Week 147

Edition 147

www.thecourier.es

Friday, December 13, 2013

LONG ARM OF THE GUARDS Cheap cops move slammed Get The Courier Newspaper whenever you want! Available on iPad, iPhone and any Android powered smartphone or tablet!

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By ALEX TRELINSKI Spanish security guards are to be given police powers including the right to stop and search people, as well as carrying out arrests.

The controversial move is set be passed by the Senate in Madrid as part of a new Private Security Law, which has been criticised by opposition parties for offering cheap priva­ tised policing as well as groups who’ve said that civil rights are being threatened.

Guards would be given the green light to arrest people at public events, or in a shopping mall, and at what have been described as crime “hotspots” like ATM machines. The new law will also allow private guards to go after what the bill describes as "delinquents caught in the act of committing a crime even in cases where it has nothing to do with the peo­ ple or goods that they are watching over and protecting."

The ruling PP government has introduced the new legisla­ tion along with support from the Catalan and Basque nation­ alist parties CIU and PNV. Supporters of the bill say that it allows security guards to carry out their job effectively and to help the police, rather than leading to an overlap of duties.

They added that there was absolutely no threat or changes planned to the “traditional police force”, and that the current law relating to private security in public places is “excessive­ ly rigid and has made more difficult or impeded the neces­ sary authorization of services to the benefit of the public.”

The opposition socialist PSOE party said the bill was “another attack by the government on Spain’s welfare state”

and congratulated private security companies for the money they are likely to make from the move. Meanwhile a spokesman for the National Lawyers Society warned that civil rights would be eroded further under the new measures, adding that only the police should have the power to arrest anybody and it would make life harder for people to chal­ lenge what they might view as a wrongful arrest.

This latest move comes after strong criticism over another part of the Security Bill which will see citizens given large fines for a wide range of activities from carrying out unautho­ rized protests to disrupting traffic by playing football in the street.

Our latest edition is always online at www.thecourier.es

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Are you a snapper? Do you have a great photo? Send it to design@thecourier.es and if we think it is good enough we will publish it as our Picture of the Week TELEPHONE

96 692 1003 679 096 309 965 99 66 66 E­MAIL office@thecourier.es WEB www.thecourier.es HEAD OFFICE Calle Luis Canovas Martinez 1. Urb Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja 03183, ALICANTE PHONE: 96 692 1003 Email: office@thecourier.es OPENING HOURS Mon ­ Fri 1030 to 1730 EDITOR Alex Trelinski CONSULTANT EDITOR Donna Gee ADVERTISING SALES 966 921 003 office@thecourier.es TELESALES 966 921 003 679 096 309 Sally Los Alcazares, San Javier 618 391 491 Myra Quesada, Rojales, Torrevieja, San Miguel Tel. 618 583 765 Jean La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig Tel. 618 898 034 Patrick International Rep 5 Languages Tel 685 901 265 Donna Tel 616 332 178 Writers Donna Gee Sally Bengtsson Jeanette Erath Alex Trelinski Dave Silver Tony Mayes John McGregor

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Picture of the Week

JUNGLE DRUMS

Incoming waves at La Zenia. Photo by FRED BRUNSKILL FROM CABO ROIG AND REDCAR ( UK )

Didn’t see it coming A CUT ABOVE TV psychic Derek Acorah, who lives for part of the year on the Southern Costa Blanca and who used to have a home in Los Montesinos, has been charged with careless driv­ ing after a car crash in Merseyside last Saturday.

The 63 year old was behind the wheel of a Nissan GT that was in collision with a Ford Ka in Southport. The 52­year­old Ka driver and her 21 one year old male passenger were taken to hospital with "whiplash­type" injuries. Acorah, who was not injured, was bailed and is due to appear at Sefton

THE REST

Magistrates' Court on December 30th. Merseyside Police said he had also been charged with failing to pro­ vide a specimen of breath for analysis, following the

crash in Scarisbrick New Road. Acorah is best known for his work on the Living TV programme Most Haunted, and has done live shows in the Costa Blanca area.

STAY OF EXECUTION

Corrupt ex­Torrevieja Mayor, Angel Hernandez Mateo is to stay out of jail until the Madrid government resolves his appeal for a pardon. Valencia’s Supreme Court has allowed him stay free as the process goes through on his clemency plea over his 3 year prison sentence. The court also took account of the fact that he had paid his fine covering compensa­ tion and legal costs. Mateo Hernandez was sentenced after being found guilty of corruption over the awarding of a 97.8 million Euro waste collection contract in 2004.

Torrevieja’s Juan Blas Sanchez (pictured) is a man worth knowing because he can put most of us to shame in trying to properly slice a big joint of Spanish ham. He’s so good that he’s been crowned the winner of the 3rd National Ham Cutters competition held in San Javier. An enthralled audi­ ence watched the contestants demonstrating their talent in slicing the ham to the bone, with an expert jury marking the contenders. They assessed the weight of the final cuts which are meant to be 100 grams each, as well as hygiene and the presentation of the slices.

CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS?

Two people have been arrested by the National Police in Alicante for selling what were described as “anti­crisis packages” to

children. 2 Euros would buy you some tobacco or a cigar, cigarette paper, and a dose of marijuana or hashish.

WANTED – MORE HEADLINE NEWS! DO YOU have a story that might grab the headlines?

What’s all the gossip about round your way? A spate of robberies, perhaps – or maybe you’ve spotted a celebrity in the neighbourhood. Whether your news involves fire, police, ambulance, accidents – or hap­

pier events like family weddings (particularly Golden and Diamond ones!), Just phone the Courier office on 966 921 003 or email office@thecourier.es We’re waiting for your call…and next week’s Front Page story.

Friday Sunny High 18 Low 9° Chance of rain 0% Monday Partly cloudy High 17 Low 8° Chance of rain 6%

Tuesday Partly cloudy High 17° Low 8° Chance of rain 11%

Saturday Partly cloudy High 16° Low 10° Chance of rain 25% Wednesday Showers High 12° Low 5° Chance of rain 60%

Sunday Partly cloudy High 16° Low 9° Chance of rain 25% Thursday Sunny High 16° Low 7° Chance of rain 0%

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Sour grapes ELCHE FIRED UP AGAIN

Six Spaniards in their 20’s and 30’s have been arrested for stealing grapes in the Totana area of Murcia. More than a tonne of the fruit have been stolen from fields and were sold illegally at street markets throughout the Murcia region.

Some one and a half thousand kilos of stolen grapes have been returned to affected farmers.

Indoor walkies

Elche police are keeping an open mind on whether a phantom firebug has struck again in the city. Several recycling bins were set alight on Calle Ope de Vega on Sunday afternoon, with nearby by parked cars and shop win­ dows damaged by the flames. In the early hours of the morning a bin fire was

put elsewhere in Elche. A still to be captured arsonist caused problems in the city last month with a spate of weekend blazes mainly cen­ tred on bins.

Gang nabbed

Police have swooped on a gang that have been robbing bars and restau­ rants across the Vega Baja, often at closing time. 7 people were arrested after an operation that lasted several weeks trying to track them down.

Many of the robberies were carried out with violence,

and cops closed a number of roads around Orihuela last Thursday morning (Dec 5th) to help in their arrests and seizures.

Murcia’s police dog unit has a new weapon in their armoury in fighting crime: ­ a new walking machine to help keep their dogs fit! There’s no excuse now for the 10 dogs not to keep fit after the gift from the Murcia Quo Fitness Club.

And it appears that the clever canines have quickly adapted to getting their exercise on the moving belt, which means that they can keep themselves in fine fettle, even on those rainy M u r c i a ’ s days when they used to put their paws up for a rest! The dogs Guardia Civil have in the unit are trained to detect explosives and drugs, as well rounded up an 11 as finding money. man gang that stole and sold­on copper wires in the Cartagena and La Union areas. A number of villages 18 people have been were left without arrested across Spain street lighting after on child pornography the thieves offences, including a 62 snatched copper wiring, helped by one of the gang who year old German man in worked for an electricity company. He provided virtual infor­ Benidorm. The National mation to his crooked colleagues over which cables could be Police found what they safely breached and stolen without anybody being electro­ described as a “large cuted. amount” of material on his computer hard drive see him watching pornogra­ featuring “paedophile” phy on his computer. images, and he’s also Another arrest was made in accused of “producing his Alicante Province, and also The girlfriend of a wanted British criminal has walked free own pornographic content”. in Cartagena. In Madrid, a Cops also uncovered man was found to have 49 from Preston Crown Court. Beautician, Gemma Harvieu, sweets, dolls, and unworn computer hard drives full of was found guilty of helping Andrew Moran hide out in a lux­ children’s clothes, along with child pornography along with ury villa on the Costa Blanca, before police made a dramatic aluminium foil which was put 30 cases with DVD’s and poolside arrest last May. Harvieu wired money from Western Union outlets to vari­ on his window to allegedly CD’s of material of a “sexual ous places in Spain where armed robber Andrew Moran col­ make sure that nobody could nature”. lected it using an assortment of false identities. The gang­

INSIDE JOB

Porn swoop

MOLL FREED

The perfect xmas present

One of Spain’s infamous “ghost” airports has been put up for auction. The airport at Ciudad Real some 200kms south of Madrid has a capacity to handle 10 million passengers a year, but it’s not handled any passenger traffic since it opened in 2008, having cost 1 billion Euros to build. It went bust 18 months ago with debts of around 300 million Euros, and has now been put up for sale with a reserve price of just 100 million Euros. Bids will close on December 27th for an airport that serves a city of just 75 thousand residents that attracts few visitors, and is now linked to Madrid and the coast via high speed rail. Other “ghost” airports include Castellon in the north of the Valencian region, as well as Corvera in Murcia.

NO SNEEZING MATTER

A piquillo pepper stuffed with cod has been voted as the Costa Blanca’s top tapas in the first ever “Retapa” awards in Elche last Monday.

The dish called, Pepper Island, took the laurels for Elche’s Dátil d'Or restaurant, ahead of tapas winners from Torrevieja, Elche, Crevillente, Torrellano, and Guardamar, Top chefs and restauranteurs came up with the final mouth­ watering verdict.

Loyalty screenings

Torrevieja’s shops are offering free children’s cinema tickets to tempt customers to spend in their stores over the festive season. Torrevieja council has linked up with the retailers group, Apymeco, to launch a loyalty card which will allow free and reduced access to a pro­ gramme of events, including weekend children’s film screenings at the Virgen del Carmen cultural centre. ster’s moll also regularly flew out to see Moran in his Denia villa where he had been hiding since he dramatically vaulted the dock and escaped from Burnley Crown Court in 2009.

He also managed to avoid capture by Spanish police when he rammed through a road block in his 4×4. Moran was finally arrested as he sunbathed by his pool with Harvieu in May this year, guns and drugs being found in the villa. Harvieu was found guilty of assisting an offender and money laundering and was given a suspended sentence.

She was also ordered to do 300 hours community service.

Moran is still in custody in Spain and is awaiting trial on drugs and weapons charges.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

“BRAINWASHED” KIDS RIDDLE Dole fraudsters Valencia’s under­ fire government has now got involved in a row with primary school children who booed the President, Alberto Fabra last week.

The PP administra­ tion, which is now facing a legal chal­ lenge over the clo­ sure of the regional Nou tv and radio services, is spend­ ing scarce resources on inves­ tigating whether kids as young as six were “brainwashed” into giving Fabra a hostile reception.

"We love Channel 9" and "Bring back Channel 9", was Fabra’s welcome from the children of the predominantly Valenciano­speaking Taquígrafo Martí

primary school in Xàtiva. Valencian authorities have now launched an investigation to see whether the young­ sters had been forced to demonstrate by their teachers.

It was "shameful" to "manipulate young children," said Valencia's justice minister, Serafín Castellano, but teach­

ers said the demon­ stration was spon­ taneous, adding that it was a "coinci­ dence" that Fabra had been near the school during play time.

Regional teachers union the STEPV called the investigation "authoritarian".

Earlier this week, the opposition socialist PSOE got approval from Spain’s constitu­ tional court for an appeal against the closure of the RTTV broadcaster, as the move was against the country’s constitution. Despite the plug being pulled on transmissions a fortnight ago, Nou workers are still being paid fully until February.

Grow your own On your bike

Rojales Council has unveiled a set of allotments that are available for residents to show off their green fin­ gers, especially in growing fruit and veg.

Contracts are available for up to 4 years on each plot.

All in the family

Spanish grandparents are keeping the economy going, and instead of enjoying retirement, a survey says that 40% of pensioners are feeding, clothing and offering a roof over the heads of their children and grandchildren. According to the National Statistics Agency, in the Murcia region there are 233,872 pensioners who get an average pension of 759.42 Euros a month, and apart from looking after their children and grand ­children physically, many are also doing so finan­ cially. “What else can you do?” asked a San Pedro del Pinatar resident who wanted to stay anonymous. “My son is out of work and I can’t see him and his family all going hun­ gry. We may not have new clothes, but at least I can help out with the food.”

Run aground

8 Algerians are to be sent packing back to their country after landing ille­ gally over the weekend on the Costa Blanca. It was the first boat with illegal immigrants to be spotted landing in the region, since one was intercepted in Santa Pola back in October 2012.

The 8 illegals were detained in Torrevieja on Sunday morning, with their wooden boat being

spotted some 20 miles off Cabo Roig. 2 of the travel­ ers were suffering from hypothermia, with Red Cross workers giving them food and clothes before they were handed over to the Guardia Civil.

The 8 appeared before a Torrevieja court on Tuesday, when they were ordered to be taken to a detention centre in Valencia City, ahead of deportation.

NO SKIRTING AROUND IT

A man accused of using a secret micro­camera to illegally film women’s private parts has been arrested by the Guardia Civil. Officers based in Alicante made the collar in Barcelona as part of Operation Visionary, with the man said to have the used the equipment to take shots in bathrooms or even on stairways or in queues underneath over 100 hundred women’s skirts. The phantom filmer would strike especially in shopping malls during the summer months to get his illicit images.

Cyclists around Almoradi have a new place to park in, with a rack that’s being installed outside the local health centre.

The council have put in a total of 8 new racks around the area this year.

On­going police operations against Social Security fraud have led to the arrest of 252 peo­ ple, mainly across the Costa Blanca and the Murcia region.

The National Police say that close to 9 million Euros had been pilfered over the last few months, with the ringleaders running bogus compa­ nies to collect unemployment benefits as well as obtaining fake work permits for foreigners. ‘Operation Costs’ netted the biggest amount of arrests towards the end of November, with 25 people being nabbed in Alicante Province at one stroke.

ALZHEIMER’S BOOST

M a t i l d e Sánchez Cervera, President of Torrevieja’s AFA Alzheimer’s chari­ ty picked up one of the city’s most prestigious prizes, the Diego Ramirez Pastor award last Saturday night.

Mayor Eduardo Dolon presented her with it and also revealed that Torrevieja was in the planning stages in finding a new home for Alzheimer’s sufferers in the area. The

event took place at the Real Club Náutico, which won the organisational award for its contribution to local sports since 1966.

F a l l i n g wages have allowed Spain to save jobs, according to Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy.

“In difficult situ­ ations, it is bet­ ter to bet on earning a little bit less and maintain as many jobs as possible,” Rajoy said. “The latest job­ less figures can’t satisfy any­ one, but they show us that

there can be hope”.

T h e International Monetary Fund has warned that Spain faces five more years with unemployment rates topping 25% unless it enacts yet more reforms includ­ ing measures to help firms slash wages instead of axing staff. Rajoy has vowed not to scrap the minimum wage.

Fair enough Glass half full

40 stall holders will be taking part in the Los Montesinos Christmas Fair which starts this afternoon (Friday). The event will be staged through till Sunday in the Avda. De La Marquesa square and there’ll be a range of food tastings, along with craft stores and workshops. The council have also organised a free shuttle bus linking up Quesada as well as the Torrevieja urbanisations of La Siesta and San Luis.

Meanwhile, Almoradi’s Plaza de la Constitucion will be host­ ing their Xmas Fair Trade market this Saturday and Sunday, with some 30 businesses taking part, along with a wide vari­ ety of entertainment. There’ll also be demonstrations on how to cook the locally grown artichoke from the Vega Baja Artichoke Association. San Miguel de Salinas also has a Xmas Fair tomorrow and Sunday, running all day in Plaza Jaime 1, which also features many attractions for the young­ sters.

SELL OFFSKI

Eroski is looking to sell its stores in the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida to try to slash its debts. The supermarket plans to keep its shops in Northern Spain, and is supermarket intends to retain its Basque Country and Catalonia stores, and is currently in talk with creditors. It currently owes 2.4 bil­ lion Euros to 15 financial institutions, and has a total debt of 3 billion Euros which it wants to cut by half. The company has already been in contact with potential buyers, although it is believed the prices they are willing to pay fall short of the desired rates. Eroski ran into difficulties following its pur­ chase of Caprabo in the midst of the property bubble.

FLYING HIGH

Passenger numbers continued to rise during November at Alicante­Elche airport. Figures for last month showed 592,403 people using the El Altet facilities, a 14% rise on the same month last year. There was also a 15% increase in the number of flights compared to November 2012. British trav­ ellers accounted for 45% of those who used the airport, which has so far seen big rises in passengers using it throughout 2013, and is well on target to reach a record 10 million users at the end of the year. Murcia­San Javier airport also recorded a 14% increase in passengers for November, with 40 thousand people using it.

Friday, December 13, 2013

CRISTINA TO FACE COURT QUIZ?

A judge will rule within weeks whether to summon King Juan Carlos's daughter as a fraud suspect, potentially fuelling a serious crisis for Spain's royals. The king's youngest daughter Cristina, 48, would be his first direct relative ever to appear in court on sus­ picion of wrongdoing if the judge on the Balearic Islands decided to summon her for questioning.

Having gathered documents on her tax

affairs, the judge in Mallorca gave prosecu­ tors and other parties in the case until next week to present any charges. Judge Jose Castro, will then decide later this month or in early January whether to summon her for­ mally as a suspect which is a step towards bringing formal charges. Cristina is linked to the business affairs of her husband Inaki Urdangarin, who is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds.

A 48 year old Alicante man has been charged with defrauding 100 thousand Euros from people buying cars off him.

The National Police said the man took deposits from his customers, who came

back later to find their purchases were nowhere to be found. Cops were called in after somebody put down money for a motorhome which he couldn’t find when he came to take it away. The police then found the accused man taking it to pieces in his warehouse. Authorities claim to have found irregularities in the sale of 20 cars.

Always buzzing, full of life and with so many things to see that you are likely to run out of time before you run out of venues to visit. People from all over the world spill out of the large international port, the nearby El Pratt airport, and the Sants railway station, they arrive by car and coach. For Barcelona is surely the liveliest, most exciting and most cosmopolitan city in the Iberian Peninsula.

Montjuic, meaning mountain of the Jews, towers over an international port. On the slopes of the mountain, you find the marvel­ lous facilities provided by the city for the 1992 Olympics. At the seafront are the facil­ ities provided for the water based Olympic events. Thousands of people stream daily from this magnificent port area past the stat­ ue of Christopher Columbus and into the most famous street in Spain. The Rambla.

Flower vendors singers, brass bands, comedians, human statues, puppet shows amongst others entertain passers by in this unusual street. At the top of the Rambla, sits Plaza Catalunya. From here you can visit the superb 13th Century cathedral, the fab­ ulous Gaudi inspired houses, Built without a single straight line in them. Or head off towards the most exciting football stadium

ever. The enormous Camp Nou. Even non football fans can’t help being impressed by the sheer size and atmosphere of this exceptional stadium. In another direction, another marvel of architecture. Gaudi’s famous unfinished cathedral. There is sim­ ply nothing else like it in the whole world. It is breathtaking in size, charisma and design. A must see, when in Barcelona.

In Barcelona zoo, storks nest in the trees and lions and tigers roam freely, contained, not by bars, but by a moat surrounding their compound. Another example of the imagina­ tive, spirit of this very exciting city. There can be few cities in the world with the charm, charisma and sheer love of life that you feel every time you visit. A great way to see this city is with David’s Coachtrips SL. Who are currently offering a great deal, five days with travel from the Torrevieja area, accommodation Bed and breakfast in a 4*city hotel a city tour plus a trip to Montserrat plus the services of a well informed courier. All for only 268€. The dates being offered are 5 days 20­24 January. Call 966785910 to book or visit their web site www.coachtripsonline.com and book online.

CAR CON

Barcelona - the city that never sleeps

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Friday, December 13, 2013

editor@thecourier.es COURIER POSTBAG: YOUR VIEWS ON OUR NEWS

Jeanette’s Spanishing act I HAVE been following Jeanette Erath’s ‘Say It In Spanish’ articles since day one.

I have used the articles as a source of revision because of prior learn­ ing. With the completion of number 100 this has been an excellent series so far. As Jeanette has repeatedly and quite rightly said, the best way (for us oldies, ha ha) to learn is by repetition and revision.

My wife is keen on learning Spanish, indeed she had some lessons a while ago but the class

she was part of drifted away and the lessons dried up.

She has renewed her interest in learning and I offered to help her, using your lessons as a teach­ ing method. However, on searching through the archives I have been unable to locate the fol­ lowing lessons: 1 – 11, 15, 23, 28, 36, 41, 42, 44, 52, 53, 64, 78 and 95.

As a result of the two lists you published with lessons 86 and 87 I could probably cobble together

some lessons using the headings in the lessons.

However I would prefer to use your lessons as they follow a similar pat­ tern.

I would greatly appre­ ciate if you could help me with the ‘missing’ les­ sons.

JOE (via Courier web­ site) Bear with us, Joe. Our production team are working on the problem ­ hopefully the missing archives will be restored very soon.

q

Jeanette Erath

HELP AT HOME: THE NAME AND THE PAIN The ONLY charity registered to use the name HAH, is the one founded

by Lesley and Paul Eburne in September 2010 as ‘HAH Help at Home’.

Following their success, Norah Bond con­ tacted them and asked if it would be possible to set up a similar operation in the Costa Blanca/ Torrevieja areas.

Several meetings followed, with members of the HAH committee going to advise them on the aims, and running of the charity, using the same principles and format of HAH Mar Menor, but registering under their own name HELP AT HOME COSTA BLANCA. This was done.

Within several months of operating, it became apparent that Help at Home Costa Blanca had their own agenda, and were going away from the original aims of HAH. As we were concerned about the impact of these actions, a meeting was called with HCB, and it was decided then to sever any further contact.

We asked that they make clear on all Press releases etc, that they were a totally separate charity, did not use our name HAH

Raffle gifts a lift-off for Butterfly children DEBRA, the Butterfly Children charity, benefited by €80 from a November raffle to raise money and also awareness.

The organisers would like to thank everyone who bought tickets and donated prizes ­ Bridge Bar in Rojales, The Card Place in Benimar, Lucky Pearl and Dutch’s Rugby Store.

The prize winners were Janine Turner (Canterbury Casual rugby shirt), Ian Hill (menu del dia for two), Penny (eyebrow threading), Jenny (Xmas crackers) and Jackie and V. Bates (Xmas card gift packs).

The Card Place, Butterfly Children’s charity shop in Pablo Bravo and Bridge Bar will be selling tickets for the December 21 raffle, for which prizes have again been donat­ ed by local businesses.

Contact Garry on 692 767 242 or, for more information about the charity, go to www.debra.es GARRY HOLLAND

in any way. HAH (Mar Menor) advised the press, British Consulate etc. at that time.

Help at Home Costa Blanca continue to use the acronym HAH which they have been asked not to do, to prevent confusion.

In a press report this week, it states that Marivi Cuelia Nerva has the support of HAH Mar Menor, and the founder of HAH, Lesley Eburne said: “We do not support MCN, Norah Bond, nor have any association with Help at Home Costa Blanca.

“We are saddened that the actions of some members of Help at Home CB brings us and the hard work of all charities into dis­ repute, and sincerely hope that they can resolve their differences, quietly and with respect to everyone.

“HAH Mar Menor is run professionally and with total honesty, has a hard­working team of volunteers, and is open to any scrutiny.

“We sincerely hope that Help at Home Costa Blanca can find the right and profes­ sional way to resolve their differences.

Meanwhile, we will continue to support our local community with the FREE help and advice that we have already given to so many.”

CHEQUE THIS OUT: Charity 4 Charities have raised an amazing €20,406 LESLEY EBURNE

Charity giants hit 20,000 euro jackpot CHARITY 4 Charities’ sixth Annual Presentation Night was attended by over 70 guests including repre­ sentatives from eight nominated Charities and The Mayor of Rojales, councillor Derek Monks.

Throughout the year Charity 4 Charities and their supporters have raised an amazing €20,406. This has been achieved by holding their famous weekly auction and outside second hand bric­a­brac stalls every Tuesday come rain or shine.

Funds are also raised at their annual Golf Memorial Day, for their late friend and colleague Anne McGrath, the Bull Flanagan Captain’s day, and the many fundraising events throughout the year, including their popular theme nights. Not forgetting the delicious home baking, kindly donated by Nadia and Dave, and snapped up at every Tuesday auction.

The nominated charities which received €1,000 each at the pres­

entation evening were Age Concern, Alzheimer’s ASSC, Debra (Butterfly), Caritas Rojales, Isaac House. Uganda, Preventorio De Gandia, Torrevieja Stroke ASSC,Torrevieja Hospital Oncology, Torrevieja Hospital Neo­ Natal, Sat. For all the good they’ve achieved and money they’ve raised since forming in 2007, the charity has also supported Caritas throughout the year by purchasing food and

essentials, donating clothes, footwear and baby equipment, and they also make regular donations to Torrevieja Hospital Oncology department, which this year received €4,761 in memory of Anne McGrath. This was achieved with the wonderful support of The Bull Flanagan Golf Society. Total figure rased in six years is €40,000.

A spokesman for the charity said: “On behalf of everyone at Charity 4 Charities, we would like

to thank all our sponsors and sup­ ports, who have donated their free time and efforts throughout the year. Without you our Charity would not be able to fulfill their pledge in helping those less fortu­ nate’’.

For more information on any of the above items, please contact Tel. 966712803 or email sandra.knott@gmail.com SANDRA KNOTT, President

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Friday, December 13, 2013

I’VE never quite under­ stood why MPs and jour­ nalists top the unpopularity stakes in Britain.

A lifetime of experience has taught me that when it comes to greed, prevaricating and down­ right irritation, nothing can touch the legal profession.

Now I’m not saying solicitors are incompetent. But I know of only one who does a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. The rest all seem to work at the pace of an arthritic slug.

I got fairly high up the ladder in Fleet Street and never earned much more than £25 an hour. Yet when a close relative called in a ‘specialist’ female lawyer to sort out her divorce, she demanded £211 for every 60 minutes she spent on the job…and then let my relative down bigtime.

“It should cost no more than £3,000 to £4,000,’’ insisted the solicitress, who reckoned £5.000 was the maximum figure that would be required. A few short months later, she revised the fig­ ure upwardly to £10,000 and even­ tually it began to look as if even £15,000 wouldn’t see the matter through.

My relative, not surprisingly, pulled the plug on her ever­ increasing donation to Friends in Greed, which threatened to leave her penniless. Had she been warned from the start that the divorce could cost her £10,000 or more, she swears she would never have entered an agreement with this particular merchant with no conscience.

My daughter Lisa is now embroiled in a battle with legal snailsmen to speed up the move into her new home before Christmas .

She and her partner Rob sold their previous house six months ago and have been staying in my Manchester pad with their three children since September.

There’s no chain, the people they are buying from can move out at a moment’s notice, and the plan was for them to move in well before Christmas.

WAS being the operative word because the seemingly inter­

WHERE LEGALS Greedy solicitors DARE are such a rip-off

minable delay goes on and on purely because of legal paperwork.

The final straw came this week when Lisa was told by one of the legal firms involved: “We have been waiting for an email which has arrived but which will take between 24 and 72 hours for us to check.’’

Lawyers, liars…you decide. To me, the ever­increasing financial demands are reminiscent of the

behaviour of greedy householders back in the 60s and 70s, when gazumping was all the rage.

I was a victim myself when we moved from London to Manchester in 1972. I was the first person to view this particular house, which had just come on the market fol­ lowing the death of the owner. With property prices considerably lower in the north, we agreed to pay his widow her £8,750 asking price –

only for her son to advise us through our own solicitor the fol­ lowing day that someone had offered £9,000.

“But they do want you to have it, so if you’ll match the £9,000 it’s yours,’’ my own lawyer informed me. Our initial reaction was to tell them to stick the deal, but when we finally calmed down we realised it would be counterpro­ ductive to lose the house for the

A law unto themselves...or perhaps not

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DO you think legal charges are extortionate – and is it just as costly and problematic to deal with Spanish abogados as their counter­ parts in the UK? Have you had similar negative experiences to Donna and her family in your dealings with solicitors? Or perhaps you are a

lawyer yourself and are keen to put the case for the defence.

Whatever your thoughts, we are happy to pub­ lish them…providing they aren’t libellous or obscene, of course.

Email your views to donna@thecourier.es

sake of £250.

In the end, we bought it at the upwardly revised figure and had eight happy years there. But I never forgave Widow Greedy for her total lack of conscience. As someone who would not and could not renege on a formal agreement, I find the ‘art’ of gazumping obscene.

But when I was informed that the gazumper’s son was in fact a solicitor, it all fitted into place.

I am convinced the £9.000 offer never existed and that when the first viewer offered the full asking price, the widow and her son became partners in greed.

I can think of at least two other solicitors – both of whom I thought were family friends – hitting me with hefty bills for minor consulta­ tions. The sort of thing I would do for nothing in my own profession.

The last Will my partner and I made was left in the hands of a presumed friend whose quaint old family practice had been in exis­ tence for generations.

By the time everything had been sorted, we were saddled with a bill for around £800. Needless to say, that person is no longer a friend.

OK, I accept that there ARE honest and fair lawyers. But I’ve only met one…and he was my next­door neighbour.

A devout Muslim with Asian roots, we could approach him any time for help and advice – and he refused to take a penny from us.

Even when we asked him to sort out a financial claim for us.

I just wished he had never moved away...

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

HERE IS THE NEWS……

'What do you want first, the good news or the bad news?' Mrs S asked me the other morning.

'Don't tell me the newspa­ per lad has thrown a sickie,' I groaned in disappointment. 'I do like to catch up on the lat­ est coverage of world events as I chew my breakfast chucky egg.'

'Not having your newspa­ per is neither good news nor bad news,' responded Mrs S. 'It is simply no news.'

'Very well,' I sighed. 'Give me your bad news first and let's get it over with.'

Mrs S wiped the yolk drib­ bles off my chin and said: 'You shall not be having the pleasure of my company tomorrow. I am going out for the day with Phyllis and Spike.'

Phyllis was Mrs S's best friend. She was married to Spike, the most boring man in the history of the galaxy ­­ and I exaggerate only slight­ ly. People had been known to throw themselves down flights of stairs to avoid Spike ­­ and I should know because

I have the bruises to prove it.

'So I won't be seeing you for the whole day?' I said to Mrs S. 'And that's the BAD news?'

Mrs S flicked the end of her tea towel in the direction of my smug face. 'Spike is taking Phyllis on a tour of local municipal car parks. It's his latest hobby.'

'And Phyllis finds that inter­ esting?' I asked. 'Of course not!' snapped Mrs S. 'But Phyllis is a devoted wife and wants to support her hus­ band in all of his endeav­ ours.'

'Now there's a rarity,' I mumbled under my breath.

'So why are you playing gooseberry on the golden couple's fascinating day out?'

Mrs S sighed. 'The only reason I'm going is that Phyllis is frightened Spike will get too excited as he traipses around the multi­storeys and, indeed, might faint from extreme pleasure. I shall be in attendance either to help calm him down or to assist her in laying out the body in a parking space if Spike can­

not be revived.'

I washed up my breakfast pots, left the kitchen and returned within seconds. 'You said there was some good news.'

'Oh, yes,' said Mrs S. 'Because I shall be out all day, you'll have the solitary pleasure of looking after the three grandchildren.'

I blanched. Don't get me wrong, I adore my grandkids.

But to have to look after them . . . together . . . on my own.

Gulp!

That particular scenario rang an uncomfortably famil­ iar bell. On the last occasion, I had lined up the youngsters in my front room ­­ just like Captain von Trapp did in The Sound of Music ­­ and requested them to state their preferences for an after­ noon's ideal activity.

(Might I just clarify here that Captain von Trapp lived in a fabulous huge house and never had reason to enter my own humble front room.)

'I want to go to the pictures to see something with mon­ sters in it,' the eight­year­old boy had responded.

'I want to put on my pink tutu and dance and do cart­ wheels and handstands and the splits,' said his five­year­ old sister, who favoured more participatory projects than sitting in the cinema.

She was also into cruelty because she added: 'And Grandpa, I want you to dress up and join in with me.'

Her brother stifled a giggle but couldn't conceal his smirk. 'Scrub going to the pictures, Gramps. I've just gotta see you in a pink tutu.'

I turned to my third grand­ child, the other two's five­ year­old boy cousin. 'And what would you like to do this afternoon?' I asked.

The child shrugged and then announced: 'I wanna wee.' The afternoon went quickly downhill after that and we all finished up sleep­ ing in front of the telly.

Anyway, not wanting a repeat of that last fiasco, this time I bundled all three into my car and informed them that I had arranged a day of visits to extra­special places of interest.

'But why are we following that car in front of us?' the kids asked shortly after we'd set off.

'You'll see,' I promised. 'All I shall say is that the driver of that car ahead of us is the . . . er . . . famous children's entertainer Uncle Spike and he knows where all the magic places are.'

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

BARKING IS PURE FRUSTRATION One of the biggest questions I get asked is, “How do I stop my dog from barking?”

Dogs who bark a lot are doing so because they are releasing excess, frustrated energy.

Many of the dogs that are barking behind fences, up and down the Costa Blanca are doing so because they have not been exer­ cised properly. Some of them probably never even get to the other side of that fence to explore the world, like they need to. There are many people who believe that if they just leave their dog in the garden all day, then that will be a substitute for a walk, but it won’t. Dogs who are not getting enough exercise, will build up excess, frustrated energy and when they do, that energy has to be released somewhere.

Some dogs release their energy by chas­ ing their tails, which I think is very sad to watch. That is a dog who is at its lowest. It’s similar to watching a human rock back and forth in distress. Other dogs will become obsessed by something, to release their energy. Some can become aggressive, but most will just bark and that is why Spain is full of barking dogs ­ not enough exercise.

A dog’s cycle during a day is really simple.

They wake up in the morning and first of all they need exercise and I mean proper exer­ cise, not a quick walk around the same old block. After exercise, they then rest for about an hour and after that they eat their first meal of the day. They will then go into a rest­ ing mode, until the afternoon or evening when they repeat that process again.

Exercising a dog is vital in keeping them calm and balanced. Along with exercise, they need consistent rules that they need to follow each day, just like we have. When I talk about rules for a dog, I am basically talk­ ing about guidance, not “do this and do that” etc.

Promoting calmness instead of excite­ ment is a rule. A dog’s natural state is calm.

Finally you should make sure that you are giving your dog affection when they are calm.

Many people give their dogs affection when they are doing something wrong. I have seen many people stroke a dog, to try and get them to stop an unwanted behav­ iour. All that will do is snowball into that neg­ ative behaviour.

Dogs want to see and experience the

world just like we do. How would we be if we were stuck in our houses every day and hardly ever got out to meet people or take part in our favourite activities? The answer to that is we would become grumpy and snappy, just like a dog would. If you don’t believe me, you try it for a week. Your boundary is your garden fence and you can’t go any further. I can guarantee you that you will not like it.

I worked with a dog once and before I met the dog, there had been ten organizations involved in trying to sort his problem out, including the RSPCA. Every single one of those organisations advised that the lady should have this dog put to sleep, because he had bitten one person and growled at another. When I visited the house, on the kitchen wall that led to the garden was a big dent, almost as if a concrete football had hit it. I knew what it was. This was where the dog was releasing its excess energy by con­ stantly licking the wall and at that point I knew this dog was not getting enough exer­ cise and the lady was honest enough to admit that the dog was getting no exercise at all.

That all changed and the dog started hav­ ing two good walks a day and since then he has behaved like an angel and to think that TEN organizations advised that the dog be killed!

Fulfill a dogs needs and you will have a beautiful calm friend for life. One of the cru­ elest things you can do to a dog, who is the most sociable species on earth, is to just leave them on their own behind a fence in your garden.

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? Taylor is looking for a new home. He is 7 months old now and was rescued from a drainpipe at four weeks.

He is a lovely healthy kitten, just loves to be cuddled He is castrated and vaccina­ ted. Contact 616655789 for more details Cats N Dogs Aid Association.

Reg. No G54658810 www.catsndogsaid.com

Taylor Lola is a small (approx.

8kgs) mixed breed dog born approx. Nov 2012.

She is a lovely, happy and energetic little dog who loves to play. She was dum­ ped in a village so she is Lola looking for a new home. If you’d like to find out more about this sweet little dog please ring the PEPA helpli­ ne on 650 304 746 or email: p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

Susie is a lovely friendly black fluffy girl who was recently abandoned. She has been spayed, has had all her inoculations and will have her own passport. Can you give her a home?

Please contact Linda 965725794 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.animalaid­ costablanca.org

Lovely Poppy was rescued from a derelict building and is looking for a loving home.

She is one of 80+ cats and kittens, many of whom have never had a loving home.

To meet Poppy, please con­ tact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Susie

Poppy

JAMIE is a small boy who was found wandering & lost.

He had a broken hip and needed an operation. He is now fully recovered and is looking for a nice new home.

He has been castrated, had all relevant inoculations and has his own passport. PLEA­ SE CALL LINDA ON 965725794 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.animalaid­ costablanca.org

Nella is approx a 4year old Staffie Cross. She is a very affectionate loving girl, likes cuddles, company and also settles well by herself. She loves people and would be more suited as the only dog in the house. Please call the PEPA helpdesk on 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.ani­ malcharity@gmail.com

Jake is a delightful young Spanish Galgo, who would be make a wonderful mem­ ber of any family. Because of the terrible conditions Spanish Galgos are rescued from here in Spain, he will need to go to a very special home with lots of love. Is that your home? To arrange to meet Jake, please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Jamie

Nella

Jake

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

ALL WORK IS JUST THE JOB With the recent news about young people having to work until they are at least seventy because of the aging population, I started to think about jobs and careers and wondered why we end up doing the job that we do.

In the current employment climate it is so important to just have a job and those with work do not have the luxury to be able to give it up in the hope of finding something they enjoy. But what leads us to do the job that we are in in the first place? Why we chose the career path that we do I think depends on a vari­ ety of issues. Some people go into a career because it is what they enjoy as a hobby and it leads to paid work.

Careers in the arts, such as acting obviously attract those that have a talent in that area, although the arts is a difficult sector to find work in, though those with talent and a lot of luck can find enough gainful employment which at least manages to pay the bills! The talentless triers soon fall by the wayside into other areas

of work. Others chose a career because they are good at something, so if you are a maths whizz you are likely to follow a career with numbers, whether it be as an economist, maths teacher or accountant.

What about those that fall into jobs, that don´t seem to excel in anything or don´t believe in themselves enough to find a well­paid career? These are the peo­ ple whose careers are in low paid manual work, which is the type of work that really none of us want to do but that are as important as any other. Cleaning, waitressing or working behind a bar are not careers that we decide we want as a child but with­ out the people that do these jobs, everything would be self­service and very dirty. I always like to acknowledge a cleaner as much as a shop assistant if I am in a super­ market for example, and in fact, I hold the staff in the shop with a higher regard than the managers sat in their offices making the deci­ sions. To me the hardest job

is one where you have to face the public, apart from life threatening jobs such as a soldier on the front line. A job where you have to deal with members of the public on a daily basis can really be the most stressful! I under­ stand that stockbrokers are dealing with huge amounts of other people’s money but they get paid handsomely for it. Take it from me when you face unhappy people, espe­ cially when it’s not your fault, really does test your person­ al stamina as you take their criticism with a smile, min­ gled in with patience and no small amount of courage.

Whether you are a waitress dealing with a customer whose food doesn´t taste right or a police officer deal­ ing with an angry person, the same tact is called for.

But back to my original point, is the job we choose after school the one that we thought we would end up in or did we just somehow fall into it? When I am talking to young teenagers in some of my classes, I ask them what they want to be when they

leave school. Some of them are sure about the career that they are going to choose, I have heard archi­ tect many times, also jour­ nalist and barrister, however there are also those who have absolutely no idea what they want to do. I admit to having been in the latter cat­ egory, because when I was growing up, I didn’t have a clue what job I wanted to do.

I loved acting but somehow never saw it as a career, although I was good at it, but due to a lack of confidence, I never followed it up as a job option. I drifted through work as I left school and college, earning money where I could, mainly in bars which, when I was eighteen, I really enjoyed. I moved to London at twenty years old and decided that I needed to choose a career. I had a job with an agency cleaning houses and then found work in a wine bar by London Bridge. It was fun but not a job I could see myself doing when I was forty, and so I applied for the police, more on a whim than anything

serious. It was the early nineties and getting into the Metropolitan Police was diffi­ cult, since there were many people applying for just a few vacancies. Therefore it took me eighteen months to final­ ly get accepted and start training. During my early induction and training, I decided that after all this work there was no way I was ever going to leave, plus I enjoyed being a police offi­ cer. I liked the high visibility of wearing the uniform; of peo­ ple knowing what I was; and of being able to help people and catch the bad guys. Of course, all that changed with time as respect was lost and our senior management, as well as the public and press, started to stab us in the back. So, a job I thought was for life turned out to be a job for thirteen years and I was faced not only with looking for new work but also looking for it in a new country. I have now found something I enjoy doing, although it took me to my late thirties to find it. I really do wonder how many of today’s young, who don´t

have a career idea, will end up in the same position as me when they reach their mid­thirties, or will that option of giving it all up and moving away be just a dream? As I wrote recently, the popula­ tion is growing and jobs are becoming harder to come by, so maybe your first job will be your only job, which heaps even more pressure on our young people. I guess the thing to do if you are thinking of starting out on a career path is to choose what you enjoy, and hopeful­ ly it will be something you are good at and being realis­ tic is a big benefit when job hunting. I would be interest­ ed to find out what people think about their jobs and how many, like me, are happy with what they are getting paid to do. I suppose there will always be the ones who know and the ones who drift, but a waitress does an important job and gets hard­ ly any credit. Not everybody can be a doctor or a lawyer, and if everybody was, who would serve them their cock­ tails?

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Friday, December 13, 2013

MAGNIFICENT MANDELA

THE state funeral of ex­ ment for trying to overthrow South African president, the apartheid regime that Nelson Mandela, will be ruled South Africa quite something with a fist of this Sunday, iron, and and along the though he lines for a w a s political mainly leader not commit­ seen per­ ted to haps since non­vio­ that for l e n t JFK back protest, in 1963. he did It was a form a year earlier m o r e that Mandela militant had been sen­ grouping tenced to life in 1961. imprison­ That move, along with his affiliation to a communist organi­

sation, led to a number of Western leaders branding the soft­spoken campaigning lawyer as a terrorist, includ­ ing famously or perhaps infa­ mously Margaret Thatcher back in the 1980’s.

Meanwhile, the apartheid South African government enjoyed doing business with various international compa­ nies, including those with British connections. The banks were notorious, and I well remember being involved in a student protest in boycotting a branch of Barclays on our university campus over their refusal to disinvest from the apartheid regime. It did no good, but it was better than doing nothing espe­ cially when you saw most Western governments

acting with gross hypocrisy because they’d rather have their business communities earning lots of money as opposed to taking a stand for basic human rights.

The genius of Mandela, who was released from prison in 1990, was that he did the impossible. Despite fears that South Africa would become a powder keg in the light of the introduction of democracy, it never actually happened, because he brought people together, including the sensible major­ ity of the white population who didn’t have much truck in the first place with what their government had been doing. The problem was that the minority held power with the guns and their bullying tactics as well playing a

racist card of fear.

I went to Cape Town for a fortnight in 1994, an unbe­ lievable proposition for me just a few years earlier, and I was impressed with what the younger white people were telling me about their country and how optimistic they were for the future. All of them mentioned Mandela within seconds of our bar room chats, and how they felt that the newly elected President was the only person that could hold the new democra­ cy together, with the black majority ruling the roost. If you just look at his second­ rate successors of Mbeki and Zuma, you realise what a different class he was in.

Not that he achieved every­ thing that he wanted, espe­ cially in regard to poverty

and stopping the spread of AIDS/HIV, and he should have done more on fighting corruption that was endemic in South Africa.

He freely admitted after he retired from public office in 1999 that he didn't do enough on these issues, but at least he was honest enough to admit it. On the big picture though, of making sure that civil war didn’t hap­ pen and getting the country reintegrated within the inter­ national fold, then it was textbook stuff from a man that could genuinely be classed as a great leader.

There are not many people you can give that label to, over the last 100 years, and thank heavens that he was the right man at the right time!

LÍNEA DIRECTA REPORTS ON DRIVING IN WINTER Línea Directa is one of the key players in the fight to reduce the number of acci­ dents on our roads. For almost 20 years, it has promoted research into accident rates in order to encourage safe driving habits. Due to the risks involved with driv­ ing in winter months, it now offers advice on how to act in adverse weather condi­ tions.

With respect to the car: 1. Check your car, especially the mechanical components. Pay attention to brakes, lights, windscreen wipers and brake fluid, antifreeze and oil levels.

2. Don’t forget to check the condition of your tyres including the spare wheel, checking pressure, tread and the grooves of each tyre, which must have a minimum depth of 1.6mm.

3. Always take a reflective jacket, two warning triangles and a torch with you. Also ensure that your mobile is charged in case you need to use it in an emergency.

With respect to driving: 1. If you often drive in snow, consider buying winter tyres. In any case, avoid any sudden movements and, as a general rule, do not overtake. Take special care with snow which has turned into ice and always drive at low speeds.

2. If it is foggy or raining, adapt your speed and distance from the vehicle ahead to the weather conditions. Do not brake suddenly to avoid skidding.

3. Aim the vehicle’s heating system at the windows to prevent them from fogging up as a result of humidity.

4. When overtaking, reaching crossroads, leaving tunnels and in open spaces, be careful with any sudden gusts of wind, which might lead to a loss of steering and the vehicle overturning.

Call now for more information on 902 123 104

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Tony

Mayes

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT

ISMAIL’S LIFE OF RILEY

This is the contents of a possible letter home from an asylum seeker to Britain...

Dear Mohammad, Arrived safely in Britain after a very arduous journey from our town in Ethiopia and cannot believe how welcom­ ing the British people have been so far while we wait our turn to see whether we can make the UK our new home. Guess what. We were all taken to this lovely five­ star hotel in a place called Sale, which is near Manchester. You can't believe how fantastic this luxury hotel is compared to where you are all now back in Ethiopia.

The food is fantastic, the rooms out of this world. I'm told that the football team Manchester United have their parties here and it costs £125­a­night to stay here.

They even closed the hotel for other pay­ ing guests so we call can stay here, isn't that wonderful?

We couldn't stay for more than a day or two on our annual pay and I'm told that the average British person couldn't afford it either for more than a week or two. But we're going to be able to stay here in absolute luxury for up to nine weeks, all paid for by those lovely British people out of the taxes they pay. I'm told that British people are going without a lot and are having very low pay rises just so their wonderful government have the money to look after us. Britain is everything that we were told it would be, the people just rush to give us all their money, they're so generous.

Once I am given permission to stay in Britain you all must come and join us. The government here will wel­ come you with open arms. I don't really understand it much, but I'm told this generosity all comes from some­ thing called the Human Rights Act. I'll have to read all about it so you can quote it when you arrive here.

Lots of love, Ismail.

No, I haven't lost my mind. This really is happening.

Private company Serco, appointed by the government to organise accommodation for asylum seekers, has comman­ deered this luxury hotel for 31 families ­ a total of more than 100 people. Local councillors are furious, as are local tax­ payers. The hotel bill, with food, could run to as much as £293,750. An unrepentant Serco said the families ‘will be found further housing throughout the North West of England’ pending the outcome of their asylum claims. Can you think of any other country quite as barmy as Britain?

Britain's crass stupidity doesn't end there. How about this?

A Somali rapist who held a knife to a pregnant woman’s throat as he raped her has been allowed to stay in Britain to protect his human rights. Mustafa Abdullahi, 31, was jailed for ten years after he threatened to kill his victim and repeat­ edly assaulted her. He was set to be deported on release, but immigration judges have ruled he cannot be kicked out because his mother and other family members live in the UK. They said he had been here so long, it would breach his right to a private and family life to force him to return to Somalia. The immigration tribunal accepted that because he had tattoos, which are considered un­Islamic in Muslim countries, he would be ‘vulnerable to serious harassment’, but concluded it was safe for him to return. However, they then allowed him to stay because of his right to a private and family life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. Despite not having any children or a wife in Britain, they said it would be wrong to send him home because of the length of time he has lived in the UK. The judges also decided he could stay because of his ‘close relatives’ here and ‘very regular con­ tact with his parent and siblings’. The case is the latest in a

criminal mind for their own gains. Can you imagine a gang of thieves armed with such a device? They commit a daring robbery and are able to thwart police trying to pursue them by acti­ vating the engine zapping device. It wouldn't be long before it would fall into the hands of even more sinister groups. Just imagine if electromag­ netic waves could be aimed at a heli­ copter or plane? And if these "waves' could paralyse vehicles, it wouldn't take much more technical develop­ ment to wipe out power stations and the National Grid. How long could a nation exist without electrical power before it was reduced to the Middle Ages? I think this development is very worrying because of where it could lead.

Last week the results of interna­ tional tests on 15­year­olds' understanding of maths, reading and science were pub­ lished. And what an indictment on Britain's lack of achieve­ ment the results were, as UK kids failed to make the top 20 in any of the subjects. They were beaten hands down by schoolchildren in the Far East, notably Shanghai in China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. All were among the highest ranked across all subjects. Looking at Europe, Finland, Ireland and Poland came tops in reading; in maths, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Netherlands were the leaders, while in science, it was Poland, Finland and Estonia.

Looking at the UK, Wales fell behind the other countries.

Could this be because the Labour controlled establishment there is spending less per child on education than the rest of the UK, and Welsh kids' heads are needlessly being filled with the unnecessary learning of the Welsh language, with obviously less time available to teach other more necessary subjects to get a good job? For decades, employers have been complaining at the standard of education of home­ grown kids, and that's why they look overseas to recruit. And it's not necessarily the fault of teachers, as parents have much to answer for, with a growing underclass of people in the UK concerned with all the pleasures of life rather than properly nurturing their offspring. Britain must snap out of this ridiculous complacency, because there's no doubt that other countries will advance while the UK falls behind in the range of jobs and opportunities available, the quality of life, and standard of living. There is one word of caution in all this. Kids in the Far East, after a full day at school, go to evening classes for more lessons. But that is putting so much pressure on teenagers they are falling ill and an increasing number are turning to suicide. There's always a downside to everything!

On the subject of international surveys, another came out last week ­ that of international perceptions of offi­ cial corruption, which has put Spain down six points to 40th place after a series of recent scandals. Only Syria, in the middle of a civil war, lost more points in the survey, carried out by the Berlin­based Transparency International. The list of 177 countries put Denmark and New Zealand top with 91 out of 100. The UK is ranked in 14th place, up from 17 last year, with a score of 76 points out of 100. Scandals involving cash channelled to Spain's politicians and its royal family saw the country lose points. So many more properties could be sold in Spain if only the country could shake off its repu­ tation for state corruption. The crazy nonsense of the illegal building of homes, of developers able to ride roughshod over people's property and lack of adequate safeguards have left a legacy. Spain's sad unemployment toll could have been so much less had not so many been on the take and were left unchecked for years.

q

series of human rights judgments in which judges favour the rights of criminals over those of victims and the wider public.

Tory MP Dominic Raab said: ‘This vicious man should be on the first plane back to Somalia. It makes a mockery of British justice and human rights to see such a dangerous thug dance rings around the UK system.’ I couldn't agree more. It really is about time we stopped being subservient to the Human Rights Act which is a total nonsense. Every case like this makes people more determined to support UKIP. A British company has demonstrated a prototype device capable of stopping cars and other vehicles using a blast of electromagnetic waves. The RF Safe­Stop uses radio frequency pulses to "confuse" a vehicle's elec­ tronic systems, cutting its engine. The company E2V is one of several trying to bring such a product to market. It said it believed the primary use would be as a non­lethal weapon for the military to defend sensitive locations from vehicles refusing to stop. There has also been police interest. If this isn't worrying, I don't know what is. Fair enough if it is kept in the hands of those trying to keep law and order and "peaceful" military purposes. But from bitter experience, we all know that once something is invented, there's someone somewhere planning to use it for far more sinister purposes.

Cash machines, internet banking, sexual grooming over the web and mobile phones are all modern devices used by the

q

q

BANKED TO RIGHTS

A six man Romanian gang that specialised in blowing up ATM machines have been arrested by the Guardia Civil. Gas mixtures were used to cause explosions

in the Murcia, Almeria, Zaragoza, and Valladolid regions, with the Guardia saying that they were behind some 18 inci­ dents. After a house raid in Andalucia, found evi­

dence that another 4 rob­ beries were being planned in Murcia. The gang infamously bit off more than they could chew with an explosion at a bank in the village of

San Cayetano last month, as previously reported by The Courier, running away without the loot but leaving plenty of evi­ dence for the Guardia to eventually round up the gang, 5 of whom were arrested in the Murcia region.

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 101 Hi, and I hope you had a good week this week, here are the answers to last weeks translations, how did you get on?

There is one person in the shop – hay una persona en la tienda, it is necessary to study in order to learn ­ hay que estudiar para aprender, in winter I prefer to ski – en invierno prefiero esquiar, I have a bath every day – me baño cada día (todos los días), John is preparing dinner – Juan está preparando la cena, we have lived here for more than ten years – hemos vivido aquí por más de diez años, my watch is not working – mi reloj no funciona, if you go to the party, call me – si vas a la fiesta, llámame, when Carlos lived in New York, he used to go to the theatre frequently – cuando Carlos vivía en Nueva York, iba al teatro con fre­ quencia, Arturo wants to dance, he is ready for the party – Arturo quiere bailar, él está listo para la fies­ ta, don´t say anything! ­ ¡no digas nada!, it´s very cold – hace mucho frio, I would go to the shops but I don´t have time – Yo iría a las tiendas pero no tengo tiem­ po, we have to leave now – tenemos que ir ahora, yester­ day there was a meeting – ayer hubo una reunión, Spanish food is delicious – la comida española es deliciosa, Have you got up in a good mood today? ­ ¿te has levantado hoy de buen humor?, we will buy the food tomorrow – com­ praremos la comida mañana, do you want anything else? ­ ¿quieres algo más?, it is said that the price of petrol is going up – se dice que la gasolina va a subir de precio, what do you do in your free time? ­ ¿qué haces en tu tiempo libre?, how many children do you have? ­ ¿cuántos hijos tienes?, do you like to go to the cinema? ­ ¿te gusta ir al cine?, do you have to go right now? ­ ¡tienes que ir ahora mismo?

Then I gave you a passage and asked you to conjugate the infinitive, this was the passage: Me llamo Ricardo Aguirre, soy inginiero y vivo en

Bilbao. Trabajo en una fábrica de artículos elec­ trodomésticos. Mis actividades habituales son las sigu­ ientes: normalmente (despertarse) a las 6.30 de la mañana, luego (levantarse) y (ducharse) y sobre las 7.30 (desayunar) con mi esposa y mis tres hijos A las 8.30 (salir) de casa para ir a la fábrica. Por lo general (ir) en el coche, pero a veces (Coger) el autobús. Al mediodía no (volver) a casa a comer, ya que normalmente yo (almorzar) con unos colegas en un restaurante cerca de la empresa. A las 7.30 (marcharse) a casa, oero de vez en cuando (ir) a un club deportivo dondo (jugar) al tenis con algún amigo. Por la noche, después de cenar, a veces (dar) un paseo con mi esposa. Nunca (acostarse) antes de las 12.00.

The correct conjugations are: me despierto, me levan­ to, me ducho, desayuno, salgo, voy, cojo, vuelvo,

almuerzo, me marcho, voy, juego, doy, me acuesto.

Then there was the paragraph to translate, I hope you found it quite straightforward, the version in English was: There are many ways to learn a language. One can use the internet, which has many different websites, some are free and others have verbal practise as well, where you can hear the accent and pronunciation.

Another option is to go to language class with a teacher who can help you personally and make sure that you are learning at a steady pace. Of course there is another way which is free, and that is to learn from newspapers like this one and use all you have learnt with Spanish friends, neighbours and the staff at your local shop or bar.

And the Spanish translation is: Hay muchas maneras de aprender un idioma. Se puede utilizar el internet, que tiene muchas páginas web diferentes, algunas son gratuitas y otras tienen ejercicios orales también, donde se puede escuchar el acento y la pronunciación. Otra opción es ir a clase de lengua con un maestro que pueda ayudarle personalmente y asegúrese de que usted está aprendiendo a un ritmo constante. Por supuesto hay otra manera que es gratuito, y eso es aprender de los periódicos como éste y utilizar todo lo que has aprendi­ do con amigos españoles, vecinos y el personal de su tienda local o en el bar.

I hope you got on ok with these translations, keep check­ ing your knowledge, keep learning and whenever you read Spanish try and say the words out loud with good pronunci­ ation, if you are unsure of your translation the best way to check is ask either a Spanish language teacher or a Spanish person.

Have a great week, next week we will be talking about Christmas in Spain and learning some new words and phras­ es.

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

HEALTHY EATING HABITS: SIX IS FOR SUCCESSFUL EATING

You'd think that after years of eating, you would have learned a thing or two about munching down on food by now. However, there is one myth that still clouds many a dining room. I'm talking about the one that says you should only eat three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner and not eat in between.

If you're in the habit of eating only three times per day and think that you are eating for optimum health, you'd be absolutely WRONG! Eating only three times a day is anything but the right way to go about feed­ ing your body, and you'll actually be sur­ prised at how complex eating really is.

The human body is a magnificent piece of biological machinery that relies on food for fuel in order to keep it going. So, as I'm sure you already know, food is needed for ener­ gy. Throughout the day your body uses this energy for daily functioning and to help it perform during exercise and activities.

However, unlike a car, you cannot fill your body with fuel (food) until the "tank" is complete­ ly full. You need to give it a constant, steady supply of nutrients

throughout the day. So instead of three 'square' meals per day, break those down into six smaller sized portions and eat every two to three hours.

Now before you get carried away, don't think that this is your ticket to food freedom where you can chomp down on all the burg­ ers, cookies and fried, fatty foods you want.

Eating unhealthy, fatty food will not benefit you in any way, no matter which way you look at it. When I say eat six times a day, I certainly don't mean eating all the junk food you can possibly shove into your mouth. I'm talking about feeding your body with lean proteins such as chicken, fish, lean beef, as well as wholesome, unprocessed, natural carbohydrates such as your fruit and veg­ gies, sweet potatoes and brown/whole wheat rice, as well as a little fat. You can use the formula below to determine exactly how to split up your plate and get in all the nutri­ ents your body needs for optimal function­ ing.

When you eat a big meal and don't burn it off, your body ends up with an excess of food and more "fuel" than it needs. During this time, your body sends a signal to the brain, telling it that more insulin is needed.

Insulin helps to regulate your blood sugar levels and an overproduction of insulin leads to feelings of lethargy (hence the reason you feel tired after a big Sunday lunch), but on a more serious note, an overproduction of insulin can also lead to weight gain and pos­ sibly even diabetes.

These excess calories that you shoved into your mouth do not get burned up because you're parking off on the couch watching football, so your body now stores these excess calories for later use.

This in return means that your body is

Winter Skin Care When temper­ atures drop it is time to think of how cold weath­ er, chilling winds and dry air will affect your skin.

We naturally think of bundling up during those frosty months but there are a few other considera­ tions.

1. Keep your face protected by using heavier moisturizers, especially if you have dry skin. Always wear foundation when weathering the cold — give your face that extra protection. Don't forget the rest of your skin and use body washes instead of harsh soaps. Use lukewarm water and keep hot water off your face and body — it's drying in the best of times. Apply moisturizer after showering, while you skin is still damp.

2. During the winter the UV rays reflecting off the snow have an added ability to dam­ age your skin. While skiing, snowboarding or enjoying any outdoor sports remember to wear a SPF of 15 or more. Don't forget that UV rays can harm your eyes as well, so

keep them pro­ tected with sun­ glasses.

3. Keep your hands dry and warm during the winter months by always wearing gloves; keep moisturizer close at all times and reapply often.

4. Winter is the worst time of the year to keep nails in good shape. To avoid brittle nails moisturize your cuticles before going to bed (I use olive oil). Always protect your hands with rubber gloves when you use cleaning products. Some are harsh and will seep into your nails and make them brit­ tle.

5. Keep your lips protected from dry, cold air by wearing lipstick regularly. Make a habit of reapplying lipstick so your lips are always covered (except when you sleep) and you will never have chapped lips.

6. Exfoliate your face and body regularly to smooth away dry patches or prevent them.

7. Visit a spa and get pampered.

storing fat and you are ultimately gaining weight.

The trick to keeping your body and energy levels sustained and keeping the weight loss at bay is taking your three square meals (remember breakfast, lunch and dinner) and breaking them down into smaller portions of six. So, at the end of the day you are getting in the same amount of food, just at a slower, steadier pace which will benefit your body, boost your metabolism and stop the cycle of uncontrollable weight gain.

Eating healthy and for optimal nutrition is not something that will happen overnight.

Remember, for many years you've been feeding your body a certain way and have developed a habit of eating that way.

Although habits are hard to break, with dis­ cipline and consistency you can change the way you eat and never have to worry about dieting again. Make healthy eating part of your everyday life. Go to a bookshop and stock up on healthy food recipes. You'll be surprised at how many healthy meals you can cook up that are just as satisfying as eating out at your favourite takeout joint.

Another important factor to remember is not to skip out on meals either. Just because you are eating less, doesn't mean your body doesn't need those nutrients. Make meal­ times a priority and plan your meals in advance. Set reminders on your cell phone, in your diary or on your PC and make sure you eat when it's time to eat. Prepare your meals in advance and if you just "can't make that much food," try finding a meal replace­ ment shake that is balanced in lean protein, carbohydrates and has a small amount of unsaturated fat. There is also a wide range of nutritious bars that can help make life a lit­

tle easier. Just remember: bars can also contain loads of sugar, which is not ideal in your path to weight loss success.

Eating regularly and sustaining your blood sugar levels will make you feel better, not only because your body is now being fuelled instead of just fed, but you will look better, have more energy and enjoy life. You prob­ ably won't have to go on diet to shape up for summer and look and feel your best all year round. Now doesn't that sound more tempt­ ing than any junk food on the planet?

Use this formula to help you determine your ideal portion sized meals: 1. Before we start, it is a good idea to determine your portion size. Each person has his/her own unique portion size, based on his/her body. In order to determine yours, simply clench your fist or use the palm of your hand (without fingers) as a guide. That is your unique portion — compare it to foods and you're on your way to successful eating.

2. Next, you will need to divide your plate up into four sections. i. Take one half and fill it with lean protein such as skinless, boneless chicken breast, lean mince, skinless hake, salmon, or turkey breast. ii. Fill the next quarter with plain vegeta­ bles (i.e. without cream or dressing) and go for options such as steamed broccoli, cauli­ flower, carrots, green beans or a mixed salad with lettuce, cucumber and tomato. iii. Next, fill just less than one quarter with low glycaemic, wholesome carbohydrates such as brown or basmati rice, sweet potato or whole wheat bread. iv. The remaining bit can be used for your unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, olives or almonds etc.

ASPARTAME – A TOXIC SWEETENER

DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

Aspartame is an intense artificial sweetener sold under several brand names such as Equal, Spoonful, Amino sweet, Canderel, and many more especially since its patent expired in 2005. It is the most widely used artificial sweetener, and in Europe, it is authorized to be used as a food additive in food­ stuff such as drinks, desserts, chewing gum, dairy, energy reducing and weight control products.

Even though aspartame has become an integral part of the modern diet, it was once listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent due to its deadly effects on the brain and nervous system.

Aspartame is a chemical compound containing phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol.

Aspartic acid is found in certain foods, but in exces­ sive amounts causes the nerves to become over excited, leading to neuro­ logical problems such as seizures, memory loss and brain damage.

Phenylalanine causes severe health problems in children born with a genet­ ic inability to metabolise it.

In normal people, it has been shown that consum­ ing aspartame especially with carbohydrates raises the levels of phenylalanine in the brain. High levels of phenylalanine reduce the levels of serotonin leading to emotional problems such as depression and mood swings. Methanol also known as wood alco­ hol is a deadly poison.

When ingested, it breaks down into formaldehyde, a deadly toxin to the brain.

Methanol poisoning is well known for its damaging effects to the retina, lead­ ing to blindness. Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, nausea, abdominal dis­ comfort, weakness, chills, memory lapses, and behavioural disturbances.

Formaldehyde is also known to interfere with the DNA causing birth defects, and is also a cancer caus­ ing agent.

Avoid foods that contain aspartame. As bad as sugar is, it is a lot safer than aspartame. Honey is a good natural substitute.

Stevia, a sweetener from plants, is another suitable alternative.

FOR A FULL BODY DIAGNOSTIC SCAN, CALL DR MANNU ON 965071745

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Friday, December 13, 2013

WHY FLU JABS CAN COUGH UP TROUBLE Q

About 7 months ago, I started having dry cough; however since February this year, I started cough­ ing up sputum that is sometimes stained pink. I had been to my doctor earlier and he prescribed 2 different antibiotics that didn’t help. When I noticed the coloura­ tion, I informed my doctor who sent me for an X­ray and later on a CT scan. But nothing was detected. I have wondered if there is a connection between a flu jab I had just before the cough started. I will appreciate any advice you can give me.

A

I agree with you that your problems may have arisen from the flu vaccine you had. Flu vaccines contain a preservative known as thimerasol. And this chemical con­ tains up to 50% mercury. Mercury is a known neurotoxin.

This means that mercury causes damage to the nerves and brain. Mercury toxicity has also been linked to respiratory problems, memory loss, depression, cardiovascular dis­ eases, and digestive problems. Very recently I came across someone who also took the flu vaccine late last year, and shortly after developed extremely high blood pressure. And another who suffered from diarrhoea for several weeks after the vaccine. Flu vaccines like other types of vaccines cause an acute inflammatory reaction in the body and this can manifest in the form of symptoms such as cough, bone pains, diarrhoea, high blood pressure etc. Since you’ve tried several courses of antibiotics without much help, it may be because you cough is due to an inflammatory reac­ tion and not an infection. It is very probable that you many have strained your respiratory or digestive passages while coughing. This slight injury would have resulted in bleeding that you see in your sputum. From the history you give, I believe you will benefit from a metabolic detoxification. This will help your body eliminate poisonous toxins, such as the

mercury from the flu jab. These toxins may be causing your problem. Mercury accumulates especially in the fat cells of the body. The brain is 60% fat, and the nerves have a fatty coating around them. This is why mercury has been linked to neuro­degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. A metabolic detox con­ tains useful nutrients such as N­Acetyl Cysteine, Glutamine and many other vital chemicals needed by the liver and intestines to pump out toxins from cells. It is also likely that your immune system would have been weakened from the courses of antibiotics you had. For this reason, you will need to stimulate your immune system. Reishi extract is a powerful immune booster, and one of the best in my expe­ rience. Echinacea also improves the immune system. High quality natural products are highly effective and beneficial for the body. These benefits are never felt with cheaper and low quality supplements and natural remedies.

Q A

Are there any health benefits of taking evening primrose oil?

Evening primrose oil (EPO) has a number of health benefits because it is very rich in GLA – Gamolenic acid. GLA is one of the few Omega­6 fatty acids with anti­ inflammatory properties. Usually, Omega­6 oils trigger inflammatory reactions in the body. When GLA is con­ sumed, it is broken down in the body into substances called prostaglandins which help lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, improve nerve function, and regulate cal­ cium levels in the bones. And while the body can make tiny amounts of GLA, this process can easily be blocked by fac­ tors such as smoking, pollution, alcohol, sugar as well as a lack of vitamins and minerals. Evening primrose oil is con­ sumed as a supplement because it is very rich in GLA.

Other important sources of GLA are blackcurrant oil and starflower oil. EPO is very useful for combating diabetic neuropathy, a complication that occurs from long term dia­ betes. Diabetics are unable to process essential fatty acids (EFA) such as GLA. This causes a variety of disturbances, such as weak blood vessel walls and problems with blood clotting. When this occurs, the blood flow and oxygen sup­ ply to the nerves becomes diminished, causing diabetic neuropathy­ dysfunction of the nerves due to diabetes.

Researchers have observed that when people took 360 mg of GLA daily for 6 months they had reduced symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy, compared to people who received a placebo in the same time period. Evening prime rose oil appears to help reduce dry eyes that are common with people who wear contact lenses. One clinical trial involving 76 women found that those that took EPO for 6 months had reduced dryness and also felt a lot more com­ fortable with their contact lenses than the placebo group.

Another advantage is that EPO maintains the health of the skin. If the skin is low in essential fatty acids, it becomes scaly, rough, itchy, prematurely wrinkled and dry. It also become prone to spots because the oily glands becomes distorted and blocked, trapping grease. Taking evening oil as a supplement helps to keep the skin soft. It also reduces the symptoms of eczema and dry or itchy skin. EPO also provides the building blocks for making sex hormones.

Some evidence suggests that it can help treat pre­menstru­ al syndrome. It relieves bloating and the painful breasts that most women experience with PMS. In men, it has been shown to improve the symptoms of benign prostate enlarge­ ment (BPH).

PLEASE SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO contact@medb.es or to the editor of the courier.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Just the ticket HOME BOOST

Torrevieja’s Alzheimer’s Association, AFA, got the perfect pre­Xmas surprise with 2475 Euros from their Benidorm Holiday draw in association with David’s Coachtrips. The raf­ fle was won by Rita Monaghan, with David and Shauna handing over the very welcome money to the AFA team of Jennie Mutter and Judy Ferris. David’s firm has already donated a luxury cruise for the next raffle, and all the raised money is gratefully received by AFA this year, as many of their previous grants and support have been slashed or scrapped all together.

The Charity 4 Charities group dropped in on To r r e v i e j a Hospital to hand over a cheque of just over 3 thou­ sand Euros to help out­patients in home care units such as cardiolo­ gy and oncology.

The home­based service is an alternative to being in hospi­ tal, whilst still offering patients the care that they need. The Health department presented a plaque recognising all the work that Charity 4 Charities has done in raising money over recent years for Torrevieja Hospital.

Santa empties sack

There was quite a pow­wow on the streets of Santiago de la Ribera with the start of their Christmas festivities, though there were fortunately no scalpings to be spotted! Instead a Cheyenne Indian refugee from the old Sitting Bull tribe was on hand to say hello to his local squaw, Susan Atkinson.

Fortunately his tepee was hidden away from sight!

MUSICAL FOOTWORK

The always professional and enthusiastic Footwork Dance team will be putting on their annual Christmas Show this Sunday, and there’s something for everybody as they feature “Dancing in the Musicals”. There’ll be two performances with a matinee at 2.00pm, and the evening show starting at 7.30pm. Musicals featured in the show include Moulin Rouge, Annie, and the Phantom of the Opera. The event is being staged at the Escuela de Musica y Cultura in Los Montesinos, and tickets are available on the door at 6.50 Euros for adults and 4.50 Euros for children under 16. For more details, phone Carole on 662 137 329

Sun Santa, run!

500 Euros was raised by the Ladies who Lunch group at their Xmas Party in El Raso, Guardamar. Good company and food was bolstered by a very special visitor, namely Father Christmas who had a gift for every lady who was there. For details of the group which normally meets on the first Wednesday of the month at different restaurants, please phone Maddie Pinfold (pictured left) on 966 078 646 or Janine Williams (pictured right) on 966 261 359.

A watchful eye

TOP DOG

Neighbourhood Watch members let their guard down on a rare occasion, but there was plenty of good reason as the La Roseleda/Los Frutales branch held their Christmas Lunch in Torrevieja. Everybody was full of seasonal cheer, as well as reflecting on the 13 years since NHW was formed in the area to combat crime.

Oh yes, they did!

Sleigh rides and tarot card readings are just part of a Xmas Fayre tomorrow morning(Saturday), raising money for the Pets in Spain animal rescue charity. It’ll be on the space out­ side the Madagascar Mascotas Centre close to the Consum supermarket in Quesada between 10.00am and 2.00pm.

There’ll be a wide variety of stalls, plus you can learn more about the work of Pets in Spain. And if your dog is in the Xmas spirit, then it might be a winner, as the Madagascar store will be handing out a prize for the best dressed Santa dog!

HOW!

A talking beanstalk and Matilda the panto cow helped to raise 2700 Euros for local charities, all thanks to the latest Stagestruck pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Staged at San Fulgencio’s Cardenal Belluga Theatre, over 30 people worked on stage and behind the scenes, and they also put a very successful first ever Sunday matinee.

A sea of red and white would have amazed some on­look­ ers in Torrevieja last Sunday morning with the annual Santa Fun run along the city’s promenade. The event was organ­ ised in aid of the AECC Cancer charity by Maria and the Pink Ladies, with some 700 Euros being raised, topped up by 400 Euros that was taken the previous day at La Fuente commer­ cial centre.

EASY HORSE EXPANDS

It’s lucky seven for the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, as they’ve opened up their seventh charity shop along with a used furni­ ture warehouse in To r r e v i e j a .

Situated in the P o l i g o n o Industrial Casa Grande complex close to the Aqua Park, this 300 square metre store is by far the charity’s biggest shop to date. The new premises will be used for the cleaning and renovation of donated furni­ ture before being sold there and in the other charity shops.

Easy Horse founder, Sue Weeding explains, “By pro­ viding quality used furniture to the general public we are gaining valuable funds for the care of our 64 horses,

donkeys and ponies in our Rojales rescue centre. We are offering real bargains to those people who cannot afford new furniture in these times of crisis.”

Meanwhile, the Centre are hosting their Christmas Carol Concert this evening (Friday) at their Rojales headquarters, starting at 6.00pm. Music will be pro­ vided by Cathy Carson and the TAABS singers, along with hot and cold refresh­ ments.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

FESTIVE SPIRIT Golf fights Cancer

Voices will be raised in festive joy around the La Zenia area this Sunday evening with the ever popular La Zenia Christmas Concert. The event staged in the local church features the chamber choir, In Harmony, as well as the Cantemos!

Children's Choir ­ both under the watchful eye of their director Nigel Hopkins.

There will be plenty of new Christmas

songs and carols, as well as many tradition­ al and popular offerings, both in English and Spanish, as well as plenty of chances for you to join in. The concert starts at 8.00pm, and tickets cost just 5 Euros, with all the proceeds going to church funds.

They’re available from LA PONDEROSA shop near La Zenia island, or from choir members.

The Courier’s golf writer, Ivie Davies, is part of the team that’s launching a special Mixed Pairs golf compe­ tition in the New Year to highlight the fight against cancer in men and women. The event will be staged at the El Plantio Golf resort near Alicante on Friday January 17th, with the mission of Golf Fights Cancer being to tap into the passion and generosty of all golfers to raise needed funds for cancer­related organizations sup­ porting research and people living with the disease. It’s a chance to have some fun with the men and ladies pitting their golfing skills against pairs of a similar standard, as well as

raising money for a worthwhile cause.

The tournament is being organised by the Vega Baja Premier Golf League which will raise funds for the AECC Cancer Charity and Maria Wilson’s Pink Ladies Group. Other attractions on the day will include leading put­ ting coach Glenn Billington providing his services free of charge to help the charity, and there’ll be a presentation dinner com­ pleted with a golf­related fashion parade, in addition to a tombola full of golf goodies.

To register for the event contact Ivie Davies golfdavies@gmail.com or telephone 669 211 410

Torrevieja’s homeless charity, Reach Out, got an early Xmas present with 670 Euros raised by The Marina Bar in Toretta II, which included 100 Euros from the TAABS (The Torrevieja Association of Amateur Balladeers Singers) showgroup,

who provided the entertainment. The Bangers and Mash­Give us your Cash event was put together by Jack and Jennie Lowe (pictured), with the Marina Bar team of Rita and Dave hosting the fund­raiser.

BANGERS SIZZLE

Look after the pennies

HUNGER GAMES

How much can a “Penny Jar” raise for the Poppy Appeal in a year? The answer is clearly quite a lot as Chris and Sam, the owners of Los Amigos/Sam’s Bar in La Marina can safely vouch for! 12 months ago, a medium sized jar was quickly filled with just under 47 Euros, and now the bigger con­ tainer has raised a bumper 246 Euros for the

Royal British Legion.

La Marina is in the area covered by the Gran Alacant Branch of the RBL, and the branch meets on the 1st Monday of each month at 7.00pm at Bar Sioux, Gran Alacant.

For more details, send an E­mail to secre­ tarybr3606@gmail.com or call Robin on 966 695 423

The El Limonar International School at Villamartin has raised just under 13 hundred Euros for the Action Against Hunger Foundation, after a charity race earlier in the year. The school which caters for youngsters aged between 3 and 18 is already planning to take part in another fundraising run for the same charity next year.

All the fun of the Feria BE BRAVE!

Pilar de la Horadada’s Christmas Feria is on this Sunday at the municipal Carpa near the Sports Centre. Besides all the stalls, the Caritas charity will be collecting toys for needy youngsters in the area. Campoverde Neighbourhood Watch will be there to give advice on making your house safer; personal safety; UV marking of valuable items and they will have free leaflets with good advice to pre­ vent you becoming a victim of crime. NHW will also be holding a raffle for a Christmas Hamper with the proceeds going to Caritas.

Tobogganing has become the cool Christmas attraction at the heart of Murcia City, cutting out the need for a ride to the mountains to get your fill of adrenaline­spiked action. The city’s Barrio del Carmen has a huge, snow covered slide, along with a Christmas tree, snowmen, trampolines and an ice­skating rink. The rides will be open until January 7th from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 10pm, and 3 rides costing just 5 Euros, it won’t break the bank either!

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GLUTEN FREE CHRISTMAS SMOKED SALMON & AVOCADO TERRINES Ingredients

sunflower oil, for greasing 300g and 150g pack thinly sliced smoked salmon 100g pack Chevre or other mild goat's cheese, broken into small pieces 3 tbsp snipped chives 3 large ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and finely chopped 3 tbsp lemon juice sweet chilli sauce, for driz­ zling salad leaves and vinaigrette, to serve

Method

1. Lightly oil 8 small ramekins. Line with cling film, then the salmon (either 1 large or 2 smaller slices), allowing plenty of overhang.

2. Gently mix together the cheese, chives and avocado with the lemon juice and plenty of seasoning. Spoon into the salmon­lined ramekins, press down, fold over the overlap­ ping salmon, then cling film to seal in the mixture. Can be made the night before, but if making on the day they should be chilled for at least 4 hrs.

3. On the day, gently lift the terrines out of the ramekins using the cling film, then remove the film. Place the terrines on plates with some baby salad leaves tossed in a little vinai­

grette. Drizzle the terrine and plate with sweet chilli sauce.

Serve on their own or with toast.

SPICED ROAST BEEF WITH RED WINE GRAVY Ingredients 2 tbsp mixed peppercorns 2 tbsp mustard seeds, yel­ low or black, or 1 tbsp of each 2 tsp fennel seeds 1½ kg fillet of beef 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp wholegrain or English mustard (check the brand is gluten­free) 3 red onions, skins left on, thickly sliced into rounds a few thyme leaves, to serve (optional) For the gravy 2 tbsp olive oil 1½­2 tbsp cornflour 2 gluten­ and wheat­free beef stock cubes (check the label) 3­4 tbsp redcurrant jelly 400ml red wine

Method

1. Up to 2 days before, crush together the peppercorns and seeds using a pestle and mortar, or in a saucepan with the end of a rolling pin or similar. Brush the beef fillet all over with the mustard, then roll in the peppercorn mix to coat. Cover

and chill.

2. Two hours before you are ready to start cooking, take the beef out of the fridge to come to room temperature.

3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan big enough to hold the beef, and brown the beef all over, sea­ soning with salt. In a roasting tin, use the onions as a bed to sit the beef on – pat on any spices that have fallen off. Roast for 20 mins for rare, 25 mins for medium, and 35 mins for well­done beef.

4. Lift the beef from the tin and rest on a platter, covered with foil to keep it hot, for about 30 mins. Set the tin with the onions and roasting juices over the hob and stir in the oil, cornflour and crumbled stock cubes. Mix in the jelly, then gradually stir in the wine and 400ml boiling water, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom. Simmer for 15 mins until reduced a little. Season, then sieve into a clean pan to keep warm, discarding the onions. Slice the beef, scatter over the thyme, if you like, and serve with the gravy.

SMOKED SALMON WITH PRAWNS, HORSERADISH CREAM & LIME VINAIGRETTE Ingredients 1 tbsp crème fraîche 1 tsp horseradish sauce 4 slices smoked salmon 10 large cooked prawns, peeled but tails left on For the salad

Continued on pg 28

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Friday, December 13, 2013

juice 1 lime, finely grated zest of ½ 1 tsp clear honey ½ tsp finely grated fresh root ginger 2 tbsp light olive oil 2 handfuls small leaf salad

200g pack chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced handful flat­leaf parsley, chopped

Method

Method

Mix the crème fraîche with the horseradish and a little salt and pepper. For the dressing, whisk the lime juice and zest with the honey, ginger and seasoning, then whisk in the oil.

Lay the smoked salmon and prawns on 2 plates, then top with a dollop of the horseradish cream. Toss the salad in most of the dressing and pile on top. Drizzle the remaining dressing around the plate and serve.

RED WINE RISOTTO WITH DUCK & GARLICKY MUSHROOMS Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 1 onion, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed thyme sprig, leaves picked 300g risotto rice 300ml red wine 1.4l chicken stock, hot about 175g leftover ducks, shredded

a little oil, for frying

Method

1. Microwave potatoes on high for 10 mins until tender.

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a wide saucepan, then add the onion, Leave to cool for 5 mins, scoop the flesh in a bowl, then carrots and celery. Cover, then gently cook for 10 mins until mash and leave to cool. Season with olive oil, lemon zest and soft. Tip in two­thirds of the garlic, fry for 1 min, turn up the juice to taste, then mix in the egg, salmon and parsley. Shape heat, then add the thyme and rice. Stir for a few mins, then into small rounds 3cm wide and 1cm deep. Chill for 15 mins.

2. Dust each cake with the peppered flour, then fry over a low add the wine and let it reduce to almost nothing.

2. Stir in the stock over a medium heat, ladle by ladle, waiting heat in a little oil for 2­3 mins on each side. Drain on kitchen for each addition to absorb before adding the next. Keep the paper and serve garnished with salmon and parsley. heat on medium – too hot and the stock will evaporate rather than be absorbed by the rice. When the rice is creamy and HALLOUMI & BACON ROLLS justcooked, take off the heat, add the duck, then cover for 5 Ingredients mins to heat through.

250g block halloumi cheese 3. Melt the remaining butter in another wide pan, add the 10 rashers pancetta or mushrooms, then fry them on a high heat for about 3 mins smoked streaky bacon until golden. Add the remaining garlic, fry for 1 min more, 1 tbsp chopped chives then season. Stir the mushrooms into the risotto, then scatter Method with parsley and serve.

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 6. Cut the hallou­ SALMON & LEMON MINI FISH CAKES 180C/gas mi into 20 sticks. stretch Ingredients each rasher of pancetta with 2 large baking potatoes the back of a knife, then cut 2 tbsp olive oil in half. season the pancetta grated zest and juice ½ lemon with just black pepper, then 1 egg yolk sprinkle with the chopped chives.

140g smoked salmon trimmings, plus extra to serve 2. Roll the pancetta around the halloumi in a spiral and 1 tbsp chopped parsley, plust extra arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 10­12 mins or until the 2 tbsp gluten­free flour mixed with 1 tsp coarsely ground pep­ pancetta is brown and beginning to crisp. per

BIRD OF PARADISE – HEAVENLY VIEWS AND MOUTH-WATERING FOOD Lo Pagan has a brand new English bar with breath­taking views across the still waters of the Mar Menor.

Situated between Lo Pagan and the windmill strip, Bird of Paradise is the ideal place to come for some delicious home­made food served in pleasant, friendly sur­ roundings. The décor is light, bright and colourful, and the terrace is a real sun trap, so you can enjoy the stunning views all year round.

They offer some home­made cooking.

Sue freshly bakes the cakes every morn­ ing, so if you fancy a slice of mouth­ watering carrot cake, scrumptious chocolate cake or delicious Victoria sponge cake or coffee and walnut, to name but a few, this is the place to come to. From 4pm to 6pm you can enjoy a typical afternoon tea, with sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, a choice of cakes and a big pot of tea. At just 10 Euros for two people you can’t go wrong.

Bird of Paradise offers a choice of break­ fasts, light lunches, typical afternoon teas and an evening menu with a choice of 8 meals. Prices are very competitive; for example, prices of the evening meals, including starter, trio of desserts and a drink, are from just 10.95€, and the chil­ dren’s menu, which consists of a healthy starter, main course and trio of desserts, costs just 6.95€.

Opening times are 11am to late, Tuesday to Sunday, and 11am to 4pm on Mondays.

Booking is advisable for evening meals.

If you are looking for somewhere to host a Christmas party this is the ideal loca­ tion; you are guaranteed great food, a beautiful location and friendly service.

We will be open on Christmas Morning for anyone to come and have a festive drink.

For further details phone 634 420 100.

See their main ad on page 27 for further details.

29

Friday, December 13, 2013

SPANISH NEWS

STAR PANDA NAMED CROOKED FOOTIE Madrid's new, three­ month­old baby panda will be called Xing Bao, which means Treasure Star or Father's Treasure in Mandarin. The zoo baptised the tiny panda ­­ the male off­ spring of a giant panda that has already given birth to twins at the zoo ­­ 100 days after its August 30th birth­ day, in line with Chinese tradition. The name was chosen through a public online vote from a list of five choices.

"At only three months, Xing Bao has become a strong and healthy panda weighing almost six kilos that in recent weeks has

BOSS JAILED

started to develop greater strength in its hind legs and show its first incisors, which will allow it to start chewing bamboo leaves once it is six­months­old," the zoo said.

"Only after two years will little Bao become inde­ pendent from its mother

Hua Zui Ba, when it will cease to nurse and become totally auto­suffi­ cient," the zoo added.

The black and white cub has become a star attrac­ tion at the zoo, where it is put on display for just two hours each day inside a wooden cradle.

BIT OFF MORE THAN SHE CAN CHEW

A Córdoba woman is in custody after she gave her soon­to­be ex­husband a beating and bit his testicles. The 36­year­old woman allegedly left her husband battered and bruised during a 45­minute­long ordeal, with Córdoba's Criminal Court hearing how the attacker pushed her husband to the ground and began punching and kicking him.

"She tried to stick her fingers in his eyes and kicked him in the head, chest and back," the public prosecutor told the court. The woman then grabbed an ashtray and hit the man over the head with it. The scuffle took an even more violent turn when "she put a

Jose María del Nido, president of Sevilla football club, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for embez­ zlement and per­ verting the course of justice. A lawyer by trade, Del Nido was accused of charging the Marbella council millions of Euros for work that was either unnecessary or never even carried out between 1999 and 2003. The 56­year­ old was first sentenced to seven­and­a­half years for the crimes by a provincial court in Malaga back in 2011. Sevilla confirmed that his appeal to the Supreme Court had only

been successful in reducing that sentence by six months. Del Nido has been in charge of the Andalusian club since 2002 and over­ saw one of the most successful spells in its history as it won back­to­back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007.

WATCH THAT TIGER

An animal tamer was viciously attacked by the tiger he was per­ forming with dur­ ing a circus show in Madrid. 35 year­ old Danny Gottani was rushed to hos­ pital after sustain­ ing serious cuts and bites to his throat, legs and back last Sunday.

The audience had watched in disbe­ rope round his neck, tightened it sharply and lief as the big cat bit his ears and testicles," the prosecutor pounced on Gottani and added. "She then ripped out several pros­ wouldn't let go of him.

Some of the spectators thetic teeth from the man's mouth."

After 45 minutes, the victim escaped and thought the attack was alerted a neighbour. It wasn't the first time the woman had been in court for family­relat­ ed violence, as in May 2012 she was charged with physical abuse and given a 500­metre restraining order from her hus­ band for a year and three months. The cou­ ple are currently finalising their separation papers. The prosecutor is asking for four years in jail for inflicting bodily harm and an extended five­year restraint order.

part of the pair’s stage act, but they soon realized the mauling was all too true when a member of staff rushed into the ring and began strik­ ing the ani­ mal with a s t i c k .

According to the G o t t a n i Circus web­ site, the ani­ mal trainer

has been working with tigers since the age of 18 and never uses any whips or weapons to control the animals. Madrid Health Services said that none of Gottani’s vital organs were damaged in the attack even though the cuts were “relatively deep” The tamer’s mother, a specta­ tor in the audience, also needed medical attention after suffering a panic attack.

30

Friday, December 13, 2013

Friday, December 13, 2013

UK HEADLINES

31

SECONDS OUT STICK EM UP!

A boxing orangutan puts his fists up and tries to punch an annoying monkey who keeps trying to steal his banana.

This funny photograph shows the young­ ster wrestling with the cheeky long­tailed macaque as they dine on a feeding plat­ form.

The young ape first throws an uppercut but then retreats into its mother’s arms when the monkey screams in its face.

Photographer Ryan Deboodt, 30, said: “I love the playfulness of the child orangutan and the interaction between the two different species ­ they look like they are boxing or having a play fight.”

He captured the images at the Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Many of the orangutans in the area are semi­wild, having once been kept as pets.

Rangers often put food out on feeding platforms to supplement their natural diets and ensure they can survive in the wild.

Mr Deboodt was taking photographs at one of the feeding station when the playful fight began.

He said: “When we first arrived, only the mother was there eating some bananas, but shortly after the child showed up.

“The mother put the bananas in between her arms and the child would every so often stick his face in there for a bite.

“After a while, the long­tailed macaque showed up and wanted some of the bananas.

“The mother was indifferent to it but the child kept swinging it’s arms, trying to shoo it away and hit the macaque ­ but it wouldn’t leave.”

Two masked raiders who terrorised a bookmaker's shop manager by pretending a roll of wallpaper was a gun hidden in a bag have been jailed.

A court heard crack cocaine addict Darren Hunter was desperate for cash to pay his drug debt. He and schizophrenic William Appleby left Ladbrokes in Leith Walk, Edinburgh, with £2000.

Defence solicitor Brian Gilfedder said Appleby’s sister had repaid the cash her brother had stolen.

Appleby, 37, was sentenced to three years and nine months and Hunter, 31, was jailed for four and a half years.

Sentencing them at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Judge Lord Uist said: "It is intolerable that employees in any type of shop should be subjected to such treat­ ment by criminals like you."

After watching CCTV footage of the raid, Lord Uist said the "weapon" certainly looked like a gun, particularly because of the way it was being held by Appleby.

Police investigating the raid on July 4 found the roll of wallpaper, along with cloth­ ing worn by the robbers.

Appleby and Hunter admitted assault and robbery in the Ladbrokes in Crichton Place, part of the city's Leith Walk.

The court heard how manager Craig Winton stuffed banknotes into a bag held by Hunter, fearing his life was in danger. A num­ ber of customers were using gaming machines or watching TV monitors at the time.

Advocate depute Douglas Fairley QC,

prosecuting, described how the two men entered the shop just after 6.30pm when Mr Winton was working alone behind the count­ er.

Mr Fairley said Appleby, his face partly hidden behind a scarf, was holding an object with one hand at the end and the other halfway along its length to make it seem he had a firearm.

He said: "The Crown understands that the item concealed in the bag may, in fact, have been a roll of wallpaper, though this would not have been obvious to Mr Winton.

"Mr Winton states that he felt threatened and afraid and believed that the concealed item was a gun."

He handed over about £400 from his till then, when the robbers demanded more, opened the safe behind him.

On Tuesday Mr Gilfedder acknowledged: "He could not have known it was a roll of wallpaper in a plastic bag. He would have been subjected to a very frightening experi­ ence."

The court heard Appleby had been smok­ ing cannabis since he was ten years old and his mental health problems had been diag­ nosed when he was 17.

Solicitor advocate Euan Roy, for Hunter, said he had managed to control his drug problems for a time but had relapsed into depression when he split up with a long­term girlfriend and took to drugs again.

The two men had also faced a charge of returning to the Ladbrokes shop two weeks later and attempting to rob staff but their not guilty plea was accepted.

Oh no, Oh no, Oh no! What 'ave we crashed into 'ere then?

Nobody likes having to make a claim on their insurance, so pity the police officer who could be left with a hefty bill after this little accident.

The scrape happened at around midnight on Sunday along Edgware Road when a police BMW apparently ran into the back of a £250,000 Ferrari 458 Spider.

While a Metropolitan Police spokesman said it was too early to say who was at fault, witnesses report seeing the squad car attempting a three­point turn but fail­ ing to notice the Ferrari reversing near­ by.

The two vehicles then locked bumpers, with the Ferrari faring considerably worse with a large chunk of bodywork left hanging off.

A spokesman for H R Owen Ferrari in

London estimated that the damage would cost £2,500 to repair.

A large crowd gathered in the street to watch as the two drivers are said to have swapped details before the police vehi­ cle reversed away and drove off.

One said: 'I have been filming supercars for many years around Europe but it's the first time I have seen an unfortunate incident like this involving the police.

'It created quite a scene and a lot of bystanders were photographing and filming the incident. It was an amazing combination of a supercar involved in a crash with the police.'

A Met spokesperson added: 'We can con­ firm a police car was in collision with a Ferrari. No one was injured during the collision and no arrests were made.'

32

Friday, December 13, 2013

Horoscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 You may experience a bit of tension and resistance with someone during the early part of the day, but things will ease as evening draws near. People will be more flexible as the day wears on, and be more receptive to your perspective. The more organized and grounded you are, the more room there is for expansion and growth in all the different parts of your world.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 You may be caught in a difficult quandary.

Your attention to other people's needs may draw you into dramas that you don't want to be part of. As a result, you may be indecisive and unsure of how to proceed.

You must find the balance between taking care of your needs and being considerate of others. You'll be confident of your deci­ sion once you've made it.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 Once you have your feelings under con­ trol, you can be more expansive in other parts of your life. You can branch out, reach toward others, and make important connections that will help move you toward success and good fortune. There's opportunity available to you today, so don't blow it by letting your emotions get the bet­ ter of you!

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 Instead of directing all your energy outward and dominating the conversation with your ideas, consider listening. Let ideas flow your way. Be receptive to opinions and ideas. A wonderful mental and emotional expansion occurs when you receive instead of being so concerned about projecting out. Be more focused on what's happening on the inside instead of so worried about events on the outside.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 Things will be moving more in your favor as the day wears on. An easygoing, sen­ sitive energy dominates the atmosphere.

It will be easier for you to be yourself.

Your loving, nurturing qualities are accen­ tuated. You may have the urge to buy groceries and cook a wonderful meal for yourself and others. You're happy to open up your home and offer your hospitality.

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 You may feel like you're spinning your wheels today, especially as the end of the day draws near. Nothing seems to be going your way. Things aren't really as bad as you think. Most likely, part of your uneasiness has to do with anticipation of upcoming events. Difficult tensions can result when you get irritable for no reason. Don't make the situation any worse than it needs to be.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 You're in a good position to make a major breakthrough. Your sensitivity works to your advantage. It gives you insight into things that others miss. The good news is that this comes with an extra grounding force that helps you be more practical in your decisions and rational in your actions.

This wonderful combination helps you attain the success and good fortune you deserve.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 Don't get too hooked on the free spirit that may dominate the morning hours. Have your fun at that time, but all good things must come to an end at some point. You may be called on for a more serious job when evening rolls around. Instead of plow­ ing ahead and working to get things done the way you want, be more sensitive to oth­ ers and more grounded in your approach.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 You may feel you're coming to a dramatic emotional climax regarding an issue that you take personally. There's a strong force stirring up your feelings, but that doesn't mean you have to spin out of control. While this emotion builds within you, there's a solid, stable force helping you keep your feet on the ground. This lifeline is always there when you need it, so trust in it.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 Be careful of letting your erratic, willful nature dominate the scene. Go with the flow and be more sensitive to the people around you. Stay grounded, focused, and aware of your emotions. This may be eas­ ier said than done, but this kind of behav­ ior is key to making the most of today.

There's opportunity in doing things in a slightly different way than you have been.

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 You may be scolded for something you failed to take care of properly. There's a wonderfully expansive feeling to the day that you should capitalize on. Don't get too bogged down with the little things.

Don't get overwhelmed with what you did wrong. There are so many more wonder­ ful things to celebrate. Why spoil them with nitpicky details?

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 The beginning of the day may start out boisterous and easygoing. The object of the game for you will be to have some fun.

As the day wears on, you'll feel like you need to get more organized. You have to start planning ahead and getting focused in terms of what tasks you need to take care of when.

33

Friday, December 13, 2013

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services com­ pany on the Costa Blanca, they provide quality computer services at realistic prices and specialise in working with home users and small businesses.

Richard moved to Spain seven years ago hav­ ing left his management background behind in the UK and decided to use his IT skills to help home users and small businesses with their PC problems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he is out and about in the Spanish sun every day, making house and shop calls and using his vast experience and qualifications to (usually) sort out the problem there and then. Computers are his hobby as well as his work so don’t be surprised to get an answer to your email in the early hours!

ADVICE: Allen wanted to know if he could add custom ADVICE: Bruce wanted to know whether there was any words to his spell checker way to change the size of a Windows 7 partition . Hello, Richard. I spoke with you this morning at the Moncayo market and you invited me to write to you. My problem is that although I am having the use of a spellchecker via Chrome as you suggested there are many words which are shown as spelling errors when they are not. E.g. my name and address. Additionally English, as opposed to American, spellings are shown as errors. Is there any way that I can add words to the dictionary as was the case when I used Hotmail pre Outlook? Regards, Allen.

Q

A

Q

Hello, on Win 7 can you tell if it is possible to change (or partition) the size of a C drive so creating another drive, without losing any files or OS on the original C drive Thank You Bruce

Hi Allen, yes you can do this within Google Chrome, just do the following things…

1. Launch Google Chrome, click on the 3 bars on the top right hand of the screen and click Settings

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “show advanced settings” 3. Under Languages click “language and input settings” 4. At the bottom of this window click “custom spelling dictionary Add the custom words that you want to the dictionary and click “Done” …that’s it, your spelling will now take into account these words.

ADVICE: Trevor wanted to know how to remove Internet Explorer 9

Q A

Hi Richard, how does one uninstall Internet Explorer, I have opened add and remove but cannot find IX on the lists of downloads. Many Thanks Trevor

Hi Trevor, you can use these steps to remove Internet Explorer 9…

Hi Bruce, yes it is certainly possible to shrink the size of a Windows 7 volume, how­ 1. Click the Start button, type Programs and Features in the search box and click on ever I would point out that this is quite a technical thing to do and that you shouldn’t the link to the same when it appears go playing around in the disk manager unless you are sure of what you are doing.

2. Click View installed updates in the left pane.

In order to answer your question, you should do the following…

3. Under Uninstall an update, scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section.

4. Right­click Windows Internet Explorer 9, click Uninstall, and then, when prompted, click 1. Open up disk management by right hand clicking on the computer icon, choosing manage Yes. and clicking disk management Hope this helps.

2. Right click the volume that you want to shrink and click Shrink Volume

A

Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @bluemoonspain Alternatively why don’t you sign up for my newsletter. You can do this by going to:­ www.bluemoonsolutions.es and fill in the form that is on any page except the front page.

3. Enter the amount of space that you want to shrink the volume by and click Shrink …as I said – be careful.

office@bluemoonsolutions.es www.bluemoonsolutions.es Mobile: 655 044 970

Office: 902 906 200

34

Friday, December 13, 2013

ALL NEW FORMULA FOCUS: ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ARRIVE AND DRIVE!

Not only is the 14th December the final race night in the Velocity cal­ endar for 2013 – it is the first chance that would­be racing driv­ ers to have a go in the all new Formula Focus.

10 cars, all identically built and rar­ ing to go around the Circuito Cartagena Oval… perfect for the

novice or the just plain curious.

What’s more, there is a commemo­ rative plaque available for anyone who takes one out for a spin. A great way to mark your opening gambit into stock car racing!

The cost of this unique driving experience is €165 plus €100 dam­ age waiver deposit. This cost will

cover your licence to drive for the evening as well as suitable cloth­ ing including helmet and gloves.

If you would prefer to come along and watch, then we have a treat in store for you as the last race night of the season will be the CEF Annual Trophy. You can enjoy 2.5 hours of racing entertainment as

the best of the best battle it out to win a coveted trophy and the best bit … it is completely FREE. The action starts at 7pm with the gates opening at 6pm. For direc­ tions or to enquire about a hire please visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/velocityrac­ ingspain

Friday, December 13, 2013

35

36

Friday, December 13, 2013

CODE CRACKER Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues; instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number. In this week’s puzzle, 25 represents B and 24 represents Z, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across

Down

1 Trainer (5) 4 Marque (5) 10 Strict (5) 11 Put back (7) 12 Responded (8) 13 Eager (4) 15 Myth (6) 17 Flattened (6) 19 Hop (4) 20 Influential (8) 23 Investigate (7) 24 Financial institutions (5) 25 At no time (5) 26 Does business (5)

2 Complies with (5) 3 Expresses disapproval of (8) 5 Mature (4) 6 Within the shortest dis­ tance (7) 7 Respected (11) 8 Discharged (5) 9 Insignificant (11) 14 Look like (8) 16 Quick look (7) 18 Uninterested (5) 21 Concluding (5) 22 Nucleus (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Smash, 4 Depend, 9 Aviator, 10 Chaos, 11 Seek, 12 Examine, 13/18 Big toe, 14 Huge, 16 Geek, 20 Elderly, 21 Idea, 24 Dread, 25 Elevate, 26 Misses, 27 Traps.

Down: 1 Sparse, 2 Alike, 3 Hate, 5 Exchange, 6 Evasive, 7 Duster, 8 Grieg, 13 Begrudge, 15 Undress, 17 Seldom, 18 Tyres, 19 Caress, 22 Drama, 23 Beat.

Scribble Pad

DOUBLE CROSS-WORD Solve the Double Cross­Word puzzle using either the standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

CRYTPIC CLUES Across 1 As a whole, at home, the kid has nothing (2,4) 4 Fumed, finding lubricant in sack (6) 9 A letter from Greece about a sort of April flower (7) 10 Glue recipe is blended as a type of porridge (5) 11 Dance the Georgia chop (5) 12 Common key signa­ tures contain apes (7) 13 First Lady in is seventh heaven (3) 14 Chooses Portsmouth to host the game (5) 16 Requests tea before the chores (5) 18 Heir I left for the woman (3) 19 Agree very old novel is over­the­hill (7) 21 Saw a daughter get mature (5) 23 A taxi returns, initiating its counters (5) 24 The enjoyment of French dawn (7) 25 Logs on differently to

say goodbye (2,4) 26 Request proportional representation? Yes your majesty (6) Down 1 Challenges dealt with the imp’s gun (7) 2 Twist the law writ (5) 3 Upstage alien’s instru­ ment (7) 5 Major ganglia, part of the brain, perhaps (5) 6 They can be seen in the window: Romeo and Juliet having union! (7) 7 Do the French point to benefits (5) 8 Sharks pound bosses (11) 15 By and large, it’s a boil­ ersuit (7) 16 A preview of a laggard (7) 17 Sauna user’s jumper (7) 19 Love having friends, they are real gems (5) 20 Side with gal in trouble (5) 22 King George in any cross (5)

STANDARD CLUES Down Across 1 Calls into question (7) 1 Entirely (2,4) 2 Cause to spin (5) 4 Cooked in hot water (6) 3 Brass musical instrument 9 Type of plant (7) 10 Thin, liquid food of oat­ (7) meal (5) 5 Keyboard instrument (5) 11 Lively ballroom dance 6 Overlapping slats (7) (5) 7 Alms (5) 12 Long­tailed primates (7) 8 Type of sharks (11) 13 Day before (3) 14 Recreation (5) 15 Including everything (7) 16 Chores (5) 16 Rear section of an artic­ 18 Of a female (3) ulated lorry (7) 19 Too old to be useful (7) 17 Knitted garment (7) 21 Maxim (5) 23 Counting frames (5) 19 Gemstones (5) 24 To please highly (7) 20 Arrange in line (5) 25 Goodbye (2,4) 22 Enraged (5) 26 Divine entreaty (6) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Voices, 5 Drab, 9 Let, 10 Crime wave, 11 Promise, 12 Stout, 13 Putsch, 15 Traced, 19 Sofia, 21 Useless, 23 Raincoats, 24 Van, 25 Stir, 26 Ernest.

Down: 2 Outpost, 3 Cacti, 4 Slides, 5 Dresser, 6 Alamo, 7 Slip up, 8 Heat, 14 Chaucer, 16 Cleaves, 17 Dosing, 18 Curate, 19 Sore, 20 Flint, 22 Essen.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Inn Lac Lad Led Oar Opt Pen Psi Rag See Tam Tun 4 letter words Ales Anew Area

Arts Aura Bode Bone Brig Cola Croc Ease Ecru Eons Hero Huge Ices Icon Laws Less Mete Peat Pets

Pier Rout Ruhr Song Spas Them Watt Wrap 5 letter words Adult Alley Along Aught Beret Bruin Cater Cocoa Epoch

Orate Osier Penny Pleat Prune Soggy Stare Taupe There Toast Tooth Toper Votes 6 letter words Aisled Artery Chilli Income

Matins Pampas Tribal Vessel 7 letter words Hardtop Shebang 8 letter words Shredder Subtitle 9 letter words Political Trappings

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

Improve your Spanish ­ clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 2 Baby (4) 3 Chica (4) 5 Día de San Esteban (6,3) 8 Incense (8) 12 Trineos (5) 14 Cazuela (3) 15 Clero (6) 16 To slide (8) 18 Comer (3) 20 Hostería (posada) (3) 21 Árbol (4)

Down 1 Toboggan (7) 2 Niño (3) 4 Rojo (3) 5 Drinks (7) 6 Guest (at home) (8) 7 Big box (5) 9 Nuevo (no usado) (3) 10 Tinsel (6) 11 Muñeca (juguete) (4) 13 Tronco (leño) (3) 16 Elf (6) 17 Regalo (obsequio) (4) 19 Juguete (3)

37

Friday, December 13, 2013 Across 9 What was the name of the politician who, in 1924, became the UK’s first Labour prime minister? (6,9) 10 What name was given to the elaborate and exten­ sive ornamentation in decora­ tive art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th century? (7) 12 Maseru is the capital of which landlocked constitu­ tional monarchy in southern Africa? (7) 13 What name is often given to bits of tissue, blood or urine that are taken for diagnostic purposes? (9) 14 Which island country in the central Mediterranean, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Sicily, was awarded the George Cross in 1942?

(5) 15 Often found on coast­ lines, by what other name is the flowering plant the ‘thrift’ (Armeria) also known? (3,4) 18 Which compound is the chief component of cane or beet sugar? (7) 21 What name is given to eight performers or singers who perform together? (5) 23 What is the name of the curved wooden horn about three feet long, with a cupped

mouthpiece and a bell, used by the Swiss to sound the ‘ranz des vaches’ and other melodies? (9) 25 According to Greek mythology what was the name of the tragic king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta?

(7) 26 The name of which fine smooth yarn spun from combed long­staple wool is derived from the name of a parish in Norfolk? (7) 29 By what other name is Santa Claus also known?

(6,9) Down 1 In Britain, what name is often given to a Nativity scene, a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke? (4) 2 What title is often given to an independent ruler or chieftain, especially in Africa or Arabia? (4) 3 Which rum­producing district in Cuba gives its name to a cocktail containing rum and lime juice? (8) 4 Which 18th/19th century French physicist, mathemati­ cian and philosopher gave his

SUDOKU (Very Easy)

Quiz Word

name to the basic unit of elec­ tric current? (6) 5 What name was formerly given to medical practitioners who specialised in the treat­

ment of diseases or defects of the eye; an ophthalmolo­ gist? (8) 6 By what other name is the small, furry Australian

arboreal marsupial with a long, usually prehensile, tail, the phalanger, better known?

(6) 7 What name for a small circular fort, erected for defence purposes along the coast of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, comes from the Italian for ‘hammer’?

(8) 8 By what name is a bar­ rister known as in Scotland and South Africa? (8) 11 Which American multi­ national corporation is best known for its Mac line of com­ puters, the iPod music player, the iPhone smartphone and the iPad tablet computer? (5) 15 What name is frequently given to people who behave in an ostentatious manner in an effort to win admiration or public attention? (4­4) 16 What name for a medi­ cine taken or given to coun­ teract a particular poison is derived from the Greek for ‘given against’? (8) 17 What is the name of a soldier’s or hiker’s bag with shoulder straps, which is car­ ried on the back and typically made of canvas or other weatherproof material? (8) 19 In the US, what is the name of the legislative body

that meets at the Capitol in Washington DC? It was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. (8) 20 What first name is shared by former French rugby union international Blanco, French singer, song­ writer, poet, composer, artist, actor and director Gainsbourg and the Russian composers Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff?

(5) 22 What name is given to a moving part in a machine that transmits motion in a straight line between a cam and another part? (6) 24 What is the surname of the American film and televi­ sion actress who is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart? (6) 27 Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy (1970) and Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me (1971) were both UK hit singles for which US vocal group? (4) 28 What name is often applied to the time of day immediately following sun­ set? (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

TRABAJOS ­ JOBS

Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

science QUIZ

ANSEWRS: 1. ABO Blood Groups 2. An Otter 3. Cactus 4.

0.5 5. Mackerel 6. Mechanically Recovered Meat 7.

Dragonfly 8. A Beetle 9. Short Sighted 10. To Combat Disease And Infection 11. The Ladybird 12. Uranium 13.

Pressure 14. The Rocket 15. 46 (23 Pairs)

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Rock elm, 7 Verdi, 8 Free verse, 9 Uzi, 10 Eden, 11 Myriad, 13 Ration, 14 Joules, 17 Aurora, 18 Dais, 19/5 Sid Vicious, 22 Orchestra, 23 Acorn, 24 Even.

Down: 1 Rifle, 1/4 Clement Freud, 3 Envy, 4 Martyr, 7 Venison, 12 Bourbon, 13 Russian, 15 Lean­to, 16 Oracle, 17 Adios, 19 Space, 21 Gene.

el cura

el albañil

el electricista

el bailarín

el fontanero

el banquero

el jardinero

el bombero

el juez

el camarero

el panadero

el cantante

el peluquero

el cartero

el pescador

el contable

el sastre

Empareja estas palabras ­ Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.el abogado, 2.el albañil,

16.el peluquero, 17.el pescador,

k.the waiter, l.the judge,

3.el bailarín, 4.el banquero,

18.el sastre.

m.the dancer, n.the banker, o.the baker, p.the electrician,

5.el bombero, 6.el camarero, 7.el cantante, 8.el cartero,

a.the fireman, b.the gardener,

9.el contable, 10.el cura,

c.the singer, d.the fisherman,

11.el electricista,

e.the builder, f.the post­man,

12.el fontanero, 13.el jardinero,

g.the lawywer, h.the tailor,

14.el juez, 15.el panadero,

i.the priest, j.the accountant,

Soduko

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

q.the plumber, r.the hairdresser.

Answers: 1g, 2e, 3m, 4n, 5a, 6k, 7c, 8f, 9j, 10i, 11p, 12q, 13b, 14l, 15o, 16r, 17d, 18h.

1. Karl Lienstater discovered what medical break­ through in 1901?

2. What lives in a holt?

3. What plant has flowers but no leaves?

4. What Is The Value Of Sine 30 Degrees?

5. What type of fish is a Scomber Scombrus?

6. In The Food Processing Industry , What Do The Initials MRM Stand For? 7. Which insect has the best eyesight?

8. What Type Of Insect Is A Weevil?

9. At least a quarter of humanity is what?

10. What Is The Function Of White Blood Cells?

11. Which Insect Is Popular With Gardeners Because It Feeds On Aphids?

12. What is mainly extracted from pitchblende?

13. What Does A Manometer Measure?

14. Which Steam Locomotive Won The Prize For Providing The First Regular Passenger Service?

15. How Many Chromosomes Does A Healthy Human Have?

el abogado

Fill It In

38

Friday, December 13, 2013

TRELI ON THE TELLY

PUT YOUR FINCA ON IT

ITV with Sam Bailey running away with the first ever title for the “overs” category and a victory 10 years after the show started for winless men­ tor Sharon Osbourne. Then you can switch over to BBC1 I used to like the odd flutter, for the end of their always and not just on the horses. slick Sports Personality of the So, put every penny or cent Year awards night and catch that you have on this TV Andy Murray getting the Triple bet which is a racing inevitable victory after his certainty.

Wimbledon triumph. Sadly Your first two legs are on though, you’ll have to sweat this Sunday and at the same just a wee bit until the follow­ time. The actual first declara­ ing Saturday, when your triple tion will be with the second bet comes cantering in by the part of The X Factor final on proverbial mile, as Natalie

with ALEX TRELINSKI

Gumede romps over the Strictly Come Dancing finish line to give you a tidy pre­ Xmas nest egg. Forget El Gordo, this TV trifecta is a sure­fire bet!

The BBC has axed the Victorian­drama series Ripper Street after two series, saying that the Monday night BBC1 ratings of over 3 million viewers were not good enough. When I reviewed the first episode earlier this year, I have to say that I was not par­ ticularly impressed, but the show to be fair has built up a loyal audience. I thought that

q

the job of the BBC was to screen quality programmes and not to chase ratings, or have I forgotten something?

And it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the Ripper Street audiences would have fallen over the last few weeks, because it was up against I’m a Celebrity…… over on ITV. Methinks that this is all being used as an excuse to pull it.

Occasionally I get some­ thing right, and I’m delighted to report that the James Spader­starring The Blacklist (which I championed from day 1), has had an early

q

pick up for a 2nd season, after becoming a big hit on NBC in the States. It’s a really good programme that has not run out of steam and offers plenty of action and surprises.

SKY Living screen it in the UK, and along with Sleepy Hollow (on the UK Universal Channel), they are the only two new critical and viewing successes of the American fall season, which has proved to be barren for decent new drama.

q

At last, a quick turn­ around repeat that I strongly recommend. If you missed the James Corden

comedy thriller, The Wrong Mans, then catch the rerun with three episodes this Saturday night on BBC2. You will not be disappointed.

q

Isn’t life strange? Nelson Mandela dies and BBC 1 abandons in mid­transmis­ sion, a repeat screening of a Mrs.Brown’s Boys Xmas episode to go to live coverage from South Africa. The Beeb then gets deluged with com­ plaints for making that call, but I suspect nowhere near as many if it had not made that decision. You can’t please everybody!

The Courier Friday TV

December 13

00:35 01:20 01:25 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:45 Martin 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:25 23:35

00:20 01:20 02:20 02:40 03:10 05:00 War? 06:00 Stage

This Week Skiing Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed Helicopter Heroes Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Perfection Escape to the Country Christmas Kitchen with James Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders Miranda Have I Got News for You Live at the Apollo BBC News National Lottery Update The Graham Norton Show

Tudor Monastery Farm The Review Show Panorama The Culture Show This Is BBC Two What Did You Do After the Schools ­ 3, 2, 1 Go!: Key 2

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:30 Homes Under the Hammer 08:30 Helicopter Heroes 09:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:00 Africa 2013: Countdown to the Rains 11:00 Question Time 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Expedition Borneo 16:15 Orangutan Diary 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:05 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Kangaroo Dundee 22:00 Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 The Last Word 01:05 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Off the Beaten Track 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Boyzone at 20: No Matter What 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

DERREN BROWN In this one­off special, the master illusionist and showman tries to pull off the perfect crime. He has bet renowned art collector Ivan Massow he can steal a painting from right under his nose. Derren reveals which work is being targeted ­ a piece by Turner­nominated British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman ­ and tells Ivan exactly what time the theft will happen. He even provides a photograph of the person who is going to take it. In order to pull off the heist, he recruits a crew ­ not of career criminals or cat burglars ­ but of pensioners.

00:05 Gogglebox 00:55 24 Hours in A&E 01:50 Random Acts 01:55 One Born: What Happened Next?

02:50 Getting Rich in the Recession 03:45 Food Unwrapped 04:10 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 04:35 Secret Removers 05:30 A Place in the Sun 06:25 Countdown 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:50 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 SuperScrimpers 13:25 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 16:30 Countdown 17:15 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 22:00 Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery 23:35 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

00:00 Myra Hindley: The Untold Story 01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 5 News Update 04:05 Revealed 04:55 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Milkshake! Show Songs 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Monster Moves 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:15 A Perfect Christmas 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed 21:00 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 22:00 The Abba Years 23:00 Abba: Absolute Image

39

The Courier Saturday TV

December 14

07:00 This Is BBC Two 00:20 The Last Castle

07:35 Teacher's Pet 08:45 Anything but Christmas

02:25 Weatherview

10:15 Animal Farm

02:30 BBC News

11:30 Reel History of Britain

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live

12:00 Animal Park 13:00 Christmas Kitchen with James

12:30 Food & Drink

Martin

13:00 Football Focus

13:45 Christmas Kitchen with James

13:45 Sportsday 14:00 BBC News; Regional News

Martin 14:30 Christmas Kitchen with James

and Weather

Martin

14:15 Gymnastics

15:15 Coast

17:00 Final Score 18:30 BBC News; Regional News

16:10 Doctor Who Mastermind 16:40 Weakest Link

and Weather 18:50 Pointless Celebrities 19:40 Strictly Come Dancing

17:30 Flog It! 18:30 Tron 20:00 The Culture Show

21:20 Atlantis

21:00 Tron Legacy

22:05 Casualty 22:55 The National Lottery Live 23:05 BBC News; Weather 23:25 Match of the Day

00:00 Weather 00:05 Julie & Julia 02:00 Question Time 03:00 The Paradise 04:00 This Is BBC Two

22:55 The Science of Doctor Who 23:55 The Wrong Mans

01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 The Pledge 06:00 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:25 Bookaboo 08:35 Horrid Henry 08:45 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:50 Kick Buttowski ­ Suburban Daredevil 09:00 Kick Buttowski ­ Suburban Daredevil 09:15 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Munch Box 10:25 ITV News 10:30 The Home of Fabulous Cakes 11:30 Murder, She Wrote 12:25 ITV News and Weather 12:29 ITV Meridian Weather 12:30 Columbo: Agenda for Murder 14:30 Doc Martin 15:30 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 18:05 The Big Reunion 19:05 ITV Meridian Weather 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 New You've Been Framed!

20:00 The Chase 21:00 The X Factor 23:05 The Jonathan Ross Show

00:40 Stand Up for the Week 01:25 Random Acts 01:30 British Comedy Awards 2013 03:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 03:55 The Big C 04:25 2 Broke Girls 04:50 Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23 05:15 90210 05:55 Suburgatory 06:20 Deal or No Deal 07:15 The Hoobs 07:40 Beach Volleyball 08:30 Survival of the Fittest 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 The American Football Show 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:55 The Simpsons 13:25 Heston's Fantastical Food 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Come Dine with Me 19:35 Channel 4 News 20:05 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 21:00 Walking Through History 22:00 Psychopath Night 23:55 Clear and Present Danger

THE X FACTOR

They wowed the judges at the double auditions, beat the competition at boot camp and made it through nine weeks of live studio rounds. Now, Sam, Luke and Nicholas head to Wembley Arena to battle it out in the first part of the final. At the end of the show, Dermot O'Leary announces the results of the phone­in and the least popular contestant gets the chop, with the lucky two going through to the last stage of the contest. There are also per­ formances by rock band the Killers and Brits Critics' Choice winner Tom Odell.

00:00 Abba: Live In Concert 01:10 SuperCasino 04:05 Monty Halls and 04:55 Motorsport Mundial 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:40 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:10 Jelly Jamm 10:20 The Mr Men Show 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Power Rangers: Megaforce 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 The Great Christmas Toy Giveaway 14:05 Inside Hollywood 14:10 World's 15:05 Will You Merry Me 16:50 The Christmas Heart 18:35 Mistletoe over Manhattan 20:15 The Real St Nick 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 The Bible 23:50 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

The Courier Sunday TV

December 15

00:55 The Football League Show

00:25 The Wrong Mans

02:05 Weatherview

01:25 Shout at the Devil

02:10 BBC News

03:35 This Is BBC Two

07:00 Breakfast

07:55 The Valley of Gwangi

08:30 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Fern Britton Meets 12:00 Wanted Down Under

09:30 Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 10:00 Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

12:45 Helicopter Heroes Down

12:00 Christmas Kitchen with James

Under

Martin

13:15 MOTD2 Extra

12:45 Christmas Kitchen with James

14:00 BBC News

Martin

14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 13:30 15:20 14:15 Nigel Slater's Simple 18:05 Christmas 18:55 15:15 Bargain Hunt 19:40 16:00 Escape to the Country at 60 16:45 Supermarket Secrets 20:40

EastEnders Around the World in 80 Days Flog It! Ski Sunday Sports Personality of the Year The Great British Sewing Bee

17:45 Lifeline

21:40 The Duchess

17:55 Songs of Praise

23:20 QI XL

18:30 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 19:00 Countryfile 20:00 Strictly Come Dancing 20:40 Sports Personality of the Year 2013 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 Match of the Day 2

00:10 ITV News and Weather 00:25 Take Me Out 01:50 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:25 Sooty 08:35 Horrid Henry 08:45 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:50 Victorious 09:15 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Storage Hoarders 11:30 Sunday Side Up 12:30 Sunday Scoop 13:30 ITV News and Weather 13:34 ITV Meridian Weather 13:35 Inside the National Trust 14:35 Let's Do Christmas with Gino & Mel 15:35 Love Your Garden 16:35 The X Factor 18:40 You've Been Framed!

19:05 ITV Meridian Weather 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 The Chase 20:30 The X Factor 22:30 Through the Keyhole 23:30 ITV News and Weather 23:45 Hellboy II: the Golden Army

SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2013 Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan and Clare Balding pres­ ent this year's ceremony live from the First Direct Arena in Leeds, where several previous winners will be in attendance to mark the 60th anniversary of the show, and the successor to Sir Bradley Wiggins will be crowned.

02:35 03:20 04:05 04:15 06:25 07:10 07:35 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:05 18:00 18:20 20:30 22:00 23:00

Stand Up for the Week Fresh Meat The Silent City Hollyoaks 90210 The Hoobs The American Football Show Anglesey Sandman Triathlon Jamie's Money Saving Meals Jamie's Money Saving Meals Jamie's Money Saving Meals Sunday Brunch The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons Gadget Man Diary of a Wimpy Kid Channel 4 News Fred Claus Britain's Killer Storms Homeland Your Highness

02:50 SuperCasino 04:10 Secrets of the Vanishing Sphinx 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:10 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:40 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:20 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:40 City of Friends 08:50 Mio Mao 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:20 Angelina Ballerina 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:10 Olly the Little White Van 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Power Rangers: Super Samurai 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Inside Hollywood 12:05 Stop! Police Interceptors 13:10 Battle of the Bulbs 14:55 A Star for Christmas 16:40 The Polar Express 18:40 A Christmas Carol: the Musical 20:25 Ghost Rider 22:25 5 News Weekend 22:30 Britain's Favourite Christmas Songs

40

The Courier Monday TV

December 17

00:35 Adventureland 02:15 Weatherview 02:20 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Caught Red Handed 12:30 Helicopter Heroes 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fightback Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 Ripper Street 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Have I Got a Bit More News for You

00:05 00:35 01:05 01:35 02:30 03:30 07:35

Hebburn Never Mind the Buzzcocks The Culture Show Countryfile Holby City This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer

08:35 Helicopter Heroes 09:20 The A to Z of TV Cooking 10:05 The House That £100K Built 11:05 Britain's Empty Homes 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Madagascar 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:00 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Nigellissima 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Tom Kerridge Cooks Christmas 22:00 The Choir: Sing While You Work 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight

01:50 The Store 03:50 Motorsport UK 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Christmas with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 A Night of Heroes ­ The Military Awards 23:30 ITV News and Weather

01:05 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 02:00 American Football Live 05:45 KOTV Boxing Weekly 06:15 Countdown 06:55 Suburgatory 07:15 According to Jim 08:05 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Kirstie's Crafty Christmas 22:00 Liberty of London 23:00 Fresh Meat 23:50 The Inbetweeners

DEEP BLUE SEA Sci­fi action thriller starring Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane and featuring Samuel L Jackson. As part of her research into finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease, Dr Susan McAlester has been controversially experimenting with the genetic makeup of sharks' brain tissue. When she looks in danger of losing funding for her operation, McAlester stages a demonstration for a wealthy businessman. But things do not go according to plan.

01:30 The Abba Years 02:30 SuperCasino 04:10 The Gadget Show 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:05 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake!

08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:05 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Olly the Little White Van 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:05 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:45 Inside Hollywood 10:50 Paul Merton in Europe 11:50 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:50 Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers 13:50 5 News Lunchtime 13:55 Neighbours 14:25 Chinese Food in Minutes 14:30 The Wishing Tree 16:15 Mr St Nick 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 The Dog Rescuers 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's Strongest Man 21:00 The Gadget Show 22:00 Monty Halls and 23:00 Deep Blue Sea

The Courier Tuesday TV

December 18

00:20 India: A Dangerous Place to Be a Woman 01:20 The Graham Norton Show 02:05 Weatherview 02:10 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Caught Red Handed 12:30 Helicopter Heroes 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Last Tango in Halifax 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 The Matt Lucas Awards

00:20 01:20 01:50 05:00 06:00

Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve Film 2013 This Is BBC Two Inside the Human Body Schools: 3, 2, 1 Go! ­ Key

Stage 1 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:35 Homes Under the Hammer 08:35 Helicopter Heroes 09:20 The A to Z of TV Cooking 10:05 Antiques Roadshow 11:05 Britain's Empty Homes 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 The Super League Show 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Madagascar 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:00 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 The Great British Sewing Bee 21:00 The Great British Bake Off 22:00 Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve 23:00 Hebburn 23:30 Newsnight

00:00 ITV News Meridian 00:05 Cliffhanger 02:05 Jackpot247 04:00 Champions League Weekly 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Christmas with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 23:25 ITV News and Weather 23:55 ITV News Meridian

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE It's schoolboy wizard Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts and difficult times lie ahead. He's forced to risk his life after being mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament in which represen­ tatives of three top schools compete in a series of dangerous tasks. But when tragedy strikes, Harry fears the worst. Could the evil Lord Voldemort really have returned?

00:20 The Inbetweeners 01:50 Conviction 03:35 Nashville 04:15 Suburgatory 04:35 Secret Removers 05:30 Deal or No Deal 06:25 Countdown 07:10 According to Jim 08:05 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Come Dine with Me 13:30 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Location, Location, Location" 22:00 Heston's Great British Food 23:00 Masters of Sex

01:00 Criminals: Caught on Camera 02:00 SuperCasino 04:40 Hatfields & McCoys 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:05 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:45 Inside Hollywood 10:50 Paul Merton in Europe 11:45 Inside Hollywood 11:50 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:50 Stop! Police Interceptors 13:50 5 News Lunchtime 13:55 Neighbours 14:25 Chinese Food in Minutes 14:30 A Star for Christmas 16:15 Gift of the Magi 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 The Dog Rescuers 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's Strongest Man 21:00 Pothole Britain ­ Drivers Beware!

22:00 The Mentalist 23:00 Castle

41

The Courier Wednesday TV

December 19

00:15 00:45 02:35 02:40 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:30 16:30 Martin 17:15 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:30 23:00 23:25 23:35

00:20 Work 01:20 02:20 05:00 06:00 07:00

Film 2013 Body Heat Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed Helicopter Heroes Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Perfection Escape to the Country Christmas Kitchen with James Flog It! Pointless BBC News BBC London News The One Show The Great Train Robbery Mrs Brown's Boys BBC News National Lottery Update A Question of Sport

The Choir: Sing While You The Midwives This Is BBC Two Materials The Modern Monarchy This Is BBC Two

07:30 Homes Under the Hammer 08:30 Helicopter Heroes 09:15 The A to Z of TV Cooking 10:00 Great Continental Railway Journeys 11:00 Ronnie's Animal Crackers 11:30 See Hear 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Madagascar 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:00 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Wartime Farm 21:00 Food & Drink 22:00 Tudor Monastery Farm 23:00 The Sarah Millican Television Programme 23:30 Newsnight

00:00 01:00 02:00 04:00 04:45 06:05 07:00 09:30 10:25 11:30 13:30 & Mel 14:30 14:55 15:00 16:00 16:59 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:30

The Lockerbie Bombing The Jonathan Ross Show Jackpot247 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Daybreak Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Let's Do Christmas with Gino ITV News and Weather ITV News Meridian 60 Minute Makeover Dickinson's Real Deal ITV Meridian Weather Show Me the Telly The Chase ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Surprise Surprise Lucan ITV News and Weather

01:20 Poker 02:20 KOTV Boxing Weekly 02:45 Beach Volleyball 03:40 Survival of the Fittest 04:05 A Place in the Sun 05:00 Suburgatory 05:20 Deal or No Deal 06:15 Countdown 07:00 The Treacle People 07:15 According to Jim 08:05 Will & Grace 08:30 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 Gogglebox 23:45 Jimmy Carr: Being Funny

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY Two­part drama by Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall telling the story of the most infamous heist in British history, beginning with the plan­ ning and execution of the crime from the per­ spective of the perpetrators themselves. After a robbery at Heathrow Airport in 1962, Bruce Reynolds sets his sights on another target ­ the plan being to rob the overnight mail train from Glasgow to Euston. A team is assembled, schemes are laid out and rehearsals begin.

00:00 NCIS 00:55 Born to Kill?

01:55 SuperCasino 04:05 Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers 04:55 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Mio Mao 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Milkshake! Show Songs 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:05 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:45 Inside Hollywood 10:50 Paul Merton in Europe 11:50 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:50 Secrets of the Vanishing Sphinx 13:50 5 News Lunchtime 13:55 Neighbours 14:25 Chinese Food in Minutes 14:30 The Real St Nick 16:10 Mrs Santa Claus 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 The Dog Rescuers 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's Strongest Man 21:00 Excessive Compulsive Collectors 22:00 Britain's Craziest Christmas Lights 23:00 The Terminator

The Courier Thursday TV

December 20

00:05 00:55 02:30 02:35 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:30 16:30 Martin 17:15 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:30 23:00 23:25 23:35

The League Cup Show Black Death Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed Helicopter Heroes Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Perfection Escape to the Country Christmas Kitchen with James Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show EastEnders The Great Train Robbery Mrs Brown's Boys BBC News Regional News and Weather The Royle Family

00:20 The Silent War 01:20 See Hear 01:50 This Is BBC Two 04:50 Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways 05:30 Ask Lara 05:45 Life Stories 06:45 Schools ­ Little Alien

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:35 Homes Under the Hammer 08:35 Helicopter Heroes 09:20 The A to Z of TV Cooking 10:05 Tudor Monastery Farm 11:05 Ronnie's Animal Crackers 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Lifeline 13:10 College Road Trip 14:30 Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 The Truth About Lions 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:00 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Hairy Bikers' Christmas Party 21:00 Alex Polizzi's Christmas Fix 22:00 The 12 Drinks of Christmas 23:00 Mock the Week ­ Again 23:30 Newsnight 23:30 Weather

00:00 ITV News Meridian 00:10 Smokin' Aces 02:05 Jackpot247 02:50 Spartacus 06:00 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Christmas with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 New You've Been Framed!

22:00 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 Utopia

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? As the last­ever edition of the long­running quiz approaches, Chris Tarrant invites stars including former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and This Morning's Eamonn Holmes to take the hot seat in this Christmas special. The celebrities are aiming to win as much as they can for their chosen charities as well as one lucky viewer, and have the usual lifelines at their dis­ posal.

00:50 Man Down 01:20 A Field in England 02:55 Black Narcissus 04:45 Suburgatory 05:05 Deal or No Deal 06:00 Countdown 06:45 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 07:10 According to Jim 07:35 According to Jim 08:05 Will & Grace 08:30 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 10:25 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 22:00 Educating Yorkshire 23:00 What Happens in Kavos

01:15 Poker 02:10 SuperCasino 04:05 Myra Hindley: The Untold Story 04:55 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:05 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:45 Inside Hollywood 10:50 Paul Merton in Europe 11:50 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:50 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:50 5 News Lunchtime 13:55 Neighbours 14:25 Mistletoe over Manhattan 16:15 The Santa Incident 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 The Dog Rescuers 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's Strongest Man 21:00 Stop! Police Interceptors 22:00 Criminals: Caught on Camera 23:00 Person of Interest

42

Friday, December 13, 2013

AUCTIONS

PROPERTY FOR RENT

ACCOUNTANTS Pro Business Support – for all your accountancy needs in English; bookkeeping, taxes, wage slips and more.

We cater for companies and self­employed people; we can deal with everything for you. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

International Christian Assembly, Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja.

Evangelical non­denomina­ tional church. Sunday serv­ ices 11am.

Children's church 11am. House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier. Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. Craft club, Tuesdays, 2pm.

Pastor, Rafael Restrepo. All nation­ alities welcome. Call 966 799 273 or 660 127 276.

CHURCH SERVICES Pilar Christian Community Church Calle Canalejas 3.

Pilar de la Horadada.

Sunday Service at 11am, and Thursday at 5pm for Prayer and Praise and Worship Home groups meet during the week. All wel­ come from any church back­ ground or none. For further information contact PilarChristian.CommunityC hurch@gmail.com 968 575 417 or 966 848 806. Reg No:2009­SG/A Carol Service 12th December at

7pm, all welcome to join in with us.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) meet at 10.00 each Sunday at their Torrevieja meetinghouse in the Torreaguas building on the corner of Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 104, close to the windmill in Torrevieja, 667 533 597.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Unlimited earnings for ambi­ tious people; low cost, money back guaranteed, phone Suzanne on 627 371 731 Hair & Beauty Salon for sale.

Visit www.torrysun.co.uk

CARS FOR SALE Car insurance quotes – new extra discount on fully com­ prehensive policies at the price of third party!

Excellent prices for expats, all policies and call centre staff in English. We will call you back with a quote. 966 923 963

INSURANCE CASER SEGUROS ­ for all your insurance needs, home, car, health, funeral.

Policies available in English and German.

Call Professional Business Support on 966 923 963 for a quick quote from our friendly staff.

CATERING

Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit: www.vil­ laandvacation.com or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apart­ ments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry sys­ tem. Available for short or long term rent from 350 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 616 493 487. (148) Santiago De La Ribera. 2 bedroom modern town house with communal pool close to shops and beach.

375 euros plus water and electric bills. +34 968335605. +34 644126700.(148) Ref: 61, A lovely two bed­ roomed ground floor apart­ ment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swim­ ming pool adjacent & all amenities in walking dis­ tance. Long and short term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apart­ ment in Torrevieja, (near gypsy lane), small balcony, near all amenities and Friday market. €350pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bed­ room detached villa with its private pool is located on the El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar. Convenient for all amenities, shops, super­

ALARMS

market, restaurants and bars. Short term rental avail­ able. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bed­ room apartment, located near los Locos beach, beau­ tifully furnished. Short term rentals from 175€ per week.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situated in Monino Blanco. The proper­ ty overlooks a superb com­ munal pool area, in within walking distance of bars, restaurants and shops.

Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 114 This upstairs apart­ ment is situated just out of the town centre on a lovely urbanisation with a good communal pool. It has two bedrooms with an open plan kitchen, diner and lounge and kitchen. €350 per month plus bills. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

LONG TERM RENTALS WANTED! Properties, all types, in the Torrevieja area wanted for long term rentals.

Call us on 96 692 3963 CBR35 : Townhouse with garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath­ rooms, communal pool, near San Jaime Hospital in Aguas Nuevas area, 450 € pcm, call 966 923 963 1 Bedroom apartment for long term rent in the area of Las Lomas, Torrevieja. Very good condition. 210€ per

month. Call 622 600 518 for more information.(147) Room to let in a house in Las Lomas, Torrevieja. With own TV in room, full use of kitchen and appliances throughout the house. 135€ (bills not included). Call 622 600 518 for more informa­ tion.(147) CBR23 : Stylish townhouse in Los Montesinos, 3 bed 2 bath with large 65m2 garage, front and back ter­ races. Unfurnished, inc. only white goods and all light fit­ tings. 550 € pcm. Call 966 923 963 CBR37 : Smart & modern 1 bedroom ground floor apartment with seaviews inc.private gated parking.

Ideal for a retired couple; located in quiet residential area, shops nearby. La Mata, 325 € pcm, call 966 923 963.

CBR38 : Detached villa 5 minutes from San Miguel, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, with garage, 175 m plot, furnished. 500 € pcm, call 966 923 963 .

KGVM1 : Quad house in Villamartin, 4 beds, 2 baths, fireplace, garden & balcony, communal Pool.

Close to all shops, etc. 650 € pcm. Call to us to view on 966 923 963.

CBR36 : Torrevieja town­ centre, 2 bed top floor apartment with all ameni­ ties nearby, communal swimming pool. Private bal­ cony, furnished, ideal for liv­ ing in all year round. 300€

CARPENTER

pcm, call 966 923 963 Horse Riding Stables For Rent in Catral: 14,000 m2 land, 10 individual stables and five paddocks. Includes a 3 bedroom house, Long term rent only. 16,800 euro for the year. 966 923 963 Horse riding Stables for Rent in Algorfa : 3,000 m2, 22 individual stables and 2 paddocks.

Long Term Rental only. 11,200 euro for the year. 966 923 963 CBR41 : Two bedroom, two bathroom townhouse in Torrevieja, modern decor, fully furnished, with commu­ nal pool, 350 € per month, to view call 966 923 963 CBR20: Beachfront apart­ ment 4th floor with fantastic sea views! 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, good sized bal­ cony, 400€ pcm, call now on 966 923 963 Ref: 709, A lovely 1 bed­ room apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach. There is a terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

PROPERTY FOR SALE Home and Contents cover ­ Comprehensive policies for house and contents with CASER Seguros ­ excellent prices for expats; policies available in. Call 966 923 963 for a quote.

RS116 – 3 bedroom, 2 bath­ room towncentre apartment in Los Montesinos, beauti­ fully furnished/decorated, pool on solarium, 85.000€, call 966 923 963 Ground Floor Duplex, on the Monte y Mar estate of Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Fully furnished, Private Parking, Communal pool Ref. GA0094 NOw only 83.000e Tel. 680333242

CAR HIRE

BLINDS

CLEANERS

43

Friday, December 13, 2013 Rare opportunity to pur­ chase on Mediterrania III, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Private Parking, F/Furnished, Large communal pools & Tennis courts S/W facing, Dramatically reduced for quick sale to 126.000 euros.

Ref No. K58 Call 627 711 155 for immediate viewing RS80 : Spanish style town­ house in Algorfa, totally reformed and redecorated, 110m2, 3 lrg.bedrooms, 1 bathroom, many extras, absolute bargain at 99,500€, call now on 966

923 963 for no obligation viewing.

Ref: 510, €70,000.

Bungalow located in San Luis. It is close to the super­ markets, bars and restau­ rants and is on the local bus route. An Opel Corsa car is included in this sale. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely Corner property in Novamar V, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms Being sold fully furnished including appliances, Has secure underground parking and faces large oasis com­ munal pool. Walking dis­

GARDENER

CAR BREAKERS

tance to beach. 139.000 Euros, Call 627 711 155 and quote Ref No. K10 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Kitchen with Galleria, Secure underground park­ ing, Gas Central Heating, Glazed in Porch, Solarium with stunning views.

Viewings absolutely essen­ tial. Very large property at reduced price of 190.000 euros. Ref No. K38 Call 627 711 155 Viva Villa and Vacation Services are pleased to offer property sales for the Torrevieja and Oriheula areas of the Costa Blanca, Spain. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 or Visit : www.villaandvacation.com Ref: 104 Lovely 2 Bedroom Apartment, close to Shops, walking distance to Friday Market and Town Centre and the beach. The property is close to the Habaneres Shopping Centre and

Aquapark. Recently refur­ bished apartment in a good central location.

Conveniently situated for all the facilities of this modern vibrant town, and only a few blocks away from Torreviejas excellent sea front with its abundant cafes, restaurants and shops. Price €43950 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref. BRJ1 – 1 bedroom top floor renovated apartment in San Luis. Great sea and lake views. 45.000€. Tel. 966 923 963 Immaculate ground floor Duplex, 2 beds, 2 bath, Private Parking, Situated in Novamar, Gran Alacant.

Price includes very tasteful furniture and white goods.

Walking distance to all local amenities and beach. Now only 129,750 euros. Ref No K24. 627 711 155 KBJ3 : 3 bed penthouse in Guardamar, furnished, fan­

tastic sea views, communal pool and parking, 149.000€, call 966 923 963 Opportunity to purchase at the off plan price of 195.000 euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 Bath Brand new property. Secure underground parking for 2 cars and communal pool.

Situated opposite Gran Alacant and over looks pro­ jected golf course. Ref No. K52. 627 711 155 RS1 : 3 bed large villa in Torrevieja on 950m2 plot, private pool, Jacuzzi / sauna, parking, 289.000€, call 966 923 963 Ref: 78, €120,000. Three

bedroom Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is off­road parking and small storage shed in the enclosed garden area, communal pool near­ by. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floor duplex. Central heating, Grills, Fully furnished, Glazed in Galleria, 2 com­ munal pools, private parking and walking distance to the Gran Alacant commercial centre. Situated in the popu­ lar urbanisation of Puerto Marino. Now only 96,500 euros for quick sale Ref No. K46. 627 711 155

MAN AND A VAN

DRAINAGE PETS

44

Friday, December 13, 2013

Recently reduced 4 Bed, 3 Bath Villa, in Gran Alacant.

Quiet Location, Exceptional Views. Converted Under build, 2 Lounges, 2 Kitchens, Private Garage and being sold Fully Furnished, now only 239.950 Ref: L81 Tel. 680333242 Gran Alacant Detached villa, located in a very sought after location.Situated on a 560m2 S/W facing plot and constructed in 2005.

Comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 full baths), Lounge­Diner, fully equipped Kitchen, Porch and Solarium with Alicante & Sea Views. ref.L81. €258,000 neg.

Tel.

680333242 Ref: KP3100, €183,000.

Three bedroom, two bath­ room detached villa, located in San Luis, on a 450sqm plot, with communal pool.

Garage to side of house.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach.

There is a terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Corner Plot Property in the lower end of Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Under build, Roof top

RAG AND BONE

Solarium Being sold Fully Furnished including White goods. Walking distance to all local amenities. 139.950e Ref. GA0087 Tel. 680333242 Gran Alacant Town House with a difference.

2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Quiet Location, Extra storage areas, and South Facing Private Pool as well as 2 communal pools. Fully Furnished, All mod cons.

Greenland Views and all local amenities close by.

Ref. No L79. 179.000 euros 680 333 242 Gran Alacant immaculate villa, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath­ roomed property maintained to a very high standard inside and out and the interi­ or furnishings are top quali­ ty, offering a feeling of luxury and good taste. The plot size is 400m2 and has been beautifully tiles, and grav­ eled and has established palms and plants. Oil fired central heating throughout, log effect fire place, ceiling fans in all rooms, towel heater rails, glazed in show­

REMOVALS

POOLS

SURVEYOR

er units, instant hot water, water purifier, free English TV, phone & internet lines, fitted double hanging wardrobes, safe, glazed in front porch, vanity units and much more. The pool is an 8 X 4 m2 salt water pool, meaning maintenance is much easier plus outside toilet and shower. Sea views to front with Greenland views to the rear. ref K51. €245,000 Tel 680333242 Ref: 516, €39,999. Studio apartment in San Luis, close to amenities. Open plan fully equipped kitchen. Good sized lounge, bedroom and out onto balcony which has been glazed to create another room. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bed­ room apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in terrace and a large solarium. This property comes with a large commu­ nal swimming pool. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely clean detached Villa just as you enter Gran Alacant. Very central loca­ tion, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Garden Shed, Private Parking, Attractive Gardens, Private pool Ref: K59 240.000e Tel. 627711155 Large 4 Bedroom, 4 Bathroom, 2 Kitchens, 2 Lounges, 600m2+ plot Large Retractable Glazed in Pool for all year swimming, Private Parking for 4 cars,

Very low­maintenance, Fully Furnished. 330.000e but Negotiable. Very different to the other properties in Gran Alacant and is disabled friendly Ref: L80 Tel. 680333242 Limited Edition Fortaleze in Gran Alacant Exceptionally Large Plot. 4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Private Pool with Decorative Garden, Private Parking, Electric Gates, Glazed in Porch, Solarium, Under build. Quiet sought after area. Very tastefully fur­ nished and all included 370.000e Ref. K52 Tel. 627711155 Gran Alacant, detached villa in desirable road close to all amenities, comprising of 3 double bedrooms, 3 baths, lounge diner with working fire place, brand new kitchen with all appliances and black granite work tops, private pool, plot of 550m2, established irrigated gar­ dens and fruit trees, private parking, solarium, also there is a converted under build giving more bedrooms ,bathroom & kitchen, this house has many extras and is being sold fully furnished.

Ref.k47. €280,000 neg Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant south­facing, very private villa, with wood­ land and Alicante views.

Situated at the end of a small cul­de­sac which means this villa enjoys a very peaceful location.3 Bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, 3 Bathrooms, lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully fitted kitchen with including white goods, large front porch, solarium,workshop and stor­ age in under build, central

WANTED

PLUMBERS

heating, air con H/C, ceiling fans, grills, UK T.V, off road parking and plenty of out­ side parking also. Due to its orientation of this property enjoys full sun, all day, something very important in the winter months. Ref.K24. €237,000 Tel 680333242

QUIZZES Experienced quiz­ master/question setter with personality available to host quiz nights in local bars.

Tel:­ 664 838 581

SITUATIONS VACANT RADIO COSTA INTERNA­ TIONAL needs motivated sellers. Spanish, English and German language is a bonus but not essential.

Training and good earnings guaranteed. For more info call 644 126 600 or email info@radicocostainterna­ tional.com Medaesthetics require a Beautician. Must have NVQ Level 3 and working self employed email cv to sabinebrooks@hotmail.com

SOLICITORS Need English speaking solicitors in Torrevieja? Let us help to solve your prob­ lems with debt recovery, divorce, property, fraud, criminal defence. Call us on 966 923 963, give us brief details and get in touch with your specialist solicitor today

WIG SPECIALIST SALON MARGARETHAS, 23 years in Torrevieja Hair/Wig specialist for Medical illness and Hair Loss problems. We offer dif­ ferent Hair Replacements, top fillers, Hair prostheses, Toupees and Wigs, Natural and Artificial hair and much more. Also fashion/festival accessories TV/TS are wel­ come to our service. Please call our salon reception for an appointment with Margaretha on Tel no 966 921 846 Torrevieja (90)

POOL TABLES

VAN HIRE

45

Friday, December 13, 2013

Greenside Gossip EUROPE’S PERFECT RYDER CUP WARM UP IVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - golfdavies@gmail.com

The “Mechanico” Miguel Angel Jiménez has a love affair with Hong Kong. Not only did he win the Hong Kong Open last weekend at the ripe “old” age of 49 and 11 months and 3 days, (he turns 50 on January 5th) he broke records along the way (gives us all hope in our Society competitions!). It was a record equaling fourth time victory after wins in 2004, 2007 and 2012 when at 48 years and 318 days he became the oldest winner on the European Tour. By win­ ning last Sunday in a play­ off with a birdie, broke his own record “oldest player” record and secured his 20th

tour win. He is now eyeing a Ryder Cup place, and he even suggested that Hong Kong should provide him with a house since he likes the place so much. If that was not enough, he and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee were named captains in Kowloon for an inaugural team golf event between Asia and Europe being staged next year in Malaysia.

The rival captains have pre­ dicted big things for the new Ryder Cup­style EurAsia Cup to be held at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club near Kuala Lumpur over three days at the end of

KNOW YOUR RULES MYTH A player who is off the green must play a shot before a golfer who is on the green.

FACT The player farthest from the hole regardless of position is always entitled to play first. So if a golfer has a 50 foot putt while another golfer is facing a 5 yard chip, the golfer on the green is entitled to play first. Note, there is no penalty for playing out of order. However, in match play, you can be made to replay your shot by your opponent if you don’t wait your turn.

TITTER ON THE TEE It’s the Mixed Pairs competition at the Golf Club and a young member sees a girl he had always wanted to play with, but she was always a bit aloof. This time he decides to ask her if she would like to team up with him in the mixed pairs.

Much to his astonishment she yells at the top of her voice, “How dare you! No I will not join you for a quickie in the back of your car.”

The clubhouse falls silent and all eyes are turned to the young man who shuffles away totally embarrassed and humiliated. Ten minutes later the girl approaches him full of apologies and explains that she is experimenting with people’s reactions to different situations as part of her thesis on human behaviour.

As she finishes talking he exclaims very loudly, “£200!

You’ve got to be joking; I can get it much cheaper else­ where.”

March. Jiménez believes that the event is going to have a big future, since Asia has a lot of talent and the sport is growing so much in that region, which makes him think that we may see some very interesting matches. “The Ryder Cup is such a magnificent event, so perhaps this is about to fol­ low the same levels of suc­ cess”, the Spaniard said.

Thongchai, three times a winner of the Asian Tour's order of merit, echoed the views of his opposing skip­ per, by saying, "I think in the future this EurAsia Cup is going to be pretty close to the Ryder Cup, and this is going to be a key competi­ tion for a long time."

The Ryder Cup started back in 1927, which is a long time to get to the position that it’s got now as the world’s lead­ ing golf team event and so

it’s hoped the EurAsia Cup in the future will get that kind of status, but there’s a long way to go before that hap­ pens. This is just the first event and one of the impor­ tant factors will be getting the Asian countries to unite in their team's cause. I don't think there's any shortage of desire out there, but in con­ trast the European team do have that Ryder Cup and that united experience already. The new tourna­ ment is a co­sanctioned event and Asian Tour chair­ man Kyi Hla Han said his players were itching to com­ pete in it. There are top Chinese players like Liang Wenchong who has declared he wants to play his way in to qualify for the EurAsia Cup. The players want to compete in this match and be proud to be representing their respective

continents.

World number 12 Graeme McDowell has given the EurAsia Cup a massive boost by pledging to repre­ sent Europe and the former U.S. Open champion is one of five automatic choices in Jimenez's team, along with the playing captain, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez­ Castano who will play cour­ tesy of where they finished in this year’s Race to Dubai.

Another four will make the European team based on world rankings in February, while Jimenez will have two captains’ picks which will complete Europe's ten­man line up. The Asian ten will include the leading four available Asian players from the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit and three based on

world rankings, while Thongchai Jaidee as playing captain will select the final trio and is likely to look for players from four countries, including South Korea, Japan and India and two captains’ picks.

The $4 million EurAsia Cup format is styled on the Ryder Cup, and the organisers from the Asian Tour and European Tour are hopeful of it sparking a similarly exciting intercontinental rivalry. European Tour offi­ cials dismissed comparisons between the EurAsia Cup and the Royal Trophy, anoth­ er Europe vs. Asia team competition which is taking place at Dragon Lake Golf Club in China’s Guangzhou later this month. Asia doesn’t yet have the big­name golfers that help create buzz for an event. Thongchai Jaidee, is a popular figure in the sport but hardly a house­ hold name. He is the top­ ranked Asian golfer, at 47 in the world rankings, and there are more than 20 golfers from the U.S. alone ahead of him.

“I have always enjoyed watching the Ryder Cup, but being Asian, I will never get to play,” Jaidee, a former sol­ dier, said in Kowloon this month. “The EurAsia Cup will offer the chance to the best Asian and European players to come together. It is my intention to see that team Asia is victorious.”

GMac (Graeme McDowell) has said that it’s a great con­ cept to bring Asia and Europe together and thinks it has a lot of potential to become a very big event, and feels sure that a few of the European players will be looking to sharpen their match play skills with an eye on the Ryder Cup next year.

The EurAsia Cup will need to aim for more than just being a warm­up for the Ryder Cup, but perhaps that’s what is needed to attract players in plenty of time before the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland in late September. The inaugu­ ral tournament comes just two weeks before the Masters in Augusta in April.

Whoever makes the cut is in line for a payout of at least $100,000. With prize money of $4 million, players on the winning team will pocket $300,000 and those on the losing team will get $100,000.

46

Friday, December 13, 2013

SCOTS ON THE ROCKS BARCELONA 6 CELTIC 1

Barcelona brushed aside Celtic with an inspired 13­minute Neymar hat­trick to top group H of the Champions League.

Even without Andres Iniesta who was left on the bench, the injured Messi, and the suspended Cesc Fabregas, their comfort­

able victory never looked in doubt.

Neymar was handed central striking responsibilities and he did not disappoint with the fourth fastest hat­trick in Champions League history in the six­goal drubbing.

RONALDO PROVES HE’S HUMAN FC COPENHAGEN 0 REAL MADRID 2

LACKLUSTRE REAL OLIMPIC XATIVA 0 REAL MADRID 0

Real Madrid badly missed the firepower of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale as they were held 0­0 away to third tier Olimpic Xativa in the first­leg of their Copa del Rey fourth round tie last Saturday. With Ronaldo suspended following his red card in last year’s final defeat to Atletico Madrid and Bale left in the Spanish capital due to the flu, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti handed starts to young forwards Alvaro Morata and Jese Rodriguez.

However, the Spanish under­21 duo failed to impress as Real failed to find the net for just the second time this season. And Ancelotti believes the artificial surface at La Murta affected his side’s performance. “The match wasn’t that bad. It is true that the arti­ ficial pitch didn’t help us, we are not used to playing on pitches like that,” he said. “We don’t need to be worried about a lack of goals. That is not a problem we normally have.”

CLASS TELLS CARTAGENA 1 BARCELONA 4

Real Madrid put the seal on a fine Champions League group­stage campaign as they won 2­0 at FC Copenhagen on Tuesday ­ even if Cristiano Ronaldo did miss a penalty in the process. Carlo Ancelotti's men have topped Group B by some distance and finish with 16 points from 18 after a record­breaking night. Luka Modric's fine opener was the 31st successive European

game in which they have scored, setting a new competition record, before Ronaldo made it safe after the break, making the first player ever to score 9 goals in the group stages of the competition. The Portuguese man had a chance to double his tally late on from the spot but fans were left stunned as the normally­faultless frontman's effort was saved.

ALL TO PLAY FOR

Barcelona recovered from the shock of falling behind to third­tier opposition by fight­ ing back for a 4­1 win in the first leg of their Copa del Rey fourth­round tie at Cartagena last Friday night. The hosts threatened to heap yet more misery on the Catalan giants following their back­to­back defeats against Ajax and Athletic Bilbao when Rodriguez Fernando fired them into a 16th­minute lead.

Pedro (pictured in the middle being con­

gratulated) began the Barca fightback with the leveller after 36 minutes while Cesc Fabregas bagged a second after 43 minutes to ensure the Primera Liga side went in with the lead at the interval. The visitors contin­ ued to labour after the break and 76 minutes were on the clock when Pedro made it 3­0, while the scoreline finally began to take on a more expected look in the final minute when Jean­Marie Dongou made it four.

of injury time, a brilliant strike from Aquino made it all square ahead of the 2nd leg this Tuesday with an 8.00 pm kick­off. Ahead of

that, Elche is back in La Liga action tonight (Friday) at fellow mid­table side Levante, which starts at 9.00pm.

VILLARREAL 2 ELCHE 2

Villarreal and Elche played out a dramatic Copa del Rey tie last Friday, full of thrills and spills. Villarreal took the lead and should have scored more in the first­half, but were made to rue their wastefulness midway through the second­half, when Elche scored twice in the space of five minutes. Aquino scored with an excellent finish deep into stoppage time though for Villarreal, leaving the tie with all to play for in the second­leg at Elche.

Villarreal did take the lead in the 22nd minute, through Giovani with a strike from a tricky angle. Elche though were just as much in the match as the home side, but it took until the hour mark for them to level things

up. After an Elche corner seemingly came to nothing, Elche were quickest to react to the second­ball and with central defender Pelegrín(pictured) still forward, he was on the receiving end of a cross from the right, heading past Juan Carlos with ease. The turnaround in the game didn’t end there though. After Botía responded well to make a crucial interception denying Giovani in the 63rd minute, Elche then took the lead in the 66th minute. Cisma forward down the left and with the cross, Juan Carlos managing to get a hand to the ball, but not enough to stop Boakye from ramming it into the back of the net, with the second bite at the chance. But Villarreal fought back, and in the last minute

47

Friday, December 13, 2013

CRISIS – WHAT CRISIS? No nightmares yet at theatre of dreams

What’s going on at Old Trafford? Champions Manchester United currently sit in ninth place, and even before the generous festive period has started, the Reds have already lost the last two games at home, making five in all ­ that being the total num­ ber of defeats during the whole of last season. So where do you sit?

Pessimist’a view: ‘Ageing side, too many has­beens, nervy new management, rumours of key player unrest…’

Optimist’s view: ‘Just a blip, Fergie­had­that­when­ he started, our­David­knows­ what­he’s­doing­after­ all­he’s­“The­ Chosen­One”, class always shows through, s’all right, Rooney’s­playing­ out­of­his­skin, we’ll be back, we always are. We’re Man United…’

Yes, well, all of

neutral, I sit awkwardly on the fence, but there does seem to be some strange sounds seeping from Old Trafford. Initially Wayne was wayward, feeling Fergie frus­ trations, but Moyes moved manfully to pat Rooney’s transplanted tonsure, and given the odd yellow for over­ zealous offences seems to be the most mesmerising member of Moyes’ men. The main mystery seems to sur­ round previously reliant Robin van Persie, t h e m a n m o s t l y credited with United’s definitive winning of last year’s Premier League: just why he is unhappy, as the those can­ rumour machine would have did com­ us believe is unclear ­ any ments can ideas, lads? be consid­ Quality of his teammates, ered and p’raps? Whilst the defence, c a s e s built in front of safe­and­ made for sound­now keeper David de the prose­ Gea appears to be as com­ cution and petent as most top sides, the d e f e n c e . usual suspects are in mid­ As a field, where the bite of Paul n o s e y Scholes has not been

replaced. Over the (success­ ful) years Manchester United have always ‘enjoyed’ a crunching ball–winner to make the opponents twitch as they line up: like Nobby Stiles, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and a few more, but the recent addition of Marouane Fellaini doesn’t seem to have quite worked out…yet.

Some say Michael Carrick’s past contribution and subsequent injuries have shown how much United need him. Tom Cleverley is too lightweight, and Phil Jones, although an excellent utility man is not the answer in central midfield either. It is also murmured that in recent years some key continental players that became avail­ able – like Cesc Fabregas and Wesley Sneijder ­ just did not want to join United – and yet for all that the Red Devils stormed on to retake their title back last season from their nasty­neighbours.

Some of United’s recent purchases are questionable ­ like Wilfried Zaha who rarely gets a start. It’s as though United bought him to stop anyone else getting him.

There’s too many ‘nearly ‘ men at United: Hernandez, Valencia, Januzaj, Kagawa, Young and Nani, all who never get a regular run because there’s too much competition for places – and there’s the rub, too many ‘reasonable’ players compet­ ing where ’great’ things are needed again to force United back to the top. Constant chopping and changing isn’t the answer, it makes for inconsistency. And this year, others are simply doing it better.

Those ‘others’, i.e. the pre­ vious also­rans have mostly bought better, and just improved lately, plus newer teams to the hierarchy like Southampton and Everton

have been a revelation, play­ ing some fabulous football this super season. Both City and Chelsea look mean and moody, and Arsenal….well, they’re clear top on merit, man: league tables don’t lie, and the Gunners are doing it their way. Throw in topsy­ turvy Tottenham and Luis­led Liverpool and it’s plain that with some poorish perform­ ances United deserve to be where they are.

So no ­ it’s not crisis time ­ half the Premiership have bigger problems than United, but at the Theatre of Dreams the self­set bar is so high.

And if United stay ninth ­ or lower – what, no Europe?

Now that would be a crisis, David.

CRISTIANO FANCIED QUESTION MARK OVER MESSI RETURN

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has said he can't guarantee that World Player of the Year Lionel Messi will be fit to feature when his side return to action after the Spanish winter break in January.

Messi was ruled out for the rest of the year after tearing his hamstring last month and is currently back in Argentina continuing his recovery and is expected to return to Barcelona at the beginning of January.

However, Martino refused to

confirm that his compa­ triot would definitely be fit for a return to action at the start of 2014 with Barça set to visit joint La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid on January 12th.

"He is working as planned, completing the different stages of his recovery. We hope that he will be ready at the start of January, but the closer we get to the date we will see if he needs more time," said the coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribery and Lionel Messi are on the three­man shortlist for the 2013 Ballon d'Or. The trio were cho­ sen from the 23­man list, which included Gareth Bale, and the world player of the year will be revealed on 13 January.

Barcelona's Messi has won four years in a row but Real Madrid forward Ronaldo is the

favourite to win this year.

The winners, to be announced at a cere­ mony in Zurich, will be decided by a vote among the captains and head coaches of all Fifa­affiliated men's national teams, as well as by international media representa­ tives selected by France Football maga­ zine.

Atletico Saguntino. The Vicente Garcia sta­ CD Montesinos return to action this dium pitch is being re­seeded to finish off the Sunday after last weekend’s break and they improvement work that was done last sum­ get into the seasonal spirit as they entertain mer.

Formentera with a 4.00pm kick­off. After the

match, the Full Monte Supporters club will present all the players and staff of CD Montesinos, with a Christmas hamper, and there’ll also be a raffle.

TORRY SWITCH

FC Torrevieja’s last two home matches of 2013 have been moved across the road to the Nelson Mandela stadium, starting with this Sunday’s 5.00pm kick­off against

MONTE RETURN

Friday, December 13, 2013

48

IROONY RULES, OK? EXCITING EVERTON PRETENDERS TO UNITED’S THRONE

As Man United’s star dims in the universe deemed The Premiership, with new dynamo David Moyes blinking under huge pressure, his old lads back down the East Lancs Road he left for Red recognition are twinkling away by comparison, illuminated by new Spanish management under that nice young señor Roberto Martinez. After imperti­ nently and ironically inflicting infamy on United at Old Trafford in midweek, on Saturday Everton took their team of triers to the top table to take on the lively league leaders Arsenal in their own back yard – and what a display they put on, swarming like blue bees all over the Gunners, for the first 45 minutes, even audaciously playing the game in the home team’s half, buzzing with 62% share of the possession.

After much due criticism it was mainly Arsenal’s sound centre­back partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker that tempered the Toffees torrent, until two late goals near the end, one from either side ensured an honourable draw ­ but what a match, with Ross Barkley looking more and more like a young Gazza as he looks so positive and capable. This week­ end the Gunners have another strict test of their star status away at the Etihad, where the City Coliseum is a

John McGregor reports

scary place for visitors. Everton’s task looks the easier on Saturday, at home to Fulham, but ­ ‘Allo ‘Allo, listen carefully – Rene’s renegades ruined Villa 2 – 0 Sunday, Benteke’s joined Bent in a goal­drought.

The dammed United? Lightning struck twice in four days at the Theatre of Dreams, this time though the nightmares came in black and white stripes as the Toon Army came to town. Same result as Everton’s midweek malaise inflicted on Rooneyless United, a 1 ­ 0 defeat courtesy of Cabaye, and Newcastle well worth their win. The Magpies are now up to seventh – two points and two places above United in…ninth. Next nervy United, needing a win voyage to vacillating Villa on Saturday.

‘Oh, I never felt more like singing the Blues, When City win, and United lose…’ So sang Man City supporters at Southampton (when they were winning and United had lost earlier). Saint’s 1 – 1 draw with City was one of several worthy contenders for Match of the Day, and as for Osvaldo’s equaliser – well. Both teams shared seri­ ous intent, the visitors shaking off their dodgy away form, Saints stopping the rot after three defeats.

Miserable Mou’s luck ran out, strangely at Stoke, where despite Schurrle scoring two, somehow Stoke scored three. In a hoist­by­yer­own­Hazard horror, ho ho, the Blues had their favourite stunt, a lucky late win­ ner wonderfully whizzed in, but this time against them in the final minute, a real belter from Liverpool­loanee Assaidi. Quick question: with one clean sheet in ten,

are the Big Beleaguered Blues Boys at the back becoming a Bridge of Sighs, conceding six in two games? Same old faces, only red ones these days…

This weekend the Pensioners provide for Pulis’s puffed­up­and­polished Palace. The Eagles enthusias­ tically entertained their fervent fans, where revitalised Chamakh was again the champ, cracking concerned Cardiff (only one win in nine ­ still, swatted Swansea).

Stoke’s Mark Hughes now has high hopes, hastening to Hull.

Luis­led Liverpool­lashed West Ham 4 – 1: someone called OG scored three, with Suarez once again look­ ing unplayable. Hey, non­Celts, let’s hope Roy Hodgson is watching the Uruguayan carefully, RH’s got plenty of time to work out how to stoppim before England play his mob in Brazil. Suarez leads the league with 17 goals and lest you forget – he missed the first five games through suspension.

Under­fire Sam Allardyce’s lads, sin­sinner Nolan now entertain suffering Sunderland in a six­pointer down in the DDD where it’s all going Pete Tong for poor Poyet, fortuitously foiled by Spurs. Mighty match Super Sunday at White Hart Lane as Liverpool come to town.

After getting slaughtered singlehandedly midweek by Suarez, Norwich bounced back against the Baggies, somehow withstanding the home pressure to win 2 – 0 and relieve the pressure on Chris Hughton. Swansea come to the Canaries Sunday, with West Brom next to sample the Welsh welcome in Cardiff.