Week 151

Edition 151

www.thecourier.es

Friday, January 10, 2014

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HABANERAS HORROR Couple coshed in video nasty

By ALEX TRELINSKI

A French family had an unforgettable Torrevieja shopping experience as they were clobbered by security guards who thought they had stolen something from the Carrefour store at the Habaneras Centre.

One of the couple’s sons recorded the whole incident on his mobile phone, with the story and video hitting Spain’s national TV channels.

The tourists have filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil after the two security guards pounced on them after they were leaving the store and the alarm system was triggered through an exit point, suggesting that they had an unpaid item. The couple was frog­marched to a security room, where they were detained and searched. That’s where they claim to have been spat at, verbal abused as well as being assaulted. No stolen items were found in their possession, but their detention was videoed by their son which appears to back up their claims over their rough treatment.

The couple went to the Emergency Department of Torrevieja Hospital for treatment, and then filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil in the city a few days later, once the Guardia had got hold of a translator. There has been no offi­ cial comment from either the Habaneras Centre or from the security company involved, but Carrefour have asked for an explanation of the events from the security firm. The family is now back in France, and have said that their experience has made them determined never to return to Spain again.

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Friday, January 10, 2014

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Picture of the Week

96 692 1003 679 096 309

Mmmmmm yes please.... Photo by MRS P CALEY

Light in that tunnel end

Spanish dole figures saw a record monthly fall in December with 107,570 fewer people visiting the country's employment offices, while 64,097 people found work in the same peri­ od. The large fall means Spain closed out 2013 with 146,293 fewer unemployed people than at the end of the 2012, with 4.4 million people now registered as unemployed in the country.

The December drop is the first such year­on­year fall since the current recession began, and it is also the first time that December has seen a six­figure drop in unemployment figures.

In Alicante Province, 2013 ended with 217,680 unem­

ployed, which showed a reduction of some 8500 people on the dole in the Costa Blanca compared to November. The main falls in the Vega Baja were in Orihuela with 191 less unemployed and Torrevieja falling by 125. Torrevieja still has the largest numbers on the dole in the Vega Baja with just over 10 thousand people, followed by Orihuela with 7 and a half thousand, and then Almoradi with just over 2 thousand.

The Murcia region fol­ lowed the national pattern, with the total standing at 151,084, a reduction of almost 3 thousand on the previous month’s figures.

FAKERS FOUND BLANCA

BOOST

A 10 strong Costa Blanca gang that dealt with fake money as well as drugs have been arrested by the National Police. The 5 Spaniards and 5 South Americans were taken into custody after a 9 month police operation, which started after an Alicante shopkeeper complained about a fake 50 Euros note. Authorities say that the group also were also involved in drug trafficking and robbery involving a Santa Pola home and a Benidorm hotel. The arrests were made in the Villajoyosa and Benidorm areas, with cops seizing 8 thousand Euros of counterfeit notes, along with drugs and a gun.

Costa Blanca’s hotels had 3% more people staying in them in 2013, compared to 2012. The region had an average occupancy of 75.2%, which falls to 56.1% if the Benidorm area is taken out of the equation. The fig­ ures were compiled for the Costa Blanca Hoteliers Association, HOSBEC.

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Friday Partly sunny High 12 Low 9° Chance of rain 6% Monday Cloudy High 17 Low 4° Chance of rain 0%

Tuesday Rain High 16° Low 4° Chance of rain 78%

Saturday Showers High 16° Low 9° Chance of rain 74% Wednesday Sunny High 13° Low 9° Chance of rain 0%

Sunday Cloudy High 19° Low 10° Chance of rain 0% Thursday Partly Cloudy High 17° Low 8° Chance of rain 0%

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Friday, January 10, 2014

OFF COLOUR Fugitive jailed Fruitful finds?

Something nasty is lurking around the Blue Lagoon and it’s coming through the taps according to people who live in the Las Filipinas area of San Miguel de Salinas.

Residents in the so­called Blue Lagoon urbanisation say that the quality and colour of their drinking water has deteriorated dramatically in recent months. Residents in part of the area were involved in a long­standing battle to get high quality water through their taps, with the matter apparently being resolved last year. They claim some pipes have been contaminated with asbestos and that some storage tanks are over 30 years old and have not been replaced or maintained properly.

Complaints have been lodged with the San Miguel Arcángel Neighbourhood Association.

Bounced off

Convicted British robber Andrew Moran was sentenced to six and a half years in jail by a Madrid court on Wednesday for drugs and firearms offences. Moran was involved in a dra­ matic poolside arrest at his rented Costa Blanca villa in Calpe last July, with the 31 year old once being branded as one of Britain’s most wanted criminals.

Moran is set to serve his sentence in full in Spain before being deported to Britain to face another stretch for armed robbery. Moran went on the run in March 2009 before he was convicted at Burnley Crown Court over a £25,000 gunpoint raid on a Royal Mail van in Lancashire in 2005. He vaulted the dock and was later found guilty in his absence.

BALTHAZAR’S BLUNDER

A four year old boy was blown off a bouncy castle last weekend and taken in a serious condition to Murcia’s La Arrixaca Hospital. The drama happened on Saturday as winds gust up to 100 kms an hour across the Valencia and Murcia regions, bringing down trees and some power lines.

The boy had been playing on the castle on Saturday, and a friend of his was also blown off the structure, but only suf­ fered severe bruising. In Murcia alone, 138 emergency calls were made about accidents caused by the strong winds.

Bad but better Fewer people lost their lives on Spanish roads during the holiday period compared to last year, with the festive season seeing 41 people killed in car accidents across the country.

The Christmas and New Year period saw a total of 38 fatal road crashes reported between Friday, December 20 and Monday, January 6, according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). In the two­and­a­half weeks of the festive peri­ od, 16 million car journeys were made, of which 3.3 million were for the Three King celebrations. Over the same period last year, 57 lives were claimed on Spanish roads.

Archaeologists will be busy in Elche from this Monday in the Plaza de la Fruita which will see the eventual con­ struction of the city’s new Central Market building.

Over 800 square metres will be excavated over a maxi­ mum period of 4 months, and such work is standard

procedure in Spain prior to major new building projects in areas that have a histori­ cal background.

EVERY CENT COUNTS People trying to get their residencia via the Orihuela Costa Town Hall in Playa Flamenca at the end of 2013 found themselves in the middle of a bureaucratic delay over just 9 cents.

Some of December’s appli­ cants for the green certificate were told to come back in January for the process to be completed, but when arriving for a further appointment, they were ordered to cough up an extra 9 cents due to an increase on January 1st.

One Playa Flamenca resident said: "We paid the fee of 9.97 Euros in December and we were told to return in January, only to be told we had to pay the extra 9 cents. It meant we had to queue up at the bank over the road and pay.

The problem was their computer failed and we were left wait­ ing for ages. All we needed was their stamp on the form but that was too much to ask. What a waste of people's time and money, with the cost of processing that extra 9 cents surely being far more than the money they received!”

BRITS STILL BIG IN TORRY

A woman is taking legal action after one of The Three Kings allegedly threw a spinning top that hit her head last Sunday. The 40­year­old woman from Cartaya in Andalucia was taken to hospital after suffering a "strong blow”, after the man playing King Balthazar chucked the top at her. Medical staff treated her for cranial trauma, anxiety attacks, hyperten­ sion, shivers and dizziness. She was able to find the spinning top which she claims caused her head injury and has since presented a formal complaint at her local Civil Guard police station. The local council have said they surprised, claiming they knew nothing of any tops being thrown by King Balthazar or anybody else taking part in the Cartaya Three Kings parade.

Latest figures show that just over 53% of people who live in Torrevieja are non­Spanish, with the largest foreign group coming from the UK. Nearly 13 thousand Brits now live in the city, which has 107,492 inhabitants, which is an overall increase of 483 based on the 2012 figures. The 2nd largest non­Spanish grouping is Russian for the 2nd consecutive year with close to 5 thousand residents, followed by Germans at 4 thousand.

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Friday, January 10, 2014

WIFE BURNT Captura latest TO DEATH

A 43 year old man who set his wife ablaze has been arrest­ ed. The woman, also aged 43, died as a result of her injuries after the incident last Saturday in the Barcelona area. Police say that the suspect, Antonio S., called his wife’s family members to tell them she had suffered an “accident”. When medics arrived on the scene at Vilanova i la Geltrú, they found the woman, Núria R. P., suffering from a blow to her head and with burns all over her body. Police arrested Antonio S. on the scene, who had been previously been held for violence against women. In 2013, 48 women were killed by their partners in Spain.

UNSOCIAL NETWORK

Two middle aged men have been arrested for grooming over 500 children via the Internet. The National police detained them in Cehegín in Murcia, and Picassent in the Valencia region, and though they did not work together, they used similar techniques in posing as children or young women to contact youngsters, and to send sexual images.

The police apprehended the 50 and 49 year old men after a child complained to the authorities that she was being stalked by two people via a social network.

One of Britain's most­wanted criminals, who was thought to be hiding in Spain, has been arrested in Bolton. 30 year old Lee Willis was arrested by Greater Manchester Police last week. He had admitted possess­ ing cocaine and cannabis in March last year but went on the run before he was due to be sentenced in June. Willis also stands accused of dealing the class A drug. Willis, from Ashton­under­Lyne, was highlighted on a list issued by the charity Crimestoppers, the UK's National Crime Agency and the Spanish police in Madrid as one of 13 of Britain's most­wanted fugitives, under Operation Captura. Willis will appear in court on January 27th, and is the 4th person to be detained after the latest Captura list was published in November.

ALICANTE STABBING

A 65 year housemate has been charged with murder and refused bail in a Sunday court hearing after a woman was found stabbed to death in her Alicante city home. The 47 year old Spanish national, lived on Doctor Ayela street in the city's El Pla area, with the 65 year old man(pictured) ini­ tially taken to Alicante General Hospital last Friday

after apparently taking a drugs overdose. Reports suggest that he stabbed the woman, after drinking alco­ hol. They were not in a rela­ tionship and shared the apartment with a third per­ son.

One dead in Switched on Elche blaze

Street lighting costs around Los Alcazares are set for a big fall, as over 6 thousand energy saving lamps are to be switched on along with a new contract which the council claims will save them over 300 thousand Euros a year. The 30% cut in light bills will also allow improvements to be car­ ried out on some of the lighting on some of the town’s streets.

A 75 year old Elche man died in an apartment fire last Monday after­ noon. His 3rd floor flat on Avenida de Madrid in the city was hit by the blaze at lunchtime, and some 15 families had to be evacuated as a precaution. His charred remains were removed by emergency services from the foot of his bed, with the working theory that an electric heater next to the bed may have caused the fire.

The plastic age ALGERIA DANGEROUS ANYBODY? ARGUMENT

Air carrier Vueling has started a new twice weekly service (on Thursday and Saturday) to the Algerian city of Oran from Alicante­Elche airport. Air Algerie has already launched a daily service to Oran from El Altet.

Six Spaniards have been arrested in Elche for allegedly robbing several businesses in the city of at least 900 pallets and various plastic packaging products, worth 4 thousand Euros. Police got onto the case in November when a large number of plastic crates and pallets were reported stolen from different junkyards around the area.

CROOKS R US Hallelujah baby

A Torrevieja man has denied the attempted murder of his partner after he threw her into a window after an argument last April. The incident happened at 5.00am on April 12th, and was allegedly caused by one of a series of verbal dis­ agreements between them over a friend of the woman that lived with them. The man also denied hitting his partner in the period leading up to the April incident.

Big meouw row

Two Toys“R” Us stores suffered some Three Kings raid by burglars looking to raid the safes, which would have been extra full after the spate of seasonal present buying. The crooks struck over the weekend in Sant Joan d’Alacant and then in Elche. The two men helped themselves to the loot in Sant Joan, but were disturbed by a security guard at Elche, and ran off before taking anything.

The Spanish daily newspaper, ABC is advertising the online sale of "Little Jesus of my life", a cuddly toy which teaches and records children's prayers. The doll, which is meant to depict a young Jesus Christ, says five different prayers out loud when its left hand is pressed, including Our Father and Hail Mary. According to ABC, "Jesusito teaches kids to pray while they play". Aside from praying in five other languages (German, French, Italian, Portuguese and English), it also allows youngsters to record and play back their own prayers. On sale for 30 Euros plus 10 Euros postage and packing, some readers have branded the doll as “freaky”, while others have said it comes as no surprise in a country with strong religious roots.

Waves of death

Three members of the same family were swept out to sea after the fiercest storm of the winter hit Spain’s northern coast. The tragedy happened last Monday afternoon with the people drowned in the A Coruña municipality of Valdoviño.

The emergency services launched search and rescue teams to comb the area for a middle­aged man, his brother­in­law and the daughter of one of them. When the search operation resumed in the early hours of Tuesday, the body of 50 year old butcher, Juan Bedoya, was found on the beach, with the others still missing. A fourth family member, a 20­year­old cousin of the missing girl, was able to escape the tidal surge although she was hospitalized. Reports suggested that the family had gone to scatter the ashes of a dead relative.

A colony of feral cats may have been deliberately poisoned in Alicante City and a court has now ordered an investigation to see what happened in early November. The Alicante Health department has been ordered to provide details of a sub­contractor who was brought in to clear up the yard of council property in the Pla­Carolinas area which was occu­ pied by the cats. Complainants and witnesses claim that a number of products used to clean the area were responsible for some felines dying, with a dozen or so being cared for by residents, whilst at least another 30 were said to have been poisoned.

Friday, January 10, 2014

CAMPAIGNER FOR LAND GRAB QUITS

By Andrew Atkinson

Sir Robert Atkins ­ who led the call for MEPs to speak out against the dem­ olition of thousands of prop­ erties in Spain ­ is set to stand down from the European Parliament. "I have done 15 years, that is quite a long time," said Atkins who will not run for the European Parliament again at this year’s elec­ tion. Atkins was at the fore­ front in 2009 surrounding a campaign against Valencian 'Land Grab' Victims ­ insisting the Spanish authorities end the scandal.

"So many British citizens were frankly victims of a scandal sanctioned by the Spanish authorities," said Atkins.

He spoke out against the demolition of properties in Spain – many of them belonging to British expatri­ ates ­ without compensa­ tion. The campaign led to the parliament adopting the report drafted by Margrete Auken, a Danish Green MEP.

"Over the years we have been beset by British expa­ triates who have presented hundreds of petitions repre­ senting thousands of resi­ dents," said Atkins. He added that the adoption of the parliament's report was an important step in secur­ ing some justice for 'land grab' victims. Atkins spoke of Spanish Malpractices saying: "Every British MEP receives constant repre­ sentations about the prob­ lems facing expatriate homeowners in Spain. I led

the charge in Parliament in support of the residents against Spanish local and national government.

I was able to question the Spanish Minister represent­ ing the EU Presidency dur­ ing Question Time and he appeared a little taken aback by the vehemence of my intervention."

Conservative MEP Atkins, 67, first elected in 1999, is not retiring: ­ "There are other things I want to turn my hand to ­ but I will remain an active politician."

White goods con 3 people in the San Javier and Torre Pacheco areas have been arrested under the Guardia Civil’s Operation Silver, which since last May has seen 119 people detained for trying to sell old fridges and washing machines, many of which would not pass current safe­ ty standards, especially in regard to gas emissions.

The 3 arrested in Murcia have been charged with illegally selling “white goods” onto sec­ ond­hand stores that did not match up to minimum environmental standards. Some

goods were even exported over recent years, and authorities say that over 200 thousand discarded fridges and washers have been illegally recycled over the last half a dozen years.

A Spanish born man thought to be a mem­ ber of an Al­Qaeda linked organisation which may have kidnapped 3 Spanish journalists in Syria, has been arrested at Malaga and denied bail by a judge.

Abdeluahid Sadik Mohamed, born in Ceuta, was arrested at Malaga airport on Sunday in a sting operation carried out by the National Police and Guardia Civil. He is accused of fighting as a jihadist in both Iraq and Syria.

Spanish authorities consider Sadik

Mohamed a threat to national security, and will now face charges in Madrid. The suspect left Morocco last May and then travelled to Syria where he trained with the Al­Qaeda­ linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to the Spanish interior min­ ister. ISIL kidnapped Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova in November whilst a third journal­ ist, Marc Marginedas, may have also been captured by ISIL in September, although no group has claimed responsibility.

Terror suspect held

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Friday, January 10, 2014

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

WHAT A DIFFERENCE! CHRISTMAS in 2012 was magical in Orihuela Costa ­ but this Christmas was disappointing ­ and I'm not only talking about the washout on Christmas morning's beach party.

The Christmas lights were certainly very poor with many areas completely devoid of festive lights. The Christmas tree in front of the Catholic Church in La Zenia was rarely illumi­ nated and the town hall in Playa Flamenca looked poverty stricken. Max gym put on a bet­ ter show.

Cabo Roig strip is always a lively place but this year over the Christmas holiday there was hardly a bar or a restaurant open. Do we have a tourism department for Orihuela Costa any more?

Last year's Three Kings parade was stun­ ning, so much colour and so well organised.

Hundreds of children and adults dressed up and we were entertained from start to finish. This year it was all over in less than 10 minutes, what

an anti­climax! Last year there was a massive fireworks display but this year we got the damp squib.

For me the highlight of last year's parade was the finale, a free hot­air balloon ride for hun­ dreds of children and adults. I have never been able to afford even a modest balloon ride so this was a real treat. This New Year I persuaded friends to come visit and enjoy some of the goodies we experienced last year. How embar­ rassing, how disappointing.

I've asked around as to why everything was so dull compared to last year and the only rea­ son I can find is that last year Spanish councillor Pedro Mancebo organised the Christmas festiv­ ities and this year German councillor Monica Scheurer did the organising. The Germans build great cars but in my opinion they should leave the parties to the Spanish.

P CLINTON, Orihuela Costa

TV status campaign can put brakes on motoring madness WELL said, Donna Gee! I heartily agree on two issues: The statistics for road deaths in Spain as compared to the UK is no doubt even more sobering if the number of deaths are expressed as a percent­ age of national population or, perhaps even more depressing, as a percentage of the number of vehicle registrations.

Why the Spanish government does not take meas­ ures such as a TV campaign is beyond me.

I note that Spanish train drivers have been prohib­ ited from using mobile phones; Spanish road users will only ever kick the habit if there is a reasonable prospect of them being caught and punished.

As for the loathsome use of American 'English' ­ I refer to it as 'hill­billy' ­ it is really down to individuals.

As the son of an ethnic German mother and a Latvian father I have always loved the richness of the English language without the tortuous gram­ mar of German.

I find it very ironic that I, as a first­generation Englishman, should care more about the language than many Britons who are only too keen to wave their flags and proclaim their Here’s an update to the patriotism but who insist ‘Denuncia’ I received fin­ on using these ghastly, ing me for being illegally unwelcome and unneces­ parked in Madrid ­ even sary 'additions' from the though I had never been USA. If people want to sound there and nobody else like Americans, please go had driven my car. and live there.

I had no acknowledge­ To end on a slightly dif­ ment of my letter to them ferent tack, though in reply, sent by regis­ Americans have not yet tered post, but then mastered English after received another official more than 200 years, it paper before Christmas. could always be worse as A neighbour kindly their knowledge of German phoned Madrid (as her is decidedly abysmal; their Spanish is better than excruciatingly bad mispro­ mine) and according to nunciation of German them, my car and regis­ names shows no sign of tration has been deleted improving and may well from their computer. require another 200 years, So I hope this has now always assuming that they been put to bed´ can be bothered.

SYLVIA ROBERTS, CHARLES MARKUSS, Quesada La Puebla

MUSIC MADNESS IS SMACK IN THE JOB

HERE we go again, are the Spanish authorities targeting the Brits?

Several well­established British­ owned bar/restaurants located on the beautiful urbanisation of El Raso and the surrounding Guardamar area have had their livelihood threatened by the refusal of the Police to allow them to have live music.

This is already having a knock­on effect on all associated businesses; the brewery company who deliver locally have reduced the number of Spanish drivers because of the reduced requirement and are talking of laying off some office employees.

All this happening at such a crucial time ­ just as the Spanish economy has started to show signs of improvement and the property market Spanish builders are back working full­time in our area.

These measures will now impinge on the tourism for this New Year; any hol­ idaymakers who were disappointed by the lack of entertainment last year will

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be very unlikely to book here again.

I think the bar owners should approach someone in the government whose job depends on tourism to lobby their cause and see if a sensible com­ promise can not be found. Things like placing maximum sound levels and giv­ ing a definite cut­off time of midnight.

We will all benefit in the long term.

Property owners will have more rental booking, property prices will increase, and more jobs will be created.

I am I missing something or is this just common sense?

I would also like to comment on the BBC morning news item about the demolition of Spanish properties owned by buyers from the UK. The only property we see repeatedly on TV is in the region of Almeria and I would be very interested in to know if a solicitor was used in the original pur­ chase of the land and the subsequent planning permission.

This demolition took place several years ago and has already been used in other BBC programmes.

My questions: Is there a concerted

effort by the British government through the BBC to run down Spain and frighten Brits from moving their wealth away from the UK? We know the UK has a problem with immigration and with more (normal) cit­ izens leaving to start a new life abroad.

Is it making things more difficult for the government?

Are genuine property owners being reimbursed if planning mistakes or miss­selling is suspected?

And finally, why is the Spanish gov­ ernment so short­sighted? A simple statement was needed at the time of the first demolition order saying if the new property owner had followed all the current local planning require­ ments, then they would be compensat­ ed fully for any losses and distress.

This statement would have cost the Spanish government almost nothing in monetary values but sent a clear mes­ sage to the rest of the world, that Spain is a safe place to build a new future.

PHILLIP SMIRK, Dream Homes Costa Blanca, El Raso

Parking Mad

GB’S SHORES WERE NOT G B SHAW’S I enjoy reading The Courier each week and rarely, if ever, find any errors. It was therefore with some surprise that I spotted the mistake in 12 Across in the Quiz Word in Edition 150.

Our Irish friends will be also sur­ prised to see that George Bernard Shaw has changed nationality.

Tut, Tut! But keep up the good work...

Happy New Year.

MICHAEL WHITE, Torrevieja

OUR highly respected Quiz set­ ter Jeff Whittington replies: When G B Shaw was born in 1856, Ireland was still under the rule of the UK. It did not gain its independence until after the Easter Uprising of 1916, so he was British all along.

I use a programme called Word Web Pro for many of the clues in the various puzzles, their entry for G B Shaw states that he was a 'British play­

wright'.

Also, he moved to the UK when he was 20, remaining there until his death in 1950, aged 94. So he lived in Britain for 74 years ­ almost 80% of his life.

I create around 30 quizzes and puzzles a week, which is over 1,500 per year. I try to check all the info but, as I am my own proof­reader, the occa­ sional error will creep in.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE LETTERS ON THIS PAGE ARE THOSE OF THE CONTRIBUTOR. THE COURIER MANAGE­ MENT DOES NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THE WRITERS.

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Friday, January 10, 2014

“DID YOU put your case in the boot?’’ asked my friend and acting chauffeur Mike as we pulled off the N332 at Guardamar. ‘’No, I didn’t ’’ I said, jolted out of my late­night day dreaming. “I thought you did it. Don’t tell me it’s still at the airport!’’

Cue blind panic. Mike had wheeled his two Pomeranian perri­ tos into the new Alicante terminal in the basket of a luggage trolley to greet me on my return from Manchester last week.

My 10­kilos’ worth on board the trolley, we chatted our way towards Mike’s car.I got in, he gave the dogs a yelping hand onto the back seat and then deposited my lug­ gage into the boot. Or so I thought.

Nearly half an hour later and 20 miles away, Mike suddenly remembered. Distracted by the dogs’ frolicking, he had left my pur­ ple wheelie case adorning the trol­ ley just inside the automatic exit doors.

And now someone was airing my dirty washing in public. Literally.

Yes, my case, which also con­ tained my laptop, was probably being stripped of its contents and my trust computer destined for some seedy lowlife’s filthy squat.

Rather than try to contact the air­ port authorities, we decided to head straight back to the terminal, arriving some 45 minutes after the initial mix­up. Both trolley and case had not moved.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Never mind the laptop, my dirty

A BOMB OF A CASE FOR BETTER SECURITY to target busy areas for maximum effect, not exit doors at low­risk air­ ports late in the evening.

But an unattended suitcase going unnoticed for nearly an hour by public, the police and airport security alike?

I don’t wish to scaremonger ­ but doesn’t it concern you just a little?

I JOINED a rare group of Ryanair passengers last Thursday ­ the lucky few who avoid being subjected to the excesses of Michael O’Leary’s resident Eddie Calvert impersonator Joy of joys, the aviation world’s favourite whipping boys preserved everyone’s eardrums by not trum­ peting the news that the Manchester­Alicante flight had arrived ahead of schedule.

Did they perhaps fear that some of us are clever enough to work out that since the printed itinerary dis­ plays a three­hour gap between departure and landing, the two­and a­half­hour flight was actually 25 minutes late. Sound the trumpets!

q

A quiet time at Alicante Airport...but my unattended case went unnoticed for at least 45 minutes washing had been spared, not aired. No harm done, then – but huge questions thrown up about passenger security at Alicante.

What if that suitcase had not been mine, but had contained a huge bomb aimed at killing and maiming British tourists?

A bomb planted, not by a suicide bomber but by a cowardly terrorist who simply drove up to the terminal, wheeled his lethal package into the terminal on a trolley ­ and left it exactly where Mike abandoned my unmentionables?

While Alicante may not be a high­

risk airport, Britain is still a target for extremist fundamentalist elements.

In this instance, there would have been no need for a suicide bomber because it seems the entire airport security staff had either finished their shifts or gone AWOL. It’s easy to say that terrorists tend

MISSION 88.8 FOR THE THREE FAT LADIES

Daisy: Still suffering

I KNEW I'd put on a load of weight in the build­ up to Christmas, but did my vindictive bath­ room scales need to rub it in?

Here I was, just five months after success­ fully completing a sponsored mega­diet, fac­ ing a second successive starvation Spring.

And, the height of cheek, my scales were winking out a figure of 88.8 kilos, or in Bingo lingo, Two Fat Ladies and their flabby friend.

My consolation at that January 1 weigh­in was that I was starting my 2014 battle five kilos lighter than 12 months ago ­ leaving me with a mere 11 kilos to unload in the coming weeks.

Or more likely months.

My 2013 weight­loss programme kicked off at 93.2 kilos (that's 14st 9lb in English money).

This year the Michelin mountain maid started the year at 13st 13lb – that's ten pounds easier in anyone's currency. And the two fat ladies and their friend are already on the run.

On Wednesday, I tipped the scales at 87.6 kilos, representing a loss of 1.2 kilos (2.64lbs) over the first week of 2014..

For anyone wishing to help the fight against Crohn's Disease, the Internet link to my Just Giving pages is at the foot of this article.

I was never going to lose last year's weight battle because it was linked with raising

money to help beat Crohn’s, an illness which has devastated my granddaughter’s life.

Ironically, today (Friday) is Daisy’s 14th birthday – and while she is out of pain follow­ ing lifesaving surgery, the trauma has scarred her brain as well as her body.

Last year’s fundraising, which included Walks and Treasure Hunts as well as my Diet, raked in around €2,500 for CICRA, thanks largely to the efforts of fab fundraising friends such as Susan Reader and Dee Williams.

For more information and to donate, please check out www.justgiving.com/donna­gee1

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Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

A FEARFUL YEAR FOR PHIL xxI WOULD like to introduce you all to yet another pub regular ­­ although he hasn't appeared in our hostelry for the past 12 months.

And no, I am not referring to Fag Ash Bill who opts to stay outside the inn, smoking his never­ending supply of cigarettes.

The person concerned is known affection­ ately to us (we?) members of the pub dis­ cussion group as Fearful Phil. I suppose I should explain why. But before that, I would like to wish all my readers a happy new year.

Of course, New Year's Eve was both a cheerful and poignant occasion in the pub as we wished each other a bountiful 2014 as well as toasting absent friends. Daft Barry, of course, got it all wrong and handed out chocolate Easter eggs to all and sundry.

Anyway, the upsetting bit came with the aforementioned toast to our missing cherished ones. The person most upset was Dave the barman because we (us?) pub punters had decided unani­ mously that we would not besmirch the memory of our dear departed by drink­ ing to them with Dave's watered­down booze.

Firstly, it would be showing a lack of respect. And secondly, none of us had the inclination to shell out for another round.

Before we all get maudlin here, I would point out that although I am sprinkling this story with funereal terms such as 'departed,'

'missing' and 'memory,' not one of those referred­to loved ones had gone and died on us.

The first absent person we rose to toast was the emeritus director of the pub discus­

sion group, Ol' Red Eyes, who although technically present was certainly not amongst us in the sense that he was aware of his surroundings. No, our elder statesman was as usual occupying his own strange world, stretched out semi­comatose on the bar room floor and no doubt dreaming about pretty butterflies fluttering around in a clear blue sky.

Anyway, we were careful not to tread on Ol' Red Eyes' prostrate form as we got to our feet again and raised empty glasses to the second of our dear departed.

That was Daft Barry whom we had sent packing from the pub along with his mistimed Easter eggs because he was getting on our nerves. But even though he was probably halfway home by now, he was still one of us and so we drank to his memory while wishing him a speedy return without those flaming eggs.

'So how's it going out there?' we called to Fag Ash Bill by way of a toast to the third departed member of our discussion group.

'It's a bit cold out here,' responded the smoking enthusiast who was not permitted to enter the pub premises because of his

cigarette habit. 'I think I'll dimp this fag and come inside for a warm.'

'Don't bother!' yelled Dave the barman.

'Unless of course you intend to buy a drink.'

'Nah,' Fag Ash Bill shouted back. 'I think I'll stay out here with Daft Barry. He's just given me an Easter egg.'

And so it was now time to toast the last of our departed members. Fearful Phil had been a pub regular up until the last New Year's Eve when he had bid us all goodnight and disappeared for the following 12 months.

Fearful Phil was a fabulous fellow in every respect bar one ­­ he was ultra­supersti­ tious. Which meant that every Friday the 13th he stayed in his bed, clutching the cov­ ers to his quivering body just in case the Devil himself decided to dive in through the cat flap and haul him off to Hell. As if one mere duvet could halt that particular train of events.

Anyway, because last year had the num­ ber 13 in it, Fearful Phil had decided to spend the whole of 2013 in the sack and have his meals and the racing papers brought to him by his understanding, not to say naive, missus.

Thus ended our New Year's Eve. We piled out of the pub at extended closing time ­­ again careful not to step on Ol' Red Eyes ­­ shook the chocolate­stained hands of Daft Barry and Fag Ash Bill and crawled round to Fearful Phil's house to get him up for 2014.

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

WHY SPAIN, OH WHY? Last week I visited Cereco in Crevillente.

It is a warehouse where they keep dogs that have been found on the street, or where owners leave dogs they no longer want.

I have since found out that it is a private, animal recovery business, where there are forty town halls that each pay Cereco 1,400 euros per month, to remove stray or unwanted dogs from the streets. They are also paid another 106 euros to collect an animal outside of working hours. If you leave a dog at a police station or a veterinary surgery, if they have a contract with Cereco, that is where they will end up, being transported there in one of their vans with no air con­ ditioning. On arrival there, they have up to a maximum of thirty days to be claimed, otherwise they are killed.

The reason why I visited Cereco last week was because I wanted to rescue dogs who are due to be killed. To my complete amazement I was told that I was not allowed to take any dog from there. I was told I could go to the adoption centre up the road and choose a dog from there, but my point was that I want­ ed to save some dogs who are going to be killed. At the adoption centre, that is not going to happen! So here I was in Cereco, where they have a warehouse brim­ ming with dogs who have no homes and ARE going to be killed and I have this guy telling me I can’t have any.

Where on earth is the sense in that? Something there is very, very wrong, when innocent animals are killed and they are turning away people who want to save these ani­ mals. I also found it strange how they wanted me off the premises as quickly as possible. Apparently no one is allowed inside the warehouse. I wonder why?

The adoption centre is full, so that being the case, when most of the dogs at Cereco find their time is up, they do not end up in the adoption section. They end up dead. Surely the whole point of running an organisation such as Cereco, would be to try and successfully re­home as many dogs as

possible, and not to turn people away at the door who want to help as much as they can. So I am left speechless as to what their motives are and why they work in such a strange and confusing way. This is one thing that Spain as a country has got so wrong, if companies like this one are allowed to carry on the way they are.

As a country Spain, you are biting off your nose to spite your face, because the rest of the world will look at situations like this and ask why you are behaving like a third world country(which you are clearly not), when it comes to animals. I know many people back in England who tell me they would never step foot in Spain, simply because of how some of the people treat animals in general. To me Spain, you are a beautiful, stunning country, but this is one subject where you really need to take a good long look in that International mirror.

I am available for consultations throughout the Costa Blanca region, if you are having problems with your furry best friend. To book a consultation you can email me at peter@thedogyouneed.com and I will contact you straight away. We have set up an animal charity, where we help the most severely abused and injured animals in Spain. If you would be kind enough to donate anything to this special cause you can do by Paypal, where the account details are peter@thedogyouneed.com or to our Nat West charity account, where the sort code is 60­16­ 03 and the account number is 73754900.

IBAN: GB83 NWBK 6016 0373 7549 00. BIC: NWBK GB 2L Even one euro will help, so please, please, try and sup­ port us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? DENZO was abandoned in a cardboard box with three lit­ ter mates when he was 6 weeks old; he is now 4 ½ months old and a happy, healthy and playful little boy just waiting for someone to love. He is fully vaccinated and micro chipped.

This beautiful Mastin cross is just 4 months old and was found wandering the streets in Torrevieja. She is good with other dogs and cats.

Call: 645 469 253 www.pet­ sinspain.com

SOMBRA was brought into the kennels as her owner had died. She is a beautiful Belgian Shepherd cross who is 9 years old and has been in a home all her life; we are hoping it won´t be too long before she finds a new one.

She has a lovely tempera­ ment, is very well trained and. Please call 966710047 or email info@satanimalres­ cue.com

Dudley is a little pup we think 8 weeks old. He will need a home soon, think they will be medium sized.

He is very fluffy and super cute for more information about Dudley or one of his brothers please ring the PEPA helpline on 650 304 746 or Email: p.e.p.a.animal­ charity@gmail.com

Lassie: born Nov 2011 is a medium sized playful and loving girl who loves company. Lassie is health vaccinated and sterili­ zed. Lassie gets on well with other dogs and is good with cats as well. For more informa­ tion on Lassie please telephone the P.E.P.A. helpline on 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

Tyson will be 3 years old on the 10th of this month. He was rescued as a tiny puppy and has lived all his life in kennels. Although he is a large dog, he is very sociable and loves people and other dogs. He would be a very faithful guardian to whoever offers him his first loving home.

Please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Dudley

Lassie

Tyson

Denzo Perla is around 3 years old and was abused in her pre­ vious home which has resulted Perla being very nervous. She needs some­ one who has the patience to build up her confidence and would suit an older family. Call: 603 110 991. www.petsinspain.com Garfield is in desperate need of a new home, he was rescued as a tiny kit­ ten and is now 4 months old. He is very friendly and is great with dogs and other cats. Call: 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

Sombra

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

MY LOVE FOR STEVE DAVIS As I was watching television the other night, I saw a clip of a snooker match and I almost felt a knot in my stomach.

The reason is that I was raised watching the sport with my nan, staying up till all hours engrossed in it, in the old days when matches would last until past midnight, when tv schedules were changed to accommodate the action and when snooker seemed important. I grew up with it in the 1980´s. I wasn´t particularly bothered with pop stars, although I did like Shakin´ Stevens and A­ha were pretty cool, but snooker was where my heart was.

Where other girls my age had posters of their favourite pop stars, my wall was adorned with pic­ tures of Steve Davis, carefully torn from the pages of Snooker Scene magazine, copies of which I kept for many years, and finally had to get rid of, as my trav­ els took me around England. I actually met Steve one time when he came to my seaside town and I had a treasured photo taken with him, which sadly has got lost through all my moves, but the memory is there forever and I still remember it as though it were yester­ day. Sitting, looking at his big black car waiting for him to come out and meet us fans who were delighted with a look and a hug.

To me, Steve Davis remains a true sportsman, an ambassador and I have no idea why he hasn´t received more recognition.

He has a self­deprecating wit and maybe since his stint on I´m a Celebrity has gained maybe one or two new fans, however I´m an old fan from too many years ago!

This is the point my column this week, as I’m asking now that we are into a new year, is it time to reflect on the past? To think about those years long gone; about what we got up to when we were young, and how a picture on the television or in a maga­ zine can bring forth memories of the past and remind us that we are no longer the wide eyed teenager, thinking we know it

all and are indestructible. Looking back on my life, it is almost as though I am watching someone else’s past. I can barely believe that it was me walking to the dark smoky snooker hall on my own every Sunday morning when I was only 13. I spent those morn­ ings with boys my age and older and wondering why it was such a big deal to them when they lost to me! Sometimes I like to take a moment to reflect, but it doesn´t happen often. Normally I am so busy looking forward to my future that I don´t have time to remember the past and when I do it, it is almost with sadness. I wonder if this sadness is for what might have been or simply for what is not any more.

As I watch my son grow and become more than just a little boy I am grateful that I do not have to go through that stage in my life again. It is difficult growing up and I think we are too quick to for­

get that. I think we look back on our childhood with rose tinted glasses and miss out the difficult bits. I don´t know about you, but for me there were cer­ tainly more than a few of those. I am happy with the age I am now. I´m sure I´ve mentioned that before, however I´m not sure I want to get any older! It’s my birthday on Monday and I am seri­ ously considering a day at Chasers for my party, so I get to spend time with my son and I don´t have to think too much about ageing, so I don´t want to be old! Now I´ve admitted it in print. How do we cope when the body begins to slow down? I have been exercising for a while now, and I hope that it will keep me active for a good few years yet but what about when I have to slow down? What if my body gives up on me? I´m not ready for that. I want to be able to do what I want and I want to be active, although as each birthday passes I realise that I can´t do as much as I could the year or so before. My eyesight is getting worse; my muscles ache, although with more exercise they ache less; my hands are aging; and I notice a new wrinkle here or a line there.

I have to remind myself sometimes that I am really not get­ ting any younger and one day things will get more and more difficult and in those times the memories that I am making now will keep me going as they are all I will have. At least I already have a lifetime of memories to keep me going long after my body has given up. I´m seriously considering getting myself a toy boy to look after me in my old age! Right now, I am not going to spend too long looking back. Memories are great to remind us of where we have been and who we once were, but the future is the place to spend most of our time thinking about, although as we get older maybe the near future is less depressing!

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Friday, January 10, 2014

OLD KING COAL WAS RIGHT

I hate to say it but Arthur Scargill was correct in what he said in 1984 over a secret agenda to slash UK coalmining!

Cabinet papers released 30 years on reveal that British Coal were planning more pit closures than they were publicly declaring.

Naughty naughty of course, but because the miners

leader was such a hothead and was after a political dog­ fight with Margaret Thatcher (and of course, vice versa!), the whole thing turned into a terrible one­year strike.

Cards should have been laid right away on the table over the economic viability of the pits, and though unpleasant, some of the pain would have been avoided rather than

both sides getting into a showdown for their own rea­ sons, with the miners being used as pawns. Check out some of the old mining areas

that I know well in the East Midlands today, and you’ll see wonderful and vibrant areas of business and regeneration, simply light years ahead of what they were in the early eighties.

They were one­industry dumps then, but then that’s perhaps what Mr.Scargill would have preferred to have been the case for decades so that his iron fist would have continued to control everybody. By the way, I didn’t meet a single miner from the eighties that didn’t do well out of a redun­ dancy package, and their pockets would have been a lot bigger, had it not been for the senseless strike that Pied Piper Scargill lead them dancing a tune to.

The countdown clock has started ticking with

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16 months to go before the UK General Election, and stand by for a whole raft of pledges and promises from the parties. First up, was David Cameron last week­ end, saying that state pen­ sions will go up by a mini­ mum of 2.5% every year dur­ ing the next Parliament if the Tories win. How it’s paid for, is anybody’s guess, though of course we know that the pension starting ages are going up. No pledges I notice over winter fuel allowances and bus passes, and so for me it’s always what isn’t said that is often the most inter­ esting!

I smiled when I read that the British National Party leader, and Euro MP, Nick Griffin, had been declared bankrupt. I pre­ sume that‘s over his person­

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al finances, rather than a complete lack of sensible policies associated with his wretched little party?

I was delighted when Time magazine gave Pope Francis their Man of the Year award for 2013.

Perhaps he allowed himself an extra glass of altar wine to celebrate, as the amiable Argentinian has made a great impact on the Catholic Church in just nine months in charge. He’s rightly won praise from reformers but has also kept conservative critics at bay, though for many the acid test will be what he does about the wretched priests that have abused innocent children in their perverted acts over the years. Francis is on a roll, and I hope he sorts this mess out for once and for all.

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Tony

Friday, January 10, 2014

Mayes

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT

COUGH UP TO STOP TIME WASTERS

How many people go to a UK doctor or to the A&E of their local hospital when they don't really need to?

My guess is that plenty do.

And a third of GPs who were polled think that if people were charged say £5 or £10 for a visit ­ refunded if the visit was deemed to be necessary ­ it would deter people from making visits if they were just feeling under the weather, had a runny nose, lonely, are inventing illnesses because they want to skive off work and who make an appoint­ ment and just don't turn up ­ and there are hundreds of those at every surgery each month. According to GPs, there are many people who don't really need to see a doctor at all, and if they had a positive attitude to life rather than a negative one, they wouldn't even think about going to the doctors or A&E. It is these people who are put­ ting a tremendous strain on the NHS in the UK. Add these to the folk who do a multitude of stupid things without think­ ing, injuring themselves and

ending up in A&E, and people who look for any excuse to sue the NHS for any wrong­ doing, and you have the rea­ son why there is an NHS cri­ sis which denies it of cash to fulfil that for which it is need­ ed: ­ namely to care for those who are genuinely ill.

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Sadly there are so many people who hear only what they want to hear, and a classic example of this was over the sad death of a cyclist in London. She was a highly intelligent woman, a scientist, who lost leave of her senses and cycled on the inside of a lorry turning left. The lorry driver was indicating left and hazard warnings were sound­ ing. But still she came, and was crushed under the rear wheels of the lorry. At the inquest the coroner made a point of saying that the lorry driver was in no way to blame for the accident. In other

words, the cyclist was entirely to blame for her own demise.

But that didn't stop a pathetic Green party spokesperson and the spokeswoman for a cyclist action group trying to make out that it’s the road layout which is wrong, or that every cyclist is right and motorists are always wrong.

The Green spokesperson called for more restrictions on vehicles and changes to roads to "make them safer for cyclists" and the cycling idiot wanted all lorries to have cabs with transparent materi­ al so the driver of a cab could see cyclists undertaking.

What crazy fools these peo­ ple are. The main problem is that there are so many cyclists on the roads who haven't a clue about road safety, or for that matter, their own safety. They should all be ordered to get a driving licence and take a test before being allowed to ride on the

streets. They should also carry insurance and have severe fines imposed on them if they undertake other vehicles or jump red traffic lights. And it should be illegal for them to have music blar­ ing in earphones as they ride, because that is distracting and means they cannot hear approaching traffic. Here in Spain, the cyclists are the world's worst. They cycle down the wrong side of roads and then suddenly think they are pedestrians and dart onto crossings in front of on­com­ ing vehicles. Many cyclists here are elderly and dither and swerve in front of cars because they can't control their machines properly.

Roads in Spain are a night­ mare anyway because of the crazy antics of motorists, and cyclists only make things worse.

If there's something that will get the environmen­ talists, Greens and every other “Save the Planet” cam­ paigner jumping up and down, it's the threat to build on "ancient" woodland. That's what environment secretary Owen Paterson hinted at last week and brought howls of protest. What he was sug­ gesting that some develop­ ment should be permitted in some "not quite so sensitive woodland areas" provided that it is off­set by planting new trees on other areas in the ratio of 100 to 1. Fair enough, I say. It's far better than building on flood plains.

For years water authorities' advice was ignored and we saw many thousands of new homes built on flood plains, with Britain now reaping the consequences of this appallingly ridiculous policy, with whole communities suf­ fering as flood waters del­ uged their homes in recent days and weeks. It could all have been avoided if wood­ land slopes had been built on, rather than areas near streams and rivers. But, of course, we all know that crackpots who want to drive the human race back to the Stone Age to save the planet think more of trees, plants, animals, slugs, snails and everything else above human life and they fight tooth and nail to stop building anywhere other than the most undesir­ able places. It's a pity they don't divert their attention to campaigning to stop every single new immigrant from entering Britain (after all the

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UK is already the most densely populated place in Europe other than Malta) and support every single policy to persuade people to stop breeding so many children.

Because, after all, it's the unceasing population rise which is destroying the planet and causing the destruction of forests which environmen­ talists hold so dear. And still on the subject of Britain's appallingly awful weather and the dreadful floods, my heart goes out to those people trapped in homes liable to flood and unable to get insur­ ance to cover them. I have long said insurance compa­ nies are not fit for purpose and this is another classic example. So, if private com­ panies cannot or will not insure such homes, then it is down to government or local councils to offer cover:­ ­ after all it was councils or govern­ ment (on planning appeals) which allowed houses to be built in areas liable to flood.

One of the saddest sto­ ries I have read in the last week is one from the Princes' Trust, which has said that as many as three quar­ ters of a million young people in the UK feel they have noth­ ing to live for.

What an indictment on Britain and governments of the past which has allowed young people to feel they have no purpose or hope in life and would rather opt out.

The Trust says there are increasing numbers of young people becoming suicidal because they cannot find work, and see their future as hopeless, trapped in a life with little or no money, no prospects and no chance of getting their own roof over their heads. It's been caused in part by past education sys­ tems which have failed so many kids. How many employers do we hear saying that some of the applicants for jobs lack maths and English skills and instead turn to recruit from overseas, adding to the jobs plight of local youngsters?

Britain's youth jobless is nothing like as widespread as here in Spain. Just imagine the huge problem with Spain in real danger of having a lost generation.

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I have long been of the opinion that people accused of a crime should not have their names revealed in the press or any­ where else until they have

been convicted. So I was dis­ gusted to hear that a number of British police forces have taken it upon themselves to be judge and executioner ­ publishing names and details of people they have caught drink/driving over the festive period. Yes, I too loathe peo­ ple who drink or take drugs and drive, but in Britain everyone is innocent until proved guilty and it is wrong for police to try to name and shame before a conviction has taken place. If police really want to name and shame, perhaps a way is to take weekly advertisements in every newspaper in the UK giving details of everyone actually found guilty of crime or motoring misdemeanours.

If people knew for sure they would have their names in the press, it could prove a deterrent. It would also do wonders for flagging newspa­ per circulations!

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Do you believe that humans evolved from apes? It's something that I learned at school along with the whole of Darwin's evolu­ tion theory. It's long been backed up by all the fos­ silised remains of creatures down the millennia and scien­ tists know that the main driv­ ing force in evolution is cli­ mate change ­ creatures adapting to ice ages or peri­ ods of drought ­ thriving or being wiped out. It's now been established that Neanderthal man mated with early humans and many of today's humans have traces of Neanderthal DNA. It came as quite a shock therefore to hear that a third of Americans reject the idea of evolution.

Sixty percent of Americans say that "humans and other living things have evolved over time," according to a telephone survey by the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project. But 33% reject the idea of evolu­ tion, saying that "humans and other living things have exist­ ed in their present form since the beginning of time." It's something that I learned at school along with the whole of Darwin's evolution theory.

Galileo tried to persuade the Church that the earth was not the centre of the uni­ verse and it took 200 years before church leaders finally had to concede that the earth went around the sun and it was an insignificant planet on the edge of our galaxy. How long will it be before the church and the profoundly religious finally accept that humans evolved from animals and not from Adam and Eve?

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 104 So here we are, another year starting and another year that many living here in Spain will put off learning the language.

Many people believe they can just get by with what they know but I know, because you are taking the time to read this, that you are not one of those and that you have a genuine interest in learning the language and becoming as proficient as you can.

To those who have started this year, I say welcome, this is one decision you will definitely not regret, as those of us who have been learning some time will testify, being able to have a conversation using words that once sounded alien is a fantas­ tic achievement and one for which you should all be rightly proud.

If you are setting out on the road to Spanish then you can find past lessons on the Courier website, www.thecourier.es but I will also this year be including plenty of revision, as the old saying goes: if you don´t use it you lose it!

So what are we going to talk about this week? Well as you know we have just had el día de los reyes magos when the cabalgata went through the streets. Years ago the three kings used to throw sweets from their thrones but this year there was just confetti, it seems a shame that the councils have plenty of money to spend on making their lives easier but the children have to miss out on a few caramelos, but maybe in your town there were plenty of sweets and in any case my son didn´t seem to miss them and just enjoyed the show. But let´s talk about this time of year and the weather in particular, see how much of the following you understand without looking at books or using google translate!

Ahora es invierno, hace frio en las calles pero no tanto en el día. Mi casa tiene mucho frio pero afuera hay sol y

En Inglaterra ahora hay mucha lluvia las buenas temperaturas. Me gusta mucho el sol y el calor, odio el frio, por eso vivo aquí en España. En Inglaterra ahora hay mucha lluvia, la gente allí tienen que sufrir mucho. Pero no sonrío yo, porque en el día diecisiete de enero voy a Inglaterra, pero solo para el fin de semana para ver a mis hijas. Tengo muchas ganas de verlas porque no las he visto desde el verano, muchos meses. Cuando estoy allí, también con mi hijo por supuesto, voy a ir de compras, comer (mis hijas quieren ir a Macdonalds!) y bueno, pasar buenos momentos con ellos. Espero que no haya mucha lluvia cuando voy, no quiero llevar mucha ropa porque solo tengo equipaje de mano y necesito espacio para mis jersey y ropa termal!

Si llueve mucho y me moja me va a faltar ropa. Bueno ya

veremos, por lo menos podre pasar tiempo con mis hijas, por eso estoy muy contenta.

En invierno hay mucha nieve en algu­ nas partes de España. Aquí, donde yo vivo, no tanto, en realidad nunca he visto la nieve en Almoradí. Hace años fui al norte con mi hijo para buscar nieve, y nos lo encontramos! Mucha nieve y hacía mucho frio. Estuvimos allí tal vez dos horas y regresamos! La nieve está para que los niños lo vean una vez, pero yo prefiero el sol, la piscina y el aire cáli­ do. Estoy esperando a marzo, porque creo que el clima mejorará. Ahora he pasado algunos días en mi jardín en el sol, pero por las tardes la temperatura baja y tengo que encender la calefac­ ción.

Those two paragraphs contained some different tenses, I hope those of you who have been following my column for some time now will have been able to follow the language clearly. I also hope that you are taking the time to read the words out loud and more impor­ tantly are gaining the confidence to speak in Spanish.

Any parts of the above text that weren´t clear give you a good idea of where you need to revise and next week we will continue learning some new stuff and revising some from the past.

Anyone interested in learning Spanish with me can now contact me for private lessons one to one or in a small group.

I have a school in Almoradí so if you´re nearby and thinking of taking that extra step with lessons aimed to help you learn Spanish, kept at your level with no big classes to get lost in! building your confidence and to practise what you are learn­ ing give me a ring: 625437217.

Have a great week, keep warm, ¡hasta la próxima!

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

EXERCISE YOUR FACE TO LOOK HEALTHIER AND YOUNGER

Do you have a problem area on your face that you would like to change? Double chin, droopy eyes, jowls, pouches, crows feet or marionette lines? Aging is as sneaky as sun damage and it seems that in a twinkling of an eye, your face can look so different that you might wonder just who is that person staring back at you in the mirror?

Could facial exercise be the answer to the age old question –“Can I maintain a youthful appearance?” Must I spend my children’s inheritance to stave off Mother Nature’s foot­ prints across my face?

You can certainly turn back the clock with facial exercise that employs resistance and isometric contractions of the muscles using the thumbs and fingers. This doesn’t mean that you will look sixteen or even twenty again but shaving off ten or fifteen years from your appearance with exercise rivals the results of most plastic surgery proce­ dures.

Plastic surgery techniques do not stop the aging process; muscles in the face continue to make their downward slide dragging the skin unnaturally, creating the need for more and more surgical procedures. With exer­ cise, the muscles become stronger, the skin looks revitalized and lifted. Most importantly, facial exercises can be performed inexpen­ sively at home.

The muscles of the face elongate just like the muscles in your arms, thighs and but­ tocks; in fact, the muscles in the face will have elongated about one­half inch by the time most people have reached the age of 55. The elongation is the result of atrophy of

HEALTHY NEW YEAR

Let’s get 2014 off to a real­ ly healthy start by thinking about how you can detox without tears.

The image of going on a detox is one of fasting, feel­ ing hungry and being thor­ oughly unhappy for a few days! The good news is that to do a healthy and correct detox this isn’t necessary detoxing is a really good way to help your body to feel better and to begin to regain better health and vitality.

Don’t feel that you are a lost cause because every­ body can benefit from a good detox even if you are not the ideal size, weight, health status etc. If you want an instant start to your detox why not try our Luxury Aqua Detox where you can literally see the toxic waste leaving your body via your FEET! Here is what to do at home.

Drink at least 2 litres of water every day of your detox forget fizzy drinks with additives stick to plain water and drink it slowly during the

day as this is essential to carry away the toxins your body is going to shed.

The next thing is to obtain from the pharmacy a box of Lolmper 100mg. These are anti­parasitic pills and are an essential part of your detox.

Almost without exception all adults will have some para­ sites in their body even though you may not have symptoms and this is espe­ cially true if you live abroad, have holidayed abroad or have pets. All you need to do is take 1 Lomper tablet every 12 hours for 3 doses.

This is enough to help you to eradicate whatever parasite you may be carrying and this in itself may help you to get rid of abdominal symptoms such as wind and gas. The next thing to do is to get some friendly bacteria and I’m not talking about yogurts with added probiotics but go to the health food shop and buy specially prepared pro­ biotics, ask for their advice about which is best and take them for at least one month,

this is to help re populate your gut with healthy bacte­ ria and will also support your immune system. If you know that you have overindulged this festive season with alco­ hol then get some Milk Thistle to support your liver and kidneys to get back into good condition. Your diet is important during your detox and you should avoid all pre prepared foods and go back to basics. This doesn’t mean starving yourself but it does mean lots of healthy veg­ etable soups, fruit and foods that will help your body to cleanse, keep carbs to a minimum and avoid alcohol for at least one week. Foods that are especially good at this are locally grown foods in season and here at Slimfit we have located a supplier of organic food including fruit, vegetables, cheese and some meats. If you would like to join the ever­ growing body of people who are looking to become healthier than organic is def­ initely best and the good news is that is really isn’t as expensive as you might think.

For good quality probiotics and supplements try pop­ ping in to speak to Saray at Zenia Natural health shop just down from the pharma­ cia at la Zenia.

If you would like more help to detox visit us at SlimFit Punta Prima

the muscles and gravity. Even though we talk, sing or laugh, the muscles continue to soften and become lax; it’s only when the facial muscles are specifically exercised do they begin to plump up and support your skin better.

The elongation of facial muscles affects every area of your face. For instance, the “apples” in your upper cheeks may not be positioned prominently, in fact, when a smile is made, rather than seeing fullness high on the cheeks, the muscles may appear flat and midway between the nose and mouth.

If you add one­half inch to the length of

your forehead, your eye area suffers because the downward motion compresses into the brows. What happens if you add one­half inch or more to the area under the chin? The dreaded wattle is developing.

One­half inch added to the jaw line means jowls are forming.

Beginning a facial exercise program to sculpt and contour the face may seem daunting at first because the movements and positioning feel somewhat awkward.

Remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle? It was so scary! But after a few days of lumps and bumps, you were pedalling like you were a pro. It’s the same with facial exercise, once you become familiar with the movements, you will marvel that these sim­ ple steps can easily produce a younger look­ ing face.

You will want to take beginning photos before you start a facial exercise regimen so that you can track your progress and you will want to update your photos at the end of every third week. In about three weeks friends and colleagues will begin noticing that something is definitely different about you. They may think you have changed your hair in some way or that you are sleeping better but you will know what they’re seeing is your pretty face returning.

In hardly any time at all, you will notice how smooth and refreshed your skin looks; your face glows with radiance from increased oxygenation to the muscles and those sagging, droopy muscles are now por­ traying a more youthful looking you. Without surgery, drugs or anything harmful you can turn back the clock and look at least 10­15 years younger.

CAN YOU TRUST THE FLU JAB? DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

With the winter season comes the increased risk of catching a respiratory infec­ tion, and to protect the body, most people will opt for the flu jab, believing this will protect them against unforeseen infections or give their immunity a boost.

The shocking truth is that there are hardly any scien­ tific studies or clinically tri­ als showing the benefits of flu vaccination. And when you understand the nature of the flu virus, you see why the concept of the flu jab makes no logical and med­ ical sense. The flu virus also known as the influenza virus is not a single virus but a broad term for several dozen sub­classes of differ­ ent viruses. Most interest­ ingly, many of these viruses mutate or change their form many times in a single sea­ son. Even the manufactur­

ers of these vaccines have gone on record saying that producing an effective flu vaccine every year is a mat­ ter of chance. If only their ´guess­work science´ is without danger. Flu vac­ cines in general are pre­ served with thimerosal, a toxic compound made from mercury. A well­known sci­ entific fact is that mercury destroys the nerves and the amount of mercury in the flu vaccine is well over tolera­ ble levels for humans.

Other commonly found toxic compounds in flu vaccine include: powerful antibiotics such as neomycin, formaldehyde (a cancer causing agent), polysorbate 80 (associated with heart disorders), detergents, as well as an assortment of embryonic animal tissue.

Clearly these substances even in the tinniest quanti­

ties will not do the body any good. This week alone, a number of my clients for a full body scan commented on how bad they felt soon after having the flu jab. In addition their diagnostic scan analysis showed inflammation and degenera­ tion of the immune system and organs. Vitamin D is very effective for boosting the immune system, and the sun is the best source, however extra vitamin D supplements are recom­ mended during the winter months. Even in Sunny Costablanca! At MedB Diagnostics, we use colostrum and Reishi because our own research has shown these to be the most effective.

FOR A FULL BODY SCAN CALL DR MANNU: 965071745

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Friday, January 10, 2014

THE TRUTH BEHIND YOUR LEAKY GUT Q

I have been suffering from stomach problems since the last 3 months. My doctor has prescribed 2 courses of different antibiotics since then, and the problem seems to have worsened. Last month a different doctor gave me ranitidine, and initially that helped, but I am back to square one. I have an appointment to see a consultant but the date is far. What do you think may be causing my problem?

Abdominal problems are among the commonest reasons why people come to our clinic for a diagnostic scan. There are a number of factors behind this explosion in abdominal dis­ orders, and chief among them are our poor food choices and over prescription of antibiotics by doctors. Most people eat a heavy processed diet that is rich in refined carbohydrates. And when foods are refined, most of their nutrients are stripped off, and this also applies to cooking, which destroys the natural enzymes needed to properly digest foods. Natural foods come pre­packed with enzymes that help in there digestion, however cooking and processing foods destroys these enzymes and this puts pressure on our digestive organs to replace the destroyed enzymes. Refined foods also slow down the process of contrac­ tion that occurs along the entire length of the digestive tract. It is this contraction that is responsible for moving food from the mouth to the rectum. When this contraction process slows down, it is called dyskinesia. The problem of dyskinesia (slow contraction of the intestines) is a common finding in our diag­ nostic scans. People with digestive problems also show inflam­ mation as well as degeneration or breakdown of the digestive system and the intestinal tract. There is also usually more than one form of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) that is seen from the scans, and the common forms include: erosive gastri­ tis, catarrhal gastritis, as well as hyperplastic gastritis. Some of these forms of gastritis can actually lead to cancer of the stom­ ach if persistent. Many people are unaware that Wheat as well as foods made from wheat can cause severe inflammation of the digestive tract. And this problem is not limited to gluten sen­

A

sitive individuals and coeliac sufferers as many people have a mild sensitivity to wheat but remain unaware. And with time their sensitivity can become worse and cause ´Leaky Gut Syndrome´, a condition that occurs when semi digested food sips out of the intestines and into surrounding tissue, thereby causing acute inflammation. Today, antibiotics have become part of the protocol for managing anyone with an abdominal dis­ order. Because most doctors lack the necessary diagnostic technology to detect microorganisms, they would prescribe antibiotics to cover for infections just in case they are present.

The problem with this type of blind approach to therapy is that antibiotics cannot differentiate between healthy microbes and harmful ones, and end up killing everything in its path. When you realise that the body contains 10 times more beneficial bac­ teria than actually body cells (there are 100 trillion cells in the body), you realise the danger we face when these microbes are destroyed. Furthermore, the microbes that cause abdominal problems are regarded as opportunistic organisms, and are only capable of invading the body when the immune system is weak­ ened. Rather than using antibiotics, these opportunistic microbes need a much gentler approach, and they are best kept in check with natural antibiotics such as colostrum. Colostrum is the most powerful natural antibiotic known to man. It is rich in antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal compounds, and in addi­ tion, also contains several different kinds of immunoglobulins or antibodies that enhance the immune system against infections.

Q

I went for a routine ultrasound screen of my prostate, and an enlargement was detected, however I did not have any symptoms. I was sent to my doctor who did a PSA check, and found the number to be 4.67. I repeated the test and it was 5.7. My doctor is talking about getting a biopsy done because he suspects something worse; how­ ever I have done my own research and understand the dan­ gers and would rather not go down that route yet. I would rather wait and monitor the PSA levels. What is your opin­

ion, and are there other ways to manage my problem?

Yes you are absolutely right in saying that prostate biopsies are associated with a number of risks such as infections, bleeding and problems urinating, and I agree with you for opting to wait and watch first before taking any other decision. Above all the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test is not a reliable test for telling the state of health of the prostate. In fact it was origi­ nally invented to monitor how prostate cancer patients respond­ ed to chemotherapy. A number of prostate disorders can cause a high PSA level, such as inflammation of the prostate (prosta­ titis), an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy), as well as tumour or cancer of the prostate. It is also known that PSA levels can be falsely high if you engage in sexual inter­ course or even ride a bicycle before the test. A PSA level of 4.67 is just slightly above normal and still within range for some urol­ ogists. PSA levels between 4 and 10 are usually considered to be suspicious. I will not be alarmed by your PSA levels, but I´ll keep an eye on it, and you should consider having another test in 6 weeks. In my experience with diagnostic scans, the com­ monest cause of prostate disorders is inflammation of the prostate or prostatitis. Prostatitis can cause symptoms very sim­ ilar to an enlarged prostate or even cancer of the prostate.

These symptoms include: pain and difficulty on passing water, passing water more frequently, deep pain in the groin area, as well as discharge of blood from the penis. A common cause of prostate problems is zinc deficiency. The prostate gland con­ tains more zinc than any other organ in the body and zinc sup­ plements have been shown to protect the prostate. Many stud­ ies have also shown that the herb Saw palmetto is very effective in shrinking the size of the prostate. Other essential nutrients for the prostate include Vitamin A and E, pumpkin seeds and the amino acid L­alanine. These nutrients are usually available as a single formulation for the prostate.

FOR A FULL BODY DIAGNOSTIC SCAN CALL DR MACHI MANNU ­ 965071745

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EXPLOITED WOMEN NEED A VOICE

By Tony Mayes We see them on roundabouts waiting for their next "client" to stop their car. But how many of us cast a thought to what those girls have gone through and what they are still going through?

In the Torrevieja and Orihuela areas there is a team of people who regularly go out during the day and evening to meet and help these trapped women ­ a team which has been formed with the sole purpose of showing care to the women. In the past few months they have touched the lives of more than 150 women, many of whom are forced to work as prostitutes and are sold and resold as com­ mon goods.

Most in our public roadways come from Eastern Europe ­ Romania and Bulgaria, as well as from African countries like, Algeria, Nigeria, Gambia and Ghana. The spokesperson for the team of helpers, Hannah Penn (not her real name to protect her safety) asks: "Where is the justice for those who have been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation from their homelands into Spain?

These victims of slavery were promised good jobs by men and women who lied and deceived them. Coming from situations of desperation, they arrived with a great deal of hope, but were very quickly disillusioned when their jailers confiscated their passports and papers and forced them into prostitution. Many live in a state of hopelessness and fear, seeing no way of escape. As you drive by these ladies on our public streets and roundabouts, does your heart cry out for their suffering? Are you moved with compassion for them and with indignation for those who have enslaved them?”

Behind the myth of the "happy hooker," there’s a horrific record of human rights abuses for prostitutes. Only 1% to 2% of them are ever “rescued”, whilst only one out of 100

thousand European traffickers are ever convicted. As a country, Spain is number three on the list of countries that have the greatest demand for prostitutes (only behind Puerto Rico and Thailand).

Hannah added:­ "Prostitution is rarely a free choice. Here in our area of Torrevieja and Vega Baja, this is the reality for dozens of ladies. There is a huge influx of the trafficked vic­ tims right in our midst. Throughout the summer, there was a large number of new ladies on our public roads. They have a myriad of problems ­ some are not allowed even enough money to buy a cup of coffee or an article of clothing. Others have children back in their homeland who are desperately

sick and needing medical attention which was the catalyst to them coming to Spain in search of money.

Some with college educations have been deceived by childhood girlfriends into believing that they could get good jobs here in Spain” "Gender equality is impossible where prostitution is allowed," declares Hannah. With this in mind, Sweden passed laws in 1999 whereby the clients of prostitutes are arrested and fined. Since it is now illegal to pay for sexual services, this is changing the way people think about prostitution in that coun­ try. Prostitution is seen as harmful both for the pros­ titute and for society, and since law came into force, prostitution has more than halved in Sweden. In France last month, the Parliament voted to put into action a law similar to the Swedish law whereby the clients would be fined as opposed to the prosti­ tutes. In the UK, a bill will introduce a maximum sentence of life in prison for human traffickers, and new guidelines will be issued which say that victims should not face prosecution.

"The British people have always fought for the 'underdog'. We loathe injustice. We can now speak out against the injustice meted out to these women here in Spain. We can make a difference. But we need to speak as one voice so that we can put as much pressure as is neces­ sary to get laws changed," said Hannah.

"These women need someone to speak for them. They are not allowed to have a voice. Men who pay for sex must realise that in over 90% of cases these services are not given freely. The demand for sex generates huge profits for the slavers and leaves behind the tortured minds and broken bodies of those women and children they violate. If we do not speak out against this situation, then we are condoning it. We must not stand idly by," she added.

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Friday, January 10, 2014

NEW LOOK ANGIE A 42 year old British woman who lives in Sucina, Murcia has made headlines in the UK Daily Mail by showing off her weight­loss after a 2­Day Diet, which has seen her drop from a size 18 to a size 10. Angie James moved over to Spain with her husband, Brian, 8 years ago, and they have twin sons, Joe and Adam aged 12. Angie always enjoyed

keeping fit, leading a local line dance group as well as doing pilates classes. But she was encouraged to try out the 2­Day­Diet by her mum, Christine, who lives around the cor­ ner from her, and they both went to London for a special presentation ceremony. Angie has lost 15cms from her waist and nearly 20cms from her hips, and she told the Daily

Mail that she wanted to be a better role model for her sons after nag­ ging them to eat more health foods, whilst she was drinking wine and nibbling away at a packet of crisps.

Angie who is 5ft 2in tall, now weighs in at 9st 6lbs, as opposed to being 13st 2lbs, and many of her neigh­ bours in the Sucina area are now trying to get on the diet bandwagon.

SPANISH ORO ON THOSE BRITISH PLAYAS!

By Andrew Atkinson

There’s gold and silver in them Thar Beaches! ­ not hills ­ in both Spain and Britain. Following the recent storms across England, gold and silver coins ­ including those of Spanish origin ­ are to be found washed up on the beaches.

Storms in both Spain and England have revealed past treas­ ures – with one recent coin said to be of Spanish origin ­ washed up on Blackpool beach remaining a mystery. In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships ­ known as the 1715 Treasure Fleet ­ sank in storms in Sebastian, a city in Indian River County, in the State of Florida, USA. Little of the Spanish treasure has been found to date ­ val­ ued at over 500million dollars. In 2013 ­ in Wabasso ­ treas­ ure­hunters found 48 gold doubloons, lost when 11 Spanish ships loaded with gold, silver and jewels, sank during a hur­ ricane in 1715. The gold escudos ­ lost over three centuries ago ­ are worth an estimated 200 thousand dollars were found 13 miles north of Sebastian. In 2010, 48 gold coins, 40 silver coins and a 4 ft bronze cannon were discovered. The Treasure of Loch Arkaig, sometimes known as the Jacobite Gold, was provided by Spain to finance the Jacobite rising in Scotland in 1745, and rumoured still to be hidden at Loch

Arkaig in Lochaber. In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart ­ Bonnie Prince Charlie – arrived in Scotland from France and claimed the thrones of Scotland, England and Ireland, in the name of his father James Stuart.

Charles deemed his venture was supported by Louis XV of France – with financial support supplied by both Spain and the Pope. Spain pledged some 400,000 livres ­ Louis d’Or ­ per month for the Jacobite cause.

The first instalment was dispatched in 1745. The French sloop Hazard landed its monies on the west coast of Scotland ­ but the riches were captured by Clan Mackay, loy­ alists to King George II. In April 1746, the ships Mars and

Bellona arrived in Scotland ­ with 1,200,000 livres from Spain. However the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden saw the ships leave ­ unloading only the Spanish money at Loch nan Uamh, Arisaig.

Seven caskets of Spanish gold arrived in Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite defeat. The question remains: Where is the Spanish gold haul today?

The piece of silver coin found on the beach at Blackpool ­ said to be a Spanish Colonial Cob ­ depicting flares on the cross, was washed up on to the beach after storms and tidal surges. The Spanish Colonial Cob was a currency used in Spain between 1572 and 1773. The coin is said to be from a Shipwreck – Spanish or European – and dates from the 14th­15th Century. The Courier recently featured a silver replica paddle, based on a wooden paddle that was made from a Spanish Galleon Shipwrecked in the River Ribble. In the mid­19thC. California Gold Rush, the saying, 'There's Gold in them Thar hills', was born. Today Blackpool, Playa Flamenca, and Guardamar are regular hunting grounds by metal detectorists. Here in Spain, metal detecting is strictly controlled and requires a permit from the relevant local councils.

Friday, January 10, 2014

25

REACH OUT HELPED FAREWELL RICHARD

Torrevieja’s homeless charity, Reach Out, got a recent helping hand from the Gossip Bar at the La Rioja Commercial Centre, with a Carol Concert. Jeanette and

Dave from the bar gave a 100 Euro ham­ per, along with with bottles of wine and other prizes, with the raffle raising the tidy sum of 250 Euros.

KINGS APLENTY

Thousands of people, old and young, lined streets across the area on Sunday evening for the arrival of the Three Kings, bringing their custom­ ary bundle of pres­ ents.

There were major processions in many key centres, including the arrival of the wise men by boat in Torrevieja (pic­ tured).

Orihuela, Alicante, and Murcia were just some of the other cities to get involved, with the Magi also arriving by water at Lo Pagan before meeting the youngsters of San Pedro del Pinatar (pic­ tured).

There was no Papa Noel to hand out sweets for the children of Dolores at Christmas after the death of Richard Gay who had played the part for the last nine years. He had been in Vega Baja hospital several times during 2013 and despite his health problems, he was always known to the staff there as “el payaso”….the clown.

He was also known throughout the area as the writer of the vegetable gardening hints “Gramps veg garden…tips from the compost heap” and had given many talks about vegetable gardening over the years.

He was a keen tenor singer with the Crescendo choir for many years per­ forming an unaccompanied solo at one

of his last concerts.

Richard did not think people liked him much as he was always very outspoken, but this proved untrue when more than 70 people, of 12 nationalities, attended his funeral. As he was a vegetable man, his only wish for flowers was a cauliflower, which brought a smile to many faces. He also asked for the 1812 overture to be played so that “whichever way he went…up or down, they would know he was coming!”

The Crescendo choir turned out in force & sang “Sin Ti” and the blessing of Aaron. A poem called ‘Lost love’ writ­ ten by his wife Margot was read by Cathy Carson and the service was con­ ducted by Pastor Keith Brown.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Don’t be hampered An unclaimed hamper is waiting for a lucky draw win­ ner in La Marina. The recently launched Pets in Spain animal rescue charity

shop drew out the tickets for their Christmas raffle last week, with a bumper 738 Euros being raised. The first prize winner, Carole

Corbridge got herself a hot drinks maker, but the 2nd prize winner (Blue ticket 136) has not claimed their spoils. The shop, on Calle Francisco de Quevedo on La Marina urbanisation, is open weekdays 10.00am to 5.00pm and on Saturday between 10.00am and 2.00pm. Pets in Spain is currently appealing for bric­a­brac or unwanted household items that could be sold to raise money for unwanted animals.

Their phone number is 645 469 253. Pictured from left to right, there’s volunteer Den Sunderland; shop manager Eve Waring, volunteer Sue Miles and prize winner Carole Corbridge.

Some of the most popular love songs ever will be wafting their way around the Orihuela Costa Resort hotel at the end of the month in aid of the Costa Blanca Samaritans.

Saturday January 25th will be the day that Melody Makers International will be linking up with the Cantemos Children’s Choir for a concert filled with romantic favourites like

The Way We Were, The Rose, and My Heart Will Go On. The choirs led by Nigel Hopkins will give two performances at 2.00pm and 8.00pm. Tickets, priced at 10 Euros for the Matinee and 12 Euros for the evening con­ cert are available from the Orihuela Costa Resort Reception area on 966 760 800, or from La Ponderosa shop on La Zenia island.

If you want to make some new friends, and to get around the area, then why don’t you try the Strictly Social Club in Punta Prima. It’s a non­profit English speaking club that meets twice a month at the New Asturias Restaurant on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday. The club has a

wide range of activities including quizzes and guest speakers, as well as organis­ ing subsidised trips to all kinds of inter­ esting places around the region. If you want to find out more get in touch with Brian on 678 807 159 or Margaret 966 730 569.

STRICTLY SOCIAL

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Friday, January 10, 2014

HEALTHY BREAKFAST LIGHT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS Ingredients

5 tbsp rapeseed oil 225g self­raising flour 115g wholemeal flour 2 tsp baking powder zest ½ lemon and 1 tsp juice 85g golden caster sugar 50g light muscovado sugar 1 small very ripe banana with black skin (about 85g peeled weight) 1 egg 284ml pot buttermilk 225g fresh blueberries

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Use 1 tsp oil to lightly oil a 12­hole muffin tin (or use paper cases). Mix both flours with the baking powder and lemon zest.

Reserve 1 tbsp caster sugar, then stir the rest into the flour with the muscovado.

2. Mash the banana well. In another bowl beat the egg, then stir in the banana, but­ termilk and oil. Using a large metal spoon, very lightly stir into the flour mix, just to combine.

3. Over­mixing will make the muffins tough. Toss in the blue­ berries and give just a few turns of the spoon to carefully stir them in without crushing.

4. Spoon the mixture into the tin – each hole should be very full. Bake for 20­25 mins until risen and golden.

Mix the reserved caster sugar with the lemon juice. When the muffins are done, remove from the oven, then brush with the sugar and lemon mixture while they are still hot. Gently loosen the edges of each muffin with a knife, then leave in the tin for 15 mins to cool a little as they’re very delicate while hot. Remove to a wire rack. Best eaten the day of making, but will keep for up to 2 days.

MELON & CRUNCHY BRAN POTS Ingredients ½ x 200g pack melon medley 150g pot fat­free yogurt 2 tbsp fruit & fibre cereal 1 tbsp mixed seed 1 tsp clear honey

Method

Top melon medley with yogurt, then sprinkle over cereal mixed with seeds. Drizzle over honey and eat immediately.

SCRAMBLED EGG MUFFIN Ingredients 2 eggs few sundried tomatoes fresh basil, torn English muffins

Method

Scramble eggs without butter or cream, stir in chopped sun­ dried tomato and torn fresh basil, and pile on toasted English muffin halves.

LIGHT FULL ENGLISH Ingredients 4 rashers good­quality lean unsmoked back bacon 4 brown­cap portabello mushrooms 12­16 cherry tomatoes on the vine, room temperature 6 tsp olive oil 2 slices granary or whole­ grain bread, cut on the diag­ onal 2 good­quality free­range pork sausages, minimum 86% pork 2 free­range, omega­3 rich

eggs, room temperature few drops cider vinegar 2 x 100ml / 3½ fl oz glasses freshly­squeezed orange juice, plus 1 orange cut into wedges handful fresh blueberries (about 50g/2oz)

Method

1. Lay the bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes on a foil­lined tray. Brush the tops of the mushrooms with 3 tsp of the oil and both sides of the bread with the remaining oil. Set aside.

Heat the grill to very hot. Lay the sausages on a small foil­ lined tray (best not to prick good­quality sausages or they may lose moisture). Grill for about 10 mins until cooked, turn­ ing occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, three­quarters fill a small pan, and a wide, deep sauté pan with water. Bring both to the boil. Lower an egg into the small pan and remove after 30 secs. Crack the egg into a cup. Add vinegar to the larger pan then, using a wire whisk, swirl the water around to create a whirlpool.

3. Remove the whisk and slowly tip the egg into the centre of the whirlpool. When the water comes back to the boil, remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave for 3 mins, then remove the egg. Place in a bowl of warm water while you cook the other egg – or cook both eggs an hour ahead, leave in a bowl of iced water, then reheat for 1½ mins in sim­ mering water before serving.

4. Meanwhile heat a griddle pan to very hot. Place the toma­ toes, bacon and mushrooms under the grill for 3­4 mins with­ out turning. At the same time, lay the bread on the griddle pan, cook until crisp, about 1 min each side. Drain everything on kitchen paper.

5. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a cloth. Arrange everything on a plate and serve with the juice and fruit.

CRUNCHY GRANOLA WITH BERRIES & CHERRIES Ingredients 175g mixed nuts (pecan halves and peanuts in their red skins) 450g rolled oats

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Friday, January 10, 2014

50g sesame seeds 50g sunflower seeds 125ml sunflower oil 100ml runny honey (try one of the lightly flavoured flower ones) half a 170g packet dried berries and cherry

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C. Halve some of the pecans, leave some whole. Mix with peanuts, oats, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. In a jug, measure the oil and pour into the mixture, then measure the honey – it will slide out easily. Stir together with a fork to break up any big clumps of oats.

2. Pour on to a large baking tray with sides, preferably non­ stick, in a thin layer. Bake for 20­25 minutes, stirring well at least twice and bringing the mixture in from the edges, until it is golden. Transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool.

3. Mix in the berries and cherries and serve with plenty of chilled milk.

4. Store for up to 1 month in airtight container.

CINNAMON PORRIDGE WITH BANANA & BERRIES Ingredients 100g porridge oats ½ tsp cinnamon, plus extra to serve 4 tsp demerara sugar 450ml skimmed milk 3 bananas, sliced 400g punnet strawberries, hulled and halved 150g pot fat­free natural yogurt

Method

1. In a medium­sized saucepan, mix the oats, cinnamon, sugar, milk and half the sliced bananas. Bring to the boil, stir­ ring occasionally. Turn down the heat and cook for 4­5 mins, stirring all the time.

2. Remove and divide between 4 bowls, top with the remain­ ing banana, strawberries, a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

SKINNY PEPPER, TOMATO & HAM OMELETTE Ingredients 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites 1 tsp olive oil 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped 2 spring onions, white and green parts kept separate and finely chopped few slices wafer­thin extra­lean ham, shredded 25g reduced­fat mature cheddar wholemeal toast, to serve

Method

1. Mix the eggs and egg whites with some season­ ing and set aside. Heat the oil in a medium non­stick frying pan and cook the pepper for 3­4 mins. Throw in the white parts of the spring onions and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the eggs and cook over a medium heat until almost completely set.

2. Sprinkle on the ham and cheese and continue cooking until just set in the centre, or flash it under a hot grill if you like it more well done. Serve straight from the pan with the green part of the spring onion sprinkled on top and some whole­ meal toast.

CRANBERRY & RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE Ingredients 200ml cranberry juice 175g frozen raspberries, defrosted 100ml milk 200ml natural yogurt 1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste mint sprigs, to serve

Method

Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.

Pour into glasses and serve topped with fresh mint.

HEALTHY EGG & CHIPS Ingredients 500g potatoes, diced 2 shallots, sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp dried crushed oregano or 1 tsp fresh leaves 200g small mushrooms 4 eggs

large, non­stick roasting tin, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle over the oregano, then mix everything together well. Bake for 15 mins, add the mushrooms, then cook for a further 10 mins until the potatoes are browned and tender.

2. Make four gaps in the vegetables and crack an egg into each space. Return to the oven for 3­4 mins or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

WARM WINTER FRUIT WITH CHESTNUTS Ingredients 100g light muscovado sugar 3 wide strips orange zest 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways 140g cooked chestnuts 100g dried cherries 100g dried apricots mascarpone, to serve (optional)

Method

Put the sugar, orange zest and vanilla in a pan with 200ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then add the chestnuts and dried fruits. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins until the syrup is slightly thickened. Leave to cool, then serve with spoonfuls of mascarpone if you like.

PORRIDGE PLUS Ingredients enough porridge oats for 1 semi­skimmed milk fat­free Greek yogurt banana, sliced hazelnuts, roughly chopped honey

Method

1. Make porridge with semi­skimmed milk according to the packet instructions.

2. Top with fat­free Greek yogurt, sliced banana and roughly chopped hazel­ nuts, and drizzle with honey.

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the pota­ toes and shallots into a

BIRD OF PARADISE – HEAVENLY VIEWS AND MOUTH-WATERING FOOD

Lo Pagan has a brand new English bar with breath­ taking 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 surround­ ings. 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.

A lot of the food is com­ pletely home­made. Sue freshly bakes the cakes every morning, 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 typi­ cal afternoon tea, with sand­ wiches, scones with cream and jam, cakes and a big pot

of tea or cups of coffee. At just 10 euros for two people you can’t go wrong.

Bird of Paradise offers a choice of breakfasts, light lunches, typical afternoon teas and an evening menu with a choice of 8 meals (bookings only), with very competitive prices. Opening times are 11am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and 11am to 4pm on Mondays.

Booking is advisable for evening meals.

For further details phone 634420100. See their main below for further details.

28

Friday, January 10, 2014

SPANISH NEWS

LONG ARM OF LAW GROWS FURTHER Two of Spain’s biggest motorist organisations have slammed the government’s planned traffic and road safety law reform, saying it is all about making more money out of drivers rather than improving accident rates. Fines for drink­ driving, currently at 500 Euros, were to go up to 1,000 Euros, but this has been reconsidered and will only now do so where the motorist is found to have consumed at least twice the legal limit of alcohol. This and the wording relating to drink­driving has made the groups Devuelta and the European Automobile Association (AEA) consider the wrong message is being sent out – one of 'carry on consuming alcohol before getting behind the wheel, so we can fine you because we need the money'. Both groups say the law seems aimed at lining cash­strapped town halls' pockets.

They have criticised the fact that speed­camera detectors are now banned in cars, saying that the idea of a speed camera is to make drivers slow down, not as a 'money mag­ net', and therefore anything which tells a motorist that a camera has been installed will make him or her stick to the

limit and is actually a positive feature, not one that should be outlawed.

Additionally, they have slammed the fact that no informa­ tion is available about which stretches of motorway are due to see their speed limits upped to 130 kilometres per hour, or when this is going to happen, but that speed­limit reduc­ tions on secondary roads have been instantly approved. The groups have called for all speeding fines for exceeding 120 kilometres per hour on stretches of motorway due to go up to 130 kilometres per hour to be re­examined.

Mostly, the law takes away the 'practically non­existent legal protection' drivers have, in particular the part which allows traffic police to apply sanctions without stopping motorists to tell them, meaning they will not know they have been fined until they receive the notice through the post. The legislation says this is permitted where an officer is in the middle of controlling the traffic and would have to interrupt his or her duties to advise a driver they have broken the law, but both Devuelta and the AEA say it takes away any chance

New meaning for coke heads Spanish police have arrested two women who tried to smuggle cocaine into the country under elaborate wigs. The women with Portuguese nationality arrived at Madrid’s Barajas air­ port on two separate flights from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Both were car­ rying 1.2 kilos of cocaine under intricate 'fake hair' which was sewn onto a black plastic cap. The black cap was taped to their head and this in turn hid 6 packages of cocaine.

Police said this new smuggling method was very difficult "given the realism of the fake hair".

"The packages were perfectly adhered and did not stick out from under the wigs, which made the narcotics imperceptible,"

said a police spokesman.

Spanish authori­ ties seized more than 20 tonnes of cocaine in 2012, which accounted for 41 percent of the total amount of cocaine seized in Europe that year.

Drug smugglers have used a variety of methods to try to sneak narcotics into the country. In recent years police have found cocaine hidden inside plastic bananas or shipments of roses and in one case con­ cealed in a cast worn by a man with a broken leg. Last month, Spanish cops arrested a Colombian vet who had tried to smuggle liq­ uid heroin to America by surgically implanti­ ng plastic bags of the drug into living Rottweiler and Labrador puppies.

KINGS ON PARADE

Spain's cities and towns hosted their traditional Three Kings Parades on Sunday, despite safety con­ cerns following the death of a child in Malaga in 2013.

The parades take place around Spain on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, and honour the story in the Gospel of Matthew of the coming of three wise men to bring gifts to Jesus.

The events are hugely popular with the country's children, with the costumed kings throwing sweets to members of the crowd.

People come with plastic bags, sacks and even umbrellas to better harvest the crop of sweets. But

SALES START BEFORE THREE KINGS Sales kicked in early this year across many parts of Spain, despite the normal tradition that they don’t start until the day after Three Kings, which was last Tuesday. Some regions decided to begin the winter sales period after the New Year’s Day holiday to try to increase profits, given that the period leading up to Twelfth Night, or the Three Kings, is

peak shopping time as families and friends buy each other presents.

Certain shops, particularly large department stores and high­ street chains, chose to start their sales even earlier, on December 23, to capture cus­ tomers buying presents for Christmas Eve, but these were said to be still few and far between. Discounts at the start

the motorist has of defending him or herself and works on a 'guilty until proven innocent' basis, putting the onus on the driver to prove he or she was not committing an offence rather than on the police officer to prove they were, in fact, in breach of the law.

In reality, however, this is already standard practice in many towns in Spain and a traffic police officer's word is con­ sidered sufficient evidence to incriminate a driver, who must prove he or she was not guilty. The automobile groups say this practice has 'nothing to do with promoting safe driving' and 'everything to do with making it easier for traffic author­ ities to claw back money'.

In 2013, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has seen its income from traffic fines plummet by 30 per cent as a result of fewer drivers on the road. This is directly related to the economic crisis, say Devuelta and the AEA, because fewer people now commute to work as fewer people have jobs, and some have had to give up owning a car or cut down their travelling for pleasure in order to save money.

of the New Year sales are at around 60% off the usual retail price, with further bargains like­ ly to be available with up to 80% off in some cases nearer the end of the sales period.

Consumer organisations have warned shoppers to avoid impulse buys, as they can end up spending far more than they would the rest of the year because they are seduced by

safety restrictions in many Ana Botella said the kings centres were tighter this would only be able to give year after a six­year­old children sweets if the Malaga boy was run over streets they were passing last year by a Christmas through were equipped with carriage while collecting appropriate security fenc­ sweets. In Madrid, Mayor ing. bargains They warned that price should be clearly dis­ items on sale should be those played next to the sale price, by which were previously retailed law. at full price, and in the same Last year, Spain's government excellent condition. Lower allowed all retailers free rein to prices must not mean lower decide when to hold sales quality and, although refunds throughout the year, rather than and credit notes may be restricting them to set periods restricted for items bought in after Christmas and in summer, the sales, other purchasing in an attempt to boost business terms should not change – if a on the high street. It also per­ shop normally accepts credit mitted shops in tourist areas to card payments, for example, it open whenever they wanted like cannot insist upon cash only in in Torrevieja and the Orihuela the sales. The original retail Costa.

Friday, January 10, 2014

29

SPANISH NEWS

CRISTINA IN COURT AS POLL SAYS KING SHOULD QUIT A judge has summoned the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos to appear in court over accusations of fraud and money­ laundering. The Infanta Cristina, 48, has been linked to the business affairs of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who is being investigated for alleged embezzlement. The Princess is now a formal suspect and should appear in court on 8 March. It is believed to be the first time a direct relative of The King will appear in court accused of wrongdoing.

Last year, properties belonging to her hus­

band were impounded after allegations that Mr Urdangarin, The Duke of Palma, misused millions of euros in public funds given to a charitable foundation he ran. The Duke denied wrongdoing and was not charged with any crime.

One of the properties impounded is a large luxury house on the outskirts of Barcelona belonging to The Duke and Princess Cristina. News that the princess is now a formal suspect comes amid a decline in popularity for The King whose image was dented by a luxury elephant­ hunting trip he made to Africa in 2012. Last Monday, he presided over a military parade on crutches at Madrid's royal palace, having recently undergone hip replacement surgery.

Wearing a brown military uniform, a thin­looking King, who turned 76 on Sunday, stammered several times dur­ ing a ten­minute speech at the Royal Palace following the parade in which he thanked Spain's armed forces

for their "commitment and hard work".

The monarch walked slowly and appeared tired as he greeted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and several cabinet ministers at the start of the ceremony, which was also attended by his son and heir Felipe. The ceremony was short­ ened for the second straight year because of The King's difficulty in walking following several hip oper­ ations. During his most recent procedure in November, surgeons replaced his left hip, his ninth operation since May 2010.

An opinion poll published by the El Mundo newspaper last week­ end showed that nearly two­thirds of Spaniards thought Juan Carlos should abdicate. 62% of respon­ dents thought The King should step down, compared with 44.7% a year ago. His popularity rating fell to a record low, with 41.3% saying they had a good or very good opinion of The King, down from more than 76% two years ago.

Younger Spaniards, who were not alive dur­

ing the Franco years, were overwhelmingly in favour of abdication, the poll showed.

Prince Felipe, 45, held on to a positive rating of 66%, and most of those polled said the monarchy could recover its prestige if he took the throne.

Spain has started 2014 with a green flavour about the way it gets its electrici­ ty. Greenhouse gas emis­ sions have dropped by 23.1% as power genera­ tion from wind farms and hydroelectric plants has soared. The Red Eléctrica de España (REE) says that for the first time ever, wind power has con­ tributed the most to what we get coming through our electric plugs. It now sup­ plies 21.1% of electricity demand in Spain, narrowly beating nuclear reactors, which provided 21% of power.

An increase in wind and solar power capacity meant that by the end of 2013, renewables represented 49.1% of total installed power capacity on the Iberian Peninsula. Last year, Portugal successfully

generated over 70% of its power from renewables during the first quarter of 2013, led by a big rise in wind and hydro power output. The latest figures are likely to be seized upon by renewable energy firms as further evidence that the sector can provide a high proportion of power to the economy without risk of blackouts.

HOWLING RETURN Spain gets it’s wind up The wolf is back in Spain, after being close to extinc­ tion.

There are now thought to be more than 250 breeding groups and more than 2,000 individu­ als in mountainous regions throughout the country. However, all is not roses, as an increase in wolf numbers has brought with it an increase in the number of attacks on animals. In 2005, there were 1,500 reported attacks on farm animals by wolves, but this num­ ber jumped to over 2,000 in 2008, and was even higher last year. In the 19th century the European wolf was almost driven to extinction as hunters made a living from the

bounties paid by villagers.

But conservationists are surprised at how fast wolves have returned dur­

ing recent years, populat­ ing areas where they were last seen more than 100 years ago.

30

Friday, January 10, 2014

UK HEADLINES

GOOD CATCH England cricketers Matt Prior and Stuart Broad stopped an English man from committing suicide by pre­ venting him from jumping from a Sydney bridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Wicketkeeper Prior was returning from a charity night out when he spotted the dis­ traught man on the Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour.

Prior, along with England security officer Terry Minish, pulled the man to safety and looked after him until police arrived on the scene.

The Sussex star and his team­mate Broad were on their way back from a Barmy Army event on Tuesday night when Prior saw that the young man had removed his shoes and thrown his phone, wallet and passport into the water below.

After starting a conversation with him, Prior and Minish were forced into action when the man looked as though he was about to jump to his death.

Broad and Prior then talked with the man, who told them he was from Cheltenham, for almost an hour in a bid to calm him down while they waited for the police to arrive.

Prior said: 'We just did what anybody would do in that situation.

'We were trying to help a bloke who was struggling and in a bad way. I look back and I’m just glad we left the bar when we did and we were there for him.'

Minish added: 'Walking back to the hotel we spotted a young man on the edge of the bridge about to jump.

'He was saying he just wanted to drown.

Matt helped to pull him down off the edge of the bridge and sat with him until the police arrived.

'It all happened very quickly and we acted on impulse. It is what you do in these situa­ tions.'

The incident occurred after Prior and Broad had helped raise £8,000 for the Broad Appeal, in aid of Motor Neurone Disease, along with team­mates Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Gary Ballance.

Prior has now returned to England but Broad is still Down Under in preparation for three Twenty20 matches against Australia.

UFO terror over Europe

A UFO sighting grounded planes and can­ celled flights for three hours as terrified air­ port bosses tried to check out the mystery craft.

Air traffic controllers ordered the “lock­ down” after their scanners picked up the bizarre object in the sky.

Staff were so bemused by the lights and shape of the UFO that they immediately put an emergency plan into action.

They cancelled and diverted all flights that were due to use the same area.

Officials said the mystery craft dominated radars at Bremen airport in Germany for three hours on Monday.

A police spokesman said: “We still don’t know what it was… but it was there.”

Officers scrambled helicopters and

scoured the airspace. But although con­ trollers kept track of the craft with binoculars, no­one could get near it.

One passenger jet from Paris was forced to remain airborne because of the alert before being cleared to land.

German Air Traffic control spokesman Axel Raab said: “My colleagues discovered the unknown object.

“It moved and was lit up. Because the offi­ cials could not assign it, and it had no busi­ ness being there, my colleagues informed the police.

“The object was monitored for three hours... and then it was gone.

“UFO means unidentified flying object, so while we do not believe in aliens, yes, it is an unidentified flying object.”

Qatar 2022 World Cup to be held in Winter

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has confirmed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will not be held in June or July.

"The dates of the World Cup will not be in June or July. I think it will be played between November 15 and January 15 the latest," Valcke told France Inter Radio.

"If you play between 15 November and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25

degrees," he added.

"That would be perfect for playing foot­ ball."

Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament in 2010, but the extreme summer heat in the Arab state has been a major talking point, with player and fan safety questioned.

FA chairman Greg Dyke said last year that he believed the tournament would be moved to the winter, despite FIFA boss Sepp Blatter claiming it could not be held in January or February.

Andrew Davidson was trav­ elling to Aberdeen to Glasgow by train when he got amorous with a drinks trolley ­ and his actions have now seen him sentenced to community serv­ ice.

Train passengers watched in shock as Davidson humped the trolley while shouting: "I want to kiss you, I want to f***you."

The 25­year­old had earlier placed his hands on a female passenger and attempted to kiss a crew member who became so dis­ tressed that she ran off the train when it reached the next stop.

He was also seen falling onto his face while rubbing his chest and sticking his tongue out, yelling about what he wanted to do to his boyfriend.

The incident in July last year saw

Davidson arrested, and he later admitted to causing fear and alarm and behaving in a threatening or abusing man­ ner.

Davidson’s solicitor, Grant Bruce, said: "He has no recol­ lection of what happened on the train at all but accepts he behaved in this manner.

"He was completely intoxicated by alcohol and a legal high. He has now curtailed his social life to a great degree because of this incident.

"It is something that has never happened before and is unlikely to ever happen again."

He was placed on community payback and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work but was taken off the sex offenders’ register due to the sexual element of the case not being deemed to be significant.

Trolley dolly

Friday, January 10, 2014

UK HEADLINES

31

BLACK HAWK DOWN

Four people died Tuesday night when an American military helicopter crashed at a coastal nature reserve.

The HH­60G Pave Hawk was on a training mission when it was downed on flooded marshland shortly before 8pm.

Locals were immediately told to clear the area, with coastguards warning of "live ammunition" at the crash site.

There was no low cloud and only a light breeze when the chopper came down.

It is not yet clear whether the tragedy was caused by pilot error, a malfunction or bird strike.

Photographer Brian Egan, who lives just one mile away, said: "It's been a very fine evening with clear skies and low winds so I don't think the weather was a factor.

"The marshes were heavily flooded during the storms so that may affect the rescue.

"Shortly before the crash I saw two helicopters flying really low along the coast.

"It's a bit of a bugbear with locals that the military often use the area for training exercises."

The helicopter crashed near Cley­next­the­Sea, Norfolk, and is believed to have hit the ground on a shingle bank.

The area is a renowned beauty spot, famed for its windswept beach and desolate salt marshes.

The chopper was stationed at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, 50 miles south of the crash site.

Although the base is owned by the RAF, it has been used by the United States Air Force for over 50 years.

A spokesman for the USAF 48th Fighter Wing, which is currently in residence, said: "We can confirm that one of our HH­60G Pave Hawk helicopters was involved in an incident during a training mission."

Pave Hawks, which are modified versions of the more famous Black Hawk, carry two pilots, a flight engineer and a gunner. It is believed everyone on board died.

Cley artist Rachel Lockwood added: "We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines so went to have a look.

"Someone said it was a helicopter down, and a coast­ guard told us to clear the area, saying something about ammunition.

"If it is down on the marsh it might be difficult to find because of the flooding after the sea surge."

Cley Marshes are owned and managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the area is popular with birdwatchers and walkers.

In the past helicopters have crashed as a result of rotor blades coming into contact with flying birds.

It is not yet known if 'bird strike' have played a part in this tragedy.

Richard Kelham, chairman of Cley Parish Council, added: "It looks as though the military helicopter has come down in the middle of the bird reserve.

"The incident is very sad and there is a 400m cordon sur­ rounding the area."

Norfolk Police have closed the coastal road and officers were at the scene throughout the night.

A spokeswoman said: "There are believed to be four fatal­ ities."

Aviation expert Paul Beaver told Sky News: “These are people who train day and night to insert and extract special

Don’t kiss your granny

A sex education chief has been criticised over warnings that forcing children to kiss relatives could be harmful and suggesting that encouraging a youngster to high­five or wave instead could help them avoid future sexual exploitation.

Lucy Emmerson, coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said that children needed to learn "from age zero" about the impor­ tance of consent and that "their bodies are their own".

She advised parents to stop trying to per­ suade their offspring to kiss a granny or an elderly aunt as it could blur the boundaries of what is acceptable when it comes to phys­ ical contact.

However, her controversial comments, in an online sex education resource for teach­ ers, were attacked by family campaigners.

Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, told the Daily Mail: "Even if the distinction is lost on the Sex Education Forum, children and young people are able to recognise that there is all the difference in the world between self­consciously – and perhaps on occasion reluctantly – kissing an uncle or aunt on the cheek on the one hand, and accepting unwanted sexual advances on the other."

Miss Emmerson made her comments in the Sex Education Forum’s termly e­maga­ zine while discussing the National Survey of

forces and SEAL teams. “This is a very complex hel­ icopter with lots of good equipment on board and perfectly capable of flying in almost any weather con­ ditions.

“I would imagine the crews that are flying these Pave Hawk helicopters from bases in Suffolk ­ Lakenheath, Mildenhall, will be operating on a basis of flying probably 15 hours of night flying every month to keep in practice.

“The Americans will be asking these crews in the event of a war to penetrate enemy air defences, to go low and extract or to insert people in very difficult conditions so they have to keep practised.

“The way the Americans operate this ­ as every other force in NATO ­ doing this sort of training the weapons on board will be full of ammunition.”

The 48th Air Wing of the US Air Force based at RAF Lakenheath tweeted: "We can confirm that one of our HH­ 60G Pave Hawk helicopters was involved in an incident dur­ ing a training mission outside Cley­Next­The­Sea." Pave Hawks are used for combat search and rescue, mainly to recover downed aircrew or other isolated person­ nel in theatres of war.

The 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing, is assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).

In addition to HH­60G Pave Hawks, it is home to squadrons of F­15 Eagle tactical fighter planes and F­15E Strike Eagle dual­role fighters.

The helicopter was initially thought to have plunged into the sea, prompting the RNLI to dispatch three lifeboats.

A spokesman said: "We were asked for three lifeboats to respond to reports that an aircraft had possibly ditched in the sea.

"Lifeboats Wells, Sheringham and Cromer were launched at the request of the coastguard but were stood down when it was confirmed that the aircraft had come down over land."

Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.

She wrote: "I believe learning about con­ sent starts from age zero.

"Much is learnt by young children from everyday experiences about whether or not their opinion is valued and if they have any control over physical contact with others.’

She cited a recent blog by author Kasey

Edwards, Stop Asking My Daughter To Give You A Kiss, which says parents instinctively comply with social rituals such as a child being told to kiss a relative, friend or even a stranger.

"Intervening may be awkward ... but it is necessary if we are truly to teach children that their bodies are their own and that their instincts should be followed," Miss Emmerson said.

"Suggesting alternatives to the child such as a high­five, a hug, blowing a kiss or a wave put the child in control.

"If we can’t manage to create a culture of consent for everyday physical contact, it will be surely be a tall order for sexual situa­ tions."

Margaret Morrissey, of family campaign group Parents Outloud, described the rec­ ommendation as "ridiculous".

32

Friday, January 10, 2014

Horoscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 You might be feeling especially adventurous today, Aries. The same old streets and build­ ings in the same old town might suddenly seem to be closing in on you. Therefore, you might just grab a close friend or significant other, hop in the car, and take off for the mountains or the ocean. You probably need a break. You've been working very hard and probably could benefit from some time in open country. Go for it!

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 An intense dream or vision could result in a spiritual breakthrough of some kind, Taurus, and you might spend much of the day in a bit of a daze, trying to make sense of it. You might see if you can find a few books on the subject, because all signs suggest that reading could bring a lot of useful information your way today.

You might also want to write down an account of your experience.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 You're apt to be in a very joyous mood today, Gemini, and it's going to show on your face. This isn't going to go unnoticed by the people you meet. You could make some new friends, and, if you aren't cur­ rently romantically involved, you might actually meet an interesting potential love partner. This person is apt to be very polite and polished, not to mention smart! Be cordial, be nice, and enjoy your day.

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 Today you might host a gathering of people interested in psychic or metaphysical matters, Cancer. A very special guest could give a talk or lead a discussion group. This could be fas­ cinating for everyone present. You'll gain a reputation as a wonderful host, even though all you really do is pass out cookies and pour the coffee. You, above all, should have a great time and enjoy talking with your friends. Have fun!

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 Writing may be one of your main focuses for today, Leo. You have a lot of information to impart to anyone who might be interested in what you have to say. You could try your hand at a magazine article or perhaps fic­ tion or poetry. However, even if all you write at this time is a letter to your cousin, what you say will undoubtedly be bright, gripping, and certainly very interesting. Go to it!

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 Professional interests continue to expand, Virgo, and you're managing to keep very busy. Your income is rising, and you could be achieving a certain prominence in your field. Nonetheless, you could be looking for new opportuni­ ties. The field you're in now may not be one that you want to continue for the next 20 years. This is therefore a good day to put out a few feelers and test the waters.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 Travel in the company of a close com­ panion might be looming over the hori­ zon, Libra. In fact, you might be leaving pretty soon, and you're probably growing excited. Some surprising developments could come up during the course of this journey, and thus it's likely to shape up to be more than a simple vacation. Make sure you look your best, don't hold back on what you want to do, and have fun.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 An unexpected lucky break could come your way today, Scorpio ­ something you would never have expected in a hundred years. It could seem like a dream come true, yet it could disrupt your life in some way. You might find yourself facing a choice: go for it and change your entire way of life or let it go and take the risk that another great opportunity might never appear. Who said life was easy?

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 If you aren't currently romantically involved, Sagittarius, today you could meet someone who shows a lot of promise.

Work might be involved in some way, and it's also possible that this person has been living in your neighborhood for a long time.

A friend could introduce you to each other.

You'll probably spend at least an hour talk­ ing, and will probably make arrangements to meet again.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 Some kind of unexpected shakeup could take place today, Capricorn, and you could find yourself suddenly being offered more money or responsibilities.

This might be just the break you've been waiting for, but it could take you so much by surprise that you might ask for time to think about it. Don't think for too long, however, because they might give the break to someone else!

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 Today you might attend at least one festive social occasion, Aquarius, and therefore you may meet some very interesting peo­ ple in unusual professions, such as film or TV. Expect to hear some bizarre stories, some of them true, others that are clearly exaggerated. Out of all this friendly banter and tale telling, however, you could acquire some useful information. Make a note of it so you'll be able to remember it later.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 Your level of health and physical well­being is likely to be very high, Pisces, and thus you're probably glowing. As a result, you might find that those around you pay more attention to what you're saying than they usually do. You'll also find that your mind is especially sharp, and you're apt to be excep­ tionally quick on the uptake. Therefore, you might absorb a lot more from what you hear than you normally do. Make a note of it!

33

Friday, January 10, 2014

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: Uffe wanted to know whether there was a better ADVICE: Pete was having difficulties with the sound on his way to send very large emails PC

Hello Richard, I experience problems when I want to send fairly large files and/or videos (20­40+ MB). It is suggested ­ by the computer ­ that, due to the size of file, I should consider to use something called FileLink!

I have tried ­ not very hard though ­ to download FileLink, and so far in vain.

Anyway, I got to think of ZIP, which might be an alternative?

What would you suggest ­ and could you please give me a clue how to install the program you suggest. AND NOT LEAST: How do I inform the recipients how to open a FileLink'ed or ZIP'ed file? (Quite often I receive a message from "Postmaster" that the mails could not be delivered due to various reasons ­ f.inst. due to an overloaded in­box).

I would appreciate it if you could look into it when convenient (no rush) and thank you in advance for your consideration.

I take the opportunity to wish you and Liesl a very happy New Year. Kind regards Uffe

Q

A

Hi Uffe, why not try using www.dropbox.com, you can get a free copy of it here… https://db.tt/ZSvplToo …once you upload the files you want to share with people you can use the DropBox website to allow other people to view either individual files or a whole folder, DropBox will then send them links to the files and you don’t have to try to email large email attachments to people.

Hope this helps.

ADVICE: Roger wanted to know how to ensure that his Microsoft Works files were opened automatically by the correct program.

Q

Richard, sorry to trouble you. I have lost all the sound on my computer. Is this something I can do or is it an experts job. If it needs a new sound card, I have not got a clue. Regards Pete

A

Hi Pete, not sure what to suggest, you haven’t really given me much to go on? The one thing I think is unlikely is that you will need to have a new sound card fitted.

Have you tried checking the following…

• Are the speakers turned on and plugged in to the correct port?

• Is the sound muted?

• Are the correct drivers loaded for the sound card (you might need someone like me to check that for you) Is the volume turned all the way down?

Hope that helps.

Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @bluemoonspain Alternately 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.

Hello Richard, I have installed Microsoft Works on my new laptop and it works OK it picks up and opens "Works spreadsheet" no problem, but does not show up in "Set default programs" or when I try to " Associate a file type with a program" ?

Have you any bright ideas that I can try as I can­ not find any way to associate .wps files to works.

Thank you for any advice you can offer. Regards Roger.

Q

Hi Roger, in Windows 7 you can set file associa­ tions by going to…

Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Associations …from here you should be able to associate .wps file extensions with Microsoft Works.

A

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

Office: 902 906 200

34

Friday, January 10, 2014

Google in Android tie-up with car manufacturers

Google is teaming up with car manufac­ turers including Audi, Honda and Hyundai to integrate its Android operating system into their dashboards.

It would allow the apps and music on Android smartphones and tablets to work better with onboard car systems.

Rival Apple has already signed similar deals with BMW, GM and Honda.

In a blogpost, Google announced that,

along with GM and Nvidia, it would form the Open Automotive Alliance to "speed up innovation" in the car industry.

"Millions of people already bring Android phones and tablets into their cars, but it's not yet a driving­optimised experience," said Patrick Brady, director of Android engi­ neering.

"Wouldn't it be great if you could bring your favourite apps and music with you and

The car was fast becoming the next bat­ tleground for technology firms, said Ovum analyst Jeremy Green.

"From car makers to the makers of car components, from the big software names to the telecoms players, everyone is piling into this market," he said.

"People spend a lot of time in their cars and Google wants people to use its servic­ es wherever they are. Searching is some­ thing you do a lot of in the car," he added.

Google already has its eyes set on driv­ ers. As well as developing a self­drive car, it has also added a traffic layer to Google

Maps, sourced from other Android users, to inform users about traffic jams and other road issues.

Last summer the search giant acquired crowd­sourced traffic app Waze.

Connected cars is likely to be a big theme at this week's CES tech show in Las Vegas.

"A lot of the focus is on entertainment, how to get Spotify and other services into your car," said Mr Green.

But he added that other apps were also beginning to launch ­ such as systems that sent diagnostic information directly to garages to allow mechanics to prepare for car services.

"There are also systems that allow users to remotely lock or unlock vehicles or even turn on the air conditioning before you get in the car," he said.

THE first pictures of the final production version of Yamaha’s new R25 have appeared in a Japanese magazine.

The new 250cc sports bike has previous­ ly been seen only as a concept, with no lights, indicators or mirrors and a race exhaust, at the Tokyo Motor Show in November.

The new pictures show the version which will go on sale, according to Young Magazine, which is carrying them on its front cover.

The pictures show the R25 with twin headlights, an upswept black exhaust and a different screen and fairing to the concept version.

The paint scheme is also new, featuring Yamaha’s traditional ‘speed blocks’ in white on red.

Yamaha has confirmed the new model will be sold in Europe as well as emerging markets.

It will go up against Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 and Honda’s new CBR300R, with a 249cc fuel­injected parallel­twin engine expected to make over 25hp and 16lbft of torque.

The frame is tubular steel, as opposed to

the R125’s Deltabox design, which should help keep the R25 competitively priced.

use them safely with your car's built­in con­ trols and in­dash display?" he added.

It is expected that Audi and Google will show off some of the systems at the CES show in Las Vegas this week.

In-car entertainment

First glimpse of production ready YZF - R25

NEW 45 POINTS RECORD FOR DRIVER

A MAN has beaten the previous record by accumu­ lating 45 penalty points on his driving licence.

The man from Liverpool is still on the road after accu­ mulating the points for failing to disclose the identity of the driver and exceeding the speed limit between October 2012 and June 2013.

The previous record was 42 points earned by a woman from Isleworth, West London, for failing to tell police who was driving at the

time of an alleged offence.

Normally, 12 points within three years leads to a ban under ‘totting up’ rules, although magistrates can exercise discretion if it would cause exceptional hardship.

The figures were released by the DVLA following a freedom of information request by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

The second highest cur­ rent scorer is a man from Warrington, Cheshire, with

36 points for driving without insurance six times in under two weeks, between February 20 and March 2 2012.

Others in the top 20 include a man from Westcliff­on­Sea, Essex, who received 30 points for being caught speeding six times in two weeks. A woman from Hull earned 31 points by speeding eight times in two months.

Only three of the top 20 are women.

Friday, January 10, 2014

35

36

Friday, January 10, 2014

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, 5 represents B and 19 represents N, 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 Throw off (4) 3 Facing (8) 9 Inspect (7) 10 Fertile spot in a desert (5) 11 Verses (5) 12 Objective (6) 14 Pressure (6) 16 Forgive (6) 19 Lowly (6) 21 Sum (5) 24 Test (5) 25 Abuses (7) 26 Delight (8) 27 Second­hand (4)

1 Most inexpensive (8) 2 Frighten (5) 4 Attractive (6) 5 Smell (5) 6 Alternatively (7) 7 Effortlessness (4) 8 Osculates (6) 13 Surrounded (8) 15 Procedure (7) 17 Creative person (6) 18 High­ranking (6) 20 Invoices (5) 22 Stories (5) 23 Halt (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Trapped, 5 Idle, 7 Inn, 9 Scare, 10 Vague, 11 Tie, 12 Items, 13 Seats, 14 Knot, 15 Gifts, 18 Steam, 20 True, 21 Drama, 22 Storm, 24 Bus, 25 Equal, 26 Clown, 27 Eye, 28 Beds, 29 Desires.

Down: 1 Testing, 2 Aware, 3 Press, 4 Distinguished, 5 Invests, 6 Luggage, 8 Legs, 16 Feature, 17 Stables, 19 Moments, 21 Deed, 22 Sacks, 23 Odour.

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 Girl in the French vessel (4) 4 Criticise pub credit (5) 9 Oddly, is my in­tray the duplicate? (7) 10 A section of people care naturally for the stadium (5) 11 Noisily speculated about invitee (5) 12 Brew tea leaves, but not as boost (7) 13 Being more reckless, I might get grilled (6) 15 Citric mixture for an enemy (6) 19 Stir it in quartz (7) 21 Furtively surveys legal proceedings (5) 23 Discharges part of the ecosystem itself (5) 24 Resulting from a fairer travel cost (7) 25 Episode starts with some children entering new establishment (5) 26 Recognises Bishops’ jurisdictions (4)

Down 2 Accept Romeo leaves a bride (5) 3 Commence the French alarm (7) 4 Imagine leftist and sud­ denly become very angry (3,3) 5 Sailor consumed sink (5) 6 The gate Len made is very posh (7) 7 Force liner about, caus­ ing delay (6) 8 Grow weak when con­ fused with the inability to hear (4) 14 Ghosts’ drinks (7) 16 Charts disks (7) 17 Somehow chews a nut (6) 18 Watch out for second­ rate merchandise (6) 19 Adam’s son turns up in double­bass recital (4) 20 By the sound of it, I’ll row (5) 22 Arab leader heard frothy milk drink (5)

STANDARD CLUES Down 2 Endure (5) Across 3 Catch unaware (7) 1 Young girl (4) 4 Become angry (3,3) 4 Blackboard material (5) 5 Become less intense (5) 9 Copy (7) 6 Graceful (7) 10 Sports building (5) 7 Hang around (6) 11 Visitor (5) 8 Decline (4) 12 Lift up (7) 14 Strong liquor (7) 13 Bacon slice (6) 16 Takes down (7) 15 Faultfinder (6) 17 Type of nut (6) 19 Stir up (7) 18 Watch out! (6) 21 Instances (5) 19 Famous murder victim 23 Discharges (5) (4) 24 Flying fee (7) 20 Gangway (5) 25 Landscape (5) 22 Quiver (5) 26 Perceives (4) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Scale, 4 Paste, 8 Rearguard, 9 Doe, 10 Obey, 11 Extreme, 12/18D Air base, 13 Fall, 15 Nose, 16 Sag, 18 Besiege, 19 Ache, 22 She, 23 Eradicate, 24 Scope, 25 Sheet.

Down: 1 Sermon, 2 Agate, 3 Edge, 4 Player, 5 Sedating, 6 Endless, 7 Mere, 12 Alter ego, 14 Answers, 16 Sewage, 17 Detest, 20 Cease, 21 Kiss.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

2 letter words As Be Hi Up 3 letter words Add Ado Ago And Ate Boa Car Dab Eat Got Ion Its Net

One Ore Pig Pre­ Pry Red Rep Sap Sea Sir Six Sty Sum Tea Ted Tod Try 4 letter words Ages Area

Bars Bods Cans Cask Cast Coot Cosh Damp Data Disc East Gnat Ides Iota Lisp Lure Mass Monk Noel Rasp Salt

Sang Sans Sear Sexy Sold Sole Sore Sort Stir Suds Veal 5 letter words Arena Decor Doubt Handy Inane Miner Overt Pants

Pedal Sauce Spree Strep 6 letter words Absurd Assets Caress Caring Harass Monday 7 letter words Cartoon Seaside 8 letter words Entering Subpoena

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

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

Across 1 Mushrooms (flat­ topped) (5) 4 Streets (6) 9 Reign (7) 10 Ira (de persona) (5) 11 Lavar (4) 12 Edition (of book) (7) 13 Sol (3) 14 Merluza (4) 16 Loyal (friend, subject, employee, wife) (4) 18 One (3) 20 Listeners (radio) (7) 21 Sueldo (semanal) (4) 24 Sombra (zona sin sol) (5) 25 To choose (7) 26 Luck (6) 27 Lanza (5)

Down 1 Tornillos (6) 2 Colas (de animales, aviónes, cometas) (5) 3 Cicatriz (4) 5 Yellow (colour) (8) 6 Tear (teardrop) (7) 7 Primavera (estación) (6) 8 Young (person, animal, wine, country) (5) 13 Cinturón de seguridad (8) 15 Promedio (7) 17 Moses basket (6) 18 You (polite or formal address) (5) 19 To close (6) 22 Discutir (5) 23 Helados (4)

37

Friday, January 10, 2014 Across 1 On which racecourse in Berkshire are both the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run? (5) 4 Comprising 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, what name was given to the British citizen army organised in 1940 to defend the UK against invasion? (4,5) 9 What was the nickname of the American gambler and gunfighter of the Old West, John Henry Holliday? (3) 10 What type of insect would normally live in a formi­ cary? (3) 11 What name is often applied to a person who someone who is not connect­ ed with the Christian religion or any of the large established religions? (7) 12 In gambling casinos, what name is given to the case from which playing cards are dealt one at a time? (4) 13 Pyongyang is the capital of which East Asian country?

(5,5) 15 What was the surname of the Norwegian dramatist whose works includes The Master Builder (1892), Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll's House (1879) and Ghosts (1881)?

(5)

16 What unflattering name is sometimes applied to a large stomach and rolls of fat around the waist? (5,4) 17 What game, played on a court with light long­handled rackets used to volley a shut­ tlecock over a net, is named after the country seat of the Duke of Beaufort? (9) 21 What surname connects Aston Villa chairman Doug, former Blue Peter presenter Janet and Love Affair lead singer Steve? (5) 23 Which branch of medi­ cine concerns childbirth, mid­ wifery and the care of the mother? (10) 24 What is the collective noun for a group of toads? (4) 27 Which adjective means ‘of, pertaining to, or character­ istic of the lion’? (7) 28 What name is given to a female sheep? (3) 29 According to legend, fol­ lowing the suicide of her lover, Mark Antony, Cleopatra fol­ lowed suit, by killing herself by means of the bite of which venomous snake? (3) 30 Which savoury dishes are made of eggs beaten and fried in a pan, with or without cheese, herbs, ham or other additions? (9) 31 The monthly magazine, launched in 1992 by Richard

SUDOKU (Hard)

Quiz Word

Ingrams, which features gen­ eral­interest articles, humour and cartoons, is called The (What)? (5)

Down 1 Aconcagua is the highest peak in which major mountain system running the length of the Pacific coast of South America? (5)

2 According to Greek Mythology, what was the name of the race of savage giants with a single eye in the middle of their forehead? (7) 3 What was the surname of the actor who starred as Inspector Morse on television from 1987 to 2000? (4) 4 Do Anything You Wanna Do, in 1977, was the only UK hit single by the pub­rock band Eddie and the (What)?

(3,4) 5 What epithet granted in India and Tibet to people thought to have great knowl­ edge and love of humanity, is derived from the Sanskrit for ‘great spirit’? (7) 6 Which which position in Association Football would you principally associate Iker Casillas, Lev Yashin and Petr Cech? (10) 7 What name is given to a small receptacle for tobacco residue and cigarette ends?

(7) 8 What is the name of the garment that consists of trousers with a bib held up by straps over the shoulders, made of calico, denim, or a similar material and worn as casual or working clothes? (9) 14 What name is often applied to someone who hates and would persecute

Jews? (4­6) 15 What name for ‘an intri­ cate and confusing interper­ sonal or political situation’, comes from the Italian for ‘confuse’? (9) 18 Which verb means 'to get rid of by throwing away or giving or selling to someone else'? (7) 19 Which word meaning 'unbearable physical pain' or 'extreme distress of body or mind' is derived from the Latin for 'something operated by twisting'? (7) 20 What is the name of the positively charged dense cen­ tre of an atom? (7) 22 Which cord worn around the neck to hold a knife or whistle shares its name with a line used for extending or fas­ tening rigging on ships? (7) 25 The name of which con­ ical tent made of skins, cloth or canvas on a frame of poles, used by American Indians of the Plains and Great Lakes regions, is taken from the Sioux word for ‘dwelling’? (5) 26 Which popular line of construction toys began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932? Its name means ‘play well’ in Danish? (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH LIMPIEZA A FONDO SPRING CLEANING

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

(Answers below)

barrer blanquear la ropa fregar el suelo lavar la ropa lavar las cortinas limpiar las ventanas ordenar los cajones music QUIZ

planchar

1. Which British Blues Rock Trio released The Albums 'Undead' & 'Stonedhenge'?

2. There Is Just One Colour Of The Rainbow Never To Feature As Yet (16/09/08) In The Title Of A UK Top 40 Song What's The Colour 3. What was the original name of the group 'Chicago'?

4. Who was Glad All Over in their No1 hit from 1963?

5. What Was The First UK No.1 In Which The Entire Title Actually Posed A Question?

6. On the Single ' Do They Know It's Christmas ' Only One Person Performed On Both The Original And The 20 Year Remake Band 7. Who Sang The Theme To The Bond Movie For Your Eyes Only?

8. Which 1961 Movie Directed By Brian Forbes & Starring Hayley Mills & Alan Bates, Provided The Inspiration For Andrew Lloy 9. Who Released An Album In The Guise Of A Fictitious Singer Entitled 'In The Life Of Chris Gaines' In 1999?

10. R.O.C.K In The USA' Was A Hit For Which American Rocker?

quitar el polvo

ANSEWRS: 1. Ten Years After 2. Indigo 3. Chicago Transit Authority 4. Dave Clark Five 5. How Much Is That Doggy In The Window 6. Bono / U2 7. Sheena Easton 8. Whistle Down The Wind 9. Garth Brooks 10. John Cougar Mellencamp

Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Crisps, 5 Reckless, 9 Mixtures, 10 Ravine, 11 Leprechaun, 12 Shaw, 13 Red Cross, 16 Rookie, 17 Scarab, 19 Black box, 21 Wise, 22 Royal flush, 25 Famine, 26 Ointment, 27 Marmoset, 28 Africa.

Down: 2 Rhine, 3 Sitar, 4 Sirocco, 5 Rascals, 6 Coroner, 7 Livestock, 8 San Marino, 14 Enchilada, 15 Carpe diem, 18 Burgess, 19 Boycott, 20 Atlanta, 23 Lemur, 24 Sonic.

sacudir los tapetes tender la ropa Empareja estas palabras ­ Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

12.tender la ropa.

1. Barrer, 2.blanquear la ropa,

i.clean the floor, j.polish the silver,

3.fregar el suelo, 4.lavar la ropa, 5.lavar las cortinas,

a.shake the rugs,

k.clean the windows,

6.limpiar las ventanas,

b.wash the clothes,

l.to tidy the draws.

7.ordenar los cajones,

c.hang out the clothes,

8.planchar, 9.quitar el polvo,

d.wash the curtains,

10.sacar brillo a la plata,

e.bleach the clothes, f.sweep,

11.sacudir los tapetes,

g.to iron, h.to dust,

Soduko

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

Answers: 1f, 2e, 3i, 4b, 5d, 6k, 7l, 8g, 9h, 10j, 11a, 12c.

Last Week’s Solutions

sacar brillo a la plata

Fill It In

38

Friday, January 10, 2014

TRELI ON THE TELLY with ALEX TRELINSKI Reviving a well­loved UK comedy show is risky, if not downright foolish. You risk trashing memories of a great show by creating a dud, and sadly British TV history is littered with dis­ astrous revivals, which were so bad, that most have been largely forgot­ ten.

For example, in 1996, some 18 years after the final episode, The Liver Birds returned for a simply awful series, with my abiding mem­

BIRDS CREATE BBC FLUTTER

ory being a very bloated Mollie Sugden! She'd also been part of the shocking Are You Being Served revival, Grace and Favour, earlier in the decade, which mercifully the BBC are too embar­ rassed to repeat, along with the last Liver Birds stories.

Also gathering dust on a BBC shelf in another poor 1996 effort, is The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, where most of the original cast were left to deal with the strange con­

ditions of Reggie’s will. But if that wasn’t enough, Martin Clunes took the lead in a pointless reworking on BBC2 in 2009. Other BBC duds included trying their hand at the Richard Gordon "Doctor" books, by bringing over the ITV cast for Doctor at the Top in 1991(simply dreadful), and destroying the memory of the agony aunt character, Jane Lucas as played by Maureen Lipman (also an ITV original), in 1995, some 14 years after

the commercial network stopped screening the show.

I’m still quivering after the Beeb brought back a poor Xmas edition of To the Manor Born in 2007(some 25 years on after the show finished), and just over a fortnight ago, there was a wretched up­ date of Open All Hours which conned a mass audience on Boxing Day. All the magic of that pro­ gramme had been sucked away by the original writer, Roy Clarke, and he, along with the BBC bosses must have forgotten that the whole point of the show was the chemistry between Ronnie Barker and David Jason.

Take that away and you had nothing in this retarded retread, short of a good Arkwright impression by Jason and an enjoyable cameo from Stephanie Cole as The Black Widow. What is

so depressing is that David Jason is seriously consider­ ing a revival of Only Fools and Horses penned by the late John Sullivan’s son, in addition to already going ahead with a special sketch for Sports Relief.

In fact, until last week, there has only been one major comedy revival that hit the jackpot in the last 40 years, and that was the return of The Likely Lads back in the early seventies, along with more recent and highly watchable Ab Fab, Vicar of Dibley, and Royle Family specials. But now, I can hail the return of Birds of a Feather on ITV, and it was as if the leading ladies had not been away for some 15 years. It was an entertaining half­hour with the original writers and producers linking up with Linda Robson,

Pauline Quirke, and Lesley Joseph, who all clearly know exactly how to get the best out of each other. Ironically, the BBC were offered a return for Birds, but they just wanted two Xmas shows, so ITV snapped it up for a series, and got themselves an instant hit, and avoided tampering with it. It’s a tough old business being a TV executive and deciding what to go for and what to reject, but I can still hear this latest BBC clanger reverberating over here. The BBC Birds rejection came from the same clown who commis­ sioned rubbish like Jason Byrne’s Father Figure and Ben Elton’s The Wright Way in 2013, and he should have his head examined as a mat­ ter of urgency.

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

This Week Skiing Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Wanted Down Under Homes Under the Hammer Rip Off Britain: Holidays Real Lives Reunited Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Father Brown Perfection Escape to the Country Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News BBC London News The One Show Celebrity Mastermind EastEnders Miranda Silent Witness BBC News National Lottery Update The Graham Norton Show

00:20 Darts: BDO World Championships 01:10 Darts Extra 03:10 Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet

04:10 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Science Britannica 06:00 Schools ­ Cracking the Code 00:35 Weight Loss Ward 01:30 Jackpot247 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 04:00 Tonight 08:00 Rip Off Britain: Holidays 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 08:45 Real Lives Reunited 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 09:15 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:00 The Sacred Wonders of 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show Britain 11:30 This Morning 11:00 Question Time 13:30 Loose Women 12:00 BBC News 14:30 ITV News and Weather 12:30 BBC World News 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 13:00 Daily Politics 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 14:00 Live Darts: BDO World 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather Championships 17:00 Britain's Best Bakery 17:15 The Great British Winter 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 18:15 Flog It! 19:30 ITV News and Weather 19:00 Eggheads 20:00 Emmerdale 19:30 Great British Railway 20:30 Coronation Street Journeys 21:00 The Martin Lewis Money 20:00 Great British Garden Revival Show 21:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Mastermind 22:00 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 21:30 Kangaroo Dundee 23:00 ITV News at Ten and 22:00 Italy Unpacked Weather 23:00 QI 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 The Americans 23:30 Newsnight

JAMIE AND JIMMY'S FRIDAY NIGHT FEAST New series. Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty pres­ ent dishes for the weekend from their cafe on Southend Pier, joined by celebrity guests in the kitchen. The duo also tour Britain to promote some of the nation's best regional foods, from Lancashire's Tosset cake to Colchester pudding.

00:05 24 Hours in A&E 01:00 One Born Every Minute 02:00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 02:55 The Fat Fighters 03:50 Food Unwrapped 04:45 Deal or No Deal 05:40 Countdown 06:25 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 06:50 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:50 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:25 Frasier 12:00 Building the Dream 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 23:00 David Blaine: Real or Magic

January 10

00:00 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 True CSI 04:55 House Doctor 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 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 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Big Body Squad 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Jungle Babies: Tarsier Tails 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 The Mentalist 16:15 Defending Our Kids: the Julie Posey Story 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Jungle Babies: Tarsier Tails 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 Robson's Extreme Fishing Challenge 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:30 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

39

The Courier Saturday TV

January 11

00:55 Darts Extra 02:55 Question Time

00:25 EastEnders

03:55 The Culture Show

02:45 Weatherview

04:25 This Is BBC Two

02:50 BBC News

07:30 The Informer

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 The Good Cook 13:00 Football Focus

08:55 I Married a Witch 10:10 Life on Earth 11:05 Life on Earth 12:00 Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain

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

12:30 Great British Railway Journeys 13:00 The A to Z of TV Cooking 13:45 The A to Z of TV Gardening

14:15 Live Athletics 15:45 Live Darts: BDO World Championships

13:50 Summer Magic 15:35 The Go­Between 17:30 Live Darts: BDO World

17:30 Final Score 18:15 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:30 Dynamo: Magician Impossible

Championships 19:00 Flog It! 20:00 Nature's Weirdest Events 21:00 Dad's Army 21:30 Morecambe & Wise in Pieces

19:15 Reflex

22:30 QI XL

20:00 The Voice UK 21:30 The National Lottery: Who

23:15 Burke & Hare

23:10 BBC News; Weather 23:30 Match of the Day

00:00 Weather 00:05 Darts: BDO World

00:25 Saw 02:10 Coming Up 02:40 The Big C 03:35 Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23 04:20 How Not to Get Old 05:15 Deal or No Deal 06:10 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:25 Countdown 07:10 The American Football Show 08:00 Trans World Sport 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 How I Met Your Mother 11:00 How I Met Your Mother 11:30 The Big Bang Theory 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:25 The Simpsons 12:55 The Simpsons 13:30 The Taste 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:05 Channel 4 News 17:35 Come Dine with Me 20:15 Crocodile Dundee 22:00 Hostages 23:00 Wanted

THE VOICE UK

Dares Wins 22:20 Casualty

00:35 Benidorm 01:25 Jackpot247 04:00 The Majestic 06:30 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Pat & Stan 07:30 Dino Dan 07:50 Canimals 08:15 Sooty 08:40 Almost Naked Animals 09:05 Horrid Henry 09:30 Victorious 10:00 Deadtime Stories 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Dinner Date 11:30 Murder, She Wrote 12:25 Countrywise 12:45 ITV News and Weather 12:54 ITV Meridian Weather 12:55 Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo 14:55 The Chase 15:55 Boyzone at 20: No Matter What 16:55 Show Me the Telly 17:55 ITV Meridian Weather 18:05 ITV News and Weather 18:20 Ice Age: the Meltdown 20:00 Splash!

21:30 Take Me Out 22:45 The Jonathan Ross Show 23:45 ITV News and Weather 23:59 ITV Meridian Weather

The return of the singing contest in which the emphasis is on vocals rather than looks. Pop princess Kylie Minogue and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson are the new coaches, alongside old hands Tom Jones and Will.i.am, while Big Brother's Emma Willis and JLS's Marvin Humes take over as hosts, who in the early rounds are on hand to con­ sole and congratulate the hopefuls backstage.

Championships

00:30 Celebrity Big Brother 01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 True CSI 04:55 Motorsport Mundial 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:35 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Milkshake! Monkey 08:05 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Power Rangers: Megaforce 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Access 12:05 Celebrity Big Brother 13:30 World's Busiest 14:30 Police Interceptors 15:30 Columbo: How to Dial a Murder 17:05 Diagnosis Murder 19:05 Mr & Mrs Murder 20:00 CSI: NY 20:45 NCIS 22:40 5 News Weekend 22:45 Celebrity Big Brother 23:45 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Psych

The Courier Sunday TV

January 12

00:55 The Football League Show

00:40 Darts: BDO World

02:10 Weatherview

Championships

02:15 BBC News

01:30 They Shoot Horses, Don't

07:00 Breakfast

They?

08:35 Match of the Day

03:25 This Is BBC Two

10:00 The Andrew Marr Show

07:40 A Woman's Secret

11:00 The Big Questions

09:05 Monty Don's French Gardens

12:00 Sunday Politics

10:05 Countryfile

13:15 MOTD2 Extra

11:00 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

14:00 BBC News

12:30 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds

14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 14:00 Live Snooker: The Masters 14:15 Moving On

18:00 Ski Sunday

15:00 Bargain Hunt

18:45 Live Darts: BDO World

15:45 Real Lives Reunited

Championships

16:15 Escape to the Country

21:00 This World

17:00 Songs of Praise

22:00 Operation Grand Canyon with

17:35 Dolphins ­ Spy in the Pod

Dan Snow

18:35 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 19:00 Countryfile 20:00 Celebrity Mastermind 20:30 Antiques Roadshow 21:30 Sherlock 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 Match of the Day 2

23:00 Let Me In

00:00 02:20 04:00 04:45 07:00 07:30 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:00 10:25 10:30 11:30 12:30 12:34 12:35 13:35 14:35 15:20 16:50 17:50 18:50 19:00 19:15 20:45 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:14 23:15 23:45

Miami Vice Jackpot247 Ladette to Lady: Australia ITV Nightscreen Pat & Stan Dino Dan Canimals Sooty Almost Naked Animals Horrid Henry Victorious Deadtime Stories ITV News Dickinson's Real Deal Murder, She Wrote ITV News and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Inside the National Trust The Crocodile Hunter Diaries Catchphrase Splash!

All Star Mr & Mrs The Chase ITV Meridian Weather ITV News and Weather Dancing on Ice All Star Family Fortunes Dancing on Ice: The Skate Off It'll Be Alright on the Night ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Birds of a Feather Piers Morgan's Life Stories

MY SUPER EX GIRLFRIEND Comedy fantasy starring Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman. When architect Matt Saunders fell in love with gallery curator Jenny Johnson he was unaware of her alter ego G­Girl. Now, as the neurot­ ic Jenny becomes increasingly possessive, Matt discovers that it's almost impossible to dump a woman with special powers.

01:00 House of Flying Daggers 03:10 Hollyoaks 05:20 Deal or No Deal 06:15 Countdown 06:55 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Will & Grace 08:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 09:55 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 How I Met Your Mother 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 The Big Bang Theory 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:25 The Simpsons 16:00 The Simpsons 16:30 27 Dresses 18:40 Deal or No Deal 19:35 Channel 4 News 20:00 Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 21:00 Speed with Guy Martin 22:00 Fast Five

01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 True CSI 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 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 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 Mio Mao 08:30 Make Way for Noddy 08:40 City of Friends 08:50 Milkshake! Monkey 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 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 11:10 Power Rangers: Super Samurai 11:45 Slugterra 12:05 Access 12:10 Celebrity Big Brother 13:10 World's Worst Holiday Horrors 14:15 Holes 16:30 Space Jam 18:10 5 News Weekend 18:15 Loch Ness 20:05 My Super Ex­Girlfriend 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 The Switch

40

The Courier Monday TV

January 13

00:25 The Revolution Will Be Televised 00:55 Cemetery Junction 02:25 Weatherview 02:30 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 12:45 Real Lives Reunited 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Father Brown 16:00 Perfection 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Antiques Road Trip 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Inside Out 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Fake Britain 22:00 I Want My Baby Back 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Have I Got Old News for You

00:50 Snooker: The Masters 01:40 Snooker Extra

03:40 Countryfile 04:35 Holby City 05:35 This Is BBC Two 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Rip Off Britain: Holidays 08:50 Real Lives Reunited 09:20 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 10:05 Britain and the Sea 11:05 Britain's Empty Homes 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: The Masters 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 The Great Sport Relief Bake Off 22:30 The Sacred Wonders of Britain 23:30 Newsnight

00:45 River Monsters 01:10 The Store 03:15 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:00 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 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Britain's Best Bakery 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 The Bletchley Circle 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 300

00:35 End of Days 02:40 Southland 03:25 Coming Up 03:50 How Not to Get Old 04:45 Secret Eaters 05:40 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:35 Deal or No Deal 07:30 Countdown 08:15 Will & Grace 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Secret Millionaire Australia 12:00 Building the Dream 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Dogs: Their Secret Lives 22:00 Benefits Street 23:00 Dave: Loan Ranger

GO HARD OR GO HOME New series. Solo sailor and adventurer Hannah White challenges members of the public to partici­ pate in some of the world's most extreme endurance races with only 12 weeks' training. In the first edi­ tion, she prepares doctors Matthew Degnan, John Logan, Rabia Osman and Andy O'Brien to compete in the Bonebreaker ­ a 127­mile bicycle race running through the high peaks of the Pyrenees and cross­ ing the Franco­Spanish border twice.

00:55 Hens Behaving Badly 01:55 SuperCasino 04:05 My Secret Past 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 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 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 Milkshake! Show Songs 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Love Begins 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's 21:00 Go Hard or Go Home 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Baby Faced Brides

The Courier Tuesday TV

January 14

00:20 USA 01:05 01:50 01:55 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:45 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

Who Do You Think You Are? The Graham Norton Show Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Wanted Down Under Homes Under the Hammer The Sheriffs Are Coming Real Lives Reunited Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Father Brown Perfection Escape to the Country Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City Death in Paradise BBC News National Lottery Update Motorway Cops

00:20 01:10 03:10 04:10

Snooker: The Masters Snooker Extra Idris Elba ­ King of Speed This Is BBC Two

04:55 D­Day: The Last Heroes 05:30 Strange Days: Cold War Britain 06:00 History Hunt 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 The Sheriffs Are Coming 08:50 Real Lives Reunited 09:20 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 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 Live Snooker: The Masters 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 The Great Sport Relief Bake Off 22:00 Wild Brazil 23:00 House of Fools 23:30 Newsnight

01:40 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:45 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 Meridian Weather 15:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Britain's Best Bakery 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 River Monsters 21:00 Weight Loss Ward 22:00 Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 Sports Life Stories

PAUL O'GRADY'S ANIMAL ORPHANS New series. The comedian travels across South Africa and Zambia helping to hand­rear orphaned animals, from hippos to rhinos, lions to elephants, and prepare them to be released back into the wild. As the trip begins he drops into a penguin sanctuary, where he bonds with one named Stevie whose life hangs in the balance, and visits an ele­ phant nursery, where he helps to bottle­feed and wash a six­month­old calf called Nkala.

00:00 The American Football Show 01:05 Random Acts 01:10 Speed with Guy Martin 02:05 Hostages 03:00 World Without End 04:30 Secret Eaters 05:25 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:20 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:30 Deal or No Deal 07:25 Countdown 08:10 Will & Grace 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Secret Millionaire Australia 12:00 Building the Dream 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Location, Location, Location 22:00 The Taste 23:00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 23:55 The Undateables

00:00 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 My Secret Past 02:00 SuperCasino 04:05 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of 04:55 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 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 Milkshake! Show Songs 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 World's Worst Holiday Horrors 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Ann Rule's Too Late to Say Goodbye 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Highland Emergency 20:30 Highland Emergency 21:00 Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of

41

The Courier Wednesday TV

January 15

04:10 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools ­ Coping 00:35 Disturbia

00:35 01:05 06:00 Schools ­ Same but Different 04:00 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 04:45 08:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 06:05 08:45 Real Lives Reunited 07:00 09:15 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 09:30 10:25 10:00 Great Continental Railway 11:30 Journeys 13:30 11:00 Kangaroo Dundee 14:30 11:30 See Hear 14:55 12:00 BBC News 15:00 12:30 Daily Politics 16:00 16:59 14:00 Live Snooker: The Masters 17:00 19:00 Eggheads 18:00 19:30 Great British Railway 19:00 Journeys 19:30 20:00 Nature's Weirdest Events 20:00 21:00 The Great Sport Relief Bake 20:30 21:00 Off 23:00 22:00 Wild Brazil 23:30 23:00 Mock the Week 23:35 23:30 Newsnight 05:30 Schools ­ Just a Few Drinks

02:15 Weatherview 02:20 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 12:45 Real Lives Reunited 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Father Brown 16:00 Perfection 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Antiques Road Trip 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Waterloo Road 22:30 Live at the Apollo 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 A Question of Sport

00:20 Snooker: The Masters 01:10 Snooker Extra

The Crocodile Hunter Diaries Jackpot247 Loose Women ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Daybreak Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News and Weather ITV News Meridian All Star Mr & Mrs Dickinson's Real Deal ITV Meridian Weather Britain's Best Bakery The Chase ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Midsomer Murders ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV Meridian Weather The Jonathan Ross Show

00:55 01:00 01:55 02:25 03:20 04:15 05:10 06:05 07:00 07:25 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:05 15:10 16:10 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Random Acts Poker KOTV Boxing Weekly Trans World Sport Beach Volleyball Secret Eaters Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Deal or No Deal Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard Countdown Will & Grace Will & Grace Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier The Secret Millionaire Australia Building the Dream Channel 4 News Summary Come Dine with Me A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Countdown Deal or No Deal Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Restoration Man 24 Hours in A&E Finding Mum and Dad

FINDING MUM AND DAD

Connor and Daniel have been in care for more than a year waiting to be adopted, but as brothers aged six and four, they are hard to place. This Cutting Edge documentary goes behind the scenes of a new scheme designed to give chil­ dren such as these a last chance at finding new parents.

03:10 The Midwives

00:00 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 Botched Up Bodies 02:00 SuperCasino 04:05 Hens Behaving Badly 04:55 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 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 Milkshake! Show Songs 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:05 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Robson's Extreme Fishing Challenge 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Flower Girl 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Extraordinary People 21:00 Big Body Squad 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:30 Hens Behaving Badly

The Courier Thursday TV

January 16

05:00 Schools ­ Pantocracy 06:00 Schools ­ True Stories 00:05 Tropic Thunder 01:45 Weatherview 01:50 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 12:45 Real Lives Reunited 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Father Brown 16:00 Perfection 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Antiques Road Trip 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Hidden Kingdoms 22:00 Silent Witness 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Question Time

00:20 Snooker: The Masters 01:10 Snooker Extra 03:10 See Hear 03:40 This Is BBC Two

00:40 The Cube 01:35 Jackpot247 04:00 The Affair of the Necklace 08:05 The Sheriffs Are Coming 06:00 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 08:50 Real Lives Reunited 07:00 Daybreak 09:20 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 09:30 Lorraine 10:05 Tudor Monastery Farm 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 11:05 Kangaroo Dundee 13:30 Loose Women 11:35 HARDtalk 14:30 ITV News and Weather 12:00 BBC News 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 12:30 BBC World News 15:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 13:00 Daily Politics 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 14:00 Live Snooker: The Masters 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Britain's Best Bakery 19:00 Eggheads 18:00 The Chase 19:30 Great British Railway 19:00 ITV News Meridian Journeys 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Live Snooker: The Masters 20:00 Emmerdale 21:00 The Great Sport Relief Bake 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale Off 21:30 Birds of a Feather 22:00 Wild Brazil 22:00 Benidorm 23:00 ITV News at Ten and 23:00 Charlie Brooker's Weekly Weather Wipe 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:30 Weather 23:35 Weight Loss Ward 07:00 This Is BBC Two

07:05 Homes Under the Hammer

THE UNDATEABLES

John's Asperger's syndrome means he struggles to understand how relationships work and makes him prone to anxiety. But if meeting the women from the dating agency causes him to panic, how will he cope on an actual date? Ruth is a jazz singer from north London and her Tourette's syn­ drome can make get­togethers tricky.

00:05 Benefits Street 01:05 Random Acts 01:10 Launched at Red Bull Studios 01:35 What Happens in Sunny Beach 02:30 The Seeker 04:10 Southland 04:55 My Friend Michael Sniff 05:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 05:55 Deal or No Deal 06:50 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 07:00 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 07:25 Countdown 08:10 Will & Grace 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Secret Millionaire Australia 12:00 Building the Dream 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Supersize vs Superskinny 22:00 The Undateables 23:00 What Happens in Sunny Beach

00:30 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:20 Poker 02:15 SuperCasino 04:05 Botched Up Bodies 04:55 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 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 Milkshake! Show Songs 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 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Baby Faced Brides 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:20 Avenging Angel 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Winter Road Rescue 21:00 World's Worst Holiday Horrors 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:00 Botched Up Bodies

42

Friday, January 10, 2014

AUCTIONS

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.

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.

CHURCH SERVICES 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.

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 968575417 or 966848806.

Reg No:2009­SG/A 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.

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

BARBER

CATERING

PROPERTY FOR RENT 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 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

CARPENTER

CAR HIRE

ALARMS

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

Call us on 96 692 3963

PROPERTY FOR SALE 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

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 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 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

CLEANERS

43

Friday, January 10, 2014 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 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 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 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 &

CAR BREAKERS

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 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 er units, instant hot water,

DRAINAGE

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 Gran Alacant, Situated in the "Alto" part of Gran Alacant, this 3 bedroomed, 4th floor apartment, offers luxury accommodation, with absolutely stunning sea views, as well as views of Alicante bay and the famous Santa Barbara Castle.The apartment is 89 square meters with open plan kitchen / living room and includes all electrical appli­ ances & furniture also there is a utility room, open ter­ race, and private parking.

The urbanisation also offers many communal pools, ten­ nis courts, restaurants and bars. Ref. K20 €109,000 Tel 680333242

PETS

44

Friday, January 10, 2014

Gran Alacant villa located in a very quiet area , situated at the end of a cul­de­sac means there is no through traffic.3 bed, 3 bath, 330m2 plot, established large gar­ dens, working fireplace, solar panel for hot water,pri­ vate parking, south facing great views, fully furnished, fantastic opportunity. ref.

L85. €215,000 Tel 680333242 Beach front Line property, over looks Carabassi Beach, Gran Alacant. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Secure Underground Parking, Fully furnished, Roof Top Solarium. 3 Large Communal Pools, Fantastic communal Gardens, Tennis Courts and much more.

125.000 Euros Ref No. K23.

Tel. 627 711 155 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, Situated front line to the famous blue flag beaches of Carabassi, the real beauty of this property is its proximity to the beach, but also on offer is a fantas­ tic communal pool situated in beautifully kept gardens with little Spanish walk ways.Comprising of 2 bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge diner, American style kitchen including all appliances, roof

RAG AND BONE

POOLS

SURVEYOR

top solarium with stunning views, front porch area with front garden and a secure underground garage. fully furnished Ref. K23 €125,000 rare opportunity Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant limited edition villa, not very often available on the market. Only a few of this type were ever con­ structed­ Very large 5 bed­ rooms, 4 bathroom(2 en­ suit) property, situated on a large corner plot with a 10 x 5 private pool and private parking. Lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully equipped kitchen with utility room. Large landing area, leading onto solarium, with extra storage external room.

Front porch area leading into large well established gardens with irrigation sys­ tem and fruit trees. Being sold fully furnished. Within walking distance to Gran Alacant commercial centre and 5 minute drive to Carabassi beaches. ref.

K11. €270,000 Tel 680333242 Mid Terraced Townhouse on Avda Polognia, Gran Alacant Furnished to a very high standard and includes White Goods. 3 Bed, 2 Bath, Lounge Diner, Fully convert­ ed Under build offering a second lounge and large storage area. Roof top Solarium, Glazed in galleria with extended worktops.

Front Garden with BBQ, Communal Pool with Gardens. 132.000e Ref. K16 Tel. 627711155 Semi­Detached Villa with Open Greenland Views to the Rear and Alicante Views to the Front, means this property in Gran Alacant would appeal to anybody looking for a quiet location.

Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Lounge diner,

with working Fire place, Porch, Solarium, Established Gardens and Private Pool, Private Parking on a large plot.

265.000e Ref. L95 Tel. 680333242 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 large detached villa with 3 double bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge­diner, fully equipped kitchen, large porch, roof top solarium, 400 m2 Plot, with established low mainte­ nance very private gardens with irrigation system, elec­ tronic gates, private parking, outside wc, sink & shower, terraces, air con ( h & c ), mosquito nets, grills, alarmed, large spa pool with separate Jacuzzi section.

Within easy walking dis­ tance to Gran Alacant com­ mercial centre and close to local bus and tram route.

Ref K33. €260,000 neg Tel 680333242 Offers Invited on a mid Terraced Town house in Gran Alacant. Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner, Galleria, Solarium, Under build.

Communal Pool and Gardens, and with Exceptional Views of Alicante. Being Sold Fully

REMOVALS

PLUMBERS

Furnished including White Goods. Ref. K42 Tel. 627711155 (reasonable offers only) 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Unfurnished Mid Terraced Townhouse in GA. Recently decorated throughout means this property is a very clean black canvass.

Has Air­Con & Security Grills and the use of a Communal Pool. Price recently reduced to 110.000e Ref.K12 Tel. 627711155 Reduced for a quick sale to 95.000 e 2 Bedroom, 1 bath­ room, Top Floor Duplex in Gran Alacant. Very Modern Property with Many extras.

Glazed in Porch, Roof Top Solarium, Wooden Flooring.

Immaculate condition and ready to move in. Ref. K15 Tel. 627711155.

Gran Alacant, Situated on the very first urbanisation as you enter Gran Alacant, this 2nd floor duplex offers taste and quality. Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, lounge­diner, independent kitchen, full roof­top solari­ um with superb views and recently glazed in porch offering extra living area as well as extra privacy as the glass is mirrored. Ref.K44 €108,000 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,

WANTED

solarium,workshop and stor­ age in under build, central 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

Friday, January 10, 2014

Greenside Gossip

45

IVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - golfdavies@gmail.com

IT MIGHT HAPPEN, OR IT MIGHT NOT!

Predicting golf is as difficult as getting those winning lottery numbers, so in my look ahead to the next 12 months, I’ve decided to talk about a few things that just might happen in 2014, rather than putting my head on the old chopping block for a 100% prediction!

Tiger Woods wins the US Masters: ­ His drought at the majors and his run at the Jack Nicklaus major record might just end in a few months. The main question here is the same as it has been since 2005; can Tiger win on the new Augusta National? If his game is clicking, like it did at the Players Championship in 2013, it does­ n't matter what course he is playing, but if he brings his A­minus game (or below), it might be tough for him to win on a golf course that has continued to change over the years since Woods ran away with the green jacket in 1997.

Phil Mickelson wins the US Open: ­ This is the one that golf fans want the most. Phil winning at Pinehurst would be incredible, and it's the one major championship that continues to elude him.

The United States wins the Ryder Cup: ­ Hear me out on this one! Before the Presidents Cup kicked off, it was important for the International team to win because if the Americans won again the event was in danger of becoming obsolete. Of course, the United States added a fifth straight Cup to their trophy case, and if the Europeans snag another Ryder Cup in 2014 it would be a sixth Cup win for them in the last seven Ryder Cups. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not rooting for an American win, but put­ ting personal loyalties aside, wouldn’t it make the competi­ tion more competitive if the States took a win this time round?

Ryo Ishikawa wins on the PGA Tour: ­ There are few glob­ al stars more important to the game than 22­year­old Ryo Ishikawa. The Japanese star burst on the scene in 2008 when he became the youngest player ever to break into the top­100 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and while he was winning on the Japan Tour, he struggled to bring that play to the United States. That changed at the end of 2013, when Ishikawa finished T­2 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and followed it up with a T­5 at the World Cup of Golf in Australia. Ishikawa became one of those young stars with tons of expectations, and while some have lived up to the hype (Rory McIlroy is a great example, despite some problems in 2013), we've seen plenty of names like Ty Tryon and Michelle Wie who never quite became what we thought they would. If Ishikawa can win on the PGA Tour in 2014, it would be huge for the game of golf in Asia and would help justify why we all got so excited when he first started to play in America as a teenager.

Bubba Watson bounces back from a tough 2013:­ Before the Travelers Championship in 2010, Bubba Watson was a

guy known for his crazy golf swing and his long game. He had never won on the PGA Tour but he was considered one of the most talented guys around simply because he can do things to a golf ball that even the most talented professional golfers are impressed with. But at the Travelers he picked up his first PGA Tour win and followed it up with two victories in 2011. It all came together at the Masters in 2012. His playoff win, thanks to that wedge shot that most of us will never for­ get, shot Watson to the top of a lot of lists. The problem is that Watson has yet to win since putting on that green jacket, carding just three top­10s in 2013 and struggling at the majors. The hope is that it was just a hangover year for Bubba and he's ready to get back to winning with all that tal­ ent he has in that loopy golf swing. Look for Bubba to get a fifth win in 2014.

Rory McIlroy goes back to being Rory McIlroy: ­ We all have bad days, when we wake up grumpy and the coffee or the cereal or even the smile from your significant other can't really break your bad mood. In the case of Rory McIlroy, that was his entire 2013. He got frustrated on the golf course, hung his head when things were bad and struggled to get any momentum going after winning the PGA Championship by eight shots a season before. His recent engagement announcement means that Rory and Caroline Wozniacki are taking things to the next level, and that might just be the recipe for a great 2014 for the two­time major winner. Rory is never going to be Tiger Woods, but if he can win a major every couple of years, I think we will all be completely fine with that. If not a win at one of the big four events in 2014 we just hope he's in the mix come Sunday in a couple of them.

Jason Day wins twice on tour: ­ Among the most talented in the world. The problem is the 26­year­old Australian has just one PGA Tour win over his entire career, which is staggering when you consider how many major championships he's

KNOW YOUR RULES Question: If you’re putting from off the green and there is a sprinkler head in your line, do you get relief from the sprin­ kler?

A. No relief B. Yes, but with one penalty shot, one club length no near­ er the hole.

C. Yes, one club length no nearer the hole and no penalty.

Answer. A. No. The rule in question is Rule 24­2. Immovable Obstruction.

Your options are to go ahead and putt across the sprinkler head, or chip the ball over the obstruction and onto the green.

been involved in. Considering how much talent Day has, and how much fun it is to watch him when he's in the hunt, I think a win or two in 2014 would really be great for his career moving for­ ward, reminding him that he has the ability to not only win on this tour, but win loads.

Jordan Spieth and Lydia Ko avoid letdown seasons:­ I think these two are pretty compara­ ble, even if Ko just turned pro and Spieth already had a successful season as a professional, but both are heading into 2014 knowing that a let­ down season can't be in the cards (especially after Ko changed coaches). A good season for Ko would be a major win, while Spieth just needs to add another PGA Tour win to make '14 a suc­ cess. Both youngsters seem nice kids, and I think both get fans more interested in the game.

Ian Poulter wins a major: ­ Of all the guys with­ out majors, Poults seems like the most obvious candidate to actually grab one this season. He's got the complete game, seems happy in his life off the golf course, and has been there a few times already. Poulter winning a major would ele­ vate his brand to a new level, and he is one of the few guys on tour that has that big sports star potential that makes him more than just a golfer.

Sergio Garcia wins the Open at Royal Liverpool: ­ Oh come on, how much fun would that be?

FAMOUS GOLF-TENNIS LOVE MATCHES

Prompted by the announcement of Rory McIlroy’s engage­ ment to tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki, there’ve been a number of famous golf­tennis match up’s, which sadly have all ended in tears.

Greg Norman and Chris Evert: The two former world num­ ber 1 stars married in 2008 but divorced in 2010 after a 15­ month marriage.

Adam Scott and Ana Ivanovic: the glamorous couple dated on and off before calling it quits after both plummeted down the rankings.

Sergio Garcia and Martina Hingis: first appeared together publicly at the 2002 Australian Open tennis in Melbourne, but like Norman, the Spaniard found the rough and moved on.

TITTER ON THE TEE A golfer ran into an old pal at the driving range one day.

They talked about their games, their swings, and all manner of things.

Eventually, one of them said, "How's the family?" the other replied, "oh, pretty good. I got a new set of clubs for the wife the other day!"

"Hey, that’s a good swap!" replied the friend.

46

Friday, January 10, 2014

ELCHE OUTCLASSED

Elche slumped to their fourth successive loss in an expected defeat at lead­ ers Barcelona on Sunday, and that was with the home side missing Messi and Neymar, but who still had Alexis Sanchez up their sleeve to score a hat­trick.

The hosts also had the lux­ ury of missing a second­ half penalty from Xavi.

Even though he was still without Messi, Barca boss Gerardo Martino opted to rest Neymar from his start­ ing line­up but there was little chance of the move backfiring as the reigning champions struck twice inside the opening 16 min­ utes.

Alexis notched the first after seven minutes when he side­footed a Jordi Alba cross into the roof of the net and Pedro doubled the lead when he latched on to a superb through­ball from Cesc Fabregas, rounded Elche goalkeeper Antonio

Tono and rolled his shot into an empty net. Barca did survive a brief scare in between those two goals when Elche striker Richmond Boakye saw his left­footed shot crash back off the near post, but other­ wise the home side looked untroubled as they made it nine league wins from nine at home this season.

Pedro twice tried his luck without success as Barca sought a third goal, which really should have arrived two minutes into the sec­ ond half when they won penalty after Fabregas had been sent flying inside the area by the sliding Cristian Sapunaru. Xavi took the penalty but he side­footed his shot wide of the right­ hand post.

Barca need not have worried, though, as they did make it 3­0 in the 63rd minute when Fabregas and Pedro combined to set up Alexis for a straightforward

BARCELONA 4 ELCHE 0

tap­in from seven yards out. Alexis will not get many easier finishes than that this season, but he had to produce something a little more special for his

hat­trick goal.

A foul by Alberto Botia on the Chile international 25 yards out saw Barca awarded a free­kick, and Alexis stepped up to curl a

brilliant effort into the top corner of the net for his 11th league goal of the season. Neymar was final­ ly unleashed with 10 min­ utes to go, replacing

Pedro, but the points were already in the bag by then with Elche desperately needing a victory at home to Sevilla tomorrow night (Saturday).

RONALDO BRACE CALMS REAL

It was far from a dominant display by Real on Monday but they are now on a 13­game unbeaten run, and they remain 5 points off the leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Celta o had the first sight at goal as Real's defence were caught out by a ball over the top, which sent Charles free, but the Brazilian striker failed to beat Diego Lopez, who pushed the ball out for a corner.

Benzema and Angel Di Maria both saw their goal bound efforts blocked as Real looked to get on top, while the former shot wide having been freed by Ronaldo. But it was the visitors who finished the half strongly as first, Gustavo Cabral headed narrowly over from Alex Lopez corner from the right before Rafinha fired just wide via a narrow deflection off a Madrid defender.

Benzema thought he would finally have the chance to break the deadlock early in the sec­ ond half after going clear, but he was fraction­ ally offside. Di Maria then stung the palms of Celta Vigo goalkeeper Yoel, but Charles spurned another golden opportunity for the vis­ itors, once again latching on to a ball over the

top before rattling the side netting. It was a golden let­off for Real ­ and one they were keen not to waste as Benzema found the net in the 67th minute.

Celta Vigo failed to clear the danger from an innocuous cross before Jese's cutback allowed Benzema to stab home despite the presence of two defenders. The hosts grew in confidence thereafter and Ronaldo started to see more of the ball as Celta Vigo became more stretched as they searched in vain for an equaliser. The Portuguese forward fizzed a strike across the face of goal before nipping in at the back post to tap home from Daniel Carvajal's low cross from the right wing in the 82nd minute.

There was still time for Ronaldo to nab his 400th career goal following good work from substitute Gareth Bale in the third minute of added­on time. Welshman Bale, who came on for Di Maria in the 64th minute, burst into the box and his cutback on the right by­line saw Ronaldo nudge ahead of his marker to jab into the top corner from close range at the near post.

REAL MADRID 3 CELTA VIGO 0

MESSI STILL FIRING AWAY Is Angel “bad” or “off the wall”?

BARCELONA 4 GETAFE 0

Lionel Messi returned from a two­month absence with two goals as Barcelona eased towards the quarter­final of the Copa del Rey with a 4­0 win over Getafe on Wednesday.

Cesc Fabregas had already put Barca 2­ 0 up by the time Messi, who had been out since November with a torn hamstring, arrived from the bench shortly after the hour mark.

But the Argentina star added a late double of his own to ensure his side take an omi­ nous lead into the second leg.

Messi almost set up Pedro minutes after

joining the action but he soon found the back of the net himself, pouncing on a loose ball after Martin Montoya ran into trouble.

The returning star added his second three minutes later, in the third minute of stoppage time, when he raced onto Alex Song's through­ball.

Fabregas had opened the scoring with an eighth­minute header, before putting away the second from the spot in the 63rd minute after Valera brought down Pedro.

Barcelona will have far bigger fish to fry tomorrow evening as they travel to La Liga title rivals, Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid have launched an internal inquiry after winger Angel Di Maria was seen to grab his crotch fol­ lowing his substitution dur­ ing Monday’s La Liga win against Celta Vigo. Di Maria described his action as a “natural gesture” and apol­ ogised to anyone who may have found it offensive. "I made a normal gesture as I was leaving the field," the 25­year­old told the club’s official website.

"I didn't mean it to be aimed at the fans nor the coach as people are saying. It was a normal gesture that any man would do, especially when you are running." The incident happened after he was replaced by Gareth Bale. Di Maria said he was glad the club planned to investigate the gesture, arguing it was an opportunity for

him "to explain to them the situation and what happened".

47

Friday, January 10, 2014

STICK OR TWIST? HAMMERS BUCK TREND IN BACKING SAM

In direct contrast to most fellow­strugglers in the Dreaded Drop Department, the Davids ­ Gold and Sullivan – crisis concerned co­owners of West Ham, have jointly issued a letter of support to all the club’s die­hard fans, with a brave public New Year’s resolu­ tion to back­not­sack their manager.

On Wednesday night the Hammers were duly again thrashed 6 – 0 at The Etihad by a merci­ less Man City in the Capital One Cup, fol­ lowing last Sunday’s pathetic 5 ­ 0 white­ wash by Championship cheer­ fuls Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup, watched by millions on TV. Big Sam

Allardyce’s pre and post­ match interviews were excru­ ciatingly embarrassing to watch as he stumbled and mumbled his way through the, unconvincingly attempt­ ing to explain the club’s

pathetic plight.

The Hammers are bravely breaking the new DDD rules, where the only other belea­ guered boys not to panic and fire their manager are Norwich and their Chris Hughton.

Bottom club Sunderland now have Gus Poyet doing his dammedest post­Paolo di Canio to get the Black Cats purring again; Tony Pulis is energetically endeav­ ouring to encourage Eagles to fly again at Crystal Palace; Rene Meulensteen has taken over at Fulham from Martin Jol; and West Brom are still dithering managerially after dramatically dis­ missing Steve Clarke – o h ,

and of course, off­course at Cardiff, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is getting a Tan after the Malky Mackay fias­ co.

Sure, the Hammers have got key injuries, but who has­ n’t? Liverpool and Newcastle must both be laughing that they haven’t today got the Andy Carroll serial sicknote situation, but surely a Premiership club can’t be that short of hungry, reserve strikers just bursting to get their chance? It would appear so! Apparently there were only fourteen fit and available senior players to play Forest – excuse me?

Fourteen at a Premiership club? And as for Kevin Nolan – yes, Sam was big enough to say it publicly and rightly condemn his captain for pure unadulterated street yobbery on the field, a disgusting dis­ play for a vastly­experienced Premiership footballer whose team needed him badly to lead and set an example – and this is the second time in weeks it has happened:

appalling.

It was only soon after the beginning of last season that the Hammers were doing well, nearly in top six territory, that Sam had similarly enjoyed once with Bolton Wanderers (whatever hap­ pened to them?). You remember, big ugly forwards bearing down on you, aerial bombardments that shook up a few Premier defences ­ where’s all that gone, no blowing bubbles but blinking blanks these days, older fans no doubt recalling with tears those halcyon days of Moore, Hurst, Peters and Brooking (Trev’s still about, but more England­engaged these days, very wise...).

David Sullivan looked like a helpless Chairman Mao against City as the younger fans revolted, voicing their displeasure.

The only other manager who could sympathise with Sam over a pint is Norwich’s Chris Hughton, with the Canaries also fluttering nerv­ ously just above the DDD.

But at Carrow Road, the expectations are more mod­ est, and sure, relegation would hurt home fans con­ siderably, but Norwich have been there before, and delight in punching above their weight in the pressur­ ized Prem. With respect, East Anglia is not a hotbed of football like the East End of London, where Upton Park always used to be an intimi­ dating place for visitors with the crowd dangerously near the pitch to vehemently voice their venom on visitors – not their heroes.

Yes, agreed, it’s very cred­ itable that a Premiership club’s bosses publicly back their man, and appear to mean it, but of course the perennial football joke is that as soon as that happens it means their man really is doomed, the last word for the incumbent on death row. If Big Sam always eats a hearty full English breakfast, he may need a big Welsh one on Saturday – ironically in Cardiff.

TORRY MAKE IT TWO CD CASTELLON 1

FC TORREVIEJA 2

Back after the break

Local football gets going again after the holiday season, with San Fulgencio entertaining Monovar this Saturday afternoon with 4.30pm kick off, whilst this Sunday, CD Montesinos are at home to Racing San Miguel. In Rugby Union, the Murcian first division action picks up again this Sunday with the local derby

clash between the struggling Torrevieja Tigers and ITV Orihuela. The Tigers have been getting some useful tips ahead of this weekend’s match, with a visit from the Oxford University Rugby team. The students spent some time training at the Nelson Mandela complex in the gym, as well as out on the field.

Successive league wins have put FC Torrevieja back in contention for a play­off slot, with the side just 3 points off that zone, lying in 7th place in the table with 28 points.

Long balls and a lack of pattern from both teams made for a poor first half hour, where perhaps Castellon had the better of the ten­ tative early exchanges. But, Torrevieja struck in the 32nd minute, with an Alberto free kick hit into the penalty area for Rafa to head in the opener. Castellon though con­ tinued to press hard and levelled things up with virtually the last kick of the first half.

Despite Rafa and Alexis looking solid in the middle of the back four, Torry struggled to clear their lines and after a couple of blun­

dered efforts, Aaron found the back of the net to pacify an increasingly frustrated home crowd.

The second half saw most of the early pressure coming from Castellon, but then Torry manager Anselmo introduced Raul for his first taste of competitive football this sea­ son in a bid to turn the tide, replacing Micro just after the hour mark. But it was his 70th minute replacement of Alberto that delivered the goods, as Pastor came on. With 5 min­ utes to go, Pastor spearheaded a counter attack, set up by Manu, driving a low shot past the bewildered Salva in the home goal.

FC Torrevieja are away again this Sunday, travelling to La Nucia for a 5.00pm kick off.

Friday, January 10, 2014

48

THE O FACTOR – NO THEO!

DOUBLE-WHAMMY HITS ARSENAL AND ENGLAND

It’s bad news week for both Arsene Wenger and Roy Hodgson ­ despite Theo Walcott’s smilingly stretchered­off optimism on Sunday against Spurs, the reality is that the serious cruciate liga­ ment injury sustained on the young striker’s knee will keep him out for six critical months. He will be sorely missed by his club and country, just as the desperately unlucky Walcott was getting back to his scintillating best.

After lately seeing off Spurs in the FA Cup, the Gunners sit it out over the weekend nurs­ ing niggles and keenly watching those immediately below them ­ until Monday evening, when Arsene’s army travel to Birmingham to take on vacillating Villa, fresh from their narrow win over Sunderland. The Black Cats have a make­or­break six­pointer at Craven Cottage where Fulham bounced back from a West Ham lead to win, aided Noblessly and by skipper Kevin Nolan’s how­not­to­do­it example of captaincy, sent off for the second time in weeks. Now the beleaguered Hammers visit Tantalised Cardiff, where newbie Moldey Ole Do­as­Tan­tells­you manager is in situ­ ation serious.

Early doors Saturday in Humberside, Hull hope to humble Jose’s heroes – which hasn’t happened lately to Chelsea. Southampton were last to attend the Oscars, where he and fellow­Brazilian Willian seriously

John McGregor reports

savaged the Saints second­half at St Mary’s, again the scene this weekend where the Southerners hope to get back to winning ways against still­leaderless West Brom. Unexpectedly the Baggies beat Newcastle 1 – 0 last week, and not many are doing that these days. At St James Park on Super Sunday, Match of the Day has marauding Man City coming to town ­ if anyone can beat the Blues these days, it’s the unpredictable Magpies.

In the Red/Blue who’s­highest city of Liverpool, Everton look to have the better chances of improve­ ment at home to nervy Norwich, after only last­minute drawing at Goodison against a Stoke side who have proved capable of pulling off surprises under Mark not­ doing­badly Hughes. Now then: Super Suarez… some­ where round Merseyside must be the Road to Damascus. Apologies to St Paul, but a certain Uruguayan footballer has seemingly changed dramati­ cally and made a massive effort to rehabilitate himself behaviour­wise in the eyes of the football world, as he plays extraordinarily in the spotlight for one of the most famous football clubs in the world. The rehabili­ tation of Luis Suarez from serious sinner to sensation­ ally­striking saint has been breathtaking to watch, and the anti, arsey, aggressive one, to keep it Biblical, has been regularly turning the other cheek towards a suc­ cession of hostile clatterers ­ and unbelievably just walking away in true Christian style after being ham­ mered unmercifully, and regularly.

No­one seem to be actively claiming the credit as his 20 goals already have flown in, but there’s several pos­

sibilities. Could it be Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, who is already doing a great job at the club, bedding in new youngsters with the experienced pro­ fessionals to provide a team at last back up there chal­ lenging for the title? Or perhaps captain fantastic Stevie Gerrard, a self­confessed Suarez sympathetic who has had a quiet word? Perhaps Luis phoned pre­ viously­wayward Wayne Rooney, and went to the same anger­management classes ­ they certainly seem to be working in Mancunia. It would be great if it was just Luis himself, and the man deserves credit.

Rooney? What’s coming next at the once­invincible Theatre of Dreams? On Saturday evening currently­ wobbly Man United take on swashbuckling Swansea, who give anyone a good game these days. Ask nasty­ neighbours City, who eventually swamped the Swans but not before the Welsh ones had scored two in a Michu­missing strike force. Can Swansea stoke up the pressure on Prince David’s under­the­cosh pretenders, and inflict an unbelievable fifth home defeat at Old Trafford, where the coldly­authoritative figure of Sir Alex Ferguson continues to gaze gloomily down from the stands at what he sees – wonder what he thinks?

The Sheriff of Sherwood has steadied his Spurs, but were not quite good enough in the Cup to cause con­ sternation at The Emirates. Spurs should still be suffi­ ciently superior Saturday to see off Pulis’s Palace at White Hart Lane, but there is renewed spirit and hope at Selhurst Park where despair was the order of the day post­Holloway. Tony Pulis has never been relegat­ ed and clearly doesn’t intend to start now: game on.