The Courier Week 33

Edition 33

www.thecourier.es

Friday, October 7, 2011

BE WARNED! Attack on pensioners sparks mugging alert EXCLUSIVE by DONNA GEE AN elderly British couple were brutally mugged by two ‘’foreign looking’’ teenagers in Gran Alacant on Monday evening.

Beverley Ballesteros: ‘Don’t carry a handbag if you can avoid it’

And the daughter of victim Anita Falk promptly warned female residents and holidaymakers NOT to carry handbags if they can avoid it.

Mrs Falk and her partner Sam Edelman were left bruised and shocked by the 10pm attack in brightly lit Avenida Escandinavia – just yards from where they are staying.

Anita’s handbag was on her shoulder when the villains struck. ‘‘That was clearly the target,’’ said her daughter Beverley Ballesteros. ‘‘They tried to grab it from behind and she and Sam were both pulled to the ground in the melee. ‘‘They were lucky not to be more seriously

hurt – but the attack only happened because my mother had that bag over her shoulder.’’

Anita, from Manchester, had her passport, credit cards and 400 euros in the bag, which has not been recovered.

The Guardia Civil are investigating the attack on the couple, who are on a long-term visit to the area.

But Beverley, who lives in El Altet, warned: ‘’With the euro crisis, there is a lot more poverty in Spain. And poverty breeds crime. ‘‘People feel safe in Gran Alacant but these guys now know that there’s rich pickings to be had in the town. ‘‘After the haul they got from my mother, they’ll know there is easy money around so it’s important that people are vigilant. ‘‘I don’t want anyone else to suffer the way my mother did. The best way to deal with the threat is NOT to carry a handbag if you can avoid it – particularly at night.’’

‘’People feel safe in Gran Alacant but these guys now know there’s rich pickings to be had in the town’

TODAY’S INSIDE STORY WE realise our front page this week is rather depressing - but we promise there’s plenty of good news inside your Courier this week.

Well, maybe not plenty but there IS, as ever, loads to read, happy and sad, local and international.

Have a giggle with DAVE SILVER’s fun column on Page 10 and a belly laugh at HAROLD HEYS’ cooking advice on Page 20 for men who can’t tell an egg from a banana.

With the Rugby World Cup now at the knockout stage, England legend WADE DOOLEY, assesses the outcome of this weekend’s quarter-final games on Pages 47 and 48.

Oh, and don’t forget our unrivalled telly section on Pages 35-42.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Listen ear...you’re beginning to give me the hump TELEPHONE

96 692 1003 679 096 309 JUNGLE DRUMS E-MAIL office@thecourier.es WEB www.thecourier.es HEAD OFFICE Calle Luis Canovas Martinez 1. Urb Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja 03183, ALICANTE PHONE: 96 692 1003 Email: office@thecourier.es OPENING HOURS Mon - Fri 1030 to 1730 EDITOR Donna Gee ADVERTISING SALES 96 621 1003 office@thecourier.es TELESALES 96 621 10037 616 332 178 Sally Los Alcazares, San Javier 618 391 491 Myra Quesada, Rojales, Torrevieja, San Miguel Tel. 618 583 765 Denise La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig Tel. 616 332 178 Jean La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig Tel. 618 898 034 Writers Donna Gee Sally Bengtsson Rebecca Marks Alex Trelinski Dave Silver Harold Heys Steve Bott Tony Mayes Jake Monroe Mick Hardy

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Picture of the week

96 692 1003

BRIDE AND BROOM!

Sheila’s brush-off swept Les off his feet... and they’re still together 64 years later

IT WAS perhaps not the most romantic of beginnings for Diamond Wedding couple Sheila and Les Newman when Sheila, then aged 16, stuck a broom in Les’s hand By AMANDA BLACK and asked him to The long engagement sweep the floor.

But Les was swept away

by Sheila and only too eager to help clean up after the St John Ambulance dance.

He used the impromptu cleaning opportunity to ask Sheila to the pictures, and last Thursday, 64 years later, the couple celebrated their Diamond Wedding.

It took Les two years after meeting Sheila at the dance to get down on one knee and propose while on holiday with Sheila’s parents in Clacton, and it was another two years before the pair wed.

allowed them to save for their first house, a two-up, twodown that cost £1,200. And missing out on a honeymoon meant they could buy a three-piece suite.

The couple tied the knot at Ampthill, near Bedford, and Les once again showed his practical side, hiring a coach to ferry guests from church to reception and home again for the princely sum of £5.

While the couple’s love affair with each other has never waned, they began a second love affair 31 years ago – this time with Spain, when they bought a house in Torrevieja.

They now spend the summer in Kempston, UK, and the winter months in Torrevieja.

Sheila and Les celebrated their Diamond Wedding twice – once in the UK, where they have two children, David and Mary, and loads of grandchildren, and again at La Boca

Monday Sunny High Temperature: 26°C RealFeel: 26°C

Sheila and Les Newman today and, right, the brushing bride and broom on on their wedding day in 1961

of the water, the lifeguard got down on his hands and knees in homage.

With that level of determination, Sheila and Les plan to happily celebrate many more wedding anniversaries, yet.

Restaurant, Torrevieja, with all their friends in Spain.

And, the secret of their successful marriage – they agree it is “making sure it is a truly joint relationship and knowing when to give in”.

However, they don’t

always give in easily. Last Friday they both astounded onlookers and the lifeguard at their 30 foot communal pool when Sheila, 80, swam 20 lengths while 84-year-old Les ploughed on for 26.

When Les finally climbed out

National Day NEXT Wednesday, October 12, is Spain’s National Day (Our Lady of El Pilar).

Consequently, Guardamar Market will take place a day earlier, on Tuesday morning.

Today Partly cloudy High Temperature: 24°C RealFeel: 22°C

Saturday Sun and clouds High Temperature: 24°C RealFeel: 24°C

Sunday Sunny High Temperature: 24°C RealFeel: 25°C

Tuesday Sunny High Temperature: 28°C RealFeel: 27°C

Wednesday Sunny High Temperature: 27°C RealFeel: 26°C

Thursday Sunny High Temperature: 25°C RealFeel: 26°C

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Spain a healthy place? You must be choking!

SPAIN may seem like a healthy place to live down here on the coast, where the air from the sea feels fresh and clean.

But the country’s cities are becoming increasingly dirty, and experts now say air-pollu-

tion levels in most Spanish cities exceed international guidelines.

Many of the larger cities are covered in a brown cloud of smog, which only disappears for short periods when heavy

rain washes the pollution away.

According to research by Spanish environmentalist group Ecologists in Action, 37 per cent of Spaniards live in cities whose air-pollution levels exceed the European Union’s

limits. And if the more stringent United Nations’ recommended limits are applied, that figure rises to 87 per cent.

José María Baldasano, a professor in environmental engineering at the Polytechnic

University of Catalonia, says: “I’m not surprised at all. The urban areas of the Madrid and Barcelona regions alone are home to eight million people 17 per cent of the total popula-

Turn to Page 5

HALF-DAY CLOSING It’s morning surgery only at Torrevieja Hospital. Not enough patients, they say - but union bosses disagree

TORREVIEJA HOSPITAL has closed its operating theatres to surgeons in the afternoons and evenings.

In a move described by the General Workers’ Union (UGT) as cost-cutting, the hospital has been operating a policy of morning and early afternoon only surgery since the beginning of this month.

However, hospital officials claim the decision to close the theatres was not taken to save money; it is simply that there are not enough patients to keep the theatres open longer hours.

A hospital spokesperson explained that when the flagship hospital opened its doors in 2006, surgeons worked flat out to clear a backlog of patients that had built up in the area. All twelve operating theatres were used at full capacity as the Vega Baja

By AMANDA BLACK Hospital had a waiting list of hundreds of cases.

Now the lists have been reduced there is no need to keep operating theatres open after 3pm, according to the hospital.

The closures only apply to routine surgery and will not affect emergency procedures.

The spokesperson said that no patient has to wait more than 30 days for routine surgery at Torrevieja Hospital, which is “well below average in the Valencian region and nationally”. Even with the afternoon and evening closures, the hospital maintains it can keep waiting times at this low level.

The move will include a reorganisation of surgery in the mornings to make more efficient use of operating theatre time. This effi-

100 and out -it’s farewell to Edie TWO weeks ago we brought you the story of Edie Mingo, who had just celebrated turning 100.

Sadly, it was to be Edie’s last birthday as she died on Sunday.

She had been determined to make it to 100 and enjoyed a wonderful day surrounded by friends and

family from all over the world.

But, after reaching that landmark birthday, time caught up with Edie and her health took a turn for the worst.

She died peacefully in Residencia Rojales, the care home where she spent her final years, and her funeral was held on Wednesday.

ciency measure is designed to provide greater value for money without having any harmful effect on patients, according to the hospital.

UGT officials, however, argue that the measures are more to do with cost cutting than the hospital is prepared to admit. They

claim hospital management has suggested the measures are temporary and will be reassessed in January when the new annual budget is set. If it is not primarily about making savings this reassessment would not be on the table, unions claim.

Union bosses are also concerned about potential job losses. The hospital has said that all afternoon and evening theatre staff will be redeployed to other services and there will be no job cuts. However, UGT chiefs fear this will only apply to staff with permanent contracts and that the many staff on temporary contracts will be left vulnerable.

Since January 27, people have been laid off from the hospital. To date, cuts have affected mainly middle and senior management. The union is asking for more information about what is happening at the hospital.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Britain in the EU? Worst thing we’ve ever done HERE we go again - the European Union will not be satisfied until they have successfully bankrupted Britain.

Two examples of this have got my goat this week. The first is the news that to create a fund to help in future economic crises, there should be a levy on all banks' financial transactions.

All well and good, except where do you think the bulk of these transactions are made? Yes, in the City of London and so who would be paying the lion's share of this extra dosh?

Yes, Britain.

So what, you may say. It's about time the banks were clobbered for what they have done. Maybe, but the financial services industry is one of the few things we have left in the UK where we are making money, and that helps maintain the driving force in the economy and helps us from dipping into another recession.

You simply cannot kill the goose which is laying the golden egg. And it’s about time that politicians got that into their thick skulls.

The problem with a financial transactions tax levied just in the EU is that it would make the City of London uncompetitive with the rest of the world, and in the global market we have today, transactions would be made in the place where it was cheapest.

Germany and France in particular have long envied our City institutions and would love to get their hands on some of the deals made in the UK. We've got to stop them getting their grubby paws on it.

The second thing which got my goat was news that the E u r o p e a n Commission thinks it right that British taxpayers' money should be spent on foreigners who come to Britain as "benefit tourists".

We Brits have been furious that people can flood into the UK and claim all manner of benefits without having paid a penny to earn it. But the EU Commission says this discriminates against foreigners and is threatening legal action, saying the rule breaches EU law and is ordering the British government to bring its rules into line.

Good for Employment Minister Chris Grayling (pictured) when he says it is unacceptable that we should open our doors to benefit tourism. But the government fears that

British taxpayers will be forced into handing out more than £2bn to EU nationals, including benefit tourists who want to get their hands on our child benefit, child tax credit, state pension credit, jobseekers' allowance and unemployment support allowance.

In my view, signing up to be a member of the European Union was the worst thing Britain ever did. Big business and blinkered Tories were mesmerised by the thought that it could bring mega amounts of cash into Britain. It might have done at the outset, but look at it now. It's costing us billions.

The reality is that Britain could have done very nicely, thank you, by maintaining a healthy distance from the craziness of Europe - and it's so evident now with one financial mess after another coming out of euroland.

What a shame we haven't got a General Election for almost four years - it's my guess that right now we would have people in their millions switching to 'get out of Europe' parties such as UKIP and even the British National Party, whose policies, given the current state of Britain, don't seem so bad!

I'm always banging on about soppy judges and magistrates who are just plain soft and put the interests of criminals first and the general public second.

Sadly, British mental institutions are at it too. What would your answer be to a paranoid schizophrenic, aged 51, who decided that a neighbour was a witch who was controlling his mind and the only answer was to kill him.

So he stabbed his neighbour repeatedly and admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

In my book he would be locked up and the key thrown away. And yes, the judge ordered him to be detained indefinitely.

But then he passes into the hands of assessors within the NHS and is sent to a "Low Secure Unit". Sorry, what the hell does low secure mean? Either it's secure or it’s not.

The place where this mental case was sent was clearly not secure because he "failed to return".

He may be OK if he takes his medication, but what if he doesn't? We could easily have a yet another crazed killer on our hands.

I'm not advocating for one moment returning to the Victorian idea of locking people who stray one jot away from the norm (although I could think of quite a few who should be for the good of society!). But the idea that a potentially highly dangerous person who has killed already should be allowed free to roam is abhorrent and fraught with dangers.

Here's yet another case of crazy officialdom.

Another is the news this week of a spiralling number of babies and young children waiting for adoption - all in foster care while social services departments go through endless hoops and dot the Is and cross the Ts countless times before making a decision. Bureaucracy at its most stupid.

And on the subject of stupid bureaucracy, have you heard about the DVLA's (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority) latest antics? It concerns the SORN - the proce-

THE number of unsolved crimes in Spain is enormous, and unanswered questions never stop puzzling friends and relatives of victims.

There is a long list of such cases in Murcia. For example, the police have discovered no clues to a murder that took place 12 months ago in Murcia City, when businessman Jerónimo Roca was shot in the head in his home in Los Remolinos, a suburb of the city.

Another 20 unsolved crimes face police in the region.

These unsolved crimes lack witnesses and offer few credible motives for why they would be committed. This makes investigating them extremely difficult.

Another strange case is that of Luis Armero and Carmen Puertas, who opened a letter bomb in the quiet town of

Roldan in 1990. The explosion was so big it destroyed half their home.

Police at first believed the brutal attack may have been based on jealousy, but nothing has ever been proven. Later reports suggested hit men, but the case remains open.

In 1991 young Maria BM’s body was discovered one cold morning in December on the N301. She had died from a strong blow to the head, but the author of the crime was never located, and probably is still at large, maybe living with a guilty conscience and never forgetting what he or she has done.

Police officers know how frustrating it is for the family of the victim when crimes remain unsolved. However, the case is never closed and occasionally, The funeral of after a long wait, answers are Jerónimo Roca found and crimes solved.

dure you must go through if you want to keep a vehicle off the road and avoid paying road tax.

You have to fill in a SORN - a government form - and send it to the DVLA in Swansea. All very well, except that some get lost in the post, or around the vast DVLA offices, and if the DVLA say they haven't received it and haven't heard from you, they slap an £80 fixed penalty on you.

The DVLA say that if you haven't received an acknowledgment within a given time you must contact them. An outraged motorist went to court about the fixed penalty and the judge ruled the charge was illegal - nowhere else is it acceptable for a fixed penalty to be imposed with the excuse that the paperwork was lost.

Yet, despite the ruling, the DVLA is not changing its procedures. A pompous DVLA official interviewed on the TV last week simply said it was best for people to notify a SORN on line. Sorry, not everyone knows how to work a computer.

Bloody governments and pompous officials seem to think they can do and say exactly what they like and get away with it. Unfortunately we still let them. It's about time the tide turned.

Finally, on a light-hearted note, I heard that a male patient went to a local doctor's surgery for a lump in his groin. The nurse discovered the culprit was an animal tick. I wonder how it got there? Wales and sheep come to mind!

MURCIA’S UNSOLVED CRIMES NOT FORGOTTEN

Friday, October 7, 2011

FOXED BY A WORD

Bitch of a blow for women as judge reverses ‘zorra’ verdict

By AMANDA BLACK A HIGH COURT judge in Murcia has caused a furore with his decision to overturn a sentence of domestic violence by a man who called his wife a “bitch” and threatened to see her in a “pine box”.

And the reason for the sentence being overturned was that the judge did not believe the term ‘bitch’ was meant as an insult.

The defendant was originally sentenced to one year in prison for making the menacing threat. But this was quashed when Judge Juan del Olmo accepted the defence argument that the term ‘zorra’ in Spanish, which translates to ‘bitch’ in English, is not always insulting.

Just as ‘bitch’ means female dog, ‘zorra’ means female fox, and Olmo agreed the defendant was using the word to mean ‘cunning person’ rather than its more common colloquial usage.

He therefore commuted the prison sentence to eight days of reporting to police on a charge of making light threats.

The original trial also heard how the man had told his son on the phone that he would see the boy’s mother in the cemetery in a pine box.

Olmo’s overturning of the prison sentence has caused heated debate in political and legal circles, as well as amongst women’s rights campaigners.

While many agree that the original sentence was too tough for an action that didn’t go beyond

words, others have blasted the judge for his unrealistic semantic interpretations, asking how he could possibly believe the man was calling his partner cunning.

Politicians from both sides of the political divide have waded into the debate. PSOE’s Elena Valenciano asked the judge how he would like it if someone called his wife ‘zorra’, and whether it was all right for her to call a man a male goat – ‘cabron’ in Spanish, a word that means male goat but has insulting connotations to men.

The vice secretary of communication for the PP, Esteban González Pons, said he was speechless when he heard Olmo’s sentence.

He added that the defence of the word ‘zorra’ was the same as claiming you called someone a pig only because they are an omnivore.

While the focus was on the judge’s interpretation of one word, Olmo said he did not view the case as one of domestic violence.

He stated that just because a threat took place between partners, it should not automatically be seen as domestic abuse.

The threat had to be viewed in the context of normal criminal law and its seriousness judged in that context, he said.

By that standard, he felt it was a case of light threat and so it was right to overturn the prison sentence.

So, should a man serve a year in prison for calling his wife a female fox? The debate continues.

Spain and pollution From Page 3 -tion of Spain - and traffic is a major contributor to air pollution.”

“Traffic is the main producer of suspended particles, along with nitrous oxide,” adds Mariano González, of Ecologists in Action.

But it isn’t just our love affair with the car that has caused such problems, even if, as environmentalist

Fernando Prieto points out, they contribute to as much as 80 per cent of air pollution.

Baldasano says that “for political reasons, Spain continues to rely on coal-fired power stations.”

Ribera says that thanks to traffic noise and jams, along with increasingly poisonous air, Spain now faces a publichealth problem. “Air pollution has a direct effect on aller-

gies, on heart and lung disease, and has also made our cities impossible to live in and enjoy,” he concludes.

All the specialists agree that urgent action is needed to address the problem, and that the cost of reducing air pollution would translate into major savings for the health service.

Ecologists in Action proposes radical measures to bring down air-pollution levels – such as not building any more roads.

But they also identify the public’s unwillingness to accept restrictive traffic reducing measures as a major stumbling block to making change.

Nobody wants pollution, but nobody is prepared to leave their car at home.

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6 PUPILS at King’s College in Murcia took on new nationalities last Friday to celebrate their first International Day, held on European International Languages Day.

Friday, October 7, 2011

21 TODAY!

Donning colourful costumes from their chosen countries, the students set up displays with traditional food and drink and produced audio-visual presentations about their new nation.

Twenty-one nations were represented, and the school became a riot of colour and sound, filled with fabulous smells and great food. The prize for best display went to China.

BY AMANDA BLACK With students from many different countries and culLuckily for the headmaster tures attending the school, a (or perhaps not so much by celebration of diversity luck), the quiz was too diffiseemed a natural way to cult to finish. mark European International The day raised almost Languages Day. €1,000 for the Vicente Ferrer Pupils spent a lot of time Foundation, which supports learning about their chosen disadvantaged children in countries, not least because India. the school’s headmaster, King’s College stages many Robin Silk, promised a prize cultural events, special days of a house to anyone com- and fairs for students and the pleting the 210 question quiz outside community. on all the countries repreAll of these events support sented in less than two the school’s chosen charihours! ties.

21 nationalities, that is, as Murcia school stages costume-built celebration of International Day Music is very important at the school, which now offers music lessons and examination courses to both school students and children who don’t attend the school.

An art gallery is also opening at the school and artists wishing to exhibit can contact nicholas.green@kingsgroup.org.

For details on music courses, or to book a stall at the upcoming Christmas Fair on December 16, email robin.silk@kingsgroup.org.

Hotel’s heart warmer HOTEL Corazon will be at the heart of a Christmas fundraising venture on October 16.

The event is a Fun Day in Rojales to raise funds to buy a computer for the EMAUS orphanage in Elche. And it kicks off with a FREE cava reception at the hotel from 3 to 3.30pm.

The day has been oganised by the Corazon’s Edgar and Liza and the action will centre around Tony Lincon and friends, with singing, dancing, bouncy castle, bowling, bucko bill rides, crazy golf, face painting, a barbecue, magician Raffels and prizes all day long!

It’s all for a good cause and some of the orphanage children will be attending. For further details, call 966 713 957

Rare turtle rescued A FISHERMAN rescued a rare loggerhead sea turtle off the coast of Torrevieja on Tuesday after it became entangled in a tuna line. The fisherman, Manuel Vidal, freed the 25-kilo turtle and hauled it aboard his boat.

Torrevieja municipal biologist José Antonio Pujol said the turtle, which suffered a deep cut in its left flipper, was 15 to 20 years old. It was taken to Oceanográfico de Valencia to recover and will hopefully be released back into the sea in a few months.

Happy 21st Georgie

To a special granddaughter have a wonderful birthday love Nan and Paul xxx To my beautiful princess have a really great day ..love you sooo much Mum ..xxxxx

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Bad eggs, Major problems and a sour Currie I’M quite partial to a curry - but when it’s first name is Edwina, I reserve the right to despatch it where the poppadoms don’t grow.

My colleague Alex Trelinski hints in his TV column this week that the aforesaid Ms Currie is certain to be the first competitor to be kicked out of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing - because ‘’she has a likeability level akin to Frank Foster on Coronation Street’’.

Well, I don’t watch Corry, but I can only guess that Mr Foster is a real bad egg.

Riddled with salmonella, no doubt.

Counting the cost of hospital car parks A FEW months ago, I wrote an article attacking the greed of English hospitals in charging motorists ripoff prices to park their cars.

I went on to give their Spanish counterparts a pat on the back for levying sensible charges - and in many cases providing free parking.

But times are changing.

The charity Help at Home has issued a warning about exorbitant parking charges at Mar Menor’s new Los Arcos hospital.

Well, they are exorbitant if you hang about in the A&E area - which is sometimes unavoidable, as many people know from personal experience.

Delayed I reckon four hours is a pretty average wait these days, in the UK and Spain.

At Los Arcos, 30 minutes in the A&E car park will cost you nothing, but the charges then rocket.

And the privilege of being delayed all day with your car in the A&E car park will set you back a cool €65.50.

A complicated fee structure and different-priced parking at Los Arcos has caught many people out but if you know the ropes, it needn’t be expensive.

The advice of Help at Home (and Hospital) is to use the free car park on the right as you enter the hospital.

Failing that, the longterm car parks at the back of the hospital charge 94 cents per hour - and €9.40 daily. That’s €9.40 too much. Nobody should have to pay to visit a sick relative or friend. Ever.

Because I can tell you from personal experience that while Edwina may have achieved Major success in seducing boringly grey Prime Ministers, she is not a pleasant person to meet.

At least, not if you are a mere reporter trying to eke out a living.

I had the misfortune to interview Ms Currie at a political ‘breakfast’ in Manchester a few years back. And it was a nightmare.

She threw every question I asked back at me, as if trying to belittle a political rival. ‘’You should KNOW the answer to

that!’’ she’d retort rather than giving me a proper reply.

My response should, of course, have been: ‘‘If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t have asked the question.’’ But I was just too intimidated to put up any sort of fight.

It wasn’t as if I was trying to squeeze a sensational headline out of Edwina. All I wanted was some words to fill a few column inches in the mundane weekly newspaper I was then working for.

Ironically, I ended up with a half-decent piece, thanks to Ms Currie’s prickliness.

But that’s another story...

I MUGGED A BLIND MAN Edwina - not my favourite Currie

And taking his money was a pleasure I’M not a litigious person, but I’m quietly gloating after making a blind man pay for an act of negligence that left me scarred for life.

Mind you, this blind man did have perfect eyesight.

And the scar is so small that it’s only seen on special occasions.

But I saw red, literally, when a heavy venetian blind fell on my shoulder at my Manchester home during a trip back to the UK. The reason? The fitter had forgotten to screw the holding rail into place.

Apologies Now, I could never be like Robert ‘The Splash’ Maxwell, who almost literally sued anything that moved. Apart, maybe, from the Daily Mirror pension fund - and that was purely because it was the Fat Man himself who moved it.

And had the suppliers of the blind shown even a tiny morsel of concern, regret or any other supportive emotion, I would probably have let the matter drop.

But this was a company whose middle name was complacency.

For a moment I thought the sheer weight of the blind had broken my collar bone. It certainly cut into my flesh and

So I went for the jugular. I called Injury Lawyers 4 U. That was the best part of 18 months ago, since when the legal eagles have been trying to nail down the company’s insurers, who have been almost as elusive as the apology I never received.

A bundle of letters later, plus some unconvincing photos of my ‘permanent’ scar (which is noticeable when I wear tops that expose the collar bone), they have finally admitted liability.

They are shouldering the blame – and I’m getting £1,750 compensation from their insurers.

 SCARRED FOR LIFE: Well, you can just about see where the blind hit me!

Rocketed drew blood, which fortunately congealed pretty quickly.

I immediately called the blind company, (who I’m not naming, other than to confirm that they share their moniker with Sir Edmund of Mount Everest fame).

They agreed to send another fitter round to secure the blind – but showed not the slightest concern that I had been hurt.

Already incensed by their attitude, I went to my GP the following day more as evidence than for medical reasons.

‘’If you’d come to me straight away, I’d have put a stitch in the wound,’’ he said. ‘’But it’s too late now. You’ll have a permanent mark there but it shouldn’t be too noticeable.’’

The man sent to refit the fallen blind confirmed that no screws had been inserted in the holding bracket, which was the reason the whole contraption had fallen on me.

That’s blatant negligence in my book – indeed, had that heavy blind fallen on one of my small grandchildren, we could have been talking about a funeral, let alone a bruised shoulder.

The refitter also told me that he was, like the guy who had botched the original job, self-employed and not a member of staff.

I sensed he was more on my side than the company’s and decided to ping off a letter telling them exactly what had happened and requesting an explanation and an apology.

They didn’t reply, so a month later I sent another, increasingly agitated letter – this time hinting that if they did not respond, I would put the matter in legal hands.

Again my letter was ignored.

I hope their premiums have rocketed as a result, but the money is not important. The big thing is the pure satisfaction of seeing them banished to the naughty corner for treating a respectable customer so disgracefully.

It’s now three years since the accident happened – and I’ve still not heard from the firm directly.

Successful businesses are built on customer satisfaction, which makes me wonder how these people haven’t gone bust. I can only assume they have mastered the skills of Blind Man’s Bluff.

One thing’s for sure. Their customer relations people are never going to join Sir Edmund on top of Mount Everest.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Friday, October 7, 2011

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Friday, October 7, 2011

No pregnant paws, time to be a Dad

ONCE upon a time, in the latter part of the last century, I was ordered to report to the kitchen by Mrs S. 'Better put the kettle on,' she said. 'You might want a strong mug of tea for this.'

Oh, dear, I thought, what had I done now? Or, more likely, what hadn't I done?

Anyway, I sighed to myself, whatever it was -- or wasn't -I sensed I was in deep trouble.

Should I fetch the tea bags out of the cupboard and pour myself a cuppa? Or should I save time and fetch my own bags out of the wardrobe and pour myself into a cab?

Mrs S smiled at me. Yes, SMILED . . . at ME! 'What would be your reaction,' she said, 'if I told you that one day in the near future we shall hear the patter of tiny feet?'

'Yippee!' I shouted and bolted out of the house and into the pub.

'Dave! Dave!' I shouted to Dave the barman. 'I have news!

Splendid news!'

'Sounds exciting, Dave,' he replied. 'I've never heard you use so many exclamation marks in one sentence.'

Dave sat me down at a table and poured me a drink. 'Say it slowly or you'll explode,' he said. (Inaccurate logic but I got his drift.)

I downed the dry sherry in one go and grabbed Dave's arm.

'Mrs S has just told me that . . . that . . .'

'Not that slowly,' Dave urged.

'That . . . that we're getting a dog.'

Dave the barman, stared at me, sighed, went off to serve a customer and came back.

'I don't quite know how to put this, my friend,' he said, 'but you already have a dog.'

Oh, my goodness. In my excitement I'd overlooked our Brian. We'd had the mutt so long he'd become part of the furniture -- not that I would ever consider taking the sofa out for a walk.

But I digress. I gulped and bolted from the pub and into my house. Mrs S glared at me. 'You never let me finish,' she said through clenched teeth.

This time I did make myself a mug of tea. I even made one for Mrs S. 'I think I may be pregnant,' she explained. I blanched.

'With a baby?'

'That's the usual way of things,' she said.

'What I'd like you to do now is phone the doctor's secretary and ask for my pregnancy test results while I have a liedown because my husband is doing my head in.'

I was in a fog as I dialled the GP's surgery. After a brief conversation I ran upstairs to Mrs S's boudoir.

'It's positive!' I cried. Mrs S leapt off the bed and threw her

‘We'd had the mutt so long he'd become part of the furniture not that I would ever consider taking the sofa out for a walk’

arms around my neck.

'We're going to be parents!' she hollered. 'Can you believe it!'

'Er, hang on a minute,' I said. 'Maybe the woman said the test was negative and I asked her if SHE was positive. You know how I get confused on the phone.'

Mrs S reached for the nearest blunt instrument, another phone, and attempted to confuse me permanently. I bolted from the house and into the GP's surgery.

'Not you again,' moaned the doctor as I marched into his room without knocking and jumped on to the bed.

'You've been here three times already this week, Mr Silver, and, as I keep telling you, the only ailment you are suffering from is an acute case of hypochondria. It is NOT Green Monkey Disease.'

'That's not important right now, doc,' I said. 'It's about Mrs S. Is she pregnant or isn't she?'

The GP sighed. 'Well, I shall tell you but only after you let Mrs O'Shaughnessy off the bed so she can get dressed and I can write her a prescription.'

Minutes later I was racing along the road shouting into shops: 'My wife IS having a baby!'

They heard me at the butcher's and the baker's but not the candlestick-makers because there wasn't one on our high street.

I also yelled out my good news as I ran past the police station . . .

I felt giddy with pleasure. As I observed moments later: 'Today is the best day of my life.

'Not only am I going to be a dad but I also get to ride in a police car with lights flashing and siren sounding. But tell me, officer, what's the rush?'

'Just sit back and relax, sir,' said the uniformed driver.

'We're used to handling such emergencies.

'I've radioed ahead and the ambulance should be at your house any minute now. I've also arranged for a team of police motor-cycle outriders to get you and your wife to the maternity hospital in time.'

I sank deeper into my car seat and groaned. But as it turned out, Mrs S kept her cool.

She came to the front door, surveyed the crowded street - the paramedics, the cops, the curious neighbours and one sheepish-looking husband -- and announced: 'Well, I guess the pregnancy test WAS positive.'

Months later I was giddy with ecstasy again when Mrs S presented us with a bonny, bouncing Master S. After introducing myself to the little fellow I toddled off down the hospital corridor to the vending machine to purchase a celebratory cup of tea (which contained an unwanted splash of tomato soup).

I greeted the chap who was hovering nearby. 'First-time dad?' I asked.

The man smiled. 'Not quite. I am the father to many.'

I guffawed. 'Why, you randy old goat!'

And then I noticed the priest's dog collar.

'I'm ever so sorry,' I mumbled. 'I seem to have made myself look a proper Charlie . . . er . . . Chaplain.'

Friday, October 7, 2011

11

THE SPANISH PRESS 12

Friday, October 7, 2011

BLOWING HIS TOP With fears of an eruption in the Canary Islands increasing, the region’s top volcano expert raises the earthquake alarm and damns Spain’s ‘third world’ warning system Volcanology may not seem like the world’s most glamorous things to study.

However, Nemesio Pérez has become one of the most visible scientists in recent days, travelling around the island of El Hierro, listening to the subterranean chambers for any clear indication that there will be a volcanic eruption.

The 50-year-old from Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife is the scientific coordinator of the Canaries Institute of Volcanology. He travels to different towns explaining to people what an eruption is and what can occur.

Pérez spent nine years abroad studying Volcanology - first in Louisiana, in the United States, and then Tokyo - before returning to the Nemesio Pérez: ‘Spain has Canaries in 1997 to set up a neta seismic alert system work of seismic alert warning syscomparable to that of a tems across the archipelago. third-world country’ “Spain has a seismic alert system comparable to that of a third-world country,” he says. “Predicting volcanic activity has three El Pais components: tremors, gas underground," he doesn't eruption occurs, people from emissions and deformations. believe that there is one all over the world come to But in Spain, attention is only Canary islander who doesn't see the artificial fireworks. paid to the first stage.” fear them. "People who live But until that happens, we Pérez admits that he does- in the Canaries, Hawaii or have to experience earthn't like to mince words. "That the Philippines should conquakes and manage the is the reason why the per- sider themselves lucky. anguish." ception of the risks of volca- When a volcano is dormant, When it comes to activity, noes is very poor." they have a beautiful counPérez maintains that he is Describing volcanoes as tryside, geothermic energy worried about the tremors "windows to the Earth's and thermal baths. When an rather than the actual eruptions.

"Usually in the Canaries, they have not HOTEL occupancy in Benidorm in September was been that explosive, just 92.8%, an increase of 7.5% over the same month last trickles of lava. year. Local hotel officials say the reason for the ‘’There are victims when improvement is the ‘‘good behaviour of all the markets, there are earthquakes, which including the national’’. The number of Britons was is why I am more concerned 16% higher than last year. about the earthquakes rather In terms of market share, the Spanish were 46.2%, than the eventual eruption."

British 42.2%, Belgians 4.3% and Dutch 3.2%. The And homes and other buildPortuguese dropped to 1.2% and French were at 1.1%. ings in El Hierro don't appear,

Benidorm hotel boom

at first glance, to be the safest structures in the world.

An eventual eruption "wouldn't be rare," says Pérez, but the uncertainty stems from the fact that in El Hierro there isn't just one major volcano but hundreds of vents around the island.

Consequently, no one can be sure where the lava will flow if there is an eruption in the end.

This leads to another worrying aspect of the situation on the island for Pérez. He also has concerns about the curious attraction of the lava flows.

Toxic

"We can't put a Civil Guard officer at every vent. A typical lava eruption in the Canaries is not dangerous and they don't trail much, but they do emit carbon dioxide. This is invisible to the eye, and if anyone gets too near they could inhale toxic fumes," he explains.

The last eruption in the Canaries was in La Palma in 1971 when the Teneguía volcano came to life. At that time, Pérez explains, La Palma residents experienced some 90 different tremors.

In El Hierro, residents have felt tremors intermittently for the past two months, but they have got stronger recently, causing concern among the island's 10,000 residents.

"They say that the probability is low because it is around 10 per cent,’’ says Perez. ‘‘But who would fly on an airplane if there was a 10 per cent probability that they would crash?"

Shot woman’s baby saved in church but all to no avail A GUNMAN walked into a Catholic church and killed a pregnant woman last Thursday, then committed suicide.

Emergency crews performed a C-section on thee woman, later named as Rocio Pineiro, inside the church and saved the baby - but the little boy died in Madrid’s La Paz hospital on Monday Another woman sitting near the victim was wounded by a stray bullet in the shooting, which occurred just before a Mass at St. Mary’s Church.

Ms Pineiro, 36, was just days away from giving birth.

Police said preliminary investigations indicated there was no relation between the 34year-old man and Pineiro.

After the baby was delivered by paramedics, doctors warned he might have suffered brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

El Mundo newspaper said the killer used to be the woman’s boyfriend and knelt before the altar before shooting himself in the head.

Airline passengers get high on plants PASSENGERS aboard an Iberia airliner last week planted their names in Spanish aviation history.

Their A320 Airbus flew from Madrid to Barcelona, burning a mix of jet fuel and plant juice. It was the first time biofuel has been used to power a commercial flight in the country.

Iberia chairman Antonio Vazquez hailed the flight as a great success. He said: “The fight against climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face, and biofuel is essential for reducing our reliance on petroleum, increasing our competitiveness, and achieving the ambitious emissions-reduction targets set by the airline industry.”

The fuel was made from the inedible camelina plant. It was produced by UOP LLC, a unit of U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc, and was certified by Repsol.

The biofuel was mixed with traditional jet fuel and made up 25 per cent of the total.

Friday, October 7, 2011

13

14

Friday, October 7, 2011

£8.2m investment fraud: Boiler-room seven jailed

SEVEN men have been sentenced to a total of 39-anda-half years' imprisonment for their involvement in a Spanish-based investment fraud.

The men, aged between 35 and 72, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, and sentenced to between three and seven years each at Ipswich Crown Court .

Led by Dennis Potter, of Singapore, and Redmond Charles Johnson, from Tyne and Wear, the group used what the Serious Fraud Office described as “high-pressure telesales techniqes” to persuade investors in the UK to buy shares in a bio-diesel company called Worldwide Bio Refineries.

Set up by Potter and Johnson in 2003, WBP was presented to investors as a profitable enterprise which would give them impressive short-term returns.

In truth, however, the company had no output, and virtually all its £8.2 million revenue was through the sale of shares; most of which were sold from bases in Barcelona and Marbella. Over half of the investors' money was then filtered to accounts in Cyprus, Jersey and Spain for the salesmen to enjoy.

During sentencing, His Honour Judge Overbury described

The fraudsters operated their scam from Spanish bases including Marbella

the men's actions as “a well-planned, sophisticated, and well-executed fraud dressed up in the language of legitimate business” which “had a long-lasting effect on the victims who lost their savings".

The group were brought to justice after investors became

All systems pro: A day with golf’s best at Mar Menor

The PGA Europro Tour kicked or should I say teed off on Wednesday in Murcia.

The event is being held over three days at the Mar Menor Golf Village and is the tour’s final stop after several tournaments in the UK. The field has been whittled down to 60 of the top players on tour. The top five are as follows: 1) Chris Hanson, 2) Graeme Clark, 3) Luke Goddard, 4) Jamie Lee Abbott 5), James Busby

THE COURIER SENT 16-YEAR-OLD PHILIP HALL TO SAMPLE BIG-TIME GOLF AS OUR CORRESPONDENT THIS WEEK. HIS REPORT IS CERTAINLY DIFFERENT...

The course is in immaculate condition and has an amazing first hole. The fairway is lined with houses either side, which makes the fairway narrow. It is a 319-yard par four dogleg right, a tricky starting hole for even the best of players.

From the tee a tree is blocking view of the green, also a mountain with some breathtaking views.

The practice range, which is located next to the 18th hole, has all you need - a practice putting green and driving range.

I followed two golfers round from the first tee to the eighth tee - George Cowan and Shaun McAllister.

Shaun turned pro when he

had a handicap of +3 and has never looked back. This is his third year on the tour.

George has been on tour since 2007. They both said that their favourite holes on the course are the 13th, 14th and 15th. The holes all have a hazard in the form of a lake.

The first day of the competition ended with some incredibly competitive scores. The

George Cowan top 10 all shot in the 60s and the leader at the end of Day One was Steve Uzzell, who shot a difficult-to-beat 63 -- eight under par Shaun McAllister ended the day with a 66, five under and George Cowan fired a 67 – four under.

It was an intriguing first day of a competition which will, I’m sure, have lots of amazing shots and unbelievable scores posted by some of the best up and coming players.

Shaun McAllister

suspicious of the company, and reported it to the authorities. On top of their prison sentences, Potter and Johnson were disqualified from acting as company directors for 12 years, while the other members were disqualified for five years.

One salesman, Peter Bibby, has eluded capture, and was sentenced in absentia to six years' imprisonment. A warrant is out for his arrest.

The director of the SFO, Richard Alderman, said: "I am very pleased with the sentences in this case which reflect the callous way the criminals preyed on their victims."

The number of so-called "boiler-room" frauds – in which experienced investors are pressured to purchase worthless or non-existent shares – is believed to have risen dramatically since the beginning of the world economic crisis, with many operating from call-centres in Spain.

In August this year, three Britons were sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison for their role in a similar scam, believed to be one of the biggest ever in Europe. Tomas Wilmot and his two sons were said to have made over £14 million from the scheme, which was also largely run from Spain.

Paramount theme park for Murcia PARAMOUNT is to open its first European branded theme park in Alhama de Murcia, Spain, as part of a €1.1bn tourism project expected to open in spring 2015.

Proyectos Emblemáticos Murcianos (Premursa) is behind the scheme, which will also boast a 1.03 million sq m (11.1 million sq ft) LifeStyle Centre business and leisure complex.

Premursa has secured a long-term agreement with Paramount Licensing for the development and operation of the 550,000sq m theme park.

Paramount will not be investing in the project but will assist in the creation of the park, which is to feature more than 30 attractions and two themed hotels.

Retail and restaurant units and the Paramount Live live-stage-spectacular will be located in the Paramount Promenade at the grand entrance to the park.

Meanwhile, the main theme park will boast four themed areas: Adventure City for action fans; Rango's West; Woodland Fantasy for kids; and Plaza Futura offering sciencefiction experiences.

Meanwhile, the LifeStyle Centre complex will offer seven hotels, including two fourstar sites with a convention area and a five-star property incorporating a casino.

The commercial area of the development will be established in the Street Mall and contain a number of restaurant and night leisure facilities. An auditorium, an exhibition room and a large convention area are also proposed, as well as a business complex to create a new financial hub for the Murcian region.

Paramount Licensing executive vice president Michael Bartok said: "Paramount chose the Region of Murcia for this project because of the exceptional qualities that make it a popular tourist destination.

"The support from the regional and local governments as well as Premursa is remarkable.’’

Friday, October 7, 2011

15

The flexibility factor AND here’s your starter for ten, fingers on the buzzers, and no conferring. Who is David Cameron?

Cue buzzers and loud shouts of ‘Prime Minister, Prime Minister, Prime Minister!’

Now, I wasn’t going to let you off that easy, was I? As Tory delegates return home to their towns and shires after their visit to the northern outpost of Manchester for their annual conference, I wonder how many of them were any clearer about David Cameron the politician and whether he is really one of them.

What do you mean, I hear you shout. Mr C is a rich fellow, an Old Etonian, and talks in a posh voice. He’s surely perfect Tory fodder of the Right Wing, and those nice old ladies that I wrote about last week.

But I think there’s a lot more about him than meets the eye, and the so-called “nasty” right-wingers at Westminster and in the country, don’t really think a great deal of him. They actually believe he really isn’t one of them, and I think they are right!

Cameron’s rise to power was quick and came absolutely out of nowhere, on the back of some shocking Tory electoral disasters. He took over Michael Heseltine’s Witney seat at the 2001 General Election, and after Michael Howard stood down as leader in 2005, Cameron came out of nowhere as he took on David Davis in the leadership contest.

He used his PR experience with Carlton TV to build an immediate empathy with his own party, including the old-fashioned ability to talk without the need for a teleprompter.

Most importantly of all, he was clearly electable as Prime Minister, which his three predecessors were not.

The Tories were so desperate for electoral success, only a few of them realised that Cameron was very much part of an old style of ‘One Nation’ Conservatism, which many had thought had been killed off by Margaret Thatcher.

After the impasse of the last General Election, it wasn’t that hard for Cameron to do a deal with the Liberal Democrats, because his heart is very much on the

Cameron the shrewd has big issue in focus

reforming side of Conservatism, as opposed to the hangers and floggers of the old Tories.

Yes, he is against the current Human Rights Laws that the Lib Dems’ support, and is also a Eurosceptic, but on many things he is largely in agreement with them.

I’d go as far as to say that if Cameron had not been Tory leader, then the coalition deal

would not have happened. The UK would have been plunged into the insecure chaos of a minority government and a swift election just a few months down the road, with no guarantee after that of a stable administration that could last a full five years in charge.

Cameron would not have lost hours of sleep in his London apartment that fateful

May 2010 weekend, crossing out large swathes of Tory ideology to help his new Lib Dem partners in waiting. That’s because he wasn’t a leader who would sleep with policy documents and the manifesto under his pillow, but would be quite happy to take a pragmatic approach to things.

In fact, it almost certainly suited him with his social conscience, to have Nick Clegg and company on his side acting as a fig leaf for policies which the right-wing Tories would hate big time.

It’s strange how things have worked out after the Conservatives spent years ignoring the leadership credentials of Ken Clarke, because he was viewed as too left-wing and too pro-Europe. They paid for that mistake by being thrashed in election after election.

Now they have a leader who, barring the Europe issue, pretty much sings from the Clarke hymn-sheet – and, despite the desperate economic situation, is only a few points behind a very uncertain Labour Party in the opinion polls.

There is an extremely pleasant nature about Cameron when you meet him, as I did nearly four years ago. He actually wants to engage you in some personal conversation as if he’s known you for years, which I’ve rarely encountered with politicians.

Whatever you think of him politically, he has been spared from any personal vicious media tirades because he is shrewd in getting on with the press, and he’s actually a nice guy.

Now, there’s a lot more to politics and power than just being a jolly good fellow, but what Cameron has going for him is flexibility.

Because he has not got a large shopping list of manifesto pledges to deliver, he can focus on the serious problems at hand, and that of course means the economy.

It also means having to kick-start some growth for UK PLC, which his government has miserably failed to do in the last year.

If Cameron fails to deliver and loses the next election, he knows there’ll be many in his party lining up to hang him high. A point I’m sure that has not escaped him, despite the wonderful applause he got in Manchester a couple of days ago.

English expat 'rips own eyes Supreme Court backs ban on controversial hotel out' during church service AN English expatriate in Viareggio (northern Italy) has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital after ripping out his own eyes with his bare hands during a church service.

The 46-year-old, a long-term resident in the Tuscan town, began screaming and banging his head on the floor during mass, said his elderly mother, who was with him at the time. He claimed he heard voices telling him to tear his eyes out.

The man was rushed to nearby Versilia hospital for an emergency operation, but surgeons were unable to save his sight, meaning he will now be blind for life.

Doctor Gino Barbacci, who treated him, said the man did not complain or show

any sign of physical pain, and answered correctly when asked his name.

“In the 26 years I have been practising, I have never seen anything like it,” confessed Dr Barbacci.

“Yet he appeared to be a completely normal person. He would have needed super-human strength to pull his own eyes out with his hands.

“He got up and started banging his head against the floor, he was covered in blood – I did not know what was happening, he didn't say anything,” explained the man's mother when interviewed.

Medics say he had been in treatment for a psychiatric illness, but had not wanted to take his prescribed pills.

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the preventive suspension of a registration plan that would allow construction on the controversial El Algarrobico hotel in Cabo de Gata, Almería, to be completed.

The court slapped down an appeal by the regional government of Andalusia against the suspension of the Land Use Registration Plan for Natural Resources in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar area, which the regional authorities believed would open the door to the construction of new buildings and the remodelling of others for tourism.

The Supreme Court of

Andalusia had previously suspended the registration plan for zone C3, where the hotel is located, due to the potential "devastating effect" the construction could have.

Greenpeace Spain had lodged an appeal against the hotel's termination, which the regional government of Andalusia took before the Supreme Court. In a statement, Supreme Court Judge Jesús Peces Morate said the decision of the magistrates to stop the finalisation of the hotel had been made "precisely in the public interest in protecting the environment."

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Friday, October 7, 2011

A LOOK AT THE

Ripper film prelude to prison horror INMATES at a jail where a paedophile had his stomach cut out in a horrific attack had been allowed to watch a TV show about Jack the Ripper days before the murder.

Several warders voiced concern about letting dangerous prisoners see the gruesome documentary, which described a ritualistic disembowelling. But it is claimed they were overruled.

Daily Mirror

Five’s Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Story was shown on September 26 at 9pm in Frankland jail, Durham. Five days later 23-year-old child rapist Mitchell Harrison was butchered with a makeshift knife in a cell.

The killing was said to have had similarities to those described in graphic detail on the programme.

An insider at the jail Daily Mirror said: “The Ripper documentary triggered a real Mitchell debate. Several staff Harrison: thought it totally inappro‘A model, trusted A FELLOW prisoner has admitted trying to kill priate to show that kind prisoner’ of content to such potenSoham murderer Ian Huntley.

Damien Fowkes, 35, pleaded guilty at Hull tially dangerous inmates Pervert Harrison, origiCrown Court to slashing Huntley's throat in - and said so. nally from Wolverhamp“They were overruled, Frankland Prison, Durham, in March last year. ton, was jailed last year Fowkes, from Northampton, also admitted but it looks like the for raping a girl of 13 in the manslaughter of child killer Colin Hatch, methods were copied in Kendal, Cumbria.

He who was strangled at Full Sutton Prison near the attack.”

York in February this year.

It is alleged Harrison received an indeterThe court heard how Fowkes attacked was held down and killed minate sentence and Huntley on the healthcare wing at Frankland, as he screamed for his was put on the sex offenwhere the Soham killer had been working. life. His blood-soaked ders’ register for life.

He slashed Huntley with a homemade wea- body was discovered His family said in a stapon, causing a "severe gaping cut to the left shortly after breakfast tementt: “He was a much side of his neck" which required 21 stitches. last Saturday. A pos- loved son and brother Mr Reeds said: "It was good fortune that it tmortem found he died of and we are all missed all the vital structures in the neck." multiple injuries. devastated by his death.

‘I slashed Huntley’

“Although we never condoned his past actions, he was serving his time and was by all accounts a model, trusted prisoner.”

Frankland inmates Michael Parr, 32, and 23-year-old Nathan Mann appeared before Peterlee magistrates charged with killing Harrison. The case was sent to Newcastle crown court.

APPLE genius Steve Jobs died on Wednesday night after a long battle with cancer.

The computer pioneer, 56, had recently looked incredibly frail after a fight with the illness.

He resigned as the company's chief exec in August after being on medical leave since January 17.

The unveiling of the iPhone 4S on Tuesday was the first time Jobs had not been at a key product launch.

Jobs co-founded Apple in a garage in 1976 and after resigning as chief exec this year stayed on as chairman.

He battled pancreatic cancer in 2004 and had a liver transplant in 2007.

A spokesman for Apple said: "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives..

17

Friday, October 7, 2011

UK HEADLINES

CHE’S MOTORBIKE PARTNER DIES AGED 88

Mad Cow link to Alzheimer’s?

Daily Mail ALZHEIMER'S could in some cases be caused by an infection - and the disease could even be contagious, scientists have claimed.

The damage to the brain caused by the neurological condition is similar to that caused by infectious diseases such as mad cow and the human form CJD. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston studied what could Computer graphic of an Alzheimer's brain shrunk by degecause the build-up of proteins in neration and death of nerve cells (left) and a healthy brain the brain, which characterises the degenerative condition.

The team injected the brain tissue In tests on mice, they found that it from an Alzheimer's patient into mice occurs when a normal protein becomes and compared the results with a control misshapen and then spreads by turning group of mice injected with brain tissue 'good' proteins into bad ones. A similar from a person without the disease. process is seen in both mad cow disProfessor Soto said: 'We took a norease and CJD. mal mouse model that spontaneously Lead researcher Claudio Soto, said: does not develop any brain damage 'The bad proteins accumulate in the and injected a small amount of brain, forming plaque deposits that are Alzheimer's human brain tissue into the believed to kill neuron cells in animal's brain.The mouse developed Alzheimer's.'

Alzheimer’s over time and it spread to He added: 'Our findings open the other portions of the brain.' possibility that some of the sporadic The team said their findings could Alzheimer's cases may arise from an have 'broad implications' for underinfectious process, which occurs with standing the underlying mechanisms other neurological diseases such as that trigger the devastating disease and mad cow and its human form, may help develop ways to prevent and Sonia Marra Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD].' treat it.

1966 German team scored a hat-trick too - of drug takers!

ENGLAND's 1966 World Cup winners were reeling this week after it emerged that three of the West German team they beat in the final failed a drugs test.

A newly-discovered letter from FIFA's then medical chief confirms the unnamed players tested positive for banned stimulant ephedrine.

The sensational results remained a secret for 45 years until the letter was found by historians at Berlin's Humboldt University.

England hero George Cohen said: "I am astounded... I always wondered where they got their energy from in extra-time!"

England, led by Bobby Moore, won the final at Wembley 4-2 but the Germans disputed one of hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst's goals.

The Sun Defender George laughed: "Maybe this news will stop the Germans questioning whether our third goal crossed the line.

"No wonder they couldn't see where the ball had landed. They must have been seeing double!

"Thank goodness the result was not affected by whatever it was the Germans were taking. What would FIFA have done if Germany had won?

It's extraordinary that this has been covered up for so long."

The 1966 finals were the first World Cup where drug testing was carried out. George said he believed his team-mate Jack Charlton "might have been called to provide a sample after the final but I'm not sure".

Birthday Brit in US copter horror A BRITISH woman was killed on a helicopter trip in New York organised to celebrate her 40th birthday.

Sonia Marra died after the helicopter plunged into New York's East River shortly after take-off on Tuesday A UK expatriate now living in Australia, she was travelling with her partner Helen Tamaki, 43, and her British mother and stepfather Harriet and Paul Nicholson.

Ms Tamaki, believed to be a New

Daily Mirror Zealander, and Mrs Nicholson, 60, were seriously injured in the crash and are in a critical condition.

The 56-year-old pilot and Mr Nicholson, 71, have been released from hospital.

The helicopter was on a private tour when it crashed into the river at 3.20pm local time, shortly after lifting off from the busy 34th Street Heliport.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

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

Scot-astrophe at San Javier WHAT a waste of €67 million!

San Javier is now an excellent airport and it’s a great shame to hear it may close to commercial air traffic.

I am Scottish now living in Spain near to San Javier and very sad at this news. We, and also family from Scotland who use the airport frequently on visits, now realise this can add extra travel expenditure to trips at least five or six times a year.

We once had a great service

provided from San Javier to Aberdeen with Globespan, who no longer exist. Now our options are Alicante or San Javier to Glasgow or Edinburgh.

With only Alicante or Corvera now left to choose from, this extends travel time to eight hours including flight and train to destination.

When Globespan flew direct to Aberdeen, we had travel time of four hours. This was always

a busy flight and has never been replaced by another carrier.

Maybe if we had a new carrier to take on this service again, it would provide strength in the fight to keep San Javier open.

Many people think that Scotland stops at Edinburgh.

When flying with Globespan, we met many travelling from Aberdeen as far as Wick, which is a six-hour drive north of our destination.

Inverness is another option for San Javier to make contact with, as both Aberdeen, which at present is being extended, and Inverness are similar-sized airports to San Javier.

Rumour is that Ryanair may be looking at flights from Leuchars in Fife to Spain. If there is any truth in this rumour, this may add fuel in the fight to keep San Javier open.

ANONYMOUS (via website www.thecourier.es

STAB ‘EM IN THE YAK The nightmare of

DONNA GEE’S comments re the Guardia Civil’s methods for catching over-the-limit drivers is fair and you'll get no argument from me.

Amazing David made sure we didn’t lose out I READ the article entitled ‘Shipwrecked’ on the front page of last week's Courier with particular interest.

My wife and I and four friends were six of eight people given superb service by David's Coachtrips when our return flight from Venice at the end of our Adriatic Cruise on September 26 was put back five hours. It left Venice at 7:20 pm instead of 2:30pm, due to the cruise company suspending operations.

Because the rest of David's customers had been able to leave Venice on an earlier flight, their coach from Madrid to this area could not wait for the remaining eight. David put the eight of us in a hotel overnight at his expense and drove us back home the next day in a minibus.

Your article refers to ‘Sunshine Cruises’ as the failed operator - is it a coincidence that another Cruise Company is in trouble as well as Happy Cruises? Or is the name Sunshine Cruises the name of a local Travel Agent perhaps?

Inclusive We booked (six of us) through David's Coachtrips as we had last year booked through them a week-long Mediterranean Cruise on the Ocean Pearl with the same cruise company and had thoroughly enjoyed it.

There are very few cruises available which are truly all inclusive - but all drinks including beers, spirits, etc are included in the cost; one of the reasons we chose Happy Cruises. Most cruise companies charge a LOT for drinks on board, which can make a big difference to the cost of your holiday!

The future of Happy Cruises is unfortunately currently uncertain. However, we have been told (and read elsewhere) that they will reimburse in full customers whose cruises this month and next have been cancelled.

If we are talking about the same company, then your reader Barry Alexander should be OK, even though he had no travel insurance!

COLIN BATTSON, San Pedro del Pinatar

But I do wish the Guardia would also pay more attention to the stupid, arrogant prats who think they are still perfectly in control when using a mobile phone while driving.

I see these idiots nearly every time I drive or walk out and I had to take drastic avoiding action from one young lady who was so engrossed in her telephone conversation, that she wasn't even aware that she had nearly taken me out while changing gear and steering with one hand on a roundabout.

But despite the publicity by the authorities that these idiots are being stopped and punished, I have personally witnessed Guardia turning a blind eye to a mobile user/driver who appeared to know he wouldn't be pulled over.

car-phone prats and noisy barkers

Dangerous Going off on a tangent and less dangerous, but very annoying subject and fast growing annoyance, is the "yak yak dog".

This is the little dog, (the new "fashion accessory"), hardly bigger than a cat, that can be seen being carried everywhere in the "loving" arms of its doting owner.

Yes, even when they sit at the restaurant table while eating, which is anti-social and contrary to good health.

But that's not the real problem.

The real problem is the ‘yak yak’ noise, which is threatening to send me and many others round the bend.Unfortunately we have several of these little dogs in our street and nearby.

The owners are completely oblivious to the basic right of other residents to a fair share of peace and quiet. They not

only ignore there little pride and joy that never stops going "yak yak", but often encourage it.

I do recognise that there are genuine and loving dog owners, who are very responsible and ensure their pets are well behaved.

My criticism is not directed toward them, but unfortunately these responsible owners are lost against those that are irresponsible.

I also recognise that it’s not

just the little dogs that are the problem, but the continuous high-pitched noise they make that causes the biggest headache.

And then there's the minefields of mess left on the paths of urbanisations everywhere.

Responsible owners can be seen clearing up after their dogs. But there is still a heck of a lot of mess not picked up.

Near our street there are

two pleasant parks with nice seats and children's play areas where quite a number of local dog owners deliberately take there pets to do the business, mostly at night.

Now, before the accusations start that I am a "dog hater", we have owned and loved two dogs into old age and been inconsolable when they died.

Irresponsible owners, please try being responsible.

GEORGE, Guardamar

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Spain-UK drugs gang jailed A DRUGS gang responsible for smuggling cocaine with an estimated street value of £40m into the UK has been jailed in Scotland.

They were involved in importing the drugs from Spain between 2007 and 2009.

Ringleaders Keith Blenkinsop, 43, of Annan, and Lindsay Harkins, 44, of Helensburgh, received 12 and 10 years respectively.

Andrew Burns, 56, of Helensburgh, got eight years, Robert Dalrymple, 43, of Gretna, seven years and James Elvin, 35, of Clydebank, six years.

The cocaine was concealed inside suitcases and holdalls flown by couriers into Prestwick, Glasgow and Newcastle airports. At the High Court in Edinburgh, Blenkinsop received the longest term of 12 years.

Lord Doherty said: "Those who play leading roles in drug distribution operations involving class A drugs must expect to be dealt with severely by the courts.’’

The judge said Harkins, who was jailed for just short of 10 years, had "played an equally important role" to Blenkinsop.

A term of nearly eight years was given to Burns

LÍNEA DIRECTA’s MEDICAL TREATMENT GUARANTEES QUALITY

o With this service, the first of its kind in Spain, each patient saves an average of 2 months and 15 days in his or her treatment. o The treatment is offered free of charge in all policies and covers not only the people travelling in the insured car but also injured third-parties.

At the end of 2004, Línea Directa launched its Full Medical Treatment service, a complete private network of health assistance which guarantees those people injured in traffic accidents complete and immediate health assistance.

Keith Blenkinsop with Dalrymple jailed for almost seven years and Elvin nearly six years.

After a five-week trial the men were all convicted of being concerned in the supply of cocaine in Scotland, England and Spain.

Blenkinsop was also convicted of being involved in the supply of cannabis and amphetamines while Harkins was found guilty of supplying amphetamines.

Their trial heard that the gang was caught after another courier tried to swap counterfeit £20 notes for euros at a Marks and Spencer bureau de change in Carlisle.

During the drugs operation, Blenkinsop was converting so much cash into euros to buy the drugs in Spain that his local post office won an award for selling foreign currency.

The service, the only one of its kind in Spain, is totally free and is available to all people – drivers and occupants – travelling in a car insured by Línea Directa, whether they are to blame for the accident or not, as well as injured third parties. To operate this service, Línea Directa has created an extensive assistance network by means of collaboration agreements with prestigious medical specialists, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, diagnosis centres and patient transportation services. Línea Directa also offers its customer services entirely in English and German, acting as intermediaries not only with repair garages, but also with medical centres.

Thanks to the speed of all the processes included in this service, which makes it possible to reduce waiting times

and achieve a better and faster recovery, patients save an average of 2 months and 15 days in their treatment which allows them to get back to their personal and professional lives much sooner.

This treatment is offered in conjunction with Línea Directa’s Psychological Attention Plan, which includes professional support both for those people who have been involved in a traffic accident as well as for their closest family members.

You can find out more about all the benefits available at www.lineadirecta.com or by calling 902 123 104.

Jewel thieves shoot it out with Alicante police A SHOOTOUT last Saturday night in downtown Alicante looked like a scene from a movie when three jewel thieves opened fire on patrol cars as they tried to make their getaway.

Dozens of people panicked when the suspects, who had just robbed a jewellery store, fired

more than 20 rounds at police - 15 bullets hit one patrol car.

One of the suspects was killed, another was arrested and a third escaped. "All of a sudden people started running and screaming, they just didn't know where to hide," said a witness.

The thieves, French nationals,

were dressed in black, with gloves and bullet-proof vests. Police said they were carrying heavy weapons and a grenade.

One three passersby injured in the shootout, Fernando Guzmán, 23, has denounced the officers who mistakenly arrested him as one of the gang.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

This cooking laugh is a doddle, lads Courier writer Harold Heys has done just about every sort of job that journalism throws up – from racing correspondent to national newspaper executive; from reporting on the local flower show to murder trials at the Assizes, drug busts and Golden Weddings. But he admits there are two jobs he has never got round to during more than 50 years - writing a cookery column and reporting on the attractions of a naturist resort. We asked him to knock one of those off the list – and, feeling it a bit late in the season for a protracted look at nature, he plumped for a piece about his specialité du maison. “It’s one for the lads, so often neglected in cookery articles,’’ he says. ‘‘Nothing too complicated. Just using simple, ordinary things (they are called ingredients, Harold) and without all those daft abbreviations like tbs and gms and floz and stuff.’’ OK, Harold. All yours…

Harold’s Vegetable Soup (Serves six unless they’re real troughers) LOOK in the fridge (that big white thing in the corner of the kitchen – the one you stick your beer in). You will probably find some vegetables behind all the cans and bottles; Carrots, onions, green things – that sort of stuff.

Chop everything up into small pieces, but mind your fingers Oh, hang on. Apparently the stuff has to be washed and peeled first.

Try: An onion, a couple of carrots, a few green beans (cut the pointy ends off), a chunk off one of those yellow and purple round things that look like cannonballs, a celery stick, a lump of cauliflower, a leek and anything else you find.

No, not the apples and the oranges and the mangoes; they’re fruit. Avoid potatoes.

Apparently, some stay very firm for ages; other go all floppy. Yeah. Right. Which are which? Not a clue.

OK so far, lads? Perhaps you should have made your watery juice thing first. Stock.

Yep, that’s it. Stock.

Get a couple of those condensed stock things and chop ’em into a big plastic jug.

Cover ’em with boiling water and mix ’em all up with a spoon.

Oh, and don’t use vegetable stock.

Apparently you have to use chicken stock.

No, I don’t know why, either. Shove all the stock into a big pan – the bigger the better as there’s less chance of it boiling over.

Turn the oven on high. The hob thing on top, not the actual oven of course. Don’t forget to light it or it won’t work.

Shove all the chopped vegetables into the pan.

Add some salt and pepper; careful not to let fag ash drop in as well.

Shove in half a jar of that tomato stuff they sell in bottles; it’s thin and hasn’t got any lumps. There’s a technical name for it but I haven’t a clue what it is.

Give it a good mix. Let it boil and then let it simmer. Give it a stir from time to time.

Add a dash of a herb (fine greeny-brown stuff; comes in diddy little jars).

After about an hour turn it off.

Beef tataki

Beef up your salad recipe repertoire with delicious Japanese flavours.

Ingredients

For the beef 500g/1lb 2oz beef fillet 30ml/1fl oz vegetable oil For the marinade 75ml/2½fl oz soy sauce 50ml/2fl oz rice vinegar

1 banana shallot, finely sliced 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 1 lime, zest only 0.5cm/¼in knob fresh ginger, grated 2 garlic cloves, sliced For the salad dressing 50ml/2fl oz soy sauce 50ml/2fl oz rice vinegar

1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 1 lemon, juice and zest only 1 chilli finely chopped For the salad handful beansprouts handful watercress ½ cucumber, sliced 1 shallot, sliced 2 tsp pickled ginger

Later, if it looks a bit thick shove in another cup of stock. Remember, it must be chicken stock – but use anything else if you aren’t right bothered by this time.

Give it another stir, lads, unless you are getting exhausted and the football is about to

Preparation Rub the beef with oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a heavy-based frying pan and fry the beef for one minute on each side.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

For the marinade, mix

start.

Heat it up again later and serve with buttered rolls. And big cans of San Miguel.

And finally … clean up all the mess and put everything away.

Only joking about that last bit, lads.

together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Place the meat into the bowl and massage the marinade into the meat.

Transfer the meat and marinade into a sealable plastic bag and leave in the fridge to chill for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, for the dress-

ing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined..

Arrange the salad on individual plates, or a large wooden board, and spoon over the dressing. Once the meat has been chilled, slice it very thinly and arrange on top of the salad.

Friday, October 7, 2011

SUN IT UP WITH DALJIT WANT some great food at great prices – with entertainment thrown in? Then pop along to the Sun Bar and Grill and leave the rest to the experts.

Owner Daljit and chef Gurbir pride themselves in the friendly atmosphere at the Via Park V Los Altos venue.

Sun Bar and Grill, situated next to 2GB Indian Restaurant, is fully air conditioned, open seven days a week from 10am till late – and remarkable value for money.

You can have a small breakfast or a small pizza for €2, beef or chicken kebab for €4, burger and chips plus large beer for €5.50 or a half chicken and chips for €6.95.

For your entertainment, Sun Bar and Grill has a widescreen TV, internet, pool table and regular bingo and quiz nights.

For a taste of good food, you can rely on Daljit and Gurbir. Call in at the Bar or phone 966 848 667 or 672 804 905.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

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Friday, October 7, 2011

RICHARD CAVENDER

Bluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services company 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 four years ago having 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!

Paul wanted advice on installing his printer with Windows ADVICE: Peter was having problems contacting his friend 7 on Skype

I have just bought a new laptop and it comes with Windows 7, I want to use it with my existing printer but Windows wont accept the printer software CD, do I have to buy a new printer?

Q

Hi Paul, hopefully not! There are some printers that are simply not compatible with Windows 7, however most are.

The installation CD that came with your printer is likely to have only drivers for Windows XP or Vista on it, unless it’s a printer that you have bought very recently. The best way to get Windows 7 working with your new printer is to firstly connect your laptop to the Internet, then connect your printer to your laptop and turn it on. Windows 7 will attempt to download the right software for your printer form the Windows update site. If it can’t find the right software, it will try to advise you of the best place to go and get it from which is usually the manufacturer’s website, i.e. www.hp.com or www.epson.co.uk etc.

A

Another point worth mentioning is that many new printers bought in Spain come with installation CD’s for only Spanish, Portuguese or Italian, if you want to have your printer software in English then visit the website for your printers manufacturer and download the drivers (software that lets your computer talk to your printer) and other software that you need in English.

ADVICE: James was having problems with his Kindle Hi Richard, my wife and I both got Kindles whilst back in the UK, we seem to have set them up ok – in that we can use the wifi in our house to browse for books and purchase them, however every time we buy a book, the transaction is always done in US dollars and friends of ours told us that you changed this to Sterling, could you share the secret please?

Q A

Hi James, glad to, it’s a matter of what country your Kindle has been set up to use. Initially Kindles are set up to use the Amazon.com store and that’s the US store so, as you have found, everything is in US dollars. When we set up Kindles for our customers we find that most people want to pay in the good old British pound so we change their Amazon settings to enable this. All you do is logon to your Amazon account with the username and password that you used to set up your Kindle. Once into your account find the “Manage Your Kindle” button and press it, from here click “Country Settings” and ensure that the “Current Country” is set to “United Kingdom”. Then give it about 5 minutes and check your Kindle, you should find that the store now goes to the UK store and not the US one.

Hi Richard, another query on Skype. I have a contact in Israel who can contact us but we cannot contact them. When we try to contact them a message appears stating “this person has not shared contact details”. They say they have otherwise how can they contact us!

Q

Hi Peter, it sounds like they have not accepted your invitation to Skype, but you have clearly accepted their invitation so they are able to contact you. Usually with Skype it only requires one person to accept the others request, however sometimes, like in yours, the system has a problem. What you can try is right hand clicking the contact in question and see if you have the option to resend the contact request, if you do, try resending it and ask your friend to look out for it and accept it – hopefully that will solve your problem.

A

Technology Update…

Apple IOS 5 – release date 12th October

Those of you that have iPhones, iPads and iPods will probably know more about what I am talking about here. The operating system of your device is about to get an update! Apple has announced that on the 12th October their new mobile device operating system will be available, it has a number of major updates that I will cover in more detail after its launch, however if you have an iPhone/Pad/Pod and want to get hold of the upgrade then just plug your device into iTunes using your computer and the upgrade will be made available. If you want to see what’s going to be available then Apple have dedicated a section of its website to showcasing IOS 5, you can see more at http://www.apple.com/ios

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

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

Office: 902 906 200

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Friday, October 7, 2011

DUSTY Springfield and Elkie Brooks fans on the Costa Blanca are in for a real treat.

For singing sensation Patti Ross has announced she will tour with her tribute act to these two great singers.

Patti will bring the two stars to life as she dons full costume and sings and performs just like the real Dusty and Elkie.

Patti has performed all Patti as Dusty Springfield

Tribute treat as Patti brings stars to life over the world, and has shared a bill with such greats as Cleo Laine, Matt Munro, Elton John, Bruce Forsyth, Sheena Easton and Sacha Distel.

The fabulous Jukebox Legends will provide full

support for Patti.

You can see Patti at – La Marina Sport Complex (Tuesday October 18); The Club, Quesada (Wed Oct 19); Los Arcos (la Rustika), Avd Beleares, Torrevieja, (Thurs Oct 20);

AREA, Filton Centre, Los Balcones, (Tues Oct 25) Tickets cost €7.50 and are available from the venues or by phone on 695135134, or visit www.jukeboxpromotions.c o.uk

It’s an early Christmas for new theatre group

OCTOBER may only just have started, but members of the new Stagestruck theatre group are already full of Christmas Spirit.

It’s no trick, Halloween party promises to be a real treat A SPOOK-TACULAR night is planned at AREA at the Filton Centre, Los Balcones on October 31.

Jukebox Promotions is

hosting a hair-raising Halloween party in aid of Help at Home, Costa Blanca.

Come as your favourite

ghoul, ghostie or witch, or in any other terrifying guise, as the night is fancy dress.

There will be loads of great competitions and prizes on offer.

Music and entertainment will be provided by Jukebox Legends and the scares start at 8.30pm.

Tickets cost just €5 and are available from The Cyber pub in the Filton Centre, or call 608908720.

If you buy 10 tickets you will get two free.

Because that’s the title of their next show.

It will take the stage at Los Montesinos School of Music and Culture on December 1 and 2 and, like its predecessor Ancient Grease, promises to be a riot of laughter and music. So don’t delay booking your seat.

Written by the author of Ancient Greece, Christmas Spirit is an adaptation of the Scrooge story but set right here in Spain in a cleaning company called Spick ’n’ Span.

Stagestruck members (pictured left) guarantee you’ll laugh until you cry as you watch the story of moppers and scrubbers unfold, all to the soundtrack of well-known sing-aHELP at Home has long tunes. Just a word of issued a warning about warning, the show is strictly exorbitant parking adults only. charges at Mar Menor’s Tickets cost €5 and are new Los Arcos hospital. available from the theatre or As you turn into the by calling Stella on 966 786 hospital, there is a free 154 or Sally on 648 783 601. car park on the right. At Proceeds will go to Adismon, the back of the hospital Centro de Discapacitados de are the long-term car Los Montesinos, a charity parks, which have an that helps disabled children. hourly rate of 94 cents If you fancy treading the and daily rate of €9.40. boards yourself, or would like The A&E car park to get involved behind the (urgencias) is free for the scenes, go along to one of first 30 minutes, but the Stagestruck’s rehearsals at charges then become Casa Ventura, San Luis on astronomical, with a Tuesdays 2-4pm and daily charge of €65.50.

Thursdays 1-3pm.

CAR PARK WARNING

...and as Elkie Brooks

200 give HAH a birthday hand HELP at Home (HAH) volunteers and supporters proved they knew how to party when they got together for the charity’s first birthday bash at the Novo Carthago Restaurant in Los Urrutias last week.

More than 200 friends and clients of HAH turned up to show their support and thanks for all the great work this charity does.

HAH founder Lesley Eburne said she was “overwhelmed by the success” of the night. She thanked everyone for their support and praised the hardworking HAH volunteers.

Fantastic Guests were treated to a feast of Indian and English dishes and a fantastic floorshow from Mr Entertainment, Tony Lincoln. HAH’s own Caring Service Manager, Angela Coady, also took to the stage and delighted partygoers with her renditions of Amy Winehouse songs.

There was the added bonus of a hilarious Take That tribute by some of the guests.

Although it was not a fundraising event, more than €250 was donated by partygoers on the night.

With demand for its services so great, HAH is always in need of more volunteers to assist with caring and fundraising.

If you would like to help, call Angela on 603 517 770 or Lesley on 968 134 978.

Police fire heroes honoured SUNDAY was the day of the police patron saint, Santos Ángeles Custodios - and police forces took the opportunity to recognise exceptional service.

Six National Police officers from Orihuela received medals, the majority for bravery in rescuing residents from a fire at a nursing home.

The audience at La Lonja auditorium heard how the officers showed great courage after fire broke out at the Residencia de la Tercera Edad.

They risked their own safety as they

entered bedrooms and led 55 residents out of the burning building. Three officers had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Lino García, Damián López, Sergio Maciá, Jorge Pérez, Juan Carlos Pérez y Francisco Javier Sáinz were the men honoured.

In Rojales, Tomás Ruiz and Juan de Dios Plaza, the longest serving local police officers. were honoured at the Capitol Theatre. Both have worked to keep law and order for more than 30 years.

Three officers with 25 years’ service

- Fulgencio Martínez, Francisco José Martí and Miguel Rubio – also received awards, as were three officers of 15 years standing – Manuel Aurelio Lajarín, Saura and Victor Manuel Aledo.

It is the first time that special recognition has been given for long service in the Rojales police force.

The event also acknowledged the hard work of all police officers in Rojales who work to protect a population of 22,000 people, most of whom are foreigners.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Tribute to a tribute

CHESS FANTASTIC: The band take a bow after a La Marina gig

COURIER reader Karen Biddle has been hooked on Chess for nearly two years now.

We’re not talking about pawns and rooks here, but the multinational Queen tribute band that mesmerised Karen from the moment she set eyes on them.

Indeed, she is so blown away by the talent of these local musicians that she sent us a 1,000word article about them.

Whilst we can only print part of Karen’s eulogy, we thought her ‘tribute to a tribute’ might trigger other readers to tell us about their favourite local bands, singers, comedians etc. Send your emails and photos to office@thecourier.es - we’ll publish the best.

Chess: The Kings of Queen

By KAREN BIDDLE MY husband and I moved from London to Gran Alicant in October 2009 – coincidentally the same month Chess were formed.

I spotted the band advertised at a local bar only a few months later. Being a great Queen fan, it was with some trepidation I dragged my husband along but we were instantly blown away with the infectious enthusiasm of their performance and quality of the sound.

It was such a good night we went to see Chess at every opportunity and took all our visiting friends and family whenever they coincided.

One of the most amazing things for us as newbies to Spain was the friendliness and warmth of the band and their followers.

We have made some true Spanish and other nationality friends - and a couple of pints really does help to lubricate the Spanish language skills.

CHESS are well known in the area as a Queen tribute band. Their fan base spans the ages from their youngest fan still a toddler to some of their oldest - including my mother, who will not let me disclose her age!

The band is a truly multi-national mix.

From Elche come Joshua Garcia’s surging guitar-playing and Juanma Aznar’s thumping bass; sweeping the keyboards is Nick

Nedelciuc from Moldova; Christian Lehane’s rhythmic drumming is rooted in Belgium and Charlie Joss, who leads with electric vocals, is from Argentina.

Joshua, a married father-of-two who - like all the band members - doubles on vocals, previously had some success with a band called Miranda Warning, their first album topping the Spanish charts in 2000.

Juanma Aznar, who is single, has a university degree in humanities which includes ancient and modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion and visual and performing arts such as music and theatre.

He played for fun while he was studying and after considering a teaching career, and pursuing a number of different jobs, settled for a fulltime career following his true passion of making music.

Popularity Nick, classically trained at Moldova’s National Academy and winner of several awards for piano, originally came to Spain to teach music. But with the increasing popularity of the band, he gave up teaching to focus his energies on his own performances with Chess.

Christian is from a musical family and played percussion and drums from a very early age. With his powerful biceps, he is also the business brain behind the band.

Arriving in Spain 10 years ago he has a suc-

cessful restaurant in Torrevieja, where he lives.

Lead singer Charlie Joss is, like Nick, classically trained and worked with a number of groups in Argentina before landing acting roles in the States in various Queen musicals.

He also plays keyboard and drums and currently lives in Benidorm.

“The first time I heard Queen I knew music was my life,” he says.

“The breakthrough for my career was the Barcelona album. I heard it for the first time when I was 14 and it motivated me to study harder. Freddie changed my history and this was a calling for me to write, perform and sing” The multi-national bas of Chess’s members is mirrored by their following here in the

Costa Blanca.

Many Brits are delighted when their holidays coincide with band playing locally and catch up with their latest performances on YouTube when they are back home. More and more they are in demand to perform for private parties.

From the iconic sound of Bohemian Rhapsody and occasionally the funkiness of Billie Jean to the serenity of Love Of My Life, they evoke a rainbow of emotions.

Charlie’s on-stage performance and presence equals even Freddie Mercury’s charisma. He draws the audience in to participate in the performance and gets even the most sombre onlooker up and dancing.

So what is the next move for Chess? They have just finished writing and recording an original album aptly named ‘Victoria’ (Victory in English). Currently they are working hard perfecting their on stage performance of this newly created first album which is due to be released internationally in October.

They are now starting a new transition period as they start to introduce some of their own compositions into their show to coincide with the release of their album.

UPCOMING CHESS GIGS: Oct 8 - Plaza, Benijofar; Oct 13 – The Corner, San Pedro Del Pinatar; Oct 26 – The Lounge Bar, Torrevieja. Website: http://www.soundparadise.net/chess/conciertos/ver-conciertos/1

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Natural Remedies for Insomnia Insomnia is a real problem apparent in our increasingly noisy, stressful lives.

It can zap our energy, making us under-productive, irritable, and tired.

Insomnia may be brought on by stress, depression, anxiety, a medical disorder, or some medications.

Whatever the cause, there are some natural ways to combat insomnia that involve only a few changes in lifestyle or environment.

First of all, establish the bed and the bedroom for sleeping activities only. Remove the television and avoid eating and working in bed.

Make sure that daylight does not penetrate through the windows by using blinds or curtains to keep them covered. Keep your bedroom a temperature that is not too warm and not too cold. Your bedroom environment should be a place of serenity, not wakefulness, discomfort, or stress.

Establish a regular sleeping routine if possible. Resetting your body's clock to get tired at a specific time each night will allow it to get used to sleeping in the designated time frame. Avoid naps at all cost, which can throw off this clock and make sleeping at night even more difficult. Do

not oversleep, either -encourage your body to adhere to a schedule.

Exercise. This can really make a difference. Not only does it boost your overall health, it also gives the body a reason to recharge each night. The best times to exercise are right before breakfast and right before dinner. Avoid doing it right before bed because the adrenaline may keep you awake. However, light yoga or stretches to soothing music can help your body wind down and prepare for sleep.

Watch your diet. Too much caffeine or alcohol can inhibit regular sleep patterns.

Heavy meals before bed can also keep you awake. If get-

ting up to go to the bathroom keeps you from sleeping a full night through, you might try avoiding liquids right before bed.

Establish for yourself a time when you let your mind relax from the day's stresses.

Read a pleasurable book, take a warm bath, or spend some time with your pet.

Even if your body is no longer working, your mind might still be rehashing the day's events. Let the stress go by allowing your mind to focus on things which make you calm.

If these tips seem not to help, examine your mattress. Is it old, uneven, or simply not the right firmness for you? A trip to any department store with a variety of

mattresses can help you determine if you need to make a change . . . after all, you do use your mattress 7 to 10 hours in a 24 hour period every night. While a new mattress can be a relatively expensive purchase, it could mean the difference between feeling healthy and feeling drained all of the time.

Sleep is essential for productivity and good health.

The affects of a poor night's rest may be visible immediately upon starting the tasks for the day. A well-rested person looks energised and has a more positive outlook on the day. Don't let insomnia take away your right to being the best person you can be each day.

Too Little Sleep May Raise Diabetes Risk A Boston University study revealed that too little sleep may raise your diabetes risk.

Researchers asked 1,486 people about their sleep habits, then took blood sam-

ples to measure glucose tolerance. Folks who logged fewer than five hours of sack time were 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes than people who slept for seven or eight hours. The diabetes rate was slightly lower — 1.7 times — for those who slept six hours.

Lack of sleep triggers the release of fatty acids, forcing insulin to work overtime to clear them away, says study author Dr. Daniel Gottlieb.

The diabetes rates were also higher — by 1.7 times — for those who slept more than nine hours.

The link between diabetes and longer sleep times "is a lot harder to explain," Gottlieb said. "We don't know very much about what might be the cause. It's my belief that people who are sleeping nine hours or more a night are usually doing so because they have some underlying disorder."

DO GENES CONTROL YOUR LIFE? TODAY, we are experiencing a great change in one of the core beliefs upon which the world is fashioned.

This belief is that the character of our life is determined by hereditary, in other words, your genes control your life. And since genes control life, and we do not select them nor can we change them, we perceive ourselves as powerless, unable to change our biology or behaviour. We attribute our deficiencies and illnesses to genetic dysfunction.

Well, here is the good news. There is an emerging understanding that answers the question ‘DO GENES CONTROL YOUR LIFE?’ The answer is an unambiguous NO. This new truth puts the responsibility for our own health in our own hands. It forces us to look at ourselves; at our institutions, at life itself in a very different light. Traditional biology views the body as a mechanical device composed of molecules and genes. This view point is based on 17th century principles of Newtonian physics. The truth is that in 1925 physics left behind the dated concepts of a Newtonian based material universe, and recognised the energy based reality revealed in Quantum physics. In the quantum universe, it is recognised that invisible energy fields and physical molecules cooperate in creating life. In fact, quantum mechanics recognizes that the invisible moving forces of the field are the primary factors that shape matter. At the very leading edge of biophysics today, scientists are also recognizing that

the body’s molecules are actually controlled by vibrational energy frequencies, so that light, sound and other electromagnetic energies profoundly influence all the functions of life. This new insight about the power of energy forces provides an understanding of how Asian energy medicine (e.g., acupuncture, feng shui), homeopathy, chiropractic and other complementary healing modalities influence health.

Among the “energy” forces that control biology are the electromagnetic fields that are generated by the mind. In conventional biology, the action of the mind is not really incorporated into the understanding of life. This is very surprising in that medicine acknowledges that the placebo effect is responsible for at least one third of all medical healing, including surgery. The placebo effect occurs when someone is healed due to their belief (action of the mind) that a drug or medical procedure is going to heal them, even though that drug can be a sugar pill or the procedure a sham. Interestingly, the influence of this very valuable healing ability is generally disregarded by conventional medicine and even “despised” by the drug companies that prefer to see drugs as the only remedy for disease.

This new understanding emphasizes the role of the mind as the primary factor influencing health. This is an important difference because it acknowledges that we are not necessarily victims of our genes, and that with proper understanding we can use the mind as a power that controls life. In this reality, since we can control our thoughts, we become masters of our biology and not victims of hardwired genes.

Dr. Machi Mannu is a neuro repatterning Specialist.

Email contact@mindspa.es for any question.

Friday, October 7, 2011

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Cheap cars that look classy YOU know the feeling when a stunning looking car cruises past and you're left enviously wondering how you'd ever afford such a beauty?

Well wonder no more. We've found ten cars that look far more valuable than they actually are. You too can feel the admiration of strangers and the smugness of owning a car that says "I've made it".

Mazda RX-8 2002) in red and people might think you've turned up in a Maserati, having only spent a measly two grand. Or, for around £8,000 get the 2.7L V6 version of the SIII update (2007) to get decent sports car performance. Check you've got no loose fillings though - it's a bit of a hard ride.

Price guide: £3,000 Probably the most unusual car of the past decade. With a rotary engine, 4 seats and fear-inducing "suicide" rear doors, it looks like it was assembled by alien scientists with an unlimited budget and only concept car designs to work from.

Better yet, you get Mazda reliability and a 0-60 time of under 7 seconds, all for around £3,000 if you find a 2003 model.

Amazing.

Hyundai Coupe Price guide: £2,000 upwards Hated by a Mr J Clarkson, but beloved by sports car bargainhunters. It seats 4, is built like a tank, and even has a shopping-sized hatchback boot. Get the facelifted version (post-

can be as little as £3,500 while the latter hi-tech marvels trade around £5000.

Either way, the sound alone of a twin-turbo 325bhp V6 will have bystanders thinking you've turned up in a racing car.

And they won't be relieved of that impression should they join you in the passenger seat - the Supra will dispense with Ferraris and Porsches quite happily as it tears to 60mph in under 5 seconds.

Insurance you say? Well yes, that's the part of owning a Supra that isn't cheap.

Toyota MR-2

Toyota Supra Price guide: £3,500 upwards Not for the feint of heart. Boasting proper supercar performance, and outrageous looks, the Toyota Supra is a rocketship on wheels. Officially available in the UK until 1996, occasional Japanese import bargains from the midnoughties also lurk around the used car market. The former

Price guide: £2,000 If you're in the market for a cheap and stylish 2-seater opentop, you're looking at this or the Mazda MX-5. Following its redesign in 2000, the Toyota MR-2 became two things: one, a thrilling but well-behaved roadster, two: easily mistaken for the Porsche Boxster when seen in the rear-view mirror. Like the Boxster, it's unlikely ever to break down. Unlike the Boxster it's relatively cheap to run - 38mpg and insurance group 13. Early models from 2001 will not even break £2,000, and will still be going strong after 100,000 miles, while low-mileage examples from 2006 are only Fiat Panda money - seven grand.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Porsche Boxster Price guide: £7,000 Talk of the devil. The Porsche Boxster is sufficiently long in the tooth now that what was once regarded as the finestdriving car in the world is now available second-hand for the price of a grotty Kia - £7,000.

Franky that's ridiculous, and unless you have an utterly compelling reason to have four seats (friends, children, pets - all overrated in Boxsterworld) you owe it to yourself to own one, at least for a year.

Whether you get the 2.7 or 3.2 litre version (avoid the earliest 2.5 engine), they both drive phenomenally. If this car can't put a smile on your face as you walk up to it, and then for the next hour behind the wheel, you should seek professional help. It's the perfect converter of money into happiness.

Porsche 911 Price guide: £10,000 So you want a Porsche but you do have friends, family and pets? Then you should consider a late-1980's Porsche 911 Carrera that looks like the one you had on your wall when you were 12.

For just under £10,000 you get the quintessential Porsche, a car that drives as well at 120,000 miles as it did 20,000, and the guarantee that everyone who sees you in it will assume you are a minted city trader. Well, we didn't say that owning a glamorous bargain was all good news.

If a lairy '80s Porsche is too scary, the more refined mid-1990s 993 models cost slightly more, with decent examples starting at around £13,000. That's still less than the price of a new Skoda Octavia. Seriously.

Rover 75 Price guide: £3,000 Not an obviously glamorous choice, but it's easy to mistake a Rover 75 for the much more expensive Jaguar Xtype at first glance. BMW were holding the reigns at Rover when this luxury saloon was conceived, and you get a host of indulgent treats: big seats, a wooden dash, sepia-tinted dials, and a refined cruising drive. The powerful and smooth 2.0L diesel engine is the one to choose; five-year old models with it are plentiful. For a truly thrifty £3,000 you can treat your friends to the chauffer-driven limousine experience.

Alfa GT Price guide: £6,000 The Alfa GT is almost the complete package: a great engine, those startling Bertone-styled good looks, and the legendary Alfa handling. Of course it's an Alfa, so there's going to be questions over long-term reliability and the quality of servicing. But the sheer head-turning, eyepleasing aesthetics make it a compromise worth taking.

Plus you can pick one up for peanuts: £6,000 or thereabouts gets you a 5 year old one with the excellent 1.9L diesel engine, probably with leather trim and heated seats. Mmmmm.

Revel in the Italian decadence of it all.

Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Price guide: £20,000 We're joking right? This is one of the most beautiful and desirable cars ever made, and a proper supercar to boot. Well the strange and wonderful news is that you can now pick one up late-1990s one for under £20K, and even secure the astonishing V12 version for

around £22,000. Yes, that's right, less than a new BMW 318i - blame the recession, and of course the DB9 that replaced it.

That should be all that needs to be said, but if you need convincing...think about the gurgling engine, a leather-and-wood interior and handling to rival a Ferrari. Plus of course everyone who sees you in it will assume you are a billionaire, or are married to Cheryl Cole. Just close your eyes and try not to think about the running costs...

Skoda Yeti Price guide: £13,000 Yes, it's not the sexiest car in the world, but it does look like a baby Range Rover (if you squint a little), and costs a fraction of its SUV/crossover peers. It's hugely practical, solidly built, drives well and tops owner satisfaction surveys. Most surprisingly it's also incredibly cheap to run in the smaller 1.2 TSI engine configuration it returns 44mpg, insurance group 3 and tax band F. Straight out of the showroom the lowliest Yeti sets you back just over £13,000. Which means if you do manage to fool the general public that you're in one of Land Rover's finest, you've just saved yourself over £30,000.

DOH!

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Friday, October 7, 2011

€44m arts centre shut in Spanish gallery glut

A dazzling €44 million (£37.7m) arts centre in the northern Spanish city of Avilés is to close after six months amid political squabbling as the country asks itself what to do with a glut of glittering new museums.

The Niemeyer centre, which was designed by the celebrated 103-year-old Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, was intended to have the same impact on the industrial Cantabrian sea port as the Guggenheim museum has had on Bilbao, 150 miles to the east.

As Spain tries to digest the museums and arts centres designed by world-famous architects during the boom years of public investment in culture of the past two decades, a new regional government has forced the centre to shut its doors for at least the next two months.

The last show, featuring a piece choreographed by flamenco dancer Maria Pagés, will be on Saturday. Recent sellouts at the centre included a Richard III directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey.

Several thousand people took to the streets on Sunday in a display of support for an arts centre that locals hoped would put the city on the global culture map. But the regional government of Asturias, which owns the buildings and part finances the centre, forced the closure, alleging "serious irregularities" in the accounts.

"Receipts and invoices needed to justify some of the spending are absent," said regional culture chief Emilio Marcos, who alleged that too much had been spent on hotels, trips and restaurants.

Administrators said they were "shocked and perplexed" by

the accusations, claiming the "very modest" €900,000 annual budget had been stretched a long way. "It has transformed the city, multiplying the number of tourists by four and acting as a spur for the local economy," they said.

Although politicians say the Niemeyer will not become an empty white elephant, its name can be added to a growing list of ambitious publicly-funded projects in Spain which have run into trouble.

They include not only arts centres and museums, but also airports and high-speed railway stations planned during the bonanza period before Spain's economy slumped three years ago.

Some have become burdens simply because they cost so much to maintain. The Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia recently highlighted a raft of small local theatres, libraries and other amenities that have closed because they are too expensive to run.

The Niemeyer brought in big names, though not always to do the things they are most famous for. Woody Allen came to play jazz, film director Julian Schnabel exhibited his Polaroids, while the actor Jessica Lange has shown her photographs. Critics claim that it has concentrated too much on celebrities, but the centre has proved a draw for locals and out-of-towners.

Among those protesting on Sunday were hoteliers and restaurateurs, who see the Niemeyer as a key driver for local business. "I believe the Niemeyer has become a first-class engine for the economy and we are not going to waste the things that give us wealth," mayoress Pilar Varela said.

SCOT, 65 DROWNS IN FUENGIROLA

A BRITISH man drowned in calm conditions in the Torreblanca area of Fuengirola while out swimming on Wednesday just after 3pm. It happened in the area known as ‘El Bote’ named after the merendero which used to be at the site next to the N340.

The 65-year-old Scot has not yet been named and was enjoying the water with a group of other bathers when he got into difficulties. He started to throw his arms around, according to witness reports.

He was brought to the shore by the other bathers where his wife was waiting but the witnesses report that he was dead by the time he reached the shore. Nobody present or the health professionals when they arrived could do anything to save the man.

The body was removed to the Anatomic Forensic Institute at about 5pm, where an autopsy will be carried out.

Sickening racist attack leaves man in a coma

A YOUNG black man has been left in a coma after a violent racist attack.

According to witnesses his attacker shouted racist obscenities at him before dragging him to the ground by his hair and hitting his head repeatedly on the pavement.

The 29-year-old victim from Senegal was taken to the Juan Ramon Jimenez Hospital, in Huelva, where he remains in intensive care with multiple injuries.

Police arrested a 33-year-old man – ARG – minutes afterwards. He has been arrested seven times before.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Toward the end of Sting´s 60th birthday bash at New York's Beacon Theatre, Bruce Springsteen took a moment from his set to joke about his friend. "I've known Sting for about 25 years," Springsteen said. "But our friendship is a little unusual, because every time I read about Sting in a magazine, I don't recognize him. I've read, 'Sting can make love for 29 hours.' I wonder why he never mentioned that to me. After four hours now, you're supposed to seek medical attention … Anyway, stay hard brother, stay hard."

Sting's 60th was full of surprises. The charity event (all proceeds went to the Robin Hood Foundation to fight poverty) featured a stacked lineup including Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Rufus Wainwright, Mary J. Blige and will.i.am – all covering Sting's songs joined by the man himself. "Sixty feels comfortable – I've always felt sort of old," he said early in the night. But most of the time, he looked boyishly ecstatic, whether grooving next to a moon-walking will.i.am. or sitting down on a riser to watch Herbie Hancock play a piano solo on "Sister Moon."

The setup was massive, with at least 20 musicians onstage including a string section and backup singers. Sting appropriately kicked off with "Englishman in New York," followed by "All This Time" "Seven Days" and the

HOT GOSSIP funky, slinky groove of "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free." He introduced will.i.am., fresh off headlining Central Park with the Black Eyed Peas over the weekend. Will.i.am reinvented "Walking on the Moon," freestyling and working in some lines from "I Gotta Feelin'" "Tonight's gonna be as a good night/ tonight's gonna be a special night.'" Afterward, he recalled being a kid in the projects, borrowing a friend's Police CD. "Now I'm onstage, singing with him on his birthday," he said triumphantly. Other duet highlights included Rufus Wainwright delivering a stellar "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and Sting's with his son Joe Sumner on an emotional "Why Should I Cry For

You?" about Sting's tough relationship with his father.

Billy Joel hasn't played a proper concert in two years, and he was last onstage when he played with Paul McCartney at Yankee Stadium in July, so it was good to see him back. He sounded great, taking a seat at the grand piano and nailing the high notes in "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me." After his set, though, he confusingly put his hands around his neck, mock-choking himself with his tongue out. He could've been implying he wasn't pleased with his performance, though everyone else was.

Next was Lady Gaga, who sat at the piano in sunglasses and a sparkly dress with extra-broad shoulders, rocking back and forth while howling a powerful take on the Police's "King of Pain."

Giving the same kind of vocal passion she gives on songs like "You and I," she made it truly sound like a Gaga song.

Next, Stevie Wonder walked center stage to sing a soulful "Fragile" with Sting (surprisingly, Wonder didn't play piano the entire night) "How do you follow that?" Sting asked the crowd. " But you can…"

GOLD JUKE BOX

Metallica and Lou Reed join forces with their new album ´The View´ "I am the root/I am the progress/I am the aggressor," James Hetfield bellows like vengeance itself in the thundering spaces between Lou Reed's dry, unpitying harangue, in this song of destructive passion from Lulu, the strange-bedfellows record of the year. The full album runs the gamut of Reed and Metallica´s respective extremes: his literary violence and love of drone, their wild-boy thrash and crushing power chords. But "The View" – with its crippled-march rhythm, sudden jump to double time and smeared-blues guitar outbursts

by Kirk Hammett – is an effective introduction to the logic of this collaboration. Metallica are as raw and punishing, in their Motörhead-loving way, as the original Velvet Underground, while the sadistic need in Reed's lyrics and you-dare-to-f***-with-me? voice, in this setting, are real doom metal. "Pain and evil have their place sitting here beside me," he sings, armed with the badass band to make you believe him.

Echoes of "Bruuuuce" rang through the Beacon. Sting left the stage and Springsteen emerged with his Fender.

Like Joel, he also hasn't been on the road in a while, but looked ready for action, beginning with a haunting cover of Sting's "I Hung my Head." A ballad about a man sentenced to death after accidentally shooting someone, it was quiet until Springsteen ripped into a blistering solo that became the night's peak. Next was a stirring, emotional "Fields of Gold," which he called one of his favourite Sting songs, performing solo with a 12-string guitar and harmonica, singing one verse entirely acapella as the house went quiet. Sting then joined him for a raucous "Can't Stand Losing You," as they roared into the same mic, leaning over each other.

How do you follow that? The entire cast soon joined Sting to trade lines on "Every Breath You Take," Gaga singing "Can't you see / You're the one for me" while pointing to a grinning Billy Joel.

Sting even kept going, with a solo acoustic "Message in a Bottle." He thought the night was over, but soon wife Trudie Styler appeared onstage in a tight dress, inviting dozens of Scottish bagpipers onstage, who played while confetti fell. Sting was visibly moved, and even as the crowd filed out and the stars left, the couple stayed onstage dancing. "Thank you a million times," he told the audience.

Lets see if you can win youself a TOP mystery prize from Lumsden Auctions POP QUIZ October 7 Welcome to the famous TKO Gold pop quiz! We sure did have some fun with last week’s questions.

All you have to do is take the first letter from each answer to find the name of a band or artist. Once you have found the key word listen in to Chris Ashley´s show on TKO Gold, Saturday mornings 9am – 12pm

1. Where did the lineman that Jim Webb wrote about come from.

2. With the News he sang about the Power Of Love.

3. See if you can SPOT this close harmony group from the 50s.

4. What type of transport did E.L.O. take to London & Gladys Knight to Georgia.

5. These siblings dated Susie, Cathy, Jenny, Claudette.

6. Dionne Warwick asked for directions to this city.

7. Who had one off a ton Red Balloons.

8. Morten, Mags & Pal...the group.

9. A Germanic power plant of a group.

10. Ian McCulloch was the lead singer in this band.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

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, 20 represents C and 7 represents X, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across 1 Charges (4) 4 Fulcrum (5) 9 Antic (5) 10 Infer (7) 11 Specimen (7) 12 Gentle poke (5) 13 Condemn to exile (6) 15 Being the cause (6) 18 Lift up (5) 20 Do away with (7) 23 Night (7) 24 Relating to the sun (5) 25 Herb (5) 26 Facet (4)

Last weeks Solution

Down 2 Interpret (7) 3 Undress (5) 4 Annoy persistently (6) 5 Gallery (7) 6 Attempted (5) 7 Hurt (4) 8 Quash (6) 13 Hairstylist (6) 14 Stipulate (7) 16 Experienced (7) 17 Mutilate (6) 19 Awkward (5) 21 Fertile spot in desert (5) 22 Solid (4)

Across: 1 Bides, 4 Chant, 8 Release, 9 Plaza, 10 Heart, 11 Sterile, 12 Archer, 14 Binged, 17 Scamper, 19 Sells, 21 Idiot, 22 Swindle, 23 Tongs, 24 Elegy.

Down: 1 Birthday suit, 2 Delta, 3 Startle, 4 Chess, 5 Ample, 6 Trading, 7 Haberdashery, 13 Chariot, 15 Inspire, 16 Crisis, 18 Piton, 20 Ledge.

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

CRYTPIC CLUES Across 1 Toast without tea but with a recipe will do for the Sunday meal (5) 4 Small birds break no ribs (6) 9 Abridge a version of a fighting force (7) 10 I’m past the stage of being adult (5) 11/13/18 It doesn’t cost anyone anything, but it’s a fight to get in (4,3,3) 12 The journalist has ice if in the building (7) 13 See 11 14 Eastern ruler returns from Crimea (4) 16 The first victim is in Rabelais’ book (4) 18 See 11 20 The king’s sons are not exactly little nippers (7) 21 Stupid person to be on drugs (4) 24 Play a doctor and a graduate (5) 25 High spirits when a toe nail is broken (7) 26 Second part finishes, but still hands over the money (6) 27 It’s time to become uptight (5) STANDARD CLUES

Across 1 Heat strongly (5) 4 Small songbird (6) 9 Military unit (7) 10 Adult insect (5) 11/13/18 Public brawl (4,3,3) 12 Building (7) 13 See 11 14 Asian ruler (4) 16 Cain’s brother (4) 18 See 11 20 Grasping tool (7) 21 Fool (4) 24 Play (5) 25 Delight (7) 26 Pays out (6) 27 Tight (5)

Down 1 Blunt refusal concerning Polish (6) 2 Tolerate a bride with no resistance (5) 3 Wood Kate ordered (4) 5 Find Gloria in novel (8) 6 Picture made from a Gemini (7) 7 Arranges football results (6) 8 Fed up with hesitation and delay (5) 13 Carte blanche for an unpaid employee (8) 15 Order chap on a social engagement (7) 17 Cards passed around (6) 18 The fool alien is a plus (5) 19 Can see it upset a spiritualist’s session (6) 22 It brings tears to your eyes on no one’s return (5) 23 Wish for pale tea (4)

Down 1 Spurn (6) 2 Remain (5) 3 Hard wood (4) 5 First (8) 6 Form a picture (7) 7 Marks (6) 8 Put off (5) 13 Freedom to do as you see fit (8) 15 Authorisation (7) 17 Broad-bladed digging tool (6) 18 Valuable quality (5) 19 Meeting of spiritualists (6) 22 Edible bulbous plant (5) 23 Desire (4)

Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Misled, 4 Rupee, 8 Sharp, 9 Secrete, 10 Extreme, 11 Cede, 12/18 Way out, 14 Zeus, 15 Omen, 21/4D Arms race, 23 Oversee, 25 Apostle, 26 Inane, 27 Sheer, 28 Detest.

Down: 1 Masses, 2 Startle, 3 Espresso, 5 Piece, 6 Eleven, 7 Askew, 13 Yosemite, 16 Ensnare, 17 Salads, 19 Totem, 20 Relent, 22 Moose, 24 Star.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Tea Hate Salad Ads Tee Heed Sense Aft Tom Leak Smith Ape Was Ocas Suite Ear Yen Pyre Tarts Eke 4 letter words Ramp 6 letter words Foe Afar Rely Caress Hoe Akin Rota Screen Lad Bawl Shot 7 letter words Lea Coca Stag Adrenal Leg Cope Tags Decided New Derv Tops 9 letter words Oak Drab Trod Alleviate Psi Drew Twos Rearrange Rag Drub 5 letter words 10 letter Ran Ease Byres words Red Elms Paras Plagiarise Sad Fees Reach Stewardess

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD Improve your Spanish - clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 1 Hierba (5) 4 To cough (5) 8 Aquarium (tank, building) (7) 9 That (more remote) (5) 10 Focas (zoológico) (5) 11 Cojín (almohadilla) (7) 12 Verano (estación calurosa) (6) 14 Palancas (barras) (6) 18 To know (someone) (7) 20 Paz (5) 22 Fear (terror) (5) 23 Walls (interior) (7) 24 Tallos (de flores) (5) 25 Madurar (fruta) (5)

Down 1 Vasos (para beber) (7) 2 Needle (for sewing) (5) 3 Southeast (7) 4 Trunk (tree) (6) 5 Asientos (muebles) (5) 6 Rutina (7) 7 Proyecto (intención) (4) 13 Monos (zoológico) (7) 15 To wait (7) 16 Hijastro (7) 17 Uvas (6) 18 Bed (furniture) (4) 19 Cerca (5) 21 Sumar (3,2)

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Friday, October 7, 2011 Across 1 Which Californian city was the title of a UK top four hit single in 1961 for the Temperance Seven? (8) 7 See 5 Down 8 Which member of The Eagles reached number 12 in the UK charts in 1985 with The Heat Is On? (5,4) 9 What name is given to a long, thin stole of feathers or fur worn around a woman’s neck, typically as part of evening dress? (3) 10 What name is given to the back of a person’s neck? (4) 11 What is the name of Del Boy Trotter’s younger brother in Only Fools And Horses? (6) 13 Andy who achieved fame for a series of silk-screen prints and acrylic paintings of familiar objects such as Campbell’s soup tins and celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe? (6) 14 Which city in NE Texas is noted as a centre of the oil industry? (6) 17 What was the name of the Lone Ranger’s horse? (6) 18 See 13 Down 20 What name is given to the raised hairs, threads, or similar small projections on the surface of fabric or suede leather? (3) 22 Which Greek dramatist’s most notable plays were Antigone and Oedipus Rex? (9) 23 Which is the third planet out from the Sun? (5) 24 Pt is the chemical symbol for which precious silverywhite metal? (8) Down 1 What name is given to a person holding religious beliefs

SUDOKU

Quiz Word

other than those of the main world religions? (5) 2 In which 1973 Woody Allen film is a store owner deep frozen after an operation and wakes 200 years in the future? (7)

3 Which adjective means ‘disagreeably damp, cold, and musty’? (4) 4 Which adjective means ‘limited in extent, amount, or scope’? (6) 5/7A Who was the captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup? (5,5) 6 Which country in eastern Europe, whose capital, Minsk, is also known as White Russia? (7) 7 To what did Burma change its name in 1989? (7) 12 Which highly seasoned Hungarian soup or stew of meat and vegetables, is flavoured with paprika? (7) 13/18 What was the name of the Indian reservation in South Dakota, where, on December 29, 1890, more than 200 Sioux men, women, and children were massacred by US troops? (7,4) 15 Which fatty substance found naturally on sheep’s wool is extracted and used as a base for ointments? (7) 16 What is the American term for a person with whom one becomes friendly by exchanging letters, especially someone in a foreign country whom one has never met? (3,3) 17 What name is given to a small fiery particle thrown off from a fire, alight in ashes, or produced by striking together two hard surfaces such as stone or metal? (5) 19 The Derby and Oaks horse races are both held on which Surrey racecourse? (5) 21 Which painful inflammation of the big toe and foot is caused by defects in uric acid metabolism? (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH CARNE – MEAT

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

(Answers below)

SPORTS QUIZ 1. in tenpin bowling, what name is given to the act of knocking down all the pins with the 2 balls of a single frame?

2. What Is The Longest Athletics Race In The Olympic Games?

3. Which football team plays at the Field Mill Ground ?

4. In what sport did Jeffery Archer win an Oxford Blue?

5. Which piece of horse racing equipment was used fir the first time in the UK during the Chesterfield Stakes at Newmarket 6. California Dolls Is An 80's Movie Comedy About Which Sport?

7. Football Club did Alex Ferguson manage, before joining Manchester United?

8. which 2 athletics running events do not take place on a track? (PFE)?

9. Which animal is on top of rugby's Calcutta Cup? 10. For Which Sport Is Peter Allis A Noted TV Commentator?

11. What Do The Opposite Sides Of A Standard Dice Always Total?

1. Spare 2. 50 Km Walking Race 3. Manfield Town 4.

Athletics 5. Starting Stalls 6. Wrestling 7. Aberdeen 8. cross country & marathon 9. Elephant 10. Golf 11. 7

ANSWERS

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Wordsolution Across: 1/11 Sherlock Holmes, 7 Viper, 8 Boy George, 9 Etc, 10 Erie, 13 Sampan, 14 Jerboa, 17 Albany, 18 Glut, 20 Rum, 22 Tom Cruise, 23 Knees.

Down: 1 Sable, 2 Elysium, 3 Lien, 4 Cursor, 5 Ypres, 6 Dracula, 7 Vermeer, 12 Gambits, 13/24 Starsky and Hutch, 15 Bullitt, 16 Gnomon, 17 Amber, 19 Teeth, 21 Arch.

16.

17.

18.

20.

sesos, codorniz, faisán, 19. pollo, pavo.

a. veal, b. tongue, c. pheasant, d. turkey, e. steak, f. tripe, g. roast, h. brains,

i. quail, j. chicken, k. beef, l. marrow, m. liver, n. lamb, o. mincemeat, p. rib roast, q. smoked, r. tenderloin, s. chop, t. back ribs.

Answers: 1e, 2k, 3o, 4r, 5p, 6t, 7a, 8g, 9s, 10n, 11q, 12m, 13l, 14b, 15f, 16h, 17i, 18c, 19j, 20d.

1. bistec, 2. vacuno, 3. carne-picada, 4. lomo, 5. chuletón, 6. costillar, 7. ternera, 8. asado, 9. chuleta, 10. cordero, 11. ahumado, 12. higado, 13. médula, 14. lengua, 15. tripa,

F EAAO R E D R O C C R T B AHUMADO CVPDDVOOMHEAQET ASADO BANAS C LD U E LP V R V LS P C V LO LALD LQ N D BISTEC E O R I O O E D I M S U Q EA N S Z P R T H T O O U I L R V CARNE-PICADA G E N EAT S T C R H H LAO CHULETA USHNLOMOEWNZANM CHULETON AF J R C D N B T C F I U V F Q O DASAE W S K M C ZAF CODORNIZ J G F C Q N U Y I JAQ I V C CORDERO C H U LE T O N B V R S Z I C H I W X X T B H I GAD O E S COSTILLAR R J D I I B NAD N O S W R V FAISAN F Q V H J O W U J O G T I M K Soduko

Span - Eng

Quizword

HIGADO LENGUA LOMO MEDULA PAVO POLLO SESOS TERNERA TRIPA VACUNO Fill It In

34

Friday, October 7, 2011

Horoscopes

By Pandora Aries March 21 - April 19 Commenting on a nearby person's "peaches" may not go down too well today. Avoid all sexy language in your lunch break. Today might be tiring, but you will sleep easy this evening once everything has died down.

High time my partner came clean Dear Rose, I love my partner dearly but I can't cope with his aversion to soap and water and clean clothing.

He wasn't like this when I first knew him. He lives in my house and helps with the bills but I hate him being in my bed because, quite frankly, he smells.

The idea of sex with him is abhorrent for the same reason. I've tried dropping hints and also being direct - but nothing works. I don't want to ask him to leave but I will have to if he can't respect me enough to spend five minutes in the shower. He has enough time to spend four hours a day at the pub while I'm working. Any suggestions?

RM Dear RM. It's hard living with anyone whose personal hygiene isn't good enough.

It's not only offensive to the nose, it can be a health hazard and it can certainly spell death to intimacy.

You've tried to tackle this without a positive response from your partner. You might try assertiveness once more. ''I love you but right now I don't want to be near you because you smell unpleasant.

Please will you have a good wash and put some clean clothes on?'' may do the trick.

Equally, It may not.

Alternatively, you may ask him what the problem is because you can't help noticing he's been reluctant to have a shower and wear clean clothes.

Perhaps between the two of you, you can come up with a solution. This problem solving approach could be viewed as supportive.

You could suggest having a sexy shower together. You could tell him on any given night, ''I'd love to sleep with you on another occasion but right now I don't want to because you smell dirty. Will you sleep in the spare room/on the sofa if you won’t have a good wash?'' And stick to your guns, politely.

If at the end of a week of these tactics he still

l

Taurus April 20 - May 20 In all my time I've never had anyone like you reading my horoscopes - you are bedevilled, a hustler of reputation. You are not wanted here. Repetition may annoy you today as someone close by tells you the same damned story over and over again.

Gemini May 21 - June 20 Post-it note your entire life and you can become some kind of local hero. You're almost certainly to star on the local news.

If you pick yourself up by your shoe-strings you are likely to fall flat on your bum.

Cancer June 21 - July 22 hasn't addressed the issue constructively, you may have to give an ultimatum.

If you have a problem Romany Rose can help you with, email her at office@thecourier.es

Can I claim A son under half of his the thumb lottery win? I bought my lovely Dear Rose, Could you help? My husband and I lead separate lives but are still in the same house as we cannot afford to split completely.

Last week he won £10,000 on the lottery and refuses to give me half.

Can I legally challenge this?

BRENDA, QUESADA. Well Brenda, What a lucky man! I am sorry to tell you I contacted the National Lottery to pose your question and they said your husband is not legally obliged to give you any.

This seems very mean to me but then I don't know what type of relationship you now have. I think in future you should buy your own ticket and if you win £100,000 you can tell him what you think of him.

l

home in Spain three years ago and spend as much time as I can here. I have a son who is married with two children who I simply adore. They are girls aged three and six.

They have only visited once since we purchased the property and my daughter-in-law refused to stay with us so we had to rent a separate house for them.

The children would dearly love to come here and often ask about it.

I feel so sad when I see others with their grandchildren on the beach and at the pool.

My daughter-in-law has my son strictly under the thumb and he seems to have very little input with regards to decisions about holidays (or anything else for that matter).

Please help me as my heart is breaking and I have no idea what to do.

GRACE, LO PEPIN.

l

Dear Grace. I was so sad to receive your heartfelt letter. This is a very difficult problem for me to answer as I do not know the past history between yourself and your daughter-in-law.

Why does she despise you so much?

It seems like this situation has been going on for some years and is getting worse. The obvious thing for me to say is that you must gird your loins and talk to her about it, however, I know this is easier said than done. If this is impossible then you will have to talk to your son and tell him how you feel and what it is doing to you.

Until the girls are older and can make their own minds I can't see what you can do.

I am so sorry I cannot help you more but hope you will be able to talk to them and that some sort of solution can be found.

All my best wishes, Rose.

All your wishes can come true if you're willing to briefly take on a life of crime. Oil in your lamp may keep you burning till the break of day. Or it could spill over and set fire to your new shoes. All your better ideas have already been stolen and used in the past.

Leo July 23 - August 22 The loony-left is a phrase that you quite like. Nutrition will play a major part of your life for the next week. If your name is Juliet, keep off the red wine this week as you might wake up and find you have a ruptured achilles.

Virgo August 23 - September 22 Death can stalk you in all forms, even cute little pussy cats and slugs. Beware of all cats who have slugs attached to their backs. To the rest of the world, you are like brine shrimp. Fun, but ultimately useless and short lived.

Libra September 23 - October 22 Remember that water dissolves alien beasts and some witches. Do you really want to be drinking 8 glasses a day with that track record? Dandruff and bad breath is not the best way to ward off unwanted advances.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21 Pull out of any prior engagements tonight as you are about to receive a special unexpected visitor. Pretending to pick fleas off a new member of staff may seem appealing, but the gag may be on you if you actually find some.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21 Everywhere you go you seem to run into trouble - try not to mess up your life by falling into any kind of trap. In biscuits one can find sweet, sweet redemption. Especially when soaked in Rum. God may try to speak to you today through a kitchen appliance.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19 The legend of the baked bean may trouble you today as last night's meal tries to catch up with last week's. When asked if you're OK today, you may feel tempted to respond with physical violence.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18 You may find at some point this week that you are suddenly thought of as being moliminous, although how much this is to do with the fact that you'll be carrying a very large loaded gun, is up for debate

Pisces February 19 - March 20 When things are looking down, sit yourself down on the nearest swivelling chair and spin. If that doesn't raise a smile, then I'm all out of ideas. Your favourite sources of protein may dry up later tomorrow, so remember to eat lots of eggs RIGHT NOW!

Friday, October 7, 2011

35

TRELI ON THE TELLY GET YOUR MONEY ON A CURRIE TAKEAWAY!

I SERIOUSLY believed that Halloween had arrived early last Saturday night, when I saw two witches prancing around on BBC1.

It sadly had nothing to do with the return of ‘Merlin’ - it was the first weekend of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ with celebrity contenders Edwina Currie and Nancy Dell’Olio.

Currie looked like a dead ringer for Glenn Close’s portrayal of Cruella De Vil in ‘101 Dalmatians’, as she stamped around like a constipated hippopotamus.

Then poor old Anton du Beke, having barely recovered from last year’s Ann Widdecombe experience, found himself partnering the self-styled wrinkling Italian sex siren Dell’Olio.

Nancy set a new low-score record, though I’m sure her exlover, football manager Sven Goran Eriksson, would have graded her higher in other departments.

No fear, though. She won’t get voted out this weekend, as Edwina Currie has a likeability level akin to Frank Foster on ‘Coronation Street’. And that may be doing him a major disservice.

I was also seriously concerned by the look of co-presenter Tess Daly, who appeared to have been treated at the Leslie Ash Botox Clinic. Her red lips seemed to pout larger at times than Russell Grant’s beer gut, and I had to make regular use of my remote control to adjust the colour levels.

I’m sure Sir Bruce Forsyth must have given her a specially adapted rendition of his ‘Nice to see you’ catchphrase behind the scenes, perhaps sponsored by Max Factor.

What was Louis Walsh taking when he put the wacky Chinese lady, Goldie Cheung, into his final four during last weekend’s ‘X Factor’ judge’s house programmes?

with ALEX TRELINSKI

I’m convinced that even Simon Cowell’s glove puppet, the wooden Sinitta, thought the Irishman had gone ‘Loony Tunes’, but luckily Goldie had the sense to pull out, and the vastly superior Sam Brookes was reinstated.

It doesn’t matter anyway, as it’s going to be a straight battle between Kelly’s girls and Gary’s boys.

How many times can I say the word brilliant without boring you to death? It’s been remiss of me not to mention ITV 1’s ‘Downton Abbey’ which is now three episodes into it’s second series. Showered with awards at the recent American Emmys but shunned by the stupid farts at BAFTA last spring, ‘Downton’ is a priceless example of perfect TV drama, which has been sold to 100 countries.

There is just so much going on in Julian Fellowes’ wonderful script and new characters like Amy Nuttall’s ambitious

LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS 15 Emilia Greenleaf (Natalie Portman) is the young wife of successful attorney Jack (Scott Cohen), struggling to prove herself to 8year-old stepson William (Charlie Tahan) and the doubting naysayers around her. Little by little, via flashback, the prickly circumstances that have led her to her present are filled in. Once an ambitious assistant at Jack's law firm, she quickly met and fell in love with her married boss. She never meant to be a home wrecker, Jack assured her his marriage to Carolyn (Lisa Kudrow)

CAST: Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Charlie Tahan, Scott Cohen DIRECTOR: Don Roos RUNNING TIME: 119 min.

GENRE: Drama, Comedy RATING: 3.5/5 was on its last leg anyway, but that's what she became all the same. Just as Emilia and Jack embarked on their new life together, tragedy struck when their three-day-old daughter Isabel passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Eight months later, Emilia is still floundering, faced with caring for a stepson she continues to make mistakes with and a bitter Carolyn whom

she can't seem to please. If there is any hope in finding her place in a world far harsher than she ever expected it to be, she first must come to terms with the troubling events surrounding her newborn's death that she has kept

locked within herself.

"Love And Other Impossible Pursuits" traverses familiar terrain— think of it as a cross between 2010's "Rabbit Hole" and 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer"—but doesn't come off as derivative.

Hitting upon several domestic hot-button topics without turning into a soap opera or a message film, the movie strikes honest chords time and

This dvd review was brought to you by MOVING MOVIES - OVER 7000 DVDS IN STOCK. Delivering all over Spain and the UK Visit www.movingmovies.biz Tel 650 751 072 or email movingmoviesdvds@gmail.com

maid, Ethel, have settled in just fine. As soon as Maggie Smith appears as the Dowager Countess, you are never disappointed with the great one-liners she gets. It’s very much akin to the much-missed Blanche Hunt on ‘Corrie’, which suggests that Fellowes might be a fan of events in Weatherfield.

There’s something for everybody, like the panto villains Thomas and O’Brien - and you can’t help liking the good-guy, John Bates, beautifully played by Brendan Coyle. He reminds me constantly of how much I’ll miss him and the rest of the cast of ’Lark Rise to Candleford’.

I will say it just once again. Brilliant - and there’s a Christmas Special on the way, along with a third series!

I’ve never quite been able to work out the fascination with dinosaurs on TV, short of the fact that they scare the wits out of me from documentaries like ‘Living with Dinosaurs’ through to the fun and games of ITV’s drama, ‘Primeval’.

Now the movie dinosaur king, Steven Spielberg, has brought a small screen version of ‘Jurassic Park’ to international viewers. Called ‘Terra Nova’, it premiered with two episodes on Sky One on Monday night.

The storyline is a hybrid of ‘Lost’ and ’Avatar’, with a group of people able to go back in time to re-build civilisation which in the year 2149 is in a bit of an environmental mess. No surprise there, then.

So we get a mixture of humans of all ages, and some rather good CGI with the dinosaurs, and the baddie from Avatar, Stephen Lang, holding it all together. I quite liked it, but if they had spent as much on ironing out the clichés from the script, as on the special effects budget, then it would have been a more satisfying viewing experience.

Perhaps I’m being a bit too picky as it was an enjoyable enough ride, but some good storylines will be essential in the long run to keep the interest going. Unless, of course, Edwina Currie makes a guest appearance as an overweight pterodactyl. again. Writer-director Don Roos never loses sight of Emilia as the one worth following, carrying her and her fervid quandaries to a conclusion that feels natural and satisfying.

Sometimes it's not about solving one's problems, but about making peace with what cannot be changed.

That " Love And Other Impossible Pursuits" understands this, not only in regards to Emilia but also extending ters, is particularly revealto the rest of the charac- ing and unusually wise.

36

Friday

7th October

00:35 This Week 01:20 Holiday Weatherview 01:25 All Work and Low Pay Panorama 01:55 Countryfile 02:55 Antiques Roadshow 03:55 Food Fighters 04:40 Antiques Road Trip 05:25 Newsday 05:30 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Helicopter Heroes 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Celebrity MasterChef 16:00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News 16:05 Natural Born Hunters 16:35 Wingin' It 17:00 Dick & Dom Go Wild 17:30 Planet Dinosaur Files 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Celebrity MasterChef 22:00 Outnumbered 22:30 Would I Lie to You? 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Come Fly with Me

00:20 01:55 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00

Adulthood HARDtalk Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Secondary Schools: Some

Dogs Bite 06:30 The Making of Some Dogs Bite 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Outback 8 08:30 Trust Me I'm a Genie 08:40 Leon 08:45 Pet Squad 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Trapped 09:30 Green Balloon Goes on Holiday 09:55 Dirtgirlworld 10:05 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:15 Chuggington: Badge Quest 10:35 Raa Raa the Noisy Lion 10:45 Nuzzle & Scratch 11:05 Get Squiggling!

11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 The Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 13:55 Coast 14:00 Diagnosis Murder 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Wanted Down Under 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 The Culture Show 21:00 Gardeners' World 21:30 Autumnwatch Live 22:30 Autumnwatch Unsprung 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 71 Degrees North 01:30 The Zone 01:35 ITV News Headlines 03:35 British Touring Car Championship Highlights 04:50 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 ITV Morning News 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 Meridian News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 There's No Taste Like Home 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight and Weather 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Love Your Garden 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 DCI Banks 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 Alexander

WOULD I LIE TO YOU? David Mitchell is joined by comic actor Greg Davies and TV presenter Konnie Huq, while Lee Mack teams up with former cricketer Phil Tufnell and comedian Marcus Brigstocke, as the comedy panel show hosted by Rob Brydon continues. The two teams compete with each player revealing unusual facts and embarrassing personal tales for the consideration of the opposing team. Some of these are true; some are not, and panellists’ task is to decide which is which.

00:05 Random Acts 00:10 Fighting on the Frontline 01:10 The Film Show 01:40 4Play: Duke Spirit 01:55 Embarrassing Bodies 02:50 Southland 03:40 Can You Trust Your Doctor?: Dispatches 04:35 Hill Street Blues 05:25 Countdown 06:10 Cookery School 07:05 Sali Mali 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Supernanny USA 10:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 11:55 Help! My House Is Falling Down 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Three in a Bed USA 14:00 Channel 4 Presents - Jonnie Peacock 14:05 Cloak and Dagger 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Coach Trip 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:30 Unreported World 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Come Dine with Me 22:00 The Million Pound Drop Live 23:30 8 Out of 10 Cats

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 05:00 County Secrets 05:10 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:55 Rough Guide to Weekend Breaks 06:10 HouseBusters 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Roary the Racing Car 07:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 07:35 Elmo's World 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Music Box 08:00 Little Princess 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:25 Thomas & Friends 08:40 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Ordinary Miracles 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Pawn Stars 21:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 22:00 Big Brother: Live Eviction 23:00 The Bachelor

37

Saturday 8th October

00:05 Mrs Brown's Boys 00:35 The National Lottery Friday Night Draws 00:45 MOBOs Highlights 2011 02:15 Stark Raving Mad 03:50 Weatherview 03:55 Question Time 04:55 Newswatch 05:00 BBC News 05:30 British Olympic Dreams 06:00 Formula 1: The Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying 08:30 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:15 Football Focus 14:00 Formula 1: The Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying 15:15 A Question of Sport 15:45 Don't Scare the Hare 16:20 Flubber 17:45 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:05 Celebrity MasterChef 19:05 Strictly Come Dancing 21:05 Merlin 21:50 The National Lottery: Secret Fortune 22:40 Casualty 23:30 BBC News; Weather 23:50 Outnumbered

00:00 00:45 00:50 01:50 03:05 04:05 04:30 04:45

The Review Show Weather Later with Jools Holland Tadpole The Culture Show BBC News Click Newswatch

05:00 Close 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Roar 08:30 Arthur 08:55 Dennis and Gnasher 09:05 Pixelface 09:35 Splatalot 10:00 Live 'n' Deadly 11:00 Who Let the Dogs Out? 11:30 I Want My Own Room 12:00 Deadly Art 12:15 Richard Hammond's Blast Lab 12:40 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 The Sky at Night 13:20 The Gay Divorce 15:00 The Importance of Being Earnest 16:35 The Great British Bake Off Masterclass 17:35 Escape to the Country 18:20 Flog It! 19:20 A History of Ancient Britain 20:20 A Tribute to David Croft 20:30 'Allo 'Allo!

21:00 Are You Being Served?

21:30 Dad's Army 22:00 QI XL 22:45 How the World Got Mixed Up

02:35 The Zone 02:36 ITV News Headlines and Weather 04:40 House of Wax 06:30 Live Rugby World Cup 09:00 Live Rugby World Cup 12:15 ITV News and Weather 12:24 Meridian Weather 12:25 Coronation Street 14:45 The X Factor 16:00 Britain Does the Funniest Things 17:00 Rugby World Cup Highlights 18:00 Meridian News and Weather 18:15 ITV News and Weather 18:30 New You've Been Framed!

19:00 All Star Family Fortunes 20:00 Harry Hill's TV Burp 20:30 The X Factor 23:00 The Jonathan Ross Show

HARRY HILLS TV BURP

Harry Hill’s TV Burp is back with his regular review of the week's small-screen highlights, promising soap spoofs, reality show send-ups and the odd fight or two - and with Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor back on the box, he will have plenty of primetime material to work with.

00:05 Random Acts 00:10 Chris Addison: My Funniest Year 02:10 Wretch 32's Arthur's Day Diary 02:25 On Track 02:50 Super Saturday 04:20 The Real Housewives of New Jersey 05:05 Accidentally on Purpose 05:30 Countdown 06:15 Cookery School 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Film Show 08:00 Superbike World Championship 2011 08:25 British GT Championship 2011 08:50 Channel 4 Presents - Nathan Stephens 'The Sharp End' 08:55 The Morning Line 09:50 The Crush 10:25 Smallville 11:20 Made in Chelsea 12:25 Rihanna: Live at V Festival 12:55 The Big Bang Theory 13:25 The Big Bang Theory 13:55 The Simpsons 14:25 Road to London 2012: That Paralympic Show 14:55 Channel 4 Racing 17:25 Come Dine with Me 19:55 Channel 4 News 20:25 4thought.tv 20:30 Star Trek 23:00 The Million Pound Drop Live

00:00 Big Brother: The Eviction Interview 00:30 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:15 SuperCasino 05:05 Motorsport Mundial 05:30 Nick's Quest 05:55 Rough Guide to Islands 06:00 County Secrets 06:10 HouseBusters 06:25 County Secrets 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:40 Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs 07:50 Elmo's World 08:05 The Save-Ums! 08:20 Noddy in Toyland 08:40 Hana's Helpline 08:55 Little Princess 09:05 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Olivia 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:40 Animal Families 11:00 The Gadget Show 12:00 New Highland Emergency 12:30 Big Brother: The Eviction 13:30 Big Brother: The Eviction Interview 14:00 Battle of the Bulge 16:55 Gunfight in Black Horse Canyon 18:40 Clash of the Titans 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 NCIS 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Big Brother

38

Sunday 9th October 00:20 Ask Rhod Gilbert

00:15 Skin 02:00 Later with Jools Holland 03:00 Curdled Highlander: the Source 04:25 Close Weatherview 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess BBC News 07:20 The Pingu Show Dateline London 07:35 Little Charley Bear BBC News 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Roar Our World 08:30 Arthur BBC News 08:55 Dennis and Gnasher Click 09:05 Junior MasterChef 09:35 Wingin' It BBC News 10:00 Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind The Record Europe Up Formula 1: The Japanese 11:00 Something for the Weekend 12:30 The Great British Bake Off Prix - Live 13:30 EastEnders The Andrew Marr Show 15:25 The Man Who Would Be King Sunday Morning Live 17:30 Rugby League Country Tracks 18:30 James May's Things You Need to Know The Politics Show 19:00 Dragons' Den: How to Win in the Escape to the Country Den Bargain Hunt 20:00 Top Gear Formula 1: The Japanese 21:00 City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri Prix 22:00 Fry's Planet Word Planet Dinosaur 23:00 Milk Points of View

00:55 The Football League Show 01:35 02:55 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 Grand 10:10 11:10 12:10 13:10 14:10 15:10 15:40 Grand 17:40 18:10

18:25 Songs of Praise 19:00 BBC News; Regional News and

00:00 ITV News and Weather 00:14 Meridian Weather 00:15 Pale Rider 02:15 The Zone 02:15 ITV News Headlines 03:20 Tremors 04:55 Heist 05:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 Live Rugby World Cup 09:00 Live Rugby World Cup 12:10 ITV News and Weather 12:14 Meridian Weather 12:15 WarGames 14:20 The X Factor 16:50 Downton Abbey 18:05 Rugby World Cup Highlights 19:05 Meridian News and Weather 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 Harry Hill's TV Burp 20:00 Holding Out for a Hero 21:00 The X Factor 22:00 Downton Abbey 23:15 That Sunday Night Show 23:45 ITV News and Weather 23:59 Meridian Weather

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

Weather 19:25 Countryfile 20:25 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 Spooks 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 U2: From the Sky Down

Three more people take part in the quiz show, hoping to raise a large sum for someone they consider to be a hero - while holding their nerve as they answer a series of questions. Tonight's contestants nominate charities the Chyrelle Addams Breast Cancer Trust, Horseback UK and BulliesOut. Gethin Jones hosts.

00:20 8 Out of 10 Cats Uncut 01:10 Rude Tube 02:05 Comedy Showcase: Fun Police 02:35 Udaan 05:00 My Friend Michael Sniff 05:05 What's Fufu?

05:10 This Is J03 05:15 Accidentally on Purpose 05:35 Hill Street Blues 06:25 Countdown 07:10 The Treacle People 07:20 The Hoobs 08:10 Stockton River Rat Race 08:40 European Wheelchair Fencing Championships 2011 09:05 Channel 4 Presents - Liz Johnson 'Into the Blue' 09:10 One Tree Hill 09:55 Hollyoaks 12:25 Johnny English Reborn: T4 Movie Special 13:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:30 Romancing the Stone 15:30 The Simpsons 16:35 Deal or No Deal 17:35 Grand Designs 18:35 Channel 4 News 19:05 4thought.tv 19:10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 22:00 Fighting on the Frontline 23:00 Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

00:00 Extraordinary People: The 8Limbed Boy 01:00 SuperCasino 05:00 The FBI Files 05:50 Rough Guide to Adventures 06:05 Hana's Helpline 06:15 The Milkshake! Show 06:40 Thomas & Friends 06:50 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs 07:50 Elmo's World 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:15 The Save-Ums! 08:30 Make Way for Noddy 08:45 Hana's Helpline 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Olivia 10:10 The Mr Men Show 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:45 Animal Families 11:00 The Beat Goes On 12:00 Big Brother 13:00 Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen 14:00 The Hotel Inspector 15:00 The Goonies 17:10 Monster House 18:55 Groundhog Day 21:00 5 News Weekend 21:05 Warship 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Rush Hour

39

Monday 10th October

00:55 U2 at Glastonbury 2011 01:55 Weatherview 02:00 A Farmer's Life for Me 03:00 Holby City 04:00 Windfarm Wars 05:00 Newsday 05:30 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Helicopter Heroes 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Celebrity MasterChef 16:00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News 16:05 Natural Born Hunters 16:35 Wingin' It 17:00 Dick & Dom Go Wild 17:30 Blue Peter 17:30 Shaun the Sheep 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fake Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 BNP: The Fraud Exposed - Panorama 22:00 Motorway Cops 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 A Question of Sport

01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00

Mock the Week Never Mind the Buzzcocks Newsday Reporters Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday

04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Close 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Outback 8 08:30 Trust Me I'm a Genie 08:45 Pet Squad 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Trapped 09:30 Mr Bloom's Nursery 09:50 Dirtgirlworld 10:00 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:15 Driver Dan's Story Train 10:35 Raa Raa the Noisy Lion 10:45 Nuzzle & Scratch 11:05 Get Squiggling!

11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 The Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Diagnosis Murder 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Wanted Down Under 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 A History of Ancient Britain 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Home Cooking Made Easy 22:00 Twincredibles 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight

00:00 Missing Millions 01:00 Premiership Rugby Union 01:55 The Zone 03:00 Motorsport UK 03:50 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 ITV Morning News 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 Meridian News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 There's No Taste Like Home 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Little England 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Doc Martin 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 Exposure: Heart Hospital

TWINCREDIBLES The genetic phenomenon of black and white parents who have twins of differing skin colour, meeting five pairs of siblings to see how they are affected and how the world views them. They include James and Daniel, who grew up in southeast London, where it was the whiter-looking Daniel who suffered racial abuse, and 11-year-old Glaswegian sisters Ebony and Moesha, who have proved to be very different in character.

01:10 The Big Bang Theory 01:35 The Big Bang Theory 02:00 Channel 4 Presents - Lee Pearson 'The Colour Gold' 02:05 American Football Live 05:45 Ironman 70.3 Ireland 06:15 Grudge Match 06:25 Countdown 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:00 Supernanny USA 10:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 12:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 The Restoration Man 14:00 Planet of the Apes 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal Live 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Britain's Rubbish: Dispatches 22:00 Embarrassing Bodies 23:00 Rude Tube

01:05 Ultimate Police Interceptors 01:55 SuperCasino 04:50 The FBI Files 05:40 Divine Designs 06:05 Hana's Helpline 06:15 The Milkshake! Show 06:40 Thomas & Friends 06:50 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Roary the Racing Car 07:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 07:35 Elmo's World 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Music Box 08:00 Little Princess 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:25 Thomas & Friends 08:35 Milkshake! Monkey 08:40 Noddy in Toyland 08:55 Mio Mao 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Generation Gap 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Celebrity Wish List 21:00 The Gadget Show 22:00 The Hotel Inspector 23:00 Big Brother

40

Tuesday 11th October

00:05 Spooks 01:05 The Anderson Tapes 02:45 Weatherview 02:50 The Great British Bake Off 03:50 The Body Farm 04:50 Reel History of Britain 05:20 Newsday 05:30 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Helicopter Heroes 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Celebrity MasterChef 16:00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News 16:05 Sofa Surfers 16:35 Wingin' It 17:00 Hotel Trubble 17:30 Blue Peter 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 The Body Farm 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Me, My Sex & I

00:20 01:20 02:05 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30

Fry's Planet Word Damages Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today E20 Who Are We?

06:10 BBC Primary History 06:30 BBC Primary History 06:50 BBC Primary History 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Outback 8 08:30 Trust Me I'm a Genie 08:40 Leon 08:45 Pet Squad 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Trapped 09:30 Mr Bloom's Nursery 09:50 Dirtgirlworld 10:00 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:15 Driver Dan's Story Train 10:15 Chuggington: Badge Quest 10:35 Charlie and Lola 10:45 Nuzzle & Scratch 11:05 Get Squiggling!

11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 The Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 World Gymnastics Championships 16:00 Wanted Down Under 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Coast 20:30 Match of the Day Live 23:00 Later Live - with Jools Holland 23:30 Newsnight 23:30 Weather

00:35 That Sunday Night Show 01:05 Wildlife Patrol 01:30 The Zone 03:35 Champions League Weekly 04:00 ITV Nightscreen 05:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 06:30 ITV Morning News 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 Meridian News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 There's No Taste Like Home 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Mayday Mayday 21:00 High Stakes 22:00 71 Degrees North 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 DCI Banks

THE BODY FARM The team is called in to examine the body of a human rights lawyer, burnt to death at his home. The victim's son is convinced his father was murdered by an asylum seeker who he failed to acquit on an assault charge, although there is no proof the fire was started deliberately. But a reconstruction back at the lab, burning one of the farm's bodies, soon brings fresh evidence to light. Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood), Tim McInnerny (Blackadder) and Ralph Ineson (The Office) guest star.

00:05 Fresh Meat 00:55 Random Acts 01:00 Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters 02:00 Late Night Poker 02:55 Harud 04:35 Without a Trace 05:30 Hill Street Blues 06:20 Cookery School 07:15 The Hoobs 07:40 The Hoobs 08:05 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Supernanny USA 10:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 12:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 The Restoration Man 14:05 Doctor at Large 16:05 Channel 4 Presents - Jonnie Peacock 'Speed' 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal Live 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Gok's Clothes Roadshow: Get the Look for Less 22:00 Mary Queen of Frocks 23:00 Shameless

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 Ultimate Emergency Bikers 01:55 SuperCasino 04:55 County Secrets 05:10 Grey's Anatomy 05:55 Rough Guide to Activity Holidays 06:10 HouseBusters 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Roary the Racing Car 07:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 07:35 Elmo's World 07:50 Peppa Pig 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 The Mr Men Show 08:30 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Undercover Angel 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Real Food Family Cook Off 21:00 Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen 22:00 CSI: Miami 23:00 Big Brother

41

Wednesday 12th October

00:25 City by the Sea 02:10 Weatherview 02:15 Village SOS 03:15 Reel History of Britain 03:45 Reel History of Britain 04:15 Windfarm Wars 05:15 Newsday 05:30 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Helicopter Heroes 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Celebrity MasterChef 16:00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News 16:05 Sofa Surfers 16:35 Wingin' It 17:00 Hotel Trubble 17:30 Serious Explorers: Raleigh 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Waterloo Road 21:30 Planet Dinosaur 22:00 Who Do You Think You Are? 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Ask Rhod Gilbert

00:20 01:20 02:20 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45

Twincredibles Damages Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today

05:00 Witness: Immigration UK 06:00 The First Black Britons 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Outback 8 08:30 Trust Me I'm a Genie 08:40 Leon 08:45 Pet Squad 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Trapped 09:30 Mr Bloom's Nursery 09:50 Dirtgirlworld 10:00 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:15 Driver Dan's Story Train 10:35 Charlie and Lola 10:40 Nuzzle & Scratch 11:00 Get Squiggling!

11:15 Zingzillas 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 See Hear 14:30 World Gymnastics Championships 16:00 Wanted Down Under 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 A History of Ancient Britain 21:00 All Roads Lead Home 22:00 Dragons' Den: How to Win in the Den 23:00 Rab C Nesbitt 23:30 Newsnight 23:30 Weather

00:35 Billy Connolly's Route 66 01:30 The Zone 01:35 ITV News Headlines 03:35 Columbo: A Matter of Honor 04:55 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 ITV Morning News 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 Meridian News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 There's No Taste Like Home 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:00 Weather 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 Cops with Cameras

SOHO BLUES An insight into a night's patrol with the jokingly nicknamed `booze bus', a London ambulance dealing exclusively with alcohol-related incidents.

Meanwhile, police set out on the trail of drugusers, a car is involved in a serious collision, and a bystander expresses his opinion of paramedics.

00:05 Random Acts 00:10 True Blood 01:25 UK & Ireland Poker Tour 02:20 Channel 4 Presents 02:25 Sailing 02:50 British GT Championship 2011 03:20 KOTV Boxing Weekly 03:45 Beach Volleyball 04:40 Stockton River Rat Race 05:05 Scrapheap Challenge 06:00 Grudge Match 06:15 Cookery School 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:00 Supernanny USA 10:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 12:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 The Restoration Man 14:05 Channel 4 Presents - Liz Johnson 'Into the Blue' 14:10 River Cottage Bites 14:25 Santa Fe Passage 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal Live 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Location, Location, Location 22:00 Grand Designs 23:00 Fresh Meat 23:50 Shameless

00:00 One Missed Call 01:40 Inside Hollywood 01:50 SuperCasino 04:55 County Secrets 05:05 The Hotel Inspector 05:55 Rough Guide to Short Breaks 06:10 HouseBusters 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Roary the Racing Car 07:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 07:35 Elmo's World 07:50 Peppa Pig 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 The Mr Men Show 08:30 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:10 Chinese Food in Minutes 16:15 Stone Cold 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Highland Emergency 21:00 Ultimate Emergency Bikers 22:00 Soho Blues 23:00 Big Brother

42

Thursday 13th October

00:20 Roxanne 02:00 Weatherview 02:05 See Hear 02:35 Watchdog 03:35 Bang Goes the Theory 04:05 Country Tracks 05:00 Newsday 05:30 All Work and Low Pay Panorama 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Helicopter Heroes 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:13 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Celebrity MasterChef 16:00 BBC News; Weather; Regional News 16:05 Sofa Surfers 16:35 Prank Patrol Down Under 17:00 Copycats 17:30 Sorry, I've Got No Head 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Watchdog 22:00 Hidden 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Question Time

00:20 City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri 01:20 Damages 02:10 Newsday 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Sport Today 03:00 Newsday 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 Newsday 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today

05:00 Witness: Civil Rights, USA 06:00 Schools: Race - Changing Attitudes 07:00 Little Robots 07:10 Guess with Jess 07:20 The Pingu Show 07:35 Little Charley Bear 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Outback 8 08:30 Trust Me I'm a Genie 08:40 Leon 08:45 Pet Squad 08:55 Newsround 09:00 Trapped 09:30 Mr Bloom's Nursery 09:50 Dirtgirlworld 10:00 Tinga Tinga Tales 10:15 Driver Dan's Story Train 10:30 Charlie and Lola 10:45 Nuzzle & Scratch 11:05 Get Squiggling!

11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 The Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 World Gymnastics Championships 16:00 Wanted Down Under 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 A History of Ancient Britain 21:00 The Great British Bake Off Masterclass 22:00 Mixed Britannia 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 Ladette to Lady 01:30 Grimefighters 01:55 The Zone 04:00 A Home at the End of the World 05:35 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 ITV Morning News 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 Meridian News and Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 There's No Taste Like Home 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Taking Control of the Classroom: Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 The Jonathan Ross Show

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE An update on the progress of Hayley Okines, who has the rare condition progeria, which brings about the physical signs of premature ageing. Having been filmed on four previous occasions, she now reaches the age of 13. The documentary follows Hayley as she enjoys typical teenage pursuits such as boys and clothes, suffers a dislocated hip and gets fresh hope after hearing of a scientific breakthrough from the USA that may stop the ageing process.

00:50 Random Acts 00:55 Channel 4 Presents - Nathan Stephens 'The Sharp End' 01:00 On Track 01:35 Nero Live at Global Gathering 02:00 Chase & Status: Live in London 02:25 The Crush 2011 03:25 Storm over the Nile 05:15 Grudge Match 05:30 Countdown 06:15 Cookery School 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:00 Supernanny USA 10:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 12:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 The Restoration Man 14:05 River Cottage Bites 14:20 Sink the Bismarck!

16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal Live 18:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 18:30 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Country House Rescue 22:00 Educating Essex 23:00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

00:00 Celebrity Impossible?

01:00 Poker: The Big Game 01:50 SuperCasino 04:50 County Secrets 05:05 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:30 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:55 Rough Guide to Journeys 06:10 HouseBusters 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Roary the Racing Car 07:20 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 07:35 Elmo's World 07:50 Peppa Pig 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 The Mr Men Show 08:20 Milkshake!

08:30 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 LIVE with Gabby 13:05 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:10 Journey of the Heart 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Titanic: The True Story 22:00 Extraordinary People: Hayley - World's Oldest Teenager 23:00 Big Brother

Friday, October 7, 2011

43

44

Friday, October 7, 2011

ACCOMODATION Pensión La Oficina (The Black Bull)situated on the CV951, San Miguel de Salinas. Modern air-conditioned and ensuite rooms available, 35 € per night. Call 966 842 070 for reservations. (34)

ACCOUNTANTS Bogged down in paperwork? Let us simplify things for you – accountancy, taxes, payroll services and more. We cater for companies and individuals. Established in 1984 on the Costa Blanca. Call us on 966 923 963 for your first consultation free of charge.(34)

AIR CONDITIONING

ALARMS Protect your home with PROSEGUR Alarm Systems. Don’t have just any alarm ringing out to no one - get connected to the professionals.

Immediate connection to the police via our 24/7 control centre, with video

surveillance included.

Don’t wait until it´s too late. For a free quote call 966 923 963 (34)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 10 cold drinks /snack vending machines with sites 44,900 euros.

Excellent cash income, no overhead, operate from home 31,000 euros NETT per year one day p.w. to service.25 Pringle vending machines with sites 14,900 euros 250 euros per week NETT guaranteed, machines and sites available individually. 965 326 442 / 659 696 455 (09) Bar for sale. Quesada area. Going cheap. For information pack, email: .

Tel: 688 800 960 (40) Brand new clothing for Sale. 10,000 pieces of mixed childrens, ladies and mens wear. Ideal for market traders. Bargain price of 5,000 €. Call now on 651 885 200. (34)

BOATS Storage available with trailer from 20 euro month

COMPUTERS

a month, safe, secure, further details Tel 666 526 396 Los Montesinos (33) BOATING LICENSES ARE NOW A LEGAL REQUIREMENT IN SPAIN Serenity Sailing RYA Training Centre, Competent Crew to Yachtmaster, VHF & ICC Own boat tuition on sail and power. If you have a yacht or powerboat get qualified and certified Contact Richard 0034 638 056 224 enquiries@serenitysailing.com/www.serenitysailing.com

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

Evangelical non-denominational. Sunday services 11:00am.

Children’s Church 11:00am. House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier.

Ladies meeting Thursdays 11:00am.

Pastor, Rafael Restrepo.

All nationalities welcome 966 799 273 // 660 127 276.

Pilar Christian Community Church Calle

Canalejas 3. Pilar de la Horadada.

Sunday Service at 11am, and Thursday at 5pm for Bible study and Prayer. Home groups meet during the week. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information contact Pilar ChristianCommunity Church@gmail.com or contact Reverend Eddie on 966 7693 00 or 650 509 606. Reg No:2009SG/A

CARS FOR SALE Tata 4 x 2 2 litre TD EX 7 seater 2002, 86,000 km, fully serviced, alloys, aircon, bullbar side steps, CD etc, silver 3.600 euros Tel 600 726 221 - 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars .com Fiat Punto 1.2 5dr 2004 74,000 km, fully serviced, silver, 3750 euros tel 600 726 221 - 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com Renault Kangoo combi 1.5 dci 2004 twin sliding doors, air con, alloys, cd, white, lovely condition,

FSH 4950 eurosTel 600 726 221 - 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com Nissan Micra Cabriolet 1.4 90bhp 2006, 2 owners 84,000km, FSH, stunning car with solid power roof finished in metallic burnt orange, alloys, aircon, blue tooth etc etc 7755 euros Tel 600 726 221 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com

PROPERTY FOR RENT Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit: www.villaandvacation.co m or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 49, 2nd floor one bedroom apartment situated conveniently located in the town centre of Torrevieja, with a small sun balcony overlooking the lovely communal pool.

Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bedroom detached villa with

CAR SALES

FINANCE

its private pool is located on the El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar.

Convenient for all amenities, shops, supermarket, restaurants and bars.

Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situated in Monino Blanco. The property overlooks a superb communal 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: 155, Luxurious Three Bedroom Villa With Private Pool, in Quesada Close to shops and restaurants within a five minute drive, and Guadamar Beach is within a ten minute drive.

Long term rental €800PCM, Short term available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, 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 Ref: 708, A lovely two bedroom, one bathroom corner ground floor apartment in Algorfa, with a spacious patio & Residents off road parking. Communal pool near by. Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 70, Superb 3 bedroom detached villa set on a large plot in San Luis. The Property is close to the Habaneras Shopping Centre, Aquapark and other amenities. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

PAVING REMOVALS

FURNITURE

CARPENTER

SECURITY

45

Friday, October 7, 2011 Ref: 117, A Lovely 3 Bedroomed 1st floor apartment on the outskirts of Torrevieja (Mar Azul).

The Apartment is in walking distance of the excellent beaches and a good selection of restaurants, shops and bars. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 33, A lovely large 2 bedroom, ground floor apartment within walking distance to the beach.

Large lounge, 1 double bedroom and 1 twin bedroom on a gated community. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 61, A lovely two bedroomed groundfloor apartment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swimming pool adjacent & all amenities in walking distance.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 516, Well situated studio apartment in San

Luis. The property has a balcony which has been glazed to create another room. Close to all shops and amenities, on a local bus route & 10 minutes from the beach. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 La Finca. 2 bed, 3 bath townhouse. Long let.

Fully furnished. Air con.

Lovely location. Gated community. NO PETS. T.V. Views. Communal pool, Solarium, Contracts. €450 month. 690 731 160 (34)

PROPERTY FOR SALE Gran Alacant, corner semi detached 3 bedroomed, 2 bathrooms, large garden, enclosed terrace, fully furnished, private drive for 2 cars, on gated desirable urbanisation Monte Faro, many facilities priced for quick sale 185,000 Tel 680 333 242 House for sale. Santiago

LOCKSMITH

de la Ribera, 3-4 bedrooms, lovely garden, two balconies, two fireplaces, quiet neighbourhood, five minutes walk to beach.

Tel: 616 596 647 or 672 192 482 (22).

Balsares, terraced 4 bedroomed house, 3 bathrooms, large underbuild, private underground parking direct to house, small gated urbanisation, directly over looking proposed new golf course opposite Gran Alacant, priced for quick sale at original off plan price 195.000 Tel 680 333 242 Gran Alacant, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath mid terraced Altomar 1, views of Alicante Bay, close to communal pool, walking distance to bars and resturants opportunity at reduced price 125,000 Tel 680 333 242 Gran Alacant, front line, 2 bed, 1 bath, downstairs toilet, fully furnished, roof terrace, walking distance to beaches, large communal and resturants, beach front property priced for quick sale 125,000 Tel 680 333 242 Quesada, detached 3 bedroomed, 2 bath, all large rooms, front enclosed conservatory, fully furnished, oiled

fuelled heating, outdoor poolside kitchen and bbq area enclosed, large pool, outside toilet, garage for 2 cars, newly refurbished, established garden with fruit trees, set in a cul de sac on 1000m2, the overall plot can be divided, as registered as two plots, so this house could be a substantial investment opportunity, situated in the Dona pepe area close to Quesada town centre, priced 255,000 negotiable Tel 680 333 242 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: 513, €115,000. Two bedroom ground floor apartment, in Aguas Nuevas, close to all amenities including the beach. It has a good size lounge, kitchen and has off road parking facilities.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 521, €105,000. This comfortable bungalow is located in San Luis with a new roof and solarium tiles. It is close to supermarkets, bars, restau-

BLOCKED DRAINS

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46

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Football Alphabet TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IN ANOTHER INTRIGUING A TO Z QUIZ WHICH nation beginning with A lost out because of the infamous and cynical Germany-Austria non-aggression pact at the 1982 World Cup?

WHICH P nation’s Premier League has the easilyworked-out title of Ekstraklasa?

WHICH Q Juventus striker scored against Slovakia in the 2010 World Cup with a delicate 25-yard chip?

DESPITE his unbroken high profile for over 30 years, especially on UK radio, which striker beginning with B actually just scored once for Scotland?

WORLD Cup great Gheorghe Hagi played 125 times for which R country up until 2000?

WHICH C is the only international football nation to feature an outline of its territory on the national flag?

WHAT E is the correct title of the Dutch Premier League?

ANSWERS Algeria; Alan Brazil; Cyprus; Landon Donovan; Eredivisie; Feyenoord; Greece; Hansa Rostock; Israel; Jens Jeremies; Kiev (Arsenal Kyiv); Paul Lambert; Montevideo; Nantes; Andre Oojier of Holland; Poland; Fabio Quagliarella; Romania; San Marino; Gary Teale of Wigan; Ujpest; Brazilian; Wycombe Wanderers; Mexico, Luxembourg; Uruguay, Paraguay, Hungary; Ze Roberto.

WHICH D might not have scored 45 international goals so far but for a narrow schoolboy escape when both feet were almost bitten off by an alligator?

most important port in the former East Germany? WHAT S is the only European WHICH I country’s national football stadium is in nation with zero the smallish and largely unknown city of Ramat ranking points Gan? in the current WHICH wild-looking JJ was a defensive midfield FIFA list? stalwart for Germany and Bayern Munich until WHICH Scots T knee injuries forced his played in the retirement in 2006?

2006 League Cup Final WHAT K European city against Manchester United? has the only other team called Arsenal that could WHICH successful U Bulgarian club dropped its feature in the unique tag of Dozsa after the fall of communism?

Champions League?

RICARDO Virtuoso is one of the hardest names to WHICH L manager took live up to in football history...what nationality is Norwich City into the he? current English Premier WHICH WW was relegated to the English Division League?

Two at the end of the 2009-2010 season?

WHICH capital city beginning with M hosted the NAME the only two FIFA member nations to have very first World Cup final in 1930? an X in their names.

AT which leading French N club did Mo Johnston NAME the three nations whose names end in Y to play from 1984-1987? have reached the World Cup finals.

WHO was only player at the 2010 World Cup WHICH devout Brazilian Z has played almost all of whose surname began with Oo? the last 12 years in the Bundesliga and intends to become a pastor when he retires?

FOR which F club in the Dutch league did Denmark’s record-scoring striker Jon Dahl Tomasson play until he retired in June?

THE Corinthians amateur club twice provided the whole England team in internationals. They were named after a city in which G country?

WHICH H club represents the city that was the

Win Rugby Sevens tickets - FREE IT’S not often that rugby fans get to see top players in action in this part of the world.

So the European Sevens tournament at Elche’s Martinez Valero football stadium on November 1 is one event NOT to be missed. And the Courier is giving away two pairs of tickets for the international showdown in a simple, easy to enter

competition. The Elche tournament, a prelude to the IRB Sevens world circuit, will feature national teams from Spain, England, Wales, Scotland, France and Portugal.

There will also be a women’s competition involving Spain, Portugal, France and Holland.

The action is on a Spanish bank holiday and will run from 10.30 to 19.00. Entrance fee is €5 - or €10 with a commemorative T-shirt. Tickets and T-shirts are available from Garry (Dutch) on 692 767 242.

To win a pair of free tickets, just email the answer to the following question to office@thecourier.es under the heading ‘Rugby Competition’ How many caps did Courier rugby correspondent Wade Dooley win for England?

The first two correct entries received will each win two tickets.

47

Friday, October 7, 2011

England v France

ENGLAND ALL SET FOR FROG MARCH

ENGLAND travel to Eden Park in Auckland to meet an embarrassed and shambolic French outfit, who were badly beaten 19-14 by a Tonga side who frankly surprised themselves, never mind everybody else.

If all the rumours floating around are to be believed, this French squad are in meltdown, with players refusing to train and soon-to-be-replaced coach Marc Lievremont (pictured) publicly branding his players cowards and losing the confidence of his senior players.

Whatever the truth, nothing would be more dangerous for England than to underestimate a wounded French team who make only two changes to the side that lost to Tonga, bringing in

the more experienced prop Nicolas Mas and No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy.

England have knocked France out at the quarter final stage in the last two World Cups and, yes, yours truly was part of the side that beat Les Frogs in the last eight of the 1991 World Cup in Paris. You remember it well, don’t you? The TV coverage was in black and white and Brian Moore had fewer teeth.

The old rivalries against Les Blues will surface and England have to improve their game significantly if they are to repeat history and progress into the semis. England – by a few points.

BULLY FOR THE STREETWISE BOKS South Africa v Australia

Equally difficult to predict. South Africa, the current World Cup champions are unbeaten and yet have looked unconvincing against sides like Wales and Samoa. Australia, the 2011 Tri-Nations champions, were outshone by the Irish but since then have rattled up two big scores against minnows USA and Russia. Australia have beaten the Springboks in their last two outings but don't read too much into that as most of the key Bok players were being wrapped in cotton wool in preparation for the World Cup. South Africa’s pack is full of hard-nosed forwards renowned for their physicality. They may be ageing but the likes of Victor Matfield (pictured), Schalk Burger and John Smit, not to mention the 'Beast' Mtawarira, are streetwise and know how to win the big games, Don’t look for anything fancy but with the

likes of Morne Steyn and Bryan Habana, they have talent out wide should they decide to use it.

The Springboks will not give up the World Cup title easily. Australia by contrast have a much less experienced and younger set of forwards who, as the Irish showed, can be bullied. But they have so much talent outside and have shown that they can score tries aplenty.

Quade Cooper, Will Genia and Digby Ioane can set this game alight given some decent possession but the Springboks will have too much experience.

South Africa to win by 15 points

Capello shakes it up for Monte zoomer

By STEVE BOTT ENGLAND and Spain go into their respective European Championship games with entirely different agendas.

England need a point to qualify but it looks very much like manager Fabio Capello is set to experiment after dropping Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe and Steven Gerrard from his squad for the match against Montenegro tonight.

Gerrard has declared himself far from ready for the fray after his recent lengthy layoff following a groin operation. But with that other evergreen ace Frank Lampard in such excellent form, the Liverpool man is unlikely to be missed.

England will have to employ a certain degree of caution, but Spain on the other hand can afford to throw caution to the wind tonight against Czechoslovakia, having already secured qualification - and boss Vincente del Bosque could be set to throw in a few new faces.

I would be tempted to stick with Fernando Torres up front, though. The Chelsea striker needs a confidence booster or three and he enjoys playing for his country so I would give him his head and hope he comes up with a goal or two.

The man I would like to see alongside him is Valencia's Roberto Soldado, who impressed me immensely in last week's European Champions League game against Chelsea.

Soldado's work rate is phenomenal and he possesses not a little skill to go with it.

Two more hitmen who might strike it lucky tonight are Manchester United’s Danny Wellbeck and Bobby Zamora of Fulham.

Wellbeck is definitely flavour of the month after breaking through into the United first team and Zamora has long been touted as England class during his career at West Ham and now Craven Cottage.

With England almost certainly qualified, despite mathematically needing a point, it could be the perfect scenario to give these two their chance.

Another virtual shoe-in is United’s discovery of the season, Phil Jones, who is winning accolades from all directions after quickly establishing himself as a gifted, committed defender with the champions following his move from struggling Blackburn Rovers.

He could be set to replace his illustrious team-mate Ferdinand at the back for England. Tottenham’s Kyle Walker is another being touted for an appearance and he appears to be in a straight fight for the rightback slot with Manchester City’s Micah Richards.

I can’t see Capello employing the custom-

Ireland v Wales ANOTHER compelling match which is almost too close to call. Both sides have been immense throughout this World Cup. This is going to be a battle between the strength, experience and guile of the Irish and the youth, speed and brilliance of the Welsh breakaway forwards and backs.

The three big O's will feature heavily. Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara (pictured) will attempt to squeeze the life out of the Welsh who to this point have been a joy to watch and have played throughout the pool stages with combination of boyish exuberance and flair.

The Welsh, who beat the Irish in the last meeting in Cardiff, also finished on a high against Fiji with a 66-0 demolition job running in 10 tries. But the Irish are still unbeaten in the tournament, having that precious

GREEN LIGHT FOR IRELAND win against the Australians under their belts.

So which way to go? If the Welsh front five can gain some sort of parity in the scrummage and lineout, then Sam Warburton and his boys can give the Irish side and its green barmy army plenty to think about.

But having a little bit of Irish in me, I feel the shamrocks will just be too strong for the men from the valleys. Whoever goes through will be meeting England or France in a northern hemishere semi final. An Irish win but not by so many.

Chariots of ire From Back Page

disbelief as the Scots came ever so close to spoiling the party. Andy Robinson's men were at their spoiling, scavenging best; they played with more urgency than Jonno's boys, and had they got the bounce of the ball on a couple of occasions it would have been England sat back in Blighty now and the Scots preparing to play France. likes of Cory Jane, Sonny To be fair to England, Bill Williams, Richard Kahui their defence was and Zac Guildford to call on immense and whatever out wide, the Silver Ferns - Martin Johnson said to who racked up 240 points in his side at half time the pool stages - will look to worked with England continue with their expan- coming out a different sive game. proposition. With minArgentina will rely heavily utes to go it looked as on the boot of veteran fly though Scotland might half Felipe Contemponi and still pinch it but their the muscle of their big pack hopes of qualifying to compete in the set piece. were ended when But they will struggle at the Ashton got on the end breakdown where the All of a superb long pass Black breakaway forwards from Toby Flood to go will reign supreme. over at the corner.

BLACK MAGIC BY 20 New Zealand v Argentina THIS is probably the only quarter final which as a neutral you can safely predict the outcome. Even with their iconic fly half Dan Carter out of the tournament with a groin injur, the All Blacks are a formidable unit. The nine times capped Colin Slade is set to replace the world’s No.1 fly half but I don't think for one moment that this kid will be found wanting. He is pure pedigree, and with the HARSH words from manager Juanpe produced a magnificent CD Montesinos performance against league leaders Benejuzar.

They played so well, their 2-0 away win could have been 5-0.

With Juanpe serving a one-match touchline ban, Vasquinho who had the first real chance for Montesinos when he rounded the keeper but shot wide.

Three excellent saves by the home keeper from Macan emphasised the

visitors’ dominance - and justice was done when great work by No 10 Macan saw Vasquinho fire the ensuing cross into the bottom right corner on the stroke of half time.

The second half again saw early missed chances from CDM. Macan ran clean through and slipped as he was about to pull the trigger and then Vasquinho rounded the keeper and shot wide.

The Benejuzar defenders could not keep up

ary Italian caution in this one. He has been far more adventurous recently with some very attacking 4-3-3 formations and I fully expect more of the same tonight.

And so it’s prediction time. I take England to seal qualification comfortably with a 3-0 win, but Spain might find things a little more tricky against the Czechs, who while not pulling up a n y trees r e c e n t l y, have always got to be regarded with respect. They have more than a few talented players in their squad but I’ll still go for 2-1 to Spain.

with the blistering pace of the Brazilian, and twice hauled him down when he was clear, the referee only giving yellow cards.

But Vasquinho had the last laugh, racing through to score with a wonderful chip over the on-rushing goalkeeper.

Vamos Monte!

NEXT HOME GAME: Sunday October 9: CD Montesinos v Sporting Orihuela (5pm). Check notice board for more details.

(In association with CajaMurcia).

48

Friday, October 7, 2011

Chariots of ire England under cosh as pressure mounts

JOHNSON: Deflecting the questrions

ARMITAGE: Banned

TUILAGI: Illegal gumshield

THE DOOLEY VERDICT POOR old Martin Johnson has been the busiest manager of the Rugby World Cup with England continuing to be dogged by controversy and bad press.

As ill discipline continues to grab the headlines both on and off the pitch, this week alone we’ve seen…

Delon Armitage banned for one match for a high tackle against Scotland

l

trio of James Haskell, Chris Ashton l The and Dylan Hartley reprimanded publicly by the manager for making lewd comments to a female member of hotel staff Tuilagi fined for wearing a gum l Manu shield sporting a sponsor’s logo in breach of tournament rules the classic 'Ballgate' - England manl And agement team members Dave Alred and Paul Stridgeon banned from the touchline for

the schoolboy mistake of swapping match balls during the 67-3 win over Romania.

All serious incidents I'm sure, but can we keep things in perspective and concentrate on the rugby? The only thing that England haven't been blamed for so far this week is the diabolical weather.

I’d like to say that the England v Scotland game last Saturday was never in doubt but, like so many other Englishmen, I sat in

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