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Love is in the air!

WITH | A bubbling battle with Champagne v. Cava | Fiesta info | the best of Valencia & the Community | independent reviews | ÂĄaprende inglĂŠs con nosotros!

When you ďŹ nish with your inVLC... pass it on to a friend!

inVLC on... ...Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun...

What a summer! We've been to festivals, ferias, watched the football and been delighted by the London Olympic games. It felt like the heat was never going to end, but here we are...back in September, and ready for school, teaching, and the slow stretch back to manageable temperatures.

This month we cover the summer festivals, to remind those of you who went how fun it was, and for those who didn't go, to give a taste of what you missed so you can start planning for next year.

It's back to school for many of us, students and teachers alike. For the English learners we offer you interesting new phrases and words as we break down our articles into language levels to help you learn. For the teachers we offer you some new tips and ideas to try in your classes.

Valencia and the Community is rich with beautiful places to see and do: there are often so many things happening, and you just have to know where to go in order to be in the right place. This month we recommend you take a day trip to the beautiful sun spot in Ontinyent, once you see the pictures, you'll be there in a flash.

Everything else is stuffed in here too, with live music, albums, news, sport and activities to keep you entertained. 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.

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 & Sara 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

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The latest Love is News keeping you up-to-date in the air!

Hotspots Free in Valencia is giving sweets Holidays and fiestas is loving I heart Valencia is bubbling Independent review Momofoku Festival the highlights A day in the life cor! it's us!

Let's talk Talking teaching is back to school Art & culture Map never get lost Music hot new musical releases Live events only the best make it to the list Sport hot news Your photos of water Read me Sean loves his books Cinema V.O releases in Valencia Lifestyle Green Declan looking at energy Recipe is using up the old Health looks at relaxing Artist of the month Cheryl Morton Cocktails are peachy like us Expat Eoghan goes walking Animal is celebrating World Animal day Events & Classifieds keeps you in the know

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We also restart with our usual independent review, a place that we have tried, tested and adored.

This month we hit the very sweet bar Momofoku and sample their great snacks and cool drinks.

Intermediate

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WITH | A bubbling battle with Champagne v. Cava | Fiesta info | the best of Valencia & the Community | independent reviews | ¡aprende inglés con nosotros!

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.

15/09/1835 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin, reaches the Galápagos Islands. At that time they had English names, as they had been first charted by English buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684 who named them after some of his fellow pirates.

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ew fines| Street workers and their clients are to be given spot fines if new legislation goes through as planned next month.

Miguel Domínguez, the civil safety and protection councilor has said that the legislation will arrive next month whether the opposition likes it or not.

He claims that this will result in more local police on the streets and follows similar measures in Barcelona. In Barcelona fines between €1000 and €3000 are now in place with the lower end of the scale used for solicitation while the higher end of the fines will be reserved for paid sexual encounters taking place within 200m of schools.

It is highly likely that the Valencia legislation will be along similar lines.

The council are also aiming to get the people off the streets who say they will look after your car in exchange for money.

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ullfighting| Bullfighting has returned to national TV after a six year hiatus. The first fight to be screened was from the bullring in Valladolid and unsurprisingly has caused mixed and highly charged emotions across the country. PM Rajoy is a keen proponent of the old Spanish tradition and his Popular Party paved the way for its return when they approved a new board for TVE shortly after coming to power.

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orking life | A new report from Valencia Community regional job centre (SERVEF) has found that 43% of people out of work are now receiving nothing from the Government in terms of financial help. Equally frightening is that the report found that 26.3% of the population are believed to be living under the poverty line. This has been exacerbated by the tightening of the criteria for eligibility for the €400 monthly benefit for those whose unemployment entitlement has run out.

ailout| Despite requesting €3.5 billion to shore up its finances just a few months ago, the Valencia council has gone back to Madrid once again with its cap in hand looking for another €1 billion which takes the total bail out requested to €4.5 billion. The request has come as the Community tries to meet its financial obligations.

16/09/1920 A bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City – 38 are killed and 400 injured.

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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| taking a day trip. Now we're back to work, the weekends are perfect for short trips by bike or car to the stunning spots around the county. Check out the rock pools of Pou Clar in Ontinyent. www.minube.com/tag/rios-valencia-z1033.

2| getting in touch with friends and family, both locally and far away. It's very easy to lose touch with people, and when times are tight not everyone is out and about. But make a few homemade cocktails and sit on the balcony and enjoy each others company. See page 28.

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3| going marzipan shopping. Sounds odd? For St. Dyonisius the locals give their loved one some phallic marzipan. Check out page 6 for more information.

Marzipan has long been a delicacy for our taste buds, with references dating back over 1000 years in numerous books and poems. It's primarily made from sugar and ground sweet almonds.

The origins are in dispute, with tales from Persia and the Moorish inuence in Spain. It's now embedded into many traditions - from weddings (UK) to lovers day (Spain) to Christmas (Germany) and Passover (Iran) and In Spain it was given as an aphrodisiac.

17/09/1859 Joshua A. Norton declares himself "Emperor Norton I" of the United States. Considered mad, his inuence only extended to good humoured friends but his character has been immortalized by Mark Twain & Robert Louis Stevenson.

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Holidays and parties

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alencia is busy preparing itself for the big national and local holidays which take place in October. Get out and enjoy the celebrations with the locals and your friends.

9 October - St. Dyonisius A day of love and passion.

Men offer their female favourites (including their mothers) a Mocadorà (a traditionally silk handkerchief with a marzipan fruit or vegetable-shaped sweet (Piuletes and Tronadors) tied inside). The tradition is to keep the handkerchief after devouring the tasty & occasionally phallic treat.

7- 9 October National Day of Valencia A full day of excitement, costumes and marching.

It celebrates the entry of Jaume I into the city.

9th - 11.30am Plaza Ayuntamiento.

Speeches, Anthem, and the ceremonial lowering of the flag.

A procession to the statue of Jaume II in el Jardin del Parterre stopping at the Cathedral for 'Te Deum' (a hymn of praise).

The flag will then be taken to the History Museum, and a mascletà will take place in Plaza Ayuntamiento.

4pm Plaza de la Virgen, traditional dancing.

5pm Plaza de Ayuntamiento, Moors & Christians procession, from Calle Paz to Pl/ Ayuntamiento to Marqués de Sotelo followed by a ©TVCB, Valencia mascletà. www.turisvalencia.es

In the community & neighbouring towns As always the Valencian If you would like to find Community of Alicante, out where the fiestas are, Castellon and Valencia is check out www.docv.gva. filled to the brim with local es/datos/2011/12/28/ celebrations and parties. pdf/2011_13102.pdf and

12 October National Day National of Spain holidays mean & Day of fewer buses, and Armed most shops, banks Forces & supermarkets These close. are mostly celebrated in Madrid, combined together with processions with important political figures and armed forces displays.

12 October - Feast Day of Our Lady of the Pillar Mary is the Patroness of Spain.

She is called Our Lady of the Pillar as she appeared on the 2 January 40AD to James the Greater (one of the 12 apostles of Jesus) at one of his low moments.

She gave him a pillar with angels and an image of the Mother on top, and he was instructed to build a church on that spot. This church was to provide support for others who were feeling low.

save this yearly pdf which details the date and name of the festival in each town.

Remember that some towns of Alicante and Castellon are not far away for day trips and weekends away.

18/09/1870 Old Faithful Geyser is named by Henry Washburn in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. With a margin of error of 10 mins, it erupts 65 mins after an eruption lasting less than 2.5 mins or 91 mins after an eruption lasting more than 2.5 mins.

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I heart Valencia| Champagne v. Cava

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his month the team at inVLC have a bit more to celebrate than normal so with that in mind we take a look at some real sparklers and by this we don't mean diamonds. We turn the spotlight onto those two bubbly drinks which are consumed the world over in times of celebration - French Champagne and its Spanish equivalent Cava - and put them head to head in the battle for quenching your thirst. Which will come out triumphant? Find out below!

Round 1 | Origins of the name Cava in Valencian, Catalan and Castilian mean 'cave' or 'cellar'. Caves were used in the early days of Cava production for the preservation orr aging of wine. Catalan winemakers officially nguish adopted the term in 1970 to distinguish agne. their product from French Champagne.

Champagne wine takes its name from the area of north eastern France itt comes from.

Winner - Champagne - both the ubiquitous and colloquial name for sparkling wine regardless of where it is from.

Round 2 | History Wines from the Champagne region were known before medieval times, way back, it is believed, to at least the 5th century, and possibly even earlier. r.

French kings were traditionally anointed in Reims, and Champagne ne wine was served as part of their coronation. Contrary to legend and d popular belief, Dom Pérignon did not invent sparkling wine, but he did make important contributions to its production and quality.

The oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux, which was accidentally invented in 1531 by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint Hilaire.

Its pressure in a bottle led it to be called "the devil's wine" (le vin du diable), as bottles exploded or corks jolted away.

Spanish sparkling wine was first made as early as 1851 although the roots of the industry can be traced back to JJosep p Raventós' travels through Europe in the 1860s, where he was promoting the still s wines of the Codorníu Winery in Cata Catalonia. His visits to the Champagne regio region sparked interest in the potential S of a Spanish wine made using the traditional method. tradi He created his first sparkler in i 1872 after his vineyards were d devastated by the phylloxera p plague, and the predominantly re vines were being replaced by red la numbers of vines producing large w white grapes. In the past, Cava was re referred to as Spanish Champagne, w which is no longer permitted under E European Union law, as Champagne h Protected Geographical Status. has Co Colloquially it is still called champán or champaña in Spanish or xampany in Catalan.

Today it is defined by law as a Vino espumoso de calidad producido en una región determinada, that is, "quality sparkling wine produced in a designated region". Only wines produced in the traditional method (méthode champenoise) may be labelled Cavas. If produced by other processes it may only be called vinos espumosos (sparkling wines).

Winner - Champagne has been aro around forever and was the inspiration for Cava producution.

19/09/1982 Scott Fahlman sends a message inventing emoticons "I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers: :-) Read it sideways. It is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends".

Round 3 | Famous brands Catalonia is the true home of Cava with over 95% of the country's Cava being made in the region. Codorníu and the black bottle of Freixenet are probably the best known brands.

Champagne has a host of well known brands apart from Dom Perignon.

There are more than one hundred ller Champagne houses and 19,000 smaller n vignerons (vine-growing producers) in e the Champagne region. These include Bollinger, Heidsieck, Krug, Moët & Chandon and Taittinger.

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Round 5 | Affordability This is where Cava comes back into its own. Not only is Cava way cheaper than Champagne there is also a general feeling (especially amongst our friends) that Cava tastes just as good if not better at times. Mind you this may be on a cost/quantity basis! Generally speaking a bottle of Cava will set you back about €6-7 while whi a bottle of highly rated Champag Champagne such as Krug can cost over €150 and will be double that in a bar.

Winner - Cava - why have one bottle when you can have 10?

Winner - Champagne - was there ever any doubt?

Round 4 | Traditions Champagne, as a general rule, is only made from the white Chardonnay, or the dark-skinned red wine grapes of Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier grape.

Cava on the other hand can be made from the macabeu, parellada and xarel·lo grape varieties and according to Spanish law, Cava may be produced in eight wine regions: Aragón, the Basque Country, Castile and León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Navarra, Rioja and the Valencian Community. The Penedès (where the greatest amount is made) is located in Catalonia, and there is only one Castilian producer, in the town of Aranda de Duero.

OVERALL WINNER Champagne 4 - 1 Cava.

While this result is not entirely unexpected it must e be said that Cava does stands up very well to the marketing machine that is Champagne.

It is to be commended that the prices keep Cava as being the toast of choice for normal people and in this time of crisis there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Winner - Champagne - for its stricter controls.

20/09/1920 The Spanish Foreign legion is formed. Based on its French counterpart its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa in place of ineffective conscripted troops.

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I heart Valencia| Champagne v. Cava

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Learn better with the British Council

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uring the month of July, the British Council Valencia and the Aussie Surf Club ran a summer course for students aged from 7 – 14 years old in the Pobla de Farnals.

Enrique Ferrandis Navarro and Roberto Aranda Valenciano from the English on the Beach summer course interviewed their surfing teacher David Kearnan.

Where are you from?

I’m from a city called Perth in Australia.

How many years have you been a surf teacher?

Five years in Australia and three years in Spain.

Do you like this course?

I love this course! It’s fun, the kids are great and the waves are perfect for learning to surf.

Do you like Spain? And Valencia?

Spain is fantastic, I love the weather, the culture and in Valencia I love having paella every Sunday.

How many countries have you visited? Which? For you, which is the best?

Too many to count! I have lived in Japan, England, Fiji and of course Spain. I think it’s a difficult question, I love Spain but the waves are better in Fiji.

Where would you like to live? Why? On a beautiful island with perfect waves -I can’t live without waves or surfing.

Why do you like surfing?

Because I love to be in the water and share the waves with my friends.

For more information about surfing lessons, please contact David aussiesurfclub@hotmail.com

www.britishcouncil.es es

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etro is back with a vengence. The shops are filled with 20s inspired we dresses and 50s accessories, and love it back in the homes, the most unlikely of sorts are turning their hands to homemade pickles and jams.

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C/ de Cádiz, 67, Russafa, Valencia 96 328 59 79 info@momofoku.com www.momofoku.com

But what has boosted this revival of all things old?

A desire to create a sustainable world where products are not simply made and discarded? An eye on the rising price of goods compared with falling family incomes? Or a love of classic style from the past, which when nurtured and tenderly cared for, can be transformed into works of art, practical furniture, and conversation pieces.

Take for example the decor in Momofoku. The fairy lights in the window give an almost ethereal atmosphere, whilst the display of quirky coat hangers make what was once a practical object into craftmanship to be admired. Hinged shutters open onto a painted bird, and a second glance at the tables reveals that not all started their lives for this function. The completed transformations are for sale, and the owners are happy to discuss your own projects.

The space has painted walls broken up to display the rough open brickwork, curtains and netting both displaying work as well as segmenting the space into hidden areas for discreet conversations. The bar in the corner is reminiscent of a dream I once had of how the bar in my dream house would look - open and inviting with no pretensions or impositions. There are also vintage fashions on the walls for purchase, adding a further relaxed feel.

We've revisited this bar a couple of times, and found the staff to be welcoming and helpful. On the roasty nights they proactively pointed us to cooler areas of the bar to settle us in, a nicety much appreciated by the warmer blooded among us. The bar has been open for a couple of years, run

by Sergio and Martha who were very attentive, who also

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Independent review| Momofoku

created the delights on the menu. The menu prides itself on being healthy and balanced, without the sacrifice on taste. I would vouch for that. We sampled a couple of the toasties (€3.50-4), and were particularly impressed with the sobresada and goats cheese, with decent sized portions for sharing between two. Attention has been paid to the flavours, demonstrated by the morcilla and pine nuts which were delicately sweetened by the apple sauce which was particuarly moreish.

The main courses (€6.50-8) were amply sized too, with heaps of fresh crisp contrasting flavours - with an outstanding chicken salad with hints of coronation sauce spicing up the chicken perfectly offset by crunchy walnuts.

We spotted the deserts (€3.50), but were too full to try them, so we plan to return to try them on another occasion.

This is not your average bar with a calm yet fun ambience which separates it from the crowd, and food and service which keeps it head and shoulders above the norm.

21/09/1823 Joseph Smith is told the location of gold plates by the angel Moroni, which Smith obtained four years later and partially translated into English as The Book of Mormon. His church now has at least 14 million followers worldwide.

Festival | 2012 highlights

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pain's climate lends itself to ideal venues for music festivals. With lazy days spent at the beach, followed by all night international tunes with just a hint of sleep thrown in for some of the campers, it's the perfect way to enjoy some of the hotter days of the year. This year inVLC went to see what was happening down at Benicassim's international festival, and Benidorm's Low-Cost Spanish festival.

Benicassim has attracted big international artists for many years, and this year was no exception. On the line-up the music lovers were spoilt for choice with a northern England influence shining through - The Stone Roses, New Order, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, plus some amazing performances from Ed Sheeran, The Macabees, Jessie J and Bob Dylan.

This northern influence was reflected in the crowd, with many people up to see some of their local heroes on stage.

And they weren't disappointed by the passion, enthusiasm and energy.

ing their o d s r e t c a r a Local ch silent disco e h t in g in th

Jessie J mesmorised the crowd It was Noel Gallagher's 100th appearance as a single artist and he was moved to say afterwards via Twitter that it had been the best gig he had played since the break up of Oasis. The crowd certainly seemed to think so. The weekend however belonged to the Stone Roses. I imagine I shared a lot of people's pessimism that perhaps sleeping dogs should be allowed to lie but I was wrong to doubt them.

They may have had more than their fair share of dodgy reviews in the past, and lead singer Ian Brown's voice was clearly going by the penultimate song, but most people were way past caring by that stage as he and the rest of the band led a mass sing-along which no doubt left quite a few tears in the eyes of old Roses fans.

The last night was equally poignant for a different reason as New Order played a powerful set on the anniversary of the late original lead singer Ian Curtis' birthday. These three sets between them ensured that the three generations of Manchester musicians owned this year's Benicassim.

22/09/1991 The Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time by the Huntington Library. They were found between the years of 1946-56 in what is now the West Bank and are a collection of 972 texts of biblical writings.

Festival | 2012 highlights

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Benidorm Low Cost Festival has been on the go for only a few years, and is a much smaller affair than some of its neighbours. There is a definite Spanish vibe to this gig, with a good deal of thought going into the organisation.

Although it is Low-Cost (tickets cost €50), the organisers have also gone for low impact - as exemplified by the reusable cup scheme. Drinkers purchased a new plastic cup which could be attached to the body when empty, and this cup could be re-used over the entire festival. At the end of the festival drinkers gave their cup back, and received their deposit. And for those who like clean cups - you could exchange it for a clean cup whenever you wanted.

The result? No rubbish on the ground and no drinks being thrown in the crowd! Result!

La Habitación Roja

Some oldies and some newies from Noel

Kasabian rocked

But being low cost did not mean low quality music. Spanish bands rocked the place, with Bigotts bouncy guitar sing-along tunes and La Habitación Roja played all the top hits, which had the crowd joining in with them. Internationally we were treated to Suede, Placebo and Kasabian, who incidentally, were incredible. It wasn't their first time in Benidorm, but they proved themselves to be guaranteed crowd pleasers, including covers of The Korgis 'Everybody's got to learn sometime'.

d Ed Sheeran had the crow singing along.

So what's next? Well festival season in Spain is pretty much over, but tickets are already going on sale for Benicassim on their website, and we'll definitely be getting ready for next year!

23/09/1932 The Kingdom of Hejaz & Nejd is renamed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It remains the only Arab Nation to have had no national elections since its creation. No political parties are permitted either.

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A day in the life | Kelly & Andy

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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. As it is our last month, we show you our fun day out in Benidorm. Contact us if you want to have a go - invlceditor@gmail.com.

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24/09/1957 Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, capacity of 98,787, is opened in Barcelona. It is the 11th largest worldwide. For football only stadiums, the national teams of Iran, Mexico, India and North Korea have larger capacities.

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

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mixture of excitement, apprehension, nervousness, and even hope might be what you’re feeling at the prospect of the arrival of another school year. Or maybe it’s your first year teaching and these feelings are multiplied tenfold. If so, here at inVLC we have put together a list of our top ten pieces of advice for your first day and first week to help you throughout the rest of the year.

1| Establish the ground rules I cannot stress how important this is in order to maintain order in your class. Get the rules sorted out from the offset and stick to them so that there is no confusion or sense of injustice when you later go back on them. Might be an idea to use flashcards to elicit the rules or some kind of pelmanism game in order to make the rules stick.

Even get them to design something to put up in class so it is constantly available as a reminder.

2| Prepare enough material My first class ever was done in around thirty minutes, leaving the students perplexed and all of the material used up. Be aware of pacing the class. Remember! There is never such a thing as too much material.

Better to have it than be looking for it.

3| Speak slowly Very easy to speak your usual speed or even faster if your nerves have got to you a little bit. Take a deep breath and try to enunciate as well as you can, try not to use any unnecessary language when giving instructions and make sure your students are following by asking CCQs (Concept Check Questions).

5| Try to make it fun For children especially, try to make sure that they leave the class happy in the first week – your boss will be eternally grateful. Better this than have loads of students dropping out after the first week because all they did was loads of boring grammar exercises.

Most experienced teachers will not even touch the book in the first week of teaching, preferring to get to know their students instead.

6| Try not to be too strict on the 1st day This is probably the first time they’ve stepped inside a class since June. They might be from different schools, villages or even provinces and might not have seen each other for the entire summer. I try to prepare questions that they can ask each other in English rather than having them do it all in Spanish before you arrive.

If they have done this, move them around to work with a different partner then get them to tell the class a couple of interesting things.

4| Turn your phone off !

Leave it in the staff room if you don’t want to turn it off, or a locker. If someone really needs to get hold of you, they will. There is nothing worse than enforcing number 1 when you suddenly receive a phone call thus undermining your own class rules. Try to stick to them within reason, too.

That goes for eating and drinking if they are also prohibited.

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... a un tiro de piedra - a hair’s breadth away e.g. El piso que compré estaba a un tiro de piedra del mar.

The flat I bought was a hair’s breadth away from the sea.

7| Identify students that might need to be separated Read: ‘Identify the troublemakers.’

No! Simply separate restless students from other restless students, so that they can’t distract each other. I put any ‘overactive’ students right next to me in the class, so I can keep an eye on them. For younger kids, keep changing them around until you find the right dynamic. Teenagers might not be as easy to convince, give them a chance and then explain to them why if you have to move them later on. I’ve never separated adults in class, but it’s not unheard off – just tell them you want them to get to know each other.

8| Give them homework!

They will probably be expecting it anyway, so take some time to plan something into the first two classes that relates to homework you can give them, too. One experienced teacher once told me that it was the best time to set a writing task because it was the only time throughout the year that the entire class would bother to do it.

Take advantage of this. This also helps build routine into your classes (see number 1).

9| Speak English Try not to get lazy by explaining simple things in Spanish because it’s easier for them and you. It’s your job to speak English. A colleague and I have agreed that between Christmas and Easter if some students still insist on speaking Spanish then respond to them accordingly. From that point onwards, English is answered with English and Spanish with Spanish. Try to make the effort up until Christmas, though, you’ll be amazed at the results.

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 language exchanges at Portland Ale House (Tues & Weds). www.orangeidiomas.com

25/09/1929 Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight from Mitchel Field in Long Island, New York to prove that full instrument flying from take off to landing is possible. Brave man.

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Valencia map

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

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La Galeria, C/ Baja, 38 KandABooks, C/ Tapineria, 18 Liverpool, C/ Sueca, 74 La Birra de Brian, C/ Santa Rosa, 3b Lenguas Vivas, C/ Palleter, 43 Il Genovino, Campoamor, 50 El Atelier, Calle Navarra, 7 Portland Ale House, C/ Salamanca, 10 British Foods.es, Central Market Gusto Nuovo, Av/ Reino de Valencia, 9 Orange Language Academy, C/ Santo Domingo Savio, 68 14 Mad Hatter's Coffee Lounge, C/ Serrano Morales, 3 15 Anita Giro, Pintor Domingo, 7 17 British Council, Av. de Cataluña, 9 27/09/ 27 9 1905 0 Alberrt Einstein publishes his scientific pape perr "Does the Inertia pe a of a Bod dy Depend Upon Its En Ener ergy er g Content?",, which h in introduc uced the equatio on E=mc mc²² to the world.. mc

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. This month we look at what has been rocking Stuart Atkinson's boat. If you have heard something amazing, let us know what it is, or write a review and send it to us.

Album to learn to relove electronica to | Shrines - Purity Ring Canada seems to be a fertile spawning ground for exciting electronic music with recent releases by ambient genius Tim Hecker (Ravedeath, 1972) and electropop starlet Grimes (Visions) gripping listeners, and Canadian duo Purity Ring’s debut album Shrines is not one to skip over. They surely can now be added to the list of these luminaries of required listening; their haunting synth sound, lying somewhere between The Knife and Burial, is complemented by lyrical intelligence and their bizarre live show which includes lead singer Megan James playing a medieval drum and instrumentalist Corin Roddick playing with a musical instrument of their own design, looking like some kind of mutant electronic musical candelabra. Their track Fineshrines, similar to the rest of the album tracks, has the oft-missing and also wanted ability to put your hair on end and is surely one of the best songs released this year.

Standout Tracks: Finshrines, Ungirthed, Crawlersout Album to play with a good drink in your hand | Swing Lo Magellan - Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors are back with their first full-length release since 2009’s massive success Bitte Orca which spawned the indie hit 'Stillness is the Move'. Swing Lo Magellan more than stands up to their last release, being another indie treat which makes welcome detours into folk meanderings and 60s pop, made all that more spectacular by lead singer and songwriter Dave Longstreth’s extraordinary voice. The final 12 album tracks were picked from 40 demos recorded over a year and interestingly the tracks have also been used in his film High Custodian directed by Dave Longstreth, with apparent influences from Kanye West’s Runaway and Prince’s Purple Rain. At any rate, if you like folk-tinged indie, this could be your album of the year.

Standout Tracks: Offspring are Blank, The Gun has no Trigger, See what she Seeing Album to lose knowledge of which decade you are In | Confess - Twin Shadow Within 10 tracks and about an hour, George Lewis Jr aka Twin Shadow melds tinges of Gary Numan synth, the guts of Joy Division, Simple Minds guitar and Peter Gabriel evoking occasionally Morrisey-esque vocals in Confess, his second album after his 2010 debut Forget. A singular unifying effort, the young Brooklynite, originally from the Dominican Republic, confessed that he is “spelling out (his) reality as it is right now", and with this album he has effectively done this musically, by bringing together multiple influences and sounds into one of the summer's most hyped albums. His previous forays have been described as chill-wave or dream pop, but this release is purely and simply accessible pop music at its best; easy to listen to, even easier to enjoy.

Standout Tracks – 5 Seconds, Golden Light, Run My Heart Other releases | Mika, Pet Shop Boys, Go Radio, Nelly Furtado, Pink, The Killers, Michael Jackson, No Doubt, Green Day, Muse, Van Morrison and more.

News| Paul McCartney has pledged his support for Russian group Pussy Riot after their arrest and subsequent sentencing last month.

Scumbag Mark Chapman has been denied parole for the seventh time since his murder of John Lennon in November 1980.

The Vaccines have promised to ‘pump out’ albums, saying that they did not understand why it takes groups so long between new releases.

Mumford and Sons are excited about their new album ‘Bable’ (due 24 September) after astonishing success with their debut album.

Jack White & Leonard Cohen are amongst many tours whose tickets have gone on sale this week in the UK and throughout Europe.

Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill has announced the arrival of his side project Smoke & Jackal whose first EP will be out on 15 October.

28/09/935AD The date on which Good King Wenceslas of Bohemia did indeed last look out. He was murdered by and succeeded to the throne by his not so good brother Boleslav the Cruel.

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Live events

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

Sala El Loco| C/ Erudito Orellana, 12 (VLC) 15/09 Taronxa Rock Party (Crazy Nights + Los Bunkers + Knockout). €tbc 23/09 The Movement & The Fingersmiths play their sounds to the world. €tbc 27/09 Jeff Hershey & The Heartbeats. Can’t sound any worse than their name, can they? €tbc 28/09 The dreamy folk sounds of Sharon Van Etten pay us a visit. €17/ 20. 21:30 www.lococlub.org Sala Wah Wah| C/ Campoamor, 58 (VLC) Great venue only two doors across from Matisse.

21/09 Valencian group The X will be playing their mix of rock, pop, reggae and electronic music for €7. 23:00.

22/09 New American rock group The Dream Syndicate have got back together to run through some of their classics. Tickets €20/25 – available from ticketmaster.

22/11 The Chameleons post-punk sounds are coming! Get your tickets now to avoid disappointment. €20/ 23. 21:30. www.wahwahclub.com Sala Mirror| San Vicente Martir, 200 (VLC) Dance music lovers and DJs. www.discomirror.es Black Note Valencia| Calle Polo y Peyrolon, 15 (VLC) Monday nights are Jam sessions, Thursdays see Sex & Rock & Roll hit the stage (discounts on beers for €4).

15/09 Sanford Alligators – Soul in a goddamn bowl for free!

20/09 Sex & Rock & Roll – Basically replace ‘sex’ with ‘blues’ and you get a much clearer picture. €free.

21/09 Valencian born, melodic pop artist Alex Sienna will be slowly closing his fist and opening it again whilst singing his heartfelt compositions. € free.

22/09 Cristina Blasco’s Vocal Party is in town. Sweet. Lovely voice perfectly suited to jazz. Nice! €free. www.blacknoteclub.com Sala Matisse| C/ Campoamor, 60 (VLC) Cosy venue right in the heart of Valencia’s student district.

20/09 Sonny & The Sunsets have been compared to the likes of the Flying Burrito Brothers. €12/ 15. 22:00.

22/09 Devòlver & De Papas Sin De Mamas. €6. 22:30 www.salamatisse.es

Rock City| Tavernes Blancas. Rock.

22/09 Marduk Immolation & Forsaken World & Soul Sacrifice & Domains. €tbc 30/09 Tim Ripper Owens & Sandstone & Quelonio. €tbc 05/10 The Ordeal & Knock Out Kaine. €tbc 08/10 Escape With Romeo & Óscar Moncho. €tbc 10/10 Arkona & Dalriada & Darkest Era. €tbc www.valenciarockcity.com Dub Club| Calle Jesus 91, (VLC) Great place for reggae and dub surprisingly!

Be aware that the police carry out frequent raids. www.myspace.com/dubclubvalencia Jimmy Glass| C/ Baja, 28 (VLC) There's always something smooth on.

18/09 Joan Soler/ Gemma Abrié Qet. €13.

21:30 21/09 Elisabet Raspall & Chris Cheek duet. €12. 22:30.

25/09 Mark Aanderud Trio. €12. 21:30. www.jimmyglassjazz.net La Caverna| C/ Cuenca, 70 (VLC) A very cosy venue with mad gigs!

Café Mercedes| C/ Sueca, 27 (VLC) One of our favourite venues for jazz and a number of other styles of music. Jam Sessions every Sunday at 20:30 – free entry.

For details of any particular performances, keep up-to-date by checking out www.cafemercedes.es or following them on Facebook. www.cafemercedes.es El Palau de la Musica| (VLC) Great venue to see some local and international musicians of a very high standard. Visit website www.palaudevalencia.com to find out about a number of FREE gigs that take place. Beware some acts are members only. www.palaudevalencia.com Durango| C/ Llanterners 35, Poligono La Closa (Meliana) Heavier rock club with plenty on every Friday and Saturday night. Little out of town, so make sure you have made prior arrangements for getting back. www.durangoclub.es

Café del Duende| C/ Turia, 62 (VLC) Great flamenco every Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun. Check Facebook for the schedule. www.cafedelduende.com Ubik| C/ Literato Azorín, 13 (VLC) Book readings, films, intercambios and music.

Music Box| C/ Pintor Zariñera, 16 (VLC) & Radio City| C/ Santa Teresa 19 (VLC) Open daily with visiting DJs and Tuesdays offer live flamenco music at Radio City 11pm €7 with a free drink.

www.radiocityvalencia.com www.myspace.com/themusicboxclub LA3| C/ del Padre Porta, 4 (VLC) For some of the best dance music and the coolest DJs this place is a great night out. Fri & Sat nights. www.la3club.com Excuse me| C/Tomasos 14 (VLC) Two floors with a mix to keep you dancing.

15/09 Aeroplane (Eskimo-Be).

20/09 Restless Club Show Case.

28/09 Club De Perras (Plan B & Dynamo & L’Enfant Terrible) Pop Club Deluxe| C/ Poeta Mas y Ros, 42 (VLC) Intimate setting for live music.

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

Xtra Large Playground| Av Germanias 21.

New buzzing dancefloor in Ruzafa.

30/09/1955 Film star James Dean dies in a road accident aged 24. He only made three films: East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant and was nominated for top acting awards for each one.

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Sport

ot the most auspicious of starts for Valencia CF this year as they languish near the bottom of La Liga. New manager Pellegrino has his work cut out although it was not an easy start to the season with away ties against both Barcelona and Madrid. Levante have started a bit better and are mid table. Both city teams have European football this month too with Valencia in the Champions League and Levante in the Europa League. Best of luck to both.

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 | 15/09 Valencia CF v Celta Vigo 19/09 F.C. Bayern de Munich v Valencia CF 23/09 RCD Mallorca v Valencia CF 30/09 Valencia CF v Real Zaragoza 02/10 Valencia CF v LOSC Lille 07/10 Levante UD v Valencia CF Levante fixtures | 15/09 Málaga v Levante 20/09 Levante v Helsingborg 23/09 Levante v Real Sociedad 30/09 Osasuna v Levante 04/10 Hannover 96 v Levante 07/10 Levante v Valencia ** Fixture dates are not cast in stone - check local papers/internet for more information nearer the time.

© Valencia Basket

Mauricio Pellegrino © VCF

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asketball returns at the end of the month and Valencia Club de Basket will be looking to start strongly and continue their fantastic form in the second half of the last season. Some key player changes including Nando de Colo's move to the NBA may make this difficult.

Buy tickets online or at the Pabellon Fuente de San Luis on the day of the game. www.valenciabasket.com Valencia Basket fixtures | 29/09 Valencia v Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada 07/10 UCAM Murcia CB - Valencia Basket 13/10 Valencia Basket - CAI Zaragoza

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otor racing | 28-30 September Out at Cheste racetrack the Spanish leg of the German Touring Car Championships will be taking place. This exclusive format is solely for BMW, Audi and Mercedes supercars.

Tickets are very affordable with passes €5/€10 each for Friday and Saturday and €7/€12 for the race itself on Sunday. A weekend ticket costs €20/€25. This includes a paddock pass for three days allowing you to get up close and personal with the cars and teams. www.circuitvalencia.com

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ike day | 18 September The XV running of Bicycle Day and this year the theme is 'Pedal for Children'.

12-15,000 cyclists are expected to attempt the 10km ride starting at the Paseo de la Alameda at 10am which continues along Avenida del Puerto, Juan Verdaguer, Menorca, the Formula 1 circuit and Plaza de Europa.

Valencia Bicycle Day hopes to raise funds for UNICEF and is part of National Mobility Week. All ages welcome. www.valencia.es

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The year in which the first usable bike was invented in Germany. It was named the Draisine.

01/10/1975 A Thrilla in Manila as Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a Philippines boxing match. Frazier's corner threw in the towel moments before Ali said that he wanted to stop. Ali later said it was the closest to dying he had ever been.

Your photos | Water

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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 Janet!

Brendan Cassidy | Water

Harley Spencer | Reflection

WINNER!

Janet Duncan | A combination of forces Andrew Hooks | Light on water 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 'yellow’. Look forward to seeing your pictures. invlceditor@ gmail.com. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in this competition every month!

02/10/1925 John Logie Baird performs the first test of a working television system. Other less successful invention attempts

by Baird include pneumatic shoes, diamonds from graphite and a glass razor which was rust-resistant, but shattered.

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Read me | George R. R. Martin

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A Game of Thrones - Being such a huge fan of the HBO series and having spoken to a number of people who have remarked, “You mean you haven’t read the books?”

I finally got down to reading A Game of Thrones – the first book of the Fire & Ice series by George R. R. Martin.

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Apparently George R. R. Martin read about European history extensively before he wrote the novels and it shows throughout Game of Thrones. The language spoken by the characters, the characters themselves and their battles for power, the murders, the incest, the grisly battles, songs and stories are all reminiscent of those which are all too familiar. The savage north that exists beyond the great Wall, the war between different houses, the philandering King Robert Baratheon – these are not things that we are unfamiliar with historically.

An ominous beginning beyond the wall introduces us to the Starks of Winterfell: Rob Stark the eldest son, Sansa Stark the eldest daughter betrothed to the repugnant Joffrey Baratheon, tomboy Arya Stark, Bran Stark the cripple, Jon Snow – the bastard son of Eddard (Ned) Stark and Catelyn Stark – Ned’s wife. Ned’s world is turned upside down when his friend and King of the Seven Kingdoms Robert Baratheon arrives at Winterfell asking Ned to become the Hand of the King after the death of the former hand Jon Arryn. Reluctantly Ned accepts out of loyalty and friendship to King Robert, moving him away from Winterfell to King’s Landing. King Robert is in danger; Whilst the prose itself can sometimes seem his wife Cersei Lannister quite clumsy, the characterisation more and her twin brother Jaime than makes up for this as of the house Lannister may it is here where Martin’s have been responsible for strengths lie. The sheer the death of Jon Arryn and, number of colourful and at the same time, across diverse characters that the narrow sea, Viserys pepper the novel are Targaryen is planning his memorable and Martin sister Daenerys’ wedding himself is certainly no to the powerful Khal Drogo slouch when it comes – leader of the Dothraki - in to putting them through hope of claiming back the Iron Throne, which was their paces and showing taken away from his father us what they are made of.

by Robert Baratheon, Ned Whilst Martin has created Stark and the Lannisters an epic story, it is not in a bloody battle that quite up there with Lord resulted in his father’s of the Rings in terms of death along with the originality. However, you “Sleep is good, he said, majority of the Targaryen family. can’t deny its readability, which has And books are better.” seen it move up the charts since the The story is told from the point release of the television series.

George R. R. Martin of view of a number of characters involved in the action – Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Catelyn I will certainly be starting with the follow up A Clash of Kings after the success of the second series and hope to Stark, Daenerys, Bran Stark, Sansa Stark and Tyrion have the others read before the third series is filmed this Lannister 'The Imp', who proves to make up for his lack in year. Martin’s fans have become impatient with the speed height with his fantastic sense of humour and calculated at which he is writing the novels, and he has cited ‘the intelligence. The choice of narrators gives us a rounded creative process’ as his excuse. Seven novels are planned, view of the world that the author has created and allows five of which have been written. I’ll be trying to get the next us to see it from the different perspectives of books finished before the release of book six. these characters.

For information on cycling in Valencia, check the stations for Valencbisi at www.biciv.com.

And for maps on the cycle routes in the city, check www.redtransporte.com/ valencia/carril-bici/valencia.html.

Check our sport page for more information on the Day of Bicycles.

03/10/1849 Edgar Allan Poe is found in a gutter mumbling incoherently - the last time he is seen in public before his death a few days later. It is unknown how he died with many potential causes cited. A suitable end for the mystery writer.

Cinema

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adly the film festival in the park has finished, but as the weather is still toasty hot, make the most of the airconditioning at the great cinemas in and around Valencia. There are some cracking films out at the moment, which are getting some phenomenal reviews. Check them out!

Brave (Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman, 2012) Emma Thompson, Kelly McDonald & Billy Connolly The much-awaited Disney/ Pixar film sees a rather large Scottish cast used to voice the story of Merida (McDonald) – an archer/ princess who defies a custom in her kingdom that causes chaos that she must reverse.

In addition to McDonald and Connolly, Robbie Coltrane (Cracker), Kevin McKidd (Father Ted), Craig Ferguson and a number of others give the story the Celtic accent to match its Celtic setting. After success with Wall-E (2008), Toy Story 3 (2010) and the astonishing Up (2009), expect the usual visually breathtaking animation and laughs for adults and children alike.

Yelmo: 18:05

Total Recall (Len Wiseman, 2012) Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsdale, Jessica Biel & Brian Cranston Dennis Quaid (Farrell) – a humble factory worker – begins to think that he is a spy after visiting a company that provides fake memories for clients. After trying to have the life he always wanted planted into his mind, he finds himself on the run from the sinister Cohaagen (Cranston). A remake of the 1990 Schwarzenegger classic, the new version proves to be visually stunning if you take a peek at the trailer. Critics have panned the story itself, however, and there are fears that once again graphics have taken precedence over storyline. Might be worth a look on the big screen though with Farrell, Beckinsdale and Biel all providing some decent eye candy, too.

Yelmo: tbc

The Bourne Legacy (Tony Gilroy, 2012) Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz & Edward Norton Just when you thought the Damon-led trilogy was the end of the Bourne franchise, it appears that author Robert Ludlum’s legacy was carried on after his death by Eric Van Lustbader, who has written seven more novels in the series!

Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is another product of Operation Blackbriar – responsible for the creation of a group of super agents – except this time the new agents are faster and stronger than ever before.

Only time shall see how many more of these films will hit the big screen although I imagine the success of this film (sans Matt Damon) will determine whether or not any more are made.

Yelmo: 17:20, 20:00, 22:40 Kinepolis: 17:30, 20:00, 22:45

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The Guard (John Michael McDonagh, 2011) Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle & Mark Strong Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Glesson) is a small town policeman in the Irish countryside with rather ‘unorthodox’ behaviour for a cop: a drug taker, drinker, prostitute user. The perfect antidote then to the professional FBI agent Wendell Everett (Cheadle) with whom he is forced into partnership in order to bring down a drug trafficking organisation led by Clive Cornell (Strong).

Whilst the plot may not be the most original in the world, you can forgive the filmmakers that as the downright hilarity that Gleeson provides throughout – sometimes made even more hilarious by the bewildered Wendell Everett’s reaction to his often openly racist comments. I’d love to see the outtakes on the DVD when it comes out.

Yelmo: 20:35 Babel: 16:30, 20:40, 22:45

Filmoteca, Pl. del Ayuntamiento, 17 www.filmoteca.es Yelmo Cines, Av. Tirso de Molina, 16, www.yelmocines.es Babel, C/ Vicente Sancho Tello, 10, www.cinesalbatrosbabel.com Kinepolis, Av. de Francisco Tomás y Valiente, Paterna www.kinepolis.es

04/10/1927 Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore. The Presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and together aim to represent the first 130 years of the history of the US.

First certificate

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Green living | Electric power

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ello to all from the misty green isle of Ireland. We've had our usual long wet summer with sunny spells every 2 or 3 days and as I look out our kitchen window it is misty outside. Well, that's what keeps the mystical emerald isle those fifty shades of green. In my county, County Clare in the mid-west of Ireland, we've been celebrating the anniversaries of two electric power stations.

Despite the protests the On the eastern border of our county construction went ahead and today which is on the Shannon river we have Moneypoint has a 915 mega watt the hydroelectric power station called capacity, supplies about 20% Ardnacrusha. It was built 80 years of the country's needs and it's ago and at the time it was a massive project which supplied the whole of the celebrating its 25th anniversary country's needs for electricity. It now this year. The positive news is only supplies about 5% of the country's that Moneypoint has undergone necessities. We believe it has paid for a major environmental retrofit itself many times over and it is extremely completed in 2010, to ensure environmentally friendly and if we it complies with stringent EU regulations for coal burning reduced our energy use it could supply a stations. This cost €360 million greater percentage of our needs. As it is, sha Ardnacru and the reduction of NOx (nitric it continues to supply us with electricity oxide & nitrogen dioxide) was and as it only needs maintenance and water 85% and SOx (sulphur oxides) was (and by God we've plenty of that) we believe it can provide us with electricity for many years to come.

90%. It hasn't got rid of the ugly pylons but the station can continue producing electricity past 2015 as it will In the southwest of our county near Kilrush there is pass all the European environmental regulations coming another electricity power station called Moneypoint. At into force in that year for coal burning stations. the time of its construction (opening in 1987) there were The two stations are run by the ESB (Electrical Supply a lot of protests from ecologists as it Board), the national electricity company was going to burn principally coal, a owned by the Irish Government. It used to very dirty energy source. The company be the only company but due to European said that it wouldn't contaminate the competition laws there are now other local area as they were going to build companies supplying electricity to the enormous stacks (chimneys 210m high) Irish market. The good news is that the which for all intents and purposes ESB states that two of its main objectives would send the contamination to Great are to get 40% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020 and the Britain and Europe. This obviously second is to be carbon neutral by the went against the fundamental green year 2035. principle of "think globally, act locally". Another problem was that The second piece of interesting news the electricity wasn't for County Clare, is the ESB is involved in many trials, it was for the greater Dublin area on the Moneypoint ©Ga vinZac tests and installing charging points for east coast. This required the electric cars. The Irish Government has construction of two massive and ugly lines (with pylons included) going from the west of Clare, all the way across the objective for the year 2020 that 10% of the cars on the country to Dublin. The reason they choose Moneypoint Irish roads will be electric. There is a lot of negative news was that it was on the estuary of the Shannon river and it about big companies and the environment so it's good to could accept very big ships to keep it supplied with its hear that there are some companies taking action on the raw material. environmental front.

Declan Lehane A little goes a long way What| Keep a jug of water in the fridge Why| It helps your fridge keep your food cool more efficiently.

AND it means you don't have to run the tap to get cold water when you want a drink.

Why not| Your fridge is a bit full!

Benefits| Your fridge won't need so much electricity to keep it cool - meaning less financial cost to you and less environmental impact in making electricity.

05/10/1962 Dr. No, the 1st James Bond film, is released. According to Wikipedia Ursula Andress' character, Honey Ryder, was 'a native Jamaican shell diver, making a living by selling Jamaican seashells to dealers in Miami'. A specialised market!

What to buy| Bread (use your old bread) 1 (organic) orange 2 eggs 250 ml milk (low fat) 200 ml (low fat) cream/nata 50-70 gr butter 60 - 70 gr sugar (preferably brown) 3 tablespoons of honey 1-2 sachet(s) or 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon 3-4 tablespoons raisins 1 handful of walnuts and/or almonds 3-4 tablespoons dried figs (or dates) Moscatel wine (optional) Cardamon seeds (optional)

Wow Factor| Old school food turned into a delicacy Effort| Easy but the preparing and checking takes patience

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he temperature is starting to drop, and what better way to enjoy the cool evenings than to bite into a traditional British desert with a twist.

Bread and butter pudding has been cooked in the UK for years, and now be found everywhere including the highest classes of restaurant across the country. However it started with humble beginnings with the poor steaming their stale bread and adding whatever they had to hand. From this the technique has developed to include luxuries such as eggs, milk and cream which give a creamier, moister texture to the dessert. In order to give it an edge, recipes now include a variety of spices, fruits and other flavours, and the bread used can be anything from croissants to brioche to last week's forgotten French loaf. One of the earliest recipes is found from 1845, when Eliza Acton wrote in her book 'Modern Cookery for Private Families' a recipe which has been developed and savoured by millions of people since.

A quicker and more Spanish way of using up your stale bread is by making Torrijas. Use about 4 fat slices of stale bread and soak them in 200 ml of sweet wine or Sherry (Jerez). Mix 2 eggs with a little bit of milk and dip the bread in this mix before frying the slices for a few minutes on each side in a pan with some sunflower or olive oil. Serve with some ground cinnamon and a spoonful of honey.

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How to make the pudding| one Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius. two Slice the bread or break it into smallish pieces. Stale bread is best. Use enough to fill a large oven dish. three Wash an orange, grate the peel and juice what's left.

Add half the juice and grated peel to your bread. four Add the milk and a generous glug of sweet Moscatel dessert wine (optional). five Mix the bread with the liquid using your hands and let it stand for 15 minutes. Make sure there’s enough liquid to soak all the bread without becoming soupy. Add some more milk to make it more moist or more bread to make it less moist. six Cut the dried figs (or dates or both) in little pieces. seven Squeeze the cardamon pods (about 8) and get the little black seeds out. These seeds give a delicious taste that works really well in sweet recipes. eight Melt the butter for 1-2 minutes in a microwave. nine Add the dried figs, raisins, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, the honey, the rest of the orange juice and peel, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, walnuts (or almonds) and another little glug of muscatel to the butter. ten Mix lightly with a spoon or fork. eleven Pour the mix of butter over the soaked bread and mix it with your hands. twelve Put the dish in the preheated oven. thirteen After about 45 minutes add the cream (I use low fat nata para cocinar) by pouring the cream over the dish in a circular pattern. fourteen Bake for another 45 minutes, checking now and again. The top should get a bit firm with some golden crisp bread bits sticking out of the mixture. fifteen Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before diving in.

Cantina Marina www.cantinamarinacatering.blogspot.com

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Recipe | Better bread & butter pudding

The number of ingredients in the basic (and still tasty) bread and butter pudding. If you have sugar, bread, butter, milk and eggs you can cook yourself a treat tonight! Anything extra added will be a bonus.

06/10/1977 Fascists attack a group of Communist Movement of the Valencian Country (Moviment Comunista del País Valencià) members and sympathisers as they put up posters in Alicante. One MCPV sympathiser is killed.

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Health | Men might be right afterall

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t's a known fact that men all over the world tend to have a lower lifespan than women. Ignoring wars, women by a general rule live an average of seven years longer (Howard S. Friedman, PhD, University of California).

There have been plenty of analyses of men's lives to understand why they tend to leave us earlier, with a mixture of theories from biology, higher propensity to take risks including smoking as well as daredevil activities, delays in seeking medical care, and the inability to survive after their partners pass away.

A recent study in America has reported the impact of aging on the brains of men and women. The expectation was, that as men and women age, the age-related impact on the brain would be the same, or greater in male brains as their bodies die earlier.

However to the surprise of the scientists at the University of California, the women's brain is actually aging faster than the equivalent aged man's brain.

The scientists looked at 55 male and female brains of various ages. Specifically they were looking at the transcriptome. These are molecules that demonstrate the activity of genes in the brain. They compared more than 13,000 genes in four brain regions and found that in particular one area ages faster in women than in men.

So what does this mean? That the biological make-up of men is to die earlier with better mental health rather than women who live longer with higher mental health issues? Or could there be more to it than just biological reasons?

The research found that not all age-related declines were the same amongst all the women. This suggests that the changes are not biological, but in fact, environmental - caused by the lifestyle of the women.

A further study of monkeys by Somel of the same research group found that stress can cause the same impact on the brain transcriptome.

Could it be then, that the cause of the problems for women's decline in brain activity is due not to their biology, but to the stress that they live with in their lives.

In which case, is there something which can be done to resolve this, to improve women's health in their later years? More research is required to clarify this.

In the meantime we've collated a list of recommended actions that you can take to reduce the stress in your lives. Medics recommend taking 10 minutes from your daily routine to incorporate some of these actions in order to note a reduced stress level.

Some relaxation tips for a healthier life (if you don't have time to do this, you're too busy!)

1. Look at the funny side of life.

Often stressful situations can be looked back on later and laughed at, so why not avoid the stress, and go straight into laughter?

2. Focus on muscle relaxation.

The official name for this is Progressive Relaxation Technique. But don't be fooled, it's not complicated and can be done anywhere. Tense your muscles, and individually relax each muscle, one at a time, starting from the toes, working your way up to your eyelids.

3. Exercise.

It's an oldie but a goldie. Getting out, breaking a sweat, and having a routine of breaking your mind from your problems. This can be anything from taking a walk or swimming, to full on activities such as diving or skating.

4. Breathing activities.

There are loads of activities you can do, but here's a nice one. Take a big breath in and hold it for 6 or 7 seconds. At the same time, squeeze your finger and thumb together. As you exhale, gently release the finger and thumb, and concentrate on relaxing the jaw, shoulders and the body. Repeat three times.

5. Memory and mind activities.

Take a seat. Think of a nice time that you had yesterday. Last week. Last year. Relive those emotions, remember the funny bits. Remember why you laughed.

Once you feel calmer, make a plan to have another great experience where you will be happy again.

To read more on the study, check www.onlinelibrary. wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-9726.2012.00859.x/ abstract

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The percentage of the 800,000 people with dementia in the UK, who are women.

07/10/1582 A lost day in history. Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal nor Spain.

Like 'inVLC' on Facebook for more art to see

Artist | Cheryl Morton

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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 | Cheryl Morton location | in the countryside near Lliria, with her husband and dogs. history | Cheryl has lived in Spain for 12 years. She took up painting in 2008 and is addicted to painting in oils.

She learnt to paint at the Adult school in Lliria, by a superb teacher, Lurdes Lizaso.

what's available | She paints anything and everything!

She doesn't usually do commissions but she'll consider any special request. prices| She doesn't charge a lot for the paintings as she believes that art should be available for everyone to own and that everyone should be able to aord an original piece of art! ₏20-130 depending on size of canvas and subject. email| chezinlliria@hotmail.com

08/10/1967 Guerrilla Che Guevara is captured in Bolivia. In 1958 a CIA 'Biological and Personality Report' noted his range of academic interests & intellect, describing him as "quite well read" while adding that "Che is fairly intellectual for a Latino."

Expat | Buen camino

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leven people, four nationalities, two languages, a few tintos de verano, and a whole lot of walking.

As our first fundraiser for Create for Children, a new Valencia based charity, we headed off to Galicia last month and the famed Camino de Santiago.

The first group set out from Gijon on July 21st and the rest of us joined them on the 1st of August in Baamonde to walk the last 108km into Santiago de Compostela.

If our enthusiasm to get going annoyed the guys with 200km under their belt when we met up for breakfast in Baamonde, they didn’t show it, and their advice was clear, ‘you’ll find your own rhythm’.

The first day was pretty easy going, 17 km to Miraz with a hotel booked to avoid being turned away by the unusually small albergue. We learned quickly that the famed Galician hospitality, quality food and suicidal portion sizes are in no sense exaggerated, and by bedtime any aches from the walk were well forgotten, drowned in food and wine. No hay Camino sin vino, as they say.

Day two saw us start a little late, nothing to do with the tintos de verano, of course, and with the option of a 14km stage direct from the hotel or a lift back to Miraz to do the 25km full tapa, Team Create wass split. Those in week two, just getting ore over monster blisters and with a lot more kilometres on the clock, opted for the d shorter route, while us newbies loaded ft with a sense of inadequacy took the lift back to do the full whack.

That second stage really set the tone for the rest of the week, beautiful scenery and the simple choice of walking with others or alone. When alone, the odd chant of Buen Camino, from a passing cyclist, or someone resting up, as you went by, was as much contact as was available. This would change later in the week when our route on El Camino del Norte met El Camino Francais and there was a lot of morning pilgrim traffic.

El Camino is, of course, historically, a religious histo pilgrimage, and for many pilgri walkers, this is still the case. walk more, like us, it For many m was an opportunity to tap into the spiritual and social side of the journey. sid There is a lovely juxtaposition that many jux fin nd on El Camino. You m may spend hours by yyourself walking through woods, up hills and w a along roadsides, an experience which offers many of the benefits of solitude and me meditation but when you a i to an albergue, lb arrive you are likely to sspend the night in a room with 12 or 15 o other people, and so the social a animal returns.

You may choose to walk with a friend or fall into step with a stranger, some someone you have seen along the road ro before, or someone who has h just started. There neve never seemed to be any pres pressure at least with our grou group and those we mingled with with, to do the stage in any way other than what you felt like on any given day.

After a few days you st start to notice that there is ca calmness about people, ttiredness too, of course, b but they tend to speak ssoftly and smile a lot and when you start to feel that calmness in yourself you really are on... El Camino. www www.createforchildren.com Eoghan Ryan

179,919 The number of pilgrims who made the journey in 2011. Compare this to 690, the number of pilgrims which the cathedral recorded in 1985 (the date the cathedral started recording pilgrim numbers).

09/10/1940 St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London is hit by a bomb in the Battle of Britain, during a night-time air raid by the German Luftwaffe.

Peach & nectarine cocktails

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s September creeps in upon us, and the beginning of Autumn arrives, the last of the season's peaches and nectarines will be seen in the markets. Take good advantage of their sweet, soft texture and make them into heavenly cocktails to share with your family and friends.

one Sparkling rosemary peach cocktail

two Heart on fire A spicy margarita

3/4 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 rosemary sprig (2.5cm) 2 peaches (ripe, peeled and cut into 2.5cm pieces) Bottle of Cava, chilled

30ml. tequila 1 slice jalapeño (chopped finely) 10ml peach puree 10ml lime juice 10ml thistle honey 2-3 lime basil leaves lime basil to garnish

Blend the peaches, water and sugar together until smooth.

Pour into the glasses.

Top up with Cava and gently stir together.

Garnish with rosemary.

Pour all ingredients into a blender.

Blend until smooth.

three Virgin on the beach 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup cranberry juice 30ml blended peach 1 tbsp grenadine 1 wedge pineapple to garnish (add vodka & schnapps for a kick) Mix equal parts of orange juice and cranberry juice.

Add peach and pour over ice.

Sink the grenadine.

Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Garnish with basil leaves.

Serves 1

Serves 8 Serves 1 Serve in a cocktail glass.

Serve in a tall glass.

Peaches aren't only delicious to eat.

In China the peach tree is believed to be the tree of life and peaches are symbols of immortality and unity so at Chinese weddings, the brides carry peach blossoms.

The favourites in Valencia have to be the honey sweet paraguayas, with their flattened shape.

Serve in a cocktail glass.

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Animals | World Animal Day

Intermediate

ctober 4th is a very special day across the world, as people come together by organising events to celebrate World Animal Day.

O

World Animal Day has several aims: • To celebrate animal life in all its forms.

• To celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom.

• To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives.

• To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives.

World Animal Day was started in 1931 to pay special attention to endangered animals across the globe. The date it is now celebrated was chosen to reflect the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, who is the Patron Saint of Animals.

This is a day when communities get together to arrange or participate in events which celebrate the lives of animals, and raise awareness of how to improve the lives of those animals which suffer, or which are in demise.

"I feel strongly that we are the Guardians of this Planet. Animals are under our sacred protection! Fail them, and we will pay for it dearly."

Brian Blessed, actor If you have an idea for an event, why not get together with some friends or a local charity to make it happen. This could be children's playdays with animal themes, bring and buy sales to raise money, or considering how you as an individual can make a difference in an animal's life.

Foster/ permanent homes URGENTLY required Name| Minime Age| 9 months Sex| Male Size| Small Appearance| Daschund X Personality| Bright & friendly Health| Fully vaccinated and sterilised Info| P.E.P.A - 650 304 746 www.pepaspain.com

How do animals help us? We've compiled a mini-list of the ways that perhaps we take them for granted: 1| Guard animals can protect us and our families.

2| Animals serve as therapeutic animals in hospitals, and nursing homes for children and adults suffering from stress, illness and depression.

3| Animals work for us, such as horses pulling carts, dogs sniffing for bombs and drugs, dogs leading the blind and dolphins searching for spies.

4| Animals are part of the food-chain, and without them other animals may become out of control - such as spiders which eat flies and chickens and ducks which eat snails and slugs.

5| Animals can natural disasters such as toads, snakes and fish whose behaviour changes suddenly before earthquakes.

www.worldanimalday.org.uk

10/10/1971 Sold, dismantled & moved to the United States, London Bridge reopens in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Lake Havasu City itself (52,000 inhabitants) was only established in 1963 as a planned community by a chainsaw magnate.

Events & Classifieds

Rastros | Montroy | 7 Oct (1st Sun monthly)| C/ La Pau, 625 674 906 Sagrario Masia | 20 Oct (3rd Sat monthly) Mas Pavia Restaurante, nr Monserrat. Eng 625819734/ Spa 616399372, sparklesinsunshine@gmail. com.

Events & networking groups| Cooking friends| New group who meet, cook and eat. In one evening you will be cooking a dish, have dinner in 3 different houses and meet 12 new people. Great way to meet new people and have fun. www.cookingfriends.es IWC| 4 October Monthly coffee mornings. An independent organisation offering: Support, Friendship, networking... Hipercor - C.Comercial Ademuz, Av. Pio XII, 51 VLC, top floor restaurant. www.iwcvalencia.ning.com 2nd Friday lunch| 12 October. A get together group for lunch and chat.

2pm. The venue changes. mm@ centralpoint.es.

Lliria | 13 Oct (2nd Sat monthly) | Bellamy's Bar, 18 Avenida Polideportivo, Domeño, Tables free. 962728368, Lyn 625217777 magpiesbar@yahoo.com Turis| 21 Oct 3rd Sun Monthly Town Hall/ Market Square: Pl. Vicente Ribes, 1€ p/m, Eng 635090651/ Span 652 447 927

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Markets | Mon-Montroy, Tues-Monserrat & Turis, Weds-L’Eliana Piccassent & Villamarchante, Thurs-Alaquas & Lliria, Fri-Moraira, Turis, Torrente & Chiva, Sat-Real de Montroy & Torrente, Sun-Alborache

Internations events| A monthly meet up of international people. www. internations.org Looking for| Fellow motorcyclists for rides out. Robert. 633752202 pladecalvo@gmail.com Business for sale| Free Community and language learning magazine based in Valencia and the Community is up for sale due to changes in personal circumstances. Great business opportunity. Call for more information 633 822 614.

Games Cryptograms have a hidden quote but every letter of the alphabet has been changed. Start with 1, 2 & 3 letter words. Remember the most common letters in the English language are E-T-A-I-O-N. In Sudoku, every row & column of 9 numbers & 3x3 box must include all digits 1-9 in any order.

Cryptogram

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

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ENGLISH COURSES 2012-2013 OCTUBRE A JUNIO

CURSOS GENERALES Cursos de inglés general para niños, jóvenes y adultos

CURSOS ESPECIALES Cursos de Conversación y Business English

FECHA PARA CONCERTAR CITA a partir del 6 de septiembre FECHA DE MATRÍCULA a partir del 17 de septiembre T 96 339 29 80, Avd Cataluña 9 46020 Valencia

www.britishcouncil.es

UNIVERSIDAD DE CAMBRIDGE Cursos preparatorios para los exámenes de la Universidad de Cambridge