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November 19 – December 2, 2015 Against domestic violence
Conforama in Gran Canaria
Fiesta de San Andrés
Prunes for Breakfast
Put on your red shoes
New store opens
Chestnuts and cheer
Spotlight on John Searancke
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Liberty, equality, fraternity
Win the trip of a lifetime
It’s true! One of our lucky readers will be winging their way to Gambia in the New Year and enjoying a seven night stay in a luxurious 5 star hotel, courtesy of CanariasViaja (Binter Canarias) and Island Connections. All you have to do is visit the website www.canariasviaja.com/sorteo/islandconnections and register. What’s more, you don’t even have to be a resident to participate as anyone over 18 years old can take part. The draw will be held on Friday December 11 at noon, and the lucky winner will be announced in our special Christmas edition. See Page 11 for more details, and don’t miss our next edition of Island Connections where you will be able to read more about this fantastic holiday destination.
Praying for Paris Friday November 13 could not have been any darker or more terrifying, and now stands as a day forever etched in the minds of Europeans and compassionate communities all over the world. People watched in horror at the recent attacks on the French capital, as well as the assault on the values and freedoms we all cherish and live by. Across Europe, including here in the Canaries, people were stunned and filled with a myriad of emotions caused by the scenes broadcast from the Parisian streets that fateful night. ISIS terrorists murdered 129 people with 352 injured, 99 of them seriously, during a savage spree at busy venues around the city. Among the dead were many people from around the world, including three Spaniards, but in the face of such events we are all just people – as we saw from the many moving scenes from every corner of the globe, offering support and sympathy for France at this time.
Photo: © conejota/Shutterstock.com
Holiday draw to Gambia
Candles, flowers and messages of love outside the French Embassy in Madrid
What was most disturbing about the latest ISIS attack was the indiscriminate way it intentionally targeted predominantly young people – innocent concert goers, sports fans and friends meeting at bars and bistros to enjoy a Friday evening together. For those among the dead, it was simply a matter of being at the wrong place at the
wrong time, and that will pain their families for many years – their innocence in the face of such human savagery. The committed terrorism of the growing ISIS organisation, both in the Middle East and abroad, is creating a great deal of fear in communities in Europe and the developed world. Their twisted beliefs,
confused ideologies and atrocious acts committed in the name of their deity is dragging the planet into a new era of darkness where solutions to the problem have yet to move away from political sound bytes. However, public solidarity is the key, and many have come together to show compassion for the fallen and their families ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’ were the values set during the French Revolution - another way of saying ‘democracy’, in its truest form - and the West largely honours these same values. ISIS aims to dismantle free thought, liberalism, tolerance and respect, and impose on everyone their deranged viewpoint. “This is not Islam, this is something altogether different”, one Paris survivor told reporters. The French Muslim works as a waiter at the Le Carillon bar, a venue which the terrorists targeted and killed 15 innocent people. Continued on page 2
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Solidarity across Europe Continued from front page The man put his own life on the line to help two injured women into the bar’s cellar for safety, “These terrorist organisations are driving an enormous wedge between Muslims and everyone else. They want to create anarchy in developed countries by dividing communities. We cannot allow this to continue, we are all on the same team and need to fight this battle hand in hand”.
Solidarity - Europe stands together The shocking scenes and reality of the situation in Paris brought together many international communities, with millions of people across hundreds of cities acknowledging the horror felt by Parisians. Many events included a minute’s silence at midday on the Sunday and Monday following the Friday evening attacks. Many Canarian boroughs joined in this public show of solidarity and in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz, a silence was held before the start of the Sunday marathon. “We honour this minute’s silence as an act of solidarity and as a tribute to the victims and their families,” said the Santa Cruz mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez. He also spoke of the close historical relationship between Tenerife and France. For example, Santa Cruz is the only city in Spain which celebrates France’s National Day on July 14. It wasn’t only official dignitaries who marked their respect for the dead and shock at the attacks, the public at large has come together to express their dismay and across social media posts and messages have been dominating the online platforms. Many Facebook users, for example, have also taken to changing their profile picture to include the ‘tricolor’, the three colours of the French flag. Many Muslim groups have joined in the demonstrations as a way of distancing themselves from the barbaric acts carried out in their name. Before the England v France football game at Wembley Stadium just days
One minute’s silence was honoured before the Santa Cruz marathon
after the ISIS attacks, English fans and players sang La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, alongside French supporters and representatives. The professional footballers present at the Stade de France stadium during the France v Germany match that was interrupted by the attacks will be forever affected by the scenes, however, one player, Lassana Diarra of Olympique Marseille, has to mourn the loss of his cousin, Asta Diakite. The 30 year old Frenchman with Malian roots said, “My cousin Asta was like a sister to me. During this current climate of terror, it’s important for all of us to stand for our beliefs and be as one. This horror has nothing to do with race or religion, and we must work together to defend love and tolerance, and allow the victims to rest in peace”. His French team-mate Antoine Griezman was slightly more fortunate, with his sister surviving the dreadful scenes at the Bataclan Concert Hall. “Thank God my sister wasn’t taken,” he told reporters, “All my prayers are with the victims and their families. Vive la France!”
Spaniards in Paris Although it was initially unclear, it has since been confirmed that three Spaniards were killed during the terror attacks, with two more injured. 29-yearold Juan Alberto González Garrido from Madrid had lived in Paris for five years working as an industrial engineer, and only
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recently married his long-term girlfriend Angela Reina three months ago. “They were really happy,” said his cousin, “and now following this tragedy, Angela is a widow.” Alberto’s wife told of the scenes leading up to his untimely death, “We were at the concert hall, standing in the centre. Before the shooting started Alberto was standing just in front of me, then the first shots were fired and we dropped to the ground for cover. I instinctively tried to protect my head, but I wasn’t sure where Alberto was. I then felt his feet upon my head, I think he did it to protect me, and after a while he sat up and touched me. I think he whispered my name, but he looked very shaken. Again, shots rang out and we hugged the ground – this time I had my head on his chest. Eventually some people began to flee and try to escape, and that’s when I noticed that he was unconscious. I stayed with him until the police sent me away so that the paramedics could do their job. While I was outside an unknown woman called Claire looked after me, comforting me, and she told me that Alberto had been taken to an ambulance.” Angela said, sadly recalling the moments before Alberto’s death was confirmed. Iván García, 39 years old, and two of his friends were luckier on the night, “The noise was unbearable,” he explained, “We were able to hide in a room and had the door closed. When we were eventually found we were delighted to see that it was the police.” Disclaimer: Island Connections Newspaper is published and printed fortnightly by ISLAND CONNECTIONS S.L. Adverts, texts, photos or other parts of this publication are property of the publishers. They may not be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any other form or means without the prior written permission of the publishers. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for the contents of articles supplied by our contributors or advertisers claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse to publish adverts, texts or advertising
One student from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, studying in Paris as part of the Erasmus programme, had a lucky escape. 20 year old Sofía, who lives close to the concert hall, said “I wanted to go out with friends to see the concert but I had to stay behind for an arranged Skype call with my parents, otherwise I would have been right in the middle of it. Fortunately my friends returned, shocked, but otherwise healthy.”
Europe defends itself Nations and alliances are moving together to bring ISIS to justice for this, the latest attack on Western freedom, and airstrikes on known terrorist strongholds have begun. During the G20 summit in Turkey, the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced the arrest of 23 suspects, the search of 168 apartments, and the seizure of 31 weapons including four military assault rifles. Computer evidence has also been confiscated for investigation and 104 people are currently under house arrest. French president Francois Hollande announced that there will be “a merciless fight against terrorists” and his NATO colleagues have offered him full support. Even the hacker network, Anonymous, spoke out with a statement which read: “Anonymous activists from all over the world will hunt you down. Yes, you, the vermin who kill innocent victims, we will hunt you down like we did to those who carried out the attacks on Charlie Hebdo. So get ready for a massive reaction from Anonymous. Know that we will find you and we will never let up. We are going to launch the biggest ever operation against you - expect many cyber-attacks. War is declared.” Although this virtual threat may seem reactionary to some, it’s important to note that ISIS uses the internet exclusively for spreading their messages of hate and recruiting others, and Anonymous’ call to action could prove a serious features. Advertisements once contracted cannot be cancelled and have to be paid in full. The publishers can not be held responsible for variation on colour printed in this newspaper. Advertising conditions are to be obtained in our offices.
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threat to the terrorist organisation. One thing is clear from the global reaction to the horrific events in Paris: free-minded people everywhere will not cower to this threat and be forced to live in fear. ‘We are European and Europe is free and liberal’ is the general, defiant response, and it is this freedom of thought that makes ISIS rulers so determined in their fanatical crusade.
However, this has nothing to do with religion or nationality, and everything to do with humanism. Together, we will defeat this fundamental ideology and restore stability to our cities, towns and hamlets. At the time of going to print, German police announced that they had arrested three people near the city of Aachen in connection with the Paris terror attacks. n
Sweet home Abama
Tying the knot in style
The Ritz-Carlton, Abama Hotel is open to everyone this Saturday November 21 for a special wedding open day. There will be several displays for wedding ceremonies and receptions at El Mirador and around the cable car area. Visitors will also be able to see the nuptial possibilities offered by the hotel while they enjoy snacks and refreshments provided by the five star hotel. The Ritz-Carlton, Abama wants to offer their idyllic spaces with the best service where you can celebrate your dream wedding. So if in the near future you’re planning to say “I do”, pop along to the Ritz-Carlton, Abama Hotel, on the TF-47 just outside Playa San Juan, Guía de Isora, between 4pm and 7pm on Saturday November 21. n
Publishers: Tina Straub Schacher, Joe Schacher Designer: Javier Gómez Editor: Andrea Abrell editorial@ic-news.com Deputy editor: Xena Fox Editorial Team: Lee Bullen, Karl McLaughlin, Barbara Belt, Theresa Willson, Sheila Collis Contributors: Katy Kennedy, Manuel De La Flor, Chris Todd, George Reed, Francis W., Sabine Virgin Sales Manager: Jamie Lee Armstrong sales@icmedia.eu Classifieds: classifieds@ic-news.com
European Union European Regional Development Fund
“Creating Europe” This company has qualified for subsidies from the Spanish Government, cofinanced by funding from the European Regional Development Fund, for the transport of merchandise in the Canaries.
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
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International day against domestic violence
Red shoes against killing women The international day against domestic violence is on November 25. So far this year, 41 women have died due to domestic violence in Spain, two of them in the Canaries: 27year-old Laura González from La Palma who leaves behind a son, and Iris Francés from Santa Cruz in Tenerife who leaves three young children. During the second weekend of November there were three victims on the Spanish Peninsula. In Baena in Córdoba, a 28-year-old woman was killed by her partner before he committed suicide. Two women, a mother and her daughter, were shot in a street at Lliria in Valencia by the daughter’s ex-husband. A child who was with them, was unharmed.
Zero tolerance The Canarian government has announced extensive educational and information campaigns. In schools, workshops and discussions are already
pected cases. More calls are being received from worried passersby or neighbours, saying that they have overheard or seen violent clashes, and these calls can save lives. Any woman who dies violently at the hands of her current or former partner, is one too many. The Canarian government’s deputy president, Patricia Hernández, stressed that the authorities must take more care of the victims’ children. She said that, “They are not just spectators, they can suffer lifelong trauma from these tragedies. At the same time she called for assistance and protection programmes for women and their children who live in violent relationships.
The San Bartolomé councillor for equal opportunities, Armanda Cárdenes Calero, supports the Red Shoes campaign
held regularly. Children and young people are learning that violence in a relationship is not good, and they are taught how to recognise signs of the beginnings of domestic violence. Information booths are available in public places, which are not aimed at those directly affected, but at the general public. These campaigns are awakening the will of the public to report sus-
Different activities
Red shoes are a symbol of the pain of losing women through violence
On November 25, there will be activities throughout the islands. In Puerto de la Cruz, a minute’s silence will be held at the town hall at 12pm, which everyone can join. In Lanzar-
ote, a solidarity run in Arrecife is being planned for the weekend after the Memorial Day, on November 28. It starts at 11.30am at the Parque Islas Canarias with some fun warmup exercises, followed by a two and a half kilometre race. In San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the council is supporting an initiative launched by the Mexican social artist Elina Chauvet in Juárez in August 2009. A red shoe symbolically represents the pain and emptiness that is left behind when every daughter, sister, mother or wife is murdered, just because she is a woman. At 6pm on November 26 at the Plaza del Camellero, near the Cultural Centre in Maspalomas, there will be a grand shoe-painting and exhibition, and everyone is invited to bring red shoes, or shoes to be painted red. Some of the shoes painted on this day will go on to form part of the exhibition Zapatos Rojos (red shoes), which has been on a world tour since n September 15, 2012.
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Royal British Legion
Posh poppies! It was our old friend Kelly, the talented chef from the Sitio Litre Café, who piqued our interest with a message about Julie George. She said, “I have a friend who has hand-made a lot of poppies for the British legion charity and has raised around €200.” We got in touch straight away and were soon sitting across from a bubbly Julie George on the terrace of her home in Los Realejos. One of Julie’s friends was making crocheted poppies for her area’s RBL in the UK and after finding herself at an unusual loose end, this dynamic mum of four decided to do something similar here in Tenerife. Julie told us, “It started me thinking, that with ribbons, jewellery remnants and a bit of needlework, I could have a go at making unique poppies that would be hard-wearing and attractive. I have family who served in both World Wars and my eldest daughter served and was injured in Kosovo. “So I went to the local shops to buy my materials and set about producing the poppies. It takes
Poppy-proud rescue shelter dog Mia
about 20-30 minutes to make each one and my goal was to collect €100. I decided to ask for a minimum contribution of €2.50 for each one – and to my surprise and delight they proved so popular I have collected €230 and I believe I could have sold more. It’s been a heart-warming experience to be part of something for such
Julie and her posh poppies
a good cause. I got a buzz out of it because people were so giving,” confided this Norfolkborn grafter. They were sold mainly among people she knew. She took them with her and made the most of the opportunities that turned up along the way, shopping, in the pub with her husband whilst he had a cider or
at her line-dancing group. It’s a cause that has reached the hearts of many nationalities including Spanish, French, Dutch, German and Israeli. In the end people were asking for custom-made “posh poppies” as they called them, with a touch of silver or gold, and there were many requests for blue poppies to remember
the animals lost, which Julie will be making for next year. She has already set herself a target of €500 and we’ll give you information where to contact her to put in your order next autumn. Julie sends her heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to her own personal Poppy Appeal this year. In the meantime, her
next project is to raise money for breast cancer and she will be busy making pink flowers, so if you have any spare bits of pink ribbon, beads or jewellery that could be used as centres, safety pins, etc. which you would be willing to donate to the cause, get in touch with us and we will pass on your n contact details.
Student killer in court
Gaming addict went ‘berserk’ Police in Las Palmas have arrested a teenager in connection with the brutal killing of a female student in her flat in the capital city. Saray González, a student at Las Palmas University, was found dead by her flatmates
on October 27 and a post-mortem revealed she had suffered massive head injuries inflicted with a sharp implement. Police were convinced that the killer was known to the victim given that there were no signs of forced entry into the flat. Suspi-
cions centred on a 19-year-old youth, also a student, who lived in the same building and was known to have had several runins with Saray over noise levels during the previous weeks. Police arrested him after major inconsistencies detected in the
versions he gave on his activities during interviews were followed by DNA evidence putting him at the scene of the killing. The youth eventually confessed to bludgeoning his neighbour to death after she complained about the noise he was making
while playing an online video game in his flat. During a recent court appearance, the self-confessed gaming addict described how he had had gone berserk when he lost a war game which had been interrupted by Saray when
she called to ask him to stop shouting as it was preventing her from studying. As soon as he finished the game he went upstairs to her flat with a garden hoe and killed her. He was remanded to prison immediately after his appearance. n
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Island visit ban
Potential gender violence averted The fall-out from the brutal killing of a Tenerife woman who was stabbed to death by her ex-husband in the street just weeks after she was denied a restraining order against him appears to have prompted judges to take a tougher line against likely perpetrators of gender violence in the Canaries. With the outcry over the handling of the case of 35-yearold Iris Francés Luis still continuing, and fierce criticism mounting at the failure of judges to act in time to protect victims, a Gran Canarian court took the unusual step of barring a man from travelling to the island on his release from prison due to fears he might attack his expartner. The woman contacted the authorities to express her fears that her former boyfriend, who is deemed dangerous, would come looking for her after serving his sentence in Alicante. Police supported her application and the judge issued an order prohibiting the man from setting foot in The purple ribbon is used to promote n awareness of domestic violence Gran Canaria.
Embarrassing BBC gaff
Catholic Brotherhood confused with KKK The British Broadcasting Corporation recently made a serious mistake in a documentary about hackers exposing supporters of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan that angered many Spaniards and catholic worshippers. The BBC used a picture of members from a well known religious organisation in Seville known as the San Gonzalo brotherhood who parade in front of thousands of people every Easter in long-length white robes and pointed hoods with slits around the eyes – similar to the associated dress of the KKK. However, they are two entirely different organisations, as pointed out in an angry statement by the brotherhood: “We have informed the BBC about this ridiculous mistake so they can make a public rectification,” and went on to accuse the broadcaster
Photo: www.inselteneriffa.com
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
of “gross ignorance”. Scores of Spanish radio and TV stations named and shamed the broadcaster alongside pictures of the error, and many complaints were made across social media platforms. After several days the images were taken down from BBC websites
Religious festivities in La Laguna could easily have been confused by the BBC as well
and news feeds and replaced with correct images of the Ku Klux Klan. On the brotherhood’s own website, members regretted this journalistic gaffe, demanded a retraction and called for prayer. One of the group’s most famous penitents is actor Antonio Ban-
deras, who gave former UK prime minister Tony Blair a personal guide to Málaga’s famous Easter procession last year. For the renowned BBC the incident is highly embarrassing and key information in such a documentary should have been n better researched.
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New store in Vecindario
a 5,000 m2 shop floor and a 10,000 m2 warehouse with over 6,000 items of furniture and furnishings available to customers. Manuel Estévez, the CEO of Conforama Iberian Peninsula, said, “We are very pleased with this new project and to open our first store in Gran Canaria.
Conforama has opened two new branches in Spain since the autumn The Las Chafiras store opened in summer 2014
With this new addition, Conforama moves towards its goals of strengthening its presence in the Canary Islands and all major Spanish provinces,
helping to consolidate us as key players in the sector.” He added, “Additionally we have created 60 new jobs in the area, which is a great source of pride for us because it means we now have 220 Conforama employees across the two islands.” Alongside the new Gran Canarian store, Conforama has three
others in Tenerife, located in La Laguna, La Orotava and Las Chafiras. More openings are planned for the near future, including on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as well as expanding in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Conforama has a Europeanwide network of 289 stores, of which 213 are in France
where the company originated. In 2011, it was acquired by the South African company Steinhoff International. Conforama sales amounted to over €3 billion in the financial year 2013/2014, and the company has 13,400 employees. For more information visit: n www.conforama.es.
Two arrested in Gran Canaria
End nigh for Pink Panthers? Spanish police say a breakthrough in the Canaries in the war on jewellery shop raiders could mark the beginning of the end of one of Europe’s most notorious networks of criminal gangs, dubbed the Pink Panthers in law enforcement circles. The investigation into a clinically-executed raid on a shop in Fuerteventura last September, in which a million euros worth of luxury watches were stolen, led to the arrest of two Serbian nationals in Gran Canaria earlier in the month. The duo were trying to fly out with some of the haul from
Photo: Philipp Pilz/freeimages.com
Conforama, the renowned brand for household furnishings, has recently opened its first store in Gran Canaria, the fourth opening in the Canary Islands. Conforama is one of Europe’s largest home furnishings retail chains, with over 200 stores in Spain, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy and Croatia. The last Conforama branch to open in Spain took place in September in Rivas-Vaciamadrid. The new store opens in Vecindario in the south of Gran Canaria and will see the employment of 60 people. The inauguration was the 27th in Spain and strengthens its position on the Islands, having seen excellent results from the three stores based in Tenerife. The Vecindario installation has
Photo: ©Gerard Zenou 634 173 766
Conforama arrives in Gran Canaria
The much loved character is used to symbolise one of Europe’s top criminal gangs
the robbery and had been under surveillance for several
weeks after Civil Guard officers linked them to the Morro Jable raid. They are believed to be among a number of East Europeans, some of them ex-military, who have set up gangs to carry out heists across Spain and further afield, and their arrest is a significant step in attempts to bring the feared raiders to justice. According to the authorities, the Serbians fled Fuerteventura by yacht shortly after the raid on the jewellers and holed up in Maspalomas, blending in with tourists at an apartn ment complex.
Predicting the future
The series of storms and downpours towards the end of October certainly caught many areas of the Canaries unaware. While nearly 120 litres fell on Arafo and Güímar, with Santa Cruz also experiencing troublesome conditions, people in other areas of the island were wondering what all the weather warnings were about. Particularly on October 23 when the schools were closed and parents woke up to glorious sunshine, confused as to why their little ones wouldn’t attend class that day. “It’s extremely tough to make accurate predictions”, explained Oliver Cruz Barroso, a councillor in La Matanza and keen meteorologist, “The Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET) is Spain’s meteorological agency operating under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and they trigger alerts that range from yellow to orange to red based on anticipated rainfall and expected wind activity. Correspondingly, the govern-
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time of year which is causing increased levels of evaporation and, subsequently, higher rainfall. It’s forming clouds which look like fog but are filled with moisture. “Tropical storms brewing over the Atlantic and areas of Mexico have also been travelling closer to us than normal. Some people feared we were going to be hit by Hurricane Fred, which was the first hurricane to move through the Cape Verde islands in over 120 years, but fortunately it moved in the other direction. I am fascinated by these events and related phenomena which is why I work so closely with the subject. There is a club called ASCANMET which consists of approximately 30 members from the Canaries interested in meteorology, and we exchange information and share data”, Barroso explained. On the rooftop of his home he has several webcams set up that send minute-by-minute images of the sky from multiple angles so if someone wants
to travel to La Matanza to enjoy a pleasant hike they can look up in advance how the weather will be. In the near future Barroso hopes to install additional weather stations at various heights and locations: “Just a few metres in altitude can create a very different picture, and farmers, for example, who work in areas higher than the majority of the island could really benefit from more accurate forecasts”. For Oliver, the weather is a fascinating subject that provides him with many spectacular images, surprising twists and fascinating natural insights. When asked about climate change he added, “Personally I do not believe in it because there have always been extreme weather conditions and changes, and always will be”. Anyone who wishes to keep up to date with Oliver’s weather forecasts and information can do so by visiting: www.facebook.com/meteolamatanza. n meteo.
Whatever the weather Some storms have an eerie and dramatic beauty to them
Photo: Oliver Cruz Barroso
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
ment will react and take steps to warn the public and close certain services if deemed necessary.” Meteorology is a passionate hobby for Barroso, who has converted the terrace of his home to cater for a weather station that can measure wind, temperature, barometric pressure and humidity, and is linked to several webcams that record the sky from multiple directions. He shares his collected data with AEMET and publishes his calculations and predictions on his
Facebook page. How can it be that a large storm passes over the archipelago that severely affects certain areas while leaving other nearby zones relatively untouched and basking in bright autumn sunshine? Telde in Gran Canaria saw damages from the storm reach a staggering €35 million, while many other parts of the island went unscathed. Similarly in Tenerife and La Palma where the east coast was battered, as was the southernmost tip of El Hierro, residents in other areas
laughed derisively at the warnings and precautionary school closures. “It’s difficult to accurately predict because anything during a 72-hour period can change, and even a small alteration to the situation can make a big difference overall. Recently, we saw a sudden wind alteration blow the clouds towards the mountains in the middle of the island, where they remained hanging and rained off. “Additionally, sea temperatures are relatively high for this
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Emergency meeting
Numerous violations of the Fisheries Act are alarming the professional fishermen of Fuerteventura. The island’s government, represented by the president Marcial Morales, and the ecological and fisheries commissioner Natalia Évora, have teamed up with the Canary Islands general director for fisheries, Orlando Umpiérrez García over the concerns of the island’s three major fishing associations. They called for more control and tougher penalties for poachers from other islands who invade the fishing areas of Fuerteventura, potentially caus-
The dog was rescued from the bottom of a well
Antigua, Domingo Fránquiz, developed an unusual plan. The imaginative rescuers made a makeshift dumb waiter with rope and a blanket and lowered it down to the stricken dog, eventually coaxing her to board. The happy cinnamon-coloured canine was then hoisted back to safety, to the joy of her owner and family. Llanis was found to have suffered a small leg fracture when she fell but was otherwise in good health despite her ordeal. She is now being looked after by her delighted family. Antigua’s mayor issued a formal press release congratulating the rescuers for their dedin cation to duty.
Tougher action against fish poachers
Fuerteventura’s fishermen called for the emergency meeting
ing significant damage. They fish illegally with crab pots, harming
both the quota for the island’s legal fishermen and fish stocks.
The local fishermen’s associations fear that under certain circumstances, the balance could be irreversibly disturbed. Together, they decided to adopt stricter controls and tougher penalties for poaching fish. Carballo Cleofe, the chairman of the island’s largest fishing association, Cofradía de Pescadores de Corralejo, said, “We are very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations. To date, our available resources have not been enough to catch the fish poachers. They are well prepared but we hope that this n will now change.”
The rain in Spain
Water supplies replenished Though not all humans would agree, the rain that fell in October and early November was a timely bonus as far as nature is concerned. Across the Islands, there are new sprouts of growth and those areas that are that way inclined are glowing verdantly. For farmers and householders, the downfalls were also good news as the reservoirs that supply water for agriculture and homes have also benefited. With a total holding capacity of around four million cubic metres of water, the tanks are currently filled to 80 per cent. This is a positive sign for those who have hopes of a good planting season. The cultivation of potatoes, cereals and vegetables is particularly important in the winter and spring months in the Canaries. With favourable conditions, up to three potato crops are possible during a year, for example. n
Photo: Cabildo La Gomera
Police officers and Civil Protection volunteers have a new friend for life after rescuing a dog from a 20-metre deep well in the town of Antigua in Fuerteventura. Llanis, a mixed-breed female, was reported missing by her owner and was eventually heard barking at the bottom of the narrow well. Unfortunately, the well, which is housed on a private farm in Majada Blanca, was too narrow for a human to enter and its side walls were in a particularly fragile condition due to the recent rain. Therefore, the coordinator of the Civil Defence organisation, Antonio Padrón, and local Police deputy in
Happy end to well dog fall
Photo: Ayuntamiento Antigua
Canine rescue
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Photo: Cabildo Fuerteventura
The autumn rains filled reservoirs
Government pays out
Nursery school embarrassment The Canarian government is to be forced to pay back nearly €5 million to Madrid for not putting the money to its intended use for dozens of new nursery schools. Finance minister Rosa Dávila has confirmed newspaper reports that the Spanish Ministry of Education has demanded the money back after checks revealed that the funding, given to the Canaries in 2009 to help mitigate the severe shortage of places in public kindergartens for youngsters up to three years of age, was not used. “The money was, regrettably, not spent on what it should have been due to poor administration. The people of the Canaries have missed out on an opportunity for child care as a result and we will make sure such a situation does not occur again,” explained Dávila. At the time, the regional government told Madrid that the funding would help create places for up to 1,000 toddlers in 26 towns across the Canaries. n
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Shaky start to the month
Photo: Cnes CC 3.0
Earthquakes in El Hierro have continued into this month but should not give cause for alarm, according to the local authorities. The biggest tremor in the first week of November measured nearly 4.0 on the Richter scale and was recorded at 8pm on November 7, when many people on the island were at home and felt the sizeable movement. Police say the quake, whose epicentre was pinpointed to 14 km below the surface, was reported in various parts of the Canaries’ westernmost island, where a month rarely passes without noticeable seismic activity since the undersea eruption of 2011 which led to the evacuation of the fishing village of La Restinga on several occasions. Scientists say the current activity is “perfectly normal” and is not restricted to El Hierro. A few days earlier a similar-sized quake was recorded midway between Gran Canaria and Tenerife 30 kilometres Earthquakes in El Hierro have beneath the Atlantic. n continued into November
Busy winter
Canaries ‘can‘t help’ Egypt crisis European tour operators seeking to divert holidaymakers from crisis-hit Egypt in the wake of the Sharm el-Sheikh air tragedy are getting little joy from hotels in the Canaries as they step up their efforts to secure replacement bookings for the rest of the winter. Sector sources here have confirmed that various major British and German operators have been in contact to try and negotiate accommodation for tourists who should be going to Egypt but will now be offered alternative holidays. Fernando Fraile, head of the FEHT hoteliers’ body in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, says that the search for rooms is “mission impossible” for the holiday firms, at least in the Canaries, due to the already high demand. “There is very little availability here to help out with the Egypt diversions during the winter and tour operators have been forced to tie up deals already for the summer given their fears that customers will not want or be able to fly to Egypt” said a sector source. Speculation is growing that the plane tragedy in the Sinai Peninsula will almost certainly result in Russians looking once more to the Canaries, particularly Tenerife, as a holiday destination after the downturn of the past year. n
December release for movie
La Gomera whale adventure film Fans of La Gomera will be interested to know that the new blockbuster action film shot on location on the island two years ago is due for release in a couple of weeks. In the Heart of the Sea is an historical adventure drama thriller film based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 non-fiction book of the same name. It narrates the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an incident that inspired the tale of Moby Dick, the most famous whale adventure story of all time. Directed by Ron Howard of A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 fame, it describes how the Essex is sunk when it is rammed and split in half by an enraged bull sperm whale and the crew is shipwrecked at sea
Ron Howard’s whale tale is set for December release
for 90 days, more than a thousand miles from land. Many of the key scenes, including action at sea, were filmed in
La Gomera in November 2013 and the island authorities, not to mention the many people who were given jobs during the
filming, are keenly awaiting the finished product, which is set for worldwide release in early n December.
Healthy signs of recovery
Car sales continue to thrive Last month brought further cheer for the car sector in the Canaries, with dealers reporting an increase of over 11 per cent in new car sales compared to October of last year. The positive performance, in the form of nearly 7,000 vehicle registrations, continues the steady growth seen throughout 2015 and further consolidates the recovery enjoyed by a sector that contributes a considerable portion of the region’s GDP.
Although cars continue to make up the bulk of the sales, the number of commercial vehicle registrations also saw a steep rise and the annual increase is expected to be above 20 per cent by the year end, confirming the more optimistic business outlook in the Canaries. Further signs that the recovery is well under way in the tourism industry can be seen in the fact that car hire vehicles accounted for half of the total number of n new sales in October.
Photo: Vince S Freeimages.com
Tremors continue in El Hierro
Photo: Witt/freeimages.com
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
Canarian car sales are on the up
CANARY ISLANDS
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Civilisation encroaches
Valle Gran Rey’s hippies By Barbara Belt At the beginning of the seventies, La Gomera was home to a group of young, long-haired Americans who turned up here via Morocco. The youths’ departure from the USA was prompted by an understandable reluctance to get involved in the Vietnam War. Draft dodgers had to leave the USA fast and crossing the border into sympathetic Canada was one way out. There were Canadians among the La Gomera group who’d helped get the US boys away and came too, ‘for the adventure’. They were among Valle Gran Rey’s first foreign tourists. Their chance arrival in what was then an isolated valley, on an anyway isolated small island, in some ways shaped the valley’s future in tourism and its inhabitants’ expectations of who tourists were and how they behaved. As pilot fish, they were fairly exotic compared to the tourists who followed them later. The group were around until the mid-seventies. By the time the Vietnam War ended, they’d begun to drift off. Their adventures here, and this small village’s reaction to them, make a great story. I researched it years ago, after wondering how some locals spoke such good, American-accented, English and was told they’d learnt it from the ‘hippies on the beach’, but that tale’s for another day. We’ll avoid any argument here about exactly what a ‘hippy’ is and whether it’s a philosophy or not, and just use it as a generic term for non-main-
Casa La Familia
Casa La Familia worthies
Drying washing in the square
stream, pacifist, sporadically employed, very probably hairy and pot smoking, possibly tattooed and/or pierced, guitar playing and more picturesquely dressed individuals, than your ‘normal’ TV-watch-
ing, acquisitive, nine-to-fivers with mortgages, dressed in Primark and M&S. Such hippies have always been a feature of Valle Gran Rey, which has continued to enjoy a varied mixture of visitors that
undergoes seasonal changes. The hippy contingent increases, or diminishes, depending on various key factors. Local council policy and police attitudes are of paramount importance. Over the years,
Upside down peace
policies and attitudes change. While one council’s four year tenure makes Valle Gran Rey an inhospitable place for our ‘alternative’ residents, the next may ignore their presence, making it easy to stay on.
The two Municipal Policemen enforce these changing council policies. The firm favourite of Julio, the edgier of the pair, is intolerance. We know he means biz when he tucks his trousers into his boots. Woe betide any
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Table dancing
hippy who fails to notice this important signal. The local Guardia Civíl’s attitude is largely dependent on whoever happens to be sergeant and can range from zero tolerance - with dramatic early morning raids on habitual sleeping places in caves and bushes and immediate shutdown of any attempt to sell hippy wares - to laissez faire, relaxed amusement. No one ever quite knows. It keeps them on their toes. Other factors affecting the presence of hippies are the lunar cycle; the free festival scene; periodic clear-outs from La Palma, the other Canary Island enjoying a hippy presence; fluctuations in international exchange rates; and changes in foreign benefit entitlement.
Open to everyone
Uwe, whose drinking leads him to forget washing, as well as falling off his bench, freshly washed by Jaques at the Casa La Familia
Though, for the last few years, we’ve experienced a fairly constant, increased presence of Hairy Ones due
to the Casa La Familia (Family House) – an organisation which has focussed Gran Rey’s attention on the issue
and will force the new council to decide on how to proceed with the visitors. The Casa La Familia was born when, a couple of years ago, Tito Jimenez solved the problem of what to do with his small, empty house when the previous tenants moved on. Although in prime position opposite the main beach and with great sunset views, it was surrounded by broken down walls, dilapidated fenc-
CANARY ISLANDS
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ing, industrial waste, rusty iron and piles of sand and aggregate from the curiously-sited (seafront) waste land next door. And still is. His solution was Vera, an enterprising German hippy, whose idea to start a cultural centre and refuge needed a base. Details that usually detain would-be entrepreneurs, such as permits to open to the public, promote live music, serve food and drink or offer beds, and health and safety and sanitary checks were ‘unnecessary, due to its status as a charity’
val, when dozens of antisocial hairies hit town. This was the festival, rather than La Familia’s fault, but by then local bar owners were fed up with the increasing music and licensing restrictions imposed on them, and justifiably outraged that Vera and crew could get away with it all. Parents didn’t want their children shouted at by drongos, either, and complaints were rife. The Casa is closed now and will likely be shut down. Individuals
Inside Casa La Familia
and it opened as a night time venue for live and DJ music events and parties. The valley’s resident ‘hippies’ suddenly had an HQ, visiting ‘alternative types’ were welcomed and accommodated and local groups played there. The music proved popular with everyone. As killjoy local authorities gradually killed the valley’s once vibrant music scene, it was often the only place to enjoy live music. It became a bit of a local joke, Casa La Familia, which turned sour as the hippy population grew. Filling the tiny San Pedro square, more usually full of playing children, with often out-to-lunch visitors. Drying washing decorated this village focal point, and the smell of hash perfumed it at the end of last year’s free Rainbow Festi-
like Uwe, who sits on the main promenade playing guitar and drinking until he falls off the bench, will once again depend on the kindness of locals. There can’t be many villages where conservative locals have happily co-existed for so long with hairy, drum playing, fire twirling, international drop outs and put up with poor souls like Uwe. Sadly, our new no-music, no-fun council’s in danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Well behaved hippies, and music, are tourist attractions, as anyone who’s seen the crowds gathered to watch the sunset drummers and fire shows, or local musical ‘parrandas’, can testify. What we’ll do without them isn’t clear, but it’s horribly n quiet.
Christoph Kiessling (centre), Tenerife tourism councillor Alberto Bernabé (left) and Tenerife president Carlos Alonso (right) at the World Travel Market The red pandas are Loro Parque’s latest attraction and part of a breeding programme
During the World Travel Market, Europe’s largest travel fair, held in London in early November, the Loro Parque Foundation was awarded this year’s World Travel Leaders Award. The prize was given to the Loro Parque vice-president, Christoph Kiessling, and was presented by Manuel Molina, the director of Hosteltur. The award honours the foundation’s work for nature and environmental protection, something it has been dedicated to for over two decades. Loro Parque, awarded the Best European Zoo by TripAdvisor
earlier this year, supports the foundation and manages its finances, ensuring that every euro donated flows directly to the cause. An estimated €15 million has been invested in 96 different initiatives, all aimed at nature protection and safeguarding endangered species. The Animal Embassy, where visitors can observe veterinarians, nurses and researchers hard at work, was also hailed as exemplary during the World Travel Market presentation. A new attraction at Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz is the intro-
duction of two red pandas, also known as lesser pandas. They were donated to the park by the British zoos, Highland Wildlife Park and Paradise Wildlife Park. A new enclosure was designed for the new residents, and modelled on their natural habitat. Normally, red pandas live in areas approximately 1,300 to 4,000 metres above sea level and are mainly found in the southwest of China and the eastern Himalayas. Therefore, the enclosure has been designed so that they can find shade under various trees during the day and a lake has been installed so that they can cool off, as these creatures do not like warm weather too much.
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Red pandas resemble raccoons more than giant pandas, for example, and in the East they are referred to as ‘fire foxes’ due to their size and orange-red fur. They are also sometimes called ‘treetop walkers’ and have similar grooming behaviour to giant pandas, if not a similar general appearance. They’re nimble, nocturnal and feed mainly on bamboo. Due to poaching and deforestation, their natural habitat has been considerably threatened and they are an endangered species. Since 2008, red pandas have appeared on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species. According to estimates, less than 10,000 adult red pandas live in the wild, which is why over 30 international zoos and foundations are breeding them and supporting conservation projects related to their n survival.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
In the party mood
Carnivals in the north
The carnival fever that sweeps the island before spring is best experienced in the capital Santa Cruz, but without doubt, the carnival staged in Puerto de La Cruz, Towns are gearing up for the La Orotava and Icod de Los winter carnival celebrations Vinos are widely celebrated and enjoyed by hordes of festival revellers as well. In La Orotava, their seasonal events coincide with the Santa Cruz celebrations and many of the main parades overlap, serving as a good alternative for those who wish to sample the carnival atmosphere and salsa and samba rhythms but without the large crowds that descend on the capital at this time of the year. The carnival season runs from February 5 to 20 and in La Orotava it has the theme ‘Villeros y Máscaras’ (Villagers and masks). In Puerto de La Cruz the carnival starts after Ash Wednesday when the Santa Cruz event nears its end, and in other parts of the island the town carnival is held shortly before the arrival of Easter. n Photo: TDT CC 2.0
Top prize for Loro Parque Photos: Loro Parque
World Travel Market
CANARY ISLANDS
Civil Guard raid
A white Halloween Civil Guard officials in San Andrés y Sauces, in the north of La Palma, led a raid on a Halloween house party in the early hours of November 1, believing that the house was a point for buying illegal drugs. Just after midnight, officers burst into the party and turned the fake terror celebrations into a real-life horror for those present and indulging in illegal substances. The 49 year old hostess was arrested for dealing, along with some users present and found in possession. During the raid, nine cocaine packages which are believed to have been sold by the home owner were seized along with substances found in small containers. In addition, several bank notes of varying denominations were found hidden behind the refrigerator in the kitchen, believed to have come from the sale of drugs, along with a ledger that outlined drug sales over a long period of time totalling around €9,000. The investigation is ongoing, as authorities hope to discover who has been supDuring the raid, officers found plying the woman with the drugs, money and evidence of a illegal drugs. n small operation Photo: Guardia Civil
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19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
CANARY ISLANDS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Hope for San Pablo
Precautionary measure
More police in El Fraile Once the end of October and the beginning of November arrived, vandalism and theft both increased in the town of El Fraile in Arona. To combat this trend, Arona’s councillor for security, Juan Sebastián Roque has introduced a greater presence of local police and plain clothes officers. Roque justified the measure by saying, “Statistically, there is no reason for concern. The number of thefts has not increased significantly, but uncertainty has erupted within the community and as we take this very seriously, we are reacting with an increased police presence.” To date, unknown perpetrators have broken into the sports ground, public buildings, such as a school, and a college on public grounds.
The damage caused is estimated to be higher than the value of the items stolen. The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation. Roque added, “We have been in contact with the Guardia Civil and the National Police since the start of the month
to keep up to date with investigations.” The precaution is designed to make residents and visitors feel more secure, and to show them that the local politicians take the concerns and needs of their citizens seriously. n
The increased police presence is purely a preventive measure
Untraditional matrimony
Photo: Roger Kirby/freeimages.com
Icod sets sights on weddings
Weddings could soon take place at a number of selected locations in Icod
The Tenerife town of Icod de Los Vinos is hoping to make a name for itself as the north of the island’s Wedding Capital with an ambitious marketing campaign to persuade couples to tie the knot there. The local council is currently preparing changes to its by-
laws to allow marriage ceremonies to take place not just in the town hall but at a number of selected locations in the picturesque town, such as the courtyards of big manor houses. Mayor Francis González says he is convinced that there
is a niche market for weddings in the area and Icod’s cultural and architectural heritage make it ideal as a venue, not to mention the obligatory wedding group photo at its landmark Dragon Tree, which is the symbol of n the northern town.
Guide dogs on transport
Reminder to buses and taxis Private coach firms and taxi drivers have been reprimanded by the authorities in Tenerife for disobeying legislation allowing guide dogs to be carried in their vehicles. The island’s Cabildo has written to a number of companies reminding them of their obligation following several complaints from blind users that they have had problems in recent times. Although
Tenerife’s main bus company TITSA and tram operator Metropolitano comply fully with the law, it seems that private hire firms and many taxi drivers show more than a reluctance to permit assistance to dogs, and the rise in complaints has prompted the authorities to intervene. The letter was sent after the island’s transport chief met with the head of the
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Canaries’ Guide Dog Users Association, who passed on the concerns of members. Among the complaints was one from the ONCE blind charity which hired two coaches to bus members to an official event recently only to find that the drivers refused to allow a guide dog on board. The company has since been fined after an investigation. n
Gourmet market tipped to reopen La Laguna’s short-lived gourmet market could be on the road to reopening after the controversial closure ordered several months ago due to nonpayment of debts. The San Pablo Market on the Calle Herradores in the centre of the world heritage city had to shut its doors last spring amid a bitter row between stallholders who had invested heavily in setting up in the prestigious building and the man behind the bold initiative for discerning palates. After months of wrangling, businessman Pablo Montesinos has been evicted from the premises by the family that owns the massive manor house. A court order was obtained at the beginning of the month and the family, one of the best known in La Laguna, changed the locks to prevent Montesinos from occupying the building further.
Stallholders may unionise to manage the market
He is believed to have run up debts of €300,000 in rent alone, in addition to other unpaid bills. The family say they are keen to have the market reopen under new management and sources in La Laguna say that the stallholders themselves, who have been unable to work for nearly six months due to the dispute, might be
The San Pablo Market was forced to close earlier this year
willing to join together to form n a company to run it.
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TENERIFE GENERAL
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Promotion
Man fights off raiders
YogaZenTher
Have-a-go restaurant owner YogaZenTher is situated underneath La Pepa food market in Los Cristianos
YogaZenTher is a beautiful cosy studio with great energy and you’ll find it just underneath La Pepa food market in Los Cristianos. The main idea to build a YogaZenTher studio came from our own life experiences, how the products we offer in our studio changed our lives personally. A combination of yoga, massage and a complete nutrition programme helped us to feel better, have more energy, and release different pain issues, weight management and much more. We would like to share our experience and help other people to feel better too, and
enjoy their lives to the full. At YogaZenTher we combine all the areas that we think are important for ourselves: exercise in the form of yoga, good nutrition, and last but not least, to relax the body with a good massage. We give Yoga classes in different styles. Classes are offered in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. If on your first visit you are not sure about which option would be best for you, ask for our advice to guide you. We have all the necessary materials and all the help and personal dedication of our experienced teachers.
The room has a capacity for 12 people only. We want to be able to help each student and see everyone, and in smaller groups we can assist more people. There are several different bonos (or season tickets) you can buy, depending on how often you wish to visit. They range from five visits for €40, to 10 visits for €70, or you can really save and buy a monthly unlimited pass for €55. Walk-ins are always welcome, and there are discounts for residents. YogaZenTher offers various types of massages: relaxing, sport, Reiki, reflexology, and Thai reflexology.
The reason why we decided to offer these three services altogether in one place was because their benefits connect with each other, and they all help the body to find its balance, strength and health. Yoga is a way to achieve a balance between body and mind, and you can free the more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses or Asanas, breathing techniques and meditation. Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It’s increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical condi-
An Arona restaurant owner whose premises suffered eight robberies in the space of a few months turned the tables on raiders who tried to rob him for a ninth time and fought them off with their own tools. The three raiders broke into the restaurant near El Fraile late at night and gave a tranquiliser to the owner’s dog to put it out of action. However, they did not realise that the man had been sleeping on the premises to prevent more losses. He ran down the stairs and hurled chairs and tables at the trio, who dropped the holdall they were carrying in their efforts to escape. Police who were called to the scene found patches of blood on a table and on the floor and the owner, who is originally from South America, admitted he had lashed out at them with the wire cutters and crowbar they had dropped in their haste as they fled. “I got fed up with the burglaries and losing the contents of the cigarette machine and meat and other food, so I decided to sleep at the restaurant as a precaution,” said the owner, who is being hailed as a hero in an area Thieves regularly targeted of the south that is becom- the man’s cigarette machine and ing notorious for crime. n foods
tions and situations. The benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension and can also be helpful in many more conditions such as anxiety, digestive disorders, headaches, sport injuries and so on. Beyond the benefits for specific conditions or diseases, some people enjoy massage because it often involves caring, comfort, and a sense of empowerment. Proper nutrition helps prevent disease. Eating a proper, nutritious diet offers numerous health benefits that keep you mentally and physically well. Proper nutrition doesn’t mean starving yourself, but instead means eating a diet balanced
in lean proteins, carbohydrates and fats. We believe that health is a lifestyle, therefore it is important to keep our bodies in balance with good nutrition, and this works hand in hand with exercise and the right type of relaxation. That is why we think that all the benefits that yoga, massage and nutrition offer are important for everybody who is looking for Zen. n Na Maste.
YogaZenTher Avenida San Francisco, 6 Los Cristianos, Tel: 922 193 510 info@yogazenther.com www.yogazenther.com
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
TENERIFE GENERAL
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
20 years of story telling in Los Silos
Government foul play?
Don Quixote and the power of the word
TV channel fights closure
Photo: iansthree CC 2.0
Another potentially costly pay-out looms for the Canarian government, this time over the closure of a small-time TV channel in Tenerife three years ago as part of the clampdown on unlicensed broadcasting. The popular Mi Tierra TV from the Puerto de La Cruz area was closed down and its equipment was seized by police in November 2012. It was later fined €500,000 for breaches of broadcasting legislation but its owners have always insisted it was targeted unfairly by the government due to its constant criticism of the party in power. Lawyers for Mi Tierra fought to have the closure reversed on the grounds that other channels in exactly the same position did not suffer the same fate. The case was dismissed by a Santa Cruz court but it now appears that it could be reopened after an appeal court ruling that the government minister responsible for the closure order may have acted unlawfully in taking a decision he knew to be incorrect. The court has ordered criminal proceedings to continue against the ex-minister and some media are already speculating that the channel could sue the government for malice and seek massive compensation for n the revenue lost during the years of the closure.
Mi Tierra TV was based in Puerto de La Cruz
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The poster was created by the Brazilian writer and illustrator André Nieves
The famous story by Miguel de Cervantes explains the legendary Don Quixote, and demonstrates how important it is to tell a story properly. That’s the only way that a story can captivate and stir or provoke feelings in the reader or listener. Storytellers from all over the world who have mastered this art have been coming to Los Silos for the last 20 years, always at the end of November and the beginning of December. This festival, held from November 28 to December 7 in the main plaza is extremely popular, attracting thousands of listeners every year because, even in this digital age, there
is nothing like a good old story: one that stimulates the imagination and arouses the feelings of those who listen. The International Story Telling Festival in Los Silos is aimed at the whole family and has compelling stories to suit all ages and tastes, and there are many events for children. Some of the stories will be told from the balcony of the Town Hall, and others in protected natural spaces. Other stories will be accompanied by music, and there will once again be some exciting Horror Trips at night!
An entertaining programme After the opening ceremony on Saturday November 28 at 6pm on the patio of the former convent of San Sebastián, the theatrical group TeatroSilos, will present Quixote. This piece will be repeated several times during the course
of the festival. From 10pm to 1am, you can enjoy Horror with Art for the over 16s. In case you can’t go on the first Horror trip, it will be repeated on another night. On Thursday December 3, Alajuela from Costa Rica will be offering stories with a lot of swing. This will be at 9pm in the Health Centre auditorium. On Friday December 4 at 8pm, on the patio of the former convent, there will be a combination of opera and literature. The performers are the founders of the festival, Ernesto Rodríguez Abad, Margarita Díaz and Diego Expósito. At the same venue at 11pm, there will be a combination of stories and music by José Luis Osorio and the AutoDate folk band, who will present a Velada Literaria. On Saturday December 5, Pedro Báez and Ernesto Rodríguez Abad will lead those interested to the heart of Los Silos. This tour for adults takes
place at 10am, 11am and 12 noon. A guide to the town’s hidden corners and squares will be offered by the narrator of the University of La Laguna at 5pm, starting at the Plaza el Calvario. At the same time, stories will be told in hidden courtyards. The meeting point is at the festival box office. On Sunday December 6 at 5pm, Manuel Larrea from Ecuador will take his audience on a musical narrative journey. At 7.30pm in the Town Hall chamber, you can mingle while Ernesto Rodríguez Abad and Fabiola Socas provide music, words and tradition for a festive evening. On Monday December 7 at 10.30pm, the storytellers will bid farewell to Los Silos with a final round of stories. The events we have mentioned are only a few from the complete programme, and you can find this and buy tickets online at: www.cuentoslossilos.es. n
TENERIFE GENERAL
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Promotion
Beauty is a matter of trust tomer. The same applies to the cost estimate.
Innovative solutions
Dr. Enrique Plasencia offers individually tailored solutions for his patients
The Centro Internacional de Estética in Puerto de la Cruz is, in terms of health care practices, a pioneering clinic in the Canary Islands. It has found solutions for age-related problems, as well as ways to fix congenital physical defects. For women especially, as they age, looking in the mirror and seeing an aging face can be depressing. With Dr. Enrique Plasencia who has more
than 25 years of experience, patients can be sure that they are in professional hands. The expertise in this aesthetic-medical centre includes the latest techniques for wrinkle reduction, so already thousands of customers have returned home more than satisfied and with a new sense of youthfulness. So that clients from the south can avoid the long journey, they can now make appointments
at the Salon de Belleza Sonja Cornelius, which is on the Carretera General (Antigua) 99 in Chayofa, by calling 922 38 64 30. There’s another bonus, English, Spanish and German are spoken. Dr. Enrique Plasencia puts a great value on giving a comprehensive and personalised service as well as a form of therapy that is adapted to the individual needs of the cus-
Dr. Enrique Plasencia relies on modern, non-invasive techniques, and says, “Nowadays, surgical procedures are not necessary to achieve good results.” He prefers to use the latest generation hyaluronic acid which is injected under wrinkles. This method guarantees a long-lasting effect without causing allergies or rejections, and he’s had very good results with it. Within a very short time, the patient’s appearance is remarkably rejuvenated and refreshed. In addition, the procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and allows a rapid return to everyday life. But these cutting edge methods and approaches are not only used on wrinkles. Eye bags or drooping eyelids can easily be corrected without radical intervention. This minimises the risk of post-operative inflammation or other consequences. A wrinkle-free neck is achieved by the physicians with a mini-lift, for which only local anaesthesia is needed, and the result is spectacular.
Overweight or obese? For over a quarter of a century, Dr. Plasencia has been working with obesity. As with other prob-
Santa Úrsula
Copper thief caught Due to the recent increase in thefts of copper and metal from a recycling company, officers from the Guardia Civil’s special ROCA unit were called in and an investigation began. The officers came across one man who was not an official dealer in copper and metal but dealt in large amounts, arousing their suspicions. For years, companies and communities have suffered massive thefts of copper cables and large metal parts, mainly due to the financial crisis and the lucrative nature of these materials. In this case, the trail led to a man who was suspected of breaking into a construction company at La Quinta in Santa Úrsula twice in July this year to steal copper and metal cables which he later sold. More than six tons of materials are thought to have been sold and turned into cash. The affected company valued the damage caused and items stolen at around Expensive copper wires were n being stolen and sold on €20,000. Photo: Guardia Civil
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lem areas, he employs methods that expose the patient to as little discomfort as possible, even when the fat reduction needed is great. An investigation and a detailed, individual consultation are essential in this matter. With modern techniques, the localised fat deposits on the tummy, hips or any other part of the body are sucked out. It is possible for a client to reduce by up to two dress sizes in only 45 days with the experience and methods offered by Dr. Plasencia. All you have to do is to make an appointment for your consultation. You will be attended to by a professional who will explain the process in full and create a personal quotation. The new techniques in cosmetic surgery, which provide near perfect results without surgery, have a positive effect on the patient’s health. By optimising processes and using
innovative methods, wrinkle treatments or the elimination of other problem areas through outpatient treatment, can be performed at a perfect price/performance ratio. Great results are guaranteed! This means that clients from all walks of life now have the opportunity to take advantage of beauty treatments. A beautiful young appearance, even at an advanced age, is no longer reserved for n the upper class.
Centro Internacional de Estética Calle Virtud 3, Puerto de la Cruz Open: Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm. For appointments in the north or south, call 922 38 64 30.
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
PROMOTION
17
PROMOTION
18
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Café Caliente
Hot in every sense of the word Last spring a new gastronomic star arose within sight of Los Cristianos Beach, the Café Caliente. If you check out this delightful venue on the well known travellers’ social network TripAdvisor, you’ll find the heading, “A win for Los Cristianos”; anyone who enjoys a family atmosphere in a clean and stylish ambience will be swift to agree with that. Appropriately for a family restaurant, you are welcomed by the owners or their daughter Jacqueline, and all those who are enchanted by the café feel the same way about Jacqueline and her baking knowledge and ability. This isn’t just for her excellent Black Forest gateau, you must try the divine fresh Apple Strudel with vanilla icecream and homemade sauce. The various house cream cakes and Apple Crumble are also a treat. Prices per portion start at a very affordable €2. Sunday is for spoiling yourself and where better with their Sunday special, fresh waffles served with vanilla ice-cream, cherry compote and whipped cream for just €4.50. Their delicious secret? The bakery is located right in the Café, so everything is served fresh from the oven and all the original ingredients are sourced directly from Germany and stored under optimum conditions. However, it’s not only those with a sweet tooth who are drawn to the Café Caliente, there are also exquisite international starters and main courses. The same rules apply to all their dishes – the best ingredients, freshly prepared,
all of which are incorporated into a menu that truly stands out from the rest. As befits a family restaurant, there
Schnitzel with Huntsman or Zigeuner (spicy tomato and mushroom) sauce at €9.50, or classic Vienna style for €8.50.
Delicious house-style Spareribs
Jacqueline with one of her exquisite creations
are high-chairs available and extra special provisions for the younger members of your tribe. The Kiddy Box Caliente at €4.90 will fulfil many of your child’s wishes at the same time: Chicken nuggets or Schnitzel kebabs with pieces of sausage and Schnitzel (fried, egg and bread-crumbed, tender slices of meat) served with chips and, of course, ketchup – and a small gift! Not only the children’s desires are looked after – make a great start to the day with a full English breakfast and all the trimmings. At just €6.50, including Colombian coffee and a glass of Krombacher, a good mood is ensured. From the main menu, choose from Curry Sausage or Curry Meatballs with the Café’s exclusive, high-quality, homemade curry sauce and chips or potato salad for €5.90, or maybe
Hake with potato salad and vegetables is €9.50 or a skillet-seared and flambéed steak with a salad and side dish will set you back just €14.90.
Fresh Apple Strudel – a poem for the palate
Full English Breakfast à la maison
grilled kebab. If you prefer a vegetarian selection, ask your
Café Caliente’s roulades – to die for!
Having fun on the sheltered terrace
In addition, there is a neverending selection of constantly-changing daily specials, as well as the superb Friday highlight – house-style Spareribs for just €9.50. And very popular, but only available from October to April, is their keynote dish, a table-top
waiter, because the chef also has fresh veggie dishes constantly on offer. On the drinks menu you’ll find that the excellent Krombacher is on tap, there is also a selection of the Canarian Dorada beers and wines of exceptional quality as well as soft
drinks, liqueurs, cocktails and aperitifs. The Christmas holiday season will soon be upon us, check out their sumptuous Christmas and New Year menus and don’t forget that they also offer their own fabulous Christmas Cake, homemade in their own bakery for you to take home. In addition to all the delicious goodies, it’s important to note that the Café Caliente is a very friendly and pleasant place to be. The covered ter-
race, with its wind protectors at the side, looks directly out over the ocean and is snug even on the most blustery of days. It’s also close to a great shopping area where there’s a street market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. There are large, good quality TV screens both inside and on the terrace so you don’t miss your favourite sports events, or you can make use of one of the various card or dice games that are provided. Whilst Café Caliente is ideal for families or groups of friends, you won’t feel out of place in this cosy, welcoming bar if you’re on your own either. It’s a feel-good space with excellent food and drink, geared towards friendliness and stress relief. Well worth a visit! Menus are in English, Spanish and German, the price/quality ratio is excellent and you can pay with your bank or credit card. You’ll find the Café Caliente within sight of the Los Cristianos Harbour, in Calle Juan Reverón Sierra, Tenerife. They open daily at noon, with the exception of Monday when they start at 4pm and Thursday which is their day off. For more information or to make a booking, call 604 164 n 548.
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Fiesta de San Andrés
Photo: www.inselteneriffa.com
The Fiesta de San Andrés is traditionally the time for opening and tasting Tenerife’s new wines and there are a host of celebrations and events surrounding this important cultural event, particularly in the north of the island. On November 29 and 30 local bodegas present their new wine to the public and potential customers, and kiosks are normally set up in the streets where wine tastings go on all evening from about 8pm. This takes place in Icod de Los Vinos, a popular area for producing wine over the centuries. What’s most endearing about this fiesta is the amazing spectacle of Las Tablas. The main road is closed off and people slide down the steep streets on fridge doors, table tops, tin trays – anything that can be fashioned into a rudimentary toboggan – while being cheered on and applauded by hordes of spectators on the sidelines. Their somewhat chaotic descent is
Photo: Ayuntamiento de Icod
Chestnuts and cheer
The firework display from the beach of La Caleta de Interian in Garachico
halted by a barrier of old car tyres stacked at the bottom of the hills. Parents and children practise relentlessly beforehand, and everyone goes out to cheer and watch the fun on the night – while sampling the newly presented wine, of course! Local historians believe that
the tradition may have begun with the method of transporting wood from the sawmill in the San Antonio district, located in the higher part of town and running down to the port, to be used for crafts, construction and making barrels and boats. Animals were used to drag loads
which were packed on broad planks, guided by someone on top who used oars to avoid obstacles and push the planks to even greater speed down the steep streets. Rather charmingly, the tradition has remained and is passionately practised by daredevil tobogganists during
Chocks away!
the festival; a real experience to observe while sampling the new local tipple! During the Fiesta de San Andrés, the towns of Puerto de La Cruz and La Orotava tend to become incredibly noisy, as children take advantage of the old custom of trailing tin cans tied to strings around the streets, clattering merrily in an unmelodic chorus of din. Some people also tie cans to their car’s exhaust and drive around, joining in with the deafening celebrations.
The Fiesta de San Andrés is primarily celebrated in the northern wine-growing regions of Tenerife, with La Guancha, La Laguna and Tacoronte also staging annual events. At the beach of La Caleta de Interian in Garachico they stage an impressive fireworks display from just out at sea for spectators lining the coastline. This illuminating event takes place on November 29 at around 11pm. The festival is a wonderful time of wine, chestnuts and cheer and one not to be missed! n
Rudeness on Tenerife flight
Staff who provide wheelchair assistance at Tenerife South Airport got an ear bashing from an irate English passenger as they disembarked her from her flight, but they had the sympathy of other passengers as the woman lost her temper and berated one of them rudely. The incident happened as the yellow-shirted PRM assistants assisted passengers off a Mon-
arch flight from Manchester. The flight had more than the usual quota of people in need of a wheelchair and at one time eight elderly passengers were lined up waiting to be pushed through passport control. One large woman shouted at the young staff member looking after her to make sure he held on to her wheelchair correctly as it did not have brakes.
The tone of her reproach escalated when she realised that the young man did not understand English and, in full view and earshot of dozens of passengers, she vented her fury on him, screaming at the top of her voice that he “had better not let go of her” as he walked along the air bridge exit. To cap off the rant, she made known to her compatriots who
were waiting to board the plane for the return to Manchester that she was very uncomfortable with the “bloody Spaniard”, to which some replied to her that she was a very poor advertisement for her own country. Despite the unwarranted roasting, the young but red-faced man continued his work and wheeled her n safely to the exit.
Photo: Adrian Pingstone
Wheelchair passenger angers staff
The incident occurred on a Monarch flight from Manchester
FOOD
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Restaurante Atuvera
The Secret Garden By John A new and exciting venue has opened in the north of the island. Well, it actually opened several months ago, but, such is my busy schedule for this publication that I have only just got round to visiting it. And a very worthy one it is too. Situated just off the main road that passes through La Vera, all of two kilometres out of Puerto de la Cruz, and adjacent to Junction 36 of the TF5, we watched with interest as the lovely old house was renovated and decorated, slowly being brought back to life. Then, lo and behold, a restaurant sign appeared on the high wall outside. A note went promptly into my little black book. Parking is on the roadside nearby, and we walked in through the ornate archway to discover a most attractive restaurant. There is an open terrace, a covered terrace, and a small interior room, all laid out smartly and fashionably. The bar is in the open air, sheltered to one side of the main terrace. A barman was already shaking up cocktails for the seated guests. All very upmarket, but heaven only knows what they do if it rains! Most of the tables had been reserved when we got there at 8pm, but space was quickly made for us on the covered terrace. Service is smart, efficient and prompt, as befits this type of place. There is an extensive wine list, and the menu is split into headings of Aire (starters and light dishes), Agua (fish and shellfish), Tierra (meats), Fuego (food prepared over the flames) and Quinto Elemento for their five desserts. The choice of half a dozen dishes in each section should be more than sufficient to satisfy the most critical of diners. We chose a bottle of Arautava Blanco Seco at €14.50 and a bottle of water. A slate
The courtyard looks beautiful at night
The gardens are very pleasant
An entire joint of lamb, flavoured with parsley and rosemary
There was just no room left to sample the desserts, though the ones that passed by on the way to the next table looked scrumptious. That will be for next time. The other diners (all Spanish) were clearly having a great time, enjoying their food, and we noted that heaters had been rolled out on to the terrace, doing double duty as warming the customers and adding to the cosy atmosphere. We reluctantly left after having tested the outstanding loos, and paid just under €50 for a fabulous evening out.
The slate plates provide a good base for tasteful presentation
plate (very smart it looked but I am not a fan since I’m not sure they go well through a dishwasher) of three amuse bouches were laid before us with warm crusty buns. Delicious, the more so because they were complementary. Examples of what we could have chosen were a vegetable couscous with hoisin sauce (€4.50), seafood risotto (€8), a selection of salads (all priced between €6 and €6.50), casserole of rabbit and chicken (€6), fillet steak with a mustard sauce (€14.50) or fresh fish of the day at market prices. We opted for a salad to share for €6.50 consisting of chunks of proper tuna – a far cry from the tinned stuff – prawns, sardines, a selection of leaves,
What a wonderful fresh tuna salad
caramelised onion and cherry tomatoes, and a garnish of the lightest of citrus foam. Dressed with olive oil, it was altogether delicious. One portion was quite enough for two. And so to the main course. An entire joint of baby lamb was laid before my wife, flavoured with parsley and rosemary, with potatoes from the oven and a tasty lamb gravy with a hint of sherry. I went for the Iberico pork with chopped apple and a deep red wine reduction, which was served with hand cut chips. Our main courses were €15 and €11.50 respectively. A doggy bag had
Delicious Iberico pork
to be called for in respect of the lamb. Oh, but what happens to all those stunning fresh vegetables they sell in the local farmer’s markets? Where do they go?
My advice? Go there, and soon. They are seriously under-priced at present for the style and n quality on offer.
Restaurante Atuvera Calle Juan de Tejera 2, La Vera, Puerto de la Cruz. Tel: 922 380 081 Open: Daily except Tuesday and Wednesday. Kitchen open from 12pm to 10.30pm. Loo Score: 10/10 (a rare award indeed!)
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Canary Islands’ attractions for tourists and residents Where to visit
CANCER CHARITY
Upcoming events
What’s on
Canary Islands summary
Walk for Life 2015
Spin news
Our cultural agenda
Pages 22 & 23
Page 24 & 25
Page 26 & 27
Page 28
Musical comes to Canaries
The roar of The Lion King Tenerife and Gran Canaria. On December 12 and 13 it will be performed at the Infecar exhibition centre in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with showings at 6pm and 8.30pm. On December 14 and 15 it will be performed at the El Sauzal auditorium in Tenerife at 6pm. The musical moves to Lanzarote on December 19 when it will be presented at the Carpa Municipal de Arrecife, and returns to Tenerife on December 21 for a 6pm showing at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna. The final roar of The Lion King takes place in Gran Canaria
History Photo: Musical Rey León Facebook
The popular musical The Lion King has been touring Spain since the summer and arrives in the Canary Islands in December. Based on the 1994 Disney film, the show has been an international success due to its music score and imaginative imagery, with an estimated 75 million people having seen it. Two million people have seen it in Madrid during its run at the Lope de Vega Theatre, and TripAdvisor awarded it with a Certificate of Excellence earlier this year. The extravaganza will soon arrive in Lanzarote,
A great spectacle for all the family
at the Teatro Municipal Juan Ramón Jiménez in Telde at 6pm on December 22 and 23. Tick-
ets cost €15 for advance bookings and are available from: www.entrees.es.
The Lion King features music by Elton John and Tim Rice, with a musical score composed by Hans Zimmer and choral arrangements by Lebo M. The musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant puppets, and debuted at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, USA in July 1997. It was an instant success and premiered on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre in October of the same year. It is Broadway’s third longest-running show in history and its highest gross-
ing production of all time. The musical debuted in the West End’s Lyceum Theatre in October 1999, and is still running. The cast of the West End production have performed at two Royal Variety Performances in the presence of senior members of the Royal Family. In September 2014, The Lion King became the highest-earning title in box-office history for stage productions and films, beating the record previously held by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, which was the first to n gross over $6 billion.
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
The Canaries have what is considered one of the best climates anywhere on the planet, making the Islands the perfect destination for all year round tourism.
ous luxury hotels and some very nice, small white sand beaches. In the foothills above these towns you will find three great places to visit. Siam Park (The Water Kingdom), recently declared the best in the world, has something for everyone, from beach lovers to adrenaline freaks. See: www. siampark.net Aqualand, on Avenida de Austria, a water park with a dolphin show. See: www.aqualand.es. The Jungle Park, at Las Águilas del Teide, is great fun for kids of all ages. See: www.aguilasjunglepark.com
Tenerife Teide National Park The highest peak in Spain, at 3,718m, is one of Tenerife’s greatest attractions. It is possible to hike to the top, and also to catch the cable car. See: www.telefericoteide.com. To access the summit of the volcano, Pico del Teide, you need to obtain a free permit in advance, issued by the Administration Office of the National Park, which you can download at www.reservasparquesnacionales.es.
Los Gigantes
Benijo beach
summer solstices. See: www. piramidesdeguimar.es
Santa Cruz
Playa de Las Américas
Santa Cruz, the vibrant, bustling capital city of Tenerife, is located on the northeast coast. It has a variety of interesting museums and art galleries, a well maintained historical centre, and an important commercial port. See: www.santacruzmas.com.
Currently Tenerife’s main tourist destination, this area has spectacular views of La Gomera. There’s a big night-life scene which attracts younger tourists, but it’s also somewhere you can relax, eat, and go sailing, whale and dolphin watching or golfing.
La Laguna La Laguna, a university city, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It has a lively night life and a thriving cultural scene.
Puerto de la Cruz The town of Puerto de la Cruz was a popular tourist destination long before the south was. Its attractive and busy town centre has maintained its picturesque fishing-village charm, and nearby is the prestigious, award-winning Loro Parque Zoo. See: www.loroparque.com.
Bananas
La Orotava One of the prettiest towns on the island, La Orotava also gives its name to the whole valley, which has a very prosperous history. The town centre has beautiful old mansions reflecting the wealth of the past.
Anaga Rural Park The Anaga Rural Park occupies much of the mountainous mas-
which is popular with European, Russian and national tourists. There are vari-
The town of Los Gigantes, which lives mainly from tourism but on a much more modest scale than Playa de Las Americas or Los Cristianos, is overlooked by the towering cliffs. There is good diving and a small harbour. El Duque beach
Los Cristianos sif in the northeastern corner of Tenerife. This is a steeplysloping area with exceptional natural and cultural treasures, and amazing landscapes.
Güímar This northeastern town is best known for the ethnographic park which was developed by Thor Heyerdahl. The pyramids are a complex construction, astronomically orientated according to the winter and
Once a little fishing village, Los Cristianos began as a tourist destination for ailing Swedes who came to enjoy some rest and recuperation. From the port you can take a ferry to La Gomera, La Palma or El Hierro. The two main beaches offer safe swimming with disabled access.
Costa Adeje Costa Adeje is an upmarket area of South West Tenerife
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23
Other islands La Gomera Only a 45 minute ferry ride from the port of Los Cristianos, La Gomera is a small, peaceful island with amazing hiking and a pre-historic rainforest which is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only one of its kind left in the world. The ferry will take you to the capital, San Sebastián, famous for being Christopher Columbus’ last stop before crossing the Atlantic on his voyage of discovery. Valle Gran Rey, in the southwest of the island, and Playa
Los Indianos Carnival, La Palma
Santa Cruz de La Palma Teatro Pérez Galdós, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
many volcanic eruptions the island has suffered, the most recent being the Teneguía volcano in1971. La Palma has a lovely variant of Carnival called Los Indianos, where everyone dresses in white and people take to the streets during the day to cover everything, including each other, in talcum powder.
El Golfo, El Hierro
Gran Canaria
Santiago, in the south, are the main tourist towns. Valle Gran Rey is a beautiful valley with good beaches and great restaurants. The harbour still has a small fishing fleet. Garajonay National Park houses an ancient laurisilva (laurel) forest at its heart, with over 400 species of flora and fauna. The forest was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.
El Hierro The smallest and westernmost of all the islands, El Hierro only has three municipalities; Valverde, Frontera and El Pinar. For exploring, it’s best to hire a car, and you can easily drive all over the island in a day. Valverde is a small town in the north, the only capital in the
Canaries not located on the coast. Frontera (El Golfo) is a milder, bigger town to the west, with more going on and better weather, and right down in the south is La Restinga, famous for its diving.
La Palma Also known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ (the pretty island), La Palma is green and rugged, with breathtaking sights and one of the best places in the world for star gazing, hence the location of the world’s most important astrophysical observatories on its Roque de los Muchachos. The capital, Santa Cruz, lies to the east of the island. It’s a pretty city of seafaring tradition, although Los Llanos de Aridane in the west is in fact the biggest city on La Palma. The towns in the north of La Palma are also very beautiful and in the south of the island is Fuencaliente: the place to go in La Palma to see a real volcanic landscape. The western side of this borough has nice beaches and withstood the
The capital, Las Palmas, is a much bigger city than Santa Cruz de Tenerife and has a nice historical quarter, a good nightlife and Las Canteras - a long, yellow sand beach with areas for supervised swimming - and another beach for surfers of all levels. The main tourist areas are Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas, with its beautiful sand-dunes and all-night bars and clubs. The island also has some spectacular archaeological sites.
Fuerteventura Flat, arid and sparsely populated, this island looks more like parts of North Africa than it does the other islands. The interior is mainly empty, with a few sun bleached villages and a surprising amount of goats, but the coast has some lovely towns and villages and kilometres of white sand beaches ideal for sunbathing and surfing. The capital is Puerto del Rosario, a relatively modern port town, rather sleepy and quiet despite the fact that nearly half of the island’s population live there. The two main tourist towns are at opposite ends of the island; Corralejo in the north and Morro Jable in the south.
Lanzarote Lanzarote is known as the ‘Isla de los Volcanes’, with over 300
volcanic cones. Like Fuerteventura, it’s flatter than the other islands and there’s very little rain, even by Canarian standards. The whole island was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and those who
take the time to explore the island will find it’s strangely beautiful. The capital is Arrecife, to the east, and the three main tourist resorts are Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and n Costa Teguise.
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Degusta.me
Enjoy gastronomy in Adeje with free entry. Every Friday you can enjoy tapas before and after theatre during D’Tapas al Teatro, at the Adeje Cultural Centre at 9pm. You’ll be able to see and buy Canarian products at Siam Mall on November 23 and 24 where there will also be a cocktails exhibition, and at the Gran Sur shopping centre on November 26 and 27, both from 10am to 9pm. On November 29 there will be a special San Andrés show-cooking session featuring chestnuts and wine at the agricultural market at 11am. And much, much more: this is definitely the month to enjoy local food and wine in Adeje. For more information see: www. n adeje.es.
Chicago Mass Choir
Tribute to B.B. King You know that the festive season has begun when the Gospel choirs visit the Canaries. This Christmas, as part of the Canaries Gospel Festival, the Chicago Mass Choir are bringing their show A spiritual tribute to B.B. King to La Laguna. The tribute to the legend of American popular music will be a liberating performance that shows respect for the artist and at the same time will be in keeping with the gospel tradition. Since their first recording in 1980, the internationally acclaimed Chicago Mass Choir has grown into one of the strongest and most exciting choirs on the gospel scene. They’ve topped the Billboard
charts, won numerous awards, and have been nominated for multiple Stellar and Grammy prizes for their down to earth approach to gospel music. For the concert, the Chicago Mass Choir will be perform-
Sufis, electronic and jazz songs If you are looking for an exciting mix of sounds and an enticing hint of the exotic then don’t miss Dhafer Youssef in concert on November 27. Youssef is one of the most charismatic artists from Tunisia. Singer, lute player and composer, educated in the tradition of the Sufi songs, he perfectly combines the mysticism of Sufi practice with contemporary elements of electronic music and jazz. Youssef has made several solo recordings as well as brilliant collaborations with European musicians, mainly with Austrians Wolfgang Mutshpiel and Dieter Ilg, Norwegians Eivind Aarset and Arve Henriksen, Sardinian Paolo Fresu, Vietnamese Nguyen Lê, Turkey’s Mercan Dede and Spanish Javier Limón. In this show, Youssef will present his latest album Birds Requiem, a work that mixes Arabic and North African music with electronic jazz - in a funky sound that is sure to thrill the senses. See it at the Espacio Cultural CajaCanarias in Santa Cruz, starting 8pm. Tickets cost €10 and are available from: https://entrees.es. The proceeds of the concert will be dedicated entirely to n the Atelsam association.
Photo: www.lagenda.org
Don’t miss the latest edition of Muestras Gastronómicas de Adeje, which includes ‘Degusta.me’: a tapas route featuring delicious recipes made with local products such as cheese, honey and gofio. The good news is that you’ll be able to discover these mouthwatering tapas, with a glass of wine or other drink, for a very reasonable price, at restaurants, cafés and bars taking part throughout the borough until November 29. As well as those tasty treats, there is a range of workshops that includes children’s cake baking and cocktail making for adults. There are demonstrations at the Adeje agricultural market from 5pm to 7pm on every Wednesday in November,
Dhafer Youssef
ing the pure Gospel music recorded by B.B. King in 1959, on an album which was created with true feeling, and which was a wonderful way of recognising the anonymous artists who opened the
door of fame to all those who came along later. The show will include old hymns brought right up to date without losing the fire and beauty of the past. The Chicago Mass Choir will bring this spiritually uplifting show to the Teatro Leal in La Laguna on December 7 and 8, both at 8pm. Tickets, priced from €12 to €18, are available from www.entrees. es. Alternatively, you can purchase them from the theatre’s box office in advance: Monday to Saturday 11am to 1pm and 6pm to 8pm, or two hours before the performance on the night. See www.teatroleal.com for more informan tion.
TEA
Urban reflections The last in a series of exhibitions at the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes that highlight emerging artists is taking place right now. On until December 13, Javier de la Rosa presents his collection entitled Aedificator: a social comment on man’s interaction with the urban world and which involves a seemingly endless supply of cardboard boxes – a comment on living standards in present-day cities, perhaps. See the exhibition from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm. Entrance is free. Visit: www.teatenerife.es for more inforn mation.
Photo: www. teatenerife.es
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Javier, on the left, during the inauguration of his exhibition at the TEA
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
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ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Jazz and flamenco
Canaries’ own Big Band theory The Big Band de Canarias is a type of jazz orchestra, and consists of well known local musicians led by renowned saxophonist Kike Perdomo. Their aim has always been to provide unique events, and the next entertaining show we can look forward to will be a jazz and flamenco night. All the musicians in this band are Canarian. They adapt songs by other artists to their jazz orchestra format, and for this they have some members who create musical arrangements, and some excellent soloists and interpreters. They’ve always been interested in flamenco, and consider it a complex world in terms of rhythm and harmony, as well as one full of character and emotion. Nowadays, flamenco, one of the most significant roots of Spanish music, and its dance, is in demand all over the globe. It’s not something which has been tackled too often by big bands, so it is a great challenge for this group to present a concert – which will star guest flamenco artist Gerardo Nuñez who hails from Jérez and works pure magic with his guitar. The band’s other guest will be Gerardo’s artistic and sentimental partner, Carmen Cortés. Carmen, born in Barcelona to Andalusian parents, is one of Spain’s most prestigious flamenco dancers. What a fabulous combination, and a show not to be missed. The Big Band de Canarias and their guests will be in concert at the Teatro Guimerá in Santa Cruz on November 21 at 8.30pm. Tickets priced at €15 are available at the box office. See n www.teatroguimera.es for full information.
Arona artistes
Gala time! For a big sound and grand performance check out the Gran Gala Lírica by the Band of Arona on November 29 in Los Cristianos. For their latest show the talented group of musicians and singers will perform various extracts from operettas and operas. The programme includes fragments from well known tales like La Bohème, Turandot and La Traviata; and operettas such as La Dolorosa and the Song of Oblivion. Soloists Peter Noel Jerome (tenor) and Candelaria Gonzalez Torres (soprano) will support the band. See the concert at the Infanta Leonor Auditorium starting 7pm. Tickets cost €10 and are available by visiting: www. arona.org where you will also find more information on the concert and auditorium’s events. You can also buy them from the town’s cultural centre between the hours of 9am and 2pm as well as from the ticket office two n hours before the start of the show.
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The best ballet
More from Moscow There’s a double treat coming up for ballet fans in the first week of December. The Moscow Ballet will bring two shows to delight audiences at the Teatro Guimerá on December 7 and 8. The first will be a performance of the inimitable Swan Lake – possibly the most popular ballet of all time. Swan Lake’s spellbinding story runs the gamut of human emotions, set to a background of music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, often quoted as “the most admired composer in the classical ballet tradition that ever lived” Tchaikovsky’s deep and rich melodies are well suited to dance, creating a mixture that is beautiful for both eyes and ears. Starting with the melancholy and mysterious notes of the oboe theme, which announces the presence of the princess, the score’s rhythms, both fast and slow, dramatic and calming, offer the perfect opportunity for the depiction of the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. Tchaikovsky wrote the ballet between 1875 and 1876, inspired by traditional Russian folk tales. The Nutcracker on the following night is also one of Tchai-
kovsky’s triumphs, with the score having become one of his most famous compositions, in particular the pieces featured in the Suites. The Nutcracker, with its story of Clara and her dreams, is a classic of the Christmas season.
The company’s outstanding soloists Cristina and Alexei Terentiev will take pride of place in both performances. See Swan Lake on December 7 at 8.30pm and The Nutcracker on December 8, also at 8.30pm.
Victuals and surprises
Visit: www.teatroguimera.es for more information or to purchase tickets, priced between €29 and €38. Also see: www.tomaticket. es. Group tickets for 12 or more people can be organised for the reduced price of €20 per person by calling: 622 328 722. n
Tap in to La Orotava You have until the end of November in La Orotava to enjoy the very best tapas around. The 30 restaurants taking part in Orotava’s gastronomic route will be offering their star snacks, from Thursdays to Sundays, accompanied by a glass of wine from the Valle de La Orotava denomination, or a glass of beer, water or soft drink, for only €2.50. Everyone is encouraged to visit the participating restau-
rants, tascas and cafés, which are distributed from the coast right up into the valley. Collect your card and have it stamped at 12 different restaurants so you can vote for your favourite tapa and enter the draw for prizes - which include weekend breaks in hotels, lunches and dinners, vouchers to use at the farmers’ market and product baskets. Also, when your card is stamped for the sixth time, you’ll receive a surprise
gift at that restaurant. The website www.rutatapa.info has been set up to offer all the information you’ll need: a list of all the establishments taking part, their addresses, telephone numbers, opening hours, and the delicious treat n they’ll be offering. As always, you can choose your favourite tapa and you’ll also have the opportunity to win a prize yourself
HOLIDAY GUIDE WHATS ON 2015
28
November - December
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
November - December
GRAN CANARIA TENERIFE
DIARY DATES
DIARY DATES November 19
November 20
7pm: Concert by the local music school in honour of Saint Cecilia, Plaza del Camellero, Maspalomas, San Bartolomé de Tirajana. 8.30pm: Yellowjackets concert, American fusion and jazz, €20, Teatro Guiniguada, C/Mesa de León, LPGC.
Afternoon and evening: Theatre performances by the English-language theatre group ESTA, €10 non-members, Auditorio, El Sauzal. 8pm: Yellowjackets concert, American fusion and jazz, €10, Caja Canarias Foundation, Plaza de la Patriotismo, Santa Cruz. www.cajacanarias.com. 8pm: New York Knights, tribute show to Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Frankie Valli, Auditorio Infanta Leonor, Los Cristianos, Arona. www.arona.org/portal/auditorio. 9pm: Dancing to the Classics, Adeje Theatre and Dance Festival, Compañia Entredanza, show based on works by the classical composers Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Bach, Händel, Liszt and Strauss, €8, Cultural Centre, Adeje. www.adeje.es.
November 22 12.30pm: Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, start day for Multihulls (12.30pm), Racing Divisions (12.45pm) and Cruising Divisions (1pm). An impressive spectacle and a must for sailing aficionados. www.worldcruising.com.
November 26 8.30pm: Roots, concert by Kike Perdomo, sax and more, €12, Teatro Guiniguada, C/Mesa de León, LPGC.
November 21
November 27
8.30pm: Swan Lake, Moscow Ballet Company, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Avenida Principe de Asturias, LPGC.
EXHIBITIONS Until January 10 Black Hole, a collection of pastels and charcoals by local artist Raúl Artiles, CAAM (San Antonio Abad), Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am – 9pm, Sundays, 10am – 2pm, LPGC. www. caam.net.
November 23 & 24 10am – 9pm: Exhibition and sale of Canarian products and cocktail demonstration, Centro Comercial Siam Mall, Costa Adeje. www. adeje.es
November 26 10am – 9pm: Exhibition and sale of Canarian products, Centro Comercial Gran Sur, Costa Adeje. www.adeje.es. 6pm – 11pm: Noche en Tinto, music, tapas and wine from the DO Tacoronte Acentejo, Plaza de La Concepción, La Laguna. 8pm: Viento del sur, flamenco, €10, Auditorio Infanta Leonor, Los Cristianos, Arona. www. arona.org/portal/auditorio. 8pm: German Romanticism, classical music, piano concert by Javier Lazo, Schubert and Schuman, €15, Liceo de Taoro, in front of the Plaza de Constitución, La Orotava. info@ liceodetaoro.es.
November 27
9pm: Por Una Cabeza, Los Gofiones concert, Canarian music, €10, Centro Cívico Carrizal, C/Carlos V, Ingenio. entrees.es. 9pm: Letras a Tiros, open air concert, jazz fusion, Free entry, Terraza Cayrasco, Plaza Cayrasco, LPGC. 9pm: Night of wine and tapas, Plaza de San Gregorio, Telde.
December 2
Timanfaya, Puerto de la Cruz. mail@reyesbartlet.com
Morning: Girl Power Day at Activate, part of their new Saturday morning themed events which will target a different group every week. Enjoy it all from intensive and challenging training sessions like Beach Heels Camp to inspiring talks, revitalising classes and a tasty brunch. Members €23, non-members €33 (lunch €12 extra and optional), Activate Sports Club, opposite the entrance to Baobab Suites, C/Roques de Salmor, 7, Costa Adeje. www.tenerifeactivate.com. All day: Hiking extravaganza, choice of six guided routes in and around Los Silos for all ages and abilities, €10 organising federation members, €15 others, paella and wine/water/ soft drinks in the town square at the end with prize raffle. www.fedtfm.es. 10am: Children’s fruit cocktail workshop, €10, CDTCA, Adeje. www.adeje.es. 10am - 6pm: Honey fair, sales, stalls, tastings, competitions, workshops (making candles etc.), Free entry, Casa de la Miel, behind the Casa del Vino, El Sauzal. www.casadelamiel.org. Afternoon and evening: Theatre performances ESTA, see above. 8.30pm: Big Band de Canarias, jazz and flamenco concert with guest stars Gerardo Nuñez and Carmen Cortés, €15, Teatro Guimerá, Santa Cruz. www.teatroguimera.es. 9.30pm: The Dire Straits Experience, from €37, Magma Centro de Arte & Congresos, Costa Adeje. www.tenerifemagma.com.
November 22 10am - 6pm: Honey fair, sales, stalls, tastings, competitions, workshops (making candles etc.), Free entry, Casa de la Miel, behind the Casa del Vino, El Sauzal. www.casadelamiel.org. 12pm: Clarineo, clarinet quartet matinee concert of works by Brahms, Jacob and Gershwin amongst others, €10, organised by the Asociación Cultural Reyes Bartlet in the Teatro
board at great speeds, Icod de los Vinos. www. tablasdesanandres.net. 7pm: Gran Gala Lírica, Arona municipal band concert (with featured soloists), zarzuela and opera classics, €10, Auditorio Infanta Leonor, Los Cristianos, Arona. www.arona.org/portal/ auditorio.
November 30 Late afternoon and evening: Tablas de San Andrés (see above).
Until November 29 Adeje tapas route, leaflet and full list of participants available from bars and restaurants all over the borough. A special tapa and a soft drink, water, beer or wine €3, vote for your favourites, prize draw. www.adeje.es/muestrasgastronomicas.
Until November 30 La Orotava tapas route, tapa and a glass of DO local wine, beer, water or soft drink €2.50, vote for your favourites, prize draw, surprise gifts. www.rutatapa.info.
10am – 9pm: Exhibition and sale of Canarian products, Centro Comercial Gran Sur, Costa Adeje. www.adeje.es. 6pm - 9pm: Wine tasting of DO TacoronteAcentejo, Free, Hiperdino Los Venezolanos, Camino San Lázaro, La Laguna. 8pm: Dhafer Youssef, singer, laud player and composer, Arabic music with electronic and jazz elements, €10, Caja Canarias Foundation, Plaza de la Patriotismo, Santa Cruz. www.cajacanarias.com. 8.30pm and 10pm: Mexico in the Canaries, Goyo Tavío and the Mariachi Mencey Azteca band, €10, Auditorio Infanta Leonor, Los Cristianos, Arona. www.arona.org/portal/auditorio.
Every Tuesday
November 28
Paintings, various artists, oils, watercolours and acrylics, Monday to Friday 10am - 1pm and 4pm - 7pm, Saturdays, 10am - 1pm, Fishermen’s Museum, Puerto Santiago, Santiago del Teide.
Morning: Kids & Co Day at Activate, a programme designed to be shared by parents and children aged 3-7. Is there anything more important than your family’s health. Spend a morning of laughter and exercise together at Activate; Yoga, capoeira, an intense Energy 30 class, padel. Prices from €25 for one adult and one child, lunch extra and optional (€12 adult, €8 child). Activate Sports Club, opposite the entrance to Baobab Suites, C/Roques de Salmor, 7, Costa Adeje. www.tenerifeactivate.com. 6pm - 9pm: Wine tasting of DO TacoronteAcentejo, Free, Hiperdino Los Venezolanos, Camino San Lázaro, La Laguna. Sunset onwards: Noche en blanco, all night opening for shops and many bars and restaurants, shopping, tasting and entertainment throughout the town centre, La Laguna. 8pm: Miss Sur Gala, Beauty competition and entertainment, Free entry, Centro Magma Arte & Congresos, Costa Adeje. www.adeje.es. Evening: A hike around Tegueste taking in some local bodegas, walking, tasting, local music en route, €18. Call 922 316 102 to register.
November 29 11am: Cookery demonstration and tasting, wine and chestnuts, Free entry, farmers’ market, Adeje. www.adeje.es. Late afternoon and evening: Tablas de San Andrés, local tradition which involves riding down steep cobblestone streets on a waxed
Tour of Dorada beer factory, Avenida de Ángel Romero, Santa Cruz. doradatour.es.
Until the end of December Creativity corner for 5-11 year-olds, Mini Tea, Friday 4pm - 8pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 8pm, TEA, Santa Cruz. www.tea. tenerife.es.
EXHIBITIONS Until November 21
Until November 30 Paintings, various artists, Free entry, Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 2.30pm, Arona town hall. www.arona.org.
Until December 3 Pasión Isleña, photographs by Alexis Martín Padilla, Free entry, Casa de la Juventud, Adeje, Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm and 5pm – 8pm. www.adeje.es.
Until December 13 Aedificator, urban reflections in modern sculptures, Javier de la Rosa, Free Entry, TEA, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am 8pm. www.teatenerife.es.
Until January 17 Los Objetos Hablan (Objects speak), paintings and objets d’art on loan from the Museo del Prado, Madrid. Includes works by Rubens, Sorolla, Zurbarán, Murillo, Goya and Ribera, Free entry, Monday to Friday, 11am - 2pm and 5pm - 8pm, and Saturday 10am - 2pm. obrasocial.lacaixa.es.
For regular church, charity and recreational events, please see: www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000027/0/41004/living-lifestyle-article.html
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
BLEVINS FRANKS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
29
Are your investments suitable for you? portfolio of investments, not only in terms of asset classes but also geographic region and market sectors, to limit your exposure to any single sector of the market. It is widely acknowledged that asset allocation is of far greater importance than the selection of individual stocks and shares. Also, always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Investors can be seduced by investment schemes which claim to offer high returns with little or no risk. However, time and time again, the bubble invariably bursts and they lose their money.
By Paul Montague, Partner, Blevins Franks
We often write about the importance of protecting your wealth. It is worth highlighting that one key element, whether you are looking at tax planning, estate planning, savings and investments or pensions, is that the arrangements and strategies you use are designed around your specific personal circumstances and aims. Otherwise there may be unexpected consequences in future which do not suit what you had in mind for your family, or your investments may not be meeting your needs or could be too risky.
Finally, to achieve the best real returns, and protect your wealth for future generations, you need to use arrangements which shelter capital from tax; provide a tax efficient income, and facilitate the transfer of capital to your beneficiaries with minimum of bureaucracy and inheritance taxes. These should be arrangements which are compliant in Spain.
A tailor-made strategic approach is key for the success of your investment portfolio. Everyone has different objectives, time horizon and attitude to risk, so it is essential your portfolio is created and managed to meet your particular requirements. Too many people have portfolios which are not suitable for them. They often carry a higher level of risk than they are comfortable with, even though they may not realise this. They may not have adequate diversification, or own illiquid assets. Or the investment choices or combination of them may not actually be appropriate to meet their specific needs. The opposite can also be true – people can be too cautious,
A tailor-made strategic approach is key for the success of your investment portfolio and this can have consequences in your later years. Traditionally, many retirees have preferred to leave much of their savings in bank deposits. However, interest rates today are close to zero, so no risk means no returns. And when
you take the effects of inflation and withdrawals into account, the capital in your deposit account is likely to erode.
avoid undue risk, obtain a clear and objective assessment of your personal appetite for risk. Once you have your risk profile, you can move on to look at allocaSome risk is unavoidable to tion of assets between money achieve a return that will out- market, fixed income (bonds), pace inflation. However, to equities and ‘real assets’ to cre-
ate the most appropriate investment portfolio to match your profile and objectives. The higher your concentration in particular assets or classes the higher the risk. The tried and tested strategy to mitigate risk is diversification — a well spread
To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com Blevins Franks has 20 established offices across Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta and UK, and decades of experience advising British expatriates. Contact our Partner Paul Montague on 922 716 079 or paul.montague@ blevinsfranks.com
30
SPOTLIGHT
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Spotlight on John Searancke
Dogs, classic cars and prunes for breakfast John’s first book tells the story of how the intrepid trio embark on their journey of a lifetime and relocation to the north of Tenerife. Adjusting to a completely new life abroad, buying a home, making new friends, and integrating with the local Spanish community are just some of the highs and lows that befell them along the way - with Freddie having some of his own unbelievable (but true!) exploits with his newfound canine friends. John Searancke: author and restaurant and book reviewer extraordinaire Prunes for Breakfast is a fascinating story Archive photo of British prisoners at the moment of liberation by men of the 9th US Army on April 12, 1945
After I sold the hotel I moved to Lancashire, where I had met and later married Sally. We started a new business together, a commercial legal services company, something completely new for both of us. During that time we fell in love with Freddie, a Jack Russell/ Staffie cross puppy, whom we ‘rescued’ from the RSPCA. We sold out on a high after some 10 years, enabling us to move to Tenerife and have never regretted it. Did I think that retirement would be relaxation in the sunshine? Far from it! I think that I’ve never been so busy, soon becoming restaurant reviewer for Island Connections - I was flattered to have been invited to the position. Sally thought I needed a hobby, and I wanted to acquire a classic car. I looked at many on the island, but either they needed too much work on them, or were, frankly, ridiculously expensive. In the end I cast my net wider and eventually bought an old Mercedes 300 SL convertible (it had its 25th birthday this year!) from a specialist in England. Driving it down to Tenerife took up a couple of chapters or so in my first book, though the pitfalls of trying to import an old analogue car into the Canary Islands could easily fill a book all by itself. I was also invited to become a book reviewer on the panel of a well-known English pub-
Photo: Imperial War Museum (IWM BU 5985)
John Searancke is an author, classic car enthusiast and restaurant and book reviewer extraordinaire. Many of our readers will be familiar with John’s marvellous restaurant reviews for the north of Tenerife which we regularly publish in Island Connections. We managed to catch up with him recently to chat about his recent book launch, his second since he moved permanently to Tenerife with his wife Sally and their dog Freddie. We began by asking him to tell us a little of his fascinating personal history: “Well, I was born in Derby in 1943, and home was in Ashby de la Zouch, an old market town in Leicestershire. I was sent away to board at Kings Mead Preparatory School, Seaford, and then on to Rugby School. Being at Rugby has certainly stood me in good stead throughout my life, and I could not have asked for better. I’m still not quite sure exactly how it came about but soon after I left Rugby I found myself articled to a firm of solicitors in Ashby. It was not a happy period for anyone concerned, although I have to concede that I learned a lot during my time there. It was clear that I was too much of a free spirit to enjoy being chained to a desk, however. The only highlights were trips out to criminal courts or prisons. I loved court work and must have been to every prison in the Midlands. I passed my free time commissioned into the Territorial Army and still proudly display my certificate signed by HM The Queen. When my parents’ marriage sadly began to founder, I relocated to West Sussex to help out at their latest venture, a small country hotel. I stayed there for nearly 35 years, soon taking over and changing and extending the place considerably. My restaurant in the hotel held 2 AA Rosettes for good food for several years right up until I sold the business in 2000. My son Marcus has turned 41, and is an accountant. Married to Tina, they have provided me with two lovely grandchildren, Josh and Sam. They live in Hove, where we visit them regularly.
lisher. They send me a couple of dozen or so books each year for review before they hit the bookshops. Meanwhile, Sally took on a hobby of her own, helping Spanish youngsters with their English reading at a local school, whilst I, at last, devoted time to writing. Never having done anything like that before, little did I realise that writing seemed relatively easy. All the difficulties started afterwards, when it came to having my words professionally edited, before Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands came to be published.”
John’s lovingly restored MG
Colourful characters, anecdotes from their journey through mainland Spain in an old classic car, and also some of life’s not-so-perfect moments are woven into an exciting series of adventures. We loved this book so were very keen to hear what John had to say about his latest: Prunes for Breakfast One Man’s War: Based on a True Story. “My second book is an entirely different proposition; a different genre, and written in a distinct style to test my mettle. Many years after the deaths of my parents, my aunt handed me a box filled with letters my
father had written to my mother between 1940 and 1945. It is the story of my father, Eddie Searancke, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a German prisoner of war camp in 1945, and his return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. The letters take readers through five captivating years as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army
spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The truck journey as a prisoner across France and Germany, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to read as it was to tell - not to mention the new life and harsh rules which were rigidly enforced in the camp in northern Germany – but for me this was a chance to rediscover the father I had never really known. And I can only hope that readers get as much out of the insights into a troubled time as I have.” Both of John’s books are available as a paperback or e-books. If you would like more information, check out the contacts below – we certainly can’t wait to read Prunes for Breakfast. n
Website: www.johnsearancke.com Meet the Author at Rukia Publishing: http://www.rukiapublishing.com/meet-the-author-john-searancke.html Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/john.searancke.1 / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dog-Days-inThe-Fortunate-Islands/867368390009475 / https:// www.facebook.com/PrunesForBreakfast Troubador Publishing: http://www.troubador.co.uk/shop_ booklist.asp?s=john%20searancke
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
PROMOTION
31
MOTORING
omous mode. The lights on the paddles then change to constant green and Auto Pilot confirms that the driving and supervision has been delegated to the car. When autonomous driving is no longer available, the driver is prompted to take over again. A sixty-second countdown is displayed. If the driver, for any
reason, doesn’t use the paddles to regain control within this minute, the car will bring itself to a safe stop.
Following its use in Drive Me, the IntelliSafe Auto Pilot will then be introduced to the genn eral public.
Gecko power
Geckos’ toe pads allow them to stick to most surfaces without liquids or surface tension – inspiration for car manufacturers
of foam and plastics, and further reduce our environmental footprint.” Buoyed by the biomimetic method, Ford recently hosted a forum at its Dearborn campus with participation from Procter & Gamble and The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit organisation committed to promoting innovative sustainable solutions to modern-day chal-
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lenges. Nearly 200 researchers and designers took part in the sessions to learn about biomimicry and how to apply it to their work. The biomimetic approach is not new. The Shinkansen, or ‘Bullet Train’, in Japan was inspired by the kingfisher. Velcro took its cues from a burr. And improved medical needles were developed based on the mosquito.
Beyond recycling, the Ford design teams have worked for nearly a decade to find natureinspired technologies, with recent successes in yarn production for seating materials and headliners: Ford is the only automaker to use Unifi’s highperformance REPREVE fibre, made from 100 per cent recycled materials, including plastic bottles, in its vehicles. Ford designers are now looking to expand upon that commitment, turning to nature to improve the sustainable materials in vehicle fabrics. “As we look to further our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, taking a holistic, biomimetic approach makes sense because nature has efficiencies in design and uses minimal resources” said Carol Kordich, global sustainable fabric strategies and development, Ford. “Nature is n the ultimate guide.”
©2014 FLN
For years, Ford researchers have considered ways to make auto manufacturing more sustainable. A key challenge is that glue used to adhere foams to plastics and metals can make disassembling parts for recycling nearly impossible. Enter the gecko: The cute creature’s toe pads allow it to stick to most surfaces without liquids or surface tension. The reptile can then easily release itself, leaving no residue. A typical mature gecko weighing 71g is capable of supporting 133kg. The gecko could inspire a host of adhesive innovations for global applications at Ford, said Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader for plastics and sustainability research. “Solving this problem could provide cost savings and certainly an environmental saving” she said. “It means we could increase the recycling
Is this the future of driving? Volvo’s IntelliSafe Auto Pilot interface allows drivers to competently swap control of the car
Nowadays affectionately known as the ‘Aunty’ Rover, the dignified P4 series of cars was launched in 1949 to carry Britain’s Rover company into the postwar era. Rover’s well-deserved reputation for building high-quality cars, and the marque’s upmarket image, ensured that the P4 series appealed to the brand’s traditional clientele - doctors, solicitors, bank managers and others of similar social rank. Despite the rather staid image of the P4 series, over the years the cars had many interesting features like the original ‘Cyclops’ central headlight, disc brakes, a freewheel device and overdrive. The larger-engined versions were also rather nifty and could whoosh their occupants along at a very unauntie-like pace! Production continued through several model variations but always with four or six-cylinder engines - until 1964. In the meantime, Rover experimented with gas turbine power units in P4 bodies and created the famous JET 1. The Marauder sports car was also P4-based. An amazing number of the sturdy P4s have survived to the present day and most are now enjoyed and cherished by enthusiasts. If the Rover P4 is your thing then Malcolm Bobbitt’s latest book on the subject is the one for you. Billed as ‘The complete source book on P4 Rovers’, it covers development history, jet cars, and the Marauder, as well as guidance on buying and restoring P4s, what to expect from your vehicle and many useful facts and resources – all beautifully illustrated with over 200 images. Available as a full colour eBook and black and white e-ink versions, you can buy it online from Amazon, iBookstore and Google play books, amongst others. You can also view sample pages and text on the publishers’ website at: www. n veloce.co.uk.
5 YE AR
Sticky Ford
Volvo’s new IntelliSafe Auto Pilot will be available for the first time on the 100 XC90’s it is making available for the Drive Me project in Gothenburg in 2017, the world’s most ambitious AD project. Drive Me will make 100 selfdriving Volvos available to families and commuters around Gothenburg for use in everyday driving conditions. The cars will be driven autonomously on approximately 50 kilometres of selected roads.
Rover read
R2
Volvo Cars has revealed one of the industry’s most advanced and easy-to-use interfaces to oversee how drivers will transfer control to a car’s autonomous driving (AD) mode in its forthcoming vehicles. The advent of autonomous driving technology means that the relationship between a driver and a car’s user interface is of crucial significance. A safe and seamless handover of control is the cornerstone of any new trustworthy AD technology. Hence, Volvo Cars has designed its IntelliSafe Auto Pilot to be simple and intuitive. The autonomous mode is activated and deactivated with specially-designed paddles on the steering wheel. When entering a route where autonomous driving is available, the car gives the driver a message that the Auto Pilot is ready. At the same time, lights on the steering-wheel paddles start flashing. The driver pulls both paddles simultaneously to activate auton-
Soon self-driving
Get the book
RIFE FO
Volvo
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
NE
32
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
BUSINESS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
De Cotta Law
Promotion
Joint custody
Five years of outstanding returns with capital guarantee Would you like hugely superior returns on your savings which come with a Capital Guarantee on the money you invest?
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Vera Liprandi, dual-qualified Spanish and Italian lawyer and head of De Cotta Law Tenerife
The number of legal cases in which parents request joint custody of children is in constant growth. However, every Court decision relating to custody should always aim at securing the best interests of the child appropriate to the separation of the family. Joint custody can fulfil this aim, but there are certain types of cases where it may not be compatible with the principle of protecting the best interests of the child. For example, there are cases, which involve very young children and others where the conflict between the parents damages the children’s stability and emotional well-being, in which the joint custody decision would not be the most appropriate. Other such cases could be where the child would have to travel long distances from their normal place of residence, or cases where the right of each of the parents to request joint custody is exploited by one of them as a means of threatening to reduce child maintenance from either of the parties. The Judge will decide depending on each situation what would be the best option to guarantee the best interests of the children. In De Cotta Law we offer specialised legal advice on family law and we can help you with making any decision regarding the custody of your children.
33
Make an appointment with Isabel Fernández or her colleague on November 26 for free advice
De Cotta Law open day De Cotta Law, the firm of English lawyers and Spanish abogados with offices in the Canary Islands and the Spanish peninsula, are holding an Open Day in Tenerife on November 26, 2015, from 9.30am to 5pm. Sandra Wrightson and Isabel Fernández, our specialist family lawyers, will be available for free consultations on family law and English law. All legal consultations throughout the day will be completely free. To
book your private consultation please call our office on 922 719 520 or send an email to tenerife@decottalaw.net. Visit De Cotta Law’s offices, opposite The Scotch Corner bar, in San Eugenio, Playa de Las Américas, Adeje and take advantage of a free, private legal consultation. De Cotta Law: Over 25 years experience in Spain; property and conveyancing; Spanish wills and Inheritance; family law and divorce; criminal litigation; civil litigation; personal injury; timeshare and tourist law; commercial law and taxation. n
The De Cotta Law offices in San Eugenio
De Cotta Law
Avda. de los Pueblos Esq. C/ Colón Parque Residencial Villaflor, Local B-20, 1ª Planta San Eugenio, Playa de Las Américas 38660 Costa Adeje, Tenerife - España Tel.: (+34) 922 719 520 • Fax: (+34) 922 724 511 Email: tenerife@decottalaw.net Website: www.decottalaw.com
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7. Can also be placed in trust to mitigate inheritance taxes, while still allowing you access to the capital invested 8. Access to your investment at any time If you would like to know more about this investment please do not hesitate to call or email and one of our fully qualified and regulated advisers will be happy to discuss all matters with you to assess the suitability of this product for you and to ascertain whether it meets your needs. Sebastian & St James International Financial Advisors Limited: advice based on integrity, n trust and experience.
HEALTH
34
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Conventional medicine or naturopathy?
Integrative medicine is on the rise By Dietmar A. Hennig
What is integrative medicine? The terms ‘orthodox medicine’ and ‘naturopathy’ have already gone by the wayside, but what is integrative medicine? Dr. Jordi describes it as a model of healthcare based on a systematic social process, in which the finest knowledge of traditional medicine is enhanced with traditional complementary and alternative medicine, to simultaneously take into account the biological, psychological and spiritual aspects of health and disease. Thus, the selfhealing powers of the human body can be closely monitored and the cooperation between physicians of different disciplines and between doctor and patient encouraged.
Which methods of conventional medicine could be supplemented with complementary and alternative medicine? The expert sets forth five points:
In integrative medicine, it’s taken as read that the various symptoms and organs that are involved in a disease have a common basis. The integrated approach works to discover the common ‘tree trunk’ of the symptoms. Basic treatment takes into account the conditions of the disease (the land on which the tree grows) and assuages the symptoms. On the lower (clinical) and the middle (health services) level, for the restoration and maintenance of good health, integrative medicine tries to harmonise the biopharmaceutical, conventional medical treatments with methods of complementary and alternative medicine. At a higher level, integrative medicine stimulates innate health systems and selfhelp measures on the basis of lifestyle, by means of a rational and complete patient assessment and integrated monitoring using alternative medicine together with conventional med-
icine. Stress is laid equally on respect for the body’s self-healing powers and appreciation of the patient’s own health, thus favouring cooperation between physicians and emphasising the importance of the doctorpatient relationship in creating incentives for changes in individuals’ behaviour. Given the undeniable role played by alternative medicine in most cultures of the world, it has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a source of affordable and sustainable basic services.
What is the focus of integrative medicine? Dr. Postius attaches great importance to the relationship with the patient; on this basis alone, a patient-centred treatment could be carried out. In addition, the responsibility for wellness lies firstly with the patient, who should be trained to guide his
or her own health. The attitude of, ‘When I’m sick, I go to the doctor so that he will heal me’ must be changed. Firstly, you must be aware that you yourself are responsible for the illness and not have expectations of medicine or your doctor as the healer with a magic wand. Conventional medicine sees healing as something alien, something external, which is supplied. Integrative Medicine looks for healing first from the body and the spirit. The patient is seen as a human being with body, mind and soul in a very specific environment. The principle of inflicting the least damage possible is applied in the treatment, using means which are less invasive and associated with fewer side effects. Whenever possible, natural alternatives should be sought. Experts from various fields and scientific investigations can be merged by combining ‘official’ medicine and complementary natural therapies. It’s also important
©2015 FLN
Traditionally, conventional medicine in Europe has dominated healthcare, based on an enormous amount of scientifically-based research. However, in recent years, naturopathy methods, that come from many different parts of the world and some of which have a much longer tradition, have fought their way to a respectable position. Two ideologies that would seem to be at permanent loggerheads, but there is a way to be sensible and link one to the other. I spoke to the urologist and andrologist Doctor Jordi Postius Robert, who is among the leading experts in this field of study in the Canaries and a tireless pioneer and propagandist for integrative medicine.
not to dwell just on treating the symptoms, but to search for the initial causes of disharmony. Finally, proper nutrition is the key to a healthy life. Keywords: anti-cancer diet.
1. Alternative medicine systems These include Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy and naturopathy. Within this classification, the disease is defined as a disturbance of the balance of life energy. 2. Mind-Body influence These are strategies used to enhance the effect of the mind on body functions and physical symptoms. The measures aim to help patients to relax, to reduce stress and to relieve the symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. Examples include meditation, selfhelp groups, hypnosis, Yoga, Tai Chi, music therapy, art therapy and prayer. 3. Treatment by biological means These therapies are substances that are found in nature, such as herbs, food, vitamins and other dietary supplements. Complementary and alternative therapies such as vitamins or herbal medications are not considered drugs, but as foods that need to be looked at not just on the basis of their certifiable usefulness.
According to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 2007, which included detailed questions about the use of methods of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States, around 17.7 per cent of adults in the country used a non-natural vitamin or mineral product in the last year. These products were the most common method of complementary medicine in children and adults. Within the natural products, the most used in the previous 30 days amongst adults was fish oil/omega-3 products and the most often used with children over the last 30 years were products with Echinacea and fish oil/omega-3. It’s estimated that 80 per cent of the world population currently use herbal medicine for some specific purpose. 4. Body manipulation therapies These methods are based on the manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body, such as chiropractic techniques, osteopathic manipulation, reflexology and therapeutic massage. These procedures focus primarily on the relationship between the body structure (especially the spine) and its function, and how that relationship affects the health of the person. 5. Energy Therapies These therapies focus on the energy derived from the body (biological fields) or from external sources (electromagnetic fields). They include therapies such as Acupuncture, Reiki or hands-on healing and interact with the body’s energy.
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Dr. Jordi Postius Robert is mid-40s, married and has two sons, aged nine and eleven. After successfully graduating as a physician and surgeon from the University of Lleida (which is part of the University of Barcelona), he gained his medical specialisation as a urologist at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias, receiving his doctorate a little later in 2003. During his medical career to date, he has worked in numerous clinics, including the University of Valencia, University Hospital of Getafe, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Hospital Fundación Puigvert Barcelona, University Hospital of Maastricht (Netherlands), Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida (USA) and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London (England). He has been honoured with numerous awards throughout his career such as the Clinical Case Competition National Award from the Spanish Urological Association in April 2000. He was a fellow of: The Spanish Society of Urology; Postgraduate studies in Jackson Hospital in Miami-Florida (United States); The University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and at the Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California (USA). He has attended over 140,000 patients in the Urology and Andrology departments and carried out over 13,000 surgical procedures, which make him a very experienced physician and specialist. The appreciation of his abilities is recognised, amongst other places, in the medical evaluation website www.doctoralia.es, where he is consistently awarded five stars. His intense and successful medical practice has not impeded his scientific work. In fact, he has published more than 45 articles in national and international journals, and given more than 70 presentations at national and international conferences. Furthermore, he is the author or co-author of 36 book titles. Dr. Postius belongs to the Canarian, Spanish and European professional Associations of Urology and is an active member of the European Association of Urology. In the Canaries, the urologist and andrologist has worked at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias, with the Grupo Hospitalario Hospiten, the Grupo Hospitalario USP and in the Grupo Quirón Hospitalario. He is currently working in Tenerife as Medical Director of the Clínica Tecnosana and at the same time has urologist and andrologist practices in the Espacio de Salud DKV, Playa de Las Américas, in the Clínica Tecnosana and in Centros Médicos Vida in Los Cristianos. More information can be found at www.jordipostius.com.
Integrative medicine and cancer Doctor Postius is convinced that the emergence of integrative medicine has led to a greater awareness of the use of complementary and alternative medicine as part of cancer treatment. Approximately two thirds of patients with cancer have tried at least one complementary and alternative medical therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Within the
framework of the various scientific fields, these therapies are considered useful tools that can help relieve the symptoms associated with cancer and the side effects of treatment. Users of these therapies say they feel less restricted or that they consider them an addition to conventional treatment. Complementary and alternative medical therapy in a cancer patient can help: • When dealing with symptoms.
• To reduce the side effects of treatment. • To improve the feeling of wellbeing and the quality of life. Furthermore, there are ongoing clinical trials, evaluating the potential of complementary and alternative medical therapies: • To improve the effectiveness of treatments. • In order to stimulate the immune system. • To reduce the risk of cancer or the chances of recurrence of cancer. Despite a basic positive stance, however, Dr. Postius emphasises that there is currently no scientific evidence that any complementary or alternative medical therapies may slow the progression of cancer. The decision to use any unproven therapy outside of a clinical trial as a substitute for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery could be dangerous and delay necessary treatments that could save lives.
What is the practical outlook at the moment? Dr. Postius currently sees three stages in the development and integration of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer treatment and prevention: 1. Supplementary methods can alleviate the symptoms of the disease or side effects of cancer therapy: • Massage therapy can reduce cancer-related fatigue, anxiety and nausea. • Acupuncture can reduce the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. • The mind-body therapies may help reduce emotional stress (for example, through support groups, relaxation training, guided visualisation, meditation etc). • Music therapy can help to change and improve the patient’s mood. 2. Complementary and alternative medicine therapies are currently being examined in certain groups of patients: • Concentrated meditation in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, to determine whether this technique helps them to endure the process better. This form of meditation involves learning to concentrate on the present moment in time, to be aware of breathing, of what the patient sees and hears and to capture thoughts or feelings that may occur.
• The researchers are also investigating whether a green tea extract can kill leukaemia cells in patients with persistent chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Previous studies examined the potential protective effect of green tea in the prevention of cancer (chemoprevention). • In two small studies involving paediatric oncology patients (Liossi and Hatria, 1999 and 2003) it was found that hypnosis reduced pain and the anxiety associated with the treatment process and produced better results in the subjects’ levels of tolerance and relaxation. Studies on this continue. • The active substance curcumin is under examination for its potential anti-cancer or anti-inflammatory effect (MD Anderson Cancer Center). 3. Complementary and alternative medicine therapy can be ineffective or harmful in cancer treatments: • St. John’s Wort may interfere with chemotherapeutic agents. • Other herbs and vitamins (eg. feverfew, vitamin E, ginkgo and garlic) may affect blood clotting and it’s usu-
HEALTH
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ally necessary to stop the dosage before surgery. • There are also concerns about dietary antioxidants, which could interact with radiation or chemotherapy. • The taking of vitamins and nutritional health supplements could help some people with cancer. However, large doses of these vitamins can be harmful. Studies show that megadoses of vitamins don’t benefit comfort or survival, but can lead to diarrhoea, kidney stones, iron overdose and gastrointestinal complaints. • It has been ascertained that the use of Laetrile is not an effective therapy against cancer, but can cause cyanide poisoning. • Shark cartilage is another substance which pretends
to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer, however, there is no scientific evidence that shark cartilage contributes to effective cancer treatment. Dr. Postius insists that about 30 per cent of cancer patients are currently using some form of complementary therapy as a means of alleviating the symptoms caused by the disease or its treatment. Integrative medicine is no longer just a dream, but it’s also not a foregone conclusion. Evolution so far has shown its necessity. Now is the time to strengthen and expand such a system. However, that should be an objective not just of physicians but also for patients and all those who are healthn conscious.
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
m_delaflor@hotmail.com
Dear Dr. De La Flor,
My husband has been taking diazepan for months to ease the effects of alcohol. When he tries to reduce it, he’s experiencing side effects. Any advice? Cheers, S. Dear S., All benzodiazepines (BZs) slow down the bio-electrical activity of the central nervous system. In most cases, and when used appropriately BZs have a benign side-effect profile. However, when you cease taking these drugs abruptly, the brain can rebound so much as to cause a myriad of withdrawal symptoms: from abdominal and muscle cramps, to sweating, tremors, vomiting and even seizures. Because BZs can be habit-forming, no one should take more than the prescribed dosage, take it more frequently, or continue to use it for any longer than your GP has suggested. Remember, when taken properly, in dosage and time, this family of drugs is very effective and safe. Serious withdrawal symptoms are rare when taking therapeutic doses without adding alcohol or illicit drugs. Best regards. “Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided.” Paracelsus, Doctor and Father of Toxicology, 1493-1541
Dear Dr. De La Flor,
I’m 67 years old. Is testosterone the only way to treat my loss of sexual drive? How do you know when levels are low? Do you trust the internet to buy it? Regards, M. Dear M, Testosterone (TTT) is a key male hormone that plays an indis-
pensable role in the growth and development of secondary sexual male characteristics. It’s produced chiefly by the testes and in smaller quantities by the adrenal glands. It’s production peaks during adolescence and the early twenties. After age 40, we all start experiencing a gradual decline in production. It’s deficiency is generally associated with low libido, a decrease in muscle strength and energy, and accumulation of visceral fat. Normal levels are required to maintain an active sexual desire in men. Before considering any medication, have your GP perform a thorough interview and a methodic check-up to rule out any changes in TTT levels. If you need it, please trust your local pharmacist. TTT can be extremely effective, but as a hormone, if unproperly taken, can cause severe, life-threatening side effects. Sex drive isn’t an easy business … “My wife wants sex in the back of the car and she wants me to drive.” Rodney Dangerfield, comedian
Dear Dr. De La Flor,
I’ve been diagnosed with molluscum lesions but given nothing. What can I do to speed up the healing process? Thanks for your help, S. Dear S., Molluscum contagiosum is a skin disease caused by the Molluscum Contagiosum Virus (MCV). It’s generally a benign infection and symptoms may self-resolve within a few weeks. It was once a disease primarily of children, but has evolved to become a sexually transmitted disease in adults. Usually, it causes one or more small, painless, self-resolving lumps. If they do not naturally dis-
Dear Dr. De La Flor,
I was diagnosed years ago with age spots. Can they become malignant? Thanks for your help, Suzette Dear Suzette, Age spots, known medically as lentigos or liver spots (even though they have nothing to do with the liver), are brown patches that develop on sun-exposed areas of skin, usually on the face, hands or chest. The brown pigment causing this pigmentation is called lipofuscin. It’s a complex mixture of waste material from worn-out cellular structures that the body cannot easily eliminate. They are considered only a cosmetic problem. However, if you notice any unusual changes in the look of any of them, please pay a visit to your GP. Regards. “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” Mark Twain
Dr. De La Flor Facts
Thumbs Up By Dr. De La Flor
Back pain fact
Pain and pounds go hand in hand. Staying fit helps prevent back pain. As you might guess, extra pounds will put stress on our back. Let’s walk 45 minutes a day to keep the GP away.
“Rejoice always” (1 Thes-
salonians 5:16) Recent research states that regular laughing lowers blood
pressure, reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. It pumps up endorphins levels, decreasing chronic pain, boosting mood and elevating overall sense of well-being. It also boosts the immune system by elevating our specialised T-cell commandos. It also provides a great ab workout.
Sweet prayers
A recent study examining the relationship between depression and diabetes found compelling evidence of an association between prayer, mental stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity. Those patients practising daily meditation/prayer had a reduction of catecholamine levels, thus reducing arterial pressure and insulin resistance.
Cancer symptoms we should
never ignore – lymph node changes Lymph nodes are small, beanshaped, immune-related glands strategically located in the body. Most lymph node changes come from common viral infections. However, some cancers can also cause them to swell. If you have a lump or swelling lasting more than 23 weeks, please consult your trusted GP.
Pedro Alegre Alonso Pilates trainer ä Physiotherapist ä
Tel. 699 521 649
pedroalegrealonso@hotmail.com
A wise prescription for a
lifetime “Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections. Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.” Francis of Sales, aka “The gentleman”
Unsexy, oral questions
Can someone be infected with a sexually transmitted infection from oral sex (without sexual intercourse)? Yes. Many STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, can be spread through oral sex.
Live better, longer, fuller –
John Wooden “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” John Wooden, 1910-2010, The Pyramid of Success
Dr. De La Flor, licensed G.P. (6089). In dealing with his patients he is highly influenced by Humanistic Psychology - an encompassing way of approaching patients through the study of their strengths and virtues to enable them to thrive and lead fulfilling lives, accept the past, find happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Call him today on: 0034 697 888 666 or email him to register.
©2014 FLN
Testosterone production declines in men from age 40 onwards
appear, they can be removed surgically and/or treated with a chemical agent (prescription cream). Cryotherapy is another alternative method of removal. Lesions may recur, but it is not clear whether this is due to reinfection, exacerbation of subclinical infection, or reactivation of latent infection. Best regards. “How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” William Shakespeare, Othello
©2014 FLN
Photo: Hervé de Brabandère Freeimages.com
Dear Dr. De La Flor
Therapies, Spiritual hypnosis, Past life regression Come, unleash your internal power and heal your mind, body and soul completely through energy healing, hypnosis and past life regression. Get Space Clearing carried out for more positivity at home and in your work place
Call 619 519 858
Pickup Point GP SURGERY DOCTOR DE LA FLOR SAN EUGENIO (Pass Casino, next to church)
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
FASHION
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
37
Elegant and feminine
All photos: www.prshots.com
A touch of silk The kitty-bow blouse is making a glamorous comeback. Lula Le Bon A sporty cut, an elegant shine: a classic blouse. From Jigsaw
Dark red and delicately transparent. From Phase Eight
Always an eyecatcher - the contrast of shimmering silk with a chunky knit. From Evans
You can never have enough silk blouses. From La Redoute
Hardly any material flatters the skin as much as silk or satin. A sophisticated shine and a soft luxurious feel are the characteristics of both fabrics. Silk is also regarded as a particularly precious material. No wonder, the manufacture of silk is an intense natural process:
The so-called mulberry spinner weaves the gossamer threads to make the fabric, a process that people have been doing for thousands of years, first in China, where it was guarded through the centuries like a state secret. So it’s not surprising that as silk was one of
the Asian Empire’s most valuable export items, it was for a long time reserved for the rich and powerful. Although that has changed today, the fascination with this material, however, has remained. There are hardly any fabrics which are as feminine and elegant as silk, regardless of whether the garment is a lingerie item, n a blouse or a dress.
A folklore pattern with a delicate transparency. From Monsoon
In a bright fuchsia and with the matte touch of raw silk: Dress East
KATY / PETS
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I hope you’re all well and getting plenty of training in for the annual Walk for Life on December 13. Here at Island Connections we’ll be doing our best to give you all the information as soon as we can. Not like Mr Chilcot, whose inquiry into the war in Iraq was started in 2009. Despite many questions from members of parliament and the public asking when the report will be finished, he reluctantly gave a date for this year but it’s been delayed until June or July, 2016. It reminds me of the man who took a pair of boots to a cobbler in Barnsley in 1939. Two days later, the war started and he was called up to serve in the infantry. In 1945, he returned home, war-weary, and his poor
feet were a mess with all the marching. He then remembered his old boots and how comfortable they had been, even with a hole in the sole. So he went round to the cobbler who remembered him. “Hey up, it’s Albert Smith int it? Ow long have you been back from t’war?” “Only a week, Cyril. I’ve come for me boots. I brought them in for a new sole.” “Aye,” said the cobbler, “I remember them. They’ll be ready ont Friday!” I watched an excellent interview by Melvyn Bragg with the wonderful Dame Thora Hird, who laughed her way through her own life story. It went back a long way and even mentioned her first job at the co-op. She
Hi everyone, katykennedy@telefonica.net
Photo: Father.Jack CC 2.0
By
y Kat
Katy’s glycerine suppositories
apparently studied the mannerisms of the customers and used them a lot when needing inspiration for a new part. It reminded me that every new job adds to our own perception and becomes part of our personality.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
My first job at 17 was as a student nurse in Sunderland. Like most other 17 year olds at that time, we were very naïve and innocent. After three months in Preliminary Training School I was sent for my first duty to casualty, and when there was
a lull in the number of patients one of the doctors asked me to run over to the corner sweet shop. He gave me a shilling and told me to ask for “a quarter of glycerine suppositories.” I came back with a bag of them and a message from the shop keeper: “Sorry doctor, but man said he didn’t have the adult suppositories, only the children’s kind that look like jelly babies”. When every nurse and doctor in the department tittered and giggled, I joined in, although I didn’t know why. Then I realised that every young probationer was given the same task to perform. The ambulance drivers had their own test for newbies. They once said that the little office in the corner was locked and was loaded with the drugs
Animal charities’ round up It will be drawn on Boxing Day on the Top Square in Golf del Sur, and tickets are now on sale in our shops. All is going well at our new charity shop on the Golf, and please remember that our vet, Cesar Bertoldi, is with us every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm, offering advice on all aspects of pet healthcare. Feel free to pop by and have a chat with him. We are situated at Golf Park and open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. We also have shops in Los Cristianos and San Eugenio. They are open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; and until 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. Come and have a browse, bag a bargain and help the animals. Find us at: www.livearico.com, on Facebook, or join us on Twitter: twitter.com/live_arico.
Acción del Sol has many dogs and cute puppies available for adoption
K9 Our monthly Car Boot Sale takes place at Los Gigantes Bus Station and runs on the last Sunday of every month from 9am until 12.30pm. Our shop on Alcala Plaza is in continual need of donations. If you have anything suitable, please take it to the shop.
Tierhotel Lilly We look after your pet while you are away
(short or long term)
Tel: 697 826 738 (D/E), 659 131 382 (SP, Trainer)
www.tierhotel-lilly.com
The kennels are open every day from 11am until 2pm. If you have any enquiries or are looking for a dog or cat, the number is: 667 638 468.
Acción del Sol A date for your diary is December 19 which will be our Christmas event in Las Galletas. Please call 922 778 630 if you would like to help out in any way. Maybe you have some spare time and would like to walk some of the dogs, which is always appreciated by our four-legged friends. The refuge is situated at Poligono Industrial Estate; Exit 51 on the TF1, directly next to the Parque Eolica where the wind turbines are. We are open to
Cats Welfare Tenerife
Live Arico’s 2016 calendar is now on sale
the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 2pm to 5pm. On Saturdays we’re open from 1pm till 4pm. The refuge is closed Wednesday, Sunday and public holidays.
Live Arico (PAWS) We are rather proud of our 2016 calendar, which is ded-
icated to the memory of our rescue horse Katie. They are on sale at our shops, priced €8 for A3 size, €5 for A4 and just €2 for the desktop version. An excellent Christmas gift, get yours now while stocks last. Our Christmas raffle last year was so popular we have decided to repeat it this year, with great prizes once again.
Cats Welfare receives no government funding, we rely totally on the generosity of donations and what we can raise from our charity shop. We always need foster carers to care for cats and kittens on a short term basis while we find them a home. We provide all food, litter and veterinary care and find them a home, you provide the cuddles. We also gladly accept new items that can be sold in our
needed when the department was busy, and that only a nurse could squeeze into the office window as the doctors would get stuck. I was ordered to try it so that the task could be ticked off the check list for all new nurses’ report cards. This I did successfully. When chatting in the nurse’s lounge I found we’d all had to do it. One of the more senior nurses sitting by the fire informed us that we were just babies and needed to grow up: “Don’t you realise,” she snapped, “the drivers made you all do that so they could look at your knickers!” Until next time, take care of yourselves and especially of n each other. Email: katykennedy@telefonica.net. Tel: 616 110 930.
Forlorn feline
You can adopt Casper longterm or as a foster carer through Cats Welfare
Casper is a beautiful cat currently staying at the Cats Welfare Tenerife shelter and would make an ideal pet for any home. If you’re interested in adopting Casper, please visit the website: www.cats-welfare-tenerife. com/pets or email them at: info@cats-welfaretenerife.com. n
charity shop in San Blas on Golf del Sur. You can either drop them off or we can collect. There are also ways to donate just €1 a month with our Teaming Account, a one off PayPal donation or even a bank transfer. Full details of all the help you can give are on our new website www.catswelfare-tenerife.com You’ll find our charity shop in Golf del Sur on San Blas behind the Hiperdino. If you are having a clear out and would like to donate items, please email: info@cats-weln fare-tenerife.com.
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
FARMERS MARKET
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Farmer’s Markets Adeje Calle Archajara, s/n, in front of Makro Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm / Wednesday 4pm – 8pm Telephone: 922 775 200 Alcalá Plaza de Llano Monday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100 Arafo Plaza San Juan Degollado Thursday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 511 711 Arico Porís de Abona Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 676 159 034 Arona Valle San Lorenzo, Carretera General 122 Monday/Friday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 767 138 Buenavista del Norte Plaza de San Sebastián Opening times: Saturday 8.30am – 2pm Telephone: 922 129 030 Candelaria Wednesday 8am - 2pm Next to council offices Saturday 8am – 2pm. Plaza del Centro Comercial de Punta Larga Telephone: 922 505 014 El Médano Plaza Principal Wednesday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 759 966/62 El Rosario Carretera General del Norte, la Esperanza Saturday/Sunday/festivals 8am – 4pm Telephone: 922 010 160 El Sauzal Hoya de la Vida, next to the church, Ravelo Friday/Saturday/Sunday 7.30am- 2pm Telephone: 922 584 657
Güímar Plaza del Ayuntamiento Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 526 105
side behind Titsa Depot) 8am – 3pm closed Mondays Tel 922 076544
Guía de Isora Plaza del Pueblo de Garachico Friday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100
Playa de San Juan Plaza de la Iglesia Wednesday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 850 100
Icod de Los Vinos Calle Key Muñoz 5 Monday/Friday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 815 700 / 922 447 938 La Guancha Carretera General TFS km 49 Saturday/Sunday 8am – 3pm Telephone: 922 360 788 La Laguna Plaza del Cristo Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday 6am – 2pm Telephone: 922 601 100 / 922 253 903 La Matanza de Acentejo Ctra. General del Norte Saturday 8am – 3pm, Sunday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 577 120 La Orotava Calle Educadora Lucía Mesa Saturday 8am – 1.30pm Telephone: 922 336 804 / 681 277 633 Los Realejos Camino Viejo de San Benito, Finca el Llano, Realejo Alto Saturday/Sunday 9am – 2pm Telephone: 922 346 234 Los Silos Plaza de la Luz, Los Silos Sunday 9am – 2pm Telephone: 922 840 004 Parque de la Reina – El Cho Calle Infanta Elena, 32 (before Karting on right hand
39
Farmer’s Markets
Island support!
Puerto de la Cruz Avenida Blas Pérez González, 4 Wednesday to Saturday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 386 158 San Isidro Mercado del Agricultor de Granadilla Off the roundabout leading to El Médano Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 759 966 San Miguel de Abona P.I. Las Chafiras, San Miguel de Abona, next to the fire station Saturday/Sunday 8am – 2pm Wednesday 2pm – 7.30pm Telephone: 922 735 386 Santa Cruz de Tenerife Avenida José Manuel Guimerá Sunday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 606 000 Santa Úrsula Carretera General, near the town hall Saturday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 301 640 Tegueste Calle de Asuncionistas, 6 Saturday/Sunday 8.00am – 2pm Telephone: 922 316 100 Vilaflor Plaza de Vilaflor Monday to Thursday 8am – 1pm Telephone: 922 709 002
We at Island Connections are sure in the knowledge that one of the best ways to help yourself, and the economy, is to buy locally – even if you are just visiting for a short time. Canarian farmers harvest an extensive range of crops, which can be seen growing in the typical stepped-terrain farms around the Islands. Products range from tropical fruits, such as mangoes, to worldwide staples like lentils, potatoes and onions. According to the agricultural group COAG-Canarias, prices of fresh fruits and vegetables differ greatly between the amount the farmers receive and the sale price in the supermarkets. For instance, towards the end of last year, small marrows, which the farmers were paid just €0.07/ kilo for, retailed at €0.84, and leeks sold at €0.36 were passed onto the consumer for around €2.23 a kilo. Many of the prices don’t even seem to cover the cost of production - and this is when subsidies became necessary to keep farms from disappearing, which, like the hiked prices, also come out of our pockets. Enter the farmers markets, where the grower can sell directly to the customer without an intermediary. They are
dotted all over the Islands, with at least one in almost every town. They allow customers to purchase fresher, higher quality produce at cheaper prices, and the farmers receive a fair payment for their efforts. This enables them to maintain or raise the standard of their crops and uphold productivity levels – it’s a win-win situation. In these markets you will be sure to see a variety of seasonal products, as well as some local home-made delicacies such as
preserves, honeys and Canarian goat’s cheese. A selection of meats and fish can also be found among the stalls, along with an assortment of cakes, pastries and biscuits. Buy locally, eat healthily, pay fairly – this is one way we can all help each other. So, to show our support of local farmers we are taking this timely opportunity to publish the details of the many farmers’ markets around the island n of Tenerife. Enjoy.
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HOROSCOPES | CLASSIFIEDS
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Horoscope for period: November 19 to December 2 Aries 21.3 - 20.4 Like all the fire signs you most definitely like to be the leader of the pack, so it must be frustrating at the moment that there is a situation in your life that you cannot affect or change. Worry not: the outcome is in good hands and will benefit you in the end.
Contacts
Taurus 21.4 - 20.5 You are quite right to feel offended by what has happened to you lately, but a little thought about the other person’s point of view would help you understand why it happened – as well as helping you forget and move on.
Relaxing, energising, sensual and tantric massages for her, him and couples in Playa de las Américas. Tel. 642 311 909
Gemini 21.5 - 21.6 Where has your sense of adventure gone? You know you are stuck in a rut but aren’t quite sure how to get out of it. Perhaps you need to look further afield – you probably aren’t going to find the inspiration you need by repeating the same thing over and over. Cancer 22.6 - 22.7 You are a lover of home and family but are feeling a little restrained by your present circumstances. Maybe someone is asking too much of you, you feel? Learning to say no can be one of the hardest lessons out, but one that would benefit you greatly right now. Leo 23.7 - 23.8 You are exactly where you like to be right now: centre stage. However, taking all the glory may not be appropriate right now. To improve relationships it may be wise to share a little of the credit with those who have helped you out. Virgo 24.8 - 23.9 You love to organise those around you but are not so good at letting others tell you what to do and at the moment that is causing problems for you. It’s time to swallow your pride and accept that sometimes you also have to do just as you are asked. Libra 24.9 - 23.10 You are often the person that others go to for advice but try not to let everyone else’s difficulties drag you down. Listen carefully but try not to get too involved – you cannot solve the whole world’s problems. Scorpio 24.10 - 22.11 When you set your mind on something there is simply no stopping you. This can be an admirable trait but can unfortunately also mean that you rush headlong into situations and promises that you shouldn’t. Take a little time to consider everything first. Sagittarius 23:11 - 21.12 You are wavering between several possible futures at the moment, trying each of them out for size mentally. But none of your ruminations can truly prepare you for the time to come so try to relax and let things unfold naturally. Capricorn 22:12 - 20.01 You are one of the signs’ grafters: nothing is too much trouble for you when you really want it. And, luckily for you, that trait is going to really pay off in the near future – the results of your hard work are about to materialise. Aquarius 21.1 - 20.2 Not for nothing is the Age of Aquarius hailed as the time of communication. You are extremely adept at getting your point across clearly and kindly – and your skills are about to be tested to the limit with one of your close friends or family members. Pisces 21.2 - 20.3 You are currently fostering a hidden dream that you haven’t even shared with your closest loved ones. But you will need help to turn it into reality so at some point you are going to have to talk to someone. Fear not: all will be well.
Erotic massages, also tantric and other services with attractive German lady. No rush, nice location and Jacuzzi. Tel. 619 614 380. Liberal German couple invites men to erotic parties, also threesomes: Tel. 0034 648 245 425
ladies! Opening hours: 10am – 10pm. Playa Paraiso, Costa Adeje area. Tel. 0034 662 960 065. Visit: www.edentenerife. com Los Cristianos ‘Destiny’ 24 years old, mixed raced. I will give you the greatest pleasure with a hot tantric massage. Make an appointment and I will send you my sexy photos. Tel. 634 132 092 Los Cristianos Emma, I’m 24 years old and I’m from Brazil. I’m mixed-raced and I do erotic tantric massages. Feel the sense of our privacy. You can call me and ask for an appointment. I will send you my erotic photos. Tel. 634 132 066
ing for you in my private apartment in Los Cristianos. Tel. 605 072 917 Las Galletas, NEW. 2 friends, sensual, nice, services. Come... come and enjoy with us, kisses! Tel. 669 738 298 Los Cristianos, beautiful Latin woman, sweet, massages, kisses, complete French, Greek, services for couples. Calle Monaco – Edificio Marte. Tel. 602 461 577 – 672 858 971 Do you want to experience an orgasm without ejaculating? The main idea is to extend the excitement and prolong pleasure. When you decide to go for it, it is really intense. I’m Amaia, exotic Colombian girl. Tantric massage and all services for men.
Only for ladies: Escorts, excursions, wellness and also erotic massages with Marc from Germany. I speak English, have own apartment and car, visit to your location possible. Tel. 630 759 974
Los Cristianos 2 girls: Fully figured Russian 35 years old and slim Ukrainian 25 years old. Relaxed, discreet apartment. In front of bus station, Building Royal – Los Cristianos. Call us before. We speak little English. Tel. 626 712 090
Las Chafiras, Pamela Black, very loving, all services, relaxing pain relieving and prostate massage, medium breasts. www.canarias69.com ‘Pamela’. Tel. 635 801 105
Hello lovely, I’m your sexiest dream and I’m here to please you. Beautiful sexy escort for your needs and pleasures. Good English spoken. Also visits. Tel. 634 116 164
Tv mistress Wynona, Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria. Domination or girlfriend experience. Tall, blonde, leggy, hung and versatile with discreet apartment. Tel. 695 930 216
English model, showgirl, professional striptease, quality service, general entertainment, stag nights, dominatrix, fetish, luxury conditions, visits 24 hours, escort service available. Tel. 697 227 139
Los Cristianos, Patricia from Venezuela returns. Big breasts, French, positions, vibrators, massages, private apartment in Calle Noruega near the Altavista supermarket in Los Cristianos and I can get to you. 24 hours. Tel. 650 442 665
Cristianosparadise.com! The best place for intimate moments, clean surroundings, discreet, beautiful national/ international ladies, kind, come and meet us, you won’t regret it, one free drink. Tel. 628 610 202
Lucia, fully figured blonde, 140cm of natural breasts, without limits, I will do anything you ask me to, I’m waiting for you in my private apartment in the centre of Los Cristianos, you will enjoy it! Tel. 665 303 382
Brazilian lady, professional and erotic massage, kind and discreet, speaking English, French. Las Palmas / Tenerife. 24 hours. Tel. 678 949 231
Los Cristianos, Margaret, 23 years old, beautiful, slim, white, dominant, erotic massages, natural French, horny, adventurous, spectacular hips, explode in my mouth, private apartment, discreet, 24 hours. Tel. 692 50 69 73 / 664 077 390 Come and enjoy our erotic body to body massages with happy ending! Unforgettable experience. New beautiful
I’m Diana, Latin woman, 23 years old, amazing body, French, positions, massages. Available 24 hours. I am wait-
www.sensestantricmassage tenerife.com. Appointment also via WhatsApp (0034) 673 631 177
To advertise your services with us, please call 922 75 06 09
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
Island connections media group s.l. www.islandconnections.eu
Island Connections Online: www.islandconnections.eu
Classifieds Deadline Next Edition The deadline for edition 760, which is published on 3rd December, is 1st Dec. No classifieds will be taken after this date.
Head Office:
General Services Learn how to speak Spanish with lessons, audio, video and games, including the alphabet, phrases, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and activities. Only with a native teacher. Puerto de la Cruz area, call Saida. Tel: 630 574 073
Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6º- first floor. Pol. Industrial Las Chafiras 38620 - San Miguel de Abona. Tel.: 922 75 06 09 Fax: 922 795 810 Office Hours: Mon-Frid 9:30 -16:30 hours
Rocket Café - An American style diner selling 100 per cent beef homemade burgers; homemade cakes; the best coffees; and exquisite cocktails. C/ Luis Álvarez Cruz, 5 (Opposite the post office), Las Galletas: 922 731 847
Classifieds Info:
For sale. Home-produced ecological vegetables, Tenerife south. Interested businesses, call 650 323 751 (Spanish only), send WhatsApp or email to: michelteide@hotmail.com
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 our Staff. Not only is Island Connections here to ensure that your advertisement reaches its target market, we will also advise on sizing requirements for maximum exposure, with prices to suit your pocket.
Rates: * Lineage classifieds: From 16 € * Small & Long Term: Ask for long term advertising (3, 6, 12 months) and our special discounts. * Further Options: color / boxed adverts. To Place your advert call: 922 75 06 09
You are welcome to come to our offices in Las Chafiras to place small ads. Card payment facilities are available.
CLASSIFIEDS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
www.mascuidados.com Website for our massages, dedicated to bringing the benefits of therapeutic massage to your home or hotel, no charge for travel. Do you want a massage? www.mascuidados.com Tel. 663 190 727
Pickup Point
Frutería Miraverde Santiago del Teide Lions Club Bargains galore From clothes and children’s toys to kitchenware and books – there are plenty of great deals on secondhand goods. They even have sets of golf clubs! Don’t miss out – visit their shop below the plaza in Puerto Santiago (Behind Vigilia Park). Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10am – 1pm and Wednesdays 2pm to 8pm.
Masonic Lodge - Ave Fenix No.73. New meetings starting in October 2015 on the fourth Thursday of the month. If interested, all visitors are welcome to come down. For further information, lodge secretary John Donaldson is available to contact on Tel: (+34) 922 178 091 or Email: ave.fenix73@gmail.com
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Bachelor of Arts in Philology I give private lessons of Spanish for foreigners and I do translations of Romanian, Spanish, French and English. In Los Cristianos, Tenerife.
Mirela: 663 216 858
MASONIC MEETINGS Logia Ave Fenix Nº 73 Edificio Simón, Los Cristianos. Meetings every fourth Tuesday starting in October (Installation), November and January to April.
All Visitors welcome Contact John Donaldson (Secretary):
(+34) 922 178 091 or ave.fenix73@gmail.com
Integrated Tax Planning and Wealth Management since 1975
922 716 079 www.blevinsfranks.com
BLOCK BUSTERS WE UNBLOCK ALL TYPES OF DRAINS
internal and external using our high pressure jets and cameras.
Call
647 928 223 After school classes, help or activities in English, German or Spanish, please contact Mrs. Garus. Tel. 602 506 793. We are 5 minutes away from Wingate School in Cabo Blanco. Qualified specialist from Germany helps you with back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches and insomnia. Tel. 0034 699 15 61 47 (ask for Eugene). Massage saloon Ilona. Offer: 60 minutes full body massage for €36. Couples, four hands, lava stones, massages, etc. Playa de las Americas, Ernesto Sarti no.18, across from Iberostar Hotel in Torviscas Playa. Tel. 602 608 626 or email: ilonarebisch@hotmail.com
Lamp Factory Buy during your holidays We deliver to your home country Ctra. General C-820, Travesía la Panadería, 1 38440 Santo Domingo (La Guancha) Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Tel / Fax: 922 130 301 OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 2 pm & 4 pm to 9 pm
Spanish and English Lawyers
Conveyancing • Inheritance & Wills Family Law • Criminal Law Civil Litigation & Personal Injury Timeshare • Tax & Commercial law
T: E:
922 719 520
tenerife@decottalaw.net
Av. de Los Pueblos, Residencial Villaflor B-20, San Eugenio
www.decottalaw.net
CLASSIFIEDS
42
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Rental Classifieds
New apartment Playa San Juan
Abades
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, american kitchen, large sunny terrace. The apartment is fully and tastefully furnished, equipped with air conditioning, satellite TV, sun blind and washing machine. Sold with garage
Nice look at the Atlantic and in the mountains, the house is well furnished and maintained. Shopping possibilities, restaurants and the beach of the place is able comfortably to Foot reach, to the airport 20 minutes by car.
€220.000
€98.950
www.paluum.com
San Isidro
The property includes 1 main house, 3 separate guest apartments, a large swimming pool, sauna and wine cellar, as well as a well-kept garden. Of the two large terraces one has a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean and the coast. San Isidro 5 minutes by car to the beach at Medano about 10 minutes by car.
www.paluum.com
House / Villa / Chalet for sale Las Chafiras
€163.000
www.paluum.com
€990.000
Arico
Situated at an altitude of 500 meters above the sea with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 3 sun terraces with front garden opens up a vista across the country. The land was partly natural, partly it is planted with trees. Irrigation water tank 130.000 liters.
€295.000
www.paluum.com
Winter letting Puerto de La Cruz Studio apartment, 24 hour concierge, pool, sea views. Minimum three month contract. €500 per month. 669 652 149 Los Cristianos Cactus 2, for rent attractive two bedroom apartment, sea views, pool, satellite TV, large terrace, unsuitable for children, €650 per month + bills, minimum 3 months. Tel. 629 606 494
Pto. de la Cruz
Apartment
Almácigo Tenerife North Rooms: 2 Plot: 68 m² € 95.000 www.paluum.com
www.paluum.com
For Rent Playa de las Americas 1 Bedroom apartment. Well-furnished and equipped, central location, quite area close to beach. No Finder’s fee. €570 all in. Call 620 230 871 / 922 75 11 13
Rustic finca for long term let near Icod de los Vinos. Fully equipped and furnished, open fire, satellite TV and Wi-Fi available. Fantastic sea and mountain views, sun terrace and barbeque, €450 PCM. Tel. Spain: 0034 922 865 776. UK mobile: 0044 (0) 7786 390541. Spanish mobile: 0034 674 287 632. Email: Philhirstconsultant@btinternet.com or P.D.Hirst@gmail.com 1 bedroom apartment for rent in Playa Paraiso. Tel 662 507 191 www.villasandmore-tenerife.com
RENT Poris abona The urbanization “club of Casa of Blanca” has lain quietly, with cultivated green areas, 2 big ones Pools, mini-golf layout and tennis court. The studio is completely furnished, Satans situation. One reaches from the studio comfortably on foot them Purchasing possibilities, restaurants and the beach
€350/month www.paluum.com
El Médano Las Dunas
Chalet for sale Las Dunas El Medano Granadilla de Abona Tenerife South Rooms: 2 Plot: 150 m² . air connditioning . terrace . swimming pool € 210.000 www.paluum.com
RENT La paz
2 bedrooms in La Paz, 1st floor with large South/West facing terrace, furnished with fitted kitchen and washing machine, wardrobes in the bedrooms, the residential complex has a garden with swimming pool, elevator, the estimated additional costs (electricity, water, waste) dependent on consumption, an underground parking space comes separately
€580/month www.paluum.com
SALEs Classifieds Three bedroom house in Costa
del Silencio for sale with 182 m2. One big living room and one small one, two bathrooms, two terraces and a patio. Price: €160,000. Tel. 922 73 28 40
Comercial property for sale in Los Cristianos Calle Suecia, best place for a store or cafe! Directly from the owner. 42 square meters. Phone: 922 726 029 / 696 978 211 Two very good business premises for sale. Leasehold, restaurant near beach in Los Cristianos, €120,000, and bar/snacks Los Cristianos, €65,000. Tel. 690 676 527
€39.990 Sunny apartment for sale (Studio) in Playa Paraiso (Tenerife-South), 40 m2, with balcony, spectacular sea views, pools, SAT-TV. Very near to the beach, supermarket, restaurants and bus-stop. Private sale. Tel. 922 30 15 75, email: mesa3@telefonica.nice Looking to swap my house in Tenerife for a house in Dublin or surroundings. If agreed, the time could be arranged. From a month to a year time gap. Call Carmen 693 727 683 Villa for sale in San Isidro, 11,500 m2, living area 400 m2, 4 bedrooms, living room, 4 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, office, double garage, utility room, hobby room, pool, sauna. Telephone 922 390 951, email: horstbrett@gmx.de. Price: €990.000 (negotiable) possibility of payment terms. Website: horstbrett.de Apartment Tabaiba Alta for sale, only five mins away from the German school, roughly 102ms, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, utility room, garden, big terrace. Spectacular views of the sea and mountain, big garage with 2 spaces, 2 closed store rooms, price €180,000, mob. 686 798 367, email eoptenerife@gmail.com www.teneriffa-fincas.net For Sale! Favourable living in the sun. Staying at the most beautiful camping place of Tenerife. Nice view of the sea and La Gomera . A Caravan (Weippert) with compact wooden front structure. (Aluminium windows and doors). Total 40 sqm. Fully equipped with TV, washingmachine and so on. p.jaegertf@gmail.com or Tel. 922 85 06 85 Los Cristianos centre near beach, I’m selling 2 business units together (90 + 40 m2) – They can be separate. Updated installations. Each one has an alarm and air conditioning. Tel. 922 792 168 – 649 142 612 Property Wanted - Kundalini is expanding. In Los Cristianos, Las Américas and Fañabé areas. Four or Five bedrooms
and bathrooms, lounge, terrace and if possible a pool. Exclusive area with discreet entrance. Ask for Irene: 693 979 153
Amarilla Bay, Costa del Silencio, large, two bedrooms, two bathrooms apartment to rent. Fully furnished, English TV, three balconies, community swimming pool, close to all local amenities. €550 per month plus bills. Telephone 659 489 690. One of the most beautiful fincas! Villa and Guesthouse. Pool, Sauna Whirpool, Tennis court, Bodega, Garage, Water tank. Nice view to the sea and Teide, 8,500 sqm. P.o.r. p.jaegertf@gmail.com or Tel. 922 850 685 For sale, Bungalow 160m2 Costa Sauzal, situated front row with guaranteed spectacular sea-views, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms , living room with panoramic windows, modern kitchen, dining room connected to the terrace, including a heated 4 x 8 m pool, all on same level, garage and a marvellous tropical garden with 800m2 landscaped with various plants and lots of fruit-trees. Private sale contact: info@ simonsananes.com. Tel.: 00 34 699 444 879 Best Deal Properties from banks & firstline. Bungalow Club Atlantis, 2 bedrooms €249,000; Fañabe beach 1 bedroom, €170,000; Torviscas beach 2 bedrooms 159 m2, €250,000; Torviscas 2 bedrooms, €110,000; Cristianos beach €118,000. Tel. 628 486 190 – 922 718 257 Looking to swap my house in Tenerife for a house in Dublin or surroundings. If agreed, the time could be arranged. From a month to a year time gap. Call Carmen 693 727 683 Offer of the month in Puerto de la Cruz. Beautiful studio, at Playa Jardin, with nice furniture, 40m2 with terrace and oceansight, pool, tennis area, restaurant, elevator 48.000€. Mov. 604 100 174. Los Cristianos, central apartments, 1 and 2 bedrooms, furnished, Tel: 649 142 612
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015 Apartments for rent & sale. Apartments at playa Jardin, centricity, furnished, with washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, TV plasma, fully equiped, 1 or 2 bedrooms, new prices for rent 530€ and 650€ per month, water and electricity apart, garage. Also available studios, townhouses and villas all over Tenerife. Mov. 604 100 174. Appartment in Botánico with BBQ, common pool, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, salon, kitchen, terrace, aprox,300 m2, 1 extra bedroom with toilet, garage, for sale 380.000€ or for rent 1.350€ + Extras per month, Mov. 604 100 174.
CLASSIFIEDS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
Place your advert at
Parque Santiago 11
Golf villa for sale
LOS CRISTIANOS
Santa Úrsula
Lovely condition 1 bed with 1 bathroom apartment plus balcony. All New kitchen, All New Bathroom, new furnishing, very good condition. Nice size balcony, town views, great location well run complex with pools. Fully furnished. EEC Registered.
5 bedroom house for sale, separate studio, 3 bathrooms, sauna, sea and mountain views, garden with fruit trees. Great location, only 8 minute drive from Puerto de la Cruz
Classified Agent for
Car Hire, Excursions and Rentails Ocean Golf and Country Club, Golf del Sur 922 736 502
Sought after complex. 2 bed Duplex Ground Floor apartment. Las Americas sea views, fully furnished. Big private sunny terrace and upstairs terrace. Rental opportunity!
Great location! Price €220,000
Call Alan: 667 513 689
Property for Rent
Situated in the
Real Golf Club Tenerife in Tacoronte
243 m2. Garage for two cars. Hall with a little toilet, dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms with 2 complete bathrooms, dress room, kitchen, service bedroom with bathroom, and terrace around the villa. Garden 750 m2.
Well Priced £99,000
Call Alan. (0034) 667 513 689
Mobile home in prime position Camping Nauta
Information Tel. +34 659 928 805
For Long
Place your advert at
Term Rent
Classified Agent for
Purpose built 2008. Double glazed. Large Approx 65m2. 2 big bedrooms. Fully tiled bathroom. Fitted kitchen. Spacious Loung dinner. All electric. Laminate floors. Air con. Garden. Car parking. Use of all site facilities.
€36.000
www.villatenerifenorte.com
€690.000
8% Commission to intermediaries
Private Sale 10.800 m2 Tel. (0034) 682 392 956
Classified Agent for
Books, Cards, Internet Pto. Colón 1st floor Las Américas 922 715 682 bookswop@spantel.com
Urb. Oasis Dakota, Playa Fañabé
902 15 01 02 your office at “la Caixa”
Toilet, complete bathroom, separate kitchen, totally equipped, furnished, 35m2 terrace, secure access to pool, infant park, good views, beside commercial centres, 800m from Playa Fañabé, community fees 30€/month. Tel 629 244 958
€ 155,000
GRANADA PARK
Apartahotel Complex Los Cristianos 5 minutes from centre. 56,10m2, 1bedroom, Solarium 36m2 Info: Anja Ritserveldt 646 681 511
€ 125,000 € 128,000
Property for Sale Place your advert at
Servihabitat.com New and second hand books C. Juan XXIII, 29 Los Cristianos 922 797 542 www.libreríarehound.com
Price €260,000 Tel. (0034) 695 977 163 (available evenings)
3 Bed Semi Detached.
Tel. 693 760 769
Mature people preferred. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, big kitchen, 1 terrace, living room, garden with fruit trees, in quiet area. Tel. 609 531 178 melquiadesm@hotmail.com
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Opportunity in Torviscas Alto (Playa Fañabé) Apartment, 60m2, one bed, furnished with terrace 8m2, views over the pool and La Gomera. Quiet neighbourhood, near to commercial centres, Playa Fañabé , safe, communal zones. Community pool. Community monthly fee, €49. Excellent investment. Price €75,000. Iñaky - Tel. 629.24.49.58 aska_tenis@hotmail.com
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Situations Vacant / wanted
CLASSIFIEDS | PASTIMES
Vehicles Renault Meganerieng,
B Funky Fashion Shows are looking for internatio-
Diesel, A/C, power ste in 13,000km, first driven . April 2014
nal girls to model swimwear in the south of Tenerife for an immediate start. Must be presentable and speak good English, other languages are an advantage. PR experience essential. Daily work, salary, commissions paid and contracts given. Call José, between 11am and 5pm on 606 181 946 or 922
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
2004 Renault Scenic 1.6 litre 30,000 km €4.500e ono Tel. 616 460 728
Contact: 610 783 713
751 021
Across
1 - chop (3) • 3 - vessel (3) • 5 - lowest point (5) • 8 - case (4) • 9 - close timbering (8) • 11 - states succinctly (10) • 13 - appraiser (6) • 14 - walled inlets (6) • 17 - feelings (10) • 21 - changing (8) • 22 - penalty (4) • 23 - after seven (5) • 24 - male offspring (3) • 25 - rubbish (3)
Down
1 - cricket tournament (5) • 2 - musical organisation (8) • 4 - one under par (6) • 5 - male aristocrat (5) • 6 - fall slowly (4) • 7 - programs (7) • 10 - restrain; moderate (4) • 12 - fire starter (8) • 13 - shake; quiver (7) • 15 - projections (4) • 16 - deceives; fakes (6) • 18 - top degree mark (5) • 19 - exhausted (5) • 20 - male red deer (4)
(For Crossword and Sudoku solution see pag 40)
Sales staff needed to represent a printing and design company in the south of Tenerife, applicants must be presentable and have their own transport. For more details please call Jon on 604 103 048
19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
SPORTS NEWS
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 759
International injury upset
Tenerife fury at Lozano call-up
Spanish basketball
New coach at Iberostar Tenerife
Photo: Warrenfish CC 4.0
Tenerife striker Antony Lozano has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between the second division club and his country, Honduras, over an injury sustained on international duty. A key figure in the islanders’ bid to move off the bottom spots in the league, Lozano played for his country’s Under23 side in an Olympic qualifier in mid-October and returned to Tenerife with a pelvic injury which kept him out of action for crucial games, much to the annoyance of the club, who protested strongly to the Honduran FA. To make matters worse, he was called up to the senior squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Canada and Mexico earlier in November even though he had not recovered fully from the injury. Tenerife tried to persuade Honduras to release him from the obligation to travel but the plea fell on deaf ears. “He should have been allowed to continue his treatment here with us instead of making such a long trip across the Atlantic” said director of football Alfonso Serrano. Sources at Tenerife say the club does not rule out seeking compensation for the lay-off caused by Lozano’s enforced appear‘Choco’ Lozano playing for Honduras n ance for the U-23s.
45
CD Tenerife chairman row
Ex-president’s plans hit trouble
Photo: 20minutos CC 3.0
Former Canarian president Paulino Rivero’s plans to become the next chairman of CD Tenerife look to have hit trouble after legal advisers raised the possibility that his designation could cost the second division club several million euros in grants. Rivero is being touted as the likely successor of current chairman Miguel Concepción, who is due to step down in the spring after a decade in charge of the troubled club. However, according to lawyers, Rivero is banned for several years from taking on any private role that might enter into conflict with his job as president, a post he held up until May 2015. As president he approved the resurrection of a sponsorship deal worth €3.4 million, under which Tenerife promote the regional Department of Tourism in away games. Several influential political figures, including some in his own party, have expressed concern that he might be appointed club chairman less than a year after stepping down as president and they have hinted at a possible legal impediment to the designation. Others insist the sponsorship deal would be automatically voided if Rivero is appointed and Tenerife would have to repay the €3.4 million imme‘Ex-president of the Canary n Islands, Paulino Rivero diately.
Top basketball Iberostar Tenerife side are getting used to life under new coach Txus Vidorreta following the sudden departure of Alejandro Martínez amid speculation that he is suffering from a serious illness. Martínez, who had signed an extension to his contract just a couple of weeks before resigning and had been with the club for 14 years, called a press conference to confirm
reports circulating in some media that he was giving up his job after being diagnosed with an unspecified condition. Reading a prepared statement after which he refused to take questions, he said that he had always intended to step down if he felt the team was not progressing under him and that time had come. However, he added that he was suffering from “a temporary medical problem” which prevented him
from concentrating on managing the team but, he stressed, was not the primary cause of his decision. His replacement, Vidorreta, is a highly respected figure in Spanish basketball and has enjoyed an illustrious career in the top flight as well as a stint as assistant coach to the national team, which won the European title in September. Iberostar Tenerife chairman Félix Hernández said Martínez
Martínez stepped down amid speculation that he has an illness
would stay on at the club in another capacity, which has still to be determined. In the same week that Martínez announced his departure, Gran Canaria’s American player Kyle Kuric was diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent two emergency operations to n have it removed.
Ayoze and Pedro
Fortunes differ for Tenerife’s EPL duo Tenerife’s two players in the English Premier League continue to fight to help their respective teams’ battle to escape the relegation spots but they cannot be said to be in fully identical situations. Ayoze Pérez, who left Tenerife for Newcastle in the summer of 2014, has been scoring crucial goals to help the troubled Magpies kick-start their season, and he netted the only goal of the crucial basement game at Bournemouth before the international break. While 22-year-old Pérez - who is rumoured to be on the Jan-
uary wish list of Manchester United - is on the up and showing that his move to England was a shrewd career decision, fellow ‘Tinerfeño’ Pedro Rodríguez must be wishing he could turn the clock back and cancel his €21 million move to Chelsea. The 1-0 defeat by Stoke was the defending champions’ seventh loss in 12 Premiership games, a run they last suffered in the 1978-79 season when they finished bottom of the old first division and were relegated. Pedro has been virtually anonymous ever since his
arrival and has succumbed to injury, which has prevented him playing key games. A Spanish football website reported recently that he had confided in close friends that
Ayoze Pérez has impressed since his move to the Premiership
he was “regretting his decision” to leave Barcelona in n the summer.
SPORTS NEWS | POOL LEAGUE
46
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 026
Canarian boxing
Mountain running champion
Artem wins the Continental title The Canarian boxer Artem Haroyan faced Karim El Ouazghari from Barcelona on November 13 at the Magma Centre in Costa Adeje for the WBA Continental lightweight title and he managed to stop his opponent in the second round of the much-anticipated bout. Artem who originally hails from Armenia, is a highly-promising fighter who boxed in only his ninth professional bout, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for a fighter as young and relatively inexperienced as I am”, he told reporters at a press conference held at Siam Mall in Costa Adeje before the fight. Artem took on the more experienced Catalonian Karim ‘El Diablo’ El Ouazghari, a former Spanish champion, performing in his 26th professional fight (17 wins, seven defeats and two draws).
Gomeran honoured for successful year
Artem at the Siam Mall press conference before the fight
Artem proudly shows off his belt after the second round win
Artem is only 22 years old and previously fought three months ago beating Felix Lora, while
Karim has faced the likes of Felix Verdejo, John Murray and Kevin Mitchell.
Having claimed the belt, Artem will rise significantly up the rankings and be in contention for higher ranking bouts, possibly a world title opportunity within a few fights of time. In other bouts of the night, the Senegalese Cheikh Dioum beat Marcos Figueras on points, while Sweden’s Marcus Alberts defeated the Cameroonian Albert Ulrich. Swedish Pezhman Seifkhani beat the Italian fighter, Gioachino n Mocerino.
La Gomera island president Casimiro Curbelo recently welcomed the young trail runner Cristofer Clemente Mora to the government building to honour the best year in the athlete’s Cristofer was presented with career. a sculptured trophy at an official visit Cristofer is the Span- to the La Gomera Cabildo ish champion of the Mountain Running Sky Cup and in September he finished runner-up in the 2015 Skyrunner World Series. Curbelo acknowledged his athleticism, discipline and contribution in putting La Gomera in the headlines, and honoured the runner with a sculptured trophy by the artist José Pedro Sabina especially for the occasion. La Gomera’s councillor for sports Adasat Reyes was also present during the visit, saying that Cristofer’s determination “gives him the competitive edge and stamina that lifts him above most runners in the world. Among his many special characteristics is modesty, and he is a great role model to encourage Gomerans to live healthier lives”. Cristofer has been delighted with the response and playing his part in contributing to the current keep-fit trend on the island, “I see more people leaving their houses to run and train every day. I think that’s amazing! We live on a privileged and beautiful island and we should take advantage of it”. Cristofer is already looking forward to the challenges of the coming year and competing for further world class titles. n
Pool roundup
Tenerife Super League results Division one, week ten Legends A kept up their relentless pressure on league leaders Summerland Elite with an 8-2 win over Bad Bobs. Graham was the only player to lose a singles match, falling to Ralf, but there was joy for Mick who completed eight from the break, so hats off to him. Summerland Elite defeated Scruffys 6-4 to remain the only unbeaten team in the first divi-
sion. Sloops Bar won away to Britannia Inn (Paraiso) by 73. The remaining four matches resulted in draws: Dos Hermanos v Toby Jug Saints, Legends B v Clouseaus, Marius & Lo v Legendry Jokers, and bottom of the table Atmosphere at home to Polygon Legends. Division one, week eleven The biggest shock of the night was Legends B away to Sum-
merland Elite, inflicting the first defeat of the season, 6-4. The reliable Paddy lost both singles matches to Marcus. Legends A joined Elite at the top of the table level on points after cruising past Scruffys 7-3. Sloops maintained third position at home to lowly Dos Hermanos, beating them 7-3. Toby Jug Saints demolished Atmosphere 9-1, who are now firmly rooted to
the bottom of the table with two points. Division two, week ten League leaders Boothen Bar continued to impress with another easy win away to Britannia Bar (Silencio) 8-2. Grandee O’Donnell’s recorded the same score away to Palms Pool Bar to remain three points behind the leaders and occupy second place in the table.
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Legends A are the current league leaders
Lupain Properties are a close third, winning away to Scruffy Macs 6-4. Bar 180B lost at home to the fast-improving James Place by 6-4. Bar Leones returned to winning ways after a long barren run when they beat Summerland Shooters 7-3. The Hunters lost at home to the Tavern 6-4, and there was an excellent result for The George Bar away to Bar Nauta, clinching a 7-3 victory. Boothen Squad drew at home to Bar 180C, 5-5. Division two, week eleven There was no stopping The Boothen Bar as they crushed Scruffy Macs 9-1 to remain three points clear at the top over Grandee O’Donnell’s, who kept up their fine run by defeating Hunters, 6-4. Lupain Properties, who will be playing their home games out of
Taylors Lounge in future, beat Bar 180C thanks to Eddie winning a very tense ninth frame to clinch the match. Bar Nauta got back to winning ways at Leones, defeating them 64. James Place are climbing up the league with a fine win over Summerland Shooters, 8-2. Britannia Bar are midtable with great result away n to George Bar, 7-3.
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19.11.2015 – 2.12.2015
FOOTBALL AND SPORTS NEWS
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Nomads Football Club
Football legends in Tenerife Donato, Nayim, Bobby Petta and Jose Quitongo, among many others, featured in the legends line-up Darren Jackson presenting the Over 35s plate to Nomads FC Nayim and Donato presenting the Over 45s Plate to Bravehearts
Sponsored by: Foreign Language News & www.windowsplus.co.uk Ex La Liga and Premier League stars enjoyed the Tenerife 7s International Tournament held in Adeje, playing against local and travelling social teams. We just staged the successful annual veteran’s football tournament and tons of fun Over 35s champions, Glasgow Bhoys The Over 45s champions, Pueblo Torviscas
was had by all, including the ex professional stars and the many social players that participated. Donato, Nayim, Darren Jackson, Bobby Petta and Jose Quitongo were just some of the big names to take part in the competition. Photos and infor-
mation of the event are available on www.premfs.com and here is the roll of honour: Over 35s Champions: Glasgow Bhoys. Runners up: L.A. Masters. Over 35s Plate Champions: Nomads FC (www.nomadsfc. com). Runners up: Balti Balti. Over 45s Main Champions: Pueblo Torviscas Morfitt. Runners up: Premier Football Services All Stars (www.premfs.com). Over 45s Plate Champions: Bravehearts. Runners up: Balti Balti Oldies.
Other news We have started a new youth club that helps expat youth players enjoy playing in the local Spanish leagues, and we now have a weekly group of kids
from countries like Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, Uruguay, England and Russia playing regular football. We are looking for new players to join the teams and will be providing weekly football sessions in Los Cristianos for the following groups of kids: Pre Benjamin (under 8s) and Benjamin (under 10s) on a Monday at 5.30pm, Wednesday at 5.30pm and Friday at 5.30pm. For the Alevin (under 12s) and Infantil (under 14s) training takes place on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.30pm.
We also host a weekly men’s 6-a-side league and some teams need a few extra players. Please contact us if you would like to start playing.
Keeping updated We have started a new local website to give information on the men’s weekly social 6s league and friendly games, and also the growing youth football classes and teams. Please check www. nomadsfc.com for more information, as well as our tournament website: www.premfs.com. Also, email: info@premfs.com or contact: +34 654 200 470. n
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