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SolTimes issue 371

23-29 JANUARY

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walking tours 2013

eat more fruit! page 32

The Área de Juventud del Ayuntamiento de Roquetas de Mar has published the 2013 program of organized walking tours.

There will be 8 tours throughout the year; The first is scheduled for Feb. 3 at La Mena- Macenas, in Mojacar. The following three will be 3 March, 7 April and 5 May. There will be a night walk on 20 July, and the autumn dates will be 6 October, 10 November and 1 December.

The complete and detailed program can be collected at the Casa de la Cultura and various Municipal Offices in Roquetas. Y All the walks take place on Sundays and are limited to 50 participants.

Entries can be made at Área de Juventud de la Casa de la Cultura del Ayuntamiento Roquetero, and is 12 euros.

The walks are of medium difficulty and aimed at over 18 year olds, though minors may participate if accompanied by an adult. The route is usually about 4 or 5 hours, and will highlight the flora, fauna, geological and historical interest of the area.

Registration is open for the first walk. Departure is at 8.30 am from the Pabellón Infanta Cristina de Roquetas de Mar, and a stop will be made at Aguadulce.

For information phone 950 950-338 593 – or 338 608 or email área de Juventud, juventud@aytoroquetas.org.

roquetas population booms!

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Roquetas del Mar closed the year 2012 with 94,047 inhabitants, 3,885 more than in 2011.

Francisco Gutiérrez, Concejal de Estadística of Roquetas de Mar, said that the statistics were ‘more than satisfactory, because the progression of the population is a key element to demonstrate the development of a locality and, above all, the hope of a good future for those who have already settled in Roquetas de Mar.’ He added that ‘the population increase is also due in a large part by the number of births, which in 2012 amounted to 1412, that is, an average of nearly four babies daily.’

According to the National Statistics Institute, excluding provincial capitals, Roquetas de Mar has the fifth largest population growth in Spain during the period from 2001 to 2011.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Sport

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

...local news update albox

Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Almería, David Padilla Góngora, will give a lecture and practical workshop with the title ‘positive behavioural support’ next Thursday, January 24, at 17.30 in the Salón de Actos de la Residencia ‘Francisco Pérez Miras’ in Albox,.

The workshop will be aimed at parents, teachers and the general public interested in this subject.

This event, organised by the Asociación de Personas con Discapacidad ‘El Saliente’ will focus on how to deal with everyday situations that can produce tantrums, bad behaviour, denial and calls for attention in children and young people.

The speaker will define strategies to achieve behavioural changes; research in this field shows that punishment, especially when applied randomly, is not effective in changing bad behaviour and building appropriate behaviour.

A behaviour problem indicates the need for change to the background and its implications. Some strategies are often used to change the scenario, giving opportunities instead of reproaches, providing suitable models, paying attention to positive behaviours, etc.

This Practical Workshop and Conference will be held in the Salón de Actos de la Residencia y Unidad de Estancia Diurna para Personas con Discapacidad Gravemente Afectadas ‘Francisco Pérez Miras’, in the Avenida Vicente Bonil, nº 2 Bajo (Albox).

For more information, those interested can contact the Sede de la Asociación ‘El Saliente’-CEE in Albox, on C/ Córdoba, 7 Bajo. Tel. 950 12 02 83.

Almería

The Delegada Territorial de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo of the Junta de Andalucía, Adriana Valverde, visited in the industrial facilities of Grupo F. Sola in the Polígono Industrial of Fines.

The company is dedicated to the handling, processing and assembly of glass and tempered glass manufacturing, and has 55 employees.

It has been supported by the Agencia IDEA and the Agencia Andaluza de la Energía to a total of 1.572.751 euros, thanks to which the Group has been able to invest more than 8 million euros.

During the visit of the facilities, Adriana Valverde commented on the growth of the family business in its almost two decades of history and ‘its continued commitment to the development of new products. It has managed to turn the crisis into an opportunity to innovate and open new markets.’

Cristalería F. Sola, S. L. emerged in 1994 as a company focused on the handling, processing and assembling of glass. Among its portfolio of products and services include the manufacture of glass in flat, tempered, laminated or etched form, glass components for kitchen and bathroom countertops, screen printed glass and special finishes for interior or shower doors.

In 2006 F. Sola, S L. branched into the manufacture of tempered glass, which has a greater resistance to breakage than normal, but should this occur the fragments created have rounded edges, thereby avoiding cuts. It can be manufactured in different thicknesses and decorated and painted for various uses.

This company also manufactures a product called ‘glass curtain’, which is resistant against water and air, and disperses seismic shock horizontally.

New product lines are glass tombstones, curved glass and glass for boats and trains.

Huércal-Overa

Baccalaureate students at the Institute of Arts ‘Cura Valera’ are exhibiting their works in Huércal Overa. Until 1st February the Sala de Exposiciones del Teatro ‘Villa de Huércal-Overa’ will exhibit a sample of works by students of the Bachelor of Arts Institute ‘Cura Valera’.

The exhibition was opened by the Concejal de Cultura, Antonio Lázaro; the Concejal de Educación, Lucia Parra and the Director of the Centre, Diego Bonillo.

In the exhibition are 40 works with different themes, formats and The Concejalía de Obras y Servicios del Ayuntamiento de Tabernas has begun the first techniques, all created by phase of works to improve the Avenidas Ricardo Fábrega, Andalucía and De Las Angustias, in this and last year’s students Tabernas with a grant of 188,700 euros. of the Bachillerato de Artes The Alcalde, Maria de las Nieves Jaén, said that in total seven streets would be improved.

Huércal-Overa is one of She said it was an ‘important and necessary project for the town, because it will improve the few municipalities in road safety, allow easier transport of basic supplies, and beautify the streets.’ the province offering this Currently several sections of the different streets are closed to traffic and alternative degree, with students routes into Tabernas from the north are in operation. attending from Cuevas del The works, which are being carried out by Nila SA, consist of paving the streets and the Almanzora, Albox, Mojacar and Huércal-Overa. construction of a storm drain to connect with the main drainage system.

On Avenida Ricardo Fabrega works will concentrate on storm water run-off, to prevent pooling during rainy episodes, while the Calles Lepanto, Alcazaba, Panaderos and Doctor Artés will be completely restructured..

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‘external audit’ of PP’s accounts in wake of Bárcenas scandal Spain’s prime minster, Mariano Rajoy announced on Monday that there will be an external audit into the Partido Popular’s accounts as a result of the ‘Bárcenas scandal”.

Rajoy also confirmed that there would be a parellel internal audit by the new treasurer, Carmen Navarro, to look into allegations of “extra” cash payments made by ex-treasurer Luis Bárcenas to high-level PP members and that all party members would be obliged to collaborate.

The prime minister also said that Cristobal Montoro, the Minister of Finance and Public Administration, would appear before the lower house to explain whether Bárcenas had taken advantage of the controversial tax amnesty.

Both Rajoy and María Dolores de Cospedal García, the Secretary-General of the People’s Party have denied ever receiving “black money”.

“The PP doesn’t have, and has never had, any bank accounts outside Spain, nor has it ever employed anyone to hold money on behalf of the PP outside of Spain”, maintained Cospedal today.

She went on to say that “the PP cannot, however, be held responsible if another person has overseas accounts relating to private business activity”, but did not mention Luis Bárcenas by name at any point.

Furthermore, she added that neither she nor the party knew about Bárcenas’ overseas accounts: “I didn’t know, and I don’t think anyone else knew either”, she said Rajoy confirmed that he would use the necessary “political force” to create a gran pact against corruption, “to try to bring in new measures to fight this scourge”.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Banco De Valencia To Shut Nine In 10 Branches & Sport Axe 890 Jobs

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SALES HQ: 902 750 190/950 121 936 OPEN: Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm Fri 10am-4pm ALBOX, ARBOLEAS, ALFOQUIA ROQUETAS, ALMERIMAR coastal & mojacar areaS EDITOR: editor@soltimes.com ~ DESIGN:production@soltimes.com

Night Closure Of A&E Units Could Spread To Other Parts Of Spain, Warns Health Authority

The closure of overnight A&E departments in 21 towns in CastillaLa Mancha could set a precedent for other parts of the country, warns the central government.

With the State health service in debt by 16 billion euros, regional authorities are being encouraged to make cutbacks.

In addition to Castilla-La Mancha, casualty units in health centres now shut for the night in various towns in the north of the Alicante province, including Pedreguer, El Verger, Ondara and Gata de Gorgos.

Between 22.00hrs and 08.00hrs, those who need urgent treatment which cannot wait until morning have to make their way to the nearest hospital, or wait for an ambulance.

Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality, José Manuel Moreno, says ‘around 80 per cent’ of health centres outside the provincial capital cities have ‘only two to three patients per night’ attending accident and emergency.

Although this sounds a low figure, in Castilla-La Mancha it now means 441 patients a week have to travel some distance to be treated outside of office

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Banco de Valencia is about to close 90 per cent of its branches in compliance with terms laid down by the European Commission.

The ailing financial institution, which has been bailed out by the Ordered Bank Restructuring Fund (FROB), will shortly be bought for a euro by CaixaBank.

It has notified 890 of its 1,615 members of staff that they will be made redundant by the middle of February, and then will shut nine in 10 of its 350 branch offices.

Most of those affected by the closure are outside the Valencia region.

The bank has offered preferential early retirement terms to as many employees aged 50 and over as possible, to cut down on the number of people it leaves propping up the dole queue.

It has until December this year to complete the shut-down process

Sol Times Almeria is independent of political parties, private investment and government. Our policy is to provide readers with a news and information service that is fair, accurate and balanced. Sol Times Almeria is an independent publication. Published weekly and produced exclusively in Almeria. Sol Times News Group cannot be held responsible for claims made by advertisers, nor can it be held responsible for errors in advertisements caused by poor quality text, photographs or layout instructions. Furthermore, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss or damage resulting caused by any error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of an advertisement.

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hours.

He says the decision to shut local A&E units overnight was within the jurisdiction of the regional, rather than central, governments.

The Comunidad Valenciana is already considering following suit.

Moreno insists this would not leave any patient at risk because ‘this country has a network of land and air emergency transport’ to get them to hospital.

But the President of Albacete Medical College, Francisco Parra, feels differently.

It could leave someone who has had a heart attack having to travel up to 50 kilometres to get treatment, rather than a doctor from the village being able to get there in minutes, Parra cites as an example.

He says finances should not enter the equation when it comes to people’s health, and that if the State service wants to cut back on spending in this area, it ‘should have fewer management consultants’

send your news & view to editor@ soltimes.com

Alicante and Valencia, home to Spain’s most expensive petrol & diesel

Spain’s most expensive petrol and diesel is sold in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia, a new report claims. Whilst the average price of 95 unleaded across the country is 1.3941 euros a litre, in the Valencia province this rises to 1.4059 euros and in Alicante, 1.4104 euros.

But those who live in the north of Valencia are advised to hop across the border into Castellón, the province that sells the cheapest petrol in Spain at just 1.3695 euros a litre.

For diesel A, prices shoot up even higher in these areas, with motorists paying nearly 2.6 cents a litre more in Alicante than the average for Spain, which is 1.3797 euros, compared to 1.4055 euros in the former.

Valencia is not the most expensive province for diesel, but it still costs more than the national average to fill up in the area – 1.3936 euros, nearly 1.4 cents more.

Again, Castellón, in the same autonomous region, sells some of Spain’s cheapest diesel at 1.3634 euros a litre.

The Alicante Province Economic Studies Institute (INECA), which produced these figures, has decided to name and shame the towns where drivers pay the most for fuel.

A difference of as much as 9.7 cents per litre for unleaded 95 petrol can be found between towns in the province of Alicante, INECA says, with Hondón de los Frailes in the south-west being among the cheapest at 1.35 euros a litre and Callosa d’en Sarrià near the coast being the most expensive at 1.447 euros a litre.

For diesel, Hondón de los Frailes wins again with prices of just 1.339 euros a litre, whereas Pedreguer, in the north of the province, sells the most expensive diesel at 1.4426 euros a litre.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

21% of mayors and County Council heads earned more than Zapatero in 2010

The Court of Auditors has published a report naming ten mayors or regional government leaders who earned more than the Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, in 2010.

Alicante County Council is top of the list, followed by Barcelona County Council.

The list continues with the mayors of Zaragoza, Barcelona, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Madrid, Valencia, Alcobendas (Madrid) and Las Rozas (Madrid). Last on the list is Girona County Council.

The study is based on a questionnaire filled in by 172 county councils and town hall offices relating to areas with more than 50,000 inhabitants, and

has just been submitted to parliament.

The Court of Auditors did not only take official salaries into account, but also expenses, meal allowances, etc, in 2010, the same year that Zapatero made extensive cuts to public officials’ salaries.

The average remuneration for local leaders that year was 37,970 euros per annum, rising to 52,439 euros for provincial leaders, 60,975 euros for deputy mayors 74,463 euros for mayors.

However, the leader of Alicante County Council, José Joaquín Ripoll, earned a total of 141,428 euros, double the average salary, and the highest-earning mayor took home 121,466

euros.

Comparing local officials’ salaries with those of other insitutions, the Court of Auditors found that 9% were earning more than regional political leaders, and 6% were earning more than ministers in Spain’s central government.

Furthermore, 31% of mayors and County Council leaders were earning more than their regional presidents and 21% were even earning more than the prime minister.

The Court of Auditors has recommended the introduction of measures to ensure greater transparency with regard to the salaries and expenses of public officials, and to ensure that limits are put on the number

Healthcare cash cutbacks ‘could affect life expectancy’ in Spain

Funding cuts in healthcare could lead to a fall in life expectancy in Spain, which is currently one of the highest in the world.

A spokesman for the Federation of Associations in Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, says a notable difference in average life expectancy exists between those regions with more cash to spend on their medical services.

Aragón (provinces of Teruel, Zaragoza and Huesca), Madrid and Navarra have the best records, with life expectancy currently at an average of 83.3 years for men and women – because a higher percentage per head of the GNP is spent on healthcare.

The Canary Islands and Andalucía, where the least funding is available for medical assistance, have a life expectancy of 80.5 years.

Huge disparaties are seen in the amount per capita spent on healthcare in different

regions, with the Basque Country near the top at 1,596 euros, and the Comunidad Valenciana near the bottom at 1,125 euros per resident.

Sánchez Bayle says there is a ‘very significant distance’ in terms of healthcare quality between Navarra, at the top, and the Canaries, at the bottom.

It also has an impact on how family doctor surgeries run, he says.

Where the public is generally in better health because of more efficient and widelyavailable treatment, medical centres have less work to do, can spend more time with patients and appointments can be booked much more quickly.

Poorer regions try to do as much as they can in local GP practices, whereas richer regions are less reticent about referring patients to hospital for more specialist examination and treatment, says Sánchez Bayle.

of paid positions they can hold.

The Ministry for Finance and Public Administration is believed to be working on establishing salary tables to standardise the salaries of those in public office, whether it be in local, regional or central government, taking into account the number of inhabitants in any given region.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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Granada becomes an open-air rubbish dump as street-cleaners go on strike

Granada city centre is knee-deep in rubbish due to a strike called by refuse collectors and road-sweepers.

They object to being forced to work extra hours – bringing them to a total of 37.5 a week – at the same time as their pay is being cut by five per cent and will be frozen thereafter for the foreseeable future, not increased in line with inflation.

The employees are also being forced to re-juggle their shifts and breaks.

Negotiations between the 540 staff members and the company Inagra, which is contracted by the city council, have failed.

Other than the market sites in the souks in the central Zaidín and Almanjáyar districts, which are heavily frequented by tourists, plus hospitals and health centres – all of which are being cleaned and the rubbish removed as normal – the rest of the city has nearly 1,000 tonnes of rubbish lying around the roads and pavements.

Two women were arrested on Thursday for setting fire to wheelie-bins, but Inagra denies that this had anything to do with the strike action.

Officials insist there is no risk to health but some are considering bringing in the army to clear the backlog.

UK Fears Of New EU Immigration

About 50,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria will come to the UK every year when restrictions are lifted next year, think tank Migration Watch suggests.

According to a report by the BBC, Migration Wacthpredicts this level annually in the first five years after these controls end, warning of “significant consequences” for housing and jobs.

Citizens of both countries will have free movement across the EU in 2014.

Ministers say calculations are difficult but the Home Office said it was working to cut net migration.

Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier this week the detail for such calculations “wasn’t there yet”.

The Home Office said it wanted to move from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands of migrants by the end of this Parliament.

From next year, like other EU citizens, Bulgarians and Romanians gain the unrestricted right to live and work in the UK where currently, they require authorisation before taking a job.

Migration Watch, which supports tighter immigration controls, said its study suggested its estimates could be considerably higher if there were to be a movement of Roma people to the UK or if some of the nearly one million Romanians resident in Spain and Italy moved to Britain.

It said Germany and the Netherlands were “likely destinations” for Romanian and Bulgarian migrants because their youth unemployment rates were lower than other EU countries.

But it said the UK, with youth unemployment at 20%, “is nonetheless an attractive destination, partly because of its flexible labour market and partly because of the ease of access to its benefits system”.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migration Watch said: “It is not good enough to duck making an estimate of immigration from Romania and Bulgaria. It is likely to be on a scale that will have significant consequences

for housing and public services.

“It will also add further to the competition which young British workers already face.

“We have therefore produced our own estimate as a contribution to an important debate which must include the ease with which migrants to the UK can currently access the welfare state.”

It analysed migration from other European countries and the number of Bulgarians and Romanians already in Britain before making its estimates.

Sarah Mulley, of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank said that although it was “very difficult to predict migration flows with any degree of confidence in these circumstances” the estimates put forward by Migration Watch “look high”.

She said: “The UK is opening access to its labour markets along with the rest of Europe and the process of opening up to Bulgaria and Romania has been a gradual one, in contrast with 2004 when the UK was the only large EU country to open its labour market and when borders and labour market access were opened at the same time.

“So it would be very surprising if net migration from Bulgaria and Romania was on the scale predicted by Migration Watch.”

Temporary curbs on Romanian and Bulgarian migration were imposed by the Labour government in 2005 to protect the UK labour market.

The Labour Party has said it would support any moves to extend the measures.

But Home Secretary Theresa May said in November temporary curbs could not continue under EU law and the government was looking instead at limiting access to benefits and the NHS to reduce the “pull factors” that encouraged migrants to come to the UK. Last weekend, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles warned an “influx” of Romanians and Bulgarians would add to the existing housing problems in the UK.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

The father of two children who went missing in Córdoba and whose remains are believed to have been found on a bonfire is ‘insolvent’ and cannot pay the legal costs and compensation.

José Bretón could be ordered to pay 140,000 euros to cover the costs of the search for Ruth, six, and two-year-old José after he reported their having gone missing from a park in Córdoba during a weekend access visit.

The children’s mother, Ruth Ortiz, is said to have applied for two million euros in compensation, one million for each child, but her solicitor has refused to confirm this.

Bretón faces 20 years in jail for the death of each of his children, who lived with their mother in Huelva, if he is found guilty – the

maximum sentence permitted, even after including the aggravating factors of his being a direct family member and the victims being underage.

During forensic investigations on a bonfire in the orchard behind Bretón’s parents’ house, remains of charred bones were found and initially thought to be those of rodents.

But two private investigators appointed by Ruth Ortiz showed them to be the remains of human children of the same age as Ruth and José, the missing infants.

Attempts to extract DNA from the burnt remains proved fruitless.

Their father remains in custody pending trial, and continues to deny charges of murder.

Mali revenge attack on BP gas field Hostage death toll ‘rises to 48’

At least 48 hostages are now thought to have died in a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant, as reports say that 25 bodies found at the complex on Sunday were all those of captives.

It had initially been unclear whether the bodies found were those of hostage-takers or staff at the facility.

A search is continuing at the In Amenas gas plant, where as many as 20 hostages remain unaccounted for.

Five suspected Islamist attackers were reportedly arrested on Sunday.

The Algerian authorities had said on Saturday that all 32 hostage-takers had been killed. The suspected organiser of the attack, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, said 40 militants had taken part.

The siege ended when troops mounted an assault on Saturday, saying the militants had begun killing foreign hostages.

Western leaders condemned the attack with French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian describing it as an “act of war”.

The plant, which is responsible for more than a tenth of Algeria’s overall gas output, is expected to resume production by Tuesday, Algeria’s energy minister said.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is due to give a new conference about the attack later this week.

Youcef Yousfi also pledged to boost security at energy installations but insisted it was “out of the question to allow foreign security forces to handle the security” of Algerian oil facilities.

During a visit to the affected plant on Sunday, Mr Yousfi said it would resume production within two days.

Security forces reportedly discovered the bodies of 25 hostages as they searched the complex for booby-traps and mines.

The militants had threatened to blow up the site and kill their hostages, officials said.

Belmokhtar, who is not thought to have been among the actual attackers, said his group had carried out the attack. He was speaking in a video message carried by the Mauritanian website Sahara Media.

The website said the video had been recorded on 17 January while the siege was still going on but not posted on the

website.

It shows Belmokhtar, who has convictions in absentia for murder, kidnapping and terrorism, saying he was prepared to negotiate with Western and Algerian leaders if operations against Islamists in Mali were stopped.

The crisis began last Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers to the remote site in southeastern Algeria. A Briton and an Algerian died in the incident.

The militants then took expatriates hostage at the complex, which was quickly surrounded by the Algerian army.

Algerian state media said later that 685 Algerian workers at the plant had been freed but it is unclear if any Algerians were actually taken hostage, with reports that militants told them they were only targeting non-Muslims.

A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant had been launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighbouring Mali.

However, France only decided last week to intervene militarily in Mali. Analysts say the assault on the gas facility was wellplanned and would have required advance research, as well as possibly inside help.

In other developments: Six Filipinos were killed and four are missing , the government in Manila confirmed Three Britons were confirmed dead, and a further three are missing, feared dead.

UK officials were “working hard” to locate the missing, said Foreign Secretary William Hague A Colombian citizen resident in the UK, Carlos Estrada, is thought to be among the dead, the Colombian president has said Japanese officials said they had no confirmation of the fate of 10 nationals who remained unaccounted for, despite reports that nine had died Romania’s foreign ministry said one of its citizens had died in hospital after sustaining severe injuries during the siege. Another Romanian has already been reported killed and as many as three others have been freed Two Malaysians are unaccounted for, as are five Norwegians

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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Delhi gang rape case moved to fast-track court

The case of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi has been moved to a fast-track court for trial.

Lawyers for the defendants say that the case will get under way on Monday.

A sixth suspect, who is thought to be 17, will be tried separately in a youth court if it is confirmed he is a minor.

The case has shocked India and sparked a debate about the treatment of women.

If convicted, the men could face the death penalty.

In the wake of the public outcry and nationwide protests, the government promised a fast-track legal process for this and other rape cases.

It announced it was setting up six fast-track courts in Delhi to allow crimes against women to be dealt with swiftly. Legal proceedings in India sometimes involve years of delays.

In Delhi, six fast-track courts were ordered for the trial of cases related to crimes against women, especially rape. Some other states such as Punjab and Maharashtra are also setting up fast-track courts for this purpose In 2000, central government started a scheme for more than 1,700 fast-track courts to try to clear the backlog of cases clogging up the Indian judicial system, partly related to a shortage of judges Funding is an issue because the central government said it could no longer fund them after March 2011, leaving future funding decisions to individual states

The five accused have been named as Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.

The lawyer for Ram Singh, said he would file a petition arguing for the case to be transferred out of Delhi, fearing that the proceedings might be prejudiced because of the intense media interest.

“We are sure we will not get justice in Delhi,” VK Ananad said.

Last week another lawyer claimed that the men had been tortured and coerced into confessing they were guilty. Officials refused to comment on the allegations, citing legal restrictions.

The lawyers for two of the suspects have said they will plead not guilty. It is unclear how the three accused will plead.

Prosecutors have said they have extensive forensic evidence.

The victim, a physiotherapy student who cannot be named in India for legal reasons, and a male friend were attacked on a bus in south Delhi on 16 December. She died two weeks later in hospital in Singapore.

Campaigners are calling for tougher rape laws and reforms to the police, who - critics say - often fail to file charges against accused attackers.

The government has said that it will bring in stronger sexual assault laws and has established several committees to recommend changes in the law.

Germany Goes For Gold

Germany’s central bank is to bring back almost 700 tonnes of gold reserves it keeps in New York and Paris.

By 2020, half of its gold bars will be in its vaults, the Bundesbank said. It currently keeps less than a third at home.

The bars were originally taken out of Germany as a precaution against an invasion from the Soviet Union.

Central banks keep gold abroad so that it can be used to quickly buy foreign currency in times of crisis.

The Bundesbank will no longer keep any of its reserves in Paris, as both countries use the euro.

It will reduce the amount it holds in New York from 45% to 37% by the end of the decade.

No gold will be moved out of the Bank of England’s vaults, however. It will still

keep 13% of its total reserves in London, the German central bank said.

According to the BBC’s Berlin correspondent, Stephen Evans, the German audit office has criticised the government for not keeping a proper track of the bars, It has even suggested some of the bars may not have been checked to see if they are real, he added.

for rent in Los Carasoles...

Beautiful villa on a 400m2 plot

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For more information or to arrange to view a property call or email New Horizon Villas, Los Carasoles. Open 9am - 2pm

Tel Office: 950 449 600 Out of hours: 636 20 50 70

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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P & R DIRECT Have extended their range of household accessories available and want to know what other items you are looking for, colours that you can not find and those special items that you want. They would welcome your feedback. Don’t forget to ask about the new range of Virtual Carpets while you are there. Even better they are offering great discounts on a wide range of items so remember to cut out the coupon below and take it with you when you next visit the showroom. (Coupon Offer ends 28th February 2013) Ferreteria El Real and The Full Swing: To our loyal customers past, present and future, can I say a very belated but Happy New Year to you all. It seems people have some strange ideas about change. Rumours abound, they automatically assume that you must have stopped selling something if you are now selling a new product. The bowling section of The Full Swing has closed, so automatically “The Full Swing” must have closed. Hmm, I hope our latest advert makes it nice and clear to our loyal customers, that things have not changed, only improved. We have had a refit upstairs in The Full Swing allowing space to open our new shop “Zenobie’s”, retailing clothing for babies and children from ages 0 to 14. You can still purchase all your favourite items from our original shops, Ferreteria El Real and The Full

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HISPAVAN: Winter in Spain! OK, nothing like in the UK but even so January and February are normally the worst months of the year here. So now is the time to think of holidays and trips away. Why not have a look at our large range of Motorhomes and Caravans. Ideal for visiting the many beautiful and spectacular areas of Spain or further afield if you like. If this seems beyond your means at the moment, why not rent a Motorhome from as little as 87 Euros per day and get travelling.

If you’re more of a stay at home bird then one of our Luxury Caldera Spas may be more tempting. Either way, call and have a chat in our showroom at El Real.

IRON ART : Have the recent winds damaged your planters or blown your parasol away? Do you need to replace that tired garden furniture? Fed up of that plastic furniture that has discoloured, then come along to Iron Art Factory Outlets and see the vast range on display. Planters at the moment are 50% off. Awaiting delivery of the new range of Teak Furniture. Do not forget our Yummy, Yummy Fayre on Wednesday 30 January, 10am-2pm. There will be a free raffle ticket for purchases on the day with a prize of a €50 voucher and cava. Up to 20% discount on various products on the day. All stall holders welcome, please contact 637 259 033, 5€ a stall with proceeds to Vera Orphanage. Next Fayre will be Wednesday 27 February, bookings now being taken for stalls @, €5 with donations on this one to MACS. Come on down and see Eileen, Pete or Adele for any further assistance.

LIFESTLE ENCLOSURE: Based on the El-Real since 2005, Lifestyle Enclosures are the area leader in terrace enclosures and insect screening, they also supply & install high quality Glass Curtain systems with hundreds of installations carried out in the Almeria/ Murcia region. Affordable solid roof solutions have also become a speciality, turning any outside area into a year-round usable space. Many sizes & styles of guttering are also available for DIY or supply & fit. CALL IN TO LIFESTYLE TODAY, OR GIVE THEM A CALL ON 950 459 060/638 063 196 TYRE KING is the place to come for all your tyre needs.

Competitive prices, expertise and experience, but also service and honesty are at the core of this family run business. Now in its 3rd year they have invested in a state of the art wheel alignment system that can now

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track the majority of vehicles including 4x4´s. Advice is always given honestly and freely, if you would like your tyres and tyre pressures checked, please call in: Poligono Industrial El Real, Calle El Garcel F19 No2, Antas 04628, Tel 950 459 253 - Hours: Mon - Fri : 09.30 - 17.30 Integral Auto CarWash & Shop is a new business opened on the Industrial Estate. Full Car Wash Valet Cleaned Inside And Out Only 18 euros . Hand Washing, Internal Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Waxing & Polishing, Engine Cleaning, Headlight Restoration, Xenon Lights and Navigation. Second Hand Cars For Sale. Collection & Delivery Service Available. Integral Auto Pol Ind El Real de Antas C/Ventevacio Nave 12 Tel 950 459 304 ANDINAS RACING ADVENTURE : Are you looking for something exciting to do in the new year? Live the adventure yourself by driving a POLARIS BUGGY. ANDINAS RACING POLARIS are the official dealer for the province of Almería. They have the full range of the brand and offer the possibility of testing these vehicles or rent them for your excursions in the area and, in some cases, to participate in some of the motor competitions that take place in the Peninsula. For participating in the Championship Off Road Rally Spain there is a financial program to teams who register Polaris brand vehicles.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

ALMERIMAR & surrounding area Viator

Gádor

The green light has been given for the creation of the first Recycling Centre in the town.

It will be sited at Paraje La Zorracana, and will serve all the Municipal waste collection rounds.

The Ayuntamiento de Gádor considers that the Punto Limpio is necessary to deposit and manage those wastes which, because of their special characteristics, can not be included within the normal pickups, thus helping to avoid fly tipping and improve the environmental quality in the municipality. This area is considered the most suitable because of its proximity to the City Centre, making it easier for residents to deposit their waste.

Alcalde Eugenio Gonzálvez said that with the commissioning of this Recycling Centre ‘we intend to make available to all more and better services, to facilitate their daily life, without involving cost, neither for users nor to the City Council.’

‘Besides, the Recycling Center will favour the proper management of municipal waste generated as a result of our daily activity, contributing to improved environmental quality for our people.’

This Recycling Centre is designed to accommodate both the waste generated by the construction industry,(rubble, etc.), electrical and wood waste, environmentally hazardous waste such as batteries, oils, batteries and lamps and cardboard or clothing for further treatment and recycling.

The Charity Shop Calle Galera No6, Almerimar

25% of participants in a smoking cessation workshop in Viator have successfully given up smoking.

The workshop ¿Quieres dejar de fumar? set up by the Ayuntamiento of Viator, through the Concejalía de Igualdad y Cooperación Social, has helped about 20 residents of the town, of which five have managed to beat their addiction to nicotine.

Paqui Claro, Concejal de Igualdad y Cooperación Social, expressed his satisfaction with the success of this workshop, which allowed ‘at least a few people to stop smoking after attending several talks on the impact of tobacco on the body.’

The workshop began in mid-November and finished this week. It included six sessions (one hour weekly) in which participants were offered precise strategies to facilitate the process of quitting tobacco and useful tools to maintain abstinence and decrease the number of relapses.

The Concejalía de de Igualdad y Cooperación Social del Ayuntamiento have announced that they are working on the implementation of new smoking cessation workshops, probably commencing in March, which will be aimed at the general smoking population of the municipality.

what’s on Wednesday

Sol Times Distributed

Thursday

(Behind Bar Ankara)

8:30pm - OPEN MIC NIGHT & JAM SESSION - MACGOWANS 24 JANUARY: GERRY’S CURRY NIGHT AT ANKARA

Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm

Friday Golf

now open

In Association with Animales de Berja & Ursamarina

Upholstery

• We Upholster Chairs, Sofas and Wing Chairs • 30 years of experience • Large fabric selection • Free pick up & delivery • In home free estimates

Tel: 692 17 60 69

Ankara

Est 2005 Cafe Bar Ray & Kay welcome you...

to their small and friendly cafe bar for breakfast, lunch & drinks

Gerry’s Curry Night 24th January Open: Mon - Sat 10.30am - Close

Open: Sunday 2pm - 10pm

Tapas served daily 12 noon - 5.30pm (except Sunday)

Sky Sports / ESPN for all sports Tel 610 900 320 Darsena 3, Almerimar - next to pharmacy

Friday

Saturday

stumble inn - 3pm-5pm free 100€ cash draw followed by live entertainment free buffet at 4pm

Sunday

10am – 1pm: Almerimar Walking Club - Meet at Mercadona

Monday

11am – 1pm: Ladies Coffee Morning - Yachting Golf Restaurant 5pm – 7pm: Jeu de Boules - East Beach

Tuesday

Tuesday Golf ------------------------------------------------------------

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR WEEKLY EVENTS TO BE PUBLISHED HERE - FREE OF CHARGE SEND THE DETAILS TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM

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almerimar local information keep up to date with what’s happening in Almerimar: www.facebook.com/localinformation

There is a new page on Facebook called Memorias de Almerimar www.facebook.com/ MemoriasDeAlmerimar

where people can share their photos and other memories of Almerimar from years gone by. If you have some old photos of Almerimar please can you share them with us.

El Ejido Bowls Club

Monday and Thursday - 5pm to 7pm Ring Alison on 677 317 920 to book or for further information

Friday Golf Society 18 january:

We were asked to mix things up a bit and play a different format once in a while so we reintroduced Texas Best 2 this week. In this format each player in each team play the first shot on each hole like a Texas Scramble.

After that they play their own ball for the rest of the hole. As the scores were not counting for individual handicap this week we did not have any hidden holes.

The winners this week with a great score of 91 points were Mr President (Alan Sly), Vicky Thomas, Chris Perkins and Jan Ljung. Last place and chocolates went to John Woodhead, Brian Downey, Ingegerd Erasmi and Lilian Jönegård.

Nearest the pin was won by Sylvia Green with a distance of 5.84m.

Thanks to John Fielding for sorting out the prize giving this week and handing out the bottles. He was not too happy having to give Mr President his winners prize. Mr President got double joy as he could laugh at John Woodhead picking up the chocolates.

There will be no regular Friday golf on 25 January 2013 as we are playing the England vs.

Rest of World pairs matchplay competition.

You can see the full results at:

www.fridaygolfsociety.es If you would like to take part in the friendly Friday competitions at Almerimar you can put your name up on the entry list by the pro-shop or contact info@ fridaygolfsociety.es

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

13

Dramatic New Council Plans Cause Concern In Roquetas Report & PHOTOS by Martin Shortland

Restaurant and bar owners in Roquetas de Mar have been left wondering if the local council has finally lost the plot. Last week they received notification of a plan, which if implemented, could severely affect the livelihoods of many and might even put others out of business all together

Needless to say, where local government is concerned the proposal is wordy and on first reading, confusing. It certainly begs the question as to who’s side the council are on. ‘The Ordinance of Terraces’ bill was actually approved at a council meeting in December, but it is only now that many traders are beginning to understand the full implications of what one bar owner described to me as, “a totally ludicrous scheme which seems designed to discourage both tourists and owners alike.” It centres on the covered terrace areas at the front of the bar or restaurant; an area which is vital to the success of trade, especially in the hot summer months when shade is crucial to the customer.

The council intend to standardise all these areas and owners – with council aide - will have to install new awnings and windows that conform to the specifications set out in the Ordinance of Terraces. The terrace will be permanently enclosed by fixed surrounds making it almost unbearable to sit in during the summer and will also make working conditions for staff very difficult. Bar furniture tables, chairs and sun umbrellas - will have to be of the same colour and design, namely white and not carry any branding, for example the name of the beer supplier to the premises.

The first question traders have been asking is how can the council possibly afford to make these changes when other areas of the council budget have been slashed in recent years to comply with national budget cuts? Secondly, they wonder how long it will take to implement the plans when there are an estimated 1,500 bars and restaurants in the town. The council have allowed three years for the proposals to be implemented. But the reaction from traders is a hostile one and if they have their way, the new bill will be squashed before it gets off the ground.

Also mentioned in the bill is the question of opening hours and usage of televisions to show sporting events.

At present and during the summer season, bars and restaurants - especially along the beachfront - stay open till the early hours of the morning. If the council has its way, then these properties could be forced to close at 1.00 am, although they have admitted they would not try to enforce this plan, they would only do so in the event of local residents complaining about the noise.

Along the Playa Romanilla beachfront in Roquetas, feelings are running high as Nick Woodley, husband of Bar Aurora owner Ruth Woodley explained, “To me this is a grey area,” he said, “and one which needs to be clarified by the council. We stay open late during the summer and sometimes show football matches, but we certainly never disturb the residents; what other bars do is their concern.

The late night closing – and we often close well before one - is less of a worry to us than the proposed changes to our terrace facilities.”

Many owners are asking why there was no consultation process by the council on such a major project. They are already considering boycotting the plans altogether and say that if enough traders were to agree to do so, then the council would be unable to force them into complying.

Those owners who have recently installed new awnings on their premises will have to remove them, bar owner Raphael Hernandez, in the port of Roquetas explained. “I had a new awning and new terrace furniture installed last

Droughts ‘getting longer and more severe’

Droughts in Spain are becoming longer and more intense, according to experts.

They have studied periods of low or nonexistent rainfall in the country over the 60year period between 1945 and 2005, and say the worst droughts – those which last five years or more – tend to be in the south and centre of the country.

Spain’s High Council of Scientific Investigation (CSIC) says that of the 187 river basins they studied, the Tajo in the centre of the country, the Júcar near the east coast, the Guadiana, and the Guadalquivir in the Sevilla province are the worst-affected and

see some of the longest-lasting droughts.

The average drought period has gone from a year and three months in the mid-1940s to five years in the late 1990s, according to the CSIC’s article in the magazine Hydrology and earth system sciences.

Only the river Duero, to the north of the centre and north-west of Spain – eventually running into Portugal where it becomes the Douro – and the Segura river in southern Alicante and northern Murcia have seen a slight reduction in drought severity.

According to the CSIC, the results of this research will be used to ascertain how the effects of the droughts can be minimised.

summer and the cost was considerable, if that is removed under the new council plan, will I receive compensation?

It’s a big worry.”

The council have been guarded in their response to these and many other questions put to them at a meeting with Azucena Sabio, president of the local traders association.

He said, “the council appear to have underestimated the reaction these proposals would have on the bar and restaurant owners of Roquetas. This industry is a very important part of the local economy, providing vital income and jobs and to say the council’s treatment of my members has been shoddy would be an understatement. We want to do all we can to get the council to reconsider some, if not all of this bill.”

It does seem quite amazing in the present economic climate and with so many local issues left unattended by the council – roads, pavements, waste removal - they should contemplate bringing in such a far reaching and potentially damaging bill as this one. The last few years have seen the closure of many bars and restaurants in the town and the introduction of this bill could bring about the closure of many more; surely in an area dependent on providing good and varied facilities for tourists, that would seem counterproductive? At the time of going to press, no one from the council was available for comment.

Spanish plane and air-base to be lent to France for Mali mission

Spain has lent France its air-base and a transport plane for the latter’s mission in Mali, the ministry of defence confirmed today.

On Tuesday, minister Pedro Morenés spoke to France to agree to allow Spanish airspace to be used in transit to the troubled African country, during which conversation his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian asked for the loan of an aircraft for transport for troops from bases in the West African States Economic Community to Mali.

Around 3,500 soldiers have been posted

to these areas.

Spain’s aircraft, a Hércules, will not be taking part in the French mission per se but as part of the EU’s own operations.

A decision will be made shortly as to where the Spanish airbase will be which France can use.

Normally, such matters have to be approved by the government as a whole, but in the event of war missions Spanish law allows them to be taken immediately and Parliamentary approval granted later.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

curiosity may kill the cat ‘Man make fire’ is a favourite saying of mine when lighting the barbecue.

pause for thought “When all else fails, read the manual” is a common remark from one of my friends, when things aren’t quite going according to plan. Whether a new television, new phone, new computer, new camera or even new car these days, we often find ourselves impatient to get on and use that new ‘toy’ before fully digesting the instructions, with consequent frustration as it fails to perform as anticipated. And the trouble is, that as technology advances, these products become ever more complex so that the instruction manual can seem overwhelming, often giving the impression that a degree in terminology is required to understand it.

But however intimidating it may seem, a good instruction manual is invaluable, and well worth the time spent studying it. And this isn’t just a modern phenomenon, as anyone seeing my Riley Workshop Manual would recognize, with its dog-eared and occasionally blackened pages, bearing witness to the hours it spends under the bonnet, being studied and religiously followed whenever any work is carried out on the engine or other aspect of that car. It really is my ‘Bible’; the essential, ultimate reference book, without which this 60 year-old vehicle wouldn’t still be on the road and running as sweetly as when it was almost new.

And most of us appreciate the value of manuals like this, so it’s perhaps surprising that so few of us bother to read the manual for the most complex piece of equipment we own – ourselves. For just as the Workshop Manual is essential reading for anyone wanting to run an old car, explaining how to get the best out of it, so the Bible, however intimidating it may at first appear, really is essential reading for anyone wanting to get the best out of their lives. And yes, the language may at times seem a touch obscure, but that could similarly be said of most truly comprehensive manuals, so we shouldn’t be put off by that, but just give it a try and we may well be surprised how helpful it becomes.

800,000 years ago early humans mastered the art of making fire by rubbing sticks together and cracking flints together. This kept them warm; they could cook and protect themselves from animal attacks.

Modern day humans were very nearly not around today as 200,000 years ago a deadly ice age wiped out most of the world’s population. Remains found in South Africa at a site dubbed the Garden of Eden, is where it’s believed the few remaining humans survived the cold.

Then around 170,000 years ago our ancestors first wore clothes to keep warm and started to spread widely across the planet.

Humans remained as hunter gatherers, killing game, catching fish, finding honey and eating whatever plants, fruit and nuts that were in season to survive. Then around 11,000 years ago man started to plant wheat, in South America 10,000 years ago potatoes were first cultivated.

From maybe 8000 years ago animals were first kept. So food was available all year round and enabled populations to remain and thrive in one place, hence the earliest known buildings originate from 11,000 years ago.

These advances and inventions enabled humans to reproduce and survive to the present day; fire, clothing, tool making, agriculture and construction. The great Life of Brian sketch ‘What did the Romans do for us?’ hilariously sums up other innovations by man. It can be found on YouTube if a reminder is needed. Then along came the wheel, glass, gun powder, steam and the industrial revolution. Coal was then supplanted by oil as the provider of power and pollutant of choice.

Before World War Two,

Further information about the Anglican Church and details of forthcoming events may be seen on the web site www. mojacarchurch.org Duncan Burr is Licensed Lay Reader for the Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Cálida and may be contacted at djburr@avired.com

Since 1939 there have been over 60 military nuclear accidents and about 40 involving civilian nuclear power; 3 mile Island, Fukushima and Chernobyl are easily remembered plus of course Palomares in Almeria where 3 warheads fell from the sky in 1956 when the bomber carrying them broke up over the sea. People and creatures across the planet have died or suffer defects and debilitating illnesses to this day from these so called scientific advancements.

The Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, is a huge machine scientists are using to look for the meaning of life which is of course 42! Recently a learned professor talked about his excitement of maybe opening extra dimensions and finding different galaxies and stars. What on earth are these people playing at, forget Dolly the sheep these mad scientists may create a black hole and we could all disappear into it in a flash. Surely world peace, cures for illnesses and malnutrition are better ways to spend time and money!

Enjoy Stephens musings? Pop over to http://findmeahomeinspain.wordpress.com as the articles are posted on there too...and they’re a bit longer too!

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the Manhattan project started as Albert Einstein and others had warned President Roosevelt that the Germans were trying to create an atomic bomb. Some of the world’s greatest minds spent six years and the equivalent in today’s money of US $25bn creating the atomic bomb. On July 16th 1945 ‘The Gadget’ was tested in New Mexico. Present at the test Robert Oppenheimer said ‘I am become deaththe destroyer of worlds!’ words spoken by Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita; a Hindu scripture. Another scientist Isidor Rabi said that he felt man had now become a grave threat to the world. The scientists tried in vain to stop the project after the test yet two weeks later the only two atomic weapons ever to be used in conflict detonated in Japan, killing and injuring over 200,000 people. To this day people still are afflicted by diseases such as leukaemia.

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World’s largest television unveiled

The world’s largest television has been unveiled - and it’s so big it has to be kept outside.

The C SEED 201 boasts 16ft-wide screen and costs £414,000 - four times as much as a Porsche 911 sports car.

It’s made in Austria by made by the supercar company’s Porsche Design Studio which hopes to sell 25 sets a year.

When switched off it is hidden away, but at the touch of a button seven folding panels rise from the ground and unveil the 201in widescreen.

It is made up of more than 725,000 LEDs which display 4.4 trillion colours and use biometric fingerprint sensors to prevent unauthorised use.

Alexander Swatek, from C SEED owner Global Bright Group, came up with the idea for the giant TV after being inspired by the phenomenon of public screenings.

“C SEED is a new brand that came about by pooling years of professional experience. It has a unique heritage because it draws on the best minds in their fields,” he said.

The biggest television already on sale in Britain is the 84in LG Ultra HDTV, which went on sale for £22,499.99 before Christmas.

Garden step was ancient treasure

An ancient carved step dismissed by art experts is set to fetch more than £30,000 at auction later this year.

The 1,000-year-old Buddhist moonstone has for years formed part of the garden path at Bronwen Hickmott’s bungalow near Exeter, Devon.

She originally grew up with it in her family home at Crowborough, Sussex - a house previously owned by a tea importer based in Sri Lanka.

Two years ago, the 66-year-old former secretary approached the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow to see if its experts could explain its history and value. However, a producer told her they were not interested and attempts to persuade auctioneers Sotheby’s to investigate were also rejected. It wasn’t until Mrs Hickmott mentioned the stone in passing to a valuer at Bonhams in Exeter that its history became clear.

It is now believed the six-inch thick, three

quarters of a ton granite sandakada pahana or moonstone is among only seven of its type in the world.

Carved by craftsmen of the Buddhist Sinhalese civilisation, centred on the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura, it depicts a half-lotus flower and a procession of horses, lions, elephants and oxen.

“I loved that stone so much as a child,” said Mrs Hickmott. “I used to trace the figures of the animals with my fingers and recite them in order; horse, lion, elephant, hump. I think the hump is actually an ox.”

“We called it The Pebble in our family and we’ve taken it with us around the country over five different house moves.

“But we are thinking of moving again and I don’t think it’s right to keep on shifting it - especially as we now know it’s historical value.”

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viewpoint

BEANS!

All outbound flights had been cancelled, and the airport departure lounge resembled the atrium of the Tower of Babel on the morning after Sports Day – filled beyond capacity with athletes from every nation, all intent on getting home as soon as possible. People of all creeds and colours were milling aimlessly around, still high on the adrenalin of their achievements, and as yet all in good humour.

Due to the delay we were to be given breakfast; poached egg on toast, a sausage, two rashers of bacon and a spoonful of beans.

‘You go after the French girls and before the Egyptian boys.’

The hostess smiled as she handed me the menu slip and indicated the monster Conga that was the breakfast queue.

With my team tucked obediently behind me I inserted us into the Conga behind the red sweatshirted and black ponytailed French girls, gently but inexorably pushing to the side the Egyptian boys in their smart sandcoloured kaftans.

We reached the head of the queue and I proffered my tray to the girl behind the counter, who was operating with the timing josbiggs@hotmail.co.uk and mechanical

By Jos Biggs

precision of an automaton. I watched as she scooped from their individual dishes onto my plate the perfectly round poached egg on toast, the sausage and the two rashers of bacon.

She pushed the tray back to me. ‘Beans?’ I asked pleasantly, indicating the full tray of steaming hot beans.

‘No beans.’ She replied in a monotone.

‘It says beans.’ I held up the menu slip for her to see, my voice and manner the epitome of reasonableness.

She looked up and met my eye. I have seen more signs of life in a slice of Gorgonzola cheese than there was in her gaze. She shifted the gum she was chewing from one side of her mouth to the other side.

‘We don’t have any beans.’

‘Those are beans.’ I indicated the still steaming tray of beans.

‘No beans. Please move along, you are holding up the queue.’

I folded my arms. My team folded their arms.

‘We are not moving’ I said firmly, ‘Until we have our beans.’

A fat man with a dirty apron, his dark hair streaked with sweat emerged from the background, presumably the kitchen.

‘What’s the hold-up?’ He enquired.

‘They want beans.’ She intoned without emotion.

To be or not to be . . . what was the question?

Some years ago, a poor soul who knew no better, asked me to captain our village pub quiz team, and I reluctantly accepted.

One reason I agreed to his request was because the outgoing skipper was so indecisive, that rather than make a guess on those questions where none of us could agree on the answer (about 98% of them) he would mumble and frown until time ran out and another ‘zero points’ was registered.

Another reason was that he was usually Brahms and Liszt by round two and thirdly; he was a Scot who was so antagonistic to the rest of his English team mates, we usually spent more time having a go at each other rather than at the opposition.

Oh and fourthly; nobody else

was prepared to do it.

Like most unsuccessful pub quiz teams - or in our case, an utterly useless pub quiz team – we covered up our total ineptitude by declaring that we were just there for the beer and a good laugh, and whilst there was some truth in the beer pre-requisite, underneath it all we were desperate not to look completely clueless even though we were.

By way of over compensation, we would celebrate long and loud in the unlikely event of a victory over a team composed of bigger turnips than us. Unlikely is probably putting it mildly, because a win for us was about as rare as hair on a cucumber.

Then in the true spirit of unsportsmanship we would taunt the vanquished enemy with chants of ‘Yoos-lesss’ and thoroughly rub their noses in it, until with heads lowered, they would slink out of the bar and drive off into the night – much to the chagrin of our landlord who had just seen a useful few quid disappear before his eyes.

Such was our ignorance of geography, sport, history and such

By Colin Bird : badbirdnow@gmail.com

like, some people were convinced that our aim was not only to lose matches, but to score as few points as possible. This was not true, but rather than disabuse them of this idea, we revelled to some extent in our image on the pub circuit, of being good hearted dimmo’s We would always get enthusiastic welcomes when we travelled to away matches; after all, another large win was a matter of absolute certainty, and the landlord’s eyes would light up as we entered the bar, because we were also known as big spenders and good losers.

Bad winners . . . but good losers.

Most of the other teams on the circuit were composed of individuals who specialised in one subject or another as well as possessing a good all round knowledge.

We on the other hand had nobody with anything resembling a good all round knowledge, although we did have our own specialists within the team.

Trouble was, the subjects in question were of sewerage disposal, housework and pond maintenance and in my case Cornish pub names.

Unfortunately not too many questions of this nature came our

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Cyril, (sewerage) was asked once, to name the nine planets of the solar system. He looked as baffled as Adam on Mother’s Day before answering that he only knew three – the Earth, Mars, and the moon, although he wasn’t convinced that the Earth could be classed as a planet.

The frightening part was that the rest of us were nodding sagely at Cyril’s pronouncement and although we were not permitted to give assistance to team mates, I surreptitiously passed my struggling colleague a scrap of paper with the word Krypton written on it.

Another time, confronted with the question – ‘Which actress played the part of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street?’ Agnes (housework) our token lady member, put down her knitting and beaming, declared loudly - Ena Sharples!

These days of course, you are a sad case if you actually can name soap characters, even the correct ones.

Amazingly, Splint (Pond Maintenance) whose nickname is derived from his surname of Harwood, was on one memorable occasion, posed a question about newts. He was so taken back with this turn of events that he almost ran out of time due to his premature celebrations involving his pint of Greene King and a good part of mine.

However, he not only gave the correct answer in the nick of time, but went on to give a full length lecture on the life cycle of the Great Crested Newt and precise locations in the British Isles where they could be found. All 700 of them.

Splint was the hero of the night however, because that point he managed to score was the difference at the end of the evening between the two teams. A rare win.

He had bored our opponents into submission.

Anyway, I’m available if anyone wants me.

ald John MacDon

(El Sordo) - ww

Canal Al q ue r i a

u w.caratacus.e

Museo Parque de las Ciencias in Granada very kindly supplied an array of television broadcasting equipment.

They didn’t exactly donate it. A small but badly trained commando unit from Alqueria moved not so swiftly across the Spanish border and made off with it. Although antiquated it did transmit television pictures. From a shed on the Calle Generalissimo the sparking, smoking and shaking apparatus sent the Canal Alqueria Television signal across the village.

The Alquerian Parliament had decided to set up the service to meet the peculiar requirements of the village’s population. Local news, the singular Alquerian weather and entertainment designed for their strange tastes were all to be broadcast.

Blythe Gruntmore the resident Englishman and Geordie was to read the news. His grasp of Spanish was akin to a politician’s concept of truth. This was intentional as ninety percent of Alquerian news was bad and the other ten so trivial that not being understood by anyone sober enough to switch on their television set was a distinct advantage.

Rodriquez the most loathsome and hated man in the village took on the role of children’s entertainer in the guise of the lovable Rody el Payaso. His large bulbous red nose and clown’s baggy trousers simply made him even more hideous and grotesque than usual. One knew when he was performing in front of a live audience from the children’s screams and sobs. Prime time slots were filled by transmitting films from DVDs on hire from Dodgy Diego’s Film Rentals in Viator.

Manuela being Minister of Culture needed to be included but her usual contribution would be x-rated and only suitable for transmission in all but the most broadminded of Scandinavian states. She was therefore given a craft show demonstrating knitting techniques. Manuela is however an inventive girl with the result that her show could only be broadcast at two in the morning. Recordings of her show are changing hands for 200€ in the back streets of Almería.

Sacerdote del Semblante Lánguido, the village priest and existentialist rounded off the day’s programmes with a half hour spot. He spent the whole thirty minutes banging on about the meaningless universe and the contingency of all life. Some thought he was working hand-in-hand with Francisco Cabezacaso AKA Paco the Shrink the village psychiatrist. His patient numbers increased proportionally to the priest’s air-time.

A review of Canal Alqueria in a Spanish newspaper simply said. “The most exciting thing to happen to television since the off switch.”

Unfortunately electromagnetic waves do not conveniently stop at borders with the result that Spanish homes were receiving the Alquerian signal. Complaints reached such a peak that the Spanish authorities had to act. A week after Canal Alqueria started transmitting it stopped, blocked by elements of the Regimiento de Guerra Electronica 31.

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IVA on medication, veterinary and healthcare equipment ‘too low’, says EU

Reduced-rate value-added tax on certain medication, medical equipment and veterinary supplies is ‘illegal’, claims the European Commission.

Medicines, healthcare products and materials that may be use to prevent, diagnose, treat, relieve or cure illnesses should attract IVA at the full rate of 21 per cent, and not the ‘middle’ rate of 10 per cent, according to an EU ruling from 2010.

The higher-rate IVA is not applied to items used for relieving or treating inherent deficiencies, or for purely personal use or employed solely for the permanently disabled.

This means veterinary treatment equipment and medication should also be taxed at 21 per cent, because ‘personal use’, ‘use by the disabled’ or ‘pharmaceutical products’ are definitions that can only be applied to humans rather than animals, according to the Commission.

Items exempt from higher-rate IVA for use by persons include needles, blood-pressure reading machines, latex gloves, masks, disposable caps, gowns or socks, gauze, plasters, thermometers or ‘white coats’.

Spain’s government has been ordered to increase IVA on non-exempt items with immediate effect and to pay the costs of the European court investigation.

If it does not do, large fines will be imposed.

This means healthcare costs for the State will rise dramatically, and pet-owners could face much larger vet bills.

Animal rescue volunteer killed by tram A 70 year oldwoman lost her life yesterday morning after being hit by the AlicanteBenidorm tram.

The victim was standing on the boarding ramp near the pavement, reportedly in the path of the vehicle, in El Campello (Alicante).

Despite the driver having warned that a pedestrian was in the way, slowing down as much as she could and blasting her horn, she was unable to avoid the impact at the Salesianos tram stop.

Paramedics rushed to the scene, but all attempts to revive the woman failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim, who has not been named, is said to be very well-known in El Campello for her animal rescue work and her connections with local dogs’ homes.

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If your resolution to exercise more is leaving you tired out, put your feet up.

Research suggests that short rest periods are just as important as the exercise itself.

Taking it easy now and again not only allows the muscles to recover, it also makes the body fitter faster, Stirling University sports scientists believe.

Their study was of keen cyclists but they think that men and women who are simply trying to get a bit fitter could also benefit from building periods of rest into their exercise programme.

In the study, 12 cyclists were split into two groups. One did bursts of high intensity exercise, interspersed with short rest periods, three times a week.

In each session, they pedalled hard, but below sprint pace, for four minutes, then stopped for two minutes, before repeating the pattern five times.

The second group rode continuously for an hour at a slightly easier pace, three times a week.

After four weeks, the two groups swopped programmes.

Tests showed the first programme, which involved a mixture of tough training and taking it easy, to be the most beneficial, leading to twice as big an improvement in power and performance.

Researcher Stuart Galloway, an exercise physiologist, said: ‘It is a case of training smarter.

‘We found in these cyclists that if you can make the hard sessions harder and the easy sessions easier, then you will likely see better progress.

‘Amateur athletes tend to spend a lot of their training in the moderate intensity bracket which in our study showed smaller

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improvements.

‘For the wider public, most people were advised to do moderate intensity exercise for around three hours a week.

‘More recently, high-intensity bouts of exercise such as spin cycling classes or interval running have been presented as the best option.

‘We would suggest that while high intensity is still important, it’s the combination with low intensity which has the biggest impact.’

It is thought that muscles find it harder to recover from long periods of exercise, than from short bursts, even if they are physically tougher.

Dr Angus Hunter, co-author of the study which appears in the Journal of Applied Physiology, said: ‘Your muscles may be fatigued more quickly when you work at high intensity but they recover more quickly too.’

This could leave people feeling less tired in between exercise sessions.

Dr Galloway said: ‘Often everything merged into the middle, so the hard sessions aren’t hard enough and the easy session aren’t easy enough.

‘If you feel fatigued after exercising and are taking too long to recover, it is probably because you have done a session of continuous, moderate intensity exercise.’

The study is one several to extol the virtues of short, sharp bursts of exercise.

Aberdeen University research suggests that short, sharp burst of exercise are better at warding off heart disease than much longer, but less strenuous, sessions.

Concentrated effort may also burn off more calories - as well as being easier to fit into a hectic day.

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the power of meditation

People who suffer from painful conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis could ease their symptoms using a form of meditation, say researchers.

are becoming addicted.

They added that the treatment, known as mindfulness, could prove a cheaper alternative to prescription medicines.

Study leader Melissa Rosenkranz, said some people don’t benefit from regular medicines with many suffering from negative side effects of drugs or failing to respond to standard treatment.

Mindfulness meditation involves ‘being present’ by focusing on breathing patterns and bodily sensations. This reduces worrying about the past and future and has been shown to be effective at alleviating depression.

The latest study suggested its calming effect could help those with stress-related chronic inflammatory conditions - such as bowel disease and asthma.

It is also a convenient technique as people can do the meditation exercises while sitting down or walking, according to the authors from the University of Wisconsin.

It comes as family doctors in the UK are being told to slash prescriptions of painkillers and sleeping pills amid concerns that patients

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New guidelines now urge doctors to consider alternative treatments such as physiotherapy and counselling.

Ms Rosenkranz said: ‘Our study shows that there are specific ways mindfulness (meditation) can be beneficial and that there are specific people who may be more likely to benefit from this approach than other interventions.

‘The mindfulness-based approach to stress reduction may offer a lower-cost alternative or complement standard treatment and it can be practised easily by patients in their own homes, whenever they need.’

The study compared two different methods of reducing stress, one related to meditation and the other involving exercise and musical therapy.

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program was meant to match aspects of the mindfulness instruction in some way. For example, physical exercise was meant to match walking meditation, without the mindfulness component.

‘In this setting, we could see if there were changes that we could detect that were specific to mindfulness,’ Rosenkranz said.

Cream containing heat from chilli peppers was used to inflame the skin of participants in both groups.

Although both groups felt calmer after therapy, only mindfulness proved effective at reducing the inflammation.

Ms Rosenkranz added: ‘The study suggests that mindfulness techniques may be more effective in relieving inflammatory symptoms than other activities that promote well-being.

‘This is not a cure-all, but our study does show that - there are specific people who may be more likely to benefit from this approach than other interventions.’

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o you suffer with: Back/Neck problems, Stress/ D Insomnia, Headache/Migraine?

Shiatsu will help. Shiatsu therapy is very much hands-on, which promotes normal healing for general wellbeing. The recipient is treated fullyclothed. Wendy, fully-qualified in the UK, is available from 3pm. 671 851 135

We are a self-contained private suite of rooms on the right hand side of La Vida Cucador, with its own entrance, plus disabled access and good parking

If you are a fully-qualified therapist and want to know more about us or to book a room, email retreatcucador@gmail.com Become a friend on Facebook & see our monthly Special Offers!

Nine out of 10 sunbeds in England fail to meet British and European safety standards, research in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests.

The levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by 400 sunbeds were on average two times higher than recommended limits, the study found.

Researchers warn the number of skin cancers may increase if stricter controls are not put in place.

But sunbed manufacturers say regulation is making them safer to use.

The Cancer Research UK funded study examined 402 sunbeds across England between 2010 and 2011.

The researchers from the University of Dundee also looked at the risk of developing skin cancer from sunbeds compared with the risk associated with tanning in the Mediterranean sun.

They found the cancer risk from sunbeds was more than twice that of spending the same length of time in the midday sunshine.

Yinka Ebo, at Cancer Research UK, said: “Research has already shown that using sunbeds for the first time before the age of 35 increases the risk of the skin cancer malignant melanoma by 87%.

“Sunbeds are not going to do you any good - the best-case scenario is they will age and damage your

skin. The worst-case scenario is a cancer diagnosis and potentially death.”

Regulation on sunbeds came into force in 2009, but the researchers suggest stricter control measures are required to prevent an increase in the number of skin cancers.

Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, said: “England is sadly trailing behind the rest of the UK in this matter.

“We need proper regulation, covering issues like safety of equipment and health warnings for clients.”

But Gary Lipman, chairman of the Sunbed Association, which represents companies that manufacture and operate tanning stations, said the study findings were out of date.

“The Sunbed Association has been working with its members, non-members and... local authorities since 2009 to inform them about the change in UV emission levels, and advise how to become compliant.

“Sun bed users should check with their salon that the sun bed is 0.3 compliant - that means its UV emission levels are guaranteed to be no higher than the midday Mediterranean sun.”

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The cost of dying has got a lot more expensive – Or has it??

From 1st September the rate of IVA (vat) charged by Funeral Directors rose from 8% to 21% so an average funeral cost here in Spain will be in the region of 4840 €. With an Iberian Funeral Plan you fix the cost of the funeral at today’s price and it is fixed forever, irrespective of how much funeral expenses rise in the future. With guaranteed Plan prices starting from just 2995 €. Do you need to look elsewhere for total peace of mind?

Just look at the facts: • Iberian have the best plans and plan benefits at the best price • Iberian plans are the only genuine interest free plans if you wish to pay by instalments • Iberian do not charge you an additional administration fee • Iberian do not have any deferred or final settlement payments at the end of the instalment term • Iberian Funeral Plans are fully transferrable to the UK • Iberian Funeral Plans cover you throughout the EU and can assist worldwide.

With prices starting at just 2995 € and IVA FREE, less does equal more. Therefore it makes so much sense to protect your loved ones by investing in a guaranteed funeral plan from Iberian.

Visit www.iberianfuneralplans.com

or simply contact our offices on 952595691 (Malaga) or 965993498 (Benijpfar-Alicante) Also located in The UK, Portugal, Canary Islands and Balearics

www.soltimes.com

I was reading an older copy of your favourite free newspaper yesterday when I read an article on this new(ish) laptop caught my eye. The article was about the Google ChromeBook and it got me wondering exactly what makes this such an innovation.

The only claim to fame for this device is that it has not got a hard drive, and neither goes my laptop but that isn’t innovation as much as it is despiration! The Chromebook runs Chrome OS, an operating system that have been written by Google. Google Chrome OS is the little brother of Chromium OS which is a Linux-based operating system and is open source (meaning anyone can examine the source code and modify it!). It was designed by Google, with a simplified user interface, to work exclusively with web applications (direct from the website!). Google Chromebook is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Web, the only application on the device is a browser incorporating a media player and a file manager.

So far this does sound like a good deal, doesn’t it? Well it is lighter than an equivalent laptop, claims to start up within 10 seconds and unlike normal laptops maintains this speed regardless of how much it is used.

There are 2 basic levels that the OS performs on, these are what is built in and what is stored on the cloud. So let’s start with what is built in. The system is populated with Apps which are the programs that you use on a Chromebook to do things like create documents, listen to music and edit photos of your puppy. Google claims that there is no more buying and installing software as thousands of apps are free.

Now let us examine what is in the cloud. Chromebooks have an auto-update mechanism so you always get the freshest software and security features. The applications also have the option of auto or manual update which you can expect every couple of months.

Chromebooks use an online file storage service, so you can save and access your stuff safely online and won’t need to back up your files manually.

So far, so good. Now here is where I start to have a few problems.

I like to have my files where I can get to them! I like the idea that I don’t have to be connected to the internet to be able to access this information. Like many, but not all, I have different password combinations some of them long and randomly generated. I have to store them in a file that has been encrypted, on a USB chip that has been encrypted and then store the chip in the most improbable of places. Can you guarantee that someone, who you have never met, is willing and able to provide the same level of security for your secure information?

In America, where WIFI is everywhere, working on-line is feasible. Here in Spain we are still some 10 year behind the UK and many more years behind america. Maybe this technology isn’t quite ready for Spain or Spain isn’t quite ready for this technology.

So in conclusion, Your Chromebook can update your software either automatically or manually. Your data is stored “in the cloud” by some unseen divinity and you need internet access to work at more than 10 percent efficiency. Or you have access to hundreds of thousands of free programs that will update automatically or manually, do not require the internet to do 90 percent if your workload and know exactly where all your passwords and important documents are!

This piece, for example, is being written on my cheap and cheerful ancient laptop without the internet as the winds have blown over my internet receiving dish! Something I wouldn’t be able to do if I had to work exclusively on-line. Just a thought ;-)

For further information or advice on computing, contact Trevor on 689 892 745 or canducomputing@hotmail.co.uk

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Address To A Haggis...

BIOGRAPHY:

Robert Burns was born at Alloway, near Ayr, on 25 January 1759.

His father William was a gardener to the Provost of Ayr. Robert was educated briefly at John Murdoch’s school in Alloway and later in Ayr. Family financial worries forced Burns to work as a farm labourer, and it was while thus occupied that he met his first love, Nelly Kirkpatrick. She inspired him to try his hand at poetry, a song entitled “O, once I lov’d a bonnie lass”, set to the tune of a traditional reel.

Burns worked at a succession of labouring jobs, including flax dressing, and began writing poetry regularly. When his father died in 1784, Burns and his brother Gilbert rented a farm near Mauchline.

Burns spread his affections freely, and the next decade saw 8 illegitimate children born to him through 5 different women. One of these, Jean Armour, became Mrs. Burns in 1788.

SUCCESS: The first published work of poetry by Robert Burns was “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect” which saw the light of day on 31 July 1786. This collection of verse contained many of Burn’s best works, including “To a Mouse”, and “The Holy Fair”.

The success of “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect” convinced Burns to abandon plans to emigrate to Jamaica. Buoyed by his burgeoning reputation as an unschooled “ploughman poet”, Burns moved to Edinburgh and became part of the thriving cultural

scene there. He was unable to find a patron to support his writing, but publisher James Johnson gave him work editing a collection of Scottish folk songs. This work, titled “The Scots Musical Museum”, was published in 5 volumes over sixteen years. Burns himself contributed over 150 songs, including “Auld Lang Syne”, a reworking of an earlier folk song of unknown origin.

Burns and his wife Jean moved to Mauchline, where in 1790 he produced “Tam o’ Shanter”, which was first published merely as an accompaniment to an illustration of Alloway Kirk, in a volume of “Antiquities of Scotland”. The growing Burns family moved again, this time to Dumfries.

Burns contributed 114 songs to “A Select Collection Of Scottish Airs” by George Thomson, but he received very little payment for his efforts. In 1795, Burns was inspired by the events of the French Revolution to write “For a’ that and a’ that”, his cry for human equality.

One year later, on July 21, 1796, Burns was dead of rheumatic fever. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael’s in Dumfries, even as his wife Jean was in childbirth with their ninth child.

LEGACY: Robert Burns gained more fame after his death than he ever did during his lifetime. Many of his songs and poems have become international favourites - even among those who find his use of Scottish lowland dialect difficult to decipher!

Ye Pow’rs, wha mak mankind your care, And dish them out their bill o’ fare, Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer Gie her a haggis!

21

Burns Suppers have been part of Scottish culture for about 200 years as a means of commemorating the birth of Robert Burns.

Burns Suppers range from ostentatiously formal gatherings of aesthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honoured form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard!

And when Burns immortalised haggis in verse he created a central link that is maintained to this day.

22

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

THE SPAINIAC | Plaza de España (Seville) | Candice Parsons

Until physically facing the building up close, the grandiosity of Plaza de España lies almost hidden on the edge of Parque de María Luisa’s lush and leafy gardens.

With its construction beginning in 1914 and design overseen by Sevillian architect Aníbal González, the Renaissance/neo-Moorish styled landmark was built specifically as the centerpiece of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (‘Expo 29’).

Located next to Avenida Isabella La Catolica, Plaza de España was designed to showcase both the industrial and craft talents of Seville.

The initial idea was that this presence and hosting of the world Expo would enhance and modernize the image

of the city, and thus increase its civil works, employment and international relationships.

Due to the outbreak of both World War I and political issues between Spain and Morocco, the completion of the site was delayed.

Its progress also faced aesthetic criticisms and financial difficulties caused from Seville’s poor economic status during the construction period.

In 1926 Gonzalez resigned from his position in the project and was replaced by Vincente Taverner, who oversaw its final completion in 1928. Taverner added the central fountain to the site, where King Alfonso XIII

inaugurated Expo 29.

Today, Plaza de España houses government offices and the regional army’s general office.

Measuring 50, 000 square metres, the plaza covers the size equivalent to five football pitches.

The two tall towers at each end, connected by a long and curved colonnaded gallery structure, all echo a majestic awe within and throughout the whole site.

Known as the ‘Venice of Seville’, Plaza de España is surrounded by a 500-meter canal with four bridge crossings, all intricately decorated with ceramic tiles.

Small rowing boats can also be rented along the canal for around five euros per 45 minutes, or the motorboat, Enriqueta, for nine euros.

The curved wall following along the canal holds 48 alcoves; of which each of their benches represent the different provinces of Spain. The alcoves boast relevant tableau and maps, illustriously designed using colorful azulejos.

Over the decades, Plaza de España has been used as a filming location for several movies, including Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia, and more recently, The Dictator with Sasha Baron-Cohen.

As both an emblematic site of Seville, and a significant representative for Spain and Spanish history, Plaza de España is a landmark not to be missed in this city.

Candice Parsons is a writer and avid Spain and Spanish culture lover from Melbourne, Australia. ‘Like’ my Facebook page: www.facebook. com/pandemicrhapsody and follow me on Twitter @MiLlamoCandi

LEGAL CORNER WITH MICHAEL DAVIES, ABOGADO/SOLICITOR

If you wish us to print an article about a particular topic, please e-mail info@daviessolicitors.com

Q: I have heard that a new law has been passed that is going to permit the obtention of title deeds for many of the “illegal houses in the Almanzora Valley” What you have heard about is a new law passed in February of last year. This law has indeed established different certifications that town halls can issue depending on the situation of a property with ought a building license, and which under certain circumstances will offer access to a title deed to the house and access to the property register (this will not be the solution to all illegal properties).

These documents are going to have a cost attached to them. (Which could vary between 2 and 5% of the building cost of the property depending on the town hall). Many town halls have not decided yet on the percentage that they will be charging. In addition most town halls will not issue these certificates until they have established the exact situation themselves of all the properties built with ought a license in their territory. Not all illegal houses are the same and not all town halls and registrars will interpret the norm in the same way (specially at this early stage).

We suggest consulting how the law may affect your particular situation as soon as possible

CONSEQUENCES OF THE DEFICIT: TAX AUTHORITIES ARE HOT AT COLLECTING NON- RESIDENT INCOME TAX

(Do not confuse with your rates /IBI which are generally paid by direct debit) Do not forget that if you are a non-resident of Spain (and you are making no income). You must present a non-resident income tax return every year. It is obligatory, and if you are not doing so you must start. If you wish to receive a full explanation about this tax, please email me and I will send you the article...

Michael Davies is a Spanish Abogado and has been practicing law in Almería since 1993. He is member of the Law societies of Almería and Madrid and has offices in Mojacar and Almeria High Street.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

property group

Paseo del Mediterraneo 197 - Mojacar - Almeria

Tel: 950 472 430 / 610 053 563

www.veritashomes.co.uk info@veritashomes.co.uk You can find us on Palomares

€55,000

2 bed / 2 bath fully furnished Apartment with underground private parking. Communal Pool.

Close to amenities & beach. Ref. 1496

el largo reduced

€94,950

antas reduced

€58,000

2 bed / 2 bath fully furnished Penthouse Apartment with private roof solarium close to all amenities. Lift. Ref. 1071

garrucha

€95,000

Mojacar playa

€75,000

2 bed / 2 bath Apartment with terrace & underground parking place. Air con. Fully fitted kitchen. Communal pool. Ref. 1123

mojacar playa

€100,000

Mojacar playa

€90,000

2 bed / 2 bath Apartment within walking distance to promenade. Terrace with sea views: 18 m².

Communal pools & tennis court. Ref. 1070

villaricos reduced

€109,950

4 bed / 3 bath large Townhouse with garage around 10 min. to coast and Desert Springs Golf. Build 164 m². Ref. 1165

4 bed / 2 bath large Penthouse Apartment with 4 terraces near harbour, beach & promenade.

Ref. 1059

3 bed / 2 bath south Apartment with sea views near beach. Terrace: 19 m². Underground private parking place. Ref. 1291

2 bed / 2 bath Bungalow. Private plot of 135 m² just a few minutes walk to beach, promenade & amenities. Communal pool. Ref. 1006

mojacar playa

mojacar playa reduced

mojacar playa reduced

antas reduced

€110,000

2 bed / 1 bath Penthouse sea facing Apartment on first line community with pool. Large terrace with views. Ref. 1083

Mojacar Playa

€165,000

2 bed / 2 bath Townhouse. Private underground garage, terrace & solarium. Small complex with pool near the beach. Ref 1009

mojacar playa reduced

€295,000

3 bed / 2 bath sea facing Villa with garage on plot of 417 m². Terraces, solarium & jacuzzi.

Amazing views. Ref 1062

€115,000

2 bed / 2 bath sea facing Apartment within 2 minutes walk to the beach. 2 terraces.

Communal Pool. Ref. 1018

arboleas

€169,500

3 bed / 2 bath detached Villa with private heated pool. Plot 612 m². Terraces, solarium & gardens. Central heating.. Ref 1420

vera

€299,000

4 bed / 2 bath Villa with independent garage, solarium and pool a few minutes to town. Plot 5,000 m². Build 202 m². Ref 1017

€135,000

€139,950

2 bed / 1 bath semi-detached Villa on plot of 246 m². Living dining room with fireplace.

Roof solarium with sea views. Ref. 1052

3 bed / 3 bath Townhouse with private pool and garage. Plot 246 m². Nice mountains views. Ref. 1055

mojacar playa reduced

Mojacar Playa reduced

€190,000

3 bed / 2 bath spacious Townhouse with private garage within 200 m to beach. Small gated community with pool. Ref 1483

vera bargain

€199,500

3 bed / 3 bath nice Villa with garage in La Parata close to the club. Plot 400 m². Terrace, solarium & utility area. Ref 1010

€299,000

4 bed / 3 bath Villa with pool & underground garage on plot of 390 m² on quiet area. Sea views. Central heating. Ref 1117

Please visit our office or refer to our website for more “bargains”. Vendors: If you are seriously considering selling your property please visit our office to discuss effective ways of achieving your goal.

As per decree 218/2005 the “Documento de Información Abreviada” (D.I.A) for any property sold

by Veritas Homes is available at our office.

23

24

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Spring Spring Clean Clean Your Your Pots!

Pots!

Available in a huge range of various sizes and designs, are visually interesting and provide an excellent home for many plants.

Made of baked earth (in Italian=terra cotta), clay has been in use for containers, bricks, pipes, roof tile, and sculpture for thousands of years in both Eastern and Western cultures. One of the most astonishing uses of terra cotta is the collection of 8099 funerary statues of warriors discovered in China in 1974.

There are a number of advantages to using terra cotta. Clay is completely natural. It’s porous so it’s nearly impossible to overwater plants something many gardeners learn to be wary of when using plastic or resin containers.

Clay tends to protect above-ground root systems from extremes in temperature too, which is especially important during the warmer summer months. Its porosity contributes to breathability of the container, so

roots (which need air) can breath and remain healthy.

Of course clay pots are heavy and subject to cracking and breaking. This sad situation means that it makes sense to invest in good quality pots, then take care of them so you can enjoy them for many years. One downside is that their porosity can make them difficult to clean from season to season, so pathogens can affect your plants if you don’t sterilize them.

Cleaning pots Remove all loose debris and dirt from your pots first. You can use a dish scrubber, fine steel wool, or a stiff brush. Cleaning pots from year to year prevents passing fungi, bacteria, or viruses. One method, albeit stinky, is to bake your flower pots in the oven at 220°F for an hour or so.

That will kill anything still residing on your pots. This method works well with small and medium sized pots.

Let them cool slowly; don’t attempt to move them until they are at room temperature. This can put your oven

out of commission for quite a while though if you have a lot of pots to do....and it doesn’t work for really large pots.

Method Two is to use 1:10 ratio of bleach to water, then soak your pots for about 30 minutes. Rinse well. If you let the pot sit for a couple days and dry out before planting, the remaining bleach residue largely dissipates. Bleach does weaken materials over time, so make sure you work with a very dilute solution - more is not better! Some gardeners clean their pots as well as they can, then run them through the dishwasher with white vinegar.

Because clay is porous, the salts in fertilisers pass through the pot’s walls and accummulate on the outside creating a hard white crust. To clean the crust off and restore your pot to its original pristine exterior, make a paste of baking soda and scrub with a soft brush. Fine steel wool also works.

If you notice a damp, green film on pots left in the shade, you have a fine crop of algae. It doesn’t hurt the plant so leave it alone. You can clean it at the end of the growing season.

Monday to Friday

teeing off

between 10am & 12noon More Nationalities in Search of

green fee meal & 35€ per p erso drink n to book a tee time call

950 55 96 46

or email:reservas@laenviagolf.com www.laenviagolf.com

Spanish Bargain Properties

In 2013 Spain will see an increase in foreign investors interested in snapping up bargains in their struggling real estate market, according to a recent report by Kyero.com.

The British agency, Inmoaction, who specialise in attracting investors from the UK, estimate that in 2013, foreign interest in Spanish properties will grow beyond the classic British, German, Scandinavian and Russian markets.

The company based its forecasts on “enquiries received in the last months of the year and on a housing market survey conducted”, they explained in a statement, as well as in the evolution of the housing demand experienced in 2012, where foreign investments in property grew 18% year-on-year to September.

Thus, El Mundo reported that the agency predicts that 2013 will see a diversification in the nationalities of buyers, no longer focusing only on the traditional markets.

“In the last quarter Inmoaction have been contacted by investors from Egypt, Iran and even Vietnam,” they said, all interested in the purchase of property, and in one month they have received “two enquiries from groups of investors seeking hotels for sale in Spain, and others interested in mansions or small palaces to transform into hotels.”

“The Government’s proposal to grant visas has given a positive result, at least in foreign investors’ intent to purchase,” the agency explained.

According to the agency, demand for real estate as an investment product has and will continue to increase, and they believe foreigners will be attracted by the low prices, with the ‘product-investment’ as the key. “Buying cheap to rent, buying very cheap to reform and buying for tourism development will all be on the rise in 2013,” said the agency. (www.kyero.com)

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

25

By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Fr anks

What Does 2013 Have In Store, Ta x Wise?

New reporting law The big story here in Spain is the new asset reporting law.

The first reporting deadline is now 30th April 2013; in future years it will be 31st March. All Spanish residents have to declare assets held abroad if the value of each class amounts to €50,000 or more.

The penalties for failing to comply can be devastating. It is possible, for example, that you would need to pay more than the total sum held in your offshore bank account.

You therefore need to make sure you get it right and should seek advice from a firm like Blevins Franks on what you need to declare.

2013 budget Those with worldwide chargeable assets above the wealth tax threshold will be hit by the tax for another year, as it has

been extended to apply for assets held as at 31 December 2013.

From 1st January 2013, capital gains on assets held for less than 12 months are taxable at your marginal income tax rate, up to 52%, instead of the fixed rates (21% to 27%) applicable to investment income and gains.

Lottery winnings over €2,500 are now subject to tax at 20%.

2013 income taxes Income taxes remain high. An additional contribution of between 0.75% and 7% is added to the scale rates of income tax for 2012 and 2013 income. Additional tax of between 2% and 6% applies to savings income for the same period.

You may see a noticeable increase in your tax bill when you prepare your 2012 return. Speak to an adviser like Blevins

Franks to find out how you can reduce tax on your savings, investments and wealth.

The future?

There is a general worldwide move towards exchanging information and levying taxes at rates not seen for many years. The world is changing, but there are still ways to protect your assets, and these are becoming more and more important as countries adopt austerity budgets. Seek advice from an established professional tax and wealth manager in Spain like Blevins Franks.

Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should take personalised advice.

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

THE SALE AT SPAZIO CONFORT - LEADER IN SALES IN THE PROVINCE OF ALMERIA - OFFERS DISCOUNTS OF UP TO 50% ON A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS LEATHER EASY CHAIR

FROM 295€

CHAISE LONGUE WITH STORAGE

FROM 545€

BEDS & DOUBLE MATTRESS UP TO 50% DISCOUNT

3 & 2 SEATER SUITES IN LEATHER & IN ANT STAIN MATERIAL I(4 RECLINER SEATS) FROM 1,395

€

ACCESSORIES INCLUDING PILLOWS & BEDSPREADS ALSO AVAILABLE

Calle SaNtiago de Compostela. No. 17- Roquetas De Mar - TEL: 950 326 080

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...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

for the latest property news go to www.kyero.com

Home Sales Fell in November 107% Mortgage Deal For After Three Months of Increases Apartments Near Murcia Theme Park

The sale of homes fell 6.1% in November compared to the same month of 2011, to a total of 25,655 transactions, 50.8% of which related to previously owned homes, and 49.2% to new builds, the National Statistics Institute said in their latest report released last Monday.

According to a report by Kyero.com, the decline in housing sales recorded in November 2012 ended three consecutive months of year-on-year increases (August, September and October).

This positive trend, which came after 17 months of declines, was attributed to the end of the tax benefits for new house purchases which came into force from 1st January this year.

However, that does not seem to have influenced the sales in November as the figures fell once again. The November result was due to a decline both in previously owned as well as new homes, although transactions for the latter fell somewhat less.

Specifically, El Economista reported that sales of previously owned homes fell by 5.9% in November year-on-year, to 13,044 transactions, while sales of new homes fell

by 6.3%, to 12,611 transactions.

The majority of the property transactions carried out during the penultimate month of last year, namely 89.5%, were for private housing. In total, the sale of such homes fell by 3.5% to 22,972 transactions, while the number of public housing transactions came to 2,683, representing a decrease of 24% compared to November 2011.

Month-on-month (November over October), housing sales rose 1.6%. The monthly figure for November of last year is the least registered in this month since 2009 and is far from the monthly advances of 22% and 17.4% experienced in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

In the first eleven months of last year, house sales accumulated a decline of 12.3%, with a drop of 10.2% in new housing transactions and 14.2% for previously owned homes.

In November 2012, the highest number of house sales per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded in La Rioja (132) and Cantabria (98).

Over 60% of the house sales carried out in November 2012 were recorded in Andalusia (5,115 operations), Valencia (3,912), Catalonia (3,490) and Madrid (3,103).

property guide....

One Spanish agent is offering 107% mortgage deals on property near to the new Paramount theme park in Murcia, a region that is widely tipped as one of the biggest growth areas in Spain.

Paradise Homes Abroad are selling 2 bed, 1 bath apartments in the Mojon Hills area only 500m from the beach and close to the new theme park, which can be purchased for costs of just €4750. The park is looking set to be completed by 2014 and it is believed it will bring an economic boost to the area, as well as increasing tourism and investment into a region which has been relatively overlooked

by British overseas property buyers, making property in the area a positive investment, especially considering improvements that are being made to the region’s transport links.

“Two airports, the new International Airport

LOS GALLARDOS DIRECT FROM OWNER

of the Region of Murcia which is called Corvera (opening estimated for 2013) and San Javier Airport will provide easy access by air and there is also an excellent road network between Madrid and the Mediterranean area. A new High Speed Train line is expected to open in 2014 connecting Murcia with the main Spanish capitals. Locally, Alhama de Murcia is perfectly positioned between the main cities of the Region (Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca)” commented the company’s Corey Grimes “The region is ideal for many reasons, including its 300 sunny days per year, its beaches less than 30 minutes away, its amazing natural and cultural heritage, and its outstanding transportation infrastructure.” he added.

Article courtesy of www.aplaceinthesun.com

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The yucca plant is a popular indoor and outdoor plant. One problem in caring for yucca plants that indoor owners have that outdoor owners generally do not is that indoor plants can grow too tall. They need to be trimmed back. Pruning a yucca may look harsh, but it is an excellent way to not only keep your yucca plant manageable but propagate the plant.

A C C U Y r o f s Yi

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

27

Yucca Plants – Care & Pruning

With yucca plants, care and pruning are easy. When your yucca plant becomes too tall for the space it is in, gently remove it from the pot. Determine where the halfway mark is on the trunk or a point where you wish to be pruning a yucca that is above the halfway point. Using a saw or a sharp pair of loppers, cut the trunk in half.

Repot the bottom, rooted end of the trunk. Water well and then you are done with your pruning. While the plants are recovering, continue caring for the yucca plants as you normally would. In a short time, the plant will produce new leaves. It will recover to look as good as it did before, except that it will be much shorter and more appropriately sized.

Propagating A Yucca Plant

If you wish to produce more yucca plants, take the top half from pruning the yucca and use a marker on the trunk to indicate where the leaves are. After you have marked the trunk, cut off the leafy top. Plant the trunk in potting soil, making sure to have the end that previously had the leaves pointing up. Check the mark on the trunk if you have forgotten which end is which.

In a few weeks, the trunk will have rooted itself and a few weeks following this, the trunk will start producing new leaves. Continue caring for the yucca plants as they grow.

Best time For Pruning A Yucca

Like most plants, the best time for pruning a yucca is right before it goes into its growth period. This will be in early spring. While early spring is the ideal time, a yucca can be pruned anytime. Just make sure the yucca plant gets plenty of light while it is recovering.

Pruning Yucca Flower Stalks

Though not exactly pruning, many people wonder about cutting off the yucca’s flower stalk after the blooms have faded. The flower stalk can be pruned off at any time, even before it is done blooming. Simply cut the stalk off with a sharp pair of pruning shears or cutter at about 3″-4″ above where the stalk emerges from the main stem.

Like all things about yucca plants, care and pruning is very easy. It may seem drastic, but I assure you that your yucca plant considers this to be a very normal thing.

28

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

UP THE GARDEN PATH

Get your spirit level, spade, trowel and cement mixer out and start laying some garden paths!

The secret to laying successful gravel, slate, shingle or granite chippings paths is to plan carefully and have all the required materials and tools to hand before you start work. For all loose surfaces, an edging of some description is required, to prevent it escaping to the rest of the garden.

Step 1: Clear the site and markout Using a scaled plan of your garden design, mark out the position of your paths, with pegs and line. Clear any vegetation from the area and dig out soil to a depth of approx. 150mm (6”) with a spade Step 2: Edging in stone or concrete needs mortar For stone or concrete edging mix a mortar at a ratio of 3-4 parts building sand to 1 part cement. Place the mortar at the edges; position the edging material into the mix ensuring the correct height by gently tapping with a rubber mallet. Use a spirit level to ensure they are level Step 3: Edge higher than surface Remember, the edge should be higher than the surface to stop the gravel spilling out. If it is placed next to grass, ensure that the top is at least 10mm below the height of turf to prevent mower damage. Instead of stone edging, you could use planed timber, logs, or wooden sleepers which don’t need concrete - secure with wooden pegs.

Step 4: Layer of hard-core Now place a layer of hard-core over the base, to a depth of approx. 100mm (4”) and firm with a vibrating plate. If you have a small path you could do this with a garden roller Step 5: Layer of sharp sand, hoggin or fine gravel Cover this with a layer of sharp sand, hoggin or fine gravel to a depth of approx. 25mm (1”) and firm again. This will help the hard core from showing through the top layer in the future Step 6: Gravel, slate, shingle, granite chippings Now place a layer of gravel, slate chippings, shingle, granite chippings, or any other loose surface of your choice. Rake to correct level, and gently hose with water to clean the material DIY tips for your gravel path project If you spill mortar on edging, wash with water to prevent stains...

For a curved edge, use a hose or rope as a guide...

Although many people lay a weed proof membrane over the soil and then add gravel to create a path, this does not provide a firm foundation for gravel, but will be fine for bark chippings...

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Sundance Spas

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29

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FOOD & ENTERTAINING...

Celebrity recipe books - too much for us to digest La FREE

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40% of the celebrity recipe books are never used by home cooks! They may look magnificent when propped up against the latest hi-tech kitchen gadget, suggesting this is someone who could take on any TV chef in a battle of knife skills. But many are intimidated by the unfamiliar ingredients, recipes and language used by the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay.

By contrast, mums and dads creating a family meal, or even a dinner party, are much happier with the style, ease and simplicity offered by the likes of Delia Smith and, particularly, Jamie Oliver.

The findings may well send a message to the bosses at Waitrose who have, controversially, dropped Delia from their advertising while keeping the more adventurous Heston.

Two in three - 67% - said they find the recipes in many glossy cookbooks intimidating, according to the survey commissioned by Italian food company Sacla. Some 35% said they were put off by the cost of ingredients, while 29% said

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Tel: 950 104 160

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Every day a different stew!

Lamb, Pork, Fish, Lentils MON: Roast Lamb Shank tues: Roast Pork Loin wed: Roast Pork Knuckle fri: Roast Lamb Shank sat: Roast Lamb Shank & Pork Knuckle SUN: Roast Lamb Shoulder

Chicken Tikka Masala takes three days to cook.

Waitrose has suffered a backlash for sticking with Heston and his chemistry set approach to cooking ahead of Delia, who has spent much of her career taking the mystery out of preparing good food.

The research found that many have given up on cookbooks completely, with more than half - 53 per cent - now searching for recipes online based on what they have got in the fridge and cupboard.

The Sacla managing director, Clare Blampied, said: ‘The Italians have taught us that simple recipes featuring four or five key ingredients are the key to successful every day cooking.

‘Perhaps it’s time to learn from them and de-clutter our kitchens of complicated books we don’t use and embrace the Italian way of cooking fresh, seasonal recipes using simple methods and relatively cheap ingredients.’

open Every Day 12noon -midnight

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recipes were too complicated. More than a quarter - 27% - said hard-to-find ingredients stopped them using the books.

The cooking terms that largely sent home chefs into a spin were ballotine, where 45% had no idea what it was, umami, cartouche, concasse and chiffonade.

The research found the typical British home has 10 cookbooks, however the owners have only tried an average of four recipes from each.

People admitted that 40% of recipe books have never been used at all.

Waitrose has suffered a backlash for sticking with Heston and his chemistry set approach to cooking ahead of Delia Smith Heston Blumenthal’s ‘In Search of Perfection’ and Gordon Ramsay’s ‘3 Star Chef’ were cited as the books most likely to gather dust.

This is not surprising when creating Heston’s Black Forest Gateau recipe involves the need to knock-up a makeshift vacuum chamber, while his Perfection

turre

formerly Bar Stop

opening times 9am - late • closed Monday

y Breakfasts Speci a d n al Su s m e enus h c n Lu darts

Large selection of drinks

n ow op en

pool table

tel: 950 479 593 or 634 311 163

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email your favourite recipes to editor@soltimes.com

cereal controversy boys.

The OECD estimated that a comprehensive anti-obesity strategy in England would cost less than £12 per person and save 70,000 lives per year.

The Government has responded to the obesity problem by drafting a public health responsibility deal that will require manufacturers

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Homemade Steak Pie, Chips & Gravy Sausage & mash Gammon Steak, Chips, Peas & Pineapple

Changes Daily & from only 4€

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Nestle has already signed up to all commitments, including reducing calories. However, Kellog’s have only committed to a reduction in salt content.

All manufacturers are expect to report on their progress by next month.

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Breakfast cereals sold in Britain contain as much as 30 per cent more sugar than the same products in the United States.

Kellogg’s Special K is sold as a healthy option for women trying to lose weight but contains 17g of sugar per 100g.

That is equivalent to more than four teaspoons of white sugar and is 30 per cent more than the 13g of sugar per 100g in Special K sold in America.

The British version of Cheerios, made by Nestlé, has 21.5g of sugar per 100g, more than five times the amount of sugar as the American version (4g per 100g).

Nestlé said the British version of Cheerios more closely resembled Multi Grain Cheerios, a cereal with a similar amount of sugar which is not sold in the UK. Weetabix flagship health brand Alpen muesli was found to have 15% more sugar than the version sold in the US. The manufacturer claimed that the difference in levels of sugar was not a result of extra additives in the UK product. Weetabix said that the difference was because of ‘locally sourced ingredients’.

Calorie content was also found be divergent between UK and US cereals. Of the 16 brands of Kellog’s cereals sold in both countries, 11 had had a higher number of calories per 100g.

The findings come on the back of Government moves to regulate sugar content in products available to children.

A recent report by the Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that English children were the third fattest in Europe, after Italy and Greece – but almost twice as obese as the French.

Almost 27% of girls in England were overweight and 23% of

31

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

d o o G

Grea tF rie nds YELLOW

s e m Ti

STONE BAR

Valentines night Dinner Thursday 14th February from 6pm

Pre Starters Salad – A bowl of fresh Chef’s salad served with bread & Ali Oli & a bottle of house Red or White Wine per couple Starters Not Tonight Josephine – Fresh Mushrooms cooked in a creamy garlic sauce Too Hot To Handle – Home made Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper soup with a hint of Chilli Main Courses Under Cover Fun – Chicken stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon with a creamy tarragon sauce served with vegetables & new potatoes.

From Russia With Love – Beef Stroganoff cooked to your liking with wild rice Let’s Just Do It! – Pan fried fillet of Salmon, cooked in parsley & butter served with vegetables & new potatoes Thai Delight – Fresh Vegetables cooked in a Thai and coconut sauce, served with fragrant rice (V) Desserts Let’s Get Hot and Sticky – Home made Sticky Toffee pudding with Toffee Sauce Too Drunk to Keep It Up – Home made creamy “Baileys” Cheesecake Adam and Eve – Fresh fruit salad Beverages Tea or Coffee with Mints

€12,95

per pers

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Booking essential, call paul on 634 332 178 (€5 reservation deposit per person) Find us in Piedra Amarilla (Formerly The Grapevine) For more information and phone orders call Paul: 634

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ALBOX

Cod ‘n’ Chip fridayS

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SUNDAY BREAKFAST

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starters, puddings 2€

onl y 6.95€

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15 FEB th

SERVED 10AM-12PM

Activities at

Monday

Rock ‘n’ Roll..........7:30

Traveling Acoustics

Tuesday

Acoustic Musicians & Floor Singers

all levels welcome to come along, bring your instruments and join in

A Night of Music to Enjoy

All Welcome 8pm Start

Quirky Quiz............7:30

Wednesday

Bingo with Ged...2:30 Line Dancing with Carrie..7:30

Thursday

Ceroc Dancing & Fun Social Night..7:30 Plus

Robin & with Friends

ALBOX

Art Classes held most days Pop into the bar for more info Computer Club Keep fit & slimming classes check the board for times •••

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OPEN 9AM-LATE MON-SAT 10-6 SUN

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Fast-food ‘linked to childhood asthma and eczema’

Eating fast food three times a week may lead to asthma and eczema in children, say researchers who have looked at global disease and dietary patterns.

Data from more than 500,000 children in more than 50 countries suggests poor diet may be to blame for rising levels of these allergy-related conditions.

Those who ate fast food, such as take-away burgers, risked severe asthma, eczema and itchy, watery eyes.

Eating plenty of fruit appears to be protective, Thorax journal reports.

Fast food often contains high levels of saturated- and trans-fatty acids, which are known to affect immunity, while fruit is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds, say the researchers.

In the study, children in their early teens who ate three or more weekly servings of fast food had a 39% increased risk of severe asthma.

Six and seven year olds had a 27% increased risk.

Eating three or more portions of fruit a week cut the risk of severe asthma, eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis by between 11% and 14%.

The study authors, Prof Innes Asher, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and Prof Hywel Williams, from the University of

Nottingham in the UK, said: “If the associations between fast foods and the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema is causal, then the findings have major public health significance owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally.”

Generally, people with asthma do not have to follow a special diet.

In some cases, certain foods, such as cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, yeast products, nuts, and some food colourings and preservatives, can make symptoms worse.

Malayka Rahman of Asthma UK, said research suggests that a person’s diet may contribute to their risk of developing asthma and that eating healthily may have a beneficial effect.

“Evidence suggests that the vitamins and antioxidants found in fresh fruit and vegetables have a beneficial effect on asthma therefore Asthma UK advises people with asthma to eat a healthy, balanced diet including five portions of fruit or vegetables every day, fish more than twice a week, and pulses more than once a week.”

Cheap and nasty food from around the world is being dressed up as high quality and pushed out through high street stores and restaurants. Honey, cheese, eggs, organic meat and produce, Basmati rice, even fish and chips are not necessarily what they seem, according to a report by the DailyMail.co.uk Just before Christmas one British firm was fined more than £20,000 for passing off a cheap pesto sauce as something far more gourmet.

Stark Naked Foods claimed its pesto was made with extra virgin olive oil and Grana Padano cheese, when in fact it was sunflower oil and a cheaper Latvian cheese.

At the same time, pubs and restaurants are not immune to boasting of offering local quality food, when this actually means the nearest supermarket or wholesaler.

One estimate suggests British families are wasting as much as £7billion a year paying over the odds for food that has been faked in some way.

There are cases of imported beef from Zebu cattle, which have a distinctive hump on their neck, being imported from south America and sold in pubs as ‘British’.

Meat from cross-breed cattle containing Zebu genes from Brazil is cheaper than British beef, however critics point out that it can also be much tougher.

Vast quantities of cheap honey is being imported into Europe from China and used to bulk up other types in a scam that has become known as ‘honey-laundering’. In some cases honey is not honey at all, but rather corn syrup or just sugar.

Butcher shops and leading restaurants have been found selling conventional meat and produce as organic, along with a premium price. In the past, even Harrods has been

found selling farmed salmon as wild. But the fakery does not stop at salmon, for some fish and chip shops have been prosecuted for passing off Shark Catfish, which is farmed in the rivers of Vietnam’s Mekong delta, as battered cod. The fish sells for less than half the price of real cod in wholesale markets, however chip shop customers are being charged as if it is the real thing.

Director of policy at the Trading Standards Institute, Andy Foster, warned that a squeeze on spending means his members find it increasingly difficult to stem the problem. He said: ‘Food fraud has been an issue that dates back more than 100 years. There are numerous examples.

‘Things like extending – bulking up – meat products with other species is common in catering. We have known this with certain types of take-away food and fish, for example.

‘Where there is a price differential there is always a temptation for a more unscrupulous manufacturer to make a switch and try and get away with it.’

Mr Foster said: ‘Wherever there is a few pounds to be made someone will try to exploit it.

‘In times of recession, when people are looking for a bargain and going to different places, that is where you start to find more fraud introduced to food.’

Policing of food companies and restaurants is the job of trading standards officers, however spending on these services and number of people on the ground has been cut sharply in the last two years.

Mr Foster said: ‘With the limited resources that trading standards have, which is diminishing year on year, they are less able to carry out the more routine sampling we would normally do.’

cheap food dressed up as high quality and sold on the high street

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

email your favourite recipes to editor@soltimes.com INGREDIENTS 2 tsp cumin seeds large pinch chilli flakes 1 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion , chopped 140g red split lentils 850ml vegetable stock or water 400g can tomatoes, whole or chopped 200g carton chickpeas or ½ a can, rinsed and drained (freeze leftovers) small bunch coriander roughly chopped (save a few leaves, to serve) 4 tbsp 0% Greek yogurt, to serve

INGREDIENTS

METHOD Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Add the oil and onion, and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the lentils, stock and tomatoes, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have softened.

Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until it is a rough purĂŠe, pour back into the pan and add the chickpeas. Heat gently, season well and stir in the coriander. Finish with a dollop of yogurt and coriander leaves

Spaghetti with Walnuts,Raisins & Parsley

300g/11oz spaghetti 2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, sliced 5 tbsp raisins or sultanas 250ml/9fl oz chicken or vegetable stock 50g/2oz Parmesan, grated 5 tbsp chopped walnuts Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped METHOD: Cook the pasta in boiling water, following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions until soft and golden brown about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the raisins and stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until hot through. Toss with the pasta, Parmesan, walnuts and parsley.

33

...FOOD & ENTERTAINING Starter

Red Lentil, Chickpea & Chilli Soup

dessert

Baked Raspberry Cheesecake

main

INGREDIENTS

8 digestive biscuits 50g butter , melted 600g cream cheese 2 tbsp plain flour 175g caster sugar vanilla extract 2 eggs , plus 1 yolk 142ml pot soured cream 300g raspberries icing sugar

METHOD: Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Crush the biscuits in a food processor

(or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin). Mix with the butter. Press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes, then cool. Beat the cream cheese with the flour, sugar, a few drops of vanilla, eggs, the yolk and soured cream until light and fluffy.

Stir in half the raspberries and pour into the tin. Bake for 40 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Leave in the tin to cool.

Keep a few raspberries for the top and put the rest in a pan with 1 tbsp icing sugar.

Heat until juicy and then squash with a fork. Push through a sieve. Serve the cheescake with the raspberry sauce and raspberries.

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

STANDARD CROSSWORD

6 Explode, but outside of river banks finally (5) 9 Part of church, or part of chap’s empire? (4) 14 Bird taking cat’s tail is shocking! (9) 16 Hitting the drink in middle-age (8) 18 Bet on coming back OK, having taken nothing for writing in (8) 19 Funny dive into new net is obvious (7) 21 Persuades company with weapons (6) 23 Dynasty’s first storyline’s almost gone awry! (4) 24 Endured first parts of Shanghai’s trade orders on demand (5)

Down

26 A long-handled curved blade (6) 27 Relieves constipation (8) 28 Fool or trick (6) 29 Makes bigger (8) Down 1 Imbedded (6) 2 Dare (9) 3 The smallest amount (5) 4 List of names at the end of a movie (7) 6 Australian marsupials (9)

7 Entice (5) 8 Marked by excessive selfindulgence (8) 11 Chooses (4) 15 Not having come in contact (9) 17 Etching (9) 18 Hated (8) 20 Perishes (4) 21 Choose to refrain (7) 22 Evaluate (6) 24 Faithful (5) 25 Type of vine (5)

1 Funny looking oily ‘Quo’ lads lacking commercial speech (to oneself) (9) 2 Particle as America decided to do in 1980 and 1984? (8) 3 Living outside Japan’s first island city (7) 4 Awful East takes up gas to be different (8) 5 Flies with small (but important) number before large number? (6)

HARD SUDOKU

Very Hard!

SUDOKU PUZZLE CRYPTIC crossword

CROSSWORD

SOLUTIONS SUDOKU PUZZLE

Sudoku is a placement puzzle. Enter the numbers 1 to 9 in each row and column of a grid, made up of 3 x 3 subgrids. The catch is that each row, column and grid must contain only one instance of each number or letter.

Across 1 Pearls or a pendant (8) 5 Glided on ice (6) 9 Mariner (8) 10 Lacking vigor (6) 12 Acclaim (5) 13 Imbedded (9) 14 Results (6) 16 Snob (archaic) (7) 19 Thrown out (7) 21 Delegate (6) 23 Ones who contaminate the air or water (9) 25 Jumps (5)

CRYPTIC

7 Aims to leave Al second (5) 8 Tasty slice I demolished with duo (9) 10 Temporary setback in greeting China’s leader with trophy? (6) 11 I, in Paris, with a very bad, mistrustul vigilance (8) 12 Number reportedly in favour of new leader embracing support (8) 13 Go up to rebel leader that is without final profits (4) 15 Hung up, returning without a river in China (7) 17 Not much to eat as a snack? (7) 20 Examine Shanghai’s first prison (4) 22 6 sit, or initially stand, for guests (8) 25 Fastened together cadet with hat perhaps (8) 26 Bite gently for two business leaders in long river (6) 27 Having control over poor inn taken in by heartless gang (9) 28 Find some of ammo under a pile (5)

CROSSWORD

coffee break

Across

STANDARD SUDOKU

34

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY! Getting the New Year off to a good start, Jakki Higginbottom is under way with rehearsals for The Independent Theatre Group’s production of “Thanks for the Memory – A Taste of Music Hall. It looks as if it is going to be quite an extravaganza.

Well known for her acting in productions such as “The Exorcism”, and “Noises Off”, Jakki, with ITG, has taken on the demanding role of Director in the forthcoming show, which will be performed at the Teatro Saavedra in Cantoria on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24 February.

Music Hall has always been one of Jakki’s passions, having performed in and directed successful shows in England, for many years. The name “Thanks for the Memory – A Taste of Music Hall”, when first announced, created a lot of excitement, with many interested performers, eager to dress up and take part. The Audience are invited to wear Edwardian Style clothes (so raid your “dressing up boxes” ) with hopefully some very creative hats, and to sing along with the cast for a wonderful “vespertine of verbose vamping, vertiginous vaudeville’!

PAWS seeks commercial sponsorship

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VidaRestaurant&Venue

Friday Burns Friday 25th Party January January Party Night

+J with J+

our main menu includes 16oz steaks mixed grill fresh fish

WED-SAT 6:30-9:30pm

Our Homecooked

7.45€ Menu at Starters & Puds 2.50€

from

Music Music

t ou d l so

GREAT value MENU CHANGES WEEKLY

Wonderful e rful N Night ight Wond for all all for Address Address a Toast d to the the a n to to the Haggis Haggis Lassies

Kilts Optional 6.00pm - 9.30pm 3 Course € 5€ 95 4..9 14 Themed 1

booking advisable

fridays

Beer-battered cod, homemade chips & peas

Menu + 1/2 Bottle of wine

7 -- 7:30 7:30 pm pm 7 Bookings Advisable Advisable Bookings

New PAWS, the Mojácar-based animal charity, has launched a scheme to attract commercial sponsorship. They are offering advertising space on the side of their new van which transports animals every month to Holland, Germany and UK. NRG Insurance in Mojácar’s Parque Comercial became the first company to sign up, when Nancy Roberts Gordon and Carmen Guerra presented a cheque for 500 Euros to PAWS treasurer Gerard Donck.

Bar

booking advisable

Janet Franklin, PAWS Head of Special Projects who is administering the scheme, explained that there is a scale for donations, with larger amounts being rewarded by more space on the panels. “We are talking to several businesses looking to attract clients from elsewhere in Europe” she said. “We travel through Spain, France, Belgium, Luxemburg Holland and Germany, and across the UK, so it is a widespread exposure. We’ve even had companies suggesting redesigning their logos to incorporate other languages!”

Specials

Photo: (l to r) Carmen Guerra, Nancy Roberts Gordon, Gerard Donck

your news! your views!

your events! your recipes!

we want to hear from you! email: editor@soltimes.com

in the Bar

Tapas Menu

All Selections 1€ Each

pawsenquiries@gmail.com

5.95€

New

“We are delighted to hep PAWS by sponsoring them in this way,” said Nancy, “because they have made a real contribution to the community in this area for more than 20 years. It chimes in with our own efforts to help animal lovers by offering a new service, Liberty Pet Insurance (for dogs and cats) which is a new product that we have just rolled out. There’s no set premium, clients can pick and choose their cover.”

www.paws-patas.org

from

traditional

sunday lunch

Tuesday Bar ly on

5€

12.30PM - 5PM

6pm - 9pm

Chicken Curry

fISH OF THE DAY OPTION ALSO AVAILABLE

& Long Grain Rice or

Cod, Chips ‘n’ Peas Open Every Day 12pm - Late

Tel: 950 634 562 lavidacucador@gmail.com

We are here

Albox Arboleas Zurgena La Alfoquia

Mojacar

E15

booking advisable

1km

La Vida

Cucador Junc 547 Huercal Overa

book the Venue

For your Private Parties, Weddings and Birthdays etc.

35

36

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

RIBBON FOR LIFE DAY

DON’T FORGET TO GO ONLINE WWW.SOLTIMES.COM

on mojacar playa paseo

the spanish association in the fight against cancer

sunday 3rd february from 11:30am until 6pm

WANTED Stall Holders interested in selling their wares!

Cost per stand ONLY 10€ for the day!

Stalls can be almost anything and although bric-a-brac is welcome, second-hand ‘boot-sale’ type stalls are not

WANTED

Entertainers of Various Types willing to do 30 minute spot for charity - and to showcase themselves!

A stage with music and microphones will - hopefully - be supplied. Although Mobile Entertainers - such as Jugglers, Buskers etc...are required to walk the Paseo

For more information, call Briony on 616 424 555 or 950 472 200

Burty’s BAR Playa Serena, roquetas de mar

sun - fri from 11am - 6pm Closed saturday

ace r r e t y nn u s e hug bar s u o i c a p s nd a Come and Catch the Winter Sun Table Top Sale 27th January Time to de-clutter or dispose of unwanted Christmas Presents!

Call to book a table Starting Thursday 17th January. Every Thursday

Special Steak Night 5pm – 8.30pm

6oz Sirloin Steak, Real Chips, Fried Onion, Mushrooms & Mixed Salad Only 8.95€ Larger Steaks & Baby Fillet Available with a Supplement.

Or Fish Pie or Homemade Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Pie. Booking Essential By 6pm Wednesday

every thursday quiz 2.15pm prompt

Tapas

served from 1 pm

tuesday

bingo 2.30pm

anglican church service 3rd thursday of the month 11:30am

next service 21st february

spanish lessons - all levels - now tuesday at 12noon 5€ sunday lunch special €5.95 booking essential Opposite Playa Luna Hotel between Oasis & New York New York. Tel: 679 156 715”

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL NIGHT OF MUSIC AT CHIQUIMIQUI

Tony Justice returned for a night of music at Chiquimiqui on 14th January. The event (which coincided with Bernard’s Birthday) was very well attended by people of different nationalities and a good time was had by all.

FIRST TABLE TOP SALE OF THE YEAR

BURTY’S BAR ROQUETAS DE MAR SUNDAY 27TH JANUARY

Sunday, 27th January sees the return of the popular table top sale at Burty’s Bar in Roquetas De Mar. The sale starts at 10 am and stalls include bric a brac, hand made cards, original artwork, books, home made chutneys etc and a variety of other goods.

Take part by booking a table or come along and see what bargains are on offer.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

37

ROQUETAS DE MAR 27th January

Happy Anniversary Lots of love Jodie & Serge xxx

Mini Hollywood

Tabernas, Carretera National 340km, Desierto de Tabernas, Almeria Open 12:00 - 18:00 TEL: 950 365 236 / 950 362 884

A simulated Wild West town

There are daily shows of Wild West scenes, some outside depicting shoot-outs and a hanging (not a real one!) some inside with dancing and bar scenes.

There is a museum, a photo gallery with costumes available for customers to wear for their souvenir photos shoot, restaurants, a train for transport around the quite extensive zoo, there is a big swimming pool and a playground for the children.

Cabo del Gato

YOUR NEWS & YOUR VIEWS... SEND TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM

The Cabo de Gata covers 61km and is protected by Unesco as a Biosphere Reserve, due to its high ecological value.

There are many hiking trails, as well as several villages of interest around the coastline. There are also many beaches with cliffs, capes, and volcanic hills as a backdrop. Wildlife in the Park include eagles, pink flamingo, wall lizards, grass snakes, to name a few.

There are many beaches in the Park. Most are situated at the east and south end, and although popular during the summer, the Cabo de Gata beaches are have a rural feel to them, and do not get full to the brim with holiday makers.

Bar Southern....................................

Every Thursday Bingo 3pm Last Saturday of the month - Jackpot Money Quiz 8pm 1st Friday of Month: Ladies Do Lunch! from 2pm (Menu del Dia 7€) Burtys Bar........................................

Tuesday - 12 noon Spanish Lessons & 2:30pm Bingo Thursdays - Quiz 2:15pm

Dental Clinic

On-site Dental Laboratory Dr med. dent Hubert Hillenbrand

Bar Spinnaker...................................

Tuesday - Bingo 3pm Wednesday - Steak 7.50€, Quiz 9.30pm Friday - Fish and Chips all day 5€ Saturday - Curry Meal with small wine 7.50€ Sunday - Sunday Roast 1pm - 6pm Chaplins pub.....................................

Opening Hours: Open 1pm til’ close Tuesday to Sunday Wednesday: Rib Night Friday: Chip Shop Day - Fish’n’Chips etc served from 1pm, Quiz Night Sunday - Sunday Lunch served until 8pm TEL: 950 335 022

20 years experience

950 32 64 52

Edificio Porto Mar Avda Mariano Hemandes 48 Roquetas de Mar, German & English Spoken

www.almeria-dentista-zahnarzt.com

near Hotel Zoraida Garden

lady lay..............................................

Tuesday Night - Curry Night Revita Natural Health and Relaxation centre..........................

Calle Tortola 4, Roquetas De Mar Tel 950 333 048 Tai Chi - Tuesday & Thursday 10am Yoga - Sunday 9pm Belly Dancing - Wednesday Y Da wakes.........................................

CLOSED UNTIL 2nd MARCH FOR ANNUAL HOLIDAY

SEND your birthday & ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM & WE’LL PRINT THEM FREE OF CHARGE!

UK Reg Qualified Nurses and Experienced Carers Required Due to expansion into the Roquetas & Almerimar Areas Flexible working hours, good daily rate of pay

Please Contact Nicki at nicki@almeriaangels.com or Call: 902 026 468

estampa Tapas

Ta

Bar yy

Tapas/Snacks nnuuaarr a a door J J t u o h h t t y 6 n 6 n 2 u 2 s n acious gg oon English Breakfast Fish & Chips RRSepeteororappceeesennatiiningn24 Coffees & Cakes V T SKY Cocktails/Sangria

sky sports now being shown

Open 10am - late (Closed Tuesday) FREE WI-FI Next door to Zurimar 678 202 160

La Grappa

Authentic Italian Restaurant

• Pizzas • Fresh Pastas • Fresh Fish • Argentinian BBQ’d Food On The Terrace

BBQ

EVERY DAY

Open 12 - 4pm 7 - 12.30am Av. Playa Serena, 37 Roquetas de Mar

950 334 188 609 337 316

to reserve your table

Property management Sales & Rentals Roquetas de Mar, Aguadulce Almerimar, Vicar, La Envia Golf

Services include Key Holding, Maintenance, Furniture Packs, Cleaning & Laundry, Apartment & Post-box Checks

Mobile: (0034) 663 426 921

info@enviapropertyservices.com

www.enviapropertyservices.com

38

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

SOLTIMES www.soltimes.com see us online everyday

SOL CLASSIFIEDS Airport services

construction cont...

electrical cont...

www.AAparking.es tr a n s f er s Tel: 639 081 067 pick up all areas,

construction

ELECTRICIAN

A i rport

Cheap

Airport Parking

Alicante Almeria Murcia New Servicing / Repairs

BY TELEPHONE Monday to Friday

950 121 936 902 121 936

competitive rates.

For a quote please visit www. spanish estateagent.com or call 661 143 871

Send your advert or Classified lineage to

sales@soltimes.com IN PERSON

los carasoles, 27 Zurgena, 04650, Almeria Mon to Fri 10am - 5pm

above New Horizon Villas

PAYMENT

VISA ,Paypal, bank transfer & Cheques made payable to MATHEWS mEDIA s.l

MD Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration S.L.

MD S.L

City & Guilds Fully Qualified F-Gas Certified

25 years sole experience in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

not a jack of all trades

For all your installation or service MD Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration S.L offers requirements including our latest info@md-aircon.com telephone

607 364 917 or 950 432 110 email: info@md-aircon.com

md_aircon@mobileemail.vodafone.es

alternative energy Solar Wind Power Solutions.

Over 15 years installation experience. established 12 years in Spain. Call Phil for competitive prices 636 261 240 email:info@ s un e r g ya l m e r i a . com www.sunergy almeria.com

c a rlo s s a l i e n te & plumbing heating for solar pool heating, solar hot water installations and repairs. call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962, email carlos.saliente@ gmail.com

baby hire

beauty

Everything for the visiting baby Car seats,high chairs, stair gates, cots etc Tel: 950 436 581 or 666 375 688 expectingababy@ hotmail.co.uk

avon

cosmetics

claire

Tel: 691 987 454 avonfromclaire@ yahoo.es

computers Steve Hayes Informatica

Pc’s, Laptops, Printers etc.

Sales & Repairs on-site callout / tuition.

Consumables Albox, Almeria

Tel: 950 120 900

construction

DEADLINES All adverts Friday at 5pm prior to publication

Fully

insured & legal Mat Murray 647 841 750 matmurrayes@gmail.com established in spain for 14 years

950 432 110 / 607 364 917

BY E-MAIL

Full City & Guilds

Air-con

Between 10am & 5pm

Reliable English Builder

For all your building needs • Block work • Balustrades • Plumbing • Paving Driveways & Paths

Call Graham & Barry now for free estimate 620 112 193 or 667 853 062

Neil Godwin

25 years experience

fully legal

Constructions

Boletins supplied

Tel : 687 245 569 equipment hire

Martinez moreno cb (Rambla de Oria) All types of building work undertaken inc plumbing & electrics

tel: 609 421 734 (Spanish) tel: 696 052 044 (English) drainage

LICENSED POZO/CESSPIT EMPTYING

FOR SALE

2 semi industrial Fagor tumble septic tanks dryers, only used • Blocked Toilets, Sinks, for 3 months. Paid Baths & Drains 2,500€ each. Will • CCTV Surveys accept 250€ each • Drain Tracing or nearest offer. Tel • Turbine Root Cutting 666 717 742 • Blocked Cesspits small Fridge for sale brand new 950 091 109 or 648 768 587 50€ tel: 634326905 VW Golf spare wheel, Firestone 195/65/15 half worn,5stud 15€ Tel: 676 045 164 Albox • Emptying of Septic Tanks & 6 White Patio Cesspits, with high pressure Chairs. High Back cleaning (New) 30€ Tel: 666 Only 201 910 • Small Delo n gh i unblockages of Movable Gas pipes & drainage • Installation of fibreglass



Cleaning of Septic Tanks

100€

Heater 4.2kw. 3 Settings As new.

60€ Tel: 666 201 910 Folding Small Fire Guard. Brass Finish. 10€ Tel: 666 201 910 Blanket Single New Browns/ Creams good quality 8€ Roquetas de mar Tel: 619 253 983 Designer Boots, Black Suede, Thigh high (option to fold down) size 40 stiletto 4” heels new boxed 40€ Roquetas de Mar Tel: 619 253 983 photo available

Pool Cleaning & Water Tanks

gardening

Contact: 675 838 808

potty finca services

Drainage Solutions

• Emergency Drain Cleaning • High Pressure Water Jetting • CCTV Surveys • Drainage Repairs • Location of Cesspits • Qualified Engineer • Expert Reports

Established 7 years in spain

Tel: 616 531 283 or 670 088 966

professional tree felling & pruning, including all types of palm trees

strimming of overgrown gardens & hedge cutting spanish registered. logs available ring john on 616 855 294 or 950 163 930

heating

neater heater See our main ad on the news pages electrical Knowles & Abbott no.1 for Carlos (Saliente) plumbing & electrics and plumbing. Re-wires, free heating services. If it involves water, to air UK satellite systems 950 137 208 we can help! www.carlossaliente.com or 638 010 691 Tel: 968 969 962

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

39

www.soltimes.com house clearance cont...

locksmith

THE HOUSE CLEARING SPECIALIST

Phil the Pick Locksmith 24 hours.

Locked Out? Locks fitted/upgraded house safes. Arboleas logs & surrounding area. Special weekend rates. Tel: 697 243 181

Immediate Cash. Quick decision. * We cover all areas * We turn up, give cash & carry * We buy almost anything – The Highest Cash Prices Paid **ONLY serious & immediate sellers should call please**

Tel: 679 207 545 or 636 411 540

hobby/craft Elaine’s Wools quality UK wool & accessories. Come & view my display Also available at Camposol, Mazarron Call 667 273 889 elaines wools@gmail. com

insurance

“we have grea offers on lifet insurance”

glenn & jayne Formerly of Knights Insurance, C / Malaga, Albox ... are now exclusive agents for Liberty Seguros

logs load of small or big Olive logs, no roots €160 load of mixed Olive some roots €140 load of eucalyptus, no roots €150 all loads 2 tonnes Arboleas & surrounding areas Call Lee on 636 092 632 eliteplanthire@hotmail.co.uk

Phil Delivers

Logs

gravel & all building materials

Albox & Surrounding areas

tel: 634 328 779

same people - same great service - differeent name

NUMBER PLATES

infoalbox.libertyseguros@gmail.com

“RE-PLATE” MATE

Tel: 950 121 943

iron/metal works

metal works Gates, rejas, fabriction welding reliable service

950 168 916 638 449 944

adwelds@yahoo.com T & T Metals For all quality metal works, including gates, railings, rejas, staircases, gazebos & chainlink fencing - Tel: 950 431 738

The Metal works Grills, railings, gates of all types, security/sliding/ roller, rejas, concertina doors etc.

Tel: Keith Wood on

638 900 949

legal

E

Don’t take a chance!

Don’t break the Law! Let us take the hassle away from you and re-register your vehicle on to Spanish plates WE PROMISE TO BEAT ANY GENUINE QUOTATION For a full service contact:

Alan 662 249 159

www.replatematecostablanca.com

OPTICIANS Optica Albox All your optical needs, eye tests, hearing tests, contact lenses Tel: 950 121 991

PAINTING INSIDE & OUT

All quality products Make over your home this year

Tel Graham & Barry on 620 112 193 or 667 853 062

PROPERTY FOR SALE/rent

painter & decorator SOLTIMES over 25 years experience give your property or business a fresh look this NEW YEAR

Tel: 649 186 107 or

email thunderpaul2003@hotmail.com

painting & decorating

• 35 years experience • Guaranteed to beat any quote • Quality work guaranteed

Tel Alan: 950 450 174 or 600 268 176

Now offer our Classified advertisers

Advertise in this space for just 10€ per week!

5 LOCAL EDITIONS

3 bed villa for sale phone now for details

mar menor costa blanca costa calida Almeria Roquetas De mar

Reduced €39,950, Apartment For Sale cortijo grande golf course 1 bed, 1 bath apartment fully fitted kitchen, white goods, parking, lovely views. Ideal golfing holiday apartment.

Close to Mojacar / Turre. T: 664 291 793 jescott29@hotmail.co.uk Arboleas. First floor flat overlooking the rambla. 4 beds, lift access nice views, central location, part furnished.

300€ pcm long term preferred. Available immediately 609 199 394

...Let the Soltimes team help you...

Also available online at

www.soltimes.com commercial & for more major retail information painter’s

VERA APARTMENT FOR RENT SHORT-TERM/HOLIDAY RENTAL

now covering mainland spain

expert quality workmanship

visit our website for more info tntpainters@live.co.uk www.tntpaintersltd.co.uk

GB

PAINTER / DECORATOR

If you wish us to print an article about a particular topic in our regular space on pg 16, please email info@daviessolicitors.com

PAINTER / DECORATOR cont...

Telephone

950 121 936 902 121 936 EXT 332

ARBOLEAS

PETS SECTION

pet taxi TRAVELLING IN AIR CONDITIONED VEHICLE DELIVERED TO DOOR PETS STAY IN PET FRIENDLY HOTELS. ACCOMPANIED TRAVEL AVAILABLE

(0034) 667 235 205 (sp) (0044) 7850 575862

Padenco Male dog rescued at 8 weeks now 10 months, all paperwork.

Good nature Free to a good home. Tel: 687 189 244 American Staff Puppies for sale.

One month old, for more information.

Call James: 651 325 677

woodhouse boarding kennels & cattery

arboleas Small friendly kennels, 24hr vets service, pet transporting arranged, welcome to view

ministry approved Tracy Mobile 650 211 952

No need for kennels or cattery, Pet sitting in your own home, Arboleas & surrounding areas.

Call Vanessa on 637 061 482 Not just cats & dogs, All other types of pets considered

2 BEDROOM, 2 BATHROOM, pENTHOUSE APARTMENT IN VERA PLAYA ALL MOD CONS, BALCONY & ROOF TERRACE OFFERING FANTASTIC VIEWS cALL 663 977 230 EMAIL: gedfab@yahoo.com Vera Playa Apartment

p a lom i n o ke n n el s exclusive boarding kennels/cattery tel: 950 067 051 good home needed for big mixed breed dog. very good with children. excellent guard dog. 10 years old. please ring 666 717 742 for more details

friendly

mare

9 years old 14.3hh/ 1.50m 500€ telephone 678 838 547

self contained 1 bedroom apartment with B & B facilities offered starting from 25€ per night, walking distance of Arboleas & Zurgena

Tel: 950 449 074 or 634 368 071

Long term rentals also considered 175€ + bills chalmersj8@hotmail.co.uk

for sale

plot of land of 800m2 & villa 125m2 brick built up to & inc roof Wonderful location & exceptional views yet 5 mins to town with all amenities.

Fully legal with escritora must be viewed

Bargain price 65,000€

To view or for more details 609 199 394

for SALE detatched cortijo 20mins from mojacar

This is a unique spanish cortijo with 4 beds, 2 baths, Open plan living areas, kitchen & dining room as well as a workshop, courtyard front & back & room for a pool.

Mountain views.

Build 256 m², Terrace 100m², Plot 1200 m²

Telephone 649 186 107

email for more info at thunderpaul2003@hotmail.com only €150,000 offers welcome

40

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

are you a trade Business? advertise in the classified section & reach over 30,000 potential customers Classified box from 9€. lineage only 45 cents per word - Deadline 5pm Friday Contact Paulette on 950 121 936 or 902 750 190 ext 332

PLASTERER

PLUMBING

removals cont...

B r i t i s h All plasterer work guaranteed Tel Paul 634 327 201

gas fast

M&D transport

PLUMBING C A R L O S S A L I E N T E Plumbing and Heating offer machined boiler decals for gas water heaters for just €65 – aguafuerte is not the answer! Call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962, email c ar los.saliente@ gmail.com

Gas boiler & plumbing repairs.

Tel: 618 062 080 or 637 829 787 Knowles & Abbott no.1 for plumbing & electric.

CH, solar hot water and water deposits.

Telephone 950 137 197 or 606 807 797

REMOVALS

DAVE’S TRANSPORT 7.5 Ton, Lorry Part loads, Self load/Unload Minimal rates, Owner Driver Spain/uk/Local Storage available, based “Los Gallardos” &”hertfordshire”

Call now 0034 620 049 524 (Es) 00 44 794 3135 214 (UK) woodnco@hotmail.com

SPAIN UK SPAIN Removals Friendly Reliable Service Fully Legal Special deals from UK - Spain Office: 968 564 298 Mobile: 696 621 884 marmenorremovals@hotmail.com

UK - SPAIN - UK From a parcel to a small house move

Professional,Friendly & Caring Fully insured, scheduled monthly door to door service

uk@fmtransport.co.uk www.fmtransport.co.uk +44 (0) 1582 499 836 +44 (0) 7977 754 389

Large Van Removals / Deliveries Spain - UK Full or Half Loads Collections e.g from IKEA Tel Mick: 950 122 447 Mob: 620 475 218

satellite/television

Sky Digibox Pace with sky card BBC 1, 2, 3, 4 ITV1, 2, 3, ch4 & 5

60€

can deliver.Tel: 667 235 205 A1 Sky Television Systems

Satellite TV installations, alignment of dishes etc.

Also Spanish “freeview” systems supplied & installed

Tel Dave: 628 607 778

solar power system

www.ecocorp.eu at ecocorp we do not just sell you a system we deliver, intall & guarantee everything for up to 10 years

Swimming Pool Heating

titanuim swimming pool heat pump For pools approx 8m by 4m 2495€ INC Installation This unit uses only 1.7kw input power!

Solar Power Systems

off grid systems for homes with no electricity 3kw systems from 6495€ 5kw systems from 7495€ 7kw systems from 8995€

Tel: 671 716 597 stables

motoring section car parts

Car parts

for sensible prices on all parts Clutches, Brakes, alternators, service kits Starter Motors, headlights

Free quote go online or phone www.carpartsinspain.com

or telephone 692 930 326 car & van hire

LEARN SPANISH… …in a fun and enjoyable class with Paco

house & garden clearances, collections & deliveries, weekly collections from IKEA, Airport transfers Almeria 60€ one way, 110€ return Alicante 80€ one way, 150€ return

Tel: 634 345 257

CALL PACO 661 142 606

Accept 14950€

2010 Toyota Auris Hybrid 1.8 Advance. As New, still under manufacturers warranty. Only36,000 kms. FSH. Spanish Spec.

Cost over 21,000€ new.

7950€

Van hire

ONE WAY

costa blanca costa calida Almeria Roquetas De mar

...Let the Soltimes team help you...

Also available online at

for more information Telephone



UK to Spain or Spain to UK

*LOCAL *NATIONAL *EUROPEAN

4 LOCAL EDITIONS

www.soltimes.com

* COLLECTION & DELIVERY *STORAGE

TEL: 667 235 205

Pick up/drop off locations Throughout UK, France and Spain

mobile mechanics

Mikes

2004 Nissan XTRAIL T Spec. Auto with O/D. FSH. LHD. 1 owner Exceptional Condition.

Tel: 653 245 971 This size advert is only 10€

Mobile Mechanics

motorbike mechanic

wanted

URGENTLY REQUIRED

ENGLISH & SPANISH CARAVANS, CARS, MOTORHOMES & VANS ANY CONDITION WE COLLECT! THROUGHOUT SPAIN

New, beginners class starts friday 1st feb 2013 17.30pm

634 337 185

ONE MUST GO

for hire

at Camping Los Gallardos, MiraFlores Restaurant.

Private lessons and different levels also available.

sold thanks to the soltimes

Van, car & driver

NEATER HEATER See our main advert For all your motorbike repairs tel:634 326 905 on the news pages

tuition

Now offer our Classified advertisers

Need quality new parts for any car

All types of service, repair & ITV testing Fully qualified & legal Rancho Luz Del Sol, Retamar, Partaloa. One to one or group lessons, with over 35 years experience latest EN standard hats provided.

Ring Mike or Chris: Escorted hacking and treks. Qualified 628 350 178 or 636 824 974 BHS Instructor. Call Erika Drew on 678 838 547

swimming pool safety

SOLTIMES

for sale

TEL: 636 411 540 OR 664 619 819

call paulette on

950 121 936 or 902 750 190 situations vacant

950 121 936 902 121 936 EXT 332

Mitsubishi shogan sport LWB, 69,000 miles, Spanish plated RHD, FSH 4,500€ ono 618 421 227

watch tv for free go to

www. soltimes. com

for all the latest programmes

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

K.F.S Kennedy Financial Services

Hard Times

41

Kennedy Financial Services (KFS) has over 25 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry and are dedicated to providing professional guidance to all its clients.

For too many years now people have neglected their retirement planning, possibly in the main, because we as ex-pats cannot contribute to our retirement plans when we live abroad.

Times are changing there are now pension transfers (QROPS) that allow us to contribute to our funds and help to secure a better retirement.

Are your current pension benefits in one of the following areas?

• • • •

Frozen benefits in the UK that are under performing?

In a QROPS that is not giving you what you wanted?

Trapped in New Zealand for many years to come?

In a S.I.P.P. (are you aware that if you return to the UK your S.I.P.P. may be liable to a tax charge of up to 55%)?

If your answer is YES to the above it may be possible to transfer your benefits to a new receiving pension scheme and release some tax free cash. This may help your current financial position whilst still securing your retirement income.

Did you work in Public Services, NHS, Councils, Armed Forces, MOD, Civil Servants, Teachers, Aviation Authority, Nurses, Police, and Fire Brigade? The pension pots of loyal public servants are shrinking. You should submit your application to transfer your benefits now or you could lose out on thousands. The same applies to personal pensions, SIPPS etc.

There is a huge crisis in the UK as far as pensions are concerned. At the start of the Nineties, a £100,000 pension fund would have guaranteed an income of £15,640 a year for life, twenty three years on, a 65-year-old man will secure just £5,140 a year. This is mainly due to poor performance and market conditions over the same period of time. In May 2012 the pension deficit reached an all-time high of £312bn.

There were also an estimated 5,418 schemes in deficit, with only 1,014 in surplus. Which side of the fence is your pension sitting?

KFS is here to help all expats, regardless of Nationality, through this pension crisis which will affect all those with Pension benefits still in the UK, or possibly those with underperforming QROPS or S.I.P.P’s.

For too many years now people have neglected their retirement planning, possibly in the main, because we as ex-pats cannot contribute to our retirement plans when we live abroad. Times are changing, there are now pension transfers (QROPS) that allow us to contribute to our funds and help to secure a better retirement.

Should you wish to find out how this may affect your benefits please contact at admin@kennedyfinancialservices.com or fill in the assessment form at

www.kennedyfinancialservices.com

42

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

OPEN for business

tel: 950 930 900 968 969 962 Solar Hot Water & Pool Heating Full Heating Installations Water Treatment Systems Water Deposits & Pumps

Solar Oil Gas Solid Fuel pellet

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House prices to surpass their pre-financial crisis peak for the first time next year

Property prices will race ahead in the next two years and are set to surpass their pre-financial crisis peak for the first time in 2014, economists predicted today.

Bullishly, the Centre for Economics and Business Research also forecast that in five years’ time a typical home will cost £261,000, representing an increase of 19.1 per cent compared with this year.

Average prices this year are expected to edge up to £219,000, marking a 0.8 per cent increase compared with 2012, the CEBR said.

And by the end of 2014, a typical house in Britain will cost £223,000, 0.7 per cent higher than the 2007 peak.

CEBR says signs of improvements in the mortgage market and fading economic gloom will be key factors in house price acceleration.

The slow recovery will be welcome news to homeowners, especially those who bought around the peak of the market and have found themselves stuck with little or no equity in their home.

Daniel Solomon, economist at CEBR, said: ‘Next year, UK property prices will hit a significant milestone, passing their pre-crisis peak for the first time.

‘This will be driven by fundamentals, such as a return to modest economic growth.’

House prices have remained sluggish in recent years, although experts have been surprised at the resilience of much of the market, given the wider difficulties of the

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economy.

Surveyors and lenders have predicted house sales will pick up this year amid improvements to the mortgage market which have come about as a result of a multi-billion pound Government scheme launched in August to boost lending.

Lenders have been slashing their mortgage rates and the number of deals on the market has also increased since the scheme started.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders recently reported an uplift in loans being advanced to first-time buyers and mortgage approvals to home buyers generally have been increasing in recent months.

According to a study by Halifax released over the weekend, mortgages have dropped to their most affordable level for a decade and are currently almost twice as cheap as the height of the financial crisis.

Typical mortgage payments for both first-time buyers and home movers have plummeted to 28 per cent of average incomes, down from a peak of 48 per cent in 2007.

The average monthly mortgage payment for someone with a 30 per cent deposit is £580, while the typical take-home wage is £2,062.

Lloyds to help 60,000 first-time buyers onto the ladder in 2013: Lloyds Banking Group has also this morning announced it is committing to lend £6.5billion to help people make their first step on the property ladder in 2013. The banking giant says that this pledge makes it ‘Britain’s largest commitment to support first-time buyers.’ It expects the pledge to help around 60,000 people buy their first home by the end of the year.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Sterling weakens against the euro

The UK pound has continued to weaken against the euro, falling below the 1.20 level for the first time since early April 2012.

According to a report by the BBC, currency traders said that concerns over the UK’s AAA credit rating and relationships with the European Union were undermining sterling’s strength.

The pound was worth just over 1.19 euros in trading late on Thursday, making a euro worth about 83.5 pence.

That means UK tourists exchanging money are like to get fewer euros.

The pound has fallen 3% since 3 January, according to Bloomberg data, which Harry Adams, managing

director at Argentex, said suggested that “2013 could be a disappointing year for sterling”.

and that adds up to testing times for sterling,” said Daragh Maher, foreign exchange strategist at HSBC.

He said: “There are two main areas of concern for the pound: firstly, the loss of the UK’s AAA credit rating which is becoming increasingly likely and secondly, Britain’s unclear position in the EU.

He forecast the euro/sterling rate to reach 89 pence by the end of the year. “There’s... going to be an erosion of the view that sterling was the best of a bad bunch,” he said.

“We only have to look back a few months to see that currencies react badly to uncertainty. The longer this debate drags on, the harder sterling will fall.”

The pound was also 0.3% lower against the dollar, hitting $1.5956 on Thursday, its lowest since 23 November.

“The UK economy is still very soft

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However, one impact of a weak pound is that UK exports are likely to be cheaper.

On Tuesday, the Fitch ratings agency warned that the UK’s topnotch sovereign credit rating could be cut if the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s March budget shows debt levels continuing to rise.

Greek ex-minister Papaconstantinou faces tax probe Greek MPS have voted to launch a criminal investigation took no action and later claimed to have lost the list.

into ex-Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou.

He is accused of tampering with a list of suspected tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts.

Three of Mr Papaconstantinou’s relatives were removed from the list. He has denied involvement.

But MPS voted against extending the probe to another ex-finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, and former PMs Lucas Papademos and George Papandreou.

The scandal centres on a list of names, provided in 2010 to the Greek government by then French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who is now head of the IMF. The “Lagarde list”, as it has become known, contained the names of over 2,000 Greeks who held Swiss bank accounts, and who may not have paid tax on all their income.

But the Pasok (Socialist Party) government of the time

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It later re-emerged, after a journalist published it, but the later version did not include Mr Papaconstantinou’s relatives, reports say.

He has said the case against him has been fabricated.

The opposition leftist Syriza party had also wanted Pasok leader Mr Venizelos, who succeeded Mr Papaconstantinou as finance minister, to be investigated for failing to pursue the case.

There had also been calls to investigate M Papademos and Mr Papandreou.

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The shirt you can’t get dirty

Scientists have revealed the answer to every clumsy eaters worst nightmare - a coating that can be applied to clothing to make it repel almost anything you throw at it.

The unique coating, which is 95% air, can repel everything from coffee and alcohol to oil and even acid.

It is so light it can be used to create ‘breathable’ clothes to protect soldiers on the battlefield.

The nanoscale coating that’s at least 95 percent air repels the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, causing them to bounce off the treated surface, according to the University of Michigan engineering researchers who developed it.

In addition to super stain-resistant clothes, the coating could lead to breathable garments to protect soldiers and scientists from chemicals, and advanced waterproof paints that dramatically reduce drag on ships.

Droplets of solutions that would normally damage either your shirt or your skin recoil when they touch the new ‘superomniphobic surface’.

‘Virtually any liquid you throw on it bounces right off without wetting it,’ said Anish Tuteja, who led the study, which is published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

‘For many of the other similar coatings, very low surface tension liquids such as oils, alcohols, organic acids, organic bases and solvents stick to them and they could start to diffuse through and that’s not what you want,’ He and his colleagues tested more than 100 liquids and found only two that were able to penetrate the coating.

They were chlorofluorocarbons—chemicals used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

In Tuteja’s lab, in a demonstration, the surface repelled coffee, soy sauce and vegetable oil, as well as toxic hydrochloric and sulfuric acids that could burn skin.

Tuteja says it’s also resistant to gasoline and various alcohols.

To apply the coating, the researchers use a technique called electrospinning that uses an electric charge to create fine particles of The coating is a mixture of solid from a liquid solution. So far, they’ve coated small tiles of screen and postagerubbery plastic particles of stamp-sized swaths of fabric. ‘polydimethylsiloxane’, or PDMS, The coating is a mixture of rubbery plastic and liquid-resisting nanoscale particles of ‘polydimethylsiloxane,’ or cubes developed by the Air Force PDMS, and liquid-resisting nanoscale cubes that contain carbon, fluorine, developed by the Air Force that contain silicon and oxygen. carbon, fluorine, silicon and oxygen.

The material’s chemistry is important, but so The key to its effectiveness is its is its texture. texture.

It hugs the pore structure of whatever It hugs the pore structure of surface it’s being applied to, and it also whatever surface it’s being applied creates a finer web within those pores. to, and it also creates a finer web This structure means that between 95 and 99 percent of the coating is actually air pockets, within those pores. so any liquid that comes in contact with the This structure means that coating is barely touching a solid surface. between 95 and 99 percent of the Because the liquid touches mere filaments coating is actually air pockets, so of the solid surface, as opposed to a greater any liquid that comes in contact area, the developed coating can dramatically reduce the intermolecular forces that normally with the coating is barely touching draw the two states of matter together. a solid surface.

These forces, known as Van der Waals Because the liquid touches mere interaction forces, are kept at a minimum. filaments of the solid surface, as ‘Normally, when the two materials get opposed to a greater area, the close, they imbue a small positive or negative charge on each other, and as soon as the developed coating can dramatically liquid comes in contact with the solid surface reduce the intermolecular forces it will start to spread,’ Tuteja said. that normally draw the two states ‘We’ve drastically reduced the interaction of matter together. between the surface and the droplet.’

These forces, known as Van der With almost no incentive to spread, the droplets stay intact, interacting only with Waals interaction forces, are kept molecules of themselves, maintaining a at a minimum. spherical shape, and literally bouncing off With almost no incentive to the coating. spread, the droplets stay intact, One classification of liquid that this coating interacting only with molecules repels is the so-called non-Newtonian category, which includes shampoos, custards, of themselves, maintaining a blood, paints, clays and printer inks, for spherical shape, and literally example. bouncing off the coating.

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motoring

TEST DRIVE: SEAT mii

Aren’t computer games a great escape from reality?

Up to the age of 16 I used to enjoy playing them but there’s thankfully no time for that anymore with my demanding wife and daughter.

As I sit inside the Seat Mii I find my mind wandering back to that distant past where I was the unbeatable Formula One champion of the world and I don’t mind admitting it, a dab hand at any rally circuit, too.

For the Mii name reminds me of the Nintendo Wii video game console.

Perhaps the Seat marketing team felt that Wii gamers consist of the cool and hip 18 to 35 category that they want

45

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

to appeal to. The sort of guys and gals who like to drive a bright red little city car and thereby stand out from the bland and characterless crowd. The type of people who consider the Mii to be a reflection of their gregarious selves.

Ironically I have just driven the highly economical Skoda Citigo, which looks pretty much identical and scores highly with me. Aren’t they the same car? Isn’t history going to repeat itself? Will I not simply find myself re-writing the same article?

The diminutive Seat might share the same wheelbase as the Skoda Citigo and VW

A criticism though is that when the temperature plummets to 1.5 Celsius during the test the side windows mist up despite the blowers being on full and pumping out warm air.

Parkers, the car experts, say: “Not since the days of the Arosa has Seat been involved in the competitive city car market, but it should be a big name again in the sector with the Mii. It offers good levels of refinement, is perfect for driving in tight town situations and has a high quality interior.”

In the same way that the Skoda Citigo makes a good long distance companion, so too

up! but there is more to it than just being a rebranded VW. Firstly, it incorporates Spanish flair and styling with German engineering, the press office is keen to point out. But where Skoda and VW target a more middle aged motorist, the Seat is the young person’s choice.

The five-door model tested has a much smoother and decisive five-speed manual gearbox and there’s a sizeable electric sliding glass sunroof, which was missing in the Skoda.

Its two-tone grey and black interior is far more appealing than the black in the Skoda but it lacks the heated front seats.

The two share the same

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sport

good take and landed a decent horse mackerel whilst TW John was pulling in the smaller fish with a personal total of over 60 fish. BR John fished a large float and pulled bogues out from a depth of 10ft promoting Sid to fish mid water with his feathers where he also caught bogues. Float fishing is something Steve doesn’t usually do from the boat mainly because of the room required but it proved a success on this occasion and something to bear in mind for the future.

ANGLING NEWS WITH BEACHCOMBER JOHN Important Notice: Will Neil Pounder please get in touch with me concerning his Fishing license, anybody that knows him please inform him, thanks.

Shore Fishing: ‘London Bill has done well lately with some Atlantic Scad and sea bass to 2lbs caught spinning from various locations in Mojacar and Garrucha.

He also fished in Villaricos where we know the dentex bream live. Popped up large fresh baits cast out onto a flat rock produced one good take which didn’t result in a fish but Bill is convinced it was a dentex or very big dorada or similar. He’s back there next week I think.

The ‘Albox Fishing Club’ went to Garrucha and fished off the beach by the statue.

8 Fishermen & 16 Rods ‘Dizzy John’ caught two small rock fish. ‘West Country Dave’ caught a fair size octopus which he took home for the pot and that was it. Next time then lads.

Boat Fishing: ‘Squiddly Sid’,

‘Tiddlerwinks John’, ‘Dennis the menace’ and ‘Broken rod John’ from the ‘Albox Fishing Club’ joined ‘Orca Steve’ for a day out worm drowning.

The recent calm conditions continued with a nice flat sea and a light but chilly wind off the land which had them all reaching for their woolly hats and gloves. Steve advised the lads the better fishing was still in the shallower water and although the big fish were few and far between there was still a chance of bagging a decent one along with the many smaller fish that seemed to be the norm at the moment.

Sid and BR John trolled behind the boat whilst they travelled to Steve’s chosen spot opposite the Rio Aguas (Rio Abajo) but without a take where they eventually tried drifting from 50ft to 120ft, then anchoring in 60 to 70ft to get some shelter from the wind.

Fishing was brisk with the lads catching red snappers, pickerels, weavers, bogues and pandoras. Sid had a

Steve had a great take on his light rod and had a decent fish on for a few minutes but lost it when it headed for the anchor line and he was unable to turn it, then it was gone.

They ended the day with well over 100 fish between them and although the majority were only small it was good sport and at least kept them busy, a good way to keep warm as well.

See photo of Sid with a horse mackerel. (Note Sid’s new cap with the deliberate spelling mistake “Sqiddly Sid”) Coarse Fishing: Competition matches in Murcia produced top weights of 31lbs and 21lbs and both matches were fished on the Pedrera Lake.

The Albox fishing club meets every two weeks or so at Bar Wassy. For details of the next meeting tel Sid 634 313 650.

For up to date information on any of the above see me at the Beachcomber Bar Restaurant on Mojacar Playa or tel 950 473 099 Tight lines, Beachcomber John.

19th Hole Golf Society. Cucador.............

The 19th hole had, what was billed as, a fun day at Valle Del Este on Thursday 17th January. 20 members arrived in good time to Tee off for this two ball better ball competition on a very pleasant day with the early morning sun already warming our expectations for a very enjoyable round of golf. Unfortunately, the Gods of Golf had other ideas and within the hour the wind started to blow. Valle Del Este, along with every other course in this area of Spain, is not the place to be on a windy day and most of the players had varying degrees of problems coping with the worsening conditions.

But our dedicated band completed the round and results calculated, a couple of beers drunk and horror

stories exchanged it ended as a very entertaining day.

of Mark Danson and Alan Chippendale with 37 points.

Geoff Smiths shout of FORE on the 4th hole had the group in front diving for cover with Bi Al (The Artist) taking cover by diving into the buggy and Charlie Brookman hid behind a torrent of bad language and a Cactus.

Results

Charlie was also reported to have had a great time driving his buggy like a novice on a tank range!!

Mike Donarski had an eagle on the 10th hole, and played really soundly to help his team secure second place with 34 points. Syd Walker and Ray Wicken had a steady round to finish 3rd, Ray also scored a two on 12th hole. But, unbeatable on the day, was the team

1st Mark Danson / Alan Chippendale 37 points 2nd Mike Donarski / Dave Denyer 34 points 3rd Syd Walker / Ray Wicken 33 points Twos;- 12th Hole Ray Wicken Eagle- 10th Hole Mike Donarski The 19th hole G/S is now arranging weekly games at various courses in the area, our home course, which we play fortnightly, is Aguilon.

If you are interested in joining or playing as a Guest with the 19th hole give the secretary a ring on 610340653. Or email gs19thhole@hotmail.co.uk

Valle Del Este Golf Society.........................

Magnifico Fantastico Is The Only Way To Describe The Golf Which Patrick Vickery Played On Friday. Patrick Who Plays Of A Handicap Of 5 Had A Tremendous Round Of Golf, What A Start To The New Year, And For This Years Order Of Merit.

The Results For Friday 1st

Patrick Vickery 44pts (Hcp 5) 2nd Place Also With A Great Score Dick Hull 41pts (Hcp 15) 3rd Place Byran Brown 34 Pts (Hcp 16) New Hcp Next Week Men. Nearest The Pins Phil Dunne & Dave Kaymer. Apologies To The Winners Of The 4ball Better On Tuesday Who

Have Been Overshadowed

By The Results On Friday, The Winners On The Day Were Husband & Wife Ray & Doris Harrison. Well Done Everyone.

Note; Paul Mc Ginley Should You Require A Wild Card For The Ryder Cup? Patrick Can Be Contacted Anytime At Valle Del Este . Enjoy Your Golf.

cortijo grande................................................

Wednesday 16th Jan 2013 at Cortijo Grande and we had two divisions with 38 golfers, who said Cortijo Grande was not a popular place to play. Our course is getting better every week and my thanks to the green keeping team Our winner of the first

div with 33 points Gary Cashman second with 32 Peter Jackson and third with another 32 Phillipe Dunne.

Ball sweep winner Phillipe Dunne Sunday 20 Jan 2013 and a cold wind on our medal day competition. Medal not the most popular but good for

discipline.

Our winner with a net 72 John Hill second with 73 Cathal Higgins and third with 74 John Wardley. Ball sweep winner Dereck Mulrooney Enjoy your golf at Cortijo Grande a proper golf course for good golfers MP

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

/ Trevor Young CAB

Ladies Pairs: Georgina Naylor/Judy Abel. CAB. V Sylvia Pritchard/Catherine Patrick. ABC

Level on the eighteenth end and it could have been anyone’s game. Although Paul, Mark and Tony fought well, Siobhan, Derek and Alan put on an enormous effort to win this super game by eight shots

Georgina and Judy began their quest well leading Sylvia and Catherine by 16-3 on the eleventh end. Sylvia and Catherine then woke up and were only three shots behind Georgina and Judy on the 16th end, but couldn’t maintain that pressure and lost by four shots to the Cabrera pair.

C.A.L.B 11 a Side Final 13th January 2013 John Fitzgerald ABC Captain/ Dennis Stoyles CAB Captain This was the third year of the competition which involved nine teams, three from each of the local clubs, Almeria Cabrera and Indalo. These were divided into two leagues one of 4 and one of five teams. Each club played three teams with the subsidiary titles of either Red, green or Blue. Over a six week period every Tuesday, teams of eleven, made up of a Men’s Pairs, Ladies Pairs, Triples and

discipline were won or lost.

Fours played their hearts out to win their particular games.

The Final played between the winners. Unfortunately because of circumstances the Final wasn’t played until Sunday 13th 2013 at Indalo B.C. This proved to be a good decision as it suited lots of members of each club able to support their teams. The winners were Cabrera Blue against Almeria Red, with success in two disciplines and overall shot difference of plus 3. Individually this is how each

Men’s Pairs: G.Douglas / Dave Schofield CAB.v Tony Millington / John Fitzgerald.

ABC This was another game where the Cabrera pair, Gerald and Dave Schofield looked good to win leading all the way until the thirteenth end. At this point Tony and John took the reins and won reasonably comfortable by five shots Triples: Siobhan Herrity / Derek Weeks / Alan Terry ABC v Paul Abel / Mark Naylor

Rinks: Terry Pickers/Brian Saunders / Dave Jenkins / D.Stoyles CAB v Barbara Weeks / Chris Fitzgerald / Graham Patrick / Colin Wright ABC Both teams played a very competitive game up to the fourteenth end when the Almeria team were two shots ahead. From here they couldn’t keep up with the game as the Cabrera four piled on the points to win by ten shots.

Dave Ebdon on behalf of the CALB carried out the presentation and thanked all players for their great support throughout the competition.

Vic Parsons: CALB Press Officer

Cabrera Bowls Club Los Amigos Drawn Triples

The finals of the Los Amigos Drawn Triples took place on 22.1.2013. After four days of competitions, the final took place under blue skies but very blustery conditions. After a shaky start where the winning team played catch up, they picked up a four and steadily built up a lead. The winning team is left to right:Maureen Stakes, Tony Bird and Gill Young.

Congratulations and well played.

Huercal Overa CF 3 Aguilas CF 1...........................................

47

sport

Compiled by AFM

sport shorts

Coming up….

The first of sixteen 4th round FA Cup-ties takes place on Friday when Millwall play Aston Villa.

On Saturday there will be twelve more including Bolton v Everton, Brighton v Arsenal, Macclesfield v Wigan, Manchester United v Fulham, Norwich v Luton, QPR v MK Dons, Reading v Sheffield United and Stoke v Manchester City, while the last three on Sunday will feature Oldham v Liverpool, Leeds v Spurs and Brentford v Chelsea.

Last night Aston Villa, trailing 3-1, took on Bradford City in the second leg of the League cup semi-final. Swansea play Chelsea in the other ‘semi’ tonight.

• After Manchester City had beaten Fulham, Manchester United could only draw at Tottenham and as a result their lead at the top of the Premiership is down to five points. Clint Dempsey hit a dramatic ‘Fergie-time’ equaliser for Spurs to cancel out Robin van Persie’s 21st goal of the season for the Reds.

• Chelsea defeated Arsenal 2-1 to stay third. Frank Lampard’s 195th goal for Blues puts him seven behind Bobby Tambling’s club record of 202.

• Elsewhere in the PL, Stoke lost 3-1 at Swansea…

Reading won at Newcastle for the first time ever…

Daniel Sturridge scored in his third successive game for Liverpool who thumped Norwich 5-0. The last Reds’ player to achieve a 3-in-3 feat was Ray Kennedy in 1974… QPR (who’ve loaned out Djibril Cisse) earned a point at West Ham for whom Joe Cole scored his first goal for 10 years… WBA and Aston Villa drew 2-2…

Southampton sacked manager Nigel Adkins three days before Monday’s home PL game with Everton, replacing him with unknown Argentinian Mauricio Potchettino.

The fans aren’t happy!

• In the Championship, Cardiff lead Leicester and Hull by 10 points.

• Barcelona (2-0 up and despite another Lionel Messi goal) lost in La Liga for the first time this season, beaten 3-2 by mid-table Real Sociedad.

• The quarter-finals of Rugby’s Heineken Cup will feature Clermont v Montpellier, Munster v Harlequins, Saracens v Ulster and Toulon v Leicester.

• Mark Selby beat 2012 winner Neil Robertson 10-6 in the Masters Snooker final at Ally Pally.

Huercal Overa CF overcomes the conditions to warm up the fans with a big farewell to Tomas Campanas.

A great win for Alonso Parra´s Huercal Overa side who in a turbulent week have had Injuries, suspensions and transfers dictate a busy 7 days against a strong team from Aguilas who are going well in the league.

The first half was entertaining, with the home side who had the first effort on goal after a shot by Alex was missed by the Aguilas keeper only to find a defender clear off the line. Then In the 20th minute Aguilas were

awarded a corner from the right hand side which was met on the penalty spot by the head of Raul Fernandez who made it 1-0. The first half finished 1-0 with only some terrible work by the linesman denying Huercal Overa 2 clear penalties.

The second half was vibrant and had everything on a blustery Sunday afternoon.

With the home Team scoring 3, 2 expulsions, plus injuries.

Huércal-Overa finally made the pressure count on the 55th minute when top scorer Tomas Campanas found the net then followed up with a 2nd on the 58th minute with a

straight forward tap in. In the 81st minute Huercal Overa were awarded a free kick 25 yards out, Jose Moreno stepped up and sent the ball flying into the top right hand corner which sent the home fans wild! In the last 5 minutes Aguilas didn’t offer much in way of resistance but with 2 straight red cards, one for Huercal Overas Finidi after a high arm was deemed unacceptable by the Referee who then evened up the numbers by sending off Ruben for the visitors with 2 minutes to go.

All in all a good afternoons work for Huercal Overa with

2 new signings Forroga and Nono putting in good shifts, sadly Nono came off injured in the 2nd but should be OK for the next game Vs Jumilla on the 27th in Huercal Overa.

Finally the club would like to thank Striker Tomas Campanas who played his last game for Huercal Overa as he moves to Real Murcia Imperial. The striker has been top scorer for the last few years and will be a big miss but a fantastic opportunity for Tomas... www.huercaloveracf.com leerickardgraham@outlook. com Lee Rickard Graham.

• Jamie Hammond pipped Justin Rose by one shot to win the Abu Dhabi golf Championship.

• Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray was looking strong, as were Messrs Federer and Djokovic (after one gruelling five-hour, five-set marathon) while Maria Sharapova was bang in form in the women’s section in the Australian tennis championships..

• Watch GB’s brilliant ‘bouncer’ Harry Newbold-Cozens on TV if you can. He’s taking part in the youth international trampoline championships!

• All I’m going to say about drug-abusing cyclist Lance Armstrong is that he’s admitted he cheated! The seventime Tour de France winner said so several times on last week’s Oprah Winfrey Show and cheats never prosper! We’ll see what transpires when the solicitors get involved!

• And a world record 45,000 runners will compete in this year’s New York marathon this year.

48 SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

In a low-key afternoon encounter on Hisense Arena, the Briton won 6-3 6-1 6-3 in one hour and 32 minutes.

Murray, 25, is through to the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the fourth year in a row, and will play another Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy, on Wednesday.

He has yet to drop a set in four matches and enters the final stages as fresh as he could possibly hope for.

Up against a player who could barely walk after his near

five-hour win in the last round, and with a 9-1 record in their previous meetings, Monday’s match never threatened to extend the Scot.

“It was a tough situation for both players - more obviously for him,” said Murray. “After the first few games, it didn’t feel that competitive. At this stage of a Grand Slam, you’re sort of geed up and prepared for a tough battle.

Simon, 28, said he had “completely lost control” during the gruelling four hours and 43 minutes required to see off Gael Monfils in round three, and gave himself little

chance of challenging Murray.

Murray wrapped up the first set after 37 minutes that had seen the pair hit 31 unforced errors between them, and just 11 winners.

It did not signal a fightback - Murray rattled off the next four games to move two sets clear as Simon slowed by the game.

Murray put Simon out of his misery on his second match point to wrap up a win that will not live long in the memory, but will serve the Briton better than the type of marathon match seen already this week.

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Andy Murray barely broke sweat as he reached the last eight at the Australian Open with victory over an exhausted Gilles Simon.

Andy Murray reaches QF of Australian Open

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