July - August Print Edition - The Long Walk 2016

July-August FREE! 2016 Registrations are now open for The Long Walk 2016.

Training has already begun for our fifth annual charity walk across the island, raising awareness and funds for local breast cancer support association ACCM.

If you would like to get involved, raise some funds and do a little hiking across the most outstanding sub-tropical island in Europe, drop us a line to TheLongWalk@TheCanaryNews.com or visit TheLongWalk.es Whether you want to walk all three days, one day, half a day, 10k or a mile in solidarity, every little effort helps.

Here are some of last year’s amazing participants near the finish point at the Dunes of Maspalomas We want you to get active, visit some of the astounding natural wilderness Gran Canaria has to offer and discover something amazing about yourself... sponsorship opportunities available.

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Newsbrie News, Views & Sunshine

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2016

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

Ricky Martin is planning two concerts in the Canary Islands this September. The shows are part of his “One World Tour” schedule the tenth global tour that Ricky has done during his career.

He will be performing at the Anexo of Gran Canaria Arena on 9 September and on Tenerife, at the Antonio Dominguez Stadium in Arona, on 10 September.

Concerts start at 20:30 and tickets will be available via the portal www.entrees.es starting from Thursday 23rd of June.

LIVING LA VIDA LOCA !!!

New Canarian health cards being issued The Canarian Health Service expects to print two million new health cards before the end of the year. In the BOC (regional bulletin), on 24 June, an order was published establishing a new model of individual health cards, issued by the Canarian Health Service (Servicio Canario de la Salud - SCS).

The process of replacing the current cards will be implemented progressively, when users renew for any reason or requested new cards arrive, the government expect the process of replacement to be completed, according to the BOC, before October 5, 2018, provided that available budgets permit it. However, forecasts suggest that they are to start printing approximately two million health cards by the end of this year, controlling users’ access to all the services of the National Health System.

The new health card, contains personal identification data and an identification code assigned to each user by the SCS, it includes two printed codes, one for security and a bar code, allowing conversion of CIP regional codes. A CSV (Card Security Value)La Tarjeta Sanitaria Canaria is the health card that allows citizens like reference number, similar to bank cards, will carry a unique to access basic public healthcare services and pharmaceuticals. three-digit number for each card. This is an extra security feature Currently, at least 25% of SCS users lack a physical health card, helping to protect both the users’ data and prevent unauthorised because they have a paper document instead, though both are access to services. equally valid forms membership identification, the government The health card is for Canary Islands’ residents, who are registered say that “sometimes it creates problems in pharmaceutical use in any of the municipalities of the Autonomous Community, to and when travelling to another region.” which healthcare and pharmaceutical support is provided and to Making the new cards had been delayed because the Canarian which they are entitled according to current legislation.

Ministry of Health was awaiting implementation of a Spanish Ministry project to create a single health card for the entirety of Span- Foreign citizens who are not registered, but who are entitled to ish territory. This Autonomous Government of The Canary Islands health care, in accordance with the legislation on the rights and have however now said that “since that commitment has not been liberties of foreigners in Spain, can be credited this right through a temporary health inclusion card, which is individual and nontransfulfilled, the SCS has taken steps to implement a Canary Islands ferable and will be issued by the Canary Islands Health Service. health card. However, in its design the criteria set by the [Spanish] Ministry of Health have been taken into account with the aim This temporary document will also be provided for foreigners who of enabling it to become a multi-purpose card as had been proare not registered and minors, pregnant women and to all who are posed.” The islands’ government have decided to move forward. administered emergency health care by medical personnel.

Ask your doctor for more information

N ews ,

S unshine

Editor-in-Chief: Edward JB Timon Editor@TheCanaryNews.com

Telephone: 928 987 952 / Office Open Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm Sales: +34 620 978 709 (En/Es/S) / Sales@TheCanaryNews.com via 928 987 952 (En) Accounts: Accounts@TheCanaryNews.com Production: Production@TheCanaryNews.com

The Canary News can not accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers, either in advertisements or advertorial, nor can it be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors, or the nonappearance of advertisements or advertorial. This publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors as a result of poor quality artwork or logos supplied by advertisers and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy or nonappearance of an advertisement or advertorial. Every effort will be made to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of articles and advertisements in this publication, however the publisher does not accept responsibility for claims or opinions in the same. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper is permitted under Creative Commons 3.0 rules of Attribution, unless otherwise stated.

Edita: JDC Canarias SL, Imprime: Canarias7, Gran Canaria, España. Deposito Legal GC1291-2013

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News, Views & Sunshine

Reviewing some of the stories we’ve covered over the last few weeks.

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2016

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Stay up to date at TheCanaryNews.com The full Canary Islands Parliament

approved, last month, a proposición no de ley (PNL – proposition not of law) requesting, in a vote against the conservative Partido Popular (PP), that the Canary Islands urge the central government of Spain to demand immediate application of a tax on financial transactions, otherwise known as a Robin Hood Tax. The tax is designed to raise a very small charge from every sale of shares and from other financial operations, such as transactions of derivatives; the proposal was tabled by the Socialist group in government.

Member of parliament, Gustavo Matos, emphasised that the meeting of European finance ministers, held on June 17, was an opportunity to demand implementation of the idea which could raise billions of euros at no cost to the general public.

Deputy Jorge Rodriguez, of the PP, however labeled the idea as a tax against trade and development, calling it antisocial, harmful to developing countries and saying that approving the proposal The Canary Islands High Court of Justice (TSJC) has revoked the ruling that provisionally suspended granting of public lands in the does not make sense if it is not supported by all member states. In addition, he claimed that the Parliament of Canary Islands should south of Gran canaria to Loro Parque group to build their new be trying to solve more pressing problems such as the 27% unemSiam Park Gran Canaria, in a decision that reaffirms the water ployment rate suffered throughout the archipelago. park attraction as being in the public interest and clears the way for its construction.

The idea of taxing financial transactions was inspired by a fee on currency exchange transactions originally proposed by US Six months ago, administrative court number 3 in Las Palmas agreed to provisionally suspend the deal, made with the Cabildo economist James Tobin in 1971, when he suggested the application of a small charge on every transaction from one currency to de Gran Canaria and the Island Water Council, permitting the another through a flat tax rate aimed at dampening fluctuations in Loro Parque Group to occupy 121,000 square meters of public land in the El Veril ravine, due to an objection and request from a exchange rates, in many ways dissuading traders from short term financial speculation and providing states a tool with which to company named Lebensraum Wassers SL. defend their national economies.

The judge, who agreed to suspend the development just as it was about to break ground, took the view that were she to allow It was the economist Hunter Logan who, in 1998, coined the term the project to continue to start building this long awaited leisure Robin Hood Tax in reference to a similar idea but applied beyond park, in which Loro Parque plans to invest €60 million, that “irrep- currency markets, commonly referring to a package of Financial arable” harm could have resulted were it later to be decided that Transactions Taxes (FTTs). Campaigners have suggested the tax could be implemented globally, regionally or unilaterally by indiLebensraum Wassers’ claims were in fact valid. Their objections vidual nations. Opponents say it could not work unless adopted are based on their assertion that a public tender should have been required to award preparatory works; Lebensraum Wassers universally, however since 2010 a lot of work has gone into showing that even on a local or regional level, adopting such practices claimed that the concession had been awarded irregularly. could raise significantly large sums for the public purse without The decision to suspend the work rested upon their argument significantly affecting share trading. that the public interest was not at stake, but, in their view, the British actor Bill Nighy has been one of the many famous faces to only risk was to private interests of the project promoters, Loro have backed the idea from the beginning.

Parque. They claimed the public interest was not being served.

The TSJC Administrative Chamber have now denied the claim for two reasons; not only were Lebensraum Wassers SL not able to sufficiently explain or demonstrate what “irreparable” damage might occur, should Loro Parque’s occupation of El Veril move forward while other objections and litigation are being resolved; but the High Court also recognised the water park project project construction itself as being very much in the public interest.

In the TSJC ruling it was remarked that in the court’s opinion the damage suffered by the Loro Parque group would be “considerActor Bill Nighy in The Banker able” should they allow Lebensraum Wassers SL’s request to be upheld. All that is required now is the agreement of the town hall

Siam Park Water Park project looks set to go once more...

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

Would-be taxi drivers test in Maspalomas

Aspiring taxi drivers in the area of Maspalomas Costa Canaria and the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana must now undergo testing before they can obtain a license. The objective of the new program is to assess their skills regarding behaviour towards users of the service, and especially preserving quality within the tourism sector.

that have already received initial approval by the full Municipal Corporation with unanimous support.

hotels, hospitals and cultural centres as well as public citizen safety, “and the most direct routes to reach the destination”.

Mayor Marco Aurelio Perez explained that the psychoanalytical tests are conducted by independent “outside technical experts” and complement the other examinations on the history, culture, customs and streets This new measure, as well as of the town, where applicants other quite relevant practices, is must demonstrate knowledge part of a significant and progres- of public roads, places of tourist sive change in the ordinance interest, the location of recrearegulating public passenger tional facilities, municipal oftransport and taxi regulations, fices and official centres, major

This is extraordinarily good work from the SBT town hall, hoped to alleviate loudly voiced concerns as to the professional standards and strict observance of passenger safety from the fleet of licensed taxi drivers working on the south of the island. Despite their very high standards of conduct, it has been deemed necessary to further reassure primarily foreign service users that the taxi drivers of Maspalomas are well regulated and expected to meet very high levels of quality. Well done SBT! Thank you.

Fibre optics coming to town in Mogán Last April, the Mogán town hall, together with Telefónica, announced the deployment of a fibre optic internet network in the municipality. As a precursor to the roll out, to study the areas where fibre optic connections are most in demand, Mogán has enabled an information link on its website (in Spanish). This link indicates areas where fibre optics are planned to cover and how request it.

It looks like most of Puerto Rico, Patalavaca and the lower part of Arguineguín will all be connected first. With super fast 4G already available in many areas, Mogán is finally joining the 21st century!

The link on the municipal website is the initial step taken by the town council in col-

laboration with national telecoms provider Telefónica, to determine which areas have the highest demand from the residents and in what areas there is currently bad network coverage and services. The link also reports on the stages of deployment of the optical fibre within the municipality. fibre mogan 2The first phase will enable connection about 4,000 homes and businesses and is planned to be a reality this year (2016), according to the town hall. The optical fibre will be able to connect at about 300 mb downstream and 30 mb upstream.

The first connections will be made in the Puerto Rico area and will then advance to the lower areas of Arguíneguín, including Patalavaca and Los Canarios.

The deployment of fibre must go through several phases, from the technical design of the area through to the confirmation of properties brought into coverage. Once the project starts, permission is asks from the building/house owners or the residents to install fibre in each building. During these phases problems that can slow down the whole process may be uncovered. Gener-

ally, the problems arise more from permissions or “false negatives”. Permissions problems occur when an owner or a community of neighbours do not want to give permission to install the fibre into their properties and this slows down the process giving rise to a need to look for alternatives to reach the street.

A so-called “false negative” occurs when the actual address does not match the address that Movistar has in their system due to, for instance, a change of street names.

In such cases, it is difficult to get access to the fibre network because the Movistar/ Telefónica system does not recognise the street.

If you have trouble gaining access, yet notice your neighbors are already within fibre coverage, write to fibracanarias@telefonica.com and telefónica say they will do their best to solve the problem.

If you are interested in being notified, when your home gets the coverage, you can reserve it direct from their webpage. You can also call 1004 or visit the Movistar store in Arguineguin.

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2016

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More Than a million a month

The Canary Islands‘ received 916,104 passengers from abroad in May, an increase of 14.22% over the same month last year, which is to say 114,070 more foreign passengers, according to data provided by the Spanish Airports and Air Navigation authority (AENA).

So far this year, 5,456,866 foreign passengers have visited the Islands, 588,155 more than in the same period of the previous year, an increase of 12.08% compared to 2015.

The Canary Islands Government Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Maria Teresa Lorenzo, assessed the data reinforcing “the need to continue working to increase our competitiveness.” She also highlighted the increases from fundamental markets for the Canary Islands, such as Germany (+14.84%) and the UK (+16.27%).

Lorenzo added “in the first five months of the year many markets rose by more than 10% including Belgium, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and Norway, among others.”

The report also highlights the increased visitors from Poland up by 58.03% for May, and by 35.42% this year so far.

Arrivals of foreign passengers in May totalled 221,264 foreign passengers, a 20.92% increase, with 38,283 more foreign passengers than the same month of 2015. In the first five months of this year 1,589,384 foreign passengers visited Gran Canaria, 12.27% more than in 2015, that’s 173,642 more foreign passengers.

Growing marijuana Fires banned during on a roof terrace hot summer months

Policia Nacional have detained a 30 year old man in the neighbourhood of Bellavista in San Fernando de Maspalomas, as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against public health.

After an anonymous complaint was made, police located a greenhouse on the roof where several marijuana plants was found together with several bags containing marijuana and different types of fertilizers. In total 350 grams of marijuana were seized and various items useful for the cultivation and processing of narcotics. rooftop marijuana bellavista1During the police intervention, the man appeared identifying himself as the owner of the greenhouse, so was detained on suspicion of a crime against public health.

The Cabildo of Gran Canaria Ministry of Environment, EmergenOnce the police made their report, the detainee was made availa- cies and Citizen Participation prohibit the use of all types of fires ble to the competent judicial authorities, who ordered his release in camping areas and recreational areas managed by the Cabildo.

Fireworks (other than at licenced events) and scrub burning are on charges. also prohibited during the summer months 1 July to 30 September.

The Cabildo de Gran Canaria summer forest fires team includes more than 230 personnel, all of them integrated and coordinated within the Forest Fires Operations Unit.

So far already this year, there have been 30 near misses and minor fires that have burned a total of 4.4 hectares. The most recent episode was the Maspalomas Dunes, which affected a 1.2 hectare area.

#ToOrlandoWith

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Orlando and us

El PeriĂłdico InglĂŠs de Gran Canaria

others reacted angrily. In my case I was at first struck with disappointment but it didn’t take long Maspalomas was called on June 28th, the 47th to realise we must not feel defeated and instead anniversary of the Stonewall riots, to an event or- need to look for the strength that comes from ganised by Orlando-born local businessman, Brian Love and Respect. For many it has become even Jenkins, supported by family, friends and those more important that we demonstrate to each wanting to send a message to Orlando acknowlother, with our actions and kindness, that we edging the victims who lost their lives in the ter- stand and fight together to support not only our rorist attack at the Pulse Gay Club on June 12th. gay community around the world, but also this Our community was shocked by this horrible great island where we live. To celebrate diversity. news and reactions where varied: fear, sadness, As the event came to its highlight, recording anger. Many felt very directly threatened. a video message to share with the people of The gay community dealt with it in different ways, Orlando, I was happily surprised to see the some friends stayed at home in deep sadness, variety of people standing in solidarity with the

by Andres Payo

LoveMaspalomas

The English Newspaper

message. Mayor Marco Aurelio Perez, members of the local council, police chiefs and business owners, supporting us, heterosexuals, families, children, dignitaries, and tourists who had just been passing by, gathered to send a message of sincere solidarity across an ocean.

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2016

As the sun set, with its last rays illuminating our messages of love, hope was regenerated, Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way” was sung by local crooner Kevin Byrne, who entertained the crowd with his partner The Liza Minelli Experience, we were all smiling and reminded once more, Maspalomas is not only about sunshine, but enshrines a feeling of safety in our gay culture, it welcomes variety, promotes respect, and provides a sense of togetherness.

We are the people

See the full video postcard at:

LoveMaspalomas.org courtesy of 45videos.com

We are Maspalomas We are Gran Canaria We are Orlando.

#ToOrlandoWithLoveMaspalomas

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

Yumbo Square to be named after GLAY founder & activist

Plaza de la Diversidad; Darío Jaén

In a much awaited move, that at last has allowed the mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Perez, to positively respond to the wishes expressed by the local LGBT population; it was announced in May that the main square of the Yumbo Centre, the commercial area known for its LGBT nightlife and as the central hub of the original Maspalomas PRIDE event here on the island, is this year to be renamed ‘Plaza de la Diversidad; Darío Jaén’ [Diversity Plaza; Darío Jaén - pronounced in English as “Darieeo Hyan”].

The move is in reference to the local activist who helped to create GLAY, the Gay and Lesbian Associates of Yumbo and Maspalomas, the volunteer-led association that founded PRIDE in Maspalomas after managing to persuade the town council in 2001 that it would be in the general interest to hold a representative event acknowledging the diverse LGBT community on the south of the island.

The event has grown to be a major reference point in the European LGBT calendar and without doubt the single largest annual popular music event and celebration on Gran Canaria and certainly the largest event of its kind anywhere in The Canary Islands. Its success is uniquely due to having been started with direct collaboration of the foreign resident community alongside local governmental institutions and businesses.

In his speech on stage at this years controversial yumbo event the mayor said “In these 15 years of pride, there are many people who have fought for diversity and the LGBT movement. As a result of this struggle, many have asked that we make a special memorial to Darío Jaén”. “…we will make a full proposal to christen this place as ‘Plaza de la Diversidad; Darío Jaén” adding also that “…unique elements will also be installed in this space to represent relevant battles, such as the red ribbon of ACES [Amigos contra El SIDA - the local charity “Friends Against AIDS”]” .

President of GLAY, André van Wanrooij, commented that he “is very happy with the honour to name the Yumbo Plaza after our Founder Dario Jaén.”

He thanked the Mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana for this ongoing support to the local LGBT community and highlighted “the important role of our Mayor Marco Aurélio Pérez Sanchez, who initiated and founded Gaypride Maspalomas together with Darío Jaén and who has proven to be a major supporter of LGBT emancipation throughout the 15 years of GLAY and Pride.”

The speech marked the final weekend of this year’s celebration.

A fortnight which was subject to much controversy after the town hall decided just six months ago to uproot the founding community organisation, GLAY, who had run the event singlehandedly for 15 years, in favour of a newly created, and previously unknown association in which, significantly, no members of the original volunteers behind the event had any voice, despite consistent attempts to assist and advise.

Though the majority of the southern LGBT community are foreign residents, many of whom these days may not be aware of Dario’s work before his death in 2011, it is native Spanish and Canarian community members, along with the longer standing of the foreign residents who will feel somewhat gratified by the granting of this request which originated with local socialist PSOE party representative José Antonio Godoy and Jaén’s family members back in 2012.

Throughout this last year that call was echoed by GLAY, and then finally picked up two weeks before the announcement by a german run gay mag, who unexpectedly put together an online petition, five days before the announcement, gaining more than 500 signatures, motivating further support from local socialists and activists. It is a move they can all be rightly proud of, and in which Mayor Aurelio Perez has shown statesmanlike benevolence in eventually backing, despite having failed to acknowledge the request at any time earlier. [Well done Marco].

This year’s event has been heavily criticised by English speakers on social media for having “missed the point” of PRIDE replacing the traditional range of free shows with simple commercial techno music DJs, and having “completely failed to observe” the usual fund raising activities for the local AIDS charity ACES, or to provide properly managed events or areas for the Lesbian and Transgender communities, instead favouring simple dance music, seemingly “just aimed towards gay men in their 20s”.

There have been repeated reports of robberies and muggings around the Yumbo with fears that security lessons from previous years may not have been taken on board by the local police authorities or taken seriously enough at the town hall.

The run-up to the events this year were also somewhat hampered by allegations of heavy handed police enforcement of local community rules and local legislation which ostensibly aims to significantly reduce what is seen as noise pollution from show bars and other venues who play loud sound systems out on terraces. In the week or so before May several fines and warnings were issued, with some performers claiming to have been “dragged off stage” to produce their papers, and many businesses fearing that the way that they have operated within the Yumbo in the past is all about to come to an abrupt end, as the local council pushes forward reforms in line with European noise legislation and in an attempt to regain control over a wide range of, what are seen as, “rogue practices” that have always previously been acceptable, tolerated or simply ignored.

A petition started from the UK in support of the Yumbo businesses just two weeks before this years event gained more than 5000 signatures in just 48 hours, causing local authorities to temporarily back down, however most fear that local businesses are going to face large fines or closure this summer, with major adverse effects expected to the nature of entertainment on offer within this popular nightlife area. No clarity to the situation has yet been provided from the town hall of San Bartolomé de Tirajana

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2016

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Gran Canaria Brex-pats AB P

remainer erspective

Whatever your nationality of birth, you can’t help to have noticed the furore over the recent referendum in the United Kingdom both the pre-vote campaigns and the post-vote fallout.

For British residents on the island the issue has perhaps taken a higher level of importance, whether not-entitled to vote, actually registered to vote, or indeed someone who cast their vote.

The majority of expats, of course, were sided in the “Bremain” camp, yes, partially from an element of fear of the unknown, but also of course because, despite its faults, the EU was and is the body of nations that has enabled us “extranjeros” to move to Spain, enabled us to work here, retire here and enjoy the lifestyle here with significantly fewer of the hurdles that face non-EU citizens. So why would we vote against it? I actually feel European too, maybe because I´ve made the move but I think also because I’ve always enjoyed the right to travel easily within the 28 nation bloc and have taken advantage of that right. Yes, I’m British. Yes, I still carry the Queen’s Commission. Yet I still feel more than British.

The EU gave us the ability to readily mix across cultures. In one stroke though, that risks being taken away from us.

Let’s not sensationalise, both the British Ambassador in Madrid, Simon Manley, and the Spanish Prime Minister of the moment, Mariano Rajoy – yes he may be about to change, watch this space – have reassured British Expats that our position is secure for at least two years. Why? Assuming the process can’t be sped up which, given its complexity is unlikely, as and when the British Government activates the infamous “Article 50” of the Treaty of Lisbon, the UK will have up to 2 years to negotiate exit. Beyond that period though, the future is less clear. Expats’ status in the EU will depend entirely on what agreement the remaining EU members and the UK come to during the negotiations as well as their existing legal “resident” status in Spain.

Assuming, as a resident, you have the “Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de La Unión” (Residencia) and especially if you´ve exceeded 5 years here and are therefore a permanent resident then you should have some protected rights. That said politicians and politics change, as seen right now, and nothing can be guaranteed until negotiations finish.

So for the next couple of years not much is likely to be different.

Those relying on any UK derived income will have already been taking keen interest in the exchange rate fluctuations. Since last year the rate has dropped some 11%, but after the initial drop it has stabilised a little. It’s probably safe to say that it could fall further the longer there is doubt over how exactly the UK is to proceed, but at the time of writing it remains higher than it was for the majority of 2013.

GranCanariaWalkingFestival.com

by Jim Phillips

So, what can be done now to protect your interests?

Expats can make their lives easier in various ways. Firstly, if they haven’t jumped through the administrative hoops such as applying for Residencia and changing driving licences, now is probably a good time to do so!

Some might be fortunate to be eligible for nationality of another EU country. Specifically those of Northern Irish descent should be able to apply for and receive Irish nationality (and therefore currently remain an EU citizen). Of course if resident in Spain for over 10 years it’s possible to apply to sit the exam and take Spanish nationality, unfortunately true “dual-nationality” is not permitted for British Citizens, with a requirement to renounce British nationality.

However, the UK doesn´t accept such a declaration, so this means two nationalities instead! Confusing? Yes, it is!

For the “Bremainers” there is a vain hope that constitutional legalities might somehow prevent Brexit. Whether this could come to fruition is not clear, but in essence the argument is that, constitutionally, Parliament will have to vote and agree to rescind the European Communities Act 1972, on which the UK membership of the EU is based. Given that the majority of MPs are not in support of Brexit; given the chaos and leadership vacuum in the main UK political parties; with the Prime Minister’s resignation; given the possibility of a general election – maybe, just maybe, there is a chance that Parliament could conceivably vote to protect the UK from the ensuing mayhem. Even in the time it has taken to write this piece, more and more opinions are evident that, by the time Article 50 is anywhere near being invoked, the political scene and public opinion may have significantly shifted as the true impact on worldwide markets, personal finances, employment, taxation, holidays, healthcare etc becomes more apparent.

If you feel strongly that this chance is worth a shot then you should make sure you have your say and are registered to vote if the situation arises (if eligible and less than 15 years outside the UK). Write to your MP in your last registered electoral constituency and make your voice heard.

Whatever your viewpoint, and whatever your situation on the island it is safe to say that “Brexit” has opened a pandora’s box of opinion and reaction and it’s thrown worldwide markets into real confusion. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar are all examining ways to maintain a relationship with Europe raising the possibility of the breakup of the UK. Undoubtedly there are bumpy times ahead as it’s thrown into doubt our very existence as EU citizens in Europe, and as Brits on Gran Canaria. Perhaps all we can do now is sit back and enjoy our little Atlantic bubble with fingers crossed and watch as events unfold.

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

General Election Results 26J - 2016

THE second round General Five provinces declared outright Elections saw the conservative majorities for the rising star of Partido Popular reappear as Spanish poliics Podemos, while Spain’s main political force, just three provinces declared having made up some of its majorities for establishment losses from back in December, socialist opposition PSOE, they were declared as winners who lost further ground since in 42 provinces (three more than December. The PP still don’t the first round). have enough seats for a majority.

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), managed to win two but it seems they did in Galicia, the two Castillas, Valencia, provinces: Girona, traditional stronghold of separatist forces, and Extremadura and the Canary Islands, as well as in Ceuta and Lleida, taking the top spot in the Catalan region from Convergència Melilla, in which the PP candidates won in all constituencies.

(CDC) both of whom are exploring a path towards independence Predictions prior to polling day had widely expected Podemos to for the region. do much better than it seems they did. Questions are being asked Andalusia, the Basque Country and Catalonia were the only as to how analysts can have got it so wrong. The Spanish politics regions where the PP did not achieved majority in all provinces, has evolved greatly, many felt this was a lost opportunity.

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Every one of the prior published polls, along with the exit polls, were inexplicably confounded.

The young, progressive Podemos party, although gaining seats overall, seemingly only achieved five provinces, in Catalunya and the Basque country. This was

a surprise after they had done so very well back in last year’s local elections, winning control of several major cities, including Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a victory that they compounded last December. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria however returned

Questions were being asked regarding the final count, and how it is that otherwise accurate polls could have been more than 1 million voters off-base when it came to Spain’s newest political rising star Pablo Iglesias. Pundits since seem to agree that their decision to partner with Izquierda Unida (United Left), a party with distinct communist roots, mixed with fear after the ‘Brexit’ result two days earlier to galvanise a right wing establishment result on voting day.

Of the 42 provinces where the PP was declared as having a majority, six of them are tied to coalitions of seats with other parties. So, in Cáceres, Cadiz, Cordoba, Soria and Huesca they

have the same number of deputies in the Cortes as do the socialists PSOE, while in Navarra, they share the same number of seats as Podemos.

Socialists gathered more votes than the PP in Huelva, Seville and Jaen , but their representation in Congress will be the equal to the PP. Unidos Podemos (United We Can) absolutely dominated in the Basque Country, winning all three provinces, particularly in Vizcaya, gaining one more seat than the Basque nationalists; also receiving majorities, with Comú Podem, in Tarragona and Barcelona , although the first one in a tie with five other parties: in order, ERC, PSC, PP, CDC and C’s

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to PP control on June 26.

Podemos had been widely expected to overtake PSOE as the majority opposition party challenging the PP, and in fact exit polls throughout voting day seemed to point the same way, however, to many people’s

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surprise, it seems that every other prediction in these polls had been accurate, with the glaring exception of forecasts for Podemos who were the only party whose expected results appear to have been completely miscalculated throughout.

Shifting sands and horse trading to come

they would still require several smaller groups, including both major catalan separatist parties All in all the conservative PP still in a progressive left coalition.

Spain’s Cortes Generales upper do not have enough seats in house of parliament, the Senate, congress (the lower house) for saw little change with the PP an absolute majority, although maintaining their absolute a pact with the self-professed majority of 130 senators, out of moderates, Ciudadnos, might the 105 required, PSOE dropping bring them within reach of to 43 senators, Podemos retained the 176 seats needed. Were Podemos and PSOE to join forces the 16 they got in December.

The Canary Islands maintained pretty much the same seats as in the first round, with only one seat conceded to the PP from PSOE. The PP held majorities in 20 of Gran Canaria’s 21 municipalities, having lost their majority in several areas in December they appeared to emerge from this second round to take back the capital, Las Palmas.

So 26J was a good night for the conservative PP who, despite a gamut of various corruption scandals over the last year, now claim just over 33% of the total lower house votes throughout Spain and have maintained their absolute majority in the upper house. They have increased their lead from December and are expected to try to form a minority government.

Voter turn out was at its lowest ever since Spain’s return to democracy in the late 70s, with just over 51% participation of the 36,518,100 called on to vote, compared with nearly 60% back in December.

Though Spain is clearly in for yet more horse-trading over coming weeks, all major parties have stressed the imperative of forming a government so as to dispel the uncertainty that has festered in Spain for more than six months since the last elections. With no-one currently able to produce a clear majority there will need to be some serious sacrifices and negotiation if the country is to finally lose its caretaker government who are currently administrating without a clear mandate.

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2016

Fear wiNs iN sPaiN’s eleCtioNs

News, Views & suNshiNe

As Spain prepared for its second general election in six months, all eyes were set on Podemos. Polls suggested that the anti-austerity party led by Pablo Iglesias would surge past the Socialist Party (PSOE), and even come close to beating the ruling centre-right Popular Party (PP). “Victory is at our fingertips,” Podemos’ leaders repeatedly proclaimed.

Exit polls confirmed the so-called sorpasso to PSOE, or overtaking, and gave a potential Podemos-PSOE pact close to an absolute majority. But as election night unfolded, high expectations met reality: an aging Spanish electorate preferred the devil it knows to a progressive gamble.

PP emerged almost without a scratch from its corruption scandals, and achieved a sweeping victory with 33% support. Despite the lower turnout, Mariano Rajoy’s party received over half a million more votes than in December’s inconclusive contest. The Socialist Party came second with 22% support and 100,000 fewer votes. Its meager 85 seats pale in comparison to the 137 obtained

by PP. Although it was the worst performance in PSOE’s history, preventing the sorpasso felt almost like a victory.

Unidos Podemos, the alliance between Podemos and the former Communist Party, United Left, fell way short of its goal. The coalition failed to “multiply” the votes each party had obtained separately in December, and came third. Actually, it dropped 1,1 million votes along the way, more than any other party. And finally, liberal Ciudadanos lost eight seats to PP largely due to strategic voting. PP’s strategy of polarisation between “moderation” and “uncertainty” worked smoothly.

An obscene record of corruption scandals and four years of Troika-imposed austerity didn’t seem to matter to 33% of Spaniards. PP’s message of “stability” and “recovery” proved invincible. To be sure, under Rajoy’s term Spain went from being on the brink of collapse to one of the fastest growing nations in the Eurozone. Unemployment dropped five points from a high of 26%.

But this picture of economic success, boasted by Rajoy during the campaign, doesn’t quite tell the whole story. There is also a dark side to his growth-boosting neoliberal policies. Spain has the biggest wealth gap in Europe, and the vast majority of the new jobs created in the last years have been low-skilled and shortterm, offering little security to workers.

Nevertheless, while many Spaniards may have fallen for Rajoy’s rosy tale, his success cannot be understood without considering another element: fear.

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Barely 48 hours before the election, a gift fell from the sky into Rajoy’s lap: Brexit. Its shock waves were immediately felt in Spain. The stock exchange suffered the largest one-day plunge in its history. Shortly after David Cameron announced his plan to step down, Rajoy had to come out to send a “message of calm to the markets.”

It wasn’t lost on Spaniards that, if anything, Rajoy has cultivated close ties with the markets. His Finance Minister, Luis de Guindos, was a former Lehman Brothers executive.

Podemos, by contrast, is not the party most would call to put out this kind of fire.

Indeed, in its early days, Podemos not only criticised Spain’s loss of sovereignty to Brussels, but also advocated the non-payment of “illegitimate” parts of the public debt. Although this measure has recently been thinned out to a “restructuring” of the debt, a Podemos government would most likely displease the markets, adding further instability to an already collapsing Europe.

No wonder during the campaign Podemos’ rivals brought out the party’s ties with Syriza, an Achilles heel in the eyes of Spain’s “moderate” electorate.

To add insult to injury, the potential association between Brexit and Catalan secession was bad news for Podemos, the only major party that has called for a referendum on independence for Catalonia. Although Podemos’ leaders have always made clear their wish for Catalans to stay, they have defended Catalonia's right to self-determination. They have rightly argued that PP’s recalcitrant centralism is a “factory” of supporters of the independence movement.

The referendum measure has such overwhelming support in Catalonia that Podemos could not afford to oppose it, even at the cost handing precious votes over to Spanish nationalist parties, the self-proclaimed defenders of the Constitution. In fact, election

Spain has the biggest wealth gap in Europe

results suggest that Podemos’ position on the referendum greatly contributed to its victory in Catalonia, but was hard to swallow in the rest of the country, which was still under the influence of Brexit.

Quite predictably, PSOE sought to capitalise on the fear of secession. In a rather cheap statement, its secretary general Pedro Sanchez warned: “This is what happens when you take a popular vote.”

Podemos knew well that Brexit wouldn’t bode well for its interests. Friday night (June 24), at the campaign closing event in Madrid, Iglesias delivered what was probably his most patriotic speech thus far. Since its early days, Podemos has reclaimed patriotism for progressive ends, which is quite a novelty in Spanish leftist politics – the crimes Franco committed in the name of the patria are still fresh in the Left’s collective memory.

Friday was Iglesias’ last opportunity to campaign for swing votes, and he fought tooth and nail to counter the “Brexit effect” by unabashedly appealing to nationalist sentiments. He listed the many reasons why he is “proud to say Spain,” and attacked those who call themselves “patriotic” but hide their money in Panama. Iglesias, the enfant terrible of Spanish politics, even presented his party as a guarantee of “law and order.”

Ironically, Podemos is the only major Spanish party that has identified the remedy for the European Union: more democracy and less austerity. “Germany’s Europe,” Iglesias pointed out, “no longer works, no longer seduces.”

The same goes for Spain, whose unity depends on the recognition of its plurinational identity. But as the election results indicate, the fear of “España se rompe” (“Spain breaks up”) brought out far more voters than the hope of progressive, democratic change.

Indeed, the message of change that Podemos represents was also a major potential source of fear. To a large degree, there was no way around it. Podemos was born to give political expression to the Indignados’ anti-establishment sentiment. To a large degree, its raison

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Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. Paimages/ Francisco Seco. All rights reserved.

In his first speech after the election reverse, Podemos’ number two, Íñigo Errejón, claimed that the political change brought about by the Indignados movement was “irreversible.” But if Podemos wants to continue being the movement’s political expression, it will probably have to clarify if it stands for Socialism, Populism, or, as Iglesias recently assured, Social Democracy.

Also, Podemos will have to take up the issue of its internal organisation.

Although movements and parties are certainly two different beasts, Podemos has dangerously drifted away from its roots in the Indignados. It has adopted a hierarchical structure similar to that of the parties it so fiercely criticised, that is, with power concentrated at the top and a limited role for the base.

About the author: Lluis de Nadal is a journalist from Barcelona.

To be sure, the path from city squares He is currently getting his PhD in Communications at Columbia University. He also holds a Certificate in to the Spanish Parliament was not Psychoanalytic Studies from the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. meant to be easy, nor free from error.

Podemos-United Left alliance with the leftd’etre is to shake things up. Its program inProbably, urgency to seize power did cludes no shortage of radical measures, from wing Popular Front coalition that won the not help. It is true that the suffering of a the referendum in Catalonia to a public bank- general election in 1936, “setting the stage” for Franco’s coup. Needless to say, Podemos’ crisis-ridden society called for immediing system, passing through a reform of the rivals jumped on the bandwagon and stoked ate solutions, but building a party from mortgage law along Indignados lines. scratch and hoping to take Madrid in But this fear was probably exacerbated by a the fire. barely two years was probably too amdecision that, in retrospect, Podemos’ strate- The alliance with the former communists bitious a goal. gists perhaps regret: the alliance with United posed a further problem for Podemos. Since Setbacks aside, Podemos has offered a its early days, it struggled to avoid being piLeft. sort of third way solution between the geonholed as a left-wing party.

Its strategists’ Probably, Podemos had no alternative: three Indignados’ participatory model, which recognised that the “new common sense” months before the elections, it was lagging had revealed its limits as an instrument generated by the Indignados movement, in the polls. Progressive voters objected to its of change, and the institutional left refusal to give support to a PSOE-led Govern- which at one point was seen favorably by model, which had proven to be out of 80% of the Spanish population, superseded ment, which would have broken the gridlock touch with the spirit of the movement. the classic left-right cleavage. and avoided the election rerun. Quite presAs one of the main Indignados slogans read: In a time characterised by the weakciently, these voters feared that a second ening of organised labour, Podemos’ “The issue is not right-wing vs left-wing, but round would benefit PP. model may offer some inspiration for a top vs bottom.” Accordingly, Podemos apMoreover, an internal crisis was tearing up radical progressive politics. Indeed, the pealed to “the people,” and identified “la Podemos. Iglesias’ way out was to personEuropean anti-austerity Left has been casta,” or those at the top, as the common ally dismiss an elected central committee following the party’s endeavours closeenemy.

Although many Podemos’ leadmember, Sergio Pascual, who had close ties ly, taking good note of its successes and ers - Iglesias included - had been members with a rival faction. Iglesias’ show of force failures. of United Left, they replaced the goal of a caused consternation within the party ranks.

If Podemos was born to usher in a new poli- Socialist revolution with the less contentious Sunday’s results were an important blow. They showed that Spain, at least tics, this “purge” smacked of old politics at its call for ending corruption and evictions. in one sense, “is not different.” As all But during the campaign, Podemos rallies least elevating. Morale hit rock bottom. over the Old Continent, fear is taking filled with red flags with the hammer and The merger with United Left breathed new over. But if Podemos members and sickle.

The party thus lost whatever credibilienergy into the campaign, and helped leaders draw the right conclusions, this ty it had as a representative of “the centrality Podemos arise from the ashes. Morale got defeat will only make them stronger. of the political board.” back up. But by forming an alliance with They will certainly need renewed To make matters worse, many United Left the former Communist Party, Podemos had voters stayed home, unhappy with Podemos strength and enthusiasm to defeat Raturned itself into an easy target. In Spain, joy and his neoliberal allies, and to keep hatred of los rojos (the Reds) still runs deep. populist strategy. If the Old Right cautioned up the fight for the soul of this crumthat a Bolivarian revolution was in the makAs one could have expected, the usual ing, the Old Left proved unwilling to jeopard- bling Europe. die-hard right-wingers compared the Creative Commons License: CC4.0 This article is published under a ise the goal of Socialism.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. It originally appeared on the website OpenDemocracy.net

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ews,,VViews iews&&Ssunshine uNshiNe NNews

the Canarian government is to invest €600,000 in improvements to the Mogán seafront

The projects that get funding are the Las Marañuelas to Anfi beach promenade and improvements to local beaches.

The Marañuelas to Anfi promenade gets an investment of €300,000 and the money will be spent channelling the Costa Alegre Barranco to control runoff.

The remaining funds are to improve accessibility and equipment at Mogán’s beach with the aim of getting more Blue Flags, according to local mayor Onalia Bueno.

The Canarian Government and Mogán municipal authorities also said that they plan to cooperate to get further funding for the improvement of Mogan’s coastline.

Future projects include the modernisation of the la Playa de Las Marañuelas bathrooms and the facilities at Taurito, as well as building a new lifeguard tower and bathrooms at Patalavaca beach.

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temudasFest, International Festival of theatre, music and Dance 8 July - 13 August The 20th edition of the Theatre, Music and Dance festival is the meeting point for various artists. Five weeks of programming and fourteen performances there will be Among Which family theater, street theater, opera, circus, aerobatics, dance and music.

The main show container terminal at the port of las Palmas is the only one with a ticket entrance (€ 12 incl. Transfers). This year the main performer is Nancy Fabiola Herrera and Bizet’s Carmen is performing Gran Canaria With the philharmonic choir and orchestra on 16 July.

The Symphonic Band of las Palmas present a concert show, entitled ‘We will rock you’ That will take place at Plaza Santa Ana in las Palmas on July 9. you can see the full list of events here , all with free entry except the one in the container terminal.

the Feast of Our Lady of Carmen, Arguineguin July 8-17 In Arguineguín and Puerto de Mogán the Fiesta del Carmen is one of the Most Important festivities of the year.

9 July Romeria (pilgrimage) 15 July Baja de la Rama - The lowering of the branch has been adopted in to many of Gran Canaria’s summer fiestas, having originated with the pre-hispanic Canario native population, it is a tradition that, from hot midsummer, calls to the seas and the heavens in the hope of much needed autumnal rains 16 July Procession 17 July Maritime Procession : this very popular boat procession from Arguineguín to Puerto de Mogán follows the much revered statue of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of fishermen, on her journey from her usual resting place in the main church of Arguineguin, to the port and then by sea to the picturesque coastal town of Puerto de Mogán. Many people purchase tickets to ride on the boats in the procession.

Festival Internacional Canarias Jazz & more heineken 8-24 July The 25th edition of the International Canary Islands Jazz & More Heineken Festival on Gran Canaria (Vecindario, Santa Brigida and las Palmas) With shows on la Palma, lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife too showcasing international artists, emerging artists and Also an interesting cast of Spanish and local performers.

Canariasjazz.com Here are the free open air concerts on Gran Canaria: July 9 @ 21:00Djarabikan Balafon Spyrow - Africa Night, Plaza de Santa Ana , las Palmas.

July 15 @ 21:00 Carlos Miyares Quartet and Ruthie Foster,Plaza San Rafael , Neighborhood .

July 16 @ 21:00 Carme Canela and Band Magda at Municipal Park St. Brigid .

July 21 @ 20:00 The Russian Buzo, Jose James and Carolyn Wonderland, Plaza Santa Ana , las Palmas.

July 22 @ 20:00 Jon Cleary, Christian Scott to present Adjuah Stretch Tunde Music Patax Plaza de Santa Ana , las Palmas.

July 23 @ 20:00 Jazz Coming: luis Merino, Touché, Jose Carlos Diaz Croup Perinké Big Band at Plaza de Santa Ana , las Palmas

teror water Festival

July 8-29

The municipality of Teror’s Water Festival is one of ITS MOST Important local festivities in honor of the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro labrador and Known Among the locals as Pino Chico the “preamble” event of the festival del Pino. Festivities include a livestock fair, a traditional crafts fair, a pilgrimage and the latin Festival Villa de Teror.

the Feast of Our Lady of Carmen, Puerto de mogan July 22-31 Virgen del Carmen the patron saint of sailors and fishermen.

A multitude of recreational and fishing boats decorated Accompany the patron saint of sailors back to the fishing village of Arguineguín to visit her counterpart in residence there.

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21st International Folklore Festival Ingenio July 11-24 Groups from all over the world join us over the two week festival in Villa de Ingenio.

The International Folklore Festival Villa de Ingenio Has Been Declared to be of tourist interest in the Canary Islands. The ethnographic conferences on the first week and the festival itself the next.

The folkloric events take place over seven days with performances, parades, exhibitions, intercultural meals, cinema seasons, etc. The wide range of traditional folklore, as rich as varied They are in origin and themes, musical instruments, dances and colorful clothing.

The International Folklore Festival Villa de Ingenio was born in 1996 on the initiative of the Cultural Association “Coros y Danzas de Ingenio�, who work to protect, promote and disseminate traditional and popular culture, promote cultural exchange, encouraging artistic creativity with to respect to diversity, the rescuing, preserving and spreading of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of peoples of the world; representing Ingenio, Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands as a melting pot of popular culture from around the world.

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

maspalomas II soul Festival July 29-31 .

The second edition of the Maspalomas Costa Canaria Soul Festival will be down on San Agustín beach the last weekend in July. Top notch performers perform on a custom built stage in this unique setting actually down on the sand. The event sponsored and organised by the city, produced by DD & Company Productions, will take place outdoors from 29 to 31 July and is once again free of charge for both night time shows and the Sunday day time. The town hall have declared the soul festival to be a strategic project of local interest seeking to attract tourism and placing Maspalomas firmly on the international music calendar, promoted in specialized publications across europe and the uS. This second year will feature a lineup led by Bobby Rush and 11 other artists including Falisa Janaye, Stacey Merino, Toni Green, Stan Mosley & Theo Huff, Bey Paule Band, the Mr.Kangrejo DJs, Manel Ruiz Specialist, Soultour DJs Rick Hutton and Sergio Miró all fresh from performing at the Porretta Soul Festival in italy, which has been a focal celebration of Ottis Redding and soul music since 1987. last year the event attracted up to 10,000 people to San Agustín beach, and this year is expected to improve on those numbers, as southern Gran Canaria’s latest music venture ignites the passions of soul lovers everywhere! See you down on the beach!

Julio Iglesias concert

July 20

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Iglesias has been entertaining with soft sultry musical performances for more years than most want to admit they can remember, and is giving three concerts on the Canary Islands this summer.

He arrives on the islands as the main star of the Open Water Festival, 2016, organized by ArteValle Productions. 20 July, At the Gran Canaria Arena in las Palmas Tickets available online: www.festivalmarabierto.com and www.entrees.es Points of sale on Gran Canaria: Shopping Center el Muelle (las Palmas), C / Pérez del Toro, 79 (las Palmas) and Shopping Center el Tablero (San Bartolome de Tirajana)

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Language Lesson #103

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

GettING the sLANG OF It I´ve had a lot fun writing about the difference between slang expressions in Spanish and english. For example, if you write an ‘x’ at the end of a message, we think of this as a kiss – but not in Spanish, where it means ‘por’ (by) – making no sense to them at all. Instead kisses would be represented by the correct word in Spanish – besos, sometimes shortened to ‘bs’.

¡No pasa Nada!

A popular way of saying ‘hey, don´t worry about it’ is No pasa nada – meaning something like ‘nothing happens’. For example: Perdón pero no puedo salir esta noche – sorry but I can´t go out this evening.

Tranquilo (tran-KEE-loh), no pasa nada. – Don´t worry - it doesn´t matter

Me piro, vaMpiro equivalent to our ‘seeya later, alligator, me piro, vampiro (meh Pee-roh, vam-Pee-roh) means I´m off now, vampire and is lovely cause it rhymes.

‘la Madre que lo parió’ This makes me laugh because literally it means ‘the mother who gave birth to him’ and is a fairly light-hearted way of saying ‘look what he did to me’. As always with swearwords, it´s much worse if they are directed at someone else. So ‘(me cago en) la madre que te parió’ – (I crap on) the mother who gave birth to you – is obviously pretty rude...but could be funny between good friends.

recogNiziNg swear-words Clearly, you need to be really careful if you want to swear in another language, because if you miss the mark, you might end up saying something much more vulgar or offensive than you´d intended.

However, it is good to understand the most common palabrotas or swearwords (lit: broken words), as Canarians use certain ones a lOT. Some which are mild in the Canaries are much more shocking on the mainland. A good example is ‘¡Coño!’ – equivalent to bloody hell or bugger in the Canaries but much, much worse on the mainland. you can´t call someone this, it´s just an exclamation. Kind of an ugly one given that the literal meaning is, er – pussy, fanny or the ‘c’ word for a vagina.

A stronger swearword is ‘joder!’ equivalent to the ‘f’ word, or to ‘shit’ (literally, mierda, pronounced ‘mee-AIR-da’). A much gentler exclamation, more along the lines of ‘blimey’ would be jolín (hoh-leeN) or caramba (ca-RAM-ba) – both more common on the mainland. In the Canaries, people might exclaim ‘¡ños!’ (pronounced nyoss) meaning: wow!

‘You big goat!’

If you really want to insult someone using slang but WITHOuT swearing, a mean woman would be una bruja (BROO-ha) – a witch, while a man can be un pringado – a loser or a mug.

Anybody and any situation can be pesado (for a man) or pesada (for a woman) meaning a pain in the neck – literally, heavy.

The more vulgar but commonly-heard insults of cabrón (asshole/b*stard) or cabrona (the same but for a woman, eg a right cow) are much stronger, and you are definitely swearing if you call someone this. However, given that the literal meaning of both is ‘a big goat’, it doesn´t sound that bad when translated to english.

i caN´t saY it…

Phew, we´ve almost stopped swearing now – no quiero cagar/la – I don´t want to screw it up. It would be nicer to say no quiero arruinarlo – I don´t want to ruin it.

Finally, even though ‘hacer pis’ (yes it is pronounced ‘piss’) means to do a pee/wee, it sounds so awful that I wince when I hear it. I stick with ‘voy al baño’ – I´m going to the bathroom, and anything else is too much information I reckon.

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with Theresa Coe siN palabrotas – without swearwords Here are some slang expressions that are really common, but nothing vulgar: Es un rollo (ROH-yoh) it´s a pain or a real drag ¡Vaya!

Well! Wow! Oh no!

Total (toh-TAl) in short/in a nutshell ¡Qué feo! how nasty! (lit: how ugly) Por si las moscas… just in case (normally ‘por si acaso’) Voy al grano I´ll get to the point Irse por las ramas to beat around the bush (‘to go around the branches’) Estar en un lio to be in a mess/tight spot Tener un lio/rollo to have a fling Meterse en líos to get in trouble (to put oneself in troubles) Estar plof to be wiped out/knackered Montar un jaleo (hah-leH-yo) to make a fuss or a racket Estar pelado/estar sin un duro to be broke/out of cash (lit: to be peeled) Un/una colega a mate/pal ‘chacho/’chacha boy/girl (from muchacho/a - only in the Canaries) Un viejo verde dirty old man (‘green oldie’)

waNt to practice speakiNg spaNish?

All over the island we have free conversation clubs in Spanish or english as well as language exchanges where people of different nationalities help each other out by chatting in Spanglish. These groups are NOT classes but are a great way to meet new people – especially locals – and practice your Spanish.

Check out the new website for the leG (language exchange Gran Canaria) which I´ve just launched to complement the Facebook page.

Here you can find a selection of my best Spanish lessons from The Canary News updated and categorized, which I´ll be adding to every week. More importantly, I´ll keep the listings updated so you can easily find the leG group nearest to you or latest event taking place such as cinema trips, hiking or ‘Spanglish’ meals out.

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Find your nearest LEG:

LanguageExchangeGC.es Facebook.com/leGintercambio

The author of our Spanish lessons these last six years is Theresa Coe from London, who is based in Playa del Inglés.

She´s launched a new website including the best of her lessons from this paper (revised and updated) and the latest news on language exchange events around the island. New lessons will be added as often as possible. She´d also love to hear ideas from readers for her next few columns in The Canary News. What would you like to be able to say in Spanish? Just email her or contact her via the website

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

IrIsh mONk DIsCOVers New CANArY IsLAND

- theN LOses It! Most people recognise the Canary Islands archipelago as being a cluster of seven inhabited islands. Of course, there are many more islets and rocky outcrops, which few people mention or know anything about. Personally, I regard the archipelago as consisting of eight inhabited islands, and those who have visited the beautiful, yet small island of la Graciosa, just off lanzarote, will know what I mean. However, this story is about the ninth island, the ghost island, which is still being looked for…

The mysterious island of San Borondón, which is the Canarian name for an Irish monk called Saint Brendan of Clonfert, the Irish patron saint of travellers who lived around 500AD. Brendan was a monk in Tralee, County Kerry, who sailed in a small boat with 14 fellow monks into the Atlantic Ocean, in search of the New World. In true Irish fashion, best retold with a glass or two of Guinness, the story goes that Brendan met with fire hurling demons, a variety of monstrous creatures, and floating crystal columns, which were possibly icebergs; they also rescued three other monks from the inhospitable waters of the Atlantic. eventually, they landed on an island where they found trees and a great deal of vegetation; it many ways, it was a true Garden of eden. The monks lived on the island for six years when one day, as they were celebrating mass, the island began to move in the water, described as rather like a whale. After many trials and tribulations, Brendan eventually found his way back to Ireland with many a tale to tell over his glass of mead.

At the time, it was thought that the monks had reached the shores of North America, or possibly other Atlantic islands, such as the Canary Islands.

Over time, it was thought that this new island, now named San Borondón’, was an island within the Canaries archipelago, somewhere to the west of la Gomera, el Hierro and la Palma. Other

twitters from the AtlAntic © Barrie Mahoney

Barrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch and edit a new English language newspaper. He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.

sailors attempted to reach it, but when they got close to its shores, the island became covered with mist and vanished.

San Borondón existed in the minds of many people, with detailed accounts from sailors who claimed that they had landed and explored the island before it sank once again into the Atlantic Ocean. Indeed, in some early Atlantic treaties concerning the Canary Islands, there are references to “the islands of Canaria, already discovered or to be discovered”, just in case.

Indeed, the Island of San Borondón is clearly referred to on several maps of the period.

In the 18th Century, tens of thousands of witnesses declared to the authorities that they had seen the ghostly island from the mountains of el Hierro. Despite further expeditions, the island would not yield its secrets. The persistence of this legend of the voyage of Saint Brendan to the Promised land of the Saints, the Islands of Happiness and Fortune, remains to this day. It is still possible to talk to some of the residents of el Hierro, la Gomera and la Palma who claim to have seen the island briefly before it sank once again into the brilliant blue waters of the Canary Islands. “let the Guanche drums resound and the conch shells blow, for the mysterious island is appearing in the midst of the waves: here comes San Borondón, showing up in the mist like a queen with the surf as suite…”

San Borondón – Cabrera/Santamaria

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book,

‘Island in the Sun’

(ISBN: 9780992767181).

Available in paperback, as well as Kindle, iBooks and Google Play editions. iPhone/iPad and Android Apps: ExpatInfo, CanaryIsle and CanaryGay now available. © Barrie Mahoney

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I.T. tips - I.T. tips - I.T. tips - I.T. tips - I.T. tips Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Computers second batch following on from previous edition of Canary News Ctrl++: This shortcut allows you to zoom in web pages in web browsers. Useful when text on a web page is too small to read properly. Ctrl+Scroll wheel can also zoom in documents, file thumbnails and icons in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

Alt+Select: This shortcut allows you to select rectangular blocks of text in Word processors, something that is not possible with simple select.

Ctrl+F: This keyboard shortcut opens the Find option in any program.

Ctrl+S: If you are working on a software and want to quickly save your progress, this shortcut will br useful.

Ctrl+-: This shortcut does the reverse of the previous shortcut.

Ctrl+0: Reset the webpage's zoom.

Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End: Useful for quickly going to the top and bottom of a page.

Windows key+M: Minimizes all the open windows.

Ctrl+P: Useful for printing the current page.

Ctrl+L: This shortcut allows you to quickly jump to the address bar of your web browser.

Space Bar: While viewing a web page in a browser, pressing space bar moves the page down.

Windows key+Pause/Break: Quickly open the system properties dialog box.

Alt+Tab: Useful for quickly cycling between running applications. Press along with Shift to cycle backwards.

Ctrl+Shift+Delete: This shortcut opens the option to delete your browser's history, cookies, cache and other details that it stores while you browse the internet. This shortcut is extremely useful for the privacy conscious.

Ctrl+Tab: Cycle between tabs in your browser.

Ctrl+F5: Clears the cache and refreshes the current tab.

Shift+Right click: Open alternate right click options.

Windows Key+L: This shortcut locks your computer.

F2: Allows you to rename the selected file.

Ctrl+H: makes the history appear.

CTRL+B: Bold CTRL+U: Underline CTRL+I: Italic.

Alt+Double click: Open the file's properties. Alt+Enter can also be used for this

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH... El Charco

This time last year, I wrote about the history and importance, for the people of Gran Canaria, of the ‘Romería’ that takes place around the 7th of September in Teror. In this issue, I am writing to you about another very important festivity taking place on the 10th of the same month, in la Aldea de San Nicolás de Tolentino. The little coastal town is situated on the west coast of the island and their most popular annual festivity is called ‘la Fiesta del Charco’, which translates as the Pool Party.

San Nicolás de Tolentino is surrounded by ravines, so getting there can be strenuous as the roads going south from the north west coast are extremely windy and somewhat dangerous for many. It is, however, well worth the effort, as you will be treated to some of the best of what Gran Canaria has to offer by way of fertile valleys divided by ravines, and breathtaking sheer drops to the sea.

By Diego Mesa

(Puerto Rico Language Centre)

The village itself is the main agricultural centre of the region, where the primary produce is the tomato, as well as oranges, papayas, bananas, mangoes and avocados. It´s estimated exports reach up to 100,000 tonnes per year. even nowadays, despite the recently added difficulty of competing against Moroccan producers.

JEITO Sudden movement that can cause a sprain eg. Hizo un mal jeito y se quedó cojeando una semana – He twisted it badly, and was limping for a week.

A sprain eg. Hay gente que, si tiene un jeito, prefiere ir al curandero – There are people that if they have sprained a muscle, prefer to go to a healer.

Being skilled at something eg. El abuelo era la persona que mas jeito tenía para tocar el timple – Grandad was the one that was most skilled at playing the ‘timple’. el Charco is celebrated on the coast very close to the main beach ‘Playa de la Aldea’, which is just south of the tiny harbour, filled with small, but interesting local restaurants. The focal point is actually more a lagoon than a pool and it was naturally formed from sea water collecting there with the tide, along with rain water which flows down from the mountains, when it rains at all.

The festivity itself goes way back to the pre-hispanic era when the indigenous population would go fishing, using a technique called ‘embarbascado’, where they would pour sap from specific plants into the water, which created a sedative effect on the fish trapped there, making it possible to catch them with your hands.

This technique continued to be used up until the first half of the twentieth Century in parts of Gran Canaria, and it adds a festive component that has culminated in this celebration of native culture, with thousands gathering in the hope of catching a fish.

Palabras Canarias Diego Mesa’s

AlternAtive CAnAriAn lexiCon of ColloquiAlisms

TIFAR – To steal, taken from the english word ‘thief’. eg. Me han tifado el iPhone que me compré la semana pasada – Someone stole the iPhone I bought last week.

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Images Courtesy of:

GrAN CANArIA mODA CALIDA swImweAr COLLeCtION 2016 Designers had lots in store for guests this year at Gran Canaria’s biggest fashion event Moda Calida. Held at expoMelonares the show headlined a two-day fashion event. The preview of the 2016 Swimwear collection presented the kind of sleek, modern look we've come to expect from many of the islands favourite designers. Revealing capsule collections that varied from ornate, bold and elaborate, to elegant, understated and timeless.

Banana Moon, Hipertrófico, Alida Domínguez, Calima, Elena Rubio, El Barquito Papel, Arcadio Domínguez, Livia, Dolores Cortés and Maldito Sweet, to name but a few, were amongst some of the most sought after collections all inspired by different ethnicities, shapes, patterns and styles.

Crossier Swimwear showcased an amazing collection inspired from a Roman/Greek theme, working with strong patterns and gold metalics, lycra and chiffon.

Aurelia Gil presented another fabulous new collection, inspired by what only can be described as a futuristic theme, saw

structured pieces teamed with soft floaty separates, a beautiful contrast of lycras and lace which fitted perfectly Gottex brought the ready-to-wear collection and continue to deliver the classic swim wear lines that they are best known for - dresses and kaftans in chiffons and cotton. There were also, of course, glamorous bikinis and simple swimsuits in vibrant lycra with delicate embellishments.

Dapresa made a strikingly bold statement in black and red. Paired with leather and body stocking, this collection was a favourite and a definite showstopper.

Agatha Ruiz De La Prada gave a kaleidoscope of colours and no shortage of fun and flirty creations. Hearts seem to be the main inspiration with bold shapes and striped patterns topped with bright pink fluffy wedged platforms.

Moda Calida always leaves us wanting more. Keep your eyes open for some of these local designers setting world trends to satisfy your fashion swim wear mores until 2017 !

Juliet Kim Bates

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

outstAnding Trip Advisors No 1 Boat tours and Water Sports in Puerto Rico

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El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

928 987 952 We love to help.

Call The Canary News, Views & Sunshine

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You can always find the newspaper, and often Quinny too, up in the sunspot at the top of Phase IV in the Puerto Rico shopping centre, they’ll even collect your quiz entries and letters to the editor...

Send your answers by email to: Quinny@TheCanaryNews.com, text them to 626 641 537 or call 928 987 952 for your chance to win a Whale and Dolphin spotting trip, on Spirit of the Sea, leaving from Puerto Rico Harbour, Gran Canaria. All correct answers will be collected together, independently drawn and announced in the next edition last edition’s winner is Tommi of Finland, who have won an awesome trip for two on The Spirit of The Sea Whale and Dolphin Boat Trip. Contact us for details 928 987 952 1. Kids TV character Peppa Pig is mainly what colour?

6. Feyenoord FC play in which Dutch city?

2. If born on Xmas day what is your star sign?

7. Which super group had a hit with brown sugar?

3. Which UK seaside town has the nickname the English Riviera?

8. On which part of the body would you wear a Stetson?

4. USA’s Grand Canyon is in which state?

9. The English derby horse race is ran in which month?

5. Which country has the internet domain (dot) .es?

10. Which month is St Swithens day?

Ans 112

ans Feliz

Ans Elvis

3.What is the emergency services number in Spain

6.What is the Spanish word for happy Ans 25

2.Cobalt is a shade of which colour

5.Blue suede shoes was a hit for who

Ans Blue

4.A silver wedding celebrates how many years of marriage

Ans Horse chestnut

1.Which tree has conkers as its fruit

Answers from last edition Ans Chef

8.Jamie Oliver is a TV what

Ans Cardiff

7.The millennium stadium is in which UK city

Ans Viynl records

10. 45’s and 78’s are types of what

Ans Valetta

9.Name the capital city of Malta

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