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Fallas is just around the corner WITH | Fallas versus Guy Fawkes | parties & holidays | the best of Valencia & the Community | independent reviews | ÂĄaprende inglĂŠs con nosotros!

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...let the flames begin!

It seems like only moments ago when the team of inVLC waited with baited breath and excited anticipation for its first fallas festival. So it is with surprise that yet another fallas is already upon us, with mascletàs, parades, flowers, statues and the all important Cremà scorching the events into our memories.

This month, thanks to our team of contributors, we cover our usual selection of essential local information, some interesting ideas and opinions and an independent review of a shop. Why independent? Well it's important that you know that you can trust every word we write. If we write about a place, it's because we genuinely love it and hope you will too!

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We've also thrown in some topical information about this month's festivities with fallas taking on Guy Fawkes in an explosive I heart Valencia, a recipe of the best fallas food, and a full timetable of events to keep you in the right place at the right time.

For those of you learning English, we hope that you find this issue packed full of interesting articles and language to help you learn with fun. And for those of you who are reading to keep up-to-date with Valencia and the Community, we hope you love reading it as much as we love making it. We believe this part of the world really is amazing, and love sharing it with you.

Enjoy the read.

Andy, Kelly & Sean

A lo largo de esta revista encontrarás distintos niveles de dificultad indicados en la parte superior de cada página y recuadros con vocabulario debajo del texto. Para la pronunciación hemos incluido la fonética.

about us inVLC is for all people in the community of Valencia: whether born here, visiting for a day, or living a new life in the sun.

We hope to guide you on what’s going on in the community, help those living in it, and support language learning with a bit of added fun.

Sales Vincenzo Translations Javier Photo Fallas image on page 23 by Marcin

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Contact information email invlceditor@gmail.com phone 633 822 614 - English speakers phone 628 831 400 - Spanish speakers facebook inVLC If you have any thoughts, comments or complaints or want to advertise, please email or phone us.

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Important numbers & Embassies / Consulates Fire | 080 Local police | 092 Medical | 061 General | 112 French | 96 351 0359 USA | 96 351 6973 British | 96 521 60 22 Dutch | 96 341 4633 German | 96 310 62 53

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Legal chat We do our very best to strive for accuracy in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for unintentional errors or omissions, accuracy of advertisements or contributors’ opinions. We aim at all times not to offend. depósito legal V-816-2006 We use CreatorSilk paper It’s chlorine free & the wood used is from sustainably managed forests. We do this because we’re nice & want to reduce our environmental impact.

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The latest News keeping you up to date Hotspots Free in Valencia is looking at holes I heart Valencia is a burnout Holidays and fiestas fallas and carnival!

Valencia Community we visit Estivella Independent shop review Vinostrum Bodega Local life Sant Vicent Gaelic Football Club Let's talk Expat life! Eoghan will not be censored Your photos of 'fruity' Map Talking teaching is a fairytale come true Art & culture Music hot new musical releases Live events only the best make it to the list Sport hot news The cinema V.O releases in Valencia Read me Sean loves his books Lifestyle Valencia Fallas Timetable Green Declan is trying to be positive Recipe it's churros Artist Vladimir Ksieski Art to see knows art A day in the life Chiara Medici shows us her day Cocktails with Horchata Animal local legends Events & Classifieds keeps you in the know

15/02/1965 Canada adopts the maple leaf design as its national flag. Called l'Unifolié in French the number and arrangement of points of the leaf were decided after the design was shown to be least blurry in windy conditions.

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Gizza Job| Fresh figures from Spain's National Statistic Institute have confirmed that there are now over 5 million unemployed in Spain. This represents an overall level of 22.85% of the available working population.

The same report also confirmed that over half of Spanish under 25s are now without work (51.4%). This figure has almost tripled from the 2008 figure of just under 18%. Spain's young have been dubbed 'the Ni-Nis' – neither in work nor full time education – and for many it seems their only hope of seeking a better future may be to move abroad which has sparked fears of a brain drain from the country.

Madrid 2020 Olympics?| Madrid has launched a bid to host an Olympics but many people have questioned whether it is for the year 2020 or 20020 after the new proposed logo was unveiled. The 5 Olympic rings have been represented in the design by Madrid's famous Puerta de Alcala landmark but the lettering seems to say 20020!

Eco-system loss| A recent Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Environment report confirms that Spain has lost between 60 and 70% of its traditional wetlands.

The ministry has launched a campaign to raise public awareness, stressing the importance of these ecosystems, the importance of preserving natural environments and the threats they face.

"Spain's wetlands provide an important habitat for water birds and are unique for their transitional qualities between land and water environments. They are some of the most important ecosystems on the planet but also some of the most fragile. They are important for supplying carbon dioxide, for controlling floods, for fisheries as well as forming part of the country's biological and cultural heritage, with a huge social and economic importance."

Not Guilty| It's all over and it turns out that the ex-President of the Community Francisco Camps and Ricardo Costa were both innocent of all charges of passive bribery in the Gürtel case.

The jury returned a verdict of 5-4 in favour of not guilty. The anti-corruption office weighed in to say that there is not enough evidence for an appeal and we should all now just move on. Head of the PP in Valencia Alberto Fabra expressed his "satisfaction in the courts finding the correct decision as he was entirely confident that they would".

16/02/1972 A 6 week long coal-miners' strike forces the UK's Central Electricity Generating Board to advise that from today homes across the country would be without electricity for between 6-9 hours every day.

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ant to see the Valencian Community on the cheap? Every month we'll list some great spots where you can enjoy Spanish culture, nature and have some good, low-cost fun. This month we'll be:

1| looking for the hidden secrets in the back streets of the city, which make Valencia and the Community so interesting. We're particularly fond of the painted holes.

2| admiring Ninots in the 2012 exhibition. The small characters (ninots) from the 2012 Fallas will be displayed until their closing ceremony on 14 March. It's held outside the Nuevo Centro, Avenida Pio XII, 2, in Valencia. €2 Metro Turia.

3| holding our breath at the mascletà. Most people make the trip to Plaza Ayuntamiento in Valencia city at least once during fallas. It's on from 1 March every day at 2pm.

The mascletà is the release of hundreds upon thousands of firecrackers. Whilst there are no pretty lights to look at, the immense noise rattles the heart and shakes the windows of the buildings.

There are mascletàs locally in barrios and community towns, with the main mascletà in the city centre from 1-19 March. In this mascletà pyrotechnicians compete each day to create the biggest and best mascletà.

The Fallera Mayor (the most senior Fallera) will call from the balcony of the City Hall, Senyor pirotècnic, pot començar la mascletà! ("Mr. Pyrotechnic, you may start the Mascletà!").

115 120 140 The number of decibels of a loud rock concert.

The number of decibels of a Valencian mascletà.

The number of decibels of a Jet.

17/02/1992 Murderer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced to life in Wisconsin after being found guilty of the deaths of 15 young men and boys. A plea of insanity was dismissed and he was murdered in jail 2 years later.

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Round 1| Background & Family The history behind bonfire night goes back to the unsuccessful Gunpowder Plot in England in 1605. Guy Fawkes has become synonymous with the plot itself, which was to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland by blowing up the Houses of Commons. Fawkes was the unfortunate chap who stayed behind to light the fuse and was captured, tortured and killed due to an anonymous letter that tipped off the authorities.

On 5 November 1605 Londoners celebrated the King’s escape from assassination with fire and the day was finally declared a “joyful day of deliverance.”

During the 18th century, carpenters used to burn their ‘parots’ (old structures which they hung candles from to see whilst they were working) in Spring as they were not necessary

as days were longer. Over the years, people began dressing the parots up as people or satirical statues to attract the attention of their neighbours before burning them. Children went from door to door for una alfombra vieja (an old rug), which was also a song that they sung to get people to give them any old furniture that they might have to add to their parots.

These materials made up the first figures (ninots or, nowadays, fallas).

At some stage the church got involved and tied the burning in with the celebration of the patron saint of carpenters: San José.

WINNER – Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes is said to be the only man to set foot in the House of Commons with honest intentions!)

Round 2| Traditions & Celebrations Oddly there are a number of parallel traditions associated with both festivals apart from all the burning.

It used to be customary in the UK for children to wheel around an effigy made of newspaper, old clothes and a mask begging a ‘penny for the guy.’

The ‘guy’ is then put on top of a bonfire in the local community and burnt on 5 Nov. There are usually fireworks, sparklers, and hot dogs for people in the local community to chow down on. Celebrations take place in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, parts of the Caribbean, Cape Town, Newfoundland and basically any other place with ties to British rule.

Fallas is steeped in history, legend, religion, music, gunpowder, fireworks, noise, and, for many, the spirit of Valencia itself. La planta begins on 15 March, which is the final date for the structures to be erected in order to qualify. La Ofrenda (the offering) takes place on 17 & 18 March in La Plaza de Virgen and is when the flowers are gradually planted onto the wooden structure of the virgin herself. On 18 March is La Nit De Foc (The Night of Fire), which sees a massive fireworks display happen. On the night of 19 March is La Cremà (La Quema) at about 1 a.m. On top of this you have daily mascletàs at 2pm every day in Plaza de Ayuntamiento and the numerous parades that happen throughout with the falleros and falleras dressed in their traditional clothing.

WINNER – Fallas (long, mental and exhausting!)

18/02/1996 An IRA bomb goes off on a London bus near the Strand and three passengers are killed including the bomb maker. It came just 9 days after another bomb marking the end of the ceasefire killed two in London's docklands.

© Elmayordomofiel

© Andrew Dunn

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very month we take something from the wonderful world of Valencia and pit it against something from somewhere else. This month we’ve got Bonfire Night (5 November) from the UK versus Fallas (15 -19 March).

Let the battle commence!

Round 3| Effigies Whilst traditionally Guy Fawkes gets burnt, throughout history other effigies have included Henry Phillip (Bishop of Exeter, 1831), Nicholas Wiseman & the Pope (Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, 1850), Paul Kruger (of the Krugerrand fame) and Margaret Thatcher. There are fires throughout the country in any large field or empty wasteland where a group can gather and burn things without it being too dangerous.

The effigies that are burnt during fallas are done so as a symbol of purification of things that people want to see gone from their society. For this reason the designs vary from year to year depending on what polemic is at the forefront of debate. Usually they encompass the social, the political, and the economic, but are not only limited to these spheres. Celebrations take place throughout the community of Valencia and each of the fallas has a casal, which is a community of falleros, who organize social events and fund-raisers throughout the year in order to fund the construction of their falla, the size of which also depends on how big the casal is.

WINNER – Fallas (much bigger and incredible to see)

Round 4| Legacy & Fame The V for Vendetta comics from the 80s and later the film starring Natalie Portman in 2005 are loosely based around the gunpowder plot – indeed, the protagonist ‘V’ wears a Guy Fawkes mask. The word ‘guy’ has entered the British canon to refer to a man. A book

by William Harrison Ainsworth was written about Guy Fawkes in 1841 and he also appeared in penny dreadfuls of the 19th century. Every child in the UK will have learnt the immortal lines from the poem:

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason & plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason Should ever be forgot…

The decibel count for mascletàs goes out on national television and it is thought to be watched by nearly 1 million people every day. Fallas also features as a backdrop for local writer Jason Webster’s 2011 novel Or The Bull Kills You. WINNER – Bonfire Night (more famous on a worldwide scale)

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Round 5| Food The typical food associated with the celebration is ‘Bonfire toffee’ (treacle toffee) and I seem to remember a lot of meat being eaten off a barbecue, too. Although ‘apple bobbing,’ toffee apples and a lot of other confectionery are fresh in my mind, I’m sure these are just remnants of Halloween rather than anything to do with Bonfire Night.

Mmm. Churros with chocolate, paella, sweets, fideua and basically a ticket to eat and drink anything you want in the street without being bothered by the police. Try to catch a huge, spontaneous, 4-metre diameter paella in the street, which spring up across the city and are given to anyone standing around.

WINNER –Fallas (Mmmm. Churros with chocolate – in a Homer Simpson voice – Mmmm. Free paella.)

OVERALL WINNER Fallas 3 – 2 Bonfire Night A very typical and elaborate celebration, which envelops entire towns for days and days of madness! Amazing!

20/02/1993 One of the most horrific juvenile crimes in UK history finds two 10 year old boys being charged for the abduction, torture and murder of a two year old called Jamie Bulger. 42 injuries were recorded by the pathologist.

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Learn better with the British Council

Holidays and parties

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ur favourite months have finally arrived.

Until the middle of March, the Valencian Community goes wild with Carnival and Fallas.

If you want to really see the action, visit some of the smaller towns and see how they celebrate too.

Until Ash Wednesday (22/02/12)| Carnival. The last wild night of Carnival is celebrated on Fat/Shrove Tuesday–21 Feb. Carnival falls early this year, so don't miss out.

25 Feb| Valencia - Carnival Rusaffa Feb - 19 March| Fallas. Check page 7 for more about Fallas From midday. Parque Manuel Granero. versus another great noisy festival, Guy Fawkes. There is Until-18 Feb| Torrevieja also a handy timetable for the city festivities on Page 23.

There's an interesting exhibition 17 Feb & the main For local town information, go to the Tourist Office. parade is on 18 Feb 10pm. www.torrevieja.com 17-19 Feb| Requena 24-26 Feb| Rótova Porrat De Sant Macia. Travel just inland This pretty town isn't just about sausages. from Gandia to enjoy 3 fun days of traditional 19th & 20th The burial of the sardine el Entierro de Century markets, crafts, music, dancing, and exhibitions. la Sardina on the 19th is also pretty interesting. www.requena.es Now until 19 March| Morella. IX Jornadas de la Trufa. Take Until 20 Feb| Vinaròs a trip to the yearly truffle fair. Morella restaurants plan all This coastal town is a little further away, but year to ensure that you can taste the finest flavours of the the parades, performances, feathers and dances are local truffles in the creative and delicious menus. out of this world. www.carnavaldevinaros.org www.morellaturistica.com 18 + 19 - 25 Feb| Pego This inland town loves to party. The carnival is on the 18th from 5pm and the 19th from 11pm. On the 18th, it's best to National All information correct come dressed up to have the chance to win a prize! holidays mean at time of print.

Check www.pegoilesvalls.es fewer buses, and with the local tourist Until 21 Feb| Morella most shops, banks information when This medieval town is 180km from Valencia, just inland & supermarkets making plans. from Gandia. Worth the trip for the castle on the hill and close. city walls alone. www.morellaturistica.com

21/02/1965 Leading US TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart makes a tearful confession to 7,000 of his followers that he has a weakness for prostitutes. He could certainly afford them - his TV show got $150 million worth of donations that year.

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Valencia Community | Estivella

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hen you cross the bridge and take the road that sweeps through Estivella, at first appearances it looks just like a typical pueblo, with nothing there except narrow alleys and the odd dog lying in the sun. In fact there’s almost everything you need in the way of shops, banks, cafes and restaurants tucked away in the shaded streets and plazas.

As you enter you see the bubbling fountain in the Plaça de l’Hostal, surrounded by flowers. The blue flag with a circle of yellow stars would suggest that the money to pay for the restoration of the plaza came from European funds. Whoever designed the benches might have given more than a passing thought to the fact that metal heats up in the sun if there’s no shade, and as the three orange trees are nowhere near the three benches, sit on them at the height of summer and you’ll probably walk away with a nice little square pattern branded on your back.

Estivella fact file Population | 1302 (2008) Km to Valencia | 31km Point of interest | Iglesia de San Juan Bautista And nearby| Sagunto old town, Roman amphitheatre and castle Fiestas | 9-22 August Fiestas Patronales Useful info | www.aytoestivella.com Tourist office 96 262 8005

It’s almost worth going to Estivella just to see the chocolate-box bell tower of the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista in Plaça de la Creu, with the sun dial painted on the side, a little out of time when I was there in early August. However I’ve never been able to read the things so it might well have been me and I suppose there could have been some earth/sun movement since the church was built in 1739 to put it out of sync.

They certainly seem to like their clocks in Estivella because there’s another on the tower, a mechanised one that has only one pointer – intentionally – and you have to guess the minutes past the hour. Like their clocks they might, but neither register the same time as the bell that signals the half-hour. Mind you, Estivella’s the sort of place where even the hours aren’t that important.

22/02/1997 Dolly the Sheep becomes the first cloned mammal in history when she is announced by scientists in Edinburgh. She was named after Dolly Parton as she had been cloned from a mammary gland cell!

Car | A7 motorway to Sagunto, Take exit 7 off the A-23 (Estivella-Albalat-Segart) Bus | Coaches Herc www.autocaresherca.com Segorbe-Valencia line.

Train| Renfe Cercanías - Line C-5 www.renfe.es/cercanias

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Bonny job they’ve made of the church though, outside anyway, because inevitably I couldn’t get in to have a look at the interior. One of these fine days I’m going to learn how to pick locks so I can get a look inside these churches and see where all that European money went. Still, at least the tree in the plaza is grand enough to provide plenty of shade for the benches below it.

Take a walk down the little street almost opposite the church door and you’ll come to yet another little square where a tiny white building looks like a hermitage. It’s actually the original cistern from where the villagers would get their water, and as you look through the barred metal gate down a long flight of steps and become accustomed to the gloom you see – a tap. Well, what would you expect – a wishing well?

Estivella is quite a pretty little village, and the lover of squares with trees in the centre will be in their element, because there’s no shortage of them here.

Derek Workman To discover more about Spain, visit www.derekworkman-journalist.com & www.derekworkman.wordpress.com

23/02/1963 A man who electrified his car to deter traffic wardens from issuing parking fines is told that this private war breaks no laws! London traffic wardens were being given a shock of 2,000 volts if they touched his Land Rover.

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Independent review | Vinostrum Bodega

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discovered Vinostrum Bodega just a few short months ago and quickly became enamoured with its story and we love it philosophy. To be honest, I had passed by the shop numerous times before I actually went in to check it out. Given its location inside the recently renovated Mercado Mossén Sorell, I suppose I had assumed that it would be one of those high-end, boutique wine shops where you can’t find a bottle under €30.

However, curiosity got the better of me one Saturday afternoon when I walked by and, through the floor-toceiling glass windows, I noticed a lively looking bunch gathered around a large wine barrel, drinking glasses of wine, and eating delicious tapas. Being the devoted wine lover that I am, I was quite envious and decided that I needed to figure out how I could join in the fun.

I walked through the crystal doors and was politely greeted by an energetic woman named Boni. Mentioning that I was interested in purchasing a bottle of wine for myself, Boni was quick to offer her assistance. Alongside her, preparing more tapas for the lucky bunch, was Luís, who happily chimed in with his suggestions as well. A husband-and-wife team, Luís and Boni have dedicated their shop to promoting small production wineries that are generally family-run. The couple divides their time between working in the shop and discovering wineries that specialise in artisan and natural (biological) wines. Boni lets Luís do most of the “discovering,” as she is happy to be in the shop, educating and helping her customers with their search for that perfect bottle of wine.

“We like to find unique wines that constantly surprise you,” explained Boni. Unique they are, although I think of them as being particularly special because each one has a story behind it – one which Luís and Boni are happy to share with their customers. Beyond just telling a story, Luís and Boni select their wines based on their tastes and passion for wine. They have worked in the hospitality industry for well over 10 years and decided to open the shop after travelling around Europe and developing an appreciation for the expertise found in local markets. After a trip to the Canary Islands five years ago, Boni decided she must have her own shop inside a market in which she could share her affection for wine and the “market experience” as well.

As luck would have it, the Mercado Monsen Sorell had the perfect space, and on 18 September 2008 they opened the shop. “Words cannot express the feeling I had when we opened the shop. It was as though it was meant for us.

I am just so happy that we are able to share our philosophy behind the wines,” Bonnie explained.

In addition to selling a variety of wine, cava and champagne, Vinostrum also carries speciality artisan beers, biological vinegars, and olive oils from the Valencia region. Every few months, they offer various tastings ranging from cheeses to speciality liquors, and weekly Saturday wine-tastings. In addition, they are happy to hold private tastings, classes or celebrations (really any winerelated activity) that their customers desire. You can even purchase a bottle of wine and drink it leisurely in the shop with some tapas and good company (my personal favourite activity).

You can always buy a great wine, but finding a great, affordable wine with a captivating story is hard to come by.

Support your local wine shop by checking out Vinostrum one of Valencia’s best-kept secrets.

Heather Dillon *It's best to give Luis a call, as there are limited spaces for weekend tastings.

Mercado Mossén Sorell, El Carmen, Valencia Mon-Sat 10am-3pm Thu & Fri 3pm-8pm 691 849 076 Facebook: Vinostrum Bodega vinostrum@hotmail.com

24/02/1982 Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores his 78th goal of the NHL season breaking the record set 11 years previously. He went on to score 92 and cemented his reputation as ice-hockey's 'Great One'.

Local life | Sant Vicent Gaelic Football club

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One of the most exciting new aspects of the club is the ongoing development of the youth team after its creation in Autumn 2011. It is great to see the youngsters learn the skills of the game and put them into practice week after week. Huge credit must go to the youth officer and the team of club members who are coaching the kids so as to build a better future for the sport here in Valencia.

The tournaments of the Iberian Championship take place over the course of a day with pool stages in a round-robin format leading to a final. Each team gains a number of points depending on its placement at each tournament.

After each tournament points gained are added to determine the winner at the end of the season.

Behind the scenes the men’s and women's teams have been busily preparing, improving their game skills, match practice and their fitness as we look to the upcoming championship year. Without doubt, the Iberian championship is going from strength to strength with each passing year. The competitive season in Spain starts this month and goes on until June.

As the new season starts in earnest shortly with the opening tournament of the year in Sevilla on 25 February. All new members: men, women and children are most welcome both in a playing or a non-playing capacity.

Please check out our facebook page SANT VICENT - VALENCIA GAA and our website for further details.

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ant Vicent Gaelic Football Club or club de futbol gaelico in Spanish is a haven of sporting and social interaction hidden away from daily Valencian life.

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation. GAA in Europe and indeed, Spain keeps expanding at an astonishing rate.

The twinning of the European GAA with the Leinster Council in Ireland, increased links with the Ladies Football and Camogie Associations and the effort put in by individual clubs to promote the games here, have all played a part in the rapid expansion of the GAA. The competition within Spain is called the Iberian Championship.

Founded in 2007, the club's aims are to develop the sport in Valencia and Iberia, to promote Irish culture and bring about a dynamic community through the sport while providing the opportunity for its club members to keep fit and have fun.

Club players and social members have come and gone, while club officials have also changed but Sant Vicent has developed rapidly nonetheless. Finally, in June 2011, Sant Vicent achieved a milestone, its first Iberian championship.

Indeed it was a great year all round for the club with big improvement within the women's team which earned them a very credible second place in their respective competition.

www.valenciagaa.wordpress.com Kieran James

25/02/1956 3 years after the death of Stalin, Premier Nikita Kruschev describes the previous leader as "a despot at the head of a regime of suspicion, terror and fear" which leads to riots across Russia.

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Expat life | Go share

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he Stop Online Piracy Act (S.O.P.A.) died in the U.S. congress last month. Perhaps died is the wrong word. Its European cousin, A.C.T.A., persists and like a horror movie villain, expect a resurrection.

There are a raft of reasons why the likes of S.O.P.A. are dangerous, not least because it represents a move away from participation in the age of information to passive consumption. This is something that legislators, at the behest of the giant media companies, ies, appear eager to see come to pass. tect The current legislative attempts to protect copyright material, and by extension, arn revenue streams, reek of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.

We already have a generation of young adults who have had file sharing and the likes of YouTube as a constant in their lives and who are active, to whatever degree, in the media they consume. th The nominated battleground is set forth ensorship but as intellectual property rights verses censorship in reality it is about increasing advertising sing revenue against the desire to participate rather than just consume.

Restricting file sharing and pre-emptive strikes against websites who host material that may infringe on copyright does nothing to enhance intellectual creativity but rather regresses us further to coach potato mode, a passive audience to be bombarded with advertising.

Not entirely coincidentally, YouTV also launched in January.

Perhaps, the inevitable evolution for the Google owned platform, it is a big step away from its anarchist roots.

This move will attempt to corral advertising around narrow focused channels, for example, sell fishing tackle on the fishing channel.

Consider how television was consumed back in the old days. Viewing was dictated by the programming of a limited number of channels. We were a passive, if not especially focused, audience for advertisers. T.V. programs didn’t have to be especially good to gain massive audiences; they just had to be a bit more attractive than the other two or three options available at the same time.

YouTube boss, Salar Kamangar, calls this, "scarcity verses abundance". YouTube and by extension, file sharing, operates on an abundance model, ope allowing the user to choose and al ccontribute. The media corporations would like to go back to dictating a scarcity model with no user contribution.

There was one benefit to the old way of doing things. How many of us sat through programs that had no interest th to us at the time, waiting for ‘our show’? was an accidental education of sorts There w in this, as a we consumed at least a little of that which may have become interesting or of value, later on.

These days, with such a large selection to choose from, we are restricted in what we consume by our own narrow field of interest, or at least, would be, were we not so influenced by sharing. Recommendations, lists and ‘likes’ open up a whole new world. We get to sample without commitment and so roam free.

Take sharing away and we lose this. We lose remix culture, mash-ups, parody, satire, links, uploads and word of mouth gems. We lose the facility to participate and create. Instead we are left to be shepherded towards mass produced rubbish, saturated in advertising.

Eoghan Ryan

26/02/1928 R&B legend Fats Domino born. He swore he would never leave New Orleans again after retiring in the 1980s and as a result was presumed dead after Hurricane Katrina hit town but he turned up safe shortly after.

Your photos | Fruity

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ach month we’ll give you a topic for the following edition. Email us 1 high-resolution image with a sentence describing the photo by 31st of the month. We’ll choose a few entries to print and the editor's favourite wins a prize. This month's favourite is by Lorna!

Lorna Carmichael | Pure Valencia Sunshine

Eline van den Heuvel | Twin lemons

Pablo Calzado | Fresh fruit tart Please send 1 photo per person & only send your own photo for copyright reasons. There are other terms and conditions - email us for them. Next month’s topic is 'long’. Look forward to seeing your pictures. invlceditor@gmail.com 27/021980 Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive becomes the Grammy's only Best Disco Recording winner beating Earth, Wind & Fire's Boogie Wonderland, Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough and Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

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1 La Galeria, C/ Baja, 38 2 KandABooks, C/ Tapineria, 18 3 Plou i fa sol, Pl. del Músico López Chavarri, 7b 4 La Strada, C/ Quart, 17 5 Lenguas Vivas, C/ Palleter, 43 6 Il Genovino, Campoamor, 50 7 Rostro, Calle Quart, 13 8 Portland Ale House, C/ Salamanca, 10 9 Troppo Bene, Avda. del Puerto, 87 10 British Foods.es, Central Market 11 Gusto Nuovo, Av/ Reino de Valencia, 9 12 Orange Language Academy, C/ Santo Domingo Savio, 68 13 Kiss My Feet, C/ San Valero, 1 14 Mad Hatter's Coffee Lounge, C/ Serrano Morales, 3 15 Anita Giro, Pintor Domingo, 7 16 Dhaba, Plz.Don Juan de Villarrasa, 6 (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA www.openstreetmap.org/

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

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came across an interesting task for teaching phrasal verbs recently that went down well among my students even though at a glance the activity did look a little dry compared to many others that I have used in the past.

It’s interesting that what a teacher might think is boring can actually be the exact opposite for the students.

The task was simple and can be adapted by anyone to incorporate virtually any phrasal verb that your students need to learn. Just take a text; it could be a fairytale, a current hot topic or news story, or even a story about what you did at the weekend. Using a familiar story is the key as it will ground the students in a suitable context and won’t require any elaborate explanations. I got the idea of using Cinderella from an article written by Andrezej Cirocki at www.eltnewsletter. com. He calls these types of texts ‘predictable texts’ as they can be recalled easily and are easy to identify with.

Students write out the story in chronological order and in the Past Simple, beginning with Once upon a time… and finishing with … and they lived happily ever after in order to introduce some common lexical items into the story. Sketch an outline of the story for those that might have trouble putting together the sequence of events. Remind students that their text must be in Past Simple and always give them a word limit. The sequence of events might go like this and you might be able to elicit this from your students (a perfect opportunity to pre-teach any vocabulary they might need): 1. Cinderella’s mother died.

2. Her father married again.

3. She went to live with her horrible stepmother and stepsisters.

4. They were invited to attend the ball. Cinderella wasn’t.

5. The fairy godmother appeared and allowed her to go.

6. She danced with the prince, but abandoned him at midnight.

7. The prince searched for Cinderella with a shoe.

8. Cinderella tried the shoe and they got married.

Once you have all agreed on the order of the story, the students can go about writing their text, but before they start tell them that they must include some phrasal verbs that are relevant to the story, e.g. leave behind, look for, put on, pass away, get married, move in, turn up, clean up, tidy up, get into, fall in love, etc. The phrasal verbs may vary depending on the level (“The prince whisked Cinderella away”) and depending on the target vocabulary, but stress that they must use a specific percentage of these phrasal verbs in order to complete the task correctly.

Make sure that the students have seen the phrasal verbs that you want them to use before the class or the class will be swamped down with explanations.

Cinderella in Tales of Mother Goose

by Charles Perrault 1901

Whilst a completely spontaneous task will inevitably bring up a certain number of words and phrases that you had not anticipated before the class started, the exercise will still make them think about the phrasal verbs in question in terms of conjugation, transitivity/ intransitivity (verbs that require objects/ verbs that don’t), and also separation of the verb and the preposition/ particle e.g. Cinderella put the shoe on and it fit perfectly. I find it to be the perfect reinforcement of the ‘those that shall not be named,’ Voldemort-esque phrasal verbs that normally cause collective groaning and nearhernia inducing panic within the classroom. This type of activity gives the student a chance to actually use the phrasal verbs in context and allows you to spend a little time with each student, helping them connect the dots and generally get a feel for their use in context.

Once the stories have been written you can collect them, correct them and make a decision on what problems the students seem to have had with the use of the phrasal verbs (ignore any other mistakes in tense, spelling, etc. for now) and then you can put together a class that addresses these problems at a later date that might help them understand the nature of those pesky phrasal verbs that are such an essential part of the English language.

For those of you who really want to get down to learning the language, we'll be bringing you an expression each month. This is our job. Your job? Get out there and use it!

Then tell us how you got on...

Estar un nivel por encima del resto - To be a cut above the rest e.g. Bob está un nivel por encima del resto.

- Bob is a cut above the rest.

Orange Language Academy has been an American run language school for the city of Valencia and its provinces since 2005 offering all types of language related services. They run the Mon language exchange at The Bohemian Café & the Tues and Weds nights at the Portland Ale House. www.orangeidiomas.com

28/02/1986 Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme is shot dead on a Stockholm street. The case is still open and the main suspect is now dead after being acquitted of the offence in 1989 but then admitting to the killing on his death bed.

Music

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very month we review the best new music out there and try to keep you up-to-date with those important goings on in the music world. It's a triple whammy this month as PJ Evans, Sean Arnett and Chris Kellet provide us with their album reviews.

Album To Drink Whisky To| Bad As Me - Tom Waits For those of you who don't know him, we have him to thank for 'Way Down in the Hole' which was reworked five times for 'The Wire'. Recently Waits has released his first album featuring exclusively new music for seven years to the customary critical acclaim that he must now expect. 'Bad As Me' features Wait's unique style of experimental rock which, to put it simply, consists of a combination of striking lyrics and awesome tunes topped off with his unmistakable raspy voice! Like his others this is consistently brilliant featuring elements of jazz, blues and more conventional rock which justifies my belief that Tom Waits is more than just a great musician, he's an icon!

Standout Tracks | Bad as Me, Chicago Album To Mope To| Given To The Wild – The Maccabees This is the third studio album for this group after the success of their bouncy first effort and more insightful second. In many ways their third release is a mixture of both as The Macs combine the guitar-driven tracks like 'Pelican’ & ‘Unknown' with the more synth-laden ‘Heave.’ Overall the album takes a more mellow tone throughout with the occasional clank of a guitar here and their trademark lengthening of the letter 'O'. Front man Orlando Weeks gets a chance to show off his delightful voice throughout and really comes into his own for some of the more rousing choruses as well as the mellower, slower tracks. Comparisons with the Foals might not be so easy to make all of a sudden.

Standout Tracks | Pelican, Go, Grew Up At Midnight Album That Reminds Us Of Someone Else| Wild Beasts - Smother Think of Wild Beasts as a hybrid of the XX and Anthony and the Johnsons. Instrumentally, they possess the same kind of minimal indie pop but their vocalist has a real gift and this is what gives the album its punch. The singer's voice is phenomenal and it really carries the album from the very first line of 'Lion's Share' to the melancholic farewell of 'End Come To Soon'. Indeed a BBC reviewer described them as "devastatingly exquisite". I couldn't agree more. Their songs are more like tales of intense sadness but they are sung with such beauty and delicacy that it's difficult not to be enchanted by them.

Standout Tracks | Lion's Share, Bed of Nails

Other releases | The Big Pink, Tribes, Snow Patrol, Leonard Cohen, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Air, The Fray, Pink Floyd, Katie Melua, Van Halen, The Fray and many, many more.

Music news| On 17 January Primavera’s abonos rose to €180 + gastos and will stay at this price until the full line up has been announced.

Confirmed acts include – Björk (bonkers), Beach House (conkers) and Justice (keyboard plonkers).

Electronic big hitters Orbital announced the release of ‘Wonky’, their first studio album in 8 years.

Chuck D announced Public Enemy plans to release two new albums: Most Of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear On No Stamp (June) & The Evil Empire Of Everything (Sept).

Paul Weller (53) has just celebrated with his wife Hannah (25) the birth of twins Bowie and John Paul.

Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys is taking some time from a busy schedule to produce a new album by Dr. John. ‘Locked Down’ will be released on April 3.

Trent Reznor is hoping to write new Nine Inch Nails material after success composing soundtracks for The Social Network & The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (see page 21).

29/02/1928 If you were born on this day in history - Happy 21st Birthday!

Sinead O’Connor can now officially be declared crackers after a recent marriage to Barry Herridge lasted all of two weeks.

The separation, which she has blamed on the media, almost drove the Irish singer to suicide.

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Live events

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very month we pick out the best live music in and around the Valencia Community for those of you who want to get out and enjoy music as it should be heard. If we hear of anything else coming up, we'll Facebook it.

La Caverna| C/ Cuenca, 70 (VLC) A very cosy venue with mad gigs!

Lenny Kravitz is going to come our way. Velódromo Luis Puig 29/5. €45145. Time TBC. www.goo.gl/mssZb

Café del Duende| C/ Turia, 62 (VLC) Great flamenco every Thu, Fri, Sat & Sun www.cafedelduende.com

07/03 Film Symphony Orchestra John Williams Tour - Palacio de Congressos €35 8pm

Music Box| C/ Pintor Zariñera, 16 Sala El Loco| C/ Erudito Orellana, 12 (VLC) 25/02 Robyn Hitchcock brings his punk, new wave and Dylan sounds. €15/18 9.30pm 01/03 Dawes - Californian sounds reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell + Robert Ellis from NY. €12/16 9.30pm 02/03 Diamond Dogs rock 'n' roll. €15/20 10.30pm www.lococlub.org

Sala Wah Wah| C/ Campoamor, 58 (VLC) Great venue with a lot of local and international acts visiting.

18/02 Eric Fuentes & El Mal + 128dB Alternative American style rock €8/10 23/02 Big City + Polonio + El Ministerio del interior €5 09/03 Luis Brea €10/13 www.wahwahclub.com Sala Mirror| San Vicente Martir, 200 (VLC) Dance music lovers and DJs. 23/02 Antonio Carmono €tbc 9.30pm 02/03 La Casa Azul €16 9.30pm 03/03 Alberto Gambino, Los Kung Fumetas €tbc 9.30pm www.discomirror.es Rock City| Tavernes Blancas.

22/02 Charly Taylor with just him and his instrument! €6 9.30pm 23/02 Stuntmen €6 10.30pm 29/02 Piter Pardo €6 9.30pm www.valenciarockcity.com

(VLC) & Radio City| C/ Santa Teresa 19 (VLC) Daily with visiting DJs and Tuesdays offer live flamenco music at Radio City 11pm €7 w. free drink. www.myspace.com/themusicboxclub & www.radiocityvalencia.com

LA3| C/ del Padre Porta, 4 (VLC) The best dance music and coolest dj's. Fri and Sat nights. www.la3club.com

Excuse me| C/Tomasos 14 (VLC) Two floors with the usual eclectic mix to keep the dancefloors moving.

Mya| Popular dance club down at the Arts and Sciences buildings.

Sala Matisse| C/ Campoamor, 60 (VLC) Great local and national music.

18/02 The Someone Elses €5 23/02 Helsinki €5/6 25/12 Zombie Valentines €10.

All at 10.30pm www.salamatisse.es

17/02 Matt Baker & Fabio Zambelli €4 21/02 Samuel Blaser's 'Consort in Motion' 9.30pm €15 29/02 Luis Perdomo Trio 9.30pm €14 www.jimmyglassjazz.net

Café Mercedes| C/ Sueca, 27 (VLC) A nice, cheap jazz venue in the heart of Ruzafa with free jam sessions on Sundays from 8:30pm. www.cafemercedes.es

Pop Club Deluxe| C/ Poeta Mas y Ros, 42 (VLC) Pop Club Deluxe Intimate setting for live music.

Festival information Low Cost Festival| Alicante 2729 /7 €39.99, VIP €125

Ubik| (VLC) Book readings, films, www.lowcostfestival.es Benicassim| 12-15/7 intercambios and music all month including inVLC favourite Big Hollers on 16/02 1.30pm

El Palau de la Musica| (VLC) Beautiful classical music but not always open to the public. Check website for details. www.palaudevalencia.com

Dub Club| Calle Jesus 91, (VLC) Jimmy Glass| C/ Baja, 28 (VLC)

Black Note Valencia| Calle Polo y Peyrolon, 15 Jazz, blues, r&b, soul, funk, acid jazz, swing and latino sounds. Mon - Jam sessions, Tues house band 2 Animales with blues/ acoustic rock, Wed - reggae (Erasmus discounts).

18/02 Gecko Turner (blues/soul/funk) €10 w. drink.

19/02 Vocal Party by Christina Blasco. €8 w. drink. www.blacknoteclub.com

Dub Club's motto is 'to play music and not noise'. And if you like reggae and ska then you will agree. www.myspace.com/dubclubvalencia

Durango| C/ Llanterners 35, Poligono La Closa (Meliana) Heavier rock club with plenty on Fris & Sats.

25/02 Monsters of Covers 2012 with Metallica, Iron Maiden & Motorhead cover groups. €12. www.durangoclub.es

Stone Roses, Florence & The Machine, New Order, Noel Gallagher, Dizzee Rascal, David Guetta and De La Soul. €165 www.fiberfib.com Sonar| Barcelona 14-16/6 2 days €100, 3 days €130 www.sonar.es BBK Live| Bilbao 12-14/07 A fair distance but you see Radiohead! The Cure, Klaxons & Snow Patrol are also appearing. 3 day incl camping. €105 Primavera Sound| Barcelona 30/5-3/6 Bjork, Death Cab For Cutie, Rufus Wainwright, Justice, The Cure & Franz Ferdinand. €175 www.primaverasound.com Arenal sound| Burriana 2-5/8 Two Door Cinema Club, The Kaiser Chiefs & The Wombats. €30 Rototom Sunsplash| Benicassim 16-22/08. €60/2 days or €150 for full

week. www.rototom.com

01/03/1932 Atlantic crossing aviator Charles Lindbergh's 20 month old son is kidnapped. Despite paying the ransom the baby is not returned and after extensive searches the child's lifeless body turns up less than a mile from its home.

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Sport

© Valencia Basket

Intermediate

© Lazaro de la Peña/VCF

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alencia Basketball Club| This year's Copa Del Rey games will take place between 16-19 February in Madrid. The top 8 league teams at the time play. Valencia last won the Copa Del Rey in the 1997-1998 season.

Alternatively, you can still catch the local team play in Valencia. Tickets are cheap and can be bought online. www.valenciabasket.com Valencia Basketball Club fixtures| *Dates to be confirmed 21/02 Valencia Basket v BCM Gravelines EuroCup 25 or 26/02 Unicaja v Valencia Basket League * 28/02 VEF Riga v Valencia Basket EuroCup 03 or 04/03 Valencia Basket v Caja Laboral 07 or 08/03 Lucentum Alicante v Valencia Basket * 10 or 11/03 Valencia Basket v Real Madrid *

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ootball tickets| Buy tickets for Valencia at the kiosks at the Mestalla on Avenida de Suecia, on their web page, on ticketmaster.es, at any of the official Valencia football shops, or even from the La Caixa website. Just ask for una entrada. The seats at Grada de la Mar are cheap and have a good view.

Get your tickets for the Levante games at the football stadium on the day. www.valenciacf.com www.levanteud.com Valencia fixtures| 16/02 Stoke v Valencia CF - Europa League 19/02 FC Barcelona v Valencia CF La Liga 23/02 Valencia CF v Stoke Europa League 26/02 Valencia CF v Sevilla FC La Liga 04/03 Granada Club de Fútbol v Valencia CF La Liga 11/03 Valencia CF v RCD Mallorca La Liga Levante fixtures| All games - La Liga ** 19/02 Levante UD v Rayo Vallecano 26/02 RCD Espanyol v Levante UD 04/03 Levante UD v Real Betis 11/03 Málaga CF v Levante UD ** Fixture dates are not cast in stone - check local papers/ internet for more information nearer the time.

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º Aniversario Facultad Ciencias de la Actividad Física y El Deporte| 25/03 There will be a 6km run around the city, starting from Avenida Primado Reig. There are great prizes for the different categories, and a sense of sweaty satisfaction for the rest of the participants.

For those wishing to take part, registration must be made by 22 March on the website, and subscription costs €2. www.deportevalencia.com

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1 | 22-24/06. Tickets for the Valencia F1 race can now be bought. The cheapest are just €25 for the Friday warmup and €150 for the race itself! Best seats in the house are €390 for the race and €450 for the full weekends action. valenciastreetcircuit.com

02/03/1969 Concorde's maiden flight. Only in the air for 27 minutes and only reaching 300mph the pilot was moved to say "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well".

Cinema

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very month inVLC brings you the best that cinema has to offer in and around the Valencian Community.

This month we’ve got a variety of Versión Original films for you to enjoy.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo | (David Fincher, 2011) Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara & Christopher Plummer Already filmed in Stieg Larsson’s native Sweden with a more than adequate version, Hollywood won’t leave it there.

Reporter Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is contracted by a retired businessman Henrik Vanger (Plummer) to investigate the alleged murder of his niece Harriet Vanger in 1966.

Mikael joins forces with computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara) as they uncover a dark and disturbing secret that has plagued the Vanger family for years.

A novelty for those who got caught up in ‘Millenium trilogy mania’ of the early noughties and boasting an all star cast - not too mention a director with an incredible back catalogue (Seven – 1995, Fight Club – 1999, & Social Network – 2010 amongst many others), this has already been declared one of 2012’s must sees.

Yelmo – 19:00, 20:30, 22:00

Sherlock Holmes 2: Game of Shadows | (Guy Ritchie, 2011) Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law & Jared Harris Another action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled adventure with Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Law) and pretty much a rehash of their first adventure which hit the screens in 2009.

Whilst back then it was a novelty, this time round it wears off as the script relies on the sometimes rather tedious interplay between Holmes & Watson that offers nothing particularly new. The film starts off with Watson’s marriage (much to Holmes’ disappointment), which seems a bit tiresome now (just let it go Sherlock – he’s getting married – deal with it!).

It’s nice to see Moriarty this time round (Jared Harris is none other than Lane Pryce of Mad Men fame), who proves to be equally and remarkably as intelligent as Holmes himself, yet completely psychotic.

Yelmo - 17:30, 18:05, 20:10, 22:45 Keep yourself up-to-date with the January films by liking us on Facebook.

A Dangerous Method | (David Cronenberg, 2011) Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, & Viggo Mortensen The birth of psychoanalysis is seen through the weird and wonderful eyes of David Cronenberg (Scanners–1981).

Carl Jung (Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) met on the eve of WW1 and started a period of correspondence and collaboration that lasted for six years.

The film surrounds the period when the relationship of the two men began to sour as Jung’s psychoanalysis of a troubled woman called Sabrina Spielrein (Knightley) found him sharing her bed much to the chagrin of Freud.

This is the third Cronenberg/ Mortensen collaboration (A History of Violence – 2005 & Eastern Promises – 2007) and while it doesn’t promise as much shock and gore as their previous ventures, does look to be interesting subject matter.

Babel – 16:30, 20:30

J. Edgar | (Clint Eastwood, 2011) Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts A must see film of 2012!

Founder of the FBI and alleged cross dresser J. Edgar Hoover (DiCaprio) was during his time as head of the Bureau one of the most powerful men in America. The movie contrasts Hoover’s life in the public eye with his controversial private life that would have seen him removed from his position had it come to light. A stalwart performance from Dame Judi Dench as Hoover’s mother has received many plaudits, as has Eastwood’s handling of one of America’s most famous and controversial figures. DiCaprio, playing the man himself, looks and sounds perfect even as Hoover as an older man complete with wrinkles and thinning hair.

Babel - 16:30, 19:30, 22:30

Babel, C/ Vicente Sancho Tello, 10, www.cinesalbatrosbabel.com Yelmo Cines, Avda Tirso de Molina, 16, www.yelmocines.es Filmoteca, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, 17 www.filmoteca.es

03/03/1978 Grave robbers steal comic Charlie Chaplin's body from its final resting place in Switzerland. 7 weeks later the body was recovered and reburied again - this time in a concrete tomb.

First certificate

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Read me | John le Carré

Advanced

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inker Tailor Soldier Spy - A recent burst of sales due to its film release has seen Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy back in the book charts a number of decades after its initial release in 1973 (see last month's inVLC for film review). Although hearing of John le Carré and being aware of his contribution to English literature over his long and illustrious career, I have to admit that I had never picked up one of his books before so I decided that it was time to acquaint myself with one of the masters of the spy genre.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the first of the Karla trilogy featuring George Smiley; the second and third novels The Honourable Schoolboy (1977) and Smiley’s People (1979) were eventually all released in an omnibus edition entitled The Quest for Karla, which was released in 1982.

After a love affair with the wife of a Russian agent, Ricki Tarr learns of a Soviet mole called 'Gerald', who is buried deep within British Intelligence (called 'The Circus' in the novel). Ricki Tarr recounts the story of his discovery to his superiors Peter Guillam, Oliver Lacan and George Smiley, who believes that Gerald’s actions were responsible for the failure of a mission in Communist Czechoslovakia called Operation Testify. This mission turned out to be a play by Control to get the mole to reveal himself but ended disastrously with agent Jim Prideaux shot in the back and Control being replaced as the head of The Circus by his rival Percy Alleline.

Alleline’s source 'Merlin' is the reason for his promotion and is dealt with by Alleline’s closed circle of top agents – Bill Haydon, Roy Bland & Toby Esterhase. In order to protect Merlin, his identity is kept secret by providing Moscow with lowgrade intelligence 'chicken feed' in order to keep his cover. The Circus suppresses any rumours of a mole because of this and thus keeps the Russian mole protected.

Once I got a grip on the story, it was an enjoyable read and not at all like anything I was expecting. I particularly enjoyed the terms used with 'Control' such as 'Pavement Artists' (hidden surveillance teams), 'Ferrets' (technicians who hunt out recording devices) and even the oddly affectionate 'Mothers' (the typists and secretaries who process the highly sensitive paperwork).

Towards the end I found that it lent an authenticity to the book that makes one feel momentarily allowed a peek into the world of espionage.

The novel was based on Le Carré’s time working for British Intelligence and is a fictionalization of the Cambridge Five traitors during the 1950s and 1960s who were exposed as KGB double agents. Many parallels have been drawn between the characters in the book and real life agents for both the KGB and British Intelligence.

Le Carré’s school days are also fondly described by the author with the arrival of Jim Prideaux to teach at a local school after being crippled by a bullet in his back and cruelly ousted from The Circus. It’s a far cry from Ian Fleming’s Bond or any usual Hollywood spy story that combines action with a spoon-fed plot to its audiences. Action is minimal, the murder and violence take a secondary role, and the distinction between good and evil is ambiguous. Le Carré’s stories focus on the morality of his characters and the darker side of Western Democracy.

Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.

John Le Carré

My first sojourn into the world of John Le Carré was not disappointing as I found both the language and the seamless handling of exposition very impressive. I might now have to search for The Honourable Schoolboy before Hollywood gets there first.

Bikes| The monthly bike meeting of VLC will take place as usual on the first Friday of the month. This aims to promote bikes and bike safety in VLC. Place| Plaza de la Virgin, VLC Time| 7.30pm 04/03/1980 Robert Mugabe's PF party wins 57 of the 80 available seats in the Zimbabwean parliamentary elections resulting in long ongoing deterioration of the country that was once labelled The Jewel Of Africa.

Valencia Fallas timetable The dates and times supplied are correct at time of print. Check on the official sites for any changes. www.fallas.com & www.fallasfromvalencia.com.

FEBRUARY 26/02 (Sunday) 7.30am Despertà C/ La Paz to Pl. del Ayuntamiento.

12.30pm Musical parade. Pl. de la Virgen - Pl. del Ayuntamiento, followed by the Pasodoble El Fallero (the Fallas anthem) 2pm Mascletà (fireworks) in Pl. del Ayuntamiento.

8pm Cridà. The official opening of Fallas at Serranos Towers with music and fireworks displays.

MARCH 1/03-19/03 2pm Daily Mascletà in Pl. del Ayuntamiento.

4/03 (Sunday) 5pm/5.30pm Children’s Ninot Parade. La Glorieta, C/ La Paz, C/ San Vicente, Pl. del Ayuntamiento, C/ Marqués de Sotelo. Mascletà.

10/03 (Saturday) 11.30pm Display, Pl. del Ayunamiento Midnight Mascletà de colores, Pl. del Ayuntamiento 14/03 (Wednesday) 3pm Closing ceremony of the Children's Ninot Exhibition (children's figurines).

15/03 (Thursday) 8am Plantà (setting up) of Fallas Infantiles (children's).

6pm Closing ceremony of the Ninot Exhibition (adults').

Midnight Fireworks on the Paseo de la Alameda (Exposición Bridge & Las Flores Bridge).

16/03 (Friday) 8am Plantà of all Fallas (adults').

4.30pm Children's Fallas Awards Ceremony. Pl. del Ayuntamiento.

10.30pm International Folk Parade around Pl. del Ayuntamiento. Mascletà.

Midnight/1am Fireworks on the Paseo de La Alameda (Exposición Bridge & Las Flores Bridge).

17/03 (Saturday) 9.30am Pl. del Ayuntamiento. Fallas Awards Ceremony 3.30pm 1st day of the Flower Offering to our Lady of the Forsaken (Virgen de los Desamparados). C/ La Paz and C/ San Vicente. All day parade - unmissable. Pl. de la Virgen Midnight/1am Fireworks on the Paseo de la Alameda (Exposición Bridge & Las Flores Bridge).

18/03 (Sunday) 11am Homage to poet Maximilano Thous, at his monument at C/ Sagunto & C/ Maximilano Thous.

Mascletà.

Midday Homage to the Maestro Serrano, at his monument in Ave. Reino de Valencia, then a Mascletà.

3.30pm 2nd day of the Flower Offering as on the 17th.

1.30am Nit de Foc, the biggest fireworks display in Fallas.

On Paseo de la Alameda (Exposición Bridge & Las Flores Bridge).

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19/03 (Mon night/Tues morning) 11am Puente de San José (Saint Joseph Bridge). Flower Offering by the Fallas Queens followed by a Mascletà.

Midday Mass in honour of the Patriarch St. Joseph.

Valencia Cathedral, Pl. de La Reina.

7pm Cabalgata del Fuego (Fire Parade) along C/ Colón and a firework show in Pl. Porta de la Mar. 10pm Cremà or burning of the Children's Fallas.

10.30pm Cremà of the winning Children's Fallas.

11pm Cremà of the Children's Falla in Pl. del Ayuntamiento.

Midnight Cremà all the remaining Fallas.

12.30am Cremà of the winning adult Falla.

1am Aerial fireworks in the Pl. del Ayuntamiento and Cremà of the Pl. del Ayuntamiento Falla.

Courtesy of www.fallasvalencia.es & www.fallas.com

05/0 05 /03/ 3/1 /1969 Doors singer Jim Mo orri rrris ison is ch ison char harge g d with one felon ny and three misdemeanors for lewd and lasciviious ou u beha be h vior, indecent exposure, e,, profa rofa ro fani nity ni tyy, an and drunkenness wh hile onstage at a concert in Miami. Rock'n'Roll bab aby!

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Green living | A positive example

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y cousin Mary once told me that parents can be one of two things to their children. They can be either a 'good example' of the way to go or a 'terrible warning' of the path we should not take. She said that when we look around us we can see many terrible warnings of the road we should follow at our peril. So this month I'm going to describe a positive example, which we can use as an inspiration as individuals, as a community and as a country. In this article I'm using information principally taken from a piece written by Andrés Campos in El Viajero (21-10-2011) which is a supplement in the newspaper El Pais.

When we think of Copenhagen we know that it doesn't exactly have a Mediterranean climate. It rains or snows 170 days of the year which is very close to 50% of the time and the average temperature in Denmark in February is 0 degrees and 17 degrees in July, the warmest month!!

Despite these weather conditions 36% of the citizens of Copenhagen use the bicycle to go to work, school or university. The population of Copenhagen is 1.1million and they cycle 1.2 million km daily between them.

There are 350km of bicycle lanes in the city. All types of people cycle; from executives to cleaners, from police to postmen/women, from rich ladies to cleaners, etc. All of them hop on their bikes everyday. The streets are empty of cars and full of a vast array of bicycles.

According to the European Fereration of Cyclists the Danes cycle on average 2.6km per day and if all Europeans did this we would reduce our CO2 emissions by between 55 and 120 million tons a year. Other green transport options are the electric bus, which quietly circulates around the city centre tourist area every 7 min. You can also take a taxi (from a taxi company called Amager Obro), which has an official sticker claiming to be CO2 neutral.

Organic food is also taking its place in the public and private sectors. 75% of the food consumed in the public bodies and organizations is organic. They expect that the consumption of organic food will exceed 20% in the private sector by 2015.

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The number of km of bicycle lanes which snake the city.

Their use of renewable energy is running at about 18.76%, which compares very favourably with Madrid which is 2.78%. The first CO2 neutral hotel chain (called Brochner Hotels) has all its hotels in the Copenhagen area. They have 4 hotels named Kong Arthur, Ibsens, Fox and Danmark. Kirsten Brochner, the manager and the owner of the chain, says that they have taken 58 measures to become CO2 neutral, which includes not having air conditioning and this in fact deprives them of the 5-star status in the Kong Arthur hotel.

At the same time I don't want to paint Copenhagen or Denmark as the perfect society. I am sure that they have their problems but as far as I'm concerned they are going in the right direction and for that reason they can be a beacon of light for the rest of us. The Danes don't have to do it, they have no necessity as they still have a triple 'A' economic status which France has lost, while Spain is at a single 'A' status. But as someone said they have enough awareness and consciousness of what's good for themselves and future generations to come.

Declan Lehane A little goes a long way What| Grow some herbs and vegetables.

Why| It's surprisingly satisfying to watch them grow.

Why not| You need to look after them!

The percentage of their waste which is recycled (Madrid recycles just 9.88%).

Benefits| Organic, healthy and tasty herbs and vegetables keep you and the world free of pesticides.

06/03/1902 Real Madrid CF is formed by a group of football fans in the city. The word Real (Royal) was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.

However sometimes the accoutrements are a little lacking. The chocolate sauce just isn't thick enough, or dark enough. And where are the strawberries? Whilst there is no beating eating freshly made churros in the bustling streets surrounded by the noise of firecrackers, the chatter of old ladies and the gentle push of the crowd, sometimes making your own can be very satisfying to treat your friends.

There are two important elements to ensuring your churros stand out from the crowd.

The first is the oil. This must be hot, so test it before you put your first churro in - put a small drop of pastry in - if it sizzles, you are ready. If it doesn't, heat it up a little more to a maximum of 350˚F/175˚C. The second is the ingredients. We tried quite a few recipes before settling on one with cinnamon and vanilla extract. You could leave them out, or experiment with chocolate powder, lemon, or a sweet, local orange.

And finally there are decisions to be made on how to serve them. Classically they should be rolled in sugar while still warm. You can add cinnamon to this for extra flavour or fill them with dulce de leche or even jam. We enjoyed combining them with this season's strawberries and hot chocolate.

Before starting, ensure you have a piper/pastry bag with a star top, so you can make the star-shaped sausage.

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The number of horns which the ancient 'Churra' sheep can have, after which the Churro is named.

The best hot chocolate has to be the deliciously rich sauce by Valor. It can be bought ready made from the supermarket.

What to buy| (Makes 24-ish) 1 cup water Vegetable/sunflower oil 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) salt 1/3 cup butter 1 cup white flour 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

© Juan Mejuto

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he stalls are lining the streets, selling their hot churros from morning until night. And there is no doubting how delicious these crunchy treats are.

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First certificate

Recipe | Churros

Wow Factor| Serve warm for a crunchy delight.

Effort| Low effort, but be careful with the hot oil.

How to make it| one Preheat around 2 inches of oil to a maximum of 350˚F/175˚C then remove from heat. two At the same time mix the sugar and cinnamon together. three Place the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter in a saucepan and heat until it boils. four Remove from heat, and sieve in the flour. Combine until smooth. five In a separate bowl mix the eggs and vanilla. six Gently combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture until you have a doughy consistency. seven Put the dough into the piper/pastry bag. eight Put the oil back onto the heat. Test the oil is hot by putting in a small amount of the dough. If it sizzles, start piping 4 inch long churros and place in the oil. nine Cook for two minutes. You can cook a few at a time. ten Once crispy, remove from the oil, blot in kitchen paper to remove the excess oil, and roll in the sugar mixture. eleven Serve warm with your choice of fruit, ice-cream or chocolate sauce.

07/03/2010 Kathryn Bigelow wins Best Director at the Oscars for The Hurt Locker becoming the first woman to win the title. Only 3 women had previously been nominated for the award in its 82 runnings.

Artist of the month| Vladimir Ksieski

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W

e want to support new and up-and-coming artistic talent in the Valencian Community. Each month we choose one artist at random and devote a page to that artist.

name| Vladimir Ksieski location| Valencia what's available| Original paintings on canvas or wood and prints. Commissions available on request.

Style| The paintings cover several subjects including landscapes, human figures and carnival.

Influences| Great Spanish artists such as Solana, Zuloaga, Regoys, Picasso.

History| Studied art at Whitechapel School of Art, London, before moving to Valencia. Here he has spent 20 years in both Valencia and the Community, inspired by local scenery and cultural events.

Prices| Prints from €20, paintings on canvas from €375 and oil on wood from €85.

Gallery| Collection displayed at Calle Serranos, 36.

Phone| 96 392 48 28 / 696 397 225 Email| casamonet@hotmail.com Web| www.yessy.com/vksieski

If you, or anyone you know, would like to feature in our art pages, contact us at invlceditor@gmail.com

"

Art to see

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rt and friendship are absolutely connected... Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." (Henry Ward Beecher)

A very together exhibition (until 22nd April) When I cook or make something for friends, I do so with the belief that if I love what I have made, then so will they. And so it is with Together. Manolo Gil and Jacinta Gil (1945-1957). Minus the customary furnishings and fittings, this intimate collection of midcentury modern paintings and prints left me feeling as if I were wandering through the living rooms and hallways of the artists themselves and those of their families and friends. A sense that they had been fashioned with a particular person in mind and with an understanding that each piece would take on a life of its own, long after leaving the easel.

Creatures, real and imaginary, and figures, proportionate and abstracted, gently guide the observer around the exhibition, heralding its symbols of life, love, devotion and pain as the contexts for the exhibition. Glimpses of classical draughtsmanship; perhaps as a rite of passage, perhaps not; sit comfortably alongside a series of later works with a style often referred to as ‘naive’. Somewhat disconcerted as to whether or not this term carries a neutral, sympathetic or insulting tone, I like to think of it simply as something far more economical in application; an artistic style stripped bare of anything distracting or superfluous as if to say, “I’ve got nothing to hide; just enjoy what you see”.

What I am certain of is that the striking similarities between these artists and their equally apparent differences in terms of themes, evolutionary styles and concepts is a marriage made in exhibition heaven, and one which reveals the artists’ life together in a way that words alone could not express. Lovely.

First certificate

Like 'inVLC' on Facebook for more art to see

La Nau, Centre Cultural de la Universitat de Valencia, C/ Universitat, 2 | 963 98 34 69 Tues-Sat: 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm, Sundays/holidays 10am-2pm| www.uv.es | Free!

Textile on the Great Silk Route (until the end of May) | I think I learned where silk comes from at the same age as I learned where babies come from (but not how they get there!). Since then, I’ve been fascinated by both. With the same tensile strength as steel (silk, that is, not babies) and the strongest natural fibre know to man, it’s no wonder its appeal has not only survived, but positively burgeoned since silk production, or sericulture (its fancy dan name) first came into being in China around 5,000 years ago. For this reason, I trotted off to the Ethnology Museum of Valencia to see a delightful little exhibition on the very same, demonstrated through a selection of textiles, techniques and tools, and which traces the Great Silk Route from the furthest reaches of Central Asia to Caucasus.

On arrival, I was met with a full-size Kazakh yurt complete with furnishings, kitchen utensils and some kind of raptor; unfortunately stuffed. Swathes of beautifully preserved wall hangings; traditional clothing; hand woven rugs; exquisitely embroidered shoes and silky sundries filled the space, reflecting light and invoking a sense of strolling around some grand bazaar. Further on, wearied from my day at the market and the searing heat/freezing cold, I was treated to a private viewing of the interior of an Azerbaijani house, so warm and welcoming, I wanted to sit down, have tea and swap interior design tips with the lady of the house standing quietly inside. Although she didn’t say as much, I think she would have enjoyed that too.

ML Museu Valencià d'Etnologia | C/ Corona 36, Valencia | 96 388 36 14 | Mon-Sun 10am-8pm | www.museuvalenciaetnologia.es | Free!

08/03/1993 The East v West Coast hip hop battle reaches new depths 7 months after LA's Tupac Shakur is murdered in Las Vegas when NY based Notorious B.I.G. is gunned down in LA. Both murders remain unsolved.

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Horchata cocktails

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he sun is shining and we're getting ready to celebrate Valencian style. So what better way than to crack out the local smooth drink of horchata and mix it with some alcohol. For those not drinking, horchata on its own is still amazingly refreshing.

*Tip| Horchata can be bought in your local supermarkets, or from organic companies like Mon Orxata. www.monorxata.com

one The Travelling Valenciano the layered effect.

30ml vodka 30ml Bailey's Irish Cream 60ml Horchata Pour vodka and Baileys over ice in cocktail glass.

(The more ice the better.)

Top off with horchata and garnish with 2 stir straws.

Do not stir.

Cocktail has a double layer effect.

Allow consumer to stir if he/she would like.

Serves 1 Serve in a cocktail glass.

two Rojo Robles - there is quite a lot of alcohol in this one - you can reduce the alcohol content to suit you.

60ml raspberry vodka 30ml coffee liqueur Horchata to top Pour vodka and coffee liqueur over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.

Fill with horchata.

Serve with a smile.

Serves 1 Serve in an old-fashioned glass.

three The Valeggaeton This is basically horchata & rum a cool alternative to the coffee and brandy, but just as warming.

60ml Captain Morgan® spiced rum or any other dark rum 300ml Horchata

Fill large glass with ice.

Pour in 60ml of rum.

Add 300ml of horchata.

Stir lightly.

Serves 1 Serve in an old-fashioned glass.

A day in the life in VLC| Chiara Medici

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iving in Valencia and the Community is surprising, varied and exciting and everyone sees something dierent. We thought it would be fun to see what other people see. For one day, a reader will take a photo of what they can see on the hour, every hour for 9 hours. This month, Chiara shows us her Saturday.

Contact us if you want to have a go. We're looking for non-city residents especially. invlceditor@gmail.com

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09/03/1988 The Bee Gee's youngest brother Andy dies of a heart virus aged just 30 after a roller-coaster life of incredible musical success in the late 1970s leading to a massive drink and drug addiction in the 1980s.

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Animals| Defining national identity through nature

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ll over the planet countries employ a variety of methods to ascertain individualism. This can be through the use of a certain language or dialect, using specific aspects of culture such as a traditional song or dance, or even through the ubiquitous use of something as simple as a flag.

Another way countries express individualism is through the use of an aspect of nature that they believe is inextricably linked to that country. They define this as the 'national animal' or 'bird' of that country. Examples range from the use of a snow leopard as the symbol of Afghanistan, to the kiwi bird of New Zealand and the sable antelope, which is used in Zimbabwe.

Most of us are familiar with England's lion, said to signify the strength, courage, dignity and pride of the people and the United States' bald-headed eagle which is said to signify fierce independence, unwavering strength, long life, majestic beauty and great courage. Spain however, it seems, couldn't decide on just one, so chose two to symbolise Spain to both themselves and to others across the world.

El Toro, the bull (signifying power and immortality) is of course one of them. Inextricably linked in mind, body and soul to the culture of Spain, the bull is, of course, what most people think of when it comes to a nature-based representation of the Spanish national psyche.

Spain's other national animal is in fact a bird and it is one which seems to have gone off the radar in recent times in terms of both numbers living in the wild and also from its official use. Being used as a major visual symbol during the days of the dictatorship when it was even used on the flag of Spain may be, at least partly, the reason for it to simply slide away from view.

Foster/ permanent homes URGENTLY required Name| Jane Age| 5 years Size| Large Personality| Affectionate and good with dogs Appearance| Podenco Health| Vaccinated, sterilized, blood tested, microchipped.

Info| P.E.P.A - 650 304 746 www.pepaspain.com

The Spanish Imperial Eagle (like all eagles) is a beautiful and majestic creature, which at one time was prevalent all over the Iberian Peninsula. Sadly it has seen its numbers decline drastically over the years due to the usual suspects of habitat loss, poisoning, a decline in its traditional food populations (such as rabbits), and the less usual suspect of electrocution from pylons. With only 279 pairs thought to be remaining in the wild (in 2010), it was thought that this iconic bird could be nearing extinction. Being currently classified as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it was great to see some positive news about them last year when scientists announced the arrival of a new Spanish Imperial Eagle chick called Maria Ariam.

Researchers at the Centro de Estudios de Rapaces Ibéricas in Toledo spent more than 17 years working toward this birth. They use birds that have been rescued after injury for trials for artificial insemination purposes (including a method of collecting and preserving sperm) as these injured birds would otherwise be incapable of reproducing. The wild population of these birds is now limited to only a few small areas of central and southwest Spain and some parts of Portugal. So, while it is still very much early days in terms of success for the program, the scientists hope that further successful births will one day return this amazing bird to the skies all over the land that the people underneath have chosen to represent them all these years.

11/03/2004 10 bombs go off on 4 different trains in Madrid and result in 191 dead. Although ETA was initially blamed it was a non-aligned Al-Qaeda 'inspired' group that were found to be responsible.

Events & Classifieds

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f you’ve got an event coming up or you are buying, selling or donating anything, drop us an email and we’ll try to give it a mention.

Masia | 19 Feb 18 Mar (3rd Sun monthly) | Mas Pavia Restaurante, nr Monserrat. Eng 625819734/ Spa 616399372, sparklesinsunshine@gmail.com.

Lliria | 10 Mar (2nd Sat monthly) | Bellamy's Bar, 18 Avenida Polideportivo, Domeño, Tables free. 962728708, Lyn 625217777 magpiesbar@yahoo.com

Markets | Mon-Montroy, Tues-Monserrat & Turis, WedsL’Eliana Piccassent & Villamarchante, Thurs-Alaquas & Lliria, Fri-Moraira, Turis, Torrente & Chiva, Sat-Real de Montroy & Torrente, Sun-Alborache Rastros | Montroy | 4 Mar 1 Apr (1st Sun monthly)| Calle La Pau, 625 674 906 Sagrario

IWC| Monthly coffee mornings. An independent organisation offering: Support, Friendship, networking... 1 March, 5 April. HIPERCOR - C.Comercial Ademuz, Av. Pio XII, 51 VLC, top floor restaurant. www.iwc-valencia.ning.com 2nd Friday lunch| 9 March A get together group for lunch and chat. 2pm. The venue changes regularly. Contact mm@ centralpoint.es for more info.

Internations events| A monthly meet up of international people. www.internations.org Valencia Loves You| A group for the international ladies of VLC to expand social & professional networks. Join 'Valencia Loves You' on Facebook.

Wanted| Double bed base required for central Valencia.

Will pick up. Contact 633 822 614.

Animal foster carers needed | YOU DON'T NEED LOTS OF SPACE...P.E.P.A. visits you to ensure the dog will suit your lifestyle and living conditions. - DON'T SPEND A LOT OF MONEY... P.E.P.A. will pay medical bills and if necessary, help regarding beds, leads etc. - DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOLIDAYS...P.E.P.A. will provide holiday cover. - IT'S NOT A LIFETIME COMMITMENT ... like visits from friends, at the end of the holidays they go home, - YOU DONT HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT. Your guest just needs is security, attention, food and love. 650304746 (10-5PM ) www.pepaspain.com

In the number puzzle, each letter is represented by a number 1-26. Crack the code! 3 letters are already in place.

In Sudoku, every row & column of 9 numbers & 3x3 box must include all digits 1-9 in any order.

Finished with your inVLC ? Pass it on to a friend..!

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