inVLC Mar/Apr 2012

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Flying high at Easter

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...let's go fly a kite...

This month is a busy one. We see the climax of this year's Fallas celebrations when the burning of the ninots and the final mascletà take place on the 19th March however we'd also probably be lying if we said we weren't looking forward to the peace and calm that arrives on the 20th after the last fires are put out. We have put the locations of the big ones on the map on page 16 so you can see where they are with ease.

In some of this month's magazine highlights, we have a right old battle as two controversial mayors go head to head as Valencia's Rita Barberá takes on London's Boris Johnson.

Who will come out on top between these right-wing heavyweights? We also report back from the community pueblo of Albaida, take a look at bar La Bicicleta in one of our great independent reviews and bring you the best of what the many museums have on and the great music gigs to see.

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inVLC on...

This month we also look forward to the nice break the Remember that you can also read the magazine online.

Easter weekend will be giving us between 6-9 April. We may Just head to our facebook page 'invlc' and you'll find the even roll some boiled eggs down a hill in the old British tradition or fly a kite in the Valencian way, although if we're link on our wall. We update this with local events and news and we throw in a few funnies as well for good measure. honest we are usually more partial to just unwrapping and devouring chocolate eggs!

Enjoy the read.

Andy, Kelly & Sean

Intermediate First certificate Advanced

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 & Clara 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.

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 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

index 4 5 6 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

The latest News keeping you up to date Hotspots Free in Valencia is enjoying the fresh air I heart Valencia is a political hotpot Holidays and fiestas Fallas and Easter Valencia Community we visit Albaida Independent bar review La Bicicleta Valencia Fallas Timetable Let's talk Expat life! Eoghan has a secret Talking teaching is giving advice Map never get lost 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 Your photos of 'long' Green Declan is educating Recipe it's flapjacks Artist Art to see knows art A day in the life Kristina Gangfløt shows us her day Cocktails with fire Animal is joking around Events & Classifieds keeps you in the know

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.

15/03/44BC Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, is stabbed to death in the Roman Senate house by 60 conspirators led by Brutus and Gaius. Interestingly enough, he was the leader of the Popular Party in Rome. True!

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News

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Protests| Protesters against funding cuts are taking advantage of the Mascletás to get their message across to the city council.

Demonstrators have crowds of tourists, visitors and residents as well as members of the council and regional government as a captive audience for their chants at 2pm every day.

Signs such as 'funding cuts in health care kill'; 'these are not cuts, they New Mestalla | Work has apparently are thefts'; 'no innovation means no restarted on Valencia Club de Futbol's solution', and 'let Fabra pay', have new stadium by Beniferri Metro. After Valencia's regional government says been seen. three years of inactivity due to finance reforms to education and reductions in issues, the team's President, Manuel teachers' wages are necessary in order Those taking part wear badges showing a pair of scissors in a red Llorente has come to an agreement to balance the budget and reduce its debt (it aims to have no budget deficit circle, to show their anger at the cuts. with Bankia and the council about the by 2014). Dr Vicente Pallardo from the Demonstrators said they were not anti- purchase of the current Mestalla site.

University of Valencia says cancelling Estimates suggest the new stadium Fallas but are instead proud of their the debt will take much longer. may open within two years and cost home-grown fiestas, and that their "Maybe we could say that Valencia's between €250-300 million. complaints were against the actions government is already bankrupt of the PP. But some Falleros have because it is receiving money from Gibraltar| It appears that Las Malvinas complained that the protesters were the central government to cover / The Falkland Islands aren't the spoiling the party and that the Fallas current expenditure." only British territory that UK Prime has nothing to do with politics.

Minister David Cameron may have problems with. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, responded to shouts of ‘Gibraltar Español’ at a Partido Popular rally in Andújar this month with ‘We’re on it, we’re on it’. Cameron has so far ruled out any talks without the agreement of residents on the rock.

Ratings cut | Credit agency Standard & Poor's have reduced their credit rating of the Generalitat in Valencia from BBB- to BB, which is ‘junk bond’ status, over ‘uncertainties on the support of the Spanish Government’.

The analysts at S&P say the Valencia region ‘has a weakened credit profile, with high fiscal deficits, a large debt load, and limited access to external financing beyond that which can come from the Kingdom of Spain’.

16/03/88 A lone gunman injures 50 & kills 3 with a crazed attack on the funeral of 3 IRA gunmen in Belfast, who had previously been shot in Gibraltar by UK Special Forces under suspicion of planning an attack on the British garrison there.

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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| enjoying our last hot chocolates and Café bonbones of the year.

The sun has started to shine with a passion, and soon we're not going to want anything hot! However fear not, if the sun comes up and you need a coffee, the Spanish do great espressos and coffee on ice - perfect for a pick me up in the sun!

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Free/cheap in Valencia

2| supporting the ladies fun run. There are runs almost every month, and although the yearly membership is full, you can pay a small fee to join the individual runs if you want. See page 20.

3| taking a stroll along the mountain hikes of Genovés. We've been told that they aren't too challenging, with lovely views of the valley and the town of Xàtiva. www.topwalks.net

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The price in American dollars per pound of kopi luwak coffee.

The price in American cents per pound above the market value of coffee that fair trade farmers receive. They get an additional 10 cents if the product is organic.

The most commonly grown coffee beans - Arabica and Robusta.

Whilst coffee is by no means native to Spain, the 'muslim drink' has been embraced with open arms. Legends state that it was discovered by a 9th Century Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi after he saw his goats behaving somewhat more actively following the nibbling of the red berries.

Now, centuries later, these little beans travel the world as the second biggest traded commodity.

The most expensive bean has to be kopi luwak (also known as civet). The beans are eaten by the Asian Palm Civet, a tree-dwelling cat like animal.

It chooses the best berries, eats and digests them, and defecates the beans intact. These are collected and roasted to make a smoother coffee.

It should be drunk black for optimum flavour.

17/03/461 A young boy is captured & taken to Ireland by Irish marauders. After escaping & returning home to his family he hears voices in a dream telling him to return to Ireland to design shamrocks and Guinness. Happy St Patrick's Day!

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I heart Valencia

Round 1| Length of time In office On 5th July 2012 Rita will have been the mayor of Valencia for 21 years. Many young Valencians will never have known another mayor during their lifetime. Her predecessor – Clementina Ródenas Villena - held office for two years and, before her, Ricard Pérez Casado held office for ten, but going right back to the middle of the 19th century, the norm has been for a 1-2 year stint with the occasional exception.

Boris has been in office in London since 4th May 2008 after taking over from “Red” Ken Livingstone. A bit weak really when compared to Rita, but he is a couple of decades younger.

A tendency to cause controversy may indeed put an abrupt end to his mayorship, but until then Londoners will just have to grin and bear it.

WINNER – Rita Barberá (very few mayors have achieved this feat.)

Round 2| Education Rita Barberá received a degree in Political Science, Economics & Business from the University of Valencia and then went on to study Information Science in Journalism at the University of Madrid.

© mercedesalonso

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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 a fight between two controversial figures in politics: Rita Barberá the mayor of Valencia versus Boris Johnson - the mayor of London.

Boris Johnson went to Eton and then went on to study at Balliol College, Oxford where he majored in Literae Humaniores.

He began his career as a journalist with The Times, became assistant editor of The Daily Telegraph and eventually editor of The Spectator in 1999.

WINNER – Rita (seems a little more focussed than Boris) Round 3| Early career Rita was a candidate for the Alianza Popular in 1987 and a presidential candidate for the Generalitat Valenciana. She beat Clementina Ródenas in 1991 and has consistently held the majority vote for office in every subsequent election. She was the President of the Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias from 1995 until 2003 when she stepped down to assume the role of vice president. She has been a member of the Partido Popular (PP) since 1993 and was the president of the 16th congress of the PP in 2008.

Battered in Clwyd South in 1997, Boris went on to succeed Michael Heseltine as MP for Henley in 2001.

He became vice-chairman of the Conservative Party in 2003 and Shadow Minister for the Arts in 2004, but was subsequently dismissed for lying to a superior about an affair with The Spectator’s New York correspondent. Nevertheless he reappeared as Shadow Minister of Higher Education in 2005 and was accused of having another affair with a Times Higher Education Supplement journalist. He took office as Mayor of London in 2008.

WINNER – Rita Barberá (not as patchy as Boris’)

18/03/1992 White South Africa votes for change to the system of apartheid which had led to the country to become an international pariah. 68.6% voted in favour of allowing more rights for black South Africans.

Round 4| Political Blunders & General Dodginess In an interview with news crews in 2009 Rita welcomed ETA’s bombs as they generated more votes for the PP. She has accused the PSOE of corruption despite the infamous Gürtel case involving ‘presents’ given to PP politicians. She blamed the economic crisis on the situation left behind by Zapatero’s PSOE for the riots & demonstrations that are now the norm in Valencia. Unpaid electricity bills at the Ayuntamiento were attributed to the crisis yet the Valencian Council owes more in debt than that of Catalunya, which has a population one third bigger. Not to mention the new Mestalla that sits half finished in Beniferri while she rocks

around with her Louis Vuitton handbag (presumably in the darkened corridors of the Ayuntamiento) – a present that she claims to be normal for politicians & public workers to receive.

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Papua New Guinea for comparing the conservative leader disputes to “cannibalism,” offended the entire city of Portsmouth, been accused of racism, has clearly obstructed justice in the arrest of politician Damian Green, walked out of the House of Commons in the middle of a testimony, and has criticised the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, comparing them to Sinn Fein meetings.

Whilst Boris has never really been closely linked to any kind of real seedy corruption, he is no stranger to scandals and has sparked a number of controversies throughout his career.

First he gave the address of a News Of The World correspondent to an old WINNER – Rita Barberá school friend in order for the journalist OVERALL WINNER to be beaten up. He was investigated Rita Barberá 4 – 0 Boris Johnson for the theft of a cigar case belonging (such a thrashing that we’ve to one of Saddam Hussein’s associates. He’s accused the entire city found ourselves, for the first time, throwing in the towel for of Liverpool of “vicarious victimhood,” poor Boris) had a couple of affairs, annoyed

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I heart Valencia

19/03/1982 A group of Argentines land at the British Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas in the south Atlantic & plant their flag.

This annoys Mrs Thatcher. A lot. The conflict lasts less than 3 months but ends in 655 Argentine & 255 British losses.

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Learn better with the British Council

Holidays and parties

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oom! It's the month of Fallas. For the map of where to find the biggest Fallas see page 16, and for a timetable of events, check the handy guide on page 13, our Facebook page, or www.issuu.com/invlceditor.

Until 19 March| Fallas. Almost every local town in the area will be enjoying the celebrations until the 19th. Visit different towns to see how they do it differently.

15-19 March| Feria del Jamón Ibérico de bellota.

For those who like a bit of cured local Jamón, head to Plaza Zaragoza for tastings, exhibitions, cutting demonstrations and opportunities to buy some very good ham.

8 April| Easter Week| Semana Santa Marinera.

Easter is early this year, but expect all the usual ceremonies to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Most activities take place in either the maritime areas of el Grao, el Cabañal y el Cañamelar or near the Cathedral.

There are daily parades which remember each of Jesus' final activities. The important ones are La Procesión del Silencio: a solemn drum parade on Holy Thursday (5th) at midnight, the Good Friday parade in the early evening and the main parade on Easter Sunday from 1pm. (All in the Maritime district.) www.semanasantamarinera.org

Don't miss| El Museo de la Semana Santa Marinera, Rosario, 1

However, not all Easter traditions in Valencia and the Community are so intense. There are culinary treats to be had in the form of panquemados or monas.

These are types of sweet bread in either a round shape or the shape of an animal with a hard boiled egg. Usually families take their cakes and kites and head to the parks, mountains or the beach to eat, fly kites and enjoy their time with each other.

National holidays mean fewer buses, and most shops, banks & supermarkets close.

In the community & neighbouring towns Alicante (A), Castellon (C) March 20 Alginet (V), Favara (V) 30 Requena (V) April 5-8 Torrent (V), Villa-Real (C) 2-8 Cullera (V), Benetússer (V), Gandia (V), Moncada (V)

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The amount of times you should gently knock your boiled egg on the head of the person you fancy on Easter Sunday.

9 L'Alcora (C), Nules (C) Thurs & Sun of 2nd week of Easter: Viver (C) 12 Bugarra (V) 13 Terrateig (V) Courtesy of www.docv.gva.es All information correct at time of print.

Check with the local tourist information when making plans.

20/03/1345 On this day scholars at the University of Paris stated that the Black Death/Plague was created from what they called "a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius". Not fleas on rats then guys?

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Valencia Community | Albaida

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he Moors knew Albaida as la blanca, because of the colour of the earth in the area. Their former presence there is obvious in the way that it is with most small towns by the tiny, sinuous alleyways of the old town.

But anyone who wants an entertaining day out doesn’t need to follow those Moorish byways because the four gems that make Albaida worth a visit are all within a few seconds walk of each other just off the Plaza Mayor.

When you enter the Plaza you are greeted by the majestic façade of the Palacio de los Milà i Aragó. (There is parking in the plaza.) Building began somewhere between 1471 and 1477 around what was the original entrance to the town, the Porta de la Vila, completed in 1460. Like many of these grand palaces it was an ongoing building process, with 16th and 17th-century refinements added along the way (including Baroque paintings by the local artist, Bertomeo Albert at the end of the 17th-century). There are various rooms to visit in the palace, including the private apartments of the marquess who gave the building its name.

Albaida fact file Population | 6000 (2008) Km to Valencia | 80km Point of interest | International Puppet museum, Home of painter José Segrelles, Belén Museum And nearby| Xàtiva castle, Albufera at Ana: similar to a English boating lake Fiestas | 8-11 Oct - Virgen del Remedio Tourist information | Pl. Pintor Segrelles, 19, 962 390 186 albaida@touristinfo.net www.albaida.org

Pass through its 15th century arch and you enter the Plaza de la Vila, a delightful square with slatted benches shaded by mandarin trees, where you can take a few moments rest.

To your right as you go through the palace archway and housed in the palace itself is the Museo Internacional de Titelles d’Albaida, a puppet museum unique in Spain.

Historic and modern examples of the puppeteer’s art have been brought from around the world, covering the decades from 1900-1970, with a separate floor devoted solely to Spanish and Valencian puppets. Amongst the elegant Japanese, Indonesian and African puppets you find Sesame Street characters glowering at you, and Mr Punch whacking Mrs Judy, still having family disputes over the baby after 350 years (they originated in 1652 and are now facing a come-back in the UK where they have been seen as highly politically incorrect for most of the last decade). The museum is the home of the annual International Puppet Fair.

On the other side of the arch is the Museo de Betlenes, a museum devoted to the cribs (belenes) that are a major part of the Christmas celebrations throughout Spain and can range in size from a shoebox display to a huge production that can fill a village square. It also houses a model of how Albaida looked in the 15th century.

22/03/1871 Stanley begins his search for missing British explorer Dr. Livingstone. "Dr Livingstone I presume" is often quoted but Stanley had his burial at Westminster Abbey cancelled due to his work promoting the African slave trade.

Valencia Community | Albaida

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In front of the museum is the Iglesia Arciprestal de Santa María, built during the 16th and 17th centuries, behind whose double-arched doors and plain exterior are splendid altar paintings by Albaida’s most famous son, José Segrelles. To learn more about the life of this distinguished artist, cross the square to the pretty Casa Museu José Segrelles, a charming modernista building where the artist lived from its completion in 1940 to his death in 1969 at the age of 84. It is said he died with a brush in his hand, having had that very day completed a huge religious painting.

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Car | N430 inland motorway from Valencia to Albacete/ Alicante, CV40 to Ontinyent/ Albaida Bus | Travicoi, 5 daily, 1hr 20 Train | Renfe, 5 daily, 1hr 10 www.renfe.com

The house was designed by Segrelles himself and has been kept very much the same as when he lived there, including the library with 11,000 volumes. (Given his enormous work output you wonder if he ever got time to read any!) On display throughout the house are his paintings, demonstrating the extraordinary range of his work, and many of the original illustrations he did for books by such famous authors as Blasco Ibañez and Edgar Allen Poe and for magazines such as the American Weekly and Illustrated London News when he lived in New York and London.

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

22/03/1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Beer & Wine Revenue Act ensuring he becomes the most popular President in US history by repealing the federal tax on all alcoholic beverages & thus ending the alcohol-free Prohibition era.

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Independent review | La Bicicleta

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t took the best part of a year to visit La Bicicleta after it was recommended to me. But one surprisingly warm February we love it night some friends and I took the plunge into the heart of Rusaffa, and into the only bar I know of with a bicycle in the window.

Coffee €1+ Glass of wine €2.50 Caña & montadito €1 Brownies €3

Papas / olivas €1 Salads €6 Tapas €4

I knew the instant I arrived that I was going to love this bar. Behind the charming display of the bicycle on grass in the window, the sweet retro rocking horse and hanging baskets I could see seats filled with people chatting and laughing. As someone who chooses restaurants for dinner based on how happy the people in it look, I knew this was the perfect bar for having a couple of drinks and great chat.

The bar oozes character and bohemian style, with mismatched furniture and well-worn couches, already moulded to the shape of the many bodies that rest easily on them, and quirky features which fill the spaces. Old record sleeves climb the walls above the old record player, Singer sewing machine and other ancient pieces of machinery - items which had reached the end of their shelf life but which have started a new life appreciated for their artistic beauty. The bar had just the right amount of quirk to make interesting surroundings without edging into the land of tack. After our article in Free/Cheap last month about holes, we were also pleasantly surprised to find a hole in a wall, suitably decorated with a cat in it.

The atmosphere was very friendly with a heap of international voices and accents mingling in the air with bursts of laughter and funky Latin jazz. We instantly fell into conversation with two ladies sharing our table, a Spanish and a German, who had been friends for many years, but had only just found La Bicicleta and had fallen in love with it instantly.

On our first visit we were so in enamoured with the surroundings and the atmosphere that we forgot to try the food, so we went back on a random Tuesday evening.

On that visit, we chatted with Julia, who works behind the bar, who patiently explained the contents of the tapas to the fussier eaters in the group, and served us some very pleasant red wine (€2.50).

The special tapas menu listed primarily fish orientated treats, whilst the house menu included tapas of hot or cold tostas (€4), salads (€6) and chocolate brownies (€3).

Feeling a little shy to try the fish, we opted for toasties: with melted goats cheese, with ham with cheese and aromatic herbs, and with sobrassada (a type of cured sausage), goats cheese and a surprise.

The intensity of the sobrassada surprise by far dominated the conversation of the evening as the group tried repeatedly to rationalise what they had just experienced. "A smoky yet sweet flavour which cools with the creamy cheese, and then your mouth starts popping."

I enjoyed the contrast of the tangy cheese oozing onto my ham toast, creating such an explosion of tastes, simple yet beautifully complementary. We followed these with a delicious brownie, which was demolished within seconds.

A group decision was made on the food - a success.

Not shy to diversify this place holds events, ranging from knitting to talks to gigs. On our visits the bar was event free, but the location offered just the right feel for an intimate gig. As we were leaving, one of the group said "I could come here every night", and I couldn't agree more.

C/ Reina Dona Maria, 7, Rusaffa, Valencia Mon-Sat 7pm-close, Sun - closed 963 258 493 Facebook: La Bicicleta

23/03/1839 The initials "O.K." appear in The Boston Morning Post and was meant as an abbreviation for "oll correct," a popular slang spelling of "all correct" at the time. Now it's one of the most recognised words in the world.

Valencia Fallas timetable 2012

15/03 (Thursday)

18/03 (Sunday)

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).

11am Homage to poet Maximiliano Thous, at his monument at C/ Sagunto & C/ Maximiliano Thous.

Midday Homage to the Maestro Serrano, at his monument in Av. Reino de Valencia.

3.30pm-midnight 2nd day of the Flower Offering as 17/03.

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

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 - midnight 1st day of the Flower Offering to our Lady of the Forsaken (Virgen de los Desamparados). C/ la Paz and C/ San Vicente. Unmissable! Pl. de la Virgen 1am Fireworks on the 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 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 fireworks in Pl. Porta de la Mar. 10pm Cremà - burning of the Children's Fallas.

10.30pm Cremà - winning Children's Fallas.

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

Midnight Cremà - all remaining Fallas.

12.30am Cremà - winning adult Falla.

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

The dates & times are correct at time of print. Check the official sites for changes. www.fallas.com & www.fallasfromvalencia.com 24/03/1989 Exxon Valdez crashes off Alaska spilling 11m gallons of oil. The convicted Captain (who was drinking) was given 1000 hrs community service which was over-ruled when a clause was invoked for immunity for those who report an oil spill.

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Expat life | Can you keep a secret?

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alencia’s once famed live music scene has faded greatly in recent years. Successive government policies favouring big events over grassroots culture has manifested itself in restrictive licensing laws, which have greatly reduced the scope for upand-coming groups to play. There is, however, a strong community of bands, musicians and promoters - not to mention fans – who are using ever more creative methods to keep live music alive & vibrant in Valencia.

The most recent evidence of this is The Secret Corners promotion. Spearheaded by local group Emma Get Wild ahead of the release of their new album Dark Stories from the Secret Corner, the tour is inspired by the success of Secret Cinema in London.

The itinerary of the tour is not advertised ahead of time, like it says … it’s a secret. Once registered at the website www.thesecretcorners.com you receive an email a few days before each gig and then a text on the day providing the time, address and a password. The gigs are held at small, diverse locations around Valencia and entrance is free or very cheap.

Isabel Castro, lead singer with Emma Get Wild, says, "It’s very difficult to get good venues to play at and the few medium to large size venues are so expensive as to make it prohibitive. So, I guess this was born of necessity in a way, but it’s also a celebration of the underground scene here."

There is a different limited edition EP available at each gig for just five euros. Each includes an album track and two B-sides and you get a local beer thrown in for free too. Some of the band members and promoters are also involved in film making and use a state-of-the-art, 360-degree video camera atop an iPhone at each gig.

When posted on Facebook, the viewer can click and drag to get a full, 360-degree interactive experience of the song and the concert. The latest Red Hot Chili Pepper video Look around uses a similar idea if on a slightly bigger budget.

Musician Alex Hernandez Esteban was at the first Secret Corners gig at Rockville in Juan Llorens. "I love the feeling of going to a show not everybody knows about. It makes it kind of clandestine but charming at the same time.

Before now, you couldn't even imagine something like this happening in Valencia."

The promotion is unusually creative and very slick but would ring hollow if the music weren't good enough to match it. There are no worries on that score, Emma Get Wild are one of the most accomplished, interesting acts around.

They vary their set list from week to week, showcasing material from their last album Heavenly Creatures as well as Dark Stories from the Secret Corner. Most recently, they have dropped in the occasional gem of a cover, including haunting versions of Nick Cave’s, Loom of the Land and Nine Inch Nails', Hurt.

Just remember … It’s a secret!

Eoghan Ryan

25/03/2001 Quirky Icelandic singer Bjork decides the classic little black dress isn't for her and instead chooses to attend the 2001 Oscar ceremony in what looked like a hollowed out giant swan.

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

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ast month I was up bright and early on a Saturday morning to catch the AVE to attend the Federación Española De Centros De Enseñanza De Idiomas (FECEI) for Teachers and Directors.

My choices of speakers at the conference were focussed mainly on Young Learners (YLs) and Teenagers although there was also a big focus on technology. The day began with a introductory talk from Carol Read, who spoke about creativity in the classroom. Carol Read was responsible for the Bugs series that I have been using in class for the last three years with my 9-12 year olds. What I took away from the talk was that the creation of an effective surprise each class makes for memorable and effective learning.

A big help for me was a talk by Steven McGuire from International House Madrid whose talk ‘Teaming the Teens’ (which I initially thought read ‘Taming the Teens') truly was an inspiration. I must admit I had lost my way since my early TEFL days and had been having a hard time with a particular class of uninterested teens up until the conference provided me with a fresh injection of enthusiasm.

My favourite tips were: one Relevance Personalise subject matter by using your own past or that of your students rather than that of an anonymous person in a book. two Opinions We forget that when teenagers give their opinions in their own language it is usually for things that they hate rather than things that they like.

Let them be negative in English!

three Grammar Recreate the grammar boxes that you find at the back of textbooks and adapt them so students glue the correct rules under the correct headings, e.g. Small Comparatives – adj. + -er + than, Big Comparatives – more + adj. + than. Simple yet effective and much less like work than when completing them with a pen.

With the help of a wonderful free application called ‘Triptico’ from www.triptico.co.uk, I found that applying the above ideas to my difficult teenage class along with this wonderfully designed (and adaptable) application I was already getting much more positive reactions from my students. The homework tip did go to the heads of some of my more eager students who did ALL THREE PAGES! Roisin O’Farrell addressed the issue of getting YLs to talk. Interesting to watch the different stages used to set up simple speaking activities with smaller children, which was done by teaching a room full of teachers how to speak Japanese. What struck me about this particular talk was the number of different ways in which we can get students to repeat vocabulary by varying activities without them getting bored.

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...

Tomarlo a mal - To take it the wrong way e.g. Ella lo tomó a mal lo que le dije.

- She took what I said the wrong way.

four Homework Probably my favourite tip for being so simple. Give teens a choice for their homework, e.g. this week do page 41, 42 or 43… You choose! Thus giving them a feeling of control over what they do. five Reading Texts Rewriting texts from books and getting students to summarise a part of the text each, and then reconstructing them in the correct order as a group.

six Interests Keep an eye out for things that teenagers enjoy and try to incorporate it into your classes, e.g. game show word games like Pasa La Palabra & Countdown are great for revising vocabulary as they are familiar and fun. seven Teams – using mini whiteboards for the teams to write on, getting them to choose a team name, etc.

The final talk by Teresa Bestwick was about ‘Techy and Non-Techy Activities for Teens.’ I particularly enjoyed her questionnaire about a YouTube music video, which I’ve found very useful for songs that students pick which have undecipherable lyrics (Sean Paul ahem).

Write comprehension questions about what students see in the video. Non-Techy activities included pen and paper versions of some of the Triptico activities, running dictations, quizzes, etc.

I always come away from these conferences pumped up only to find that I’ve lapsed back into my lazy self a few weeks later. I’ve promised myself that I would try harder this year, hoping that the long-term benefits will pay off. A great day out and a big thanks to the speakers - thanks for giving me that kick up the backside that I needed!

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

27/03/1977 After a terrorist bomb goes off at Las Palmas airport, two planes diverted to Tenerife are involved in the worst ground accident in air history when a Pan-Am collides with a KLM plane on the tarmac. 583 people die.

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Valencia Fallas map

indicates a major Fallas in Valencia.

(c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA www.openstreetmap.org/

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

17 La Galeria, C/ Baja, 38 KandABooks, C/ Tapineria, 18 Plou i fa sol, Pl. del Músico López Chavarri, 7b La Strada, C/ Quart, 17 Lenguas Vivas, C/ Palleter, 43 Il Genovino, Campoamor, 50 Rostro, Calle Quart, 13 Portland Ale House, C/ Salamanca, 10 Troppo Bene, Avda. del Puerto, 87 British Foods.es, Central Market Gusto Nuovo, Av/ Reino de Valencia, 9 Orange Language Academy, C/ Santo Domingo Savio, 68 Kiss My Feet, C/ San Valero, 1 Mad Hatter's Coffee Lounge, C/ Serrano Morales, 3 Anita Giro, Pintor Domingo, 7 Dhaba, Plz.Don Juan de Villarrasa, 6 British Council, Av. de Cataluña, 9 Taste Of America, Av Reino de Valenica, 6 Vesuvio, C/ Beato Nicolás Factor, 8

th Century. His fun u eral at the

Vatican City 6 day a s late ter was attended ed by 2 mi m ll l io ion people.

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. Here's the selection of albums that impressed us this month. If you have heard something amazing, let us know what it is, or write a review and send it to us.

Craziest Album Of The Month | Megaflow – Za! After drawing evil stares from The Tallest Man On Earth at last year’s Primavera Sound for basically drowning him out with a mad climax to their show, Za! visited Valencia last year for a guerrilla gig on an industrial estate and absolutely tore the place up. Megaflow, having been released last year, formed the backbone of both of these gigs and really is an assault on the senses. ZA! manage to fuse rock, electronic and even jazz throughout the album and a first listen may warrant a second because it does come across as incredibly chaotic. Za! is certainly a group to keep an eye out for on this year’s festival circuit.

Standout Tracks | Cassamance No. 1, Calonge Tarrassa Album By A New Arrival | Born To Die – Lana Del Rey Massive airplay and a number of covers of the single ‘Video Games’ has made for a highly awaited album release from Lana Del Rey. Her music has been labelled everything from indie pop to the aptly named ‘sadcore.’ Indeed her mellow vocals and the accompanying string arrangements are a strong feature on all of the tracks and one does get a wonderful sense of the melancholy when listening to album. That’s not to say it’s depressing, there is an upbeat feel to the album - it is pop after all - and it can sometimes feel reminiscent of Massive Attack. Del Rey has admitted to her influences ranging from Elvis to Britney Spears and even Kurt Cobain, which occasionally shine through in both sound and many popular culture references in her lyrics.

Standout Tracks | Born To Die, Off To The Races, Video Games Album To Don The Slippers To | Mr. M – Lambchop Think Burt Bacharach piano and wonderfully arranged songs sung in staccato tones and you’ve got Lambchop’s 11th (that’s right – 11th!) studio album. Add a drop of Tom Waits - those cigarettes and whisky-induced lyrics that seem to carry with them an immediate sense of loss yet have an odd beauty – and there you have Mr. M. The album immediately warrants another listen due to the actual depth and complexity of the tracks – it can even come across as boring on the first listen, but the patient music fan is duly rewarded. Such a range of styles makes it hard for the album to classify. New Folk? Folk-funk? Post country?

You can never really be sure, but it does drink from the cup of a number of different musical genres that have led some to call it “unclassifiable”.

Standout Tracks | Gone Tomorrow, Mr. Met, Gar Other releases | Pink Floyd, The Cranberries, The Stranglers, Katie Melua, Bruce Springsteen, will.i.am, Chris Brown and many, many more.

Music news| The childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in Liverpool have been awarded a Grade II heritage listing due to being ‘nationally important and of special interest'.

To celebrate what would have been Johnny Cash’s birthday, 80th artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow are to perform a one-off ‘Walk The Line’ concert in Austin, Texas on April 20.

A recent furore has been kicked up by Bobby Brown’s sister regarding the safety of Bobbi Kristina, daughter of the late Whitney Houston after suggestions that Whitney's death was not accidental.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass look keen to replicate their success as rock outfit Tenacious D with the a n n o un ce m e n t of the release of a new album called ‘Rize of the Fenix’ on May 15.

After presenting Adele with her Brit Award this year, George Michael has expressed his interest in recording a duet with the singer for a new album he is currently working on.

Ex Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has told music magazine Q that his new album ‘A & E’ will explore the ‘bleaker side of things’ rather than love and relationships.

The album is due for release on April 2.

28/03/1939 With the help of pro-Franco forces inside the city, Madrid finally falls to the Nationalists. Valencia, which had held out for close to two years surrenders the following day. The Spanish Civil War is declared over on 1 April.

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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.

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

29/5 Lenny Kravitz Velódromo Luis Puig €45-145 Time TBC www.goo.gl/mssZb 21/06 Madonna - Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi. 2nd night tickets available. €95 www.ticketmaster.es

Dub Club| Calle Jesus 91, (VLC) 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

May & June - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band play across Spain - but they're not coming to VLC! €65+ www.ticketmaster.es

Sala El Loco| C/ Erudito Orellana, 12 (VLC) 29/03 Cass McCombs. Described

by John Peel as "unobtrusively brilliant" that's good enough for us. Rock/Punk/Folk. €12/16 9.30pm 01/04 Osaka Monaurail. Japanese & funky. €18/22 9pm www.lococlub.org Sala Wah Wah| C/ Campoamor, 58 (VLC) Great venue with a lot of local and international acts visiting.

24/03 Clarisse & Limboteque. Sweet voices & jazz pop. €8 28/03 Heineken Music Selector concerts have Seattle pop experimentalists Xiu Xiu. 30/03 Covers night with AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynrd, Neil Young, Iggy Pop and Aerosmith. €2 10pm www.wahwahclub.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

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

Sala Matisse| C/ Campoamor, 60 (VLC) Lots of great local and national music from the likes of Joan Colomo 16/03 €8/10, Oso Leone 22/03 €8, Kibah 23/03 €8 and Manolo Tarancon 30/03 €8/10.

All gigs at 10.30pm www.salamatisse.es La Caverna| C/ Cuenca, 70 (VLC) A very cosy venue with mad gigs!

Sala Mirror| San Vicente Martir, 200 (VLC) Ubik| Dance music lovers and DJs. 13/04 The Wave Pictures. The Smith's influenced English rock band.

14/04 Avalanch. Heavy folk based progressive rock. Been around since 1993 and are from Asturias. www.discomirror.es

(VLC) Book readings, intercambios and music all month.

films,

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

Jimmy Glass| C/ Baja, 28 (VLC) Durango| C/ Llanterners 35, Poligono 15/03 Carlos Sarduy Contemporary Cuban La Closa (Meliana) Heavier rock club with jazz. €15 11.30pm plenty on Fris & Sats. www.durangoclub.es 19/03 Eli Degibri Quartet €16 9.30pm 27/03 Eri Yamamoto US based Japanese jazz Rock City| Tavernes Blancas. €12 9.30pm www.jimmyglassjazz.net Closed between 15th-20th March for a break but then returns with its usual heavy guitar Black Note Valencia| Calle Polo y music including a Motörhead tribute night Peyrolon, 15 (VLC) Jazz, blues, r&b, soul, 24/03 www.valenciarockcity.com funk, acid jazz, swing and latino sounds.

Monday nights are Jam sessions, Tuesdays Music Box| C/ Pintor Zariñera, 16 (VLC) & are house band 2 Animales with their Radio City| C/ Santa Teresa 19 (VLC) Open blues/acoustic rock sounds, Wednesday daily with visiting DJs and Tuesdays offer nights are reggae nights. 23/03 Big Hollers live flamenco music at Radio City 11pm €7 (blues), 24/03 The Blisters (Beatles tribute), w. free drink.

Gnaposs (rock) €8 and 31/03 La Mafia www.myspace.com/themusicboxclub & Blues Band. www.blacknoteclub.com www.radiocityvalencia.com

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

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

Festival information Low Cost Festival| Alicante 27-29/7 €50, VIP €125 Kasabian, Suede. www.lowcostfestival.es Benicassim| 12-15/7 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 Fatboy Slim, The Roots, Friendly Fires, Deadmau5, Hot Chip, Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier and many more. €155 www.sonar.es BBK Live| Bilbao 12-14/07 Radiohead, The Cure, Klaxons & Snow Patrol. 3 day incl camping. €105 Primavera Sound| Barcelona 30/53/6 Bjork, Death Cab For Cutie, Rufus Wainwright, Justice, The Cure, Beirut, Wilco & Franz Ferdinand. €175 www.primaverasound.com Arenal sound| Burriana 2-5/8 Two Door Cinema Club, The Kaiser Chiefs, Love of Lesbian & The Wombats. €30 www.arenalsound.com Azkena Music Festival| Bilbao 23-25/06 Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynrd, Blue Oyster Cult, The Dropkick Murphy's. €102 Rototom Sunsplash| Benicassim 16-22/08 €60/2 days or €150 for full week. www.rototom.com

29/03/1971 Cult leader Charles Manson is convicted of the murder of 7 people and an unborn child and is sentenced to death in LA. Later this is commuted to life imprisonment.

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Sport

© Valencia Basket

Intermediate

© Lazaro de la Peña/VCF

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alencia Basketball Club| Valencia Basket face off against KK Buducnost from Montenegro on 20 and 27 March to try to reach the semi-final and final of the EuroCup in Khimki, Russia on 14-15 April. www.valenciabasket.com Valencia Basketball Club fixtures| *Dates to be confirmed 17 or 18/03 Assignia Manresa - Valencia Basket * 20/03 KK Buducnost v Valencia Basket 24 or 25/03 Valencia Basket v UCAM Murcia * 27/03 Valencia Basket v KK Buducnost 31/03 or 01/04 FC Barcelona Regal v Valencia Basket * 07 or 08/04 Valencia Basket v FIATC Mutua Joventut 14 or 15/04 Baloncesto Fuenlabrada v Valencia Basket * Euro Cup Finals : Semis 14/04, Final 15/04

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an Vicent Gaelic Football Club | The new season started with the opening tournament of the year in Seville. Valencia Ladies just lost out in the final to the hosts after they had won for the first time ever against Madrid Ladies. Valencia's Niamh Flynn was outstanding and won the tournament's most valuable player award.

The men also put up some good displays against some really strong teams but came home losing three and winning one. If you want to give Gaelic Football a go, head to the new training facilities at Polideportivo Quartre Carreres on Sundays.

Facebook Page at 'Sant Vicent - Valencia GAA'.

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ootball tickets| After winning the first leg 4-2 at Mestalla Valencia are in good shape to outsmart Holland's PSV Eindhoven to reach the last 8 of this year's Europa League. The quarter finals take place on 29/3 & 5/4.

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| 15/03 Valencia CF v PSV Eindhoven 18/03 Athletic Club v Valencia CF 21/03 Valencia CF v R. Zaragoza 25/03 Getafe v Valencia CF 01/04 Valencia CF v Levante UD 08/04 Real Madrid v Valencia CF 11/04 Valencia CF v Rayo Vallecano 15/04 Espanyol v Valencia CF Levante fixtures| All games - La Liga ** 18/03 Levante UD v Villarreal CF 21/03 Real Sociedad v Levante UD 25/03 Levante UD v CA Osasuna 01/04 Valencia CF v Levante UD 08/04 Levante UD v Atlético 11/04 Real Sporting v Levante UD 15/04 Levante UD v FC Barcelona ** Fixture dates are not cast in stone - check local papers/ internet for more information nearer the time. ity Race | 1/04 The 8th Annual 6.5km Woman's Race (Carrera de la Mujer) will take place on 1 April with more than 9,000 runners. Register online until 29 March.

For those wishing to take part, registration must be made by 22 March, and subscription costs €7.60. www.carreradelamujer.com

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30/03/1981 John Hinckley Jr shoots Ronald Reagan. The 70 year old President managed to walk into hospital under his own steam with 3 bullet wounds including one in his lung.

Cinema

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very month inVLC brings you the best that cinema has to offer in Valencia. This month we’ve got a variety of Versión Original films for you to enjoy.

Shame | (Steve McQueen, 2011) Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan & James Badge Dale McQueen’s attempt at cowriting a film about sex addiction has received great reviews across the board and has picked up awards across the US and Europe for the performances of the actors. Brandon (Fassbender) is a handsome and successful man in his thirties compulsively on the lookout for sex.

The addiction stems from a troubled childhood that has left its mark on both him and his sister Sissy (Mulligan).

The acting is truly brilliant with both Fassbender and Mulligan on the top of their game as McQueen’s film uncovers the satisfying highs and the depressing lows of the sex addict.

A recent snub for Fassbender at the Oscars has seen McQueen lash out at US prudishness, but may well have justified earlier comments about sex still carrying a stigma.

Babel - 16:30, 18:30 & 22:45 Yelmo - 17:40, 19:45 & 21:55

My Week With Marilyn | (Simon Curtis, 2011) Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne & Kenneth Branagh Based on a single week in Marilyn Monroe’s life while she was filming The Prince & The Showgirl with Lawrence Olivier, Michelle Williams transforms into one of Hollywood’s biggest icons.

The relationship between Monroe and Olivier (Branagh) on set was apparently so tense that it was palpable due to what Olivier considered to be her ineptness as an actress.

Colin Clark (Redmayne) is a young film student who manages to get himself a job on the set in London where she will be working in order to see her – something that everyone in London is trying to do during her visit. Clark soon finds himself with his hands full as he comes face to face with the woman behind the icon with all of her desires and insecurities.

Yelmo - 17:30, 19:30 & 21:30 Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest films by liking us on Facebook.

Hugo | (Martin Scorcese, 2011) Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz & Ben Kingsley Scorcese’s foray into the wonderful and popular word of 3D has resulted in five Oscar wins out of eleven nominations. Granted the wins have almost all been for technical aspects of the film and this has led many to argue that this family film is all style and no substance.

Hugo is an orphan living at a train station in 1930s France fixing clocks and other gadgets to pass the time. All that Hugo has to remind him of his father is an automaton that does not work because its heartshaped key is missing. Cue the ensuing adventure to find the key and get it working again.

All in all it’s an enjoyable film although not what you would normally expect from Scorcese. Good family fun and a true spectacle to see on the big screen, especially in 3D.

Young Adult | (Jason Reitman, 2011) Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson & Patton Oswalt After success directing the American version of The Office and two indie hits under his belt (Juno, 2007 & Up In The Air, 2009), Reitman teams up with Theron in what promises to be another favourite on the indie circuit.

Mavis (Theron) is a recently divorced fiction writer who returns to her hometown Mercury in order to get back with an old flame.

Unfortunately for her, Buddy (Wilson) is married and has recently become a father, but this does not seem to deter Mavis. Theron manages to play the ‘girl that everyone hated at high school’ a little too well and there are Office-like moments of watching through your fingers as Mavis tries to wriggle her way back into Buddy’s life.

Yelmo - 17:30 & 19:30

Yelmo: 2D 17:15, 22:15 – 3D 19:45

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

31/03/1889 The Eiffel Tower opens to the public. For 41 years it was the world's tallest man made structure however it was almost demolished in 1909 only being saved due to its value as a radio antenna.

First certificate

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Read me | J.G. Ballard

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ocaine Nights - There is a nightmarish quality to the work of J.G. Ballard who died in 2009. After reading a touching autobiography recently made available for a mere £1 by the good people at The Times & Waterstones, I was keen to explore some more of his work as I had already foolishly started The Atrocity Exhibition (1969), which left me perplexed by its abstract structure.

Intrigued by its connection with Spain, the expat community living on the Costa del Sol where Ballard moved after the tragically premature death of his wife, I picked up Cocaine Nights (1996) and dove straight in. Thankfully Ballard had returned to the more conventional chapter-bychapter structure and linear plot.

shy away from themes and ideas that many a timid author might fear to confront. You only have to look at David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996) and the controversy that surrounded its release (it was banned by Westminster Council effectively meaning it could only be shown in the West End of London) to witness this. J.G. Ballard’s work and indeed his life have been surrounded by controversy.

The story is about Charles Prentice who arrives in the fictional Estrella del Mar, where his brother Frank has been convicted of a murder. Charles arrives at the prison where Frank is held only to find that Frank has pleaded guilty to the crime. What follows is Charles’ own investigation into what happened only to find himself amidst the dark and dreadful goings on that lurk behind the apparently idyllic resort community of expats. Charles gets to know the resort and its inhabitants that frequent the legendary Club Nautico, but it’s his eventual friendship with the local tennis pro Bobby Crawford that draws him into the criminal underworld that goes hand in hand with the resort’s success. Will Charles survive his union with the enigmatic and charming Crawford to rescue his brother Frank? Or, will he be seduced by the same man who he believes Frank to be covering for?

The book is accessible and is structured like any other traditional detective novel. Granted the novelty being here that the book is based on a fictional expat community in Spain. What interests Ballard are the lives of people who have left their native country upon their early retirement and effectively resigned themselves to a life ‘imprisoned’ on huge resorts with huge satellite televisions and no contact with the outside world.

Bobby Crawford’s life mission is to free these people from this ‘death’ that they have willfully chosen without realizing it. He hopes to disrupt their boring everyday lives through a series of crimes that will make them feel fear and thus awaken them and deliver them back into a life bursting with activity.

Ballard’s obsession with the advancement of technology and its consequences on warping our reality was something that he did indeed explore in The Atrocity Exhibition in more detail, but traces of this still remain in Cocaine Nights. It is a recurrent theme throughout his body of work.

First of all this novel is not for the faint-hearted and you should be warned that Ballard is well known for his graphic prose and risqué ideas. The novel is peppered with drug use, pornography and masochistic violence. Ballard’s novels are bleak and dystopian – the term ‘Ballardian’ is an accepted term for this in the Collins Dictionary. He has never been one to

A follow up book called Super-Cannes was released in 2000 and deals with the isolated rich expats on the French Riviera. It’ll definitely be on my ‘to read’ list in the near future. Cocaine Nights is not to be missed whether you enjoy fiction or are just interested in reading Ballard’s disturbing take on the expat experience. You won’t be disappointed.

In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom.

J.G. Ballard

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 01/04/1989 Burger King announces the arrival of its latest burger creation - The Left-Handed Whopper.

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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 Meagan!

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 'reflection’. Look forward to seeing your pictures. invlceditor@gmail.com

Steven Sandells | Long Finger, Long Goatie, Loooong Lunchbreak...at Bar b Cuties

David Cross | The long road ahead

Doug & Lynne Ross | A line of Valencian bubbly

Katy Mann | Short and long

Meagan O'Leary | Long jump in the Uyuni Saltflats Saltflats 26/03/2001 A crisis is averted at the Oscars after 55 of the golden statues are stolen from a loading dock in Los Angeles but are then found by a scrap buyer. 3 remained missing of which one turned up at a drugs bust in Florida in 2003.

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Green living | Crisis in education

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n February there was a lot of action, to say the least, in Valencia on the education front. Front is not a bad word to use as on many occasions it seemed to be a battlefield and the truth as usual being the first casualty in the propaganda war. One side was defending the present education system, opposing the cuts introduced by the government while the other side believed in the necessity of balancing the books and it appears never the twain shall meet.

It's the opinion of many that the way we educate our young is critical to how our society will be in the future.

Some people believe that the centre of any system is the individual and the individual has the freedom to choose within whatever system exists. They think that each individual's creativity, talents and capacities should be promoted and encouraged. There should be no pressure to achieve anything, each should be given the time and space to achieve what they want to in their lives and it's only in this way that we might redress the imbalances in society.

I appreciate that those who are defending the present system from the cuts believe that they are protecting the young people of today and those generations still to come.

But we should beware trying to maintain something just because the devil we know is better than one we don't.

In Ivan Illich's 1971 book Deschooling Society, he describes how damaging the education system is. He believed that our system doesn't produce creative, independent thinking individuals, but instead puppets and robots. We can see this in the police (lately on the streets of Valencia more than anywhere else), the army ("Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die" Alfred Lord Tennyson), large corporations, government employees, politicians, etc.

A little goes a long way What| Hang your clothes out on the line.

Why| You like your clothes to smell nice.

Why not| It might rain!

Benefits| Your clothes smell fresh and you don't waste electricity: saving both money and the environment.

The majority of school systems we inflict on our children are mind numbingly boring and go against all creativity. It doesn't take into account the individual's needs, desires or speed of learning. As Albert Einstein said "It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry". It is totally unnatural to keep children sitting at desks 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and then to make them do 1 or 2 hours of homework at night.

My sister works as a special needs assistant in a primary school in Ireland and she told me that the main instruction the teacher gives to the young boys and girls is "sit down and shut up". These instructions will be repeated over and over until the child has fully complied.

One could question the opinion that children don't really know what's good for them. Adults and parents have the responsibility to take care of the physical welfare of their children but as Kahil Gibran wrote in The Prophet "They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts". Children know what they want, what they like, what they want to do and within the limits of their own physical safety and respect for others I believe they should be allowed to do it. The human race needs a school system to provide us with happy, creative, independent thinkers to solve our greatest challenges, and it is this we should all strive for.

Declan Lehane

03/04/1978 Woody Allen's Annie Hall beats Star Wars to Best Picture at the Oscars. He also won the Best Director Oscar making him the first director to win the award starring in his own film.

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ot a very Spanish thing, flapjacks. But these could become very Spanish indeed as all the ingredients are from here and by the response I got from my Spanish friends, they might just get as popular in Spain as they are in Britain!

As a Dutch cook I had never really heard of flapjacks until a recent job in an English owned rockclimbers hostel in Finestrat (near Alicante). One of the guests in the hostel, Kathy, put in a special request. She loves sweet things but can’t eat gluten*. She gave me the basics of the recipe (oats, butter and maple syrup) and after altering things a bit my 'Flapkathys' were born.

Flapjacks are dead easy to make, but NOT burning them is quite difficult. My Spanish gas oven only heats up from below and the grill isn't very good either. After some disappointing experiences I learned that the trick to make both sides golden but not brown or black is to first bake the flapjacks for about 10 minutes on a low heat (150˚ Celsius max) and then finish it off with a few minutes under the grill for the top part. As long as you keep checking, you should experiment with what works with your own oven.

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What to buy| (Makes 24-ish) +/- 400g Oats (copas de avena) +/- 200g Unsalted butter +/- 200g Honey 2/3 Loaf of pan de dátiles, sliced into really small bits (or about one cup of sliced dried dates and figs) +/- 3 tablespoons of raisins +/- One tablespoon of crushed almonds and/or hazelnuts 2 sachets or 1 heaped spoon of vanilla sugar Baking paper

Wow Factor| Absolutely more-ish!

Effort| Easy but don't burn them!

* There is some debate about coeliacs and people with gluten intolerances being able to eat oats. Generally non-contaminated oats don't contain the proteins (glutens) which cause problems. However it does contain Avenin which can cause some problems in a minority of people. If you suffer from gluten intolerances, consider your options.

How to make it| one Cut the fruit into really small bits. two Melt the butter in the microwave. three Mix in the oats with a fork. four Add all the other ingredients. five Cover an oven tray with baking paper. six Spread the mix on the tray, making sure it's all even and just under 1 cm thick. seven Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes on about 150 ˚ Celsius (or 10 minutes oven + a few minutes under the grill). eight Cool for about 30 minutes to let the flapjacks firm up. nine Slice into little bits and enjoy!

Marina

www.cantinamarinacatering.blogspot.com Pan de dátiles This 'bread of dates' is a Christmas speciality in Spain but tastes good all year round, just as pan de higos (figs) does.

It consists of dried and tightly pressed together fruit, some nuts and a pinch of cinnamon.

Absolutely gorgeous on its own, with port and cheese or in cakes & fruit breads.

04/041968 James Earl Ray shoots and kills Dr Martin Luther King in Memphis. Despite evidence pointing to the fact that this was a paid for assassination no public enquiry was ever held.

First certificate

Recipe | Flapjacks

Artist of the month|

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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| location| Montserrat what's available| Original pieces of painted art, created especially on commission, depending on the client.

Style| Chinese, Japanese, psychedelic, realistic and spiritualistic.

Inuences| Natural materials are used and inspiration is looked for in nature.

Prices| The price of each piece depends on the materials needed, time required and the artwork.

Contact Attila directly for quotes.

Email| szucs.attila8@gmail.com

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

Like 'inVLC' on Facebook for more art to see

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I

t is one thing to photograph people. It is another to make others care about them by revealing the core of their humanness." (Paul Strand)

The Avant-Garden of Eden (IVAM until 6th May) How perilous is it to step away from the familiar, the acceptable and into the new? How artistically lucrative can experimental work be? How are those risks measured, those dangers overcome? Certainly, photographer Joaquin Blez seemed to know. His groundbreaking work in what was then an artistic field still in the flushes of youth caused a sensation so powerful that a whole generation of Cuban photographers, including José Manuel Acosta, rose up around him like roses around a vine. Avant-Garde Photography in Cuba hosts a phenomenal collection of works by both Blez and Acosta and their fervent disciples, and shows (beyond anything previously felt) the stimulating passion for this medium through countless compositions, subjects, techniques and styles.

Indeed, Blez’s offering of the 1920s artistic nude is nothing short of reverential. Beautiful women with beautiful bodies are bequeathed with neither apologies nor lubricious overtones and exemplify all that is good and great in both women and those who choose to present their beauty.

Captured on silver gelatine plates and laid onto thick grainy paper, the scenes of rural life are equally exquisite and make me think of Turner and how he may have shot the very same scenes had he a camera to hand.

And to add to the diversity? Propellers and sailors and girls in white dresses; soft moons and sand dunes and sad shepherdesses; beehives and sharp knives and peasants like kings - these are a few of my favourite things.

IVAM, C/ Quevado, Guillem de Castro 118 | 96 386 30 00 Tues-Sun: 10am-8pm | www.ivam.es | Free!

The Naked Truth (Sala la Gallera until 29th April) When asked by a language student, “What’s the difference between ‘naked’ and ‘nude’?” I thought for a moment and then offered my conclusion: ‘Nude’ conveys intention; ‘naked’ is just a fact. A newborn baby is naked - as is a toddler playing in the sand, and on getting out of bed after a long, hot August night we are merely unclothed; simply bare. Similarly, Julia Galan’s photographic installation, Acha, differentiates between the objective and the subjective and condemns both the obvious and covert ways in which female violation is relentlessly encouraged by society, religion, tradition and culture to the detriment of women the world over.

On entering the exhibition, six huge projections of naked women stand like sentinels, guarding against injustice and proclaiming the illogicality and horror of the gratuitous violation of the female body. Her frightening account depicts a modern world guilty of both colluding with the commoditisation of women and of being complicit and/or ambivalent in the face of their trampled rights. An integral series of mutilated flowers adds to the revulsion, representing what is done to women and, equally, what women elect to do to themselves in the name of beauty.

This is not a ‘nice’ exhibition – neither pretty nor painless. But then neither is the violation of women. After all, is it not the bitterest pill swallowed that does the most good and which cures the worst sickness?

ML Sala la Gallera | C/ Aluders 7, Valencia | 963 517 269 | Tue-Fri 5pm-8pm Sat 11am-1pm, 5pm-8pm | Free!

05/041994 Kurt Cobain's life ends with a single shotgun blast. His body was found 3 days later along with a suicide note which included the Neil Young lyric "better to burn out than to fade away".

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Art to see

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Flaming cocktails

T

he ground is positively sizzling with the heat of the fireworks and the scorching of the Fallas. And we're so inspired by the flames that we looked for the best of the fiery drinks to help your evenings go with a bang!

*Tip| Some like to drink cocktails while alight, but we recommend blowing out the flame before drinking!

one The Flaming B-52 1/3 shot Kahlua 1/3 shot Irish Cream 1/3 shot Grand Marnier/ Cointreau Couple of drops of the strongest rum you can find.

Fill a shot glass 1/3 full of Kahlua.

Layer the Irish Cream on top by pouring it onto the back of the spoon held against the rim of the glass.

Layer the Grand Marnier the same way.

Add a very thin layer of the rum and then light it!

Drink by blowing out the flame and sucking it down with a long straw.

Serves 1 Serve in a shot glass.

two Flaming Lamborghini 3cl Kahlua 3cl Sambuca 3cl Blue Curacao 3cl Bailey’s Irish Cream Pour Sambuca & Kahlua into a cocktail glass.

Give the drinker(s) a straw.

Pour Bailey’s & Blue Curacao into two separate shot glasses on either side of the cocktail glass.

Set the concoction ablaze.

Blow out the flame and start to drink through the straw.

(It should be drank in one suck).

Once the glass is almost empty, pour the Bailey’s and Blue Curacao into the cocktail glass and keep drinking till it’s all gone!

Serves 1 Serve in cocktail & shot glasses.

three Flaming Dr. Pepper ¾ shot Amaretto ½ glass of beer ¼ shot of the strongest rum you can find.

Fill the shot glass about ¾ full with Amaretto and top it off with enough rum to make it burn.

Put the shot glass in a pint glass or beer mug and fill the glass with beer (right up to the level of the shot glass).

Light the Amaretto/rum and let it burn a while.

Blow it out and drink it down.

Tastes just like Dr. Pepper!

Serves 1 Serve in a shot glass.

A day in the life in VLC| Kristina Gangfløt

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L

iving in Valencia and the Community is surprising, varied and exciting and everyone sees something different. 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, Kristina Gangfløt shows us her Saturday. Contact us if you want to have a go - invlceditor@gmail.com.

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06/04/1895 Oscar Wilde is arrested and sentenced to two years hard labour for the crime of homosexuality. It was brought against him by the Marquess of Queensberry whose son he had been having an affair with.

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Animals| Shiny sheep and killer bees

C

ounting sheep became a matter of global importance in 2007, when a climate-science website announced that global warming was not caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere but that an ongoing decline in New Zealand's sheep population was responsible.

Scientist Ewe Noh-Watt of the New Zealand Institute of Veterinary Climatology said the country's once large numbers of white sheep contributed to the planet's temperature stability by reflecting sunlight back into space.

Without vast herds of reflective sheep, the sunlight would stay trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

The report went on to say that the sheep decline could lead to a destabilising counter-measure "As and climate gets warmer, there is less demand ar," thus for wool sweaters and woolly underwea underwear," m. heightening the problem. n Elsewhere, Operation Killer Bees in 1994 saw residents of Arizona find yellow flyers in their neighbourhoods warning ack them of a killer bee attack in progress. The posterss oors told people to stay indoors while widespread aeriall spraying attempted to vanquish a marauding killer bee population. The bottom of the flier also listed an official government agency, the Arizona Pest Removal Information Line (For Outside Operations Listings)—or APRIL FOOL. Yes now you've got it. This month's column celebrates the use of animals in famous pranks. A common custom in the English speaking world when people play tricks on each other of which the most famous day is April 1st - April Fool's Day. The tricks can be fun or have more of a dark edge to them. I can't imagine too many Arizonian folks were laughing after a day trapped inside their house especially as there were worries about real killer bee attacks in that area around that time.

Foster/ permanent homes URGENTLY required Name| Little Chico Age| 5 years Size| Small Personality| Loves everybody incl. dogs & cats Appearance| Terrier type Health| Vaccinated, sterilized, blood tested, microchipped, castrated.

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

One of the t supposed greatest pranks of the 20th centu century the Loch Ness monster legend is said to da date back more than 1,400 years, when St. Columba Colum encountered a strange water beast in Sc Scotland.

TThe beast then kept a low profile until 1933 1933, when a new road made the loch more e accessible and a gave clear views from iits northern sshore. A flood of reported sighting sightings soon followed.

That same year saw the pu publication of the most famous picture of Nessie, with its neck and head rising from the loch's murky waters. Taken by Colonel Robert Wilson, the monster became an overnight sensation.

In 1994 Wilson's photograph made the front pages again. An associate of Wilson's named Christian Spurling confessed shortly before his death that the grainy, black-and-white image actually showed a piece of plastic attached to a toy submarine. Still it won't stop tourists trying to catch a sight of it for years to come.

07/04/1994 Rwandan armed forces kill 10 Belgian peacekeeping officers in an effort to discourage international intervention in the country. It works and as a result 800,000 Tutsis were dead in just 100 days.

Events & Classifieds

Rastros | Montroy | 1 Apr 6 May (1st Sun monthly)| Calle La Pau, 625 674 906 Sagrario Masia | 24 Mar 21 Apr (3rd Sat monthly * Note day change!) | Mas Pavia Restaurante, nr Monserrat. Eng 625819734/ Spa 616399372, sparklesinsunshine@gmail.com.

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Lliria | 14 Apr (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

IWC| Monthly coffee mornings. An independent organisation offering: Support, Friendship, networking... 5 April, 3 May. HIPERCOR - C.Comercial Ademuz, Av. Pio XII, 51 VLC, top floor restaurant. www.iwc-valencia.ning.com 2nd Friday lunch| 13 April 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.

Room available from 21 March | City centre, double bed, spacious flat with bathroom, 2nd toilet, office space, kitchen. 200€ a month plus bills. Call for viewing 633 822 614.

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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