream Home DIYâ&#x20AC;?

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

High quality German UPVC at competitive prices.

We also supply & ďŹ t all types of aluminium products.

Visit our showroom on two ďŹ&#x201A;oors at Valle San Lorenzo.

Call for free quote: Tel. 627 511 606 OfďŹ ce/fax: 922 766 494 Web: www.ventanas-tenesur.com E-mail: ventanas-tenesur@hotmail.com

BEGINNERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DANCE CLASSES

A professional all inclusive tiling service. â&#x20AC;˘ No obligation design consultation. â&#x20AC;˘ Comprehensive quotation, separating tradesman, labourer and materials. â&#x20AC;˘ Ceramic, porcelanico, marble, granite, or natural stone. â&#x20AC;˘ All associated works such as terrace bases, drainage, bathroom fitting, plumbling and kitchen fitting carried out.

doors, shutters

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

General Services: Crissyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mobile Sewing Service. Alterations, curtains etc. Pick up an drop off at your home or choosen place, 35 yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience, tel 922 163048 leave message, mobile 6 8 0 9 5 5 3 4 3 , email crissyssewsingshop@ hotmail.com

Ventanas Tenesur SL Windows,

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ŠIC/574/08

04.

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

Horse sharing!

I am offering horse sharing for my 5 year old gelding. He is a very quiet horse and enjoys rides.

Interested?

Please call 609 929 278

ŠIC/542/2007

P.J ELECTRICAL SERVICES

53

54

CLASSIFIEDS / GENERAL SERVICES

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CLIMATE CONTROL

04.

CHOOSE FROM AIR CONDITIONING, FAN HEATING OR DEHUMIDIFYING TO BE COMFORTABLE WHATEVER THE WEATHER !

General Services

from

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*Illustration purposes only

Security Grilles, Gates & Railings

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SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ON PURCHASES OF 2 OR MORE MACHINES

All wrought iron metalwork undertaken from economical designs to individual speciďŹ cations

POOL HEATING Make the most of your pool ALL YEAR ROUND Affordable Pool Heating 10 Year from less than 1 euro / day Guarantee! from â&#x201A;Ź4,499 fitted Invest in the Best, with AC Direct - Established Professionals YOU CAN TRUST!

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

Call Tony the Welder on

A C DIRECT 902 789 189

659 48.96 90

www.acdairconditioning.com

ON THE MOVE?

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

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

Tran sition s

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If you are in need of revitalising, an energy boost or simply just wish peace in your life, telephone 678 309 962 now for an appointment.

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International Removal Specialists Refurbishment of Houses and Apartments

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¡ Painting and Decoration ¡ ¡ Tiling ¡ ¡ Plumbing ¡ ¡ Electric installations ¡ ¡ Complete bathrooms ¡ Fully QualiďŹ ed Legal Craftsman with more than 15 years experience.

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MCREFORM RENOVATION COMPANY

MCREFORM

servicios de construcciĂłn

> COMPLETE RENOVATION > PARTIAL RENOVATION > ELECTRICAL WORK > PLUMBING > AIR CONDITIONING > THERMIC AND ACOUSTIC INSULATION > MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

AMERICAN SHOPING CENTER, LOCAL 33 PLAYA DE LAS AMĂ&#x2030;RICAS, ARONA TEL/FAX: 922 750 912 â&#x20AC;˘ MOBILE: 629 323 156 INFO@MCREFORM.ES â&#x20AC;˘ WWW.MCREFORM.ES

Tel. 637 293 176

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

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

MCREFORM is a renovation company located in the South of Tenerife. For almost ten years we have been offering building services to our customers for a sole purpose: their total satisfaction.

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

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ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

05.

Property Wanted : The island’s premier Cash Buyers of freehold property.

We complete within 28 days.

No agents, no viewings, no delays. Call (0034) 922 720222 or visit www. tenerifehomebuyers.com Mick Chalmers, retired fishmonger (ex UK), now property dealer in Tenerife will buy your ‘place’ for cash if the price is right. Tel 664 82 4244 or email mickthefish-@ hotmail.com

Business Opps : For lease restaurant, working with good client base, Beautiful local with a family feel, ample parking, tel 637 560 700

Rent : For rent in Las Galletas, one and two bedr oom 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

Large duplex Costa del Silencio 2 bed, 2 bath, fridge freezer, microwave and washing machine.

Community English TV, pool, safe, three terraces, 650 euros.

Tel 659 489690 Studios, 1 and 2 bed apartments from 400€ for rent to mature-minded people in quiet residential complex with all UK TV channels in Torviscas Alto. For details phone Nadine, 922 715 162 Los Cristianos by the sea, beautiful apartment, one bed, living room, kitchen, TV, washing machine, sunny, sea views, from 550 euros / month, tel 922 752759 / 608425426

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

Golf del Sur – attractive villa, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms in exceptional position surrounded by lakes, golf course, garden and sea views.

Heated pool. Parking by front door. No pets, 900 euros per month, 627 219001 For rent: Nice 1 bedroom apar tment 58m2 + 35m2 terrace in Balcon del Atlantico II. fully furnished and equiped.

630.- € plus charges x month.

Two months deposit. More information phone 616 91 65 51 One bedroom apartments for rent, just refurbished, 400 euros per month, tel 666 808182 or 647 927767

www. tenertodo. com we have everything in the Canaries

55

CLASSIFIEDS / PROPERTY

Residencial

La Duquesa Playa Fañabé

3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, front and back garden, comunity pool. €450,000 Tel. 629 244 958

Urb. Oasis Dakota, Playa Fañabé 3 bed semi detached, toilet, complete bathroom, separate kitchen, totally equipped, furnished, 35m2 terrace, secure access to pool, infant park, good views, beside commerical centres, 800m from Playa Fañabe, community feees 30/month, 185,000 € Tel 629 244958

Urb. Arco Iris Playa Second line from the sea in Callao Salvaje.

Duplex, totally furnished, 75m2, separate ktichen, totally equipped, toilet, dining room, complete bathroom, 2 bedrooms, SAT-TV, solarium 30m2 with views to Gomera and Teide, garage space, community areas with 2 pools, automatic gates, community fees 54/month, 145,000 euros Tel 629 244958

FOR SALE Plot of urban land in Roque del Conde 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?

Phone 629 925 932

Sale : Apartments, Chiripa, San Fernando, Puerto de la Cruz (40-65m2), 2 beds, furnished, kitchen, bathroom, fully renovated, five years old, SAT TV and telephone, heated pool, garden, restaurant, 2 lifts, balcony, terrace (1336m2) special price, 70-80,000 euros, tel 695 632166 El Médano, dir ectly from the owner!!! New, precious detached house, 3 bedrooms, 2 moder n bathrooms, indep. kitchen, 3 terraces,bbq, luxury complex with 2 swimming pools, 42m 2 closed garage,ver y exclusive furnished. Quiet zone, Price: 330.000 euros, Tel: 650 792 742 Torviscas Alto/ Resid.

Casablanca, directly from the owner!!! Very beautiful apartment (53m2) in the most exclusive zone of Tenerife, 1 bedroom and an small officeroom, ver y 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

For Sale 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

RESIDENTIAL Apartments 1 bedroom Cris Sol, Los Cristianos El Mirador, Los Cristianos

AP1671-1 great value € 115.000 AP-1670-1 reduced € 139.000 Attention investors!! Best priced apt on complex plus excellent rental income!

The Heights, Los Cristianos Jardin San Miguel, Las Chafiras Dinastia, Los Cristianos Jardin San Miguel, Las Chafiras

AP1475-1 -27% STG 91,350 AP1480-1-27% €95,000 AP316-1 -23% €145,000 AP1662-1 -17% €120,000

Large apartment, interior 65 m2 plus 50 m2 terrace

Jardin San Miguel Las Chafiras

AP1480-1 -17%

€95,000

Large corner apt, excellent opportunity for 1st time buyer!!

Ocean Golf & Country Club, Golf del Sur AP1482-1 -17% €129,950 Neptuno, La Caleta AP1663-1 -15% €188,000 Furnished with garage and trastero included, 100 metres from beach!!

La Finca, Aguilas del Teide Victoria Court, Los Cristianos Pebble Beach, Amarilla Golf El Mirador, Los Cristianos

AP963-1 -12% €135,000 AP1512-1 -11% €168,000 AP1659-1 Great buy €99,000 AP1483-1 -9% €157,500

Apartments 2 bedroom Altos de Roque,Torviscas Alto AP1511-2 -23% €136,500 Jardin San Miguel, Las Chafiras AP1654-2 -17% €145,000 Top floor corner 2 bed 2 bath apartment

Neptuno, La Caleta

AP1664-2 -17% €195,000

New unfurnished, plus garage and trastero, 100 metres from beach!

Castle Harbour, Los Cristianos El Mirador, Los Cristianos Victoria Court, Los Cristianos

AP829-2 -10% STG116,000 AP1366-2 -7% €275,000 AP1650-3 great rental €265,000

Townhouses 2/3 bedroom Jardin San Miguel, Las Chafiras TH137-2 -16% €250,000 Los Halcones, Aguilas del Teide TH177-2 -16% €189,000 Charco de Valle, Adeje TH251-3 -12% €175,000 3 beds PLUS separate studio! Refurbished. 3 terraces with fantastic views

CREDIT CRUNCHERS

671 100 874 Apartment Golf del Sur Location: central 49.00m 2 1 room 119000€ Phone: 686952683 Apartment Arona Location: central Views: sea 60.00m 2 1 room 115000€ Phone: 922732269 Apartment Torvisacas Alto Location: central Views: sea 58.00m2 2 rooms 177150€ Phone: 922789231 Chalet los cristianos Location: central Views: mountain 140.00m2 4 r ooms 475500€ Phone: 922789231 Terraced house Parque La Reina Location: central Views: mountain 165.00m2 3 rooms 248500€ Phone: 922789231 Terraced house San Isidro Location: central Views: sea 163.00m2 3 rooms 222200€ Phone: 922789231 Apartment San Isidro Location: central 70.00m 2 2 rooms 121700€ Phone: 922789231 Chalet La Laguna Location: central 500.00m2 3 rooms 1200000€ Phone: 922789231 Apartment Barranco Grande Location: central 61.00m 2 2 rooms 127600€ Phone: 922789231

Villas 2 bed Adeje Golf - superb location Los Abrigos

V365-2 -26% €395,000 V271-2 reduced €175,000

Quirky 2 bed house, stunning sea views

El Jable, Callao Salvaje Cabo Blanco Los Cardones

V373-5 -12% € 577.500 V441-4 -21% € 375.000 V512-4 -20% €525,000

Further reduced outstanding 4 bed villa with own pool!

Villas del Duque- recently reduced V508-4 -11% Los Menores - 5 bed, stunning views! V511-5 reduced

€525,000 €249,950

Urban land for villa construction BP052 Callao Salvaje - 400m2 Urban plot Roque del Conde - 850 m2 plot urban plot BP053

-24% €179,000 -23% €210,000

BUSINESSES Ref: CO-516 Bar Great location!! Well run bar in front of beach!

Price: 25,000€

Ref:CO-771 Bar Long established bar in prime position Price: 55,000€

Ref: CO-610 Distribution business Long established distributor of brand draught beer and wine

Ref: CO-774 Fantastic Florist shop Quick sale needed due to ill health

Price: 66,000€

Price: 40,000€

Ref: CO-778 Removal business

Ref: CO-769 Fantastic home based ceramics business Price: 12,000€

Highly profitable and long established removal business working mainly with British clients.

Price: 185,000€

Tel.: 922 79 29 52 w w w.cmltenerife.com

56

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

CLASSIFIEDS / PROPERTY

Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 4960.00m2 1 room 126000€ Phone: 922866559

Independent kitchen, downstairs toilet, office, living/dining room, 2 terraces approx 20m2 each.

For more information email ventasol@ terra.es

Villa Tagoro San Eugenio Alto

Torviscas Alto (Balcon Atlantico) 2 double bedroom apartment, 85m2, 2 bathrooms, living room, 30m2 terrace, garden, community pool, spectacular views of La Gomera, 215,000m 2 , garage 35m2 optional, 679 456464 Apartment, 49m 2 in a private building, Puer to de la Cr uz, renovated, well situated, good for letting, also for commerical purposes, free of monthly additional costs, 75.000 euros, phone 618 622759, www.immobilienscout24. de/47949346 Finca, 16.000 m2, 3 houses, 2 water tanks, bodega, barbeque, wine, frut tries, 2 garages, 975.000 €. Phone 922-770 778 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 80.00m 2 2 rooms 349000€ Phone: 922866559

New 3 bedroom luxury villa 750,000€ Tel. (0034) 655 914 691 (0034) 922 71 33 56

Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 35.00m 2 1 room 89250€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 59.00m 2 1 room 179000€ Phone: 922866559

Excellent opportunity

Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 46.00m 2 1 room 120000€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 60.00m 2 1 room 138500€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 66.00m 2 2 rooms 162000€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 71.00m 2 2 rooms 159000€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 82.00m 2 2 rooms 359000€ Phone: 922866559 Apartment San Eugenio Alto Location: central 85.00m2 2 rooms 295000€ Phone: 922866559

*All prices are plus 5% IGIC tax per edition Advertising details ::

From edition Nº............................................................................ to edition Nº......................................................

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Terraced house Tamaimo Location: central Views: sea 180.00m 2 150000€ Phone: 610703429 Urban Land 36.00m 2 140000€ Phone: 630050870 Apartment Cabo Blanco Location: central 62.00m 2 2 rooms 118000€ Phone: 609969203 Terraced house Guamasa Location: outskirts Views: mountain 90.00m2 3 r ooms 222000€ Phone: 616398928 Apartment Los Cristianos Location: central 77.00m 2 3 rooms 165000€ Phone: 635476415 Apartment Sta Cruz de Tenerife Location: outskirts Views: mountain 118.00m2 3 rooms 240€ Phone: 696471932 Apartment Valle San Lorenzo Location: central Views: sea 42.00m2 1 room 125600€ Phone: 629594872

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

Lineage 15€ / max 30 words [extra words 50cents per word] Module 55€ B/W, 65€ colour / 38mm x 42mm

Cut out this coupon and send it with Euro cheque, to: Subscriptions Department, ISLAND CONNECTIONS S.L., Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6, Las Chafiras 38620, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Contact: classifieds@ic-news.com for UK bank account details.

Terraced house Masca Location: countr yside 70.00m 2 2 rooms 120000€ Phone: 659038027

www. tenertodo. com we have everything in the Canaries

Subscription Order Form

3 bed, 2 bathroom duplex apartment for sale in Los Girasoles, El Madroñal

Los Cristianos, apartments by the sea, 1 and 2 bedrooms, pool, impressionable panoramic views, garage, 120,000 and 135,000 euros, no agents, tel 922 752759 / 608 425426

Apartment Playa San Juan Location: central 35.00m 2 1 room 89250€ Phone: 922866559

Classifieds Order Form

Apartment San Eugenio Alto Location: central 91.00m2 2 rooms 295000€ Phone: 922866559

Rates including 5% IGIC tax

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Cut out this coupon and send it with Euro cheque, to: Subscriptions Department, ISLAND CONNECTIONS S.L., Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6, Las Chafiras 38620, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Contact: classifieds@ic-news.com for UK bank account details.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

PROMOTION

57

58

Motoring

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Seat Exeo THE WORD EXEO COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD ‘EXIRE’ – MEANING THAT IT GOES ‘MÁS ALLÁ’ OR FURTHER BEYOND.

D

ynamic, elegant and sophisticated, this is a Seat the likes of which you’ve never seen before. It gives total control and absolute comfort while you enjoy quality that you can see, feel and breathe.

The high quality interior has been made with refined materials. The comfortable leather seats and Alcantara

linings also emphasise the Exeo’s feeling of style and roominess. The front seats have four automatic memory positions, and the seat length gives exceptional leg support. In a touch of limousine-like luxury, even the rear sunshade can be controlled electrically to reduce incoming glare. For your added comfort, the Exeo has dual zone climate control with an air quality sensor and heated windscreens.

To top it all, it has the infoentertainment system that dreams are made of plus it features a sophisticated satellite navigation system with two SD ports, MP3-type audio player and hard disc, including a map database of the whole of Western Europe plus USB, Auxiliary in, iPod and Bluetooth as well. The Exeo is packed with the most sophisticated occupant protection measures, including two front airbags which deploy in two stages depending on the severity of the collision, two front side airbags, two curtain-type head airbags, driver knee airbag and rear side airbags. Active front

seat head restraints protect driver and passenger from whiplash caused by a rearend collision.

The front passenger and rear seats are also equipped with Isofix anchoring points for the safe securing of child seats. This new executive class saloon from Seat is also equipped with numerous other safety elements including ABS, TCS and ESP +, EBA and tyre pressure monitoring. Speed dependent Servotronic power steering and dynamic suspension improve stability favouring a fast response, bi-xenon headlamps and a dynamic turning system which consists of swivelling lights that illuminate the

inside of a curve when the car is travelling at more than seven miles an hour.

Double-thickness door windows significantly reduce noise inside and are also a theft deterrent. It has a tilt sensor alarm and an innovative ‘solar roof’, which provides enough electrical power to activate the car’s ventilation system even allowing it to continue working when the engine is turned off. It has automatic windscreen wipers, a refrigerated glovebox, multifunction steering wheel and automatically adjustable door mirrors which incline when you reverse. There is plenty of room in the easy-to-load

boot, so you can take everything with you.

There are three trim levels available – Reference, Stylance and Sport, supplied with a choice of three petrol and three diesel engines.

The 1.6 MPI and 1.8T are not new, but the 2.0 litre TSI is, as are the diesel engines.

Prices range from 22,000 to 28,000 euros.

For more information contact Grupo Rahn, Avda.

La Libertad 32, Polígono Industrial Los Majuelos, La Laguna. Tel: 922 600 370, or Avda. Claudio Delgado Díaz esquina C/Cuba sn, Polígono Industrial Las Chafiras, San Miguel de Abona.

Tel: 922 736 218.

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

By George Reed

Boxing

59

Justice at last for Jack Johnson Eldridge Cleaver – writer (1965): A slave in private life, a king in public – this is the life that every black champion has had to lead – until the coming of Muhammed Ali Lennox Lewis, the only heavyweight other than Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney to retire from the ring as the heavyweight champion of the world, went head-to-head against the Queen with a Christmas Day address to the nation about a momentous boxing anniversary. Entitled ‘the Galveston Giant’, on BBC Radio 5 Live, Lewis led a special BBC tribute to Jack Johnson, the first black man to win the world heavyweight title 100 years ago. Lewis stated that as Muhammed Ali was his hero, and Ali’s idol was Jack Johnson, making a programme about the 100th anniversary of him winning the world heavyweight title was a labour of love for him.

Johnson won the world title by beating the reigning champion Tommy Burns in 1908. The magnificently proportioned fighter was born in Galveston, Texas in March 1878 and is, without doubt, judging by old fight films and the word of many old-time boxing journalists, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, and at that time a successful black man was not a very popular thing. The boxing genius of Johnson forced him to the front of the challengers for the right to a title fight with Tommy Burns, but rather than accept Johnson’s challenge, the champion set sail for England, accepting a fight with their champion Gunner Moir for the heavyweight crown. Johnson and his manager were certain that if they could get Burns into the ring the title was theirs, so they set sail for England in spite of the fact that they had to borrow the money for the fares. When they arrived it was too late, because Burns had retained his title against Moir, and learning of Johnson’s intentions, had sailed for Australia to fight their champion Bill Squires.

The National Sporting Club in London welcomed them warmly and offered Johnson

and his manager enough money to continue the chase after Burns, who was living in Sydney, Australia.

As Johnson reached the Australian shores, Burns knew that he was cornered so he issued a press statement that he would fight the ‘Galveston Giant’ for a fee of six thousand pounds, an enormous sum in those days. Burns hoped that by this excessive demand the fight wouldn’t take place.

However, living in Sydney at the time was a gambler and shrewd businessman named Hugh Macintosh, who was certain that a championship fight between Burns and Johnson would sell out, so he offered to put up the

money, which was a wise move because the fight took a fortune at the gate.

There was a lot of bad blood between the two fighters who hated each other, and on the day of the fight Burns had referred to his rival in the Australian newspapers as “a bloody nigger”.

Burns had been the world champion for over two years and had defended his title eleven times, but he had never met anyone like Johnson who stood five and a half inches taller than the Canadian, and over two stone heavier. Johnson had waited a long time for a title shot and from the first bell it was obvious that the

championship was going to change hands, but Johnson was not going to let Burns get off easily. He intended to cut the champion to ribbons for all the insults he had heaped on him. He handled Burns like a baby in the clinches, and as he smashed him to the canvas time and time again, making sure that the punches were not hard enough to knock him out, he kept up a running fire of virulent conversation. “Who is the yellow dog now Tommy?” he would say as he cut his opponent to pieces. Once or twice Johnson even dropped his hands and allowed Burns to slog away at his musclecoated stomach, while he

laughed at him. At the end of the eighth round the champion was a shocking sight, with blood pouring from an eye injury, but he refused to surrender, which suited Johnson, who was content to play a game of cat and mouse with Burns, with the fight turning into one of the most ugly, sickening sights the boxing ring has ever witnessed. In the twelfth round Burns was like a wounded animal fighting for it’s life as Johnson proceeded to break two of the champion’s ribs.

By this time the crowd was calling for it to be stopped.

Even the most bloodthirsty members had seen enough of the gory spectacle, and it was no surprise when the local police force intervened.

The referee awarded the decision to Johnson who was leading easily on points at the stoppage.

There could only be one winner and Johnson’s was the hand which the referee lifted towards the Sydney sky.

Back in America, Johnson was hated for the way he had won the title and a black man who was world champion at the expense of a whipped white man was certainly not popular in early twentieth century America. He seemed to go out of his way to set people against him. After some of his fights the most fearful race riots broke out in which many people, both black and white, lost their lives, and Johnson’s affairs with white girls made him an even more detested figure, and the hatred that people felt for the heavyweight champion grew like a cancer in boxing. When he retired no black boxer was allowed to fight for the title for the next 25 years, until Joe Louis came on the scene.

In 1913 Jack Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which prohibited the transportation of women across state lines for ‘immoral’ purposes. In reality, Johnson had done no such thing.

But he had committed two unpardonable sins in

those days. He had beaten up the world’s best white heavyweight challengers and he had cavorted, quite openly and with a measure of glee that was all too apparent, with white women. That was enough. Sentenced to a year in jail, the champion jumped bail and spent the next two years in Europe, Mexico and Canada.

Jack Johnson’s reign came to an end in Havana, Cuba in April 1915 when he met the ‘Great White Hope’, Jess Willard. Johnson was way past his best at 37 years old and in poor physical condition. He was knocked out in the 26th round – the longest fight of its kind under modern rules – but then Johnson later claimed that he had, “thrown” the fight. He was counted out lying on his back, apparently shielding his eyes with his arm from the glare of the sun.

Five years later, apparently homesick, Johnson surrendered to US authorities and spent the next eight months in prison in Kansas.

His conviction was never erased and Johnson went to his grave in June 1946 with a criminal record borne of racism and injustice, but if congressman Peter King of New York has his way, the record is to be set straight.

He has authored legislation to pardon Johnson and the bill recently passed the House by unanimous voice vote.

Jack Johnson, by all accounts, was the greatest defensive heavyweight boxer who ever lived and his orthodox boxing style was carried to near perfection and relied heavily on the lost art of blocking and parrying punches. It was this talent that kept him from taking any beatings long after the spring in his legs had gone.

With an abuse of the criminal justice system used against Johnson, at long last he will be posthumously pardoned to set the record straight. The tragedy is that it has taken 62 years and an act of Congress to do it.

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SPORT

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

Megabowl

TENERIFE

Compiled by Doreen Lemm

10 pin bowling league results

International pool competition From Jan 15th to 20th an international pool event is taking place featuring a Scottish select team versus a Tenerife select team.

This tour / tournament is the first time Tenerife has been represented in the event and will see the top players here on the island against some of the cream of the pool crop from Scotland. The event is also being used by Tenerife’s pool players as a stepping stone/warm up for the main major IBA (Islands Blackball Association) championship in November which Tenerife will be entering for the first time against teams from the Isle of Man, the Shetland Islands, Gibraltar and Scotland. The schedule for the next few

RED LEAGUE TEAM 1 The Palms Bar 2 Tosc Old Boys 3 The Cygnets 4 Ten Hamrs A 5 Target Bar A 6 Atlantis Bar 7 Trap Door B 8 Phoenix Potrs 9 Nth & Sth A 10 Terrace Bar 11 Barracuda

days will be:

Friday 16th - 8.30pm start 1st round of matches (Tenerife 1 vs Scotland 2 & Tenerife 2 vs Scotland 1) Palms Bar Team Saturday 17th - 7.00pm start Singles Tournament preliminary rounds Terrace Bar Reserves, Sunday 18th - 1.00pm start Scotch Doubles Tournament and BBQ. Terrace Bar Reserves, Sunday 18th - 8.30pm start 2nd round of matches (Tenerife 1 vs Scotland 1 & Tenerife 2 vs Scotland 2) Bar Nauta Team Monday 19th - 8.30pm start Tournament Finals, With a trophies presentation afterwards.

YELLOW LEAGUE PL W D L P 7601 6510 7421 7412 5401 6231 6204 6114 6105 6015 6015

18 16 14 13 12 9 6 4 3 1 1

TEAM

PL W D L P

1 Delicias La Cana 2 The Brum Pub 3 The Swan 4 Legends 5 Trap Door A 6 Bar Nauta A 7 Rat Pack 8 Lupain Properties 9 Ten Hammers B 10 Target Bar B 11 Bar Nauta B 12 North & South B

7610 7511 7430 7331 7313 7313 7313 7214 7133 7205 7115 7025

19 16 15 12 10 10 10 7 6 6 3 2

Farewell

Tenerife basketball is mourning the loss of Peter Hamilton, who died after a two-year illness recently.

A director at the Tenerife Rural club, where he regularly doubled as a translator at press conferences given by American players, 54-yearold Peter was equally well known for his impressive work as chairman of one of the top junior clubs in the Canaries, C.B. Santa Cruz, which he helped found 14 years ago and built up from a small outfit into one of the

Week 9 Steve Carter (2) Dave Dixon (6) Barry Smith (6) Jacquie Gibb (2) Ron Howling (6) Kevin Capper (2) Charlie Connor (4) Margaret Connor (4) Adam Davis (8) Dave Simpson (0) Margaret Street (2) Allan Billing (6) Smudge (2) Jeff Lemm (6) Adam on form with an excellent 226 and 221. A fine 208 for Jeff.

Double Whiskies (4) Monkey Foreheads (4) You’ll Never Walk Alone (0) Pearl’s Pantry (8) The Arg’ylls (2) Megabowlers (6) Troubleshooters (4) 3 D’s (4) Los Inflamantes (3) Happy Days (5) A superb 234 by Dave Dixon (3 D’s) earned them the draw. A fine 205 for Danny (Double Whiskies) and a 4, 7, 10 split for Charlie (Arg’ylls). An excellent 220 for Avril (Smart as a Frog)

Monday Pub League Week 12

Saturday Doubles league Week 5 Smart as a Frog (6) Job’s a Good ‘Un (2)

Megabowlers (2) Dolphins (6) Café Royale (6) Bad Boys (2) A fine 205 for Barry to earn the win that takes them into 3rd place.

Tenerife Rural

Peter Hamilton dies

Tenerife Royale Estate Agents S.L. Tuesday Singles League

region’s top nurseries for senior clubs.

Peter often took time out to talk to Island Connections on and off the record about the fortunes of Tenerife Rural and always made a point of popping in to the press box to say hello at home games in the Santiago Martín stadium. A true gentleman, his death -which was marked by a poignant headline in one Tenerife daily which bade “Farewell to Sir Peter”occurred just a couple of weeks after another well-

‘Sir Peter’ will be greatly missed

known sporting administrator, Quico Cabrera (chairman of Tenerife Marichal volleyball club) passed away.

Carroll replaces Barbour New signing Pat Carroll is confident he can make fans at Tenerife Rural basketball club forget Antwain Barbour, who par ted company with the club in acrimonious circumstances before Christmas.

Carroll left his previous club, struggling Beirasar Rosalía (also in the LEB league), by mutual consent after being contacted by Tenerife. The new American

signing said he was glad to play for a team that is almost certain to be in the promotion hunt in spring and promised commitment and competitiveness to the Tenerife supporters.

“Barbour is Barbour, and I am Pat Carroll. I am not afraid of being compared to him but I bring different things to the side, especially three-pointers” he said through a translator in his first press conference a

few days after arriving in Tenerife. As if to prove his point, he netted 21 points from three-pointers in his first game against Burgos.

Barbour, who left Tenerife after a stand-off over wages and a confrontation with coach Rafa Sanz, who accused him of being a selfish player, has now signed for troubled Turkish outfit Erdemir, currently second-bottom of the country’s Premiership.

Grand Slam

Nadal’s Slam season begins Tennis world Number One Rafa Nadal begins his quest for more Grand Slam titles this month with the first big tournament of the year, the Australian Open. Starting on January 19th, Nadal looks to add to his already impressive total of five Grand Slams (four French one English, 31 career titles

to date) and maintain his ranking as the world’s top player. Though the start to the year may not have been ideal – he was beaten in the Doha Qatar ExxonMobil Open quarterfinals by Gaël Monfils (14) - Still, at the same tournament he was presented with the 2008 ATP World Tour Champion trophy.

Premiership

War of words The war of words that has er upted between Rafa Benítez and Alex Ferguson is nothing new.

The Manchester United manager is a master at the game and Benítez has been warned to take care before taking on such an

experienced rival.

Stan Collymore has come out and expressed his dismay at Benítez making his verbal moves so early in the race for the title. In his Mirror column he said, “the timing of Benitez’s broadside has stunned me even though

the Liverpool manager was absolutely spot on in everything he said about Ferguson,” adding that the attack might backfire, “with Manchester United full of experienced players who are more than happy to rub Liverpool’s noses in it”.

SPORT

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Soccer Experience :: Sponsored by Island Connections Media Group & www.windowsplus.co.uk

Winter leagues – two teams dominate A

s the new year starts both the Master’s and Open 7’s Leagues enter the final stages of the winter season and two teams dominate both leagues.

Morfitt Properties are top of the Open League and equal top in the Master’s league and they also showed their recent good form by gaining a draw against the Celtic Legends team during group stage play at the recent Soccer Experience International tournament.

Lee Morfitt’s team have a handful of games to play in both leagues and will be hoping that the Christmas and New Year break will not affect the sharpness and scoring of their prolific goalscorer Andy Bolesty who was in fantastic form before the winter break!

Also in both the Open and Master’s leagues the Taylors Lounge team led

by John Parkes are pushing for both titles. They did the local league proud during the recent International tournament by winning the Consolation cup after a long penalty shoot out against another local league team Eclipse Café Callao. Next year both Taylors and Eclipse will be hoping to accomplish the same wonderful achievement as the Hole in the Wall team as they were the only local team to reach the knockout stages of the main tournament which included all the ex

Ronaldo top Cristiano Ronaldo’s achievement in winning the 2008 FIFA Footballer of the Year came as no surprise to those who follow the game on a regular basis – and despite some prevailing cynicism, his win has been generally applauded as well deserved in the footballing world.

Ronaldo’s win sees the title go to an English Premiership footballer for the first time (though how long the Portuguese striker continues in the UK is another question), and he was effusive in his thanks to friends, family and colleagues, and Manchester United trainer, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Morfitt Properties and the Celtic Legends team during the recent international tournament

professional teams. Taylors will have to push for the title possibly without their main striker in Gary Boyd who is struggling with a sports hernia injury.

It’s worth noting that both the Morfitt Properties and Taylors teams are at the top of both leagues as a result of being in the leagues week in week out over the last year working hard to improve their football standards!

In the Open League Darren Kemp’s Ironcraft squad can maybe still win the title if they win all their remaining games. In the Master’s League Tenerife Warriors can take advantage of any slip ups from

the top two!

Over the coming weeks we will keep you posted in the final push for the titles!

New teams?

Any new teams interested in joining the next season leagues starting late February please get in touch as soon as possible to reserve your spot!

Also if you want a football training session or a friendly game to get ready for the new season Soccer Experience are preparing one friendly game a week for potential new teams and also the ongoing weekly football sessions for individual players

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Fifa Award

Voted for by trainers and team captains worldwide, he received 931 points, followed by Barca’s Lionel Messi on 678, Fernando Torres (203), Kaká (183) and Xavi (155). However Messi was the clear winner in the web voting open to the public, and is already the favourite to win the title next year bar disasters.

Holiday Home Websites

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looking for fun and fitness through football training.

As with anything in Tenerife it is hard to maintain standards and enthusiasm but if the present quality, attitude and football interest from new and existing teams and players continues we can all look forward to a new and enjoyable footballing year in 2009 with Soccer Experience.

Soccer Experience will continue to provide quality 7-a-side leagues, weekly adult training sessions and the highlight of the football year later in 2009 for all local footballers will be the International Master’s tournament where they

get to play against many top ex pros and other visiting international teams. For more information please review the website: www. soccerexperience.com or contact Soccer Experience on 654200470/soccer@ soccerexperience.com Correction In the January edition of The Magazine we carried a photo report of the recent International Masters 7s captioning a photo of Taylor’s Lounge as winners – in fact they were victorious in the consolation Plate competition, with Leicester City Masters winners of the Masters title.

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Overall Barcelona currently boast four of the world’s top ten players, with Eto’o in seventh place and Iniesta ninth.

Nationally, Spain’s prowess on the European and world stage was also reflected, with five of the top ten from Spain – Torres, Casillas, Villa, Xavi and Iniesta.

The Development and Fair Play title went to the Palestinian Football Association. Making the presentation, Michel Platini and Joseph S. Blatter hailed the construction of the Al-Husseini stadium in Al-Ram, the country’s first international-class stadium. The 2008 Fair Play Award was awarded jointly to the Armenian and Turkish Football Associations - there had been no diplomatic relations between the two countries for many years, but that situation changed on 6 September 2008 when Turkish President Abdullah Gul accepted the formal invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsian to attend the two nations’ 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

62

EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS

SPORT

GOLF

Sponsor a player

Rabbits Society Christmas Championship Day

Campaign gets mixed reception A drive by Gran Canaria football side Vecindario to alleviate their financial difficulties by encouraging businesses and individuals to sponsor a player has received a mixed reaction.

The initiative, launched a few weeks ago, is designed to persuade people to open a player account, much in the same way as they would sponsor a child in a deprived country.

“The situation is worse than dire and we hope this will raise some money

to pay wages,” explained Vecindario’s technical director Raul Borrero, who says he might have to put on his boots again if players leave due to unpaid wages.

However, the campaign has been criticised in some quarters. A reader forum in a local newspaper carried stinging attacks on the club for its brainwave, with some contributors proposing that businesses adopt similar schemes for the unemployed, not for footballers.

El Mundialito

Call to switch training grounds Bunny good fun was had by all

The Rabbits Society held their Christmas Championship Day recently at the Los Lagos course, Golf Costa Adeje.

The competition was sponsored on this occasion by www. holidayhomewebsites.eu a new business venture being set up in the South of Tenerife to provide Self Build Web Sites for home owners. Many

Society challenges were set including; Nearest the Pin, Longest Drive, Lady and Gentlemen’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Stableford points. In addition, with the sponsorship, there was also Shortest Drive Lady and Gentleman, Top three players per team score, 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and also novelty 1st and 2nd prizes for those who managed to put a ball into the water! Mr Bruce Urquhart, Co-

Another CD Tenerife player is out injured for a number of weeks, a victim of the poor condition of the club’s training ground, El Mundialito.

Ayoze will be out with a twisted ankle, an injury he picked up on the first day of training after the away game against Xeres, but he’s not the first player to retire from the training ground injured. He told Radio Club Deportivo, “let’s wait and see if someone

Partner of www.holidayhomewebsites. eu, very kindly presented 350€, which the Rabbits Society decided to donate to their chosen charity, Friends of Tenerife.

The donation was presented to Sue Dickinson, representative of the Friends of Tenerife who was their guest at the evening function held in the main club house.

FC BARCELONA

Pep dismisses triple talk Barcelona trainer Pep Guardiola has dismissed talk of Barcelona winning three titles this season as irrelevant.

The side are already breaking records – their last minute win over bottom of the table Osasuna saw them sit comfortably atop the league with a gap of twelve points over closest rivals Real Madrid. That victory also saw them set a new team record of eight consecutive away

victories, and also equal top points won in the first round of the league with 47. That record was set by Real Madrid last year, but Barcelona still has the last game in the round to play as we go to press, and just a draw would see them set a new target for the future.

With their hopes still very much alive in the Kings Cup as we go to press (they won the away first leg against Atlético Madrid 1:3), and the

The side receive their winner’s medals in Paris

suffers an injury that sees them on the bench for a long time,” backing up the assertion that the grounds are not suitable for daily training after so many years of use. He added that the state of the grounds was a regular dressing room topic, particularly now with the recent rainfall making things even worse.

The club have said that soon they will be moving training to another pitch, possibly the new grounds in Tincer.

side continuing to perform strongly on the European stage, fans can be forgiven for looking to the elusive triple.

They can boast a full squad playing to their strengths, and consistent top class individual performances from the league’s leading goalscorer Eto’o, Messi, Xavi and Henry are just adding to the side’s current apparent invincibility. However neither trainer Guardiola nor club

president Juan Laporte are willing to speculate beyond the next match and any talk of the triple is swatted aside despite press insistence.

Pep told press that he is not looking for the team to deliver, “something that the club haven’t achieved in their 109 year history, the triple.”

Barça last won the Champions League when they beat Arsenal in Paris in 2006.

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CD Tenerife

ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009

Men on a mission

By Spike Jones

04/01/2009 CD Tenerife 2:1 Sevilla Atlético Tenerife’s opener of 2009 saw nearly 15,000 come to Santa Cruz’s Heliodoro stadium to see if the blanquiazules could register their first straight hat-trick of wins since 2006.

The pre-Christmas away win, 1 – 2 against Alavés, saw Tenerife produce the crisp, attacking football that humbled the formerly imperious Hercules in the last homer of 2008. A similar performance against struggling Sevilla Atlético would give them nine points from three starts and reestablish Tenerife as genuine contenders for a promotion place. Well, Sevilla Atlético (Sevilla’s ‘B’ side) may be hot favourites for the drop, but Tenerife’s front men sure made a meal of finding the goals to match their overwhelming superiority.

Dani Kome can look cumbersome in possession, but he works hard to create quality crosses. On 36th minute he slipped past defender Victor Diaz on the left wing then produced an exquisitely timed and directed ball to find Nino in front of Atlético’s goal. Meat and drink to the little wizard.

1 – 0, and the crowd settled down to watch a feast of goals now the tension had been released. A jubilant Tenerife were rampant, and Atlético goalie Vargas and his fellow defenders were forced to play out of their skins. They frustrated Tenerife as shot after shot was blocked, saved or skinned the woodwork.

Tenerife fans had to wait until after the break for the second. Oscar Pérez’s radar guided pass found Alfaro on the right edge of the six-metre box. The searing 52nd minute volley was beautifully struck and Atlético loanee Alfaro’s former teammates must have been mightily miffed to see him produce such magic against them. Like Nino, he is making a gratifying habit of converting difficult chances.

Unfortunately, like Nino, he has the unerring ability to muck up easier looking ones. At this stage of the match Tenerife should have been five or six goals up, with Nino, Alfaro and Oscar Pérez all spurning gilt-edged opportunities.

Atlético’s Mohammed didn’t spurn his chance, and headed

a corner past Aragoneses on 54th minute to reduce Tenerife’s lead and give the Heliodoro faithful their usual last half hour of handwringing, nail-biting tension.

With the Tenerife defence so vulnerable to set pieces every Atlético free-kick and corner was an occasion for fans to cover their eyes and watch the action through their fingers.

11/01/2009 Xerez CD 2 CD Tenerife 0 This was the second of two huge fixtures on this ‘week-end of destiny’ in La Segunda, third place Xerez at home against fourth place Tenerife.

The previous day’s battle between first and second

fled the Xerez defence and only just failed to produce a goal. Tenerife supporters settled back to enjoy their side ‘showboat’ in front of Xerez’s 7,400 bemused aficionados, and confidently awaited the reward. On the 14th minute Alfaro lined up a 22-yard free-kick, and things looked ominous for Xerez. But he messed up the effort, skying the ball like a

The new scoreboard in the Heliodoro announcing the first ‘gooooool’ of 2009 for the blanquiazules

The torture was intensified when Atlético were reduced to ten men. On 63rd minute Nino was played through onside with Vargas advancing well out of his area. Nino’s goal-bound lob was ‘saved’

by Vargas’s outstretched hands and the keeper was sent off.

Against a depleted, relegation bound side everyone expected that Tenerife, now playing in their full pomp, would demolish the visitors. Yet again however, the ‘ten man rule’ came into force.

Sevilla Atlético began to play with much more grit and Tenerife lost some of their composure.

The final 20 minutes saw more Tenerife chances go astray, and more Atlético corners and free-kicks just missing the final glance for an equaliser. When the final whistle came the stadium seemed to exhale with relief.

Santa brought joy to fans in the shape of a new ‘stateof-the-art’ scoreboard.

This will give team news, half-time and full-time results from other games, substitution and bookings info, goal scorers and much more… oh, and the time. It will greatly enhance the pleasure of attending matches, especially when it showed that Tenerife had 24 shots on target and were now fourth in the table.

saw Real Zaragoza beat Salamanca to overtake them for top spot. Three points for either side in this encounter at Xerez’s Estadio Municipal de Chapín would see the winners share top position in La Segunda.

Although they have played well this season, Xerez had lost their last home fixture to mid-table Gimnastic, and hadn’t won in four outings.

Tenerife have clocked up four away wins this season and came to Xerez with three wins on the bounce under their belts, and hadn’t lost in four outings. They have come close a few times, but Xerez still has no history of involvement in La Liga, whereas Tenerife has. So there was everything to play for, and with current form as a guide and the momentum of recent results on their side, the blanquiazules must have felt they had a real opportunity to establish a dominating presence in the division.

Tenerife certainly came out of the traps like men on a mission. Some great early possession saw them push Xerez deeper into their own half, and they were rewarded with several corners and free-kicks. Manager Luis Oltra has obviously been working with the squad on these set pieces, as on a couple of occasions the ball was shunted around in complicated triangles, which baf-

nine-iron. It was humiliating and wasteful, and the spell, if not broken, was reduced in power. Xerez started to launch themselves at Tenerife, and immediately won a free-kick from a similar position to Alfaro’s two minutes earlier after Sarmiento fell over after running into Martínez who was booked, but it looked like massive kidology from the Xerez midfielder. Momo struck the ball really well; over the wall and bending it just past the despairing Aragoneses into the top left corner of the net. It was deflating for Tenerife, coming at a time when they had been much the better side. As Tenerife slowly started to regain their com-

NEWS

63

Second Division League 12/01/2009 CLUB

PLD W

1. Zaragoza 2. Xerez 3. Salamanca 4. Tenerife 5. Hercules 6. Castellon 7. Levante 8. Huesca 9. Real Sociedad 10. Celta Vigo 11. Girona 12. Gimnastic 13. Rayo Vallecano 14. Las Palmas 15. Albacete 16. Elche 17. Eibar 18. Alaves 19. Murcia 20. Cordoba 21. Alicante 22. Sevilla Atletico

19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 18 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 18 19 19 19

9 9 9 9 7 7 8 7 6 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 2 1

posure a strange stoppage occurred. On 27 minutes a single-handed demonstration took place when a middle-aged man came onto the pitch bearing a banner and a bunch of flowers.

His son, Juan Holgado, had been killed during a robbery at a petrol station, and this fellow, nicknamed ‘Father Courage’, is deeply unhappy about the failed attempts to investigate the circumstances, which, it seems, have now been ‘archived’. Juan was a staunch Xerez supporter, and the father was given sympathetic treatment by players, fans and stadium management – even being allowed to place the flowers on the centre spot. The event lasted about five minutes, and the tragedy behind it put the football match into perspective. If the outcome was affected we shall never know, but the tenor of the game seemed to change.

The second half began much like the first, with Tenerife pushing for, and coming close to an equaliser.

With valiant efforts to thread the ball through into meaningful scoring positions coming tantalisingly close it was edge of the seat stuff.

Tenerife paid the ultimate price for their ambitions.

D 6 6 5 3 8 8 5 7 10 7 7 9 9 8 6 7 6 5 4 6 6 6

L

F

4 4 5 7 4 4 6 5 3 4 5 4 4 5 7 7 8 9 9 9 11 12

33 34 24 32 26 27 26 27 19 21 18 31 22 25 21 22 14 20 17 17 14 11

A 20 21 18 29 17 20 25 22 15 18 17 23 20 19 25 23 25 32 25 26 31 30

PTS 33 33 32 30 29 29 29 28 28 28 28 27 27 26 24 22 21 20 19 18 12 9

With their players fully engaged in the assault on Xerez’s goal, a 57th minute break saw Momo run the ball unchallenged on the left towards Aragoneses goal.

As a rapidly approaching Martínez prepared to make his move, Momo laid the ball off for Calle, on his right, who struck sweetly under Aragoneses for their second.

2 – 0. This was the first goal Tenerife have conceded from open play for ages and as Xerez tightened up for the points, they found it increasingly difficult to engineer a reply. Tenerife will feel bitter about this result, as by and large they were the better side.

They can be encouraged by their overall performance and this particular scoreline is an unreliable indicator of who really was top dog this day.

The return fixture in June could be interesting. One point to watch will be Xerez players falling over during the most innocuous clashes. We all know that gamesmanship comes with the territory in football, but it was galling to see Xerez win umpteen free-kicks by simulation as though it’s part of their grand strategy. Referees will surely wise up to this.

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EDITION 582 :: 16/01/2009 - 30/01/2009 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS