The Courier Week 90

Edition 90

www.thecourier.es

Friday, November 9, 2012

COMMUNITY ON KIDNAP ALERT HEIDI WARDMAN Reports PARENTS in the peaceful area of Entre Naranjos have been left fearing for their children’s safety after the attempted abduction of an eight-year old British girl.

And Torrevieja Council’s International Residents chief Graham Knight fears the would-be kidnapper may well try again – in any local town.

The incident happened at approximately 12:45 on Sunday afternoon, when a group of local children were playing football in the recreational area.

Ronni lives in Almoradi with her parents, but had spent the previous night at her friend’s house in Entre Naranjos.

Her mother described how the group of some 10 children, had gone chasing after the ball, but Ronni had not wanted to play so remained alone by the swings.

It was at this point she says she was accosted by

Fears grow after girl, 8, fights off abduction bid

the man, who grabbed her wrist and the scruff of her Tshirt, leaving visible marks along her collar bone.

Reacting immediately, Ronnie is believed to have

kicked her assailant, forcing him to loosen his grip, before breaking free and running to the safety of her friend’s house nearby.

On the same afternoon,

Ronni was taken for a routine medical examination before giving a detailed account of events to the police. She described her attacker as being around 5ft 10in, of slim build, with dark brown hair and a grey fringe.

She said he was roughly shaven, had quite tanned skin and was possibly Moroccan. He was wearing a red T-shirt, blue jeans and black trousers.

The man was driving a white van, which one of the children in the group believes was a Peugeot Partner. He reportedly left the engine running and back door open when he approached the child.

Several of the children say the van was parked in the same location for a prolonged period the previous day, and that the man was talking on the telephone and staring at the youngsters while they played.

Ronni’s mother told The Courier she was proud of her daughter’s courageous actions, and grateful that the child knew what to do in such a situation.

“We are all very shocked about what has happened,’’ she said, ‘’ but also what could have happened.

Ronni took it all in her stride.

“We have gone to great lengths to educate Ronni in how to respond if threatened by strangers, and hope that other parents will take note and prepare their children in the same way.

“If she had not been so quick to react, then the result could have been very different.”

Meanwhile, Mr Knight warned: “Whilst this matter has been denounced and the security services are aware, it is quite probable, especially in view of the fact that the offender did not achieve his aims, he could well try again.

“This could happen in any town in the area in any place where children congregate.

“The offender was seen for about an hour before the actual attack, watching the children playing.’’

He urged anyone who sees a suspicious person answering the description above in an area near to where children play to call the police immediately on 112.

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

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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Picture of the Week

JUNGLE DRUMS

Five-year-old Jasmine Luscombe (on the right) and her cousin Sara Boujou (6) at the May fair in Torrevieja.

Photo by Michael Luscombe

Healthcare turmoil: Heidi hi! The new Where YOU stand face of local news THE UK Embassy press office in Madrid has issued the following statement in response to The Courier’s request for clarification of the recent mass cancellation of SIP cards. ‘’As most people are aware, the Spanish government has recently made changes to the national healthcare system. The INSS is now in charge of granting access to healthcare and the regional healthcare authorities are responsible for delivering the services on the ground. Those who have taken out residency prior to 24th April 2012, whose annual income is less than 100,000€ and who do not have entitlement through any other means, can now access state healthcare as residents.

As part of the process to ensure that those who have entitlement to state healthcare as residents are correctly registered, the

authorities have been updating their records.

A result of this review is that people who were incorrectly registered, or who needed to update their circumstances with the INSS (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad Social), have found they have been deregistered from the system.

If this has happened to you, contact your local INSS office directly to find out what you need to do in order to re-register. If you were removed from the system in error, it should merely be a question of reconfirming your entitlement. If you were removed because you were incorrectly registered (for example, with your EHIC) then you will need to find out by what other means you could now access state healthcare in Spain.

Further information can be found on the healthcare pages on the British Embassy´s UKinSpain website.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR San Javier-Corvera switch gets nearer

THE new Corvera airport is set to start functioning in the spring, according to public works Councillor Antonio Sevilla.

However, Sevilla says that in order to switch flights from San Javier to Corvera, there will be a period of transition, the length of which will be fixed by AENA. He went on to say that his department would give support to all the building work

to modernise the Murcia and Cartagena areas, such as the high speed train link and improvements to the road network.

Sevilla believes that economic growth in the area will go hand in hand with the regeneration of employment. One of the Murcian government’s priorities is to encourage investment in the Lorca area, which was still recovering from last year’s

earthquake when floods caused havoc last month.

There will be a €120 million budget to invest in infrastructure in the Comunidad of Murcia, €34 million of which will be used to regenerate Lorca.

This will go on rebuilding homes, helping those who still have nowhere to live, creating employment and restoring landmarks in the town.

Friday Partly cloudy High 21° Low 16° Chance of rain 25% Monday Showers High 21° Low 10° Chance of rain 60%

Tuesday Sunny High 21° Low 10° Chance of rain 0%

THE Courier has strenthened its rocketing reputation as the best English language newspaper in the Costas - by adding top talent Heidi Wardman to our already formidable editorial team.

As news and media c o o r d i n a t o r , Wolverhampton-born Heidi will be concentrating on the local scene, with the emphasis on expanding our service.

Heidi’s first love has always been writing and her work for various local media groups over the years has made her a familiar face in the local community.

After studying Creative Writing and English Literature at university, her career took a sharp turn and she adopted various roles within Social Services Children and Families Department. She also worked for a worldwide childcare charity in "a demanding role that could bring a wide spectrum of emotions on a daily basis."

Heidi relocated to Torrevieja in 2003. Her new home brought a world of new adventures,

Saturday Partly cloudy High 21° Low 11° Chance of rain 1% Wednesday Sunny High 22° Low 12° Chance of rain 0%

as well as a return to her roots in writing. She took time out from her writing to open a bar/restaurant in Eagles Nest, which continues to welcome great success and has brought with it many friends and happy memories.

However, she is now back in the hot seat and looking forward to her work at The Courier.

"The office is constantly buzzing, with something fresh and challenging to get my teeth into everyday,’’ she says enthusiastically.

“One thing is guaranteed- I will never get bored here!"

Sunday Sunny High 20° Low 10° Chance of rain 0% Thursday Rain High 18° Lo 11° Chance of rain 65%

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Friday, November 9, 2012

HOW SIMON CAME TO TERMS WITH HIS BURNS The Courier’s SALLY BENGTSSON meets Falklands War hero SIMON WESTON WHEN we wear a poppy we remember all those service men and women who have been killed and injured in armed conflicts in the belief that this will help us to live in a better world.

Meeting the biggest hero of the 1982 Falklands conflict was inspirational. Simon Weston was the key speaker at last week’s annual COBIS (Council of British International Schools) conference at King’s College School and La Torre Hotel in Roldan.

Guest speakers flew in from all over the world, whilst more than 300 teachers and head pupils attended from schools in Amsterdam, Bucharest, the UK, Luxembourg, Spain and France.

Simon’s talk, Overcoming Adversity, gave an insight into the pain and hardship this brave Welshman has endured, and how he managed to turn his life around and become happy in his own skin.

He talked about the moment the Sir Galahad was bombed at Bluff Cove in the Falkland Islands, describing how he was carried to safety on a stretcher which wouldn’t fit through the narrow doorways on the warship. With amazing humour, he went on to mention the painkillers he was given which didn’t take away the pain, but stopped him from caring about it - and then the moment his mother saw him for the first time with 46% of his body covered in burns. After recognising Simon through his voice, she asked him in a matterof-fact way what he was going to do now.

Simon’s mum and grandmother were the real rocks in his life. They were the two people who pushed him to get on with life, and refused to let him sit back and fall into depression.

He endured four years of over 70 operations and painful skin grafts, depression, isolation, lack of independence and self confidence, and self doubt.

Alcohol became a friend, and staying home became preferable to going outdoors to stares of horror.

MY HERO: Sally Bengtsson with Simon Weston He was 20 years old.

Deciding that enough was enough, Simon’s mother arranged for an officer from the Welsh Guards to invite him over to Germany to see a regimental rugby match, and this was the key to unlocking his self belief, leading to a huge change in his life.

The soldiers were not going to give Simon any self pity. They were used to seeing injured servicemen returning home maimed, and expected him to muck in and do his bit despite his trauma. He

started to participate in events to raise money for children’s burns units in hospitals, and this gave him a reason for living. He started to feel useful again.

The fact that Simon’s face is recognisable wherever he goes has actually become a blessing.

He became a patron for many charities which help people with disfigurements, and set up the national youth charity, Weston Spirit, which has helped hundreds of disadvantaged teenagers who seemed to have no direction in

their lives.

While doing this charity work, Simon met Lucy and exactly seven years after the attack on the Sir Galahad - on June 8th 1989 - he proposed. They are happily married and have three children and one grandchild.

Simon realised he had started to give up on himself. Starting to do things again gave him the confidence to believe in himself again.

He began to believe that he had a reason for living.

He has been the subject of five

BBC documentaries, the most moving of which featured Simon going back to the Falklands and meeting the Argentinian pilot, Carlos Cachon, who dropped the bomb on his ship. He had played this moment out in his mind many times, but the cameras showed two normal men, one who had carried the guilt on his shoulders ever since pressing the button, and another who, through this meeting, managed to lay his ghosts to rest and forgive another fellow human being who was just following orders.

The two men have become friends and Cachon has met Simon’s family.

Simon loves to talk and is a born entertainer, so becoming a business speaker was an obvious option. He flew in to Spain last weekend from Miami, where he had been giving another talk. His enthusiasm for life and positive attitude are the ideal combination of characteristics for a speaker.

His message of single-minded determination to turn whatever you have, to your advantage, demonstrates how a positive mental attitude can help you achieve great things in life.

Simon’s message is that we are all capable of doing our best. We have to accept and adapt to change, pay attention to things we can do and make the most of the abilities we have.

It was a pleasure to meet this war hero, and it is an experience that will not be forgotten. The talk he gave was emotional, moving and funny, all rolled into one.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War. Some 255 armed forces and Merchant Navy personnel died in the short but bloody conflict, along with 649 Argentinians and three islanders.

Let us remember them on November 11th, along with all the other servicemen who have died or been injured fighting for their beliefs.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday, November 9, 2012

AFFAIR OF THE HURT

Afghanistan casualty Lee cashes in on stepmum’s work for war wounded

By MARION HAM BAR STOP owner Margaret Sample and patrons of her La Marina business have been avid supporters of TRIQE, who are official fundraisers for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Charity in Birmingham.

The charity helps to finance the rehabilitation of wounded military personnel returning from War Conflict anywhere in the world.

But there is an irony!

Margaret’s stepson, Lance Sergeant Lee Sample, was injured in Afghanistan recently and flown to the QEH for treatment.

An Irish Guardsman attached to the Scots Guards, he was on duty when a grenade hit him – taking 60% of his left arm muscles and

leaving him with multiple shrapnel wounds down his left side.

Forty-eight hours after he was hit, Lee (pictured) arrived at the QEH. He was unconscious most of the time, induced by medication, but the QEH medics worked hard and fast to save him from losing both his left arm and left leg.

From the point of being hit, he was stretchered by Afghanistan Military support to a Mastiff Armoured vehicle (which to date has never been penetrated by the Taliban) and taken to Camp Bastion for intensive, emergency medical treatment.

The field hospital is not under canvas!

Field Military treatment has moved a long way from the days of M.A.S.H. Once stabilised Lee was flown by an RAF air medical team in a TriStar plane converted to carry ‘walking’ military personnel home on leave – but with the front section converted into an “intensive (stop-gap) hospital” in the air.

On landing at Birmingham Airport, a specialist ambulance was waiting to take Lee direct to the QEH, where he received the A Remembrance Service will be held outside the Town Hall in San Fulgencio at 11.30am on Sunday. The Mayor, local

treatment awarded to all injured military personnel.

Lee’s dad Keith, who works in the troubled Middle East, was on leave here in La Marina when the news broke.

And as he was about to fly to Birmingham, a call came through to say that Lee was to be discharged. Joy!!

Ironically, it was Margaret’s idea a couple of years ago to attempt to raise funds for the rehabilitation of injured war victims.

There are many worthy causes collecting funds for war heroes - Afghan Heroes, the Poppy Appeal and Help For Heroes, to name but a few. One huge problem is that the injured are very rarely mentioned.

The QEH Charity is passionate in its commitment to rehabilitating these brave people who need so much help to return into the real world.

One of the biggest problems with recovery is the need to have their loved ones nearby.

A family can live anywhere away for the QEH. Some folk may travel from abroad and when they arrive at the hospital, unsure of what they will find, they then have the added worry of finding accommodation. Which is not only very expensive, but also very scarce in the area.

To solve the problem, Fisher House is in the final stages of being built in the grounds of QEH. It will offer family rooms with all facilities to the loved ones of the injured so as to be close. All this is vital for rehabilitation.

Fisher House has been financed by funding from all over the world, and the money we collect here in La Marina is for on-going support to give the families free accommodation whilst they stay close to their beloved.

Every euro collected here in La Marina goes, without exception, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, in order to support the rehabilitation of the wounded.

I feel privileged to have met Lee, and to have listened to his story. What surprised and humbled me so much is that this handsome young man aged 22 wants so much to get back to the area he got injured in - and to be there with his comrades, friends and colleagues!

“NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW!!!”

Give proudly to The Poppy Appeal, TRIQE or Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Catholic priest, Church of England priest, Councillor Jeff Wiszniewski and members of the Royal British

Legion will be among those attending.

Residents and visitors of all nationalities are invited.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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

The green face of another world

I FELT I just had to reply to Mr Kearney of Orihuela Costa (Issue 89).

I first have to ask if Mr Kearney is housebound. If he is, I am extremely sorry for him but his lack of knowledge regarding his surrounding area is absolutely shocking. What world does he live in?

I only have to drive down two or three roads before I notice the 'green waste' piled high. Yes, the waste is sometimes put out there on the wrong days but surely it should be picked up eventually during that week? But no, I can show you mounds of greenery that have been there for months. Yes, months Mr Kearney!

And as for the 'illegal' dumping of green waste on the roads near the new 'Ecopark' at Lomas de Cabo Roig, I'm afraid that most of that is done by the council. I have watched them early in the morning whilst walking my dogs!

So regarding the protest, well done to one and all that make the effort. I don't care what your politics are, the disgraceful lack of green waste and rubbish collection is beyond a joke. Sorry, Mr Kearney, did I just mention household rubbish there? Yes, that too is not being collected regularly- or every day as you call it. There are times when our nearest bin is overflowing for days, not illegally dumped refuse just plain old household

rubbish!!

Having mentioned the "tireless hard work for Orihuela Costa" by Pedro Mancebo, would Mr Kearney care to drive through other areas that Mancebo 'isn't' responsible for and tell me why their streets are clean, their bins empty, roundabouts are smart and well cared for and roads don't have weeds growing out of the gutters?

Sorry Mr Kearney, it's time you "woke up and smelt the coffee" as they say. Or are you too busy having that coffee with Pedro Mancebo because he is certainly not available for comment.

PAT WHELTON, Playa Flamenca

RUBBISH SERVICE IS TAXING US ALL Tragedy of feral cats of Tabarca

IN response to your article ‘Snip Hooray for Tabarca Cats’, I have recently come back from a visit to Tabarca Island and saw many cats and kittens, so they are breeding loads.

We also found two small kittens thrown into a deep bin just to starve and die.

We put a plank of wood in, hoping they will climb out.

Whilst eating in the restaurant so many cats come up to your table and jump up to grab your food as they are so hungry.

Something needs to be done to sterilise the cats. I hear stories that at the end of season they cull them by poisoning the cats. This is terrible.

I realise it is costly having vet procedures carried out but the cats should be prevented from over breeding on this island.

MEL BROWN

REALLY Mr. Kearney, as Orihuela Costa’s mouthpiece for Pedro Mancebo, you should try to stick a bit more closely to the fact.

The problem we have is not with the “dumping”, as he calls it, of garden rubbish on the streets. It is the failure of the collection service. It is not a crime to put out garden rubbish for collection.

It is a failure of government that the service we pay for through our taxes does not work.

According to Mr. Kearney, putting out garden rubbish for collection on the wrong day is illegal and is akin to committing a crime. Wow! But what is the right day?

Depends on the schedules. First of all you have to obtain one, then you need a magnifying glass to read and understand what is being explained and finally, after a few days observation, you can quickly confirm that the schedule is not adhered to.

Surprise? No. But to threaten people with fines for what he calls the crime of putting out garden rubbish for collection is utterly unbelievable.

What kind of society does he and Pedro Mancebo want us to live in?

As to Pedro Mancebo and what Mr. Kearney says is his “tirelessly hard work for Orihuela Costa”, the truth is that he is hardly ever here. Not surprising since he has so many other responsibilities, Councillor for Tourism, Infrastructure and Maintenance as well as for the Coast, which is a fulltime job needing a full support staff. We are told that he comes to Orihuela Costa about once a week and he has been

Garden waste in La Florida on Monday his week unable to recruit or appoint staff to help look after the coast. Pedro’s chief concerns are his political problems in Orihuela – clinging on to power in a minority government despite expelling members of his group who do not toe his line.

To ensure that after their expulsion, they do not have the right to vote to bring about a change of government he manipulates a law. Complicated and with no guarantee of success. No wonder he has little time to spend in Orihuela Costa.

CLARO, Orihuela Costa’s local political party, organised a peaceful demonstration on October 24, against the state of the coast and the failure of the garden waste collection service. We

did so because there was no response by the Town Hall to a smaller, non-political demonstration organised some weeks earlier. Since our demonstration, the first signs are that some heed is being paid to our protest and some improvements are visible.

There is a long way to go before the ugly accumulated mountains of infested garden waste are removed and we have doubts as to the service we will get after the end of November, when a temporary support contract for waste collection comes to an end.

Mr. Kearney, you can go on supporting Pedro Mancebo. CLARO will continue to support the people living in Orihuela Costa.

BOB HOULISTON

Shake-up time for Maria and the Pink Ladies I WOULD like to announce that some of the Pink Ladies from "Maria and the ‘Pink Ladies’ have resigned from raising money for the AECC (the cancer charity) and its early detection programme.

They informed me that they felt they had gone as far as they could in raising funds on behalf of the AECC and would now like to raise funds for other charities as there are many worthwhile causes that also need funds.

I would like to thank them, both personally and on behalf of the AECC for all their efforts in the past.

I am in the process of recruiting ladies to become ‘Pink Ladies’ and have already recruited a number of willing volunteers. I personally will, with the help of ‘Pink Ladies’, continue to raise funds for the AECC - and as a cancer sufferer myself, my passion to make people aware of the importance of using the AECC early screening programme and to raise as much money as possible to subsidise this programme will continue, hopefully for many years to come.

MARIA WILSON AECC Torrevieja President.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COURIER

GOAL-GLUTTON GREAVES WAS MY HERO TOO!

I WAS pleased to read John McGregor’s article on my idol also - Jimmy Greaves.

I did not know he had a stroke last year but hope he has recovered.

As a schoolboy I cut the pictures from the programmes showing Greaves scoring and covered my bedroom walls.

When he returned from Italy I went over to White Hart Lane. The first Spurs game was Blackpool - JG had five chances, three goals, one hit post, one cleared off the line!

As for his diet on match days, I remember Terry Venables writing that Jimmy picked him up on the way to a game, stopped at a

cafe for lunch, and Jimmy ate all greasy food while Venables wanting chicken breast, no skin. That Saturday I was there. It had poured with rain all morning - only 16,000 there in the afternoon. Jim had four goals at half time, five by the finish against WBA. Result was 7 - 1.

It was well worth the entrance fee back then, but recently a Gooner friend here had a ticket for the Chelsea game. £60!

PS: In 1966 I watched the World Cup game with France when Jim got injured. I would not and did not watch the final on TV because he was not picked.

MELVINO

Friday, November 9, 2012

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HALLOW ‘N’ GOODBYE I’M not doing Halloween any more. I’ll stick to the Spanish version in future...or I fear I’ll be heading for the Old Fawkes Home pretty pronto.

It seems to me that the concept of dressing up on All Hallows Eve hasn’t got through to the older generation of Brits, as I discovered to my embarrassment on October 31.

I suspect that most of them, like me, still find Guy Fawkes more interesting company than ghosts and vampires. But a Halloween party is a Halloween party, so I and three friends invested in some suitably demonic attire and eventually arrived at Retaurante St Joan in El Altet in full scary mode.

The other 32 guests got there before us – which wouldn’t have been difficult.

Because only ONE person had made more than a token effort to join in the mood of the occasion.

It was all such a letdown…a ‘theme’ evening devoid of a theme. And the evening was only salvaged by the enthusiastic participation of the local Spanish community of all ages.

I can in a way understand the apathy of older Brits because when I was a kid, Halloween was an irrelevance. We were too busy celebrating the failure of Guy Fawkes and his boys to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

How weird…now had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded, that WOULD have been a reason to celebrate.

They always said I look like a witch Back in the mid-20th century, we DID cele-

It’s NOT cos you is a foreigner...

ALI G, the comedian extraordinaire, was famous for his expression “Is it cos I’s black? to question any slight or criticism.

I fear that some expats are developing the same chip on their shoulder if the article by Donna Gee (Issue 89) is anything to go by.

I have every sympathy for Mike Thornton, who was fined for using a hands-free kit in his car, contrary to Spanish law.

The only hands-free kit allowed in this country is via a loudspeaker and microphone, not anything attached to the ear. The fact that this is allowed in the UK is hardly relevant; we live in Spain.

Until we become the United States of Europe, such anomalies will exist.

There are certain rules that are rigidly enforced in the UK such as political correctness which can reduce freedom of

YOUR COMMENTS speech and over the top “elf and safety’’. Cherry picking the rules that we like and don’t like is normal but not terribly constructive.

I too have been fined for a motoring offence that I did not commit by an over zealous Policia local; I was incandescent as motoring law is my speciality; I thought of appealing but then let it go as I did not want to become a marked man. On this occasion, I was driving my Spanish car and did not say a word until the officer had finished his rant; the point being that he did not know that I was English until I spoke and he heard my accent, so it wasn’t cos’ I was a foreigner Unless Mike was driving a car liveried with English words, the Guardia would not know that he was a foreigner,

either.

Trust me, I live in a Spanish village so hear my neighbours’ complaints and my business means that I am dealing with the notorious bureaucracy daily; the natives get messed around as much as we foreigners do.

A great example was one day when I was in the engineers’ office at the ITV station that I use daily. A Spaniard was explaining to an engineer, known for his jobsworth mentality, that there had been no problem with his inspection the year before, so what was the problem with his paperwork this year?

The engineer was unmoved and it was at the point when the young Spaniard doubled up and clenched his fists in frustration that I thought I would take a coffee break. This reinforced to me that we expats are not being picked on.

Finally, follow this link to a YouTube video that sums up the attitude of some bureaucrats; it was made by a Spanish company. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XXWZ3uAEKsw Yes, please moan and groan, but don’t assume it’s ‘cos we’s foreign’.

GRAHAM SHELTON

FRIGHTENER: Only four of us bothered to dress up for the Halloween party brate by hoisting effigies of the aforesaid Fawkes atop our bonfires on November 5 as fireworks lit up the sky.

Nowhere did we see ‘Trick or treat’ extortionists frightening grannies to death as they answered a ring on the doorbell. Instead, we con-kids would gently request a ‘Penny for the Guy’ from householders – and treat them to scowls and curses if they didn’t give us at least ten times that amount.

Those of us with a work ethic made an effort to create a Guy worth investing in. The lazy ones just shoved a mask on the smallest urchin in the gang and wheeled him from

door to door in a battered dolls pram.

In Bonfire Night, we used to have a jolly good November celebration in the UK ...a celebration the whole family could enjoy..

But at some point, the Americans all emerged from Macdonald’s, put their fat mitts into the mix (yes, there were Mitts before Romney put on the election gloves) and shunted the Gunpowder Plot into oblivion.

As for selling Guy Fawkes to them, forget it. They say cutlery made specifically for men will never catch on in Albuquerque.

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I WAS helped, ashen-faced and shaking, into the pub and plonked gently onto my usual bar stool.

Dave the barman turned to the two kind passers-by who had escorted (carried) me in from the street.

'Thanks, guys,' said Dave.

'The next time you're in here, just ask for me and I'll get you a drink on the house.'

'But we probably won't be in here again,' said one of the strangers. 'We were on our way back from a business conference to the train station when we saw this poor fellow slumped shivering on the pavement and pawing at the pub door.'

Both guys were eyeing the beer taps and licking their lips in obvious anticipation of some gratis liquid refreshment.

'What a shame we shall not have the pleasure of your company in the forseeable future,' said Dave. 'As the barman, indeed as the owner, of this public house I would willingly serve you a couple of foaming pints for free.

'But in my third capacity as the first-aid officer of this establishment I must attend immediately to the treatment needs of this sick customer.'

Friday, November 9, 2012

A SCARY TIME IN STORE Dave the barman pointed at my quivering form. 'Let us face it,' he said grimly. 'He might need an ambulance.

He might even need a hearse.'

The two strangers nodded their understanding of the situation and trudged from the pub.

'Spare me from such greedy opportunists,' sighed Dave the barman, watching their departure. 'Anyway, that's saved me the cost of a couple of pints. Now, let's see what's wrong with our

David.'

Dave cupped my chin and stared at my pupils.

'Hmm,' he said. 'There doesn't seem to be anything going on behind those eyes.

So nothing unusual there.'

Ol' Red Eyes, who was slumped semi-comatose on the bar stool next to the one I was slumped semi-awake on, slowly opened one of his own bloodshot eyes, shoved his face close to mine and reflected on my appearance.

'I find it hard to believe,' he slurred, 'But our David looks

worse than I do.'

'Don't crowd him!' shouted Daft Barry, pushing Ol' Red Eyes away. 'He has obviously suffered a massive shock.'

Ol' Red Eyes opened his other eye and shook his head. 'But how on earth could anything shock our David? He hasn't got the intelligence to be emotional.'

Daft Barry thought for a moment. 'You're right!' he said, turning angrily on me.

'What could possibly have shocked you? Whoever suggested you were shocked is a pillock . . . oh, it was me,' he giggled.

Dave the barman gritted his teeth. 'The next person who mentions the word shock will be thrown out of this pub.'

He picked up my chin

again and slapped me across the face.

'Why have you done THAT?' asked an astounded Daft Barry.

Dave the barman shrugged. 'That's what you do for shock, innit?'

'Ooh,' said Daft Barry, pointing at him. 'You said the word shock. You'll have to bar yourself.'

Dave the barman growled: 'Daft Barry, don't be a Clever Dick.'

'Ouch!' I shrieked in a delayed reaction to the slap.

'I am no longer in shock. Now I am hysterical. I need a long drink and some wholesome food.'

A tumbler of brandy and a packet of pork scratchings later, I was ready to explain what had happened . . .

Mrs S and I had been spending an afternoon at the shops. (Well, she was the one planning to do the actual spending.)

Anyway, we were in a department store ambling past the elasticated frocks rail when suddenly hell was unleashed.

Mrs S launched herself into a scrum of screaming wild women who were slugging it out six-deep around a clothes counter bearing the legend 'REDUCED.' Amid the unbearable noise and furious activity, I sank to the floor, assumed the foetal position and commenced to pray.

Mrs S answered my invocation. I heard her call to a

Continued on p15

Friday, November 9, 2012

11

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH LESSON 45 THIS week we are going to carry on with adjectives and then there will be some translating to check your knowledge. It will be covering everything that you have done so far, so I hope you have been refreshing your knowledge regularly.

Adjectives as we know are words that modify a noun, and a noun is the word that tells us who or what the sentence is about.

Cien and ciento are adjectives of quantity, cien is used before a plural noun (masculine and feminine) it means one hundred. E.g. tengo cien euros – I have one hundred euros, quiero cien mil euros - I want one hundred thousand euros.

Ciento is used after you have passed the number 100, e.g.

Hay ciento noventa casas en la calle – there are 190 houses in the street.

We will carry on with more than one adjective modifying a noun, the rules for where they go still apply. The adjectives will be separated either by a conjunction (and, or,etc) or a comma.

E.g. Ella esta enfadada y impaciente – she is angry and impatient, tengo un amigo simpático y sincero – I have a friendly, honest friend, el viaje es largo, tedioso – the journey is long, tedious Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms which are usually the most common in both English and Spanish.

E.g. bueno, -a,-os,-as – good; mejor(es) – better; el/la mejor de, los/las mejores de – the best malo, -a,-os,-as – bad, peor (es) – worse, el/la peor de, los/las peores de – the worst, grande(s) – great, mayor(es) – greater/older, el/la mayor de, los/las mayores de – the greatest/oldest, más grande – bigger, el/la más grande de, los/las más grandes de – the biggest, pequeño, -a,os,-as – small, menor(es) – lesser/younger, el/la menor de, los/las menores de - the least, the youngest Examples- ¿Eres el mayor de todos los hermanos? are you the oldest of all the brothers?

and the Spanish for short is corto/a. I have always used corto for short and am now wondering if I am right.´ Firstly I am not sure where you were led to believe this; however, I will explain. In English there is one way to say short, however in Spanish there are more. It all depends on the situation in which it is being used. I am correct in my lesson on opposites, the opposite of bajo/a is alto/a, whereas the opposite of corto/a is largo/a. So, when are they used?

Bajo is used to mean height, altitude, so if you are talking about a ´short´ person you would say, una persona baja, un hombre bajo, una mujer baja, for example and of course a Este hombre es muy bajo tall person is una persona alta. So you are correct to think of it as ´low´ but of course we say a short person not a low person, so it´s important to think of it as low and short. There are other uses for bajo but this is the general rule when applied to ´short´. Corto on the other hand relates to distance, time or length, a short race would be una carrera corta, the short sleeves are las mangas cortas. It is important to use the correct adjective because if you say un hombre corto you are saying one that has a short memory or no memory. The easiest way to remember it is by the opposites, if you know alto/a is tall you can get the idea of height, and if you remember largo/a is long you get the idea of distance, a new coat and skirt, We want two ice creams, I work in a time, etc. big office, Yhe third year in University is long and difficult, A As ever it is important to listen to Spanish whenever you glass of cold milk please, There are three green chairs in the can, use books whenever you can. I learned when to use the dining room, My husband is in a hurry, These shoes are from different forms from my son’s Spanish books, and remember, Italy, I am as short as my friend, At what time do you eat?, I sometimes you don´t need to know why - you just need to Am going with you, I like cats, Today is friday the fifth of know when.

November, Do you want to go to the party tomorrow?, Who I am really happy to receive your comments and questions wants to see the film?, You´re right, it´s very cold here. so please keep sending them. If you have a question there is a good chance someone else may be thinking the same I have received a question from Audrey, who has been thing. learning with The Courier for some time. She says: ´I am a litIt´s also great that some of you are revising and keeping tle confused when doing some revision. In Lesson 23 up to date on your knowledge, I hope you are getting the Jeanette is doing opposites and states that tall/short is alto/a opportunity to use it verbally as well. and bajo/a. I am led to believe that bajo is Spanish for low ¡Hasta la próxima!

I hope this is making sense to you and you are becoming more familiar with adjectives and are remembering your verbs.

We are going to test your knowledge now with some homework. Take your time to ensure you get it correct.

Translate the following into Spanish. You will need to use your knowledge from many of our weeks to be able to complete these, but most of all enjoy: I want a red car, I want to see an interesting film, I want

Coming shortly - a speedier route to car registration

By HEIDI WARDMAN REGISTERING Spanish vehicles is set to be made far easier – thanks to an agreement forged between the Provincial Council of Alicante’s Contributions Agency, SUMA and the council body.

The Provincial Corporation has released a statement, reporting that it will soon be possible to organise a number of vehicle documents via the internet, including the payment of taxes and fines, as well as applying for a Provisional Driving Licence.

The new service will mean a car can be fully legal and registered within two days, eliminating the need to visit the office and submit paperwork.

Likewise, the system will reportedly be ALMOST 100 people took part in the MABS Cancer Support Group’s eighth annual Race for Life in Mazarrón.

And after running up pledges of €5,655 alongside funds received on the day, MABS Mazarrón should achieve its €6,000 target for the 2012 event.

Participants were able to walk or run a 4km or an 8km course and MABS Mazarrón Co-ordinator Zue Burgess said: “We are really pleased that so many turned out on a

“more dynamic” cutting down on the amount of paperwork generated by the organisation.

It will also mean that less administrative input is required, although in light of the high unemployment levels currently being felt throughout the country, this can be considered as a negative.

Sources from SUMA confirmed that it will result in “a significant saving in human resources and materials.”

The President of the Provincial Council, Luisa Pastor, signed the agreement alongside the President of the College of Gestores, Francisco Candela, announcing that “This is a positive move towards the implementation of electronic administration in municipalities across the province.”

MABS Race for Life is a winner - 6,000 times!

Sunday morning to help us raise funds for the local community. We are currently supporting 86 people and their families in the area who are affected by cancer, so every centimo raised ensures that we can continue supporting those people.’’

If you have the bug for

running and raising money for MABS, the next Race for Life will be in Los Alcázares on this Sunday. It’s just 3km, along the promenade by the picturesque Mar Menor. For full details, please check the website: http://mabsmurcia.com/e vents/race-for-life-2012/ or call 615 016 035.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

WHY DO THEY DO THAT? Top dog psychologist PETER SINGH writes exclusively for The Courier. Check out www.thedogyouneed.com or email Peter at peter@thedogyouneed.com

Talk of the Devil Dog..

MANY teenagers and younger children live and they are one of a number of lost generations, who will When I hear of a story on the news, where a dog has with dogs, but very few have a sincere relation- never craft and hone the skill of practical communications attached a child, I would always like to know what the child with another of their own kind, let alone the family dog! was doing to the dog before the attack. ship with their four legged friends.

A popular sight where I live is a youngster walking down the road with a mobile phone stuck to their ear, while the dog is ten feet ahead on a flexi-lead with no guidance from the human whatsoever.

Youngsters are quick to state that they want a puppy, but when the novelty wears off many just discard the dog as a nuisance or something that simply gets in the way of their busy social lives or the 12 hours they spend in front of a computer screen every day telling the rest of the world what they had for dinner last night. Or who they last slept with.

If I ended my career as a dog behaviourist today, I could write several volumes of books on how youngsters have rejected, teased and abused dogs. I have been in consultations where a dog is showing the first signs of serious aggression and while the parents listen carefully to my advice, the youngsters cannot tear themselves away from social media sites, just a few feet away from where we are speaking. They take no interest in how to solve the problem, but will be the first to beg Mum and Dad for another new puppy, if the family make the unwise decision to have their current dog put to sleep because of the problem they have created.

For the few seconds Mum and Dad manage to avert their attention from the computer screen, all you can get out of these children is what I can only call a grunt.

They cannot look you in the eye because their social skills are based on sitting behind a computer and not having a proper conversation in front of another human being. The dialect they speak is something I simply do not understand

Teaching children how to treat and respect a dog is some-

All the media portrays is the headline, ‘Devil Dog’, without even trying to understand why the incident happened.

When I walk my dogs, I regularly get children running up to them and shouting and screaming at them to try and get a reaction. If you look at my dogs’ reactions to this abuse, they are very uncomfortable in that situation. I try to educate these children how to approach dogs, but very rarely do they realise that God gave them two ears and one mouth for a reason! It is a sincere concern of mine that these kids do not have an ounce of intelligence on how to communicate with a dog and it is always the dog that pays the price in the end, when he has had enough of the abuse and retaliates.

There is no such thing as a ‘Devil Dog’. Dogs don’t suddenly wake up one morning and decide to attack without good reason. If we teach youngsters how to have a fulfilling relationship with dogs, this will teach them vital skills, such as empathy and compassion.

Better still, it will get them away from the addictions of computers and mobile phones and engage them in important life lessons such as bonding, nature and love. en childr Dogs can share a lot of wisdom with Educating children on dog welfare has to thing that rarely happens and I have seen children stand on start now, because if we think we currently have problems or lie on top of dogs while they sleep, pull their ears and with the abandoning and abuse of dogs, what do you think shout and scream at their dogs to get them to play with them! the next generation will be capable of?

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? TEO & TIMO are two five-month-old Dachsie crossbreeds.

They were found four weeks ago along with their sister, Mum and also, sadly, a dead female adult. They are gentle natured little boys and very keen to be your friend. All their blood tests results are clear and they are fully vaccinated and microchipped. If you think you could change Teo’s and Timo’s life for the better please call the kennels on 966 710 047.

Teo

Timo

WE are part of the ‘H’ Gang and were brought to the kennels with our Mum when we were only 3-4 days old; Mum had done a great job but needed a little bit of help as there were 11 of us and she had nothing to eat or drink except what she could find near the bins. We are now four months old and some of our brothers and sisters are already enjoying a new life in a forever home;. The three of us that are left would love to find new homes too -we are fully vaccinated and micro-chipped. If you can help, please call the kennels on 966 710 047. SAT Animal Rescue.

The H gang

NALA is a one- year-old Belgian Shepherd- Boxer cross. She is good with other dogs, vaccinated, chipped, housetrained and has her pet passport. Call 645 469 253

Nala

STELLA is approximately 10 months old and is a long-haired German Shepherd. She is good with people and other dogs, is fully vaccinated, chipped and has her passport. Call 659 274 573.

SHAH is a dear little ginger boy born about the beginning of July. If you would like to meet Shah, please call Joe (The Cat Man) on 966719272.

Shar

Stella NAOMI is approximately four months old and in urgent need of a new home. She was rescued from the perrera when she was just six weeks old and is sadly still waiting. Call 966 725 975 www.petsinspain.com info@petsinspain.info

Naomi

TINKER was dumped on a friend’s doorstep and really needs a forever home. She is about five months old, extremely happy and loving and in good health. Call 645 469 253 www.petsinspain.com

Tinker

BARBIE was found in the campo caught in barbed wire. She is approximately four months old, very friendly and just wants to be cuddled. Call 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com Barbie

BETSY is seven months old and is quite a small dog.

She is good with other dogs and children, has been spayed, fully vaccinated and been chipped. Call: 634 332 978. www.petsinspain.com Betsy

Friday, November 9, 2012

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LÍNEA DIRECTA INSTRUCTS ITS CUSTOMERS ON THE STEPS TO TAKE IF THEY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED

BY THE RECENT HEAVY RAINSTORMS Madrid, 2 October 2012.- Línea Directa Aseguradora instructs its customers affected by the recent heavy rainstorms recorded on September 28 and 29 in the regions of Andalucía, Murcia y Valencia on the steps required to speed up the processes of making claims, treating and repairing the damage caused.

As any extraordinary risk resulting from a natural catastrophe, claims for damage to property and personal injury must be made to the Insurance Compensation Consortium (CCS), a body which is dependent on the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Consortium will be wholly responsible for processing claims, assessing the damage caused and paying out compensation to those affected.

In order to claim for damage to property, the customer can contact the Insurance Compensation Consortium directly by calling 902 222 665 from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Claims for personal injury or loss of profits must be presented in writing to the local office in question or by post by completing the corresponding form.

In addition, in the case of Expatriate customers, Línea Directa will act as an intermediary, administrator and advisor with the public body, with an aim to speeding up the processes of compensation and repairing material damage to vehicles, which will be assessed, processed and compensated entirely by the Consortium. To this end, Línea Directa has set up a helpline 902 326 326 which its customers affected by the damage can call in order to receive help and information both in English and German on the correct processes required.

Línea Directa wishes to express its deepest condolences to the families of those people who have lost their lives and offers its services to all customers affected to provide them with any type of additional information they might require.

Insurance Compensation Consortium Addresses ANDALUCÍA ORIENTAL (Málaga, Jaén, Almería, Granada) Av. Aurora, 55, planta 1ª 29006 - MÁLAGA Tel.: 95 206 13 91 Fax: 95 206 13 92 ccsmalaga@consorseguros.es ANDALUCÍA OCCIDENTAL (Sevilla, Cádiz, Huelva, Córdoba) C/ Luis Montoto, 107 41007 - SEVILLA Tel.: 95 498 14 00 Fax: 95 498 14 01 ccssevilla@consorseguros.es MURCIA Ronda de Garay, 10 30003 - MURCIA Tel.: 968 35 04 50 Fax: 968 35 04 51 ccsmurcia@consorseguros.es COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA: Plaza de Tetuán, 15 46003 - VALENCIA Tel.: 96 315 43 00 Fax: 96 315 43 01 ccsvalencia@consorseguros.es

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Vanish of the Spanish AS another year moves through its fourth quarter, there are a few celebrations to look forward to - of course the main one being Christmas which is celebrated all over the Christian world.

However, we have recently seen one date that seems to pass without much excitement in Spain, but in the UK and America is a day of huge significance which people spend weeks preparing for. I am talking of course about Halloween, October 31, the date when witches and warlocks fill our streets, along with skeletons, blood-drenched outfits and horror masks.

So, what about Spanish Halloween? I was talking to a group of young Spanish people on All Hallows Eve. They were around 13 years old and told me they were too old to participate in the festivities. As I was just about to go home and get on my witch’s outfit I kept quiet! I spoke to a friend later who said that my local streets had been full of children ´trick or treating´ in the early evening, but that slowly the streets had emptied.

By the time I had got home and changed into a pink witch (well, I didn´t want to be a hideous one), it was gone 9pm. My friends and I made our way to their local bar, which was empty.

It´s a Spanish bar and the owners had all dressed up and made a fantastic effort. And as they left around 9.30pm I guessed they had a party to go to. We decided to go into town, which was a short walk. However, this was also empty. We were the only ones dressed up and there weren´t very many other customers.

I understand that it was a Wednesday but the

next day was a holiday in Spain so the excuse that everyone had to get up for work the next day was non-existent.

Therefore, why was there nobody about? We ended up going to two other bars, only one of which had even put Halloween decorations up and neither of which had many other customers.

I remember when I worked in a bar here in Spain but in a mainly English area, I worked two Halloweens and they were always popular with people making an effort to dress up and enjoy the festivities. So was it because we are in a Spanish town that there was no enthusiasm? I understand

that Halloween is a pagan festival and in a Catholic country it may not be the most popular celebration, but I can´t help wondering if it just isn´t important here.

In a country where they use any excuse to have a party, why is Halloween ignored by the people? Or is it true that it is a fiesta for the young children and the older ones have yet to see the fun in it? Because, when all is said and done it is just another excuse to dress up and have fun for the rest of us. For pagans it may be a special day but just as I celebrate Christmas with my son and give him Easter eggs although I am not a Christian, I can also enjoy a pagan festival without actually being a pagan. To me it is all about having fun and wearing something a bit different.

I felt a bit sad that no one else managed to make an effort and that the Spanish were just letting it pass them by as they get ready for the next phase of partying. But I for one, am going to be keeping hold of my costume and wig for next year and will make the effort again. I will be dressing up, taking sweets to give out to any children who may cross our paths and having a fun night.

Before that, however, there are a few birthdays coming up that we are making arrangements to dress up for, one of which is mine in January. I may send an open invitation nearer the date to all the fun people who just want to dress up and enjoy a night out without worrying about anything, and of course my friends and I are used to being the only ones in costume. Life is long, so more reason to kick back and enjoy it at every possible opportunity.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

WHY am I not surprised that Barack Obama is back in the White House for a second four-year term?

There was always going to be one winner and many excitable pundits were conveniently forgetting to mention that the result is decided by an Electoral College of votes, rather than one national popular vote.

So despite Mitt Romney piling up supporters in already Republican areas, it was Obama who got the crucial votes in the key swing states with some incredible turnout figures for young voters, as well as from Hispanics and blacks.

Obama has done a pretty good job from where I’m sitting, and f r o m

BARACK TO THE FUTURE necessarily someone who would toe the party line. So I was disappointed to hear that he had been a naughty boy and just couldn’t come up with even a vaguely entertaining reason for paying himself extra from the public purse. But even worse is the trickery of hiding behind parliamentary privilege, which means he’s almost certainly going to avoid public prosecution.

One rule for them and one for us yet again, but at least he’ll have to live with public humiliation instead, and the good residents of Rotherham ought to vote against the major parties in the resulting by-election to show the politicians what they think.

By the way, the initial silence from the Labour leadership was deafening, as yet another of their MP clan has been trapped putting his

grubby fingers in the till.

Talking of the mute, where were the Tories in their condemnation of a very senior party figure who was up to no good back in the ‘80s? The same people who were leading a hysterical witch-hunt against the BBC over Jimmy Savile, were initially nowhere to be heard over who was involved in a paedophile ring at a Welsh children’s home. This was a rank outbreak of hypocrisy that had the stench of a wet f**t.

Fortunately, David Cameron stepped up to the mark on Monday by announcing inquiries into the whole affair at the home, as well as others in Wales.

Meanwhile, the name of the senior Tory involved has “been out there” for ages on the internet, so why isn’t he coming forward to clear his name and reputation, rather than threatening to sue everybody in sight? That was an old trick from that crooked Czech cretin Robert Maxwell, which is why he got away with conning everybody for years, and why writs were plastered all over the place, including one against yours truly and my employer!

By the way, didn’t a certain Jimmy Savile bully everybody over taking legal action if anyone breathed a word about his disgusting activities?

'Wow! You have been through so much,' everyone chorused. Everyone except Ol' Red Eyes who had gone back to sleep, his snoring face squashed against Daft Barry's shoulder.

I turned to Dave the barman. 'I hope you rewarded those two kindly strangers for dragging me in here.'

'I certainly did,' lied Dave.

'I sent them on their way with a bottle of whisky each and a tenner out of the till. And I've put it all on your tab.'

I returned home, verified that Mrs S was free of abrasions and bruises from her shopping adventure, and asked her what she'd purchased.

'Not a thing,' she said.

'But then again I was only browsing.'

Mitt and hiss Republicans need friends in low places an international perspective, you also feel safe with him having his hand on the nuclear trigger. As for the Republicans, they have to

go back to the drawing board yet again, and seek to be liked by key minorities, who see them as a nasty uncaring party. What’s the betting, then, that they’ll just lurch to the right and alienate even more people? Something that the UK Tories found out to their cost for a number of years.

Has Tory MP Nadine Dorries lost her marbles? After constantly putting the knife into David Cameron, she then gives him the perfect excuse to have her suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party. The daft bat has swanned off to join Ant and Dec in the Aussie jungle for the new series of “I’m A

q

Give your home a New Look look!

Celebrity….”, leaving her Bedfordshire constituents in limbo for up a month.

Dorries says she’ll get many more viewers hearing her views on subjects like abortion, as opposed to her saying it in Westminster. If she feels that strongly, then she should resign immediately and join the daily TV panel of twaddle that is called Loose Women. I also wonder what her voters will have to say about her not doing the job she was elected to do? I do also hope that she’s going be handing back a month of her Parliamentary salary, on the back of this spectacular political owngoal.

I always used to like Denis McShane, the now ex-Rotherham MP who had to quit the Commons for fiddling his expenses. He was a straight talker and not

q

From p10

NEW Look Second Hand Warehouse is situated in the village of San Miguel (opposite the Nuthouse Bar). Selling only top quality used furniture at unbelievable prices, a visit to the Warehouse is a must! Goods in stock range from sofas priced from £95, table and chairs from just £60, coffee tables, wall units and beds, there are just too many bargains to mention, so a visit to the Warehouse is a must! There is also a large selection of white goods for sale – all with a 30-day guarantee. New Look Second Hand Warehouse offers Free Local delivery, and

shop assistant: 'Look after my husband, luv. I won't be long.' And she dived back into the fray.

'My goodness,' I whispered to the shop assistant. 'Is it always like this at the bargains counter?'

'Every time,' she replied.

'It's certainly not a sight for male eyes. May I escort you to the store same day delivery on all goods. Our experi- restaurant? There's a enced staff pride themselves on customer two-for-one offer this satisfaction and providing excellent cus- week on sausage, beans tomer service. Opening times are Monday and chips.' to Friday 9.30am to 7pm and Saturday I thanked the nice lady 9.30am to 2pm. AND REMEMBER, for pur- for her attentiveness but chases over €20 you can choose either a declined her tasty offer. I Free Bottle of Wine or opt for a FREE ticket was in a seriously for the Xmas Raffle Draw! So why not call in stunned state and needand have a look around and if you have any ed to escape to the safety questions regarding any items on sale, just and protection of my secask one of the friendly staff who will be on ond home.

'And that was how those hand to help you. two kind gentlemen found me, in a traumainduced stupor trying to crawl back into the womb . . . er, I mean pub,' I recounted later to the hushed members of the hostelry discussion group who were gathered around me.

q

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Friday, November 9, 2012

CAFE GOLF... THE BEST OF SPANGLISH CUISINE SITUATED in San Javier, just five minutes from the airport, Cafe Golf is one of the nicest places in which to enjoy a fantastic meal in a friendly, relaxing atmosphere.

Offering the perfect combination of Spanish and English food, and with prices to fit all pockets, Cafe Golf has something for everyone. Where else will you get a free tapa with any and every drink you order served by the smiling faces of Nike and Neil? The tapas are delicacies in their own right, with a huge selection of “montaditos” (small rolls filled with mouth-watering ingredients) and tasters of typically Spanish dishes.

Santi, the chef at Cafe Golf for the past six months, is really putting his stamp on the food served. He was born and bred in kitchens, and describes himself as a food artist.

He really cooks with his heart and his goal is to ensure your meal at Cafe Golf is the best food you have tasted. He only

cooks with fresh, local, seasonal produce, and the taste is second to none. Once you have tried Santi’s cooking you are guaranteed to come back again and again for more.

Cafe Golf’s food is addictive.

Every weekend there is selection of Specials for you to try.

Menu of the Day costs just 7€, and changes constantly. In keeping with autumn, the starters at present include cream of artichoke soup, and cream of pumpkin, with main courses such as beef in sauce and grilled fish. There is always a choice of three starters, three main courses and three desserts, and the desserts include dishes such as rice pudding, cheesecake or chocolate mousse. The price includes a drink, so you really can’t go wrong.

Alongside the traditional Sunday lunch, which costs 11.50€ for three courses, Cafe Golf run a Chef’s Suggestions Menu, which offers something completely new

every Sunday for just 10 euros.

If you have special dietary requirements, have no fear.

Cafe Golf can cater for diabetics, gluten free diets and any other special requirement. There is also an extensive vegetarian menu, with lots of mouth-watering dishes to choose from, all of which are cooked with seasonal vegetables and produce. Booking is advisable in these cases.

If you are seeking somewhere to celebrate that special event, then look no further. Cafe Golf can cater for birthday parties, anniversaries, golf presentations, Christmas parties etc. with a menu adaptable to any budget. Music can also be included if previously arranged.

This is an ideal place to come and watch sporting events, as Cafe Golf show football and golf tournaments. And you’ll be in the company of other knowledgeable people. Neil is of

Continued on page 17

Friday, November 9, 2012

course available for any golf requirements.

Next Wednesday, November 14, Cafe Golf will be hosting a Craft Fayre from 11am to 2pm. A wide range of crafts will be on display including wood turning, card and cake making, water colour painting, patchwork and mosaics, silverwork and flower arranging and dollies. There is no entrance fee, but any donations will go to MABS. Watch this space for the coming live jazz music nights with set menus from different countries or regions. This will be

starting in the New Year. The ideal place to see what is happening in Cafe Golf is their new website: www.cafegolfsanjavier.com which has all their latest offers and events and will soon have some printable vouchers for free drinks or snacks.

In January Cafe Golf will be celebrating its fifth anniversary. Why not pop along and see just for yourself why this is becoming everyone’s favourite local. Phone 666766600 to book a table or for directions.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Facing up to a Faith Lift Is your skin looking tired after the summer? Do you need to get into “that” dress for Christmas?

As wonderful as the sun makes you feel when you’re sipping a cold drink and lying on your lounger, it can be very damaging to the skin.

High factor sunscreen in the summer is a must but sometimes even that isn’t enough.

Here at Medaesthetics we can help!

The Faith Lift is a non surgical face lift with products used to visibly help lift sagging, aging skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The skin looks fresh and lines appear softer after just one session. A course of six treatments is recommended but after just one there is a noticeable difference to the skin. The Faith Lift cream carries on working after the facial has finished with the effects lasting for days.

Also available at Medaesthetics, we have a large range of Dermalogica facials and products that can be tailored to each individual; from a calming facial for sensitive skin through to an anti-bacterial facial for acne-prone skin. A thor-

ough facial analysis is carried out on your first visit to help identify any problems you may have - once identified, we will select the correct products to help you to combat them.

Do you need to lose a few inches to fit into your party finery for Christmas? The Shrinking Violet Body Wrap is just for you! This is a revolutionary new treatment to remove unwanted fat from areas you want without effort or discomfort. The amount of fat reduction varies depending on your build but many people can “shrink” by one whole dress size after the first treatment.

The Shrinking Violet Body Wrap works by Lipolysis. This process is the splitting up or decomposition of fat - you will naturally pass the excess cells after the treatment.

Unwanted fat can affect areas such as the stomach, buttocks, thighs, hips and upper arms. Immediate results can be seen with the maximum effect observed after 24 hours.

Combining the Shrinking Violet Body Wrap with exercise and healthy eating plan – such as Cambridge 800 also offered at Medaesthetics – and that’s your start to a new slimmer, happier, healthier you!

ALCOHOL AND HANGOVERS Anyone who has binged on alcohol knows only too well about the unpleasant aftermath known as a hangover. Hangover symptoms varies from person to person, but may include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, dizziness, lethargy, diarrhoea and thirst. Hangovers are usually experienced in the morning after a night of heavy drinking, but can also be experienced at any time.

Hangover symptoms are partly caused by the buildup of toxins produced in the liver while the alcohol is being processed, and partly due to the irritation of the stomach and dehydration of the brain.

Excessive alcohol intake can be very damaging to health, and health experts advise drinkers to limit their intake to 3-4 units of alcohol per day for men and 2-3 units per day for women. A

DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to machimannu@gmail.com

unit of alcohol is 10ml or 8 g of alcohol. Half a pint (280 ml) of beer, lager or cider of about 3.5% alcohol in strength contains one unit.

However many lagers now contain 5% and some others up to 9% alcohol. A 25 ml pub measure of 40% spirit contains one unit, but many pubs now serve 35 ml measures as standard. A small (100 ml) glass of wine that is 10% alcohol contains one unit. Depending on its alcohol content, a bottle of wine typically contains between 8-11 units of alcohol.

Women do not handle alcohol as well as men for a number of reasons. Women have lower levels of the stomach enzyme ‘alcohol dehydrogenase’ than men, and so less alcohol is deac-

tivated before it enters the blood. For this reason, women tend to absorb a third more alcohol than men.

Women also have lower total body water content than men, causing a higher alcohol concentration in the blood. Furthermore, women tend to show a higher interference with thought process than men, and develop higher blood alcohol concentrations with the same amount of alcohol as they get older.

Before going out to drink, you may consider taking Artichoke extracts to stimulate liver function or 1g of Vitamin C which also helps in the processing of alcohol.

People with low levels of Vitamin C tend to have a much worse hangover.

Alcoholic spirits such as

cognac, brandy and whisky contain substances known as Congeners, which add flavour and colour. These substances are known to cause more stomach irritation and a lot worse hangover than spirits such as Vodka and Gin. Drinking on a full stomach helps slow down the absorption of alcohol so that the liver is able to break it down more efficiently. Try not to gulp your drinks quickly, instead take small sips slowly, and that way your liver has a chance to keep pace with your drinking. Drink at least half a litre of water before going to bed to help overcome the dehydration caused by alcohol. If you still wake up with a hangover after taking precautions, drinking water will help speed up your recov-

WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives.

The term Ayurveda is taken from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. It has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years and has only recently become

popular in Western cultures. The "contemporary" form of Ayurvedic medicine is mostly derived from several sacred Indian texts, which were written in Sanskrit between 1,500 400 AD. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies.

ery. Drink small amounts of water often all day to take in at least 2 litres of water.

Gulping down a lot in a go may trigger vomiting. The extracts of the plant Milk Thistle has a powerful protective effect on the liver following alcohol intake. They contain the antioxidant

Silymarin which regulates the entry of alcohol into the liver, and helps neutralize the toxins from alcohol breakdown. Milk thistle extracts in combination with Artichoke can be taken on the morning of the hangover, to speed up the recovery process.

Friday, November 9, 2012

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MUM’S DIABETES IS A REAL PAIN Q

MY mum is 49 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes 12 years ago. In the past year, she has visited her doctor a number of times, complaining of shooting pains down both legs that don’t last long but seem to be occurring more often. Her doctor changed her diabetes medication and also prescribed chromium for her. Her condition nevertheless has remained the same. I will be glad of your help.

The symptom you describe is suggestive of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes. It usually affects the nerves of the legs and feet, and is associated with symptoms such as pain, burning sensations, numbness and tingling sensations. Diabetic neuropathy occurs when blood sugar levels are poorly controlled, and the resulting high sugar levels then cause injury to the nerves. In most cases, early symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can be reversed if blood sugar level is controlled. Chromium has been recognised by researchers to be very helpful in preventing and managing diabetes. It improves the interaction of insulin with the body cells, thereby improving insulin resistance and reducing the amount of insulin required by the body. Chromium is especially helpful in reversing diabetes in its early stages, and may not be very helpful in long-term diabetes. Your mum should now ensure that her blood sugar level is well regulated to prevent further worsening of her condition.

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Taking extra care of the legs and feet is a key aspect of management. They should be examined daily to detect any changes and start treatment early. Wearing properly fitting shoes will prevent injuries from occurring since wounds may take time to heal.

Having regular appointments with a podiatrist also helps care for the nails and feet.

To relieve the shooting pains down her legs, she should consider taking R-lipoic acid, which plays a critical in maintain normal blood glucose levels and preventing complications of diabetes such as nerve damage.

I often read your articles in The Courier and am concerned as I take Simvastatin 20 mg and would like to stop. I now take lupin seeds alternately with the statin but would like to stop taking statins completely. Can you please advise me as to what I can take that is natural.

Your choice of lupin seeds is excellent since they have been studied and found to reduce cholesterol levels by decreasing its intestinal absorption.

Exercise and Diet plays a huge role in maintaining normal cholesterol levels. Total Cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol) are typically lowered by exercise, especially when combined with a weight-loss programme for those needing to lose weight. Meat and other animal foods that are high in saturated fats have been linked to high cholesterol. It is advisable to

Q

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eat very little of foods high in saturated fats such as beef, pork, veal, poultry (especially poultry skin), cheese, butter, ice cream and all other forms of dairy products not labelled “fat free.” Many vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated, and so results in the formation of Trans fatty acids that raise the levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ (LDL) as well as increase heart disease risk. Olive oil is very beneficial because it lowers ‘bad cholesterol’ levels in the body, especially when it replaces saturated fats. However, olive oil does not seem to increase the levels of good cholesterol and because of its high calorie content, should be used cautiously by people trying to lose weight. Eating sugar has been found to lower the protective effects of ‘good cholesterol’ (HDL cholesterol). Eating a lot of fish, especially deep sea oily fish such as salmon and mackerel high in omega-3 fatty acids, has also been found to increase the levels of ‘good cholesterol’. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables with high fibre content also lower cholesterol levels. Oat grain is particularly rich in a type of soluble fibre known as Beta-glucan. Several studies have shown oat grain supplementation to significantly lower cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol.

Flaxseed is another good source of soluble fibre, and has been reported to lower total and LDL cholesterol in clinical studies. In addition to controlling diet, there are a num-

ber of supplements that also help control cholesterol. Omega-3 essential oils have been shown to increase good HDL cholesterol and lower harmful LDL-cholesterol.

Omega-3 supplements are now made from a variety of plant sources, thereby avoiding the characteristic ‘fish oil’ smell and taste.

Garlic capsules are also very beneficial with studies showing an average of 11 % (and up to 25%) reduction in cholesterol levels.

Other studies have also shown that garlic can reduce and even reverse hardening and furring of arteries known as atherosclerosis. Antioxidants neutralise harmful toxins in the body, and a good intake protects circulating fats from oxidation (oxidised fats cause hardening of the arteries). Blue and red coloured fruits are usually rich in antioxidants. Pycnogenol is an antioxidant supplement extracted from the bark of maritime pine, and contains a variety of potent antioxidants that can significantly reduce harmful LDL-cholesterol and increase beneficial HDL-cholesterol. Lecithin or phosphatidyl choline blocks the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines, and increases its excretion into bile.

Clinical studies have shown how high dose lecithin decreases LDL by 30% and increases HDL by 46% in a single month.

Psyllium seeds, Alfalfa seeds, Artichoke, Green tea, Chromium and Magnesium have also been studied and found to lower cholesterol levels.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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 seven 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!

ADVICE: Malcolm needed advice on a check disk taking a FIXED: John was having difficulty sending pictures with very long time.

Picassa.

Hello Richard, I have a problem, possibly bigger than I think! I have a notebook + tower running windows 7 32/64bit. I have run ccleaner on both, and then run windows disk cleanup, followed by antispyware/malware. I also ran the check disk, as I do now and again, on my old XP, and now on win 7. I know once it's started, it has to finish, some 3/5 hrs later, depending. The trouble is, it doesn’t seem to want to finish on the tower. It reached part 4, and nothing progressed for nearly 1hr so I turned the pc off/on to let it run again. It stopped on file 147263, which seemed to be about halfway, and didn’t move beyond this no for over 1 hr so I turned it off/on again to let it run again. The scan stopped at the same number, I don't know how long for, but when I looked at it, I gave it 45mins from then still no movement so I shut down for the night. Are there some files missing, which is causing it to stop, and/or should I just let it run, no matter how long it takes, and will it do any damage with the hard drive light glowing (not flickering) a nice bright red. Many thanks Malcolm.

Q

Hi Malcolm, it’s pretty hard to say without seeing the problem first hand, knowing the size of the hard drive etc., however one reason for a “check disk” to take an extremely long time to run - as in your case - is that there could be a physical problem with the hard drive.

My advice, erring on the side of caution, would be to firstly take a copy of your important data - if your computer boots up into Windows of course; if it does not then you should call in an expert who should be able to remove your hard drive and, fingers crossed, back up your data. Once the backup is complete then perform a full check disk – regardless of the amount of time it takes, if that works then I would run another check disk and this time it should go through a lot quicker, if it doesn’t work then you are probably looking at a replacement hard drive. But first things first, make sure you get a good copy of your important data.

Q

Hi, can you help a 77 year old. I can send a text, and I can send a photo, but I cannot send both at the same time. Can you advise please. I am on Windows Xp with Picassa 3 photo album. Many thanks to you and a great paper. John

Update. Hi John, could you explain to me what exactly you are doing when you send a photo please?

Update. I use the drop-down list and go to Picassa Photo Gallery, then to the e-mail symbol (envelope) open Google e-mail, enter user name and password and sign in. I look for a person’s e-mail and send them the photo. Once it's confirmed that it has been received, I send the text, John

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FIXED: James wanted to know how to recover his Terra.es password

Q A

A

Hi John, I am not sure what you are doing wrong, but when you click on “sign in” you should see the following window asking you for the email address to send the image to together with an area to type a subject and an area to type the email message (as shown above).

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

Hi Richard, can you help with a problem? How can I find out my terra.es password Thanks, James.

Hi James, in order to recover your Terra email password you need to go here…

https://registro.terra.es/modificaciones/ModPub/olvPassword/PRCOlvidoPassword.jsp …and complete the form, they will take you through a process to recover your password.

Update: Bingo! It worked thanks.

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

Office: 902 906 200

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Friday, November 9, 2012

THE pricing policy of budget airlines was superbly demonstrated by the British press last week when they announced it was cheaper to bring your butler on a flight than to take an extra suitcase.

This has brought the creative pricing nonsense of the airlines into sharp focus.

When it is cheaper to buy a second seat inside the aircraft than to pay for a suitcase in the hold, then airlines have gone stark staring mad.

What gave rise to the newspaper story was price comparison website WhichAirline.com which highlighted that one person flying on Ryanair to Budapest would pay £126.99 for a return ticket if travelling alone with two bags.

Alternatively, if the person enlisted someone to carry one of the bags, it would drive down the cost of the trip to £113.98, a saving of £13.01, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A return trip from Gatwick to Alicante with Easyjet would cost £284.98 for one person carrying two bags.

But a second passenger carrying one of the cases brought t h e price down t o £252.96.

I'm not too bothered about this crazi-

Two seats please, one for my bag... ness, because undoubtedly an airline will arrive which treats customers with more respect. It's called customer care, which seems to have gone out of the window for some.

What particularly annoyed me was a throw-away line in the story which said Easyjet were offering MPs cheap flights in a deal struck between them and Parliament.

It's fair enough if these were essential flights on government business, but, knowing how MPs are always after the perks, my guess is that MPs will be subsidised by all other Easyjet customers. And why the hell should we be doing that?

Come on Easyjet - get real.

I must now remind you just what a moneygrabber we've had representing the electors of Rotherham.

Ex-Labour minister Denis MacShane has been on the fiddle big time, faking 19 invoices to claim £12,900 in expenses.

He was suspended from the House for a year and has since resigned. Good riddance!

The bills were signed with a nom de plume purporting to come from a general manager who did not exist.

T h e European ambassador for Tony Blair

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claimed thousands

of pounds for computers and laptops. He even submitted the same invoice twice for one computer he bought.

He also used his parliamentary expenses to ‘entertain European contacts’ and claimed for ‘extensive’ book purchases.

Commons expenses watchdogs said his claims for extensive European travel, including air fares, hotels and meals, were of the ‘utmost gravity’.

Labour leader Ed Miliband moved quickly to suspend MacShane from the Labour party.

But many would think he should quickly move from the Commons to a dock in the Crown Court, and Scotland Yard said they had not closed the case but had simply decided to take ‘no further action’ after advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.

The problem has been that police did not previously have access to evidence used by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner since it was subject to Parliamentary privilege.

A Met Police spokesman said the force would now consider the contents of the Commons report.

MacShane could still avoid charges because letters in which he makes a number of frank statements about his expenses claims submitted to the inquiry could not be used as evidence in court.

This antiquated nonsense providing MPs with parliamentary privilege and allowing them to avoid the legal consequences of their actions should be repealed

immediately.

If someone has committed an offence, then they should face the full force of the law and to be protected by parliamentary privilege is at best antiquated and at worst ridiculous.

Thankfully this is the view of a growing number of MPs and anything which breaks down the ‘them and us’ attitude is most welcome and long overdue.

Back in Rotherham, I suppose they will be voting Labour again at the by-election.

I was interested to read Courier colleague Donna Gee's distaste of having clouds of smoke drifting over her from smokers while trying to sit outside cafes and restaurants.

I most heartedly agree.

We were stuck between a selfish man smoking an atrociously smelling cigar and two women chain smok-

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ing.

Needless to say this completely ruined the lunch we were trying to eat. It really is about time that society treated smokers as the drug addicts they are and banned the grossly anti-social practice in all public places.

Public health should be put first, with anti-social behaviour in all its forms, whether it be drunken yobs, noisy and inconsiderate neighbours, litter louts or smokers all in this same mould.

I was interested to read that the mayor of Paris has ordered 10,000 ashtrays to be installed in the city's streets to combat a rising tide of cigarette-related litter.

Here's where a lot of money could have been saved by simply banning smoking in the streets, and giving on-the-spot fines to offenders would bring in revenue.

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I was amazed at the latest UK statistics which revealed a million more people now live on their own than in 1996.

Almost one in three homes now have just a single occupant. Three in five are aged 16 to 64 and almost 60 per cent are men.

But among the over 65s the majority are women.

Other statistics reveal that 2.9 million couples are cohabiting, a rise of 1.5million in a decade, and the number of couples with children cohabiting has doubled, revealing the extent of the collapse of marriage.

It all spells a very sad picture. Granted that by no means all people living alone are lonely - but it's my guess that a lot of them are.

And the growth of cohabitation just demonstrates how untrusting people now are that a marriage will work and probably an increasing number are worried over the cost of divorce, property settlements and future childcare and avoiding commitment like the plague.

Society must take a long, hard look at the direction it is taking. This really is no way to bring up the next generation.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Focus on

PLAYA FLAMENCA C.C.

Mysteries of the figures of fantasy ANTISHA, the leading gift shop on the Orihuela Costa, is now in its fifth year - and continues to provide excellent service and choice. Pop in and see our range of fantasy figures including skulls, dragons, unicorns and much more. Lots of new stock has now arrived for the Christmas season. Plenty of gift ideas, prices to suit all products The Crystal and angelic side of the business now has even more to offer and is still growing. If there is anything on your wish list, we will endeavour to source if from our many UK suppliers. We are still the best in terms of selection and price for our sterling silver and gemstones jewellery. Don't forget our superb range of up-tothe-minute fashion jewellery and evening bags. Goods can be reserved up to Christmas for a small deposit. So call in for a browse or call us on 693 688 940.

Goodfellas – going great steaks Goodfellas is soon to be refurbished inside – but our amazing food remains as tasty as ever. And we’ll steak their reputation on that.

Choose from a good selection of finest meats and succulent Aberdeen Angus steaks. We have got a Special Offer during the month of November on all Main Course Meals buy one and get ONE FREE excluding Steak, Lamb & Fish Our fantastic menu offers the tastiest dishes and something for everyone. Large groups and parties are catered for with set menus available. For more info, contact Lynn Smith on 637 900 008 or facebook Goodfellas Spain

A glittering visit to treasure THE dazzling Treasure Chest shops in Playa Flamenca, Villamartin and Quesada have a real sparkle about them – especially the new season range of goodies now in stock.

Our wide choice of jewellery includes Shambola’s new range, an irresistible choice of gold and silver jewellery, and a wide selection of fashion jewellery. They also do Gold and Silver repairs. And don’t forget our watches by Citizen, Police, Eton etc – or the cards and giftwrapping that complete the package for someone special.

Jayne moves a cut above the rest JAYNE has been hairdressing for 30 years and moved from Northern Ireland to the Orihuela Costa area six years ago At the moment her Unisex Barbers Shop is next to King Kod on Playa Flamenca Commercial Centre but Jayne is looking forward to moving towards the end of November to her brand new Barbers Shop still in the Commercial Centre, next to the Laundry Shop Jayne does wet cuts for Men, Ladies and children. You don’t have to make an appointment - just pop in and enjoy the experience. Jayne likes to build up a relationship with her clients, who keep coming back Modern haircuts are updated all the time to help people enhance their appearance. Jayne gives advice on what suits them and gives a precision haircut which is then manageable by yourself as it is cut so well it can dry naturally and fall back in style.

Bring the voucher… and we’ll see you tater!

SPUD Murphys are pleased to introduce their special winter takeaway offer, so cut out the voucher and come and see us.

Since we opened our doors in April 2002 we have always provided quality freshly cooked food, to either eat in or takeaway. So much more than fish and chips, we have a varied menu from breakfast, lunch and a new two course winter menu offering great value.

Just give us a call to reserve your table, we have wifi available and now accept credit cards.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Focus on

PLAYA FLAMENCA C.C.

Top Up’s call guys are right up top!

AT Top Up (formerly Games and Grooves) we provide a friendly and affordable phone-unlocking and computer-repair service. In our two-storey shop, we have a wide range of new and used unlocked mobile phones for sale along with a wide range of English laptops. Whether you need a new bling phone cover, charger, cables or a nice protective leather case for your I-pad, we have it! We can also unlock I-phones, Blackberries etc – and carry out virus removals, language changes, reinstalls. You name it, we can do it...

Oh, and we have a used section of Nintendo dsi and iPods... plus weekly discount specials on our phone and computer accessories.

The Lansdowne wins - hands down LOOKING for the best pint of Guinness on the Costa?

Then get down to the Landsdowne!

Enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of a traditional style bar with plenty of extras. From Thursday to Sunday we have live music.

Now appearing every Thursday live Band

Showaddywaddy Legend, Friday Live Band Kolted, Saturday Solo Artist Greg Lomas, Sunday Solo Artist Nicky G and if you prefer to tune in to the best sports coverage, we have got it all - including GAA rugby

Stay on top of your game at Legends LEGENDS Bar is both the home of football and the No 1 party bar on the Costas. Watch the big games on large screens - with HD Projector showing all the matches at one time If you'd rather pot a few balls, our professional Pool Table is FREE on Mondays There is also Karaoke plus a DJ seven nights a week, with drink promotions and much more, including throughout November a Karaoke competition.

Be sure - and ensure you insure with us!

WITH all the worry and concerns about the banks in Spain, why not pop into Jennifer Cunningham's Office in the Commercial Centre Playa Flamenca and ask for an insurance quote from one of the largest Insurance Companies, Liberty Seguros (part of Liberty Mutual Group)? At the same time, if you discover you have no health cover, we can offer special terms and prices on both Health and Funeral Plans.

Staff at Jennifer Cunningham are much more than a voice on the phone. So why not drop into the office in Playa Flamenca Commercial Centre and discover what excellent polices and prices are available? The office is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday Tel: 965 326 209

Playa Plamenca C.C.

La Zenia Boulevard



Turn off at the Burger King and Lidl roundabout

26

Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday, November 9, 2012

UK HEADLINES

GREEN LIGHT TO DEATH...

The Sun THIS horrific CCTV image shows the moment a tragic teenager fell from a platform and was crushed by a train.

Georgia Varley, 16, fell between the platform and the train after going into Liverpool for a night out to celebrate a friend’s 18th birthday party.

She was said to have died because train guard Christopher McGee, 45, gave driver Belinda Nicholson the signal that it was safe for the train to pull out of James Street station in the city centre.

McGee from Wallasey, Wirral, a train guard for 20 years, appeared at Liverpool Crown court charged with the manslaughter of Georgia, from Moreton on the Wirral, in October last year.

He denied the charge and an alternative charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to take reasonable care to ensure Georgia’s safety on the platform.

McGee told police and his bosses at Merseyrail that Georgia had moved away from the train before he gave the order to set off but then came back and started banging on the windows before she fell between the platform and the train onto the tracks.

But prosecutor Nicolas Johnson QC played the jury a 30 second CCTV video of Georgia which the prosecution claim shows that she was leaning against the train when it moved out.

Mr Johnson told the court that Georgia was “very drunk’’ and had traces of the recreational drug MCAT in her system when she went into the city to continue the birthday celebrations.

She had been to a house party for friend Maddy Bowers’ 18th birthday party where she had drunk vodka and was said to be “the drunkest person at the party”.

Mr Johnson said: “Only one person had the capability to prevent the situation which led to her death. Christopher McGee was the guard on the train and we say he did two things.

“He gave the signal to the driver when he could not have failed to realise that Georgia was in contact with the train and she was in an intoxicated state.

“It was a deliberate act. He must have known that it would subject Georgia to a degree of force which was highly likely to throw her off balance with the consequent risk of injury. We say that starting the train was in itself a criminal act. The second thing he did was he failed to countermand the signal when it was clear that Georgia could be dragged under the train with the obvious risk of killing her.’’

The case continues.

C i t y b o o ze r ’ s £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 b i l l

starred ed Rican actor - who A CITY trader splash Usual The and h atc Sn in a sat out £40,000 on drinks at and e cam cts ile Suspe swish London bar wh . rby nea s res imp to trying Del Toro's arrival at io to Hollywood star Benic around 11pm was said Del Toro. the party t sen e hav ldea The commodities a frenn atmosphere 'into er - who has not bee traders the ting a zy', promp named - was at drinks. re mo er ord to at party Halloween Within a couple of Raffles in Chelsea. rs the businessman hou und aro He arrived at splashed out £24,000 had ow m 9.30pm with nine fell on three bottles of Do traders and kicked off the Perignon mpagne cha of evening with a round each. vodka costing £8,000 zombie-themed the time he left in By g tin cos h cocktails, eac last , the early hours of he £30, made from rum , ng rni mo day urs Th t. absinthe and grapefrui ked up a receipt rac had the d sai But onlookers luding - for £40,090.73 - inc trader's spending spi tip. .31 o a £5,229 ralled after the Puert

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Wiggins hurt in collision with car Daily Mail OLYMPIC cycling hero Bradley Wiggins is being treated in hospital for broken ribs and a damaged wrist after being knocked off his bike by a vehicle during a training ride.

The multiple Olympic champion was apparently hit by a white Vauxhall Astra Envoy van at around 6pm on Wednesday night close to a petrol station in Wrightington, near his home in Eccleston, Lancashire.

Police initially feared his injuries from the crash were very serious, but later it appeared he suffered broken ribs, a fractured finger and cuts and bruises.

Wiggins was given a precautionary head scan at Royal Preston Hospital, according to The Times.

Despite his injuries the reigning Tour de France champion is said to have staggered after his wife Catherine as she tried to

confront the woman driver.

The local woman driving the van, who was uninjured, was apparently devastated as police said to her: 'Do you know who you have hit?'.

She was apparently heard to say: 'I can’t believe it.

'He said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there by which time he was blue.'

Benicio Del Toro...£40k bill to impress him

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Bigastro - where life begins at 40s BIGASTRO has never been the easiest place to find – but it got lost in time at the weekend.

The occasion was a smash-hit ‘40s night at La Terraza Café Bar, run by new proprietors Darren Yarrow and his wife Hazel to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

Eddie Coleman, vice chairman of the Legion’s Orihuela and District Branch, was there with his Land Army wife Jean, friends and fellow members. The evening, which included a buffet supper, raised €250 for the RBL and a raffle for a food hamper was won by Jean Hatch of Bigastro.

Cathy Carson and TAABS provided the music.

Next on Darren’s agenda are a 60's Party Night on Saturday November 17 – and a Christmas Fayre and Cash for Your Clothes Afternoon Tea on Wednesday December 5 from 1-5pm. For more info, Call Darren on 625 272 256 or email darrenyar1967@yahoo.co.uk

SET FAYRE...

LA SIESTA Ladies Friendship Group hold their annual f u n d r a i s i n g Christmas Fayre at La Siesta church on Saturday November 24 from 10.30am.

It will feature bric-abrac, jewellery, raffle, home baking, mulled wine, mince pies, hot dogs, auction, linen, books, games, tombola, tea & coffee etc. Says chairman Jean Wallace: “Last year we supported three local charities, Water Aid in Africa and an orphanage in Haiti.

“This year we will be looking at helping mainly the local charities including, Reachout-Torrevieja, in this time of crisis in Spain’’ AJ’s Bar in Urb La Marina will host a Christmas Fayre on Saturday November 24 to raise

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The party Is over... with €1,663 for Age Concern

Anita Fuster Jongeneel of Banco De Valencia presenting the cheque to local Age Concern president Maureen Payne

A RECORD-BREAKING sum of €1,663 was raised for Age Concern from Doug and Val Knott’s annual Garden Party at their villa in Quesada.

The 120 people who attended the event were treated to lots of laughs and fun, compered once again by singer Jon Summers, who returned to live in England last April but came back at his own expense to take part in this event.

Doug and Val would par-

VIVIENNE Paterson, owner of the Irish Rover bar in Torrevieja, is pictured presenting cancer charity AECC with another substantial amount of money in memory of her mother's death from cancer four years ago.

Vivienne (right) organised a number of fundraising events at the bar, this time raising more than €600. The money was handed over to Maria Wilson, President of AECC for the Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa area and will be used for AECC's much-used subsidised cancer screening in the area.

Cancer-sufferer Maria is available to talk to, offer advice and arrange cancer screening. Call her on 602 418 959, between 10am and 4pm. xx

ticularly like to thank the many local businesses for providing prizes.

Thanks also go to the people who contributed to the provision of food and drink provided – and to all who came for the afternoon and spent their money so generously.

On a sad note, Doug and Val have decided to give the Garden Party a rest for a while, having raised well over €10,000 for two charities over seven years.

funds to help struggling San Fulgencio f a m i l i e s .

Spokesperson Pauline Prior says: ‘’This event brings in money so that we can then go and purchase non perishable food items to be distributed to the needy. At present we have approximately 60 children and their families in need of our help.’’

Maria Wilson and some of her new Pink Ladies raised more than €250 for the AECC from a raffle at The Jazz Singer’s Neil Diamond tribute show at the New Asturias.

Mathilde Sanchez and Judith Ferris of AFA receive a cheque for €1,500, the proceeds of a successful concert by Cantabile Singers, Just Brass and Terry Horvath Morris. If you enjoy singing, contact Phyl on 965077457 or Jennifer on 966796866 or view www. cantabilesingers.es

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LOCAL AUTHORS BOOK IN FOR CHRISTMAS SEVERAL members of local writers group, WordPlay, will be signing copies of their latest books at the Habaneras branch of Bookworld between now and Christmas.

Each Wednesday and Saturday until Dec 8, between 11am and 1pm, an author will sign copies of that day’s featured book.

The featured authors on Nov 14 and Dec 8 are Joy Lennick, previous Torrevieja International Short Story winner, with her memoir, My Gentle War, and KJ Rollinson with the first book in her

dragon trilogy, Fallyn and the Dragons.

Nikki Dee (Nov 28 and Dec 1) will promote her first novel, Losing Hope – the harrowing story of a young girl abducted when just five and discovered 15 years later.

And finally, Shorts for Autumn will be showcased on Nov 21 and Dec 5.

WordPlay meets on the second Monday of every month, 11am at the Emerald Isle, La Florida. Its aims are to encourage writers to write, and then get them read.

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Friday,December November 16, 9, 2012 Friday, 2011

Friday, November 9, 2012

SPANISH NEWS

PILL PUSHERS!

By SALLY BENGTSSON IF you found it hard to find a chemist open it’s Monday, last because hundreds of pharmacies throughout eastern Spain were protesting against the fact that indebted authorities regional have not paid their bills.

Two thirds of the 2,200 pharmacies in the Valencia region joined in the first day of a rolling strike, with just over 700 opening their doors.

The reason for the openended strike is to draw attention to the "dramatic situation that pharmacies in Valencia are suffering," said a spokesman for the pharmacy association, adding that no incidents were reported during Monday's strike.

He said the regional government owed pharmacies €450 million for prescription medicine issued under the system health public and May between September. "If the banks do not renew their credit for the pharmacies, 500 of them could go bust this very month," said the president of the College of Pharmacists, Maria Teresa Guardiola, in a statement. autonomous Spain's regions, which control budgets for health and education, have seen their debts soar since the collapse of a property boom in 2008 that has driven Spain to seek Eurozone bailout funds for its banks.

Valencia and eight of the other autonomous regions have requested rescue funds from the central government to help finance their deficits. of College The

Furious pharmacies out to make authorities pay

Pharmacists said pharmacies were demanding that the central government rescue them as it did the banks. The budget ministry said on Monday that the government would renew its aid fund for the regions in 2013, with conditions obliging the regions to pay pharmacies and other service providers.

Meanhile, unemployment in Spain continued its seemingly inexorable rise in October, with the number of people registered as out of work climbing for the third month in a row to close to five million. figures to According released on Monday by the Labour Ministry, jobless claims last month climbed by 128,242, or 2.73 percent, to the giddy figure of 4.833 million.

The ministry pointed out that the increase in unemployment was lower than in October 2011, when jobless claims rose by 134,182.

The National Statistics Institute’s Active Population Survey, published last month, showed that the jobless rate climbed above 25 percent in the third quarter for the first time on record.

According to the survey, which is considered a more accurate reflection of the state of the labour market, 5.778 million people are out of work.

About three-quarters of the newly unemployed came from the services sector.

Red Day reforms off until 2014 THE Popular Party (PP) administration will postpone until 2014 the introduction of reforms to limit the number of holidays and long weekends, known in Spain as “bridges,” as part of its efforts to increase worker productivity.

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría explained after Friday’s Cabinet meeting that the government won’t have to rush to designate what holidays workers will be entitled to next year because most of those days will fall on Fridays, Mondays or during the weekend.

In January, labour unions and the nation’s largest busi-

ness confederation, the CEOE, agreed to push national holidays to Mondays so that workers can still enjoy a three-day weekend while curbing the practice of taking additional working days off should they fall between holidays and the weekend.

Studies by the CEOE have shown that workers are less productive on Mondays following these “weekend bridges.”

But not everyone has agreed to this formula. The regions and the Catholic Church, which has a say in such matters, as outlined in the 1979 accord between Spain and the Vatican, are still

negotiating with the government. The three sides are trying to decide what to do with three specific dates: August 15 Feast of the Assumption, November 1 All Saints Day, and December 6 Constitution Day. The CCOO and UGT labour unions are asking to keep the May 1 Workers Day holiday.

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92 die in Morocco boat exodus =

MORE than 90 illegal African migrants are believed to have died attempting to reach Spain from Morocco in the past two weeks.

“According to the testimonies of six survivors who managed to reach Spain, 54 people on the same boat drowned last week," said Pierre Delagrange, president of Morocco’s sub-Saharan immigrant community.

He said that another 19 died off the coast of Tangier, Morocco's northern port city, just 14 kilometres from Spain. , in the last fortnight.

A Moroccan security source said the body of a sub-Saharan migrant was found on the coast at Nador on Monday, near Spain's north African enclave of Melilla, after the body of a man and his young son were discovered in the same area last week. The casualty figure of 76 raises the number of African migrants confirmed to have drowned in the waters between Morocco and Spain in the past two weeks to 92. savings Spanish bank La Caixa said Monday it had taken its capital out of the Port Aventura theme park near Tarragona in northeastern Spain that it helped found.

It said its investment arm Criteria CaixaHolding had sold its 50-percent holding in the park to the fund investment Investindustrial for 105 euros. million Investindustrial is now sole owner of Port Aventura.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Horoscopes Aries March 21 - April 19 By agreeing to read this horoscope you may be bringing on yourself several levels of suffering and/or pleasure. If you agree to this, please stop reading now. Or carry on, depending on whether you're willing to take that chance. Knowing your hand span may become useful over the coming days, although the mystics will not give me any information as to how or why.

Taurus April 20 - May 20 You may feel like starving yourself today in order to lose some weight. Back in school when people would bully you about your hair and possibly jacket, you swore you would have your vengeance. Make today that day. If you can't tell your bum from your elbow, it might be time to lose some weight.

Flabby arms are not attractive to anyone but the walking dead or possibly alley cats and dogs.

Gemini May 21 - June 20 You are important, at least as important as the discovery of the dock leaf when you were stung by a nettle as a child. Today might surprise you by quickly changing the colour of the clouds perhaps for up to 10 seconds. This horoscope may destruct in 10 seconds.

Cancer June 21 - July 22 The shop you like to buy your food from may suddenly disappear with a whooshing sound as you approach it. If you feel like you're struggling to go ahead with the rest of the world, sit down, relax and perhaps watch some day time television.

Take care when opening up an email from a friend today as you may not enjoy the electronic content inside.

By Pandora Leo July 23 - August 22 Try to avoid challenging yourself today.

You may find that you are ready for a fall.

Almost everything you feel about life is unwarranted. You should feel almost the opposite about life at the moment and embrace your worst fears. Horoscopes have always had a tendency to be wrong for you, but today's will be a peach.

Virgo August 23 - September 22 Today is another day, and all can be well both here and in Denmark. Even in the darkest places you can find yourself although you may break your nose on a door. This week may cause some problems for you as your secrets are shared across the internet. It all used to be so much easier, but with age you're finding certain things much more difficult.

Libra September 23 - October 22 You think "pink", but you buy "blue". This is why you're confused a lot of the time.

Your heroic attempts to liven up various meetings and get-togethers are all for nought this week as you are finally brought down to ground by a professional clown. The age you should be acting like is written on the soles of your shoes.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21 Your neighbour's taste for loud music may cause them to incur an unfortunate accident. The loony-left is a phrase that you quite like. The colours you see around you are intended to give you an idea of three dimensional space. Close your eyes and you become a dangerous walking buffoon.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21 Smiles help the world go round, especially when the smiles are accompanied by dirty big wads of cash. Cold hard cash. In fact, forget the smiles, just give everyone money. Money is a source of evil you can't do without. Credit card companies may seize on your lack of self-control. LEDs may come to the rescus for your today, shining fluorescently to the answer you truly seek.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19 "Have a good day!" is not something you'll want to hear from anyone as you suffer from a bottom related illness.

Cartoon fun can be yours if you pick up the right set of pencils and think really hard about drawing. You have many more years ahead of you. Jail sentences between 5 and 10 years may be applicable to your situation today.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18 Why not pick up the phone and yell into it wildly before dialling your required number. You should focus on all the positive things that have happened over the past few years. This will help you overcome the incredible setbacks which are coming in the next few weeks. Purple clouds are not usual, nor is red rain.

Pisces February 19 - March 20 You are weak at heart and must endeavour to become stronger by subjecting yourself to ritualistic torture. All your longterm plans will come into fruition this month. Beware of speeding busses. You have recently received some equipment for which there was a manual. Please give this manual a quick read so as to avoid problems later.

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Figures from the House of Commons Library show that for a typical litre of petrol costing 138.3p, 81p goes to the Treasury in fuel duty and VAT. That figure equals a record set earlier this year, which helped force George Osborne, the Chancellor, to postpone an earlier proposed increase in tax.

Drivers of diesel cars are typically paying 143.2p for a litre, of which 81.8p is tax, close to a record for this year.

Under current Treasury plans, duty on petrol and diesel will rise by 3p a litre on Jan1 next year.

Motoring groups and campaigners, including Conservative MPs, are urging the Chancellor to scrap the planned rise, which they say will squeeze household budgets further and dampen Britain’s economic recovery.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Tax paid on petrol Woman fails reaches a record high theory 105 times

The Commons library, which is politically neutral, tracks data on fuel and produces regular reports for

MPs on prices and tax levels.

Its latest report shows that, after gradually falling over the summer, pump prices are close to levels seen in April, when a typical litre of petrol cost 141.7p.

The library’s researchers report that this year’s higher prices have mainly been caused by rising global oil prices, forced up by political tensions in the Middle East, especially over Iran’s nuclear programme.

However, tax has con-

tributed to longer-term rises: “The price increases since late 2010 have been as a consequence of rising oil prices, the weaker pound and increases in duty and VAT,” the report said.

The library reported that overall, British fuel duty was the second highest in the European Union.

According to data from the European Commission, British diesel is the most expensive in the EU, “despite relatively low pretax prices”, the report said.

The hapless motorist is believed to be the country’s most incompetent candidate to date, according to data supplied by the Driving Standards Agency.

With the theory test costing £31, the woman from Essex has spent more than £3,000 so far enough to buy a respectable second hand car, such as a 2005 Nissan Micra with 38,000 miles on the clock.

Her latest unfortunate tilt

at the exam took place at Ilford, unfortunately the result was the same as the previous 104 attempts.

No other candidate has come near, though a man in Peterborough, Cambs is giving it his best shot with 84 attempts so far.

The theory exam, which must be passed before a candidate is allowed to take the practical exam, entails answering 50 multiple choice questions with 43 correct answers required.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Bring back the scrappage scheme Every so often a government alights on a policy which works. Then, almost inevitably, the same policy gets ditched. One such policy was the scrappage scheme which ran from May 2009 to March 2010, and allowed anyone trading in an old banger (one registered before February 29 2000) to get a £1,000 grant from the taxpayer to buy a new car. In turn the manufacturers chipped in another grand and everyone was happy.

The motorist got rid of the old rustbucket which should have gone to the great junkyard in the sky years earlier.

Car workers were kept in work because demand soared. Even where the cars bought were made abroad, showroom staff kept their jobs rather than going on to the dole.

Arguably, scrappage even ticked the environmental boxes, with the carbonbelching jalopies being taken off the road and shiny green clean machines taking their place.

The figures spoke for themselves; on average, the cars which went to the breaker's yard were emitting

182.1g of CO2 per kilometre, their replacements 132.4g/km.

If that wasn't good enough, then there was the not inconsiderable bonus that the Treasury made a profit out of the whole deal.

With VAT at 15 per cent, the Exchequer was quids in whenever a scrappage customer paid more than £7,600 for a car including tax.

In fact, the average price of cars bought under the scheme was £9,000. Even my back-of-cigarette-packet calculation suggests that for every £1,000 the Government was dishing out in subsidy, it was getting back £1,350 in tax.

With VAT now being charged at 20 per cent, the arguments for reintroducing scrappage are even more attractive.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

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, 23 represents T and 26 represents J, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

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 Able seaman’s secret furrow (4) 3 Optical disorder producing falls (8) 9 Strike left for harmony (7) 10 Batsman’s prayer before digging in? (5) 11 Communist in care of belief (5) 12 Burning for a lover?

(6) 14 Denial about being arrested (6) 16 Middle part removed from rubbish put in outhouse (6) 19 Virginia rents out the servants (6) 21 Share between two some lethal venom (5) 24 Faulty hinge makes animal cry (5) 25 Stroll after a bee to the blackberry bush (7) 26 Wicked sister in trouble (8) 27 Group found in urban development (4) STANDARD CLUES

Down 1 Scares an awful opposition to Crusades (8) 2 Tree begins autumn pruning, putting leaves everywhere (5) 4 Lost a try, as in a bad way (6) 5 Sort of elegant, but after the alien has left, still a divine figure (5) 6 I mean once across, an explanation for paleness (7) 7 Meet up at stream (4) 8 Gloomy doctor got up (6) 13 Right always finish preacher (8) 15 Language, one with a Latin derivation (7) 17 As his head is able to become an American rubbish bin (6) 18 High-class fur at one’s disposal (6) 20 Distinctive character in Macbeth? Osric? (5) 22 A sign of balance? (5) 23 Extreme objectives (4) Down

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Ear Elf Elk Ham Hod Ire Law Lea Met Sag Sam Sea See Soy Toe Too

4 letter words Ally Arch Arco Arts Bane Call Cede Dyke Edge Epic Esse Hawk Head Into Item Kept Lear

Lots Lurk Milk Nero Poll Pore Rota Sark Scot Sett Sial Sibs Skat Slat Spar Teal Tidy Tipi Toed

5 letter words Actor Allot Delta Elite Hyena Irons Krona Noose Scram Skirt Spore Tepee Therm Total Tread Tulle Upset

Viola 6 letter words Creeks Knotty 9 letter words Devilment Saturdays 10 letter words Espadrille Familiarly 11 letter words Smithereens Thatcherite

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

Across

Across

Down

1 Travelling bag (7) 5 Cloud-nine (5) 8 Pay back (9) 9 Admirer (3) 10 Reach maturity (5) 12 Grassland (7) 13 International banking centre in the Caribbean (6,7) 15 Most important element (7) 17 Moves towards (5) 19 Kimono sash (3) 20 Exactly alike (9) 22 Slightly burn (5) 23 Reading desk (7)

1 Employer (5) 2 Polynesian garland of flowers (3) 3 European country on Adriatic Sea (7) 4 Senior British cabinet minister (4,5,4) 5 Give a benediction to (5) 6 Contagious viral infection (9) 7 Vocalisers (7) 11 Doctor (9) 13 Plentiful (7) 14 Maniac (7) 16 Dwell (5) 18 Reception room (5) 21 Stick used in snooker (3)

Last weeks Solution Across: 7 Alcove, 8 Anoint, 9 Bats, 10 Soft-soap, 11 Bolster, 13 Naked, 15 Brief, 17 Tactics, 20 Infamous, 21 Bury, 22 Malice, 23 Merger.

Down: 1 El Paso, 2 Boss, 3 Perspex, 4 Gaffe, 5 Constant, 6 Insane, 12 Scenario, 14 Satsuma, 16 Runway, 18 Cartel, 19 Boxer, 21 Barn.

Scribble Pad

1 Rugby union team (8) 2 Fruit (5) 1 Clothing stitch (4) 4 Away from the right 3 Waterfall (8) direction (6) 9 Relationship (7) 5 Divine messenger (5) 10 Mealtime prayer (5) 6 Deficiency of red blood 11 Belief (5) cells (7) 12 Blazing (6) 7 Pour (4) 14 Fastened (6) 8 Sullen (6) 13 Clergyman (8) 16 Petrol station (6) 15 European language (7) 19 Manservants (6) 17 Rubbish bin (6) 21 Split in two (5) 18 Working (6) 24 Whinny (5) 20 Basic beliefs (5) 25 Prickly shrub (7) 22 Seventh sign of the 26 Ominous (8) zodiac (5) 27 Gang (4) 23 Ceases (4) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Scamper, 5 Vague, 8 Opulent, 9 Stake, 10 Ewers, 11 Instant, 12 Superb, 14 Canyon, 17 Clipper, 19 Get up, 22 Notes, 23 Curator, 24 Stray, 25 Sea legs Down: 1 Stone, 2 Acute, 3 Presser, 4 Retail, 5 Vases, 6 Granary, 7 Everton, 12 Seconds, 13 Printer, 15 Algeria, 16 Precis, 18 Pasty, 20 Title, 21 Paris.

Across

Down

1 Tuberías (5) 4 Native land (6) 9 Fan (air) (7) 10 Cosa (objeto) (5) 11 Cicatriz (4) 12 Atrasos (7) 13 Niño (3) 14 Berry (4) 16 Smell (4) 18 South (3) 20 El más rico (7) 21 Each (4) 24 Sombra (zona sin sol) (5) 25 Lawyer (7) 26 Deportes (6) 27 Carreteras (5)

1 Alabanza (6) 2 Silver (metal) (5) 3 Barco (4) 5 Previous (former, earlier) (8) 6 Reign (7) 7 Agosto (6) 8 Hoy (en este día) (5) 13 Sótano (8) 15 Elderly old man (7) 17 Strawberries (6) 18 Robar (5) 19 Canoes (6) 22 Spider (5) 23 Puerta (de casa, vehículo, armario) (4)

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Friday, November 9, 2012 Across 1 What name is often given to attempts to prevent people discovering the truth about a serious mistakes or crimes? (5-3) 5 Which adjective means ‘lacking nothing essential especially not damaged’? (6) 10 What name is usually given to a golf course that is built on sandy ground near a shore? (5) 11 Which British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles?

(4,5) 12 Which musical direction means ‘plucking the strings of a violin or other stringed instrument with one’s finger’? (9) 13 Which weekly magazine specialising in celebrity news and human-interest stories, was first published in the UK in 1988 (5) 14 With which sport would you principally associate Bunny Austin, Jean Borotra, Don Budge and Roy Emerson? (6) 15 Which adjective, meaning ‘of an appropriate or perti-

nent nature’, comes from the French for ‘(with regard) to (this) purpose’? (7) 18 Derived from the French for ‘in the fashion’, which phrase means ‘up to date’?

(1,2,4) 20 Now called Ho Chi Minh City, by what name was the capital of the independent republic of South Vietnam known as from 1955–75? (6) 22 Which adjective means ‘of, in or relating to the nose’? (5) 24 What was the title of the 17th film in the James Bond series, the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6? (9) 25 Which game show was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4? (9) 26 What was the name of mission in San Antonio, Texas, which was the site of a siege in 1836 by Mexican forces, in which all 180 defenders were killed? (5) 27 What is the name of the hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth? (6) 28 What name is often applied to a situation in which two or more competitors in a race are exactly

SUDOKU

Quiz Word

level? (4,4)

Down 1 Derived from the Arabic for ‘deputy (of God)’, what name

was given to the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state, regarded as the successor of Muhammad? (6) 2 Caracas is the capital of

which republic on the north coast of South America? (9) 3 What name is given to the deadly ‘game’ in which a person loads a single bullet in the cylinder of a revolver, spins the cylinder so that the location of the bullet is unknown, points the weapon at his/her head, and pulls the trigger? (7,8) 4 In astronomy which celestial objects, thought to be a rapidly rotating neutron stars, that emit regular pulses of radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation at rates of up to 1,000 pulses per second? (7) 6 Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in the British Isles, is located in which country of the UK? (8,7) 7 Which heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering shares its name with the incus of the ear? (5) 8 What sort of creature was Freda, who appeared on the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter from 1963 to 1979? (8) 9 Which domestic breed of goat is raised for its long silky hair, which is the true

mohair? (6) 16 The eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London are formally known as The Henry Wood [What] Concerts presented by the BBC? (9) 17 Which marine crustacean has an external shell that attaches itself permanently to a surface and feeds by filtering particles from the water using its modified feathery legs? (8) 19 Which punch is made of sweetened milk or cream mixed with eggs and usually alcoholic liquor? (6) 20 According to The Tremeloes 1967 number one hit single, [What] is Golden?

(7) 21 In computing, which verb means ‘to restart (a computer) by reloading the diskoperating-system program into working memory’? (6) 23 Which device, developed

by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, lets divers breathe under water? (5

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH APERITIVOS - SNACKS

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

(Answers below)

dia de hispanidad

la navidad

dia de la madre

la noche buena

domingo de pascua

la noche vieja

el dia de muertos

la semana santa

el dia de reyes

pascua

el dia de trabajo

san jose

jueves santo

viernes santo

movies / tv QUIZ

ANSWERS: 1. Kirk Douglas 2. Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire 3. Fort Apache, Arizona 4. Michael Jackson 5.

Jerry Lewis 6. Elvis Presley 7. 'Things to Come' by H.G. Wells 8. Million 9. Lauren Bacall 10. Bull & Finch 11.

Scarecrow 12. Bruce Willis 13. Lenny Bruce

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Wordsolution Across: 1 Garlic, 5 Helmsman, 9 Crackers, 10 Cymbal, 11 Plasticine, 12 Feta, 13 Moccasin, 16 Nuncio, 17 Idioms, 19 Basilisk, 21 Mark, 22 Cornershop, 25 Sluice, 26 Expected, 27 Pyrenees, 28 Seesaw.

Down: 2 April, 3 Lucas, 4 Clerics, 5 Hessian, 6 Lectern, 7 Semifinal, 8 Abattoirs, 14 Old Bailey, 15 Clockwise, 18 Secrete, 19 Burgess, 20 Sherpas, 23 Sucre, 24 Omega.

la asuncion Empareja estas palabras para animales - Match the Spanish and English animal words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.el día de hispanidad, 2.el día de la madre, 3.domingo de pascua, 4.el día de muertos, 5.el día de reyes, 6.el día de trabajo, 7.jueves santo, 8.la asunción, 9.la navidad, 10.la noche buena, 11.la noche vieja, 12.la semana santa, 13.pascua,

Soduko

14.San Jose, 15.viernes santo. a.Mother’s Day, b.Saint Joseph (Father’s Day), c.Holy week (Easter), d.New year’s eve, e.Hispanic Day (when Columbus arrived in America), f.Easter, g.Christmas, h.Easter Sunday, i.Labour Day, j.The Day of the Dead (Also

Span - Eng

Quizword

known as Todos Santos), k.Christmas Eve, l.Three Kings’ Day, m.Good Friday, n.The Rising of the Virgin Mary, o.Maundy Thursday.

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

1. Who is Issur Danielovitch better known as?

2. What three counties were Eliza Dolittle taught to pronounce?

3. Where was the setting fot the TV show Rin Tin Tin? 4. Who played the part of the scarecrow in the movie 'The Wiz'?

5. Joseph Levitch became famous using what stage name?

6. Who made a TV advertisment for Southern Maid Doughnuts?

7. Which 1936 film started with a world war and ended with a space flight?

8. What word could Ernie Bilko not say without stuttering?

9. Who was the female lead in movie 'The Shootist'?

10. Cheers exterior shots featured a real bar, what was it's name?

11. Ray Bolger played who in 'The Wizard of Oz'?

12. Who starred in the film 'The Sixth Sense'?

13. Alfred Schneider became famous as who?

Fill It In

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Friday, November 9, 2012

TRELI ON THE TELLY with ALEX TRELINSKI

Coup, what an inspiration!

to play the British Deputy Prime Minister. And Nick Clegg he certainly isn’t!

Byrne’s character of Tom FOR a country that fea- Dawkins is a good guy, and tures a lot of politics, I’ve he’s smelling something always been surprised by nasty after an American oil the lack of high-quality factory blows up in British dramas about the the North East, with subject. a number of bodies Two of my favourites in to be buried. the last 30 years have It’s conspiracy been State of Play and A time as a journalist, Very British Coup, played by the a n d always reliWednesday able Gina night’s brilMcKee, fills liant opener Dawkins in of Secret on the State pays details. But open tribbad news ute to like that Coup as needs to the inspirabe buried tion for this by the series. party bossChannel Four es, who are have pulled out the just interested stops on this in winning goodie, enticing elections.

Gabriel Byrne Thirty years over from America after the open-

ing of Channel Four, this is the kind of drama that has made the network always interesting to watch, which I hope they’ll continue to do for a long time.

Secret State joins Four’s American import, Homeland, as must view TV, with Homeland just getting better and better.

Brody has now been turned into a CIA informant, and the scenes featuring Damien Lewis and Claire Danes are electrifying, like the one last weekend in the interrogation room when Brody broke under questioning from his ex-lover. There is little that’s predictable about this show, and that along with high quality acting and a smashing script leads to TV perfection.

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Here’s some good news if you enjoy watching The Walking Dead on Channel Five. Series three, which starts in the New Year, is bang on form, and we are four episodes down on the Fox channels here in Spain and the UK. After a yawn fest of a previous season, this new run has come out fighting with tons of zombie action and some great new characters led by Brit actor David Morrissey, who plays The Governor (with a Georgian accent last used by Deputy Dawg!). It’s always good to see a show you enjoy regain its mojo, after seemingly appearing to wither from a lack of ideas and direction.

Why am I not surprised that The

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Paradise is coming back for a second series? We can look forward to that next Autumn, as we are sadly left with the last episode for the time being this Tuesday night on BBC1.

Meanwhile, I am already bereft on a Sunday evening, now that ITV1 has finished another run of Downton Abbey. It was almost a happy ending, which amongst many storylines featured Bates coming to the rescue of his nemesis, Thomas. At least we don’t have to wait that long for the Christmas special, but I’m intrigued to see where the next series will take us.

It was great to see a much-delayed tribute to the comedy genius Eric

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Sykes on BBC2 last Saturday night. As a writer and performer, he was amongst Britain’s best ever.

Might I suggest that the BBC also add some regular repeats of Eric’s work alongside some of the other comedy gems getting an airing on BBC 2 at the moment like Fawlty Towers and Dad’s Army, so that a new young audience can marvel at his excellent and timeless work.

There really is something special, by the way, about Fawlty Towers in that I can watch the Hotel Inspectors episode for the zillionth time, and still crease up in hysterics. What fabulous stuff written by John Cleese and his then wife, Connie Booth.

The Courier Friday TV

November 9

00:35 01:20 01:25 01:55 02:55 03:55 04:55 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 06:45 07:00 10:15 11:00 11:58 12:00 12:30 13:13 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:05 16:35 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:25 23:35

This Week Holiday Weatherview Panorama Countryfile Antiques to the Rescue Planet Earth Live Sport Today BBC World News HARDtalk BBC News World Business Report BBC News Breakfast Remembrance Week Homes Under the Hammer BBC News; Weather Robbed, Raided, Reunited Cash in the Attic BBC News; Weather Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Nick Nickleby BBC News; Weather Trade Your Way to the USA Lockie Leonard Blue Peter Junior MasterChef Newsround Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show Nigel Slater's Dish of the Day EastEnders Outnumbered Have I Got News for You Me and Mrs Jones BBC News Regional News and Weather The Graham Norton Show

00:20 01:20 01:50 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 06:00

Dara O Briain's Science Club The Culture Show HARDtalk Newsday ABC World News BBC News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today Schools - Empire Schools: Children of World

War Two 06:30 Schools - History Hunt 07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest 07:50 Rastamouse 08:00 School of Silence 08:30 Pet Squad 08:40 Eliot Kid 08:55 Newsround 09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo? 09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town 09:45 I Can Cook with You 10:00 ZingZillas 10:15 Baby Jake 10:25 Dipdap 10:30 Wibbly Pig 10:40 The Koala Brothers 10:50 Get Squiggling!

11:05 Big Barn Farm 11:20 Charlie and Lola 11:30 3rd & Bird 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Weakest Link 14:45 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Gardeners' World 22:00 Attenborough's Ark: Natural World Special 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:05 The Jonathan Ross Show 01:05 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 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 The Dales 17:30 The Dales 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Island Hospital 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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

DERREN BROWN: FEAR AND FAITH Having survived the end of the world last week, the showman now presents a new two-part experiment in which he claims to remove people's experience of fear through the use of a powerful new drug.

00:05 The Inbetweeners Top 10 Moments 01:05 Random Acts 01:10 999 02:10 Embarrassing Bodies 03:05 The Great British Property Scandal 04:00 Unreported World 04:25 Dispatches 04:55 Deal or No Deal 05:50 Countdown 06:35 Make Do & Mend 07:00 Channel 4 Presents 07:05 Sali Mali 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss Australia 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Celebrity Come Dine with Me Extra Portions 15:05 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals 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 Derren Brown: Fear and Faith 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

01:05 SuperCasino 04:55 HouseBusters 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Nick's Quest 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 The WotWots 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Olive the Ostrich 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Make Way for Noddy 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:55 Mio Mao 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Highland Emergency 13:45 Highland Emergency 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 The Circuit 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 The Gadget Show 21:00 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan 22:00 The Mentalist 23:00 Castle

39

The Courier Saturday TV

November 10

00:20 The National Lottery Friday Night Draws 00:30 Would I Lie to You? 01:00 EastEnders 02:55 Weatherview 03:00 Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight 04:00 Question Time 05:00 BBC News 05:30 On the Road With 06:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 11:45 Lord Mayor's Show 2012 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:15 Football Focus 14:00 Bargain Hunt 15:00 Live International Rugby Union 17:30 Final Score 18:20 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:40 Pointless Celebrities 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing 21:05 Merlin 21:50 The National Lottery Saturday Night Draws 22:00 BBC News; Weather 22:15 The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 23:50 Match of the Day

00:00 00:45 00:50 01:55 03:05 04:25 04:30 04:45

The Review Show Weather Later with Jools Holland The Little Shop of Horrors Bedlam BBC News Click Newswatch

05:00 Close 07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Rastamouse 08:00 Roar 08:30 Bear Behaving Badly 08:55 The Scooby-Doo Show 09:20 Dennis and Gnasher 09:30 Trapped Ever After 10:00 Jedward's Big Adventure 10:30 Sorry, I've Got No Head 11:00 The Ministry of Curious Stuff 11:25 Deadly 60 Bites 11:35 Splatalot 12:00 Prank Patrol 12:30 OOglies 12:45 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 The Sky at Night 13:20 Flying down to Rio 14:45 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 18:00 Live International Rugby Union 20:30 Attenborough's Ark: Natural World Special 21:30 Dad's Army 22:00 QI XL 22:45 The Making of QI 23:45 Perfect Sense

01:35 ITV News Headlines 04:00 Columbo: a Friend in Deed 05:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:30 ITV Morning News 07:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 07:25 The Hive 07:50 Canimals 08:05 The Avengers 08:25 Rated A For Awesome 08:50 Horrid Henry 09:35 Shake It Up 10:00 My Phone Genie 10:25 ITV News 10:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 11:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 12:20 Dinner Date: Australia 13:15 ITV News and Weather 13:29 Meridian Weather 13:30 Countrywise 13:45 Home Sweet Home 14:45 Home Sweet Home 15:45 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 18:20 Meridian News and Weather 18:35 ITV News and Weather 18:50 The Golden Rules of TV 19:20 New You've Been Framed!

19:50 Take Me Out 21:05 The X Factor 22:50 The Jonathan Ross Show 23:50 ITV News and Weather

00:05 Friday Night Dinner 00:35 8 Out of 10 Cats 01:25 Random Acts 01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 01:55 My Name Is Earl 02:20 Bob's Burgers 02:45 Allen Gregory 03:05 Napoleon Dynamite 03:30 Charlie's Angels 04:10 90210 05:35 Deal or No Deal 06:30 Countdown 07:15 Channel 4 Presents 07:20 The Treacle People 07:30 Beach Volleyball 08:25 British Rallycross 08:50 Channel 4 Presents 08:55 The Morning Line 09:55 The Crush 10:25 Made in Chelsea 11:25 Suburgatory 11:55 The Big Bang Theory 12:55 The Simpsons 13:25 The Simpsons 13:55 Deal or No Deal 14:55 Channel 4 Racing 16:55 Come Dine with Me Down Under 19:25 Channel 4 News 19:55 4thought.tv 20:00 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 21:00 Heston's Fantastical Food 22:00 Knight and Day

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE Huw Edwards presents coverage of the annual event from the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the Queen and other members of the royal family. Rod Stewart, Alexandra Burke, Russell Watson, the Overtones, Amore, Jonjo Kerr and the Military Wives Choir perform alongside the Massed Bands of the Household Division, the band of HM Royal Marines, the Queen's Colour Squadron and the RAF Squadronaires.

00:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 00:55 Inside Hollywood 01:00 SuperCasino 04:55 Motorsport Mundial 05:25 House Doctor 05:50 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:15 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:25 The Mr Men Show 07:35 Olive the Ostrich 07:40 Abby's Flying Fairy School 07:50 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:10 Funky Town 08:15 Play!

08:25 Noddy in Toyland 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:25 Roary the Racing Car 10:45 Jelly Jamm 11:00 Power Rangers: Super Samurai 11:35 ThunderCats 12:10 The Removal Men 13:10 Cowboy Builders 14:05 Rolf's Animal Clinic 15:05 The Accidental Witness 16:55 Wandering Eye 18:40 Hell Boats 20:25 5 News Weekend 20:30 The Bridge at Remagen 22:45 CSI: Miami 23:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Courier Sunday TV

November 11

07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 01:10 The Football League Show 00:04 Meridian Weather 00:05 The Fast and the Furious: 02:25 Weatherview 07:30 64 Zoo Lane Tokyo Drift 02:30 The Bottom Line 07:45 Rastamouse 02:00 The Store 04:00 Ladette to Lady: Australia 03:00 BBC News 08:00 Roar 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 03:30 Dateline London 06:30 ITV Morning News 08:30 Deadly Art 04:00 BBC News 07:00 Engie Benjy 08:45 Copycats 07:10 Special Agent Oso 04:30 Martha, Meals and Malawi 07:35 Signed Stories 09:15 The Scooby-Doo Show 05:00 BBC News 07:45 Monk 09:40 Wingin' It 07:50 Canimals 05:30 Click 08:05 Matt Hatter Chronicles 10:00 Gastronuts 06:00 BBC News 08:25 Almost Naked Animals 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 09:00 Phineas and Ferb 06:30 The Bottom Line 09:30 Big Time Rush 12:00 Two Minute Silence 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Good Luck Charlie 08:35 Match of the Day 12:05 The Great British Bake Off 10:25 ITV News 10:30 House Gift 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 13:05 Flog It! 11:30 The Unforgettable 11:25 Remembrance Sunday: The 13:30 MotoGP 12:00 ITV News and Weather 12:09 Meridian Weather Cenotaph 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour 12:10 Countrywise 11:25 Weather for the Week Ahead 12:25 Dickinson's Real Deal Finals 13:15 Sunday Politics 13:25 Carry On Follow That Camel 17:50 Live International Rugby 15:15 The X Factor 14:30 Points of View 17:00 The Home of Fabulous Cakes League 14:45 Bargain Hunt 18:00 Downton Abbey 20:00 Remembrance Sunday: The 19:25 Meridian News and Weather 15:10 Live International Rugby 19:40 ITV News and Weather Cenotaph Highlights Union 20:00 Surprise Surprise 21:00 Operation Iceberg 21:00 The X Factor 17:30 Remembrance Week 22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of 22:00 Dragons' Den 18:25 Songs of Praise Here!

19:00 BBC News; Regional News 23:00 Harry & Paul 23:35 ITV News and Weather 23:49 Meridian Weather and Weather 23:30 Hebburn 23:50 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 19:20 Countryfile 20:20 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 Andrew Marr's History of the World Ant and Dec present as a fresh batch of famous faces 23:00 BBC News; Regional News wave goodbye to their lives of luxury and set up home among the creepy-crawlies of the Australian jungle. The and Weather line-up hasn't been revealed yet, but those rumoured to 23:25 Match of the Day 2

IM A CELEBRITY GET ME OUT OF HERE!

BBC2 01:15 The Night of the Generals 03:30 Close

be taking part include fashion duo Trinny and Susannah, former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, darts ace Eric Bristow, Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, actress Linda Robson (Birds of a Feather) and former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan (Rosie Webster).

00:15 Mary 02:30 04:05 06:10 07:05 07:10 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:40 09:05 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:30 13:05 13:35 14:05 14:35 15:05 15:35 16:10 16:40 17:10 17:40 18:45 20:25 20:55 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

There's Something about Viva Riva!

Hollyoaks Deal or No Deal Channel 4 Presents The Treacle People The Hoobs The Hoobs Extreme Sailing Series Cardiff Half Marathon Channel 4 Presents Will & Grace Frasier Frasier Sunday Brunch The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons Hugh's 3 Good Things Hugh's 3 Good Things Hugh's 3 Good Things Hugh's 3 Good Things Hugh's 3 Good Things Time Team Furry Vengeance Channel 4 News 4thought.tv How Britain Worked Homeland Friday Night Dinner Derren Brown: Fear and Faith

00:40 Forensic Files 01:10 SuperCasino 05:00 House Doctor 05:25 Divine Designs 05:50 County Secrets 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 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:30 The Mr Men Show 07:45 Olive the Ostrich 07:50 Abby's Flying Fairy School 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:20 Play!

08:30 Noddy in Toyland 08:40 City of Friends 08:50 Little Princess 09:05 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:45 Jelly Jamm 11:00 Power Rangers: Super Samurai 11:35 ThunderCats 12:00 5 News Special 12:05 The Gadget Show 13:05 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan 14:05 Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild 15:30 Cats & Dogs 17:10 You've Got Mail 19:25 5 News Weekend 19:30 Lost in Space 22:00 Valkyrie

40

The Courier Monday TV

November 12

00:35 The Graham Norton Show 01:20 Masquerade 02:50 Weatherview 02:55 The Choir: Sing While You Work 03:55 Holby City 04:55 The Paradise 05:55 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Neighbourhood Blues 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Watchdog Daily 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 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Weather 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Lockie Leonard 17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under 17:25 Leon 17:30 Junior MasterChef 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Inside Out 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Imagine

00:00 01:35 03:05 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:55 07:00 07:10 07:20

Soul Men Wonderful Town BBC News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC News HARDtalk Close Zigby Finley the Fire Engine Little Robots

07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest 07:50 Rastamouse 08:00 School of Silence 08:30 Pet Squad 08:40 Eliot Kid 08:55 Newsround 09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo? 09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town 09:45 I Can Cook with You 10:00 ZingZillas 10:15 Baby Jake 10:25 Dipdap 10:30 Wibbly Pig 10:40 The Koala Brothers 10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports 10:50 Big & Small 11:05 Big Barn Farm 11:20 Charlie and Lola 11:30 3rd & Bird 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Restoration Roadshow 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Real Rescues 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Breakaway 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight

00:45 Anglo-Welsh Cup Rugby Union 01:40 ITV News Headlines 03:45 Golden Balls 04:35 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 Crime Stories 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 The Dales 17:30 The Dales 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 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 The Agenda

00:35 Secret State 01:35 C4 Comedy Presents: Them from That Thing 02:05 American Football Live 05:45 Grudge Match 05:55 Countdown 06:40 Make Do & Mend 07:05 Channel 4 Presents 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss Canada 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 SuperScrimpers 13:35 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:40 Countdown 16:30 1001 Things You Should Know 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Dispatches 22:00 999: What's Your Emergency?

23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats 23:50 Full English

DISPATCHES In November 2011, Englishman Neil Percival Heywood died in a remote Chinese city, reportedly of alcohol poisoning. However, within months of his memorial service in London, his family learned that secretive Communist Party investigators in China believed he was slipped cyanide by the wife of one of the country's leading political figures after he had tried to blackmail her. She was convicted for the murder and her husband drummed out of the party.

00:25 Hatfields & McCoys 01:30 How Do They Do It? 02:00 SuperCasino 05:00 The FBI Files 05:50 County Secrets 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 The WotWots 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Olive the Ostrich 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Make Way for Noddy 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:15 The Hotel Inspector 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Best House in the Street 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Amber's Story 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan 21:00 The Gadget Show 22:00 High Plains Drifter

The Courier Tuesday TV

November 13

01:00 Shine 02:40 Weatherview 02:45 Wartime Farm 03:45 Lorraine's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food 04:15 Rip Off Food 05:00 Rip Off Food 05:45 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Neighbourhood Blues 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Watchdog Daily 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 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Weather 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Lockie Leonard 17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under 17:25 Leon 17:30 Junior MasterChef 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 The Paradise 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 The Mind Reader: Between Life and Death

00:20 Dragons' Den 01:20 Britain in a Day 02:50 ABC World News with Diane Sawyer 03:00 BBC News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 BBC News 05:00 Schools: Music, Mud and Making Money 05:30 Schools: Children at Work 1 Football 06:00 Schools - In My Shoes: China

07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest 07:50 Rastamouse 08:00 School of Silence 08:30 Pet Squad 08:40 Eliot Kid 08:55 Newsround 09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo? 09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town 09:45 I Can Cook with You 10:00 ZingZillas 10:15 Baby Jake 10:25 Dipdap 10:30 Wibbly Pig 10:40 The Koala Brothers 10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports 11:05 Big Barn Farm 11:20 Charlie and Lola 11:30 3rd & Bird 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Restoration Roadshow 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Real Rescues 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Breakaway 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 Dara O Briain's Science Club 23:00 Later Live - with Jools Holland 23:30 Newsnight

00:05 Training Day 02:15 ITV News Headlines 04:00 Champions League Weekly 04:25 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 Crime Stories 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 The Dales 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 The Martin Lewis Money Show 21:00 Deirdre and Me: 40 Years on Coronation Street 22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 Take Me Out

HESTONS FANTASTICAL FOOD Heston Blumenthal recalls the 1970s heyday of the ice-cream van and tries to kick-start a revival of this ailing British tradition by planning to build the world's biggest 99 Flake - taller than five metres and weighing in at more than a ton. With Europe's largest ice-cream factory at his disposal, he begins production with help from some of the experts behind the Olympic Stadium, and plans to serve his creation from the back a van in Gloucester.

00:20 Random Acts 00:25 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 01:25 Shameless 02:20 The Good Wife 03:45 St Elsewhere 04:35 Supernanny US 05:15 Supernanny US 05:55 Deal or No Deal 06:50 Make Do & Mend 07:15 The Hoobs 08:05 Freshly Squeezed 08:35 According to Jim 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:05 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss Canada 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 SuperScrimpers 13:35 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:40 Countdown 16:30 1001 Things You Should Know 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 22:00 Heston's Fantastical Food 23:00 Fresh Meat 23:50 Random Acts 23:55 Homeland

00:15 Out for Justice 02:00 SuperCasino 05:00 HouseBusters 05:25 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 The WotWots 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Olive the Ostrich 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Make Way for Noddy 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:15 The Hotel Inspector 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Best House in the Street 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Bonneville 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Highland Emergency 21:00 Rolf's Animal Clinic 22:00 Body of Proof 23:00 CSI: NY 23:55 CSI: NY

41

The Courier Wednesday TV

November 14

00:35 Veronica Guerin 02:10 Weatherview 02:15 Exploring China 03:15 Servants 04:15 Rip Off Food 05:00 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution 05:45 HARDtalk 06:00 BBC News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Neighbourhood Blues 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:58 BBC News; Weather 12:00 Watchdog Daily 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 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Weather 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Lockie Leonard 17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under 17:25 Leon 17:30 Junior MasterChef 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 21:00 DIY SOS 22:00 Brazil with Michael Palin 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 The National Lottery 23:45 Have I Got a Bit More News for You

00:20 01:50 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 06:00 06:55

Imagine HARDtalk Newsday ABC World News BBC News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC News Asia Business Report Sport Today Schools Who Are We? Primary English Promo -

Learning Zone Broadband 07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest 07:50 Rastamouse 08:00 School of Silence 08:30 Pet Squad 08:40 Eliot Kid 08:55 Newsround 09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo? 09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town 09:45 I Can Cook with You 10:00 ZingZillas 10:15 Baby Jake 10:25 Dipdap 10:30 Wibbly Pig 10:40 The Koala Brothers 10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports 11:05 Big Barn Farm 11:20 Charlie and Lola 11:30 3rd & Bird 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Animal Park 14:00 See Hear 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Real Rescues 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Breakaway 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Hour 23:00 The Culture Show 23:30 Newsnight 23:30 Weather

00:50 Grimefighters 01:15 Jackpot247 04:00 Loose Women 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 Crime Stories 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:45 Emmerdale 20:15 Live International Football 22:45 ITV News and Weather 23:15 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:20 International Football Highlights

THE HOUR

01:00 02:00 02:05 02:30 03:00 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:15 05:45 06:10 07:05 07:10 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:05 13:35 14:35 15:40 16:30 Know 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:55 21:00 22:00 23:00

European Poker Tour Channel 4 Presents Sailing KOTV Boxing Weekly Beach Volleyball Bullrun British Rallycross Extreme Sailing Series Cardiff Half Marathon Ironman Triathlon Deal or No Deal Channel 4 Presents The Hoobs Freshly Squeezed According to Jim Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Undercover Boss Canada A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News SuperScrimpers Come Dine with Me Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Countdown 1001 Things You Should Deal or No Deal Come Dine with Me Jamie's 15 Minute Meals The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News 4thought.tv SuperScrimpers Grand Designs Secret State

New series. The newsroom drama returns. It is November 1957 and a year has passed since The Hour was unceremoniously taken off air during the controversial interview with Lord Elms and much has changed. With the nation's attention focused on a perceived Soviet nuclear threat, Head of News Randall Brown (The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi) decides to shake up the team by bringing Freddie back.

00:55 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 01:45 Forensic Files 02:10 SuperCasino 05:00 HouseBusters 05:25 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 The WotWots 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Olive the Ostrich 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Make Way for Noddy 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:15 The Hotel Inspector 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Best House in the Street 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 Hostile Makeover 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Emergency Bikers 21:00 The Removal Men 22:00 Erin Brockovich

The Courier Thursday TV

November 15

00:25 00:55 02:15 02:20 02:50 World 03:50 05:20 05:30 06:00 06:30 06:45 07:00 10:15 11:00 11:58 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:05 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:30 17:30 18:00 18:15 19:00 19:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

National Lottery Update Salvage Weatherview See Hear Andrew Marr's History of the Rip Off Food BBC News Panorama BBC News World Business Report BBC News Breakfast Neighbourhood Blues Homes Under the Hammer BBC News; Weather Watchdog Daily Cash in the Attic Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Escape to the Country BBC News; Weather Deadly 60 Lockie Leonard Prank Patrol Down Under Leon Junior MasterChef Shaun the Sheep Newsround Pointless BBC News Weather Regional News Programmes The One Show BBC News; Regional News EastEnders Young Apprentice Hunted BBC News Regional News and Weather Question Time

00:20 Great Continental Railway Journeys 01:20 Storyville 02:20 Newsday 02:30 ABC World News 03:00 BBC News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 BBC News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Schools 06:00 Spark

07:00 Zigby 07:10 Finley the Fire Engine 07:20 Little Robots 07:30 64 Zoo Lane 07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest 07:50 Rastamouse 08:00 School of Silence 08:30 Pet Squad 08:40 Eliot Kid 08:55 Newsround 09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo? 09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town 09:45 I Can Cook with You 10:00 ZingZillas 10:15 Baby Jake 10:25 Dipdap 10:30 Wibbly Pig 10:40 The Koala Brothers 10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports 11:05 Big Barn Farm 11:20 Charlie and Lola 11:30 3rd & Bird 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Animal Park 14:00 Restoration Roadshow 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Weakest Link 16:00 Real Rescues 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Breakaway 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 Great Continental Railway Journeys 23:00 Hebburn 23:30 Newsnight

00:20 Rumor Has It..

02:05 ITV News Headlines 04:00 Columbo: the Most Crucial Game 05:20 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 Crime Stories 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Meridian Tonight 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 21:00 Coronation Street 21:30 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Meridian Tonight and Weather 23:35 Corfu: A Tale of Two Islands

VALKYRIE Second World War drama based on a true story, starring Tom Cruise. As Germany continues to fight a seemingly unwinnable war, dissent begins to grow against Hitler among his senior politicians and highranking military officers. It falls to decorated hero Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg to lead a plot to kill the F端hrer and seize control of Berlin.

00:05 Random Acts 00:10 Geordies Overboard 01:10 Abbey Road Studios: In Session 01:55 Spotlight 02:10 The Crush 03:05 90210 03:45 Do Not Disturb 05:30 Deal or No Deal 06:25 Countdown 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 According to Jim 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss Canada 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 SuperScrimpers 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:40 Countdown 16:30 1001 Things You Should Know 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Kirstie's Vintage Home 22:00 Everyday 23:50 999: What's Your Emergency?

00:45 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 01:40 Forensic Files 02:05 SuperCasino 05:00 HouseBusters 05:25 House Doctor 05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 The WotWots 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Olive the Ostrich 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:15 The Hotel Inspector 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Best House in the Street 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:15 A Decent Proposal 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News at 6.30 20:00 Rolf's Animal Clinic 21:00 WW1's Tunnels of Death: The Big Dig 22:00 Hatfields & McCoys 23:00 Valkyrie

42

Friday, November 9, 2012

ACCOUNTANTS

on 966 923 963.966 923 963

Are you running a business?

Let us simplify things for you – bookkeeping, taxes, wage slips and more. We also cater for individual’s personal taxes – residents and non residents. Est.in 1984. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

ANIMALS

AUCTIONS

Pet transporter Spain /UK /Spain. Travel door to door with your pets for free. www.spanishmoves.net UK 01209 843971 or Spain 678 756 644 (93)

CHURCH SERVICES

ADT Authorised Distributor Fully fitted alarm systems, approved by the Guardia Civil. Master keypad with remote control, wireless handset, 2 image movement detectors with sound, wall base unit and GPRS/GSM transmitter sends message to your mobile phone. All this for only 99 € - call now

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

Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday services 11am.

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

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

Pilar Christian Community Church Calle Canalejas 3.

Pilar de la Horadada.

Sunday Service at 11am, and Thursday at 5pm for Bible study and Prayer.

Home groups meet during the week. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information

AIR CONDITIONING

AUTO ELECTRICIAN

ALARMS

contact Pilar ChristianCommunity Church@gmail.com or contact Reverend Eddie on 966 7693 00 or 650 509 606.

Reg No:2009-SG/A

CARS FOR SALE Call Professional Business Support now for your quick quote for car insurance.

Excellent prices for expats, all policies available in English or German. We will call you back with a price.

966 923 963 Toyota Yaris 1.3 VVTI 2005, 2 owners, 80,000 kms FSH 5 DR hatch, alloys, A/C, C/D & much more. metallic silver 5750 euros Tel 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Kia Picanto 1.1 EX 5 dr, 2008, 1 owner, FSH, A/C, CD, Electric Windows, Rear Head Restraints, multi air bags, metallic silver, 5250 euros Tel 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com Renault Clio 1.2 5dr, 2003, 1st registered 2007, 2 owners, 94,000 kms, fully serviced, a/c cd, rear head restraints, electric windows, front fogs, showroom condition, must be seen, dark blue, 3950 euros Tel 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com Going Home? Right hand drive English registered Vauxall Vectra 1.8 16v Club, alloys, a/c, cd, electric windows, multi airbags, rear

head restraints, long MOT and Tax, For Sale or Exchange metallic silver, lovely condition 2750 euros Tel 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 www.fwreurocars.com

CLUBS Young at Heart Club.

Looking for friendship, trips, meals or more. Join us Fridays 3pm at Bar Catorce, Benijofar. At side of ayun-

tamiento. Carole 692 215 753 / Carolyn 966 715 272.

(93)

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

Policies available in English and German.

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

CAR MECHANICS

BLINDS

CRAFTS

COINS

BUILDER

BARBER AIRPORT COLLECTION

BOUTIQUE ALARMS

CAR HIRE

CARPENTER

CLEANERS

43

Friday, November 9, 2012

MEDICAL Having problems with obtaining or using you SIP card? CASER Healthcare offers you a quick and affordable solution, using the best private hospitals in the area. All policies available in English. Call us now on 966 923 963, and we will call you back with your quote.

PERSONAL Caring, Beautiful, Sexy Lady, (35) offers relaxed Sensual Massage. Discreet air conditioned flat, Villamartin Tel 677 865 831 (93)

PROPERTY FOR RENT Ref: 61, A lovely two bedroomed ground floor apartment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swimming pool adjacent & all amenities in walking dis-

tance. Long and short term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 FULLY FURNISHED 2 BED 2 BATH TOWNHOUSE, WITH COMMUNAL POOL. CLOSE TO BEACH. SANTIAGO DE LA RIBERA. 450€ PCM + BILLS 968 335 638 – 628 668 718 (91) Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit: www.villaandvacation.com or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apartments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry system. Available for short or long term rent from 300 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 636615716. (91) Ref. RS69 – Spacious towncentre apartment only a two minute walk from the beach and well known Marina International in Torrevieja centre. 2 large bedrooms, 1 full bathroom, fully furnished, 350 € pcm. 966 923 963 Ref. KBJ3 – Luxury duplex penthouse apartment located near the marina in Guardamar. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, amazing panoramic views, inc.parking and storage. 600 € pcm.

966 923 963 Ref. CBR21 – A rare chance to rent a frontline beach apartment in Torrevieja!

Ground floor with large terrace, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath-

FURNITURE

DAMP PROOFING

ELECTRICIAN

room, direct and full-on sea views. 500 € pcm. 966 923 963 Ref. CBR20 – Spanish style 4th floor apartment right on the beach! 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, lovely balcony to soak up the amazing sea views. 500 € pcm. 966 923 963 Ref. CBR19 – 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment in sought after area beachside Punta Prima, with communal pool and fully furnished, only 400 € pcm. 966 923 963 Ref. CBR18 – Fabulous finca-style villa only metres from Punta Prima beach, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage, private pool, and much more! 900 € pcm (price inc. Gardener and pool maint.) 966 923 963 Ref. CBR3 – 2 bedroom 2 bathroom townhouse located in Algorfa, communal pool, fully furnished, 300 € pcm. 966 923 963 Ref. RS20 – 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment within private enclosed residential in San Luis, large terrace, 375 € pcm. 966 923 963 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 CBR23 : Stylish new house in Los Montesinos, 3 bed 2 bath with large 65m2 garage, front and back terraces. 500 € pcm. 966 923 Ref 33, Ground floor spacious 2 bedroom apartment, located in Torre la Mata.

Close to all amenities and beach.

3 month rental €300pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apartment in Torrevieja, (near gypsy lane), small balcony, near all amenities and Friday market. €350pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bedroom detached villa with its private pool is located on the El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar. Convenient for all amenities, shops, supermarket, restaurants and bars. Short term rental avail-

able. 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. Short term rental €800PCM. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bedroom apartment, located near los Locos beach, beautifully furnished. Short term rentals from 175€ per week.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 El Chaparel/La Siesta Two bedroom apartment in a quiet gated urbanisation for rent €350 per month plus bills. Reference No 17 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: 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. Long and short term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situated in

ELECTRICIAN

GARDENING

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

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

Lovely Corner property in Novamar V, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms Being sold fully furnished including appliances, Has secure underground parking and faces large oasis communal pool. Walking distance to beach. 139.000 Euros, Call 627 711 155 and quote Ref No. K10 Ground floor duplex, with splendid views. Quiet location in Gran Alacant.

Immaculate condition. Price has just been reduced to 105.000 and includes everything. For viewing call 627 711 155 Ref. No K27 Rare opportunity to purchase on Mediterrania III, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Private Parking, F/Furnished, Large communal pools & Tennis courts S/W facing,

Dramatically reduced for quick sale to 126.000 euros.

Ref No. K58 Call 627 711 155 for immediate viewing Ref: 521, €105,000. This comfortable bungalow is located in San Luis with a new roof and solarium tiles.

It is close to supermarkets, bars, restaurants and is on the local bus route. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Kitchen with Galleria, Secure underground parking, Gas Central Heating, Glazed in Porch, Solarium with stunning views.

Viewings absolutely essential. Very large property at reduced price of 190.000 euros. Ref No. K38 Call 627 711 155 Opportunity to purchase at the off plan price of 195.000 euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 Bath Brand new property. Secure underground parking for 2 cars and communal pool.

Situated opposite Gran Alacant and over looks projected golf course. Ref No. K52. 627 711 155 Viva Villa and Vacation Services are pleased to offer property sales for the Torrevieja and Oriheula areas of the Costa Blanca, Spain. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 or Visit : www.villaandvacation.com

INTERIOR DESIGN

DRAINAGE

DENTAL

HOUSE CLEARANCE

FAST BROADBAND

44

Friday, November 9, 2012

2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floor duplex. Central heating, Grills, Fully furnished, Glazed in Galleria, 2 communal pools, private parking and walking distance to the Gran Alacant commercial centre. Situated in the popular urbanisation of Puerto Marino. Now only 96,500 euros for quick sale Ref No. K46. 627 711 155 Immaculate ground floor Duplex, 2 beds, 2 bath, Private Parking, Situated in Novamar, Gran Alacant.

Price includes very tasteful furniture and white goods.

Walking distance to all local amenities and beach. Now only 129,750 euros. Ref No K24. 627 711 155 Gran Alacant Detached villa, located in a very sought after location.Situated on a 560m2 S/W facing plot and constructed in 2005.

Comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 full baths), Lounge-Diner, fully equipped Kitchen, Porch and Solarium with Alicante & Sea Views. ref.L81.

LOCKSMITH

€258,000 neg.

Tel. 680333242 Ref 533: Lovely 2 bedroom Townhouse located in the popular area of Punta Prima, the property has a large lounge and fully equipped kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, one with balcony, bathroom with double shower. €126,000 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant Town House with a difference.

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

Greenland Views and all local amenities close by.

Ref. No L79. 179.000 euros 680 333 242 Gran Alacant immaculate villa, 3 bedroomed, 3 bathroomed property maintained to a very high standard inside and out and the interior furnishings are top quality, offering a feeling of luxury and good taste. The plot size is 400m2 and has been beautifully tiles, and graveled and has established palms and plants. Oil fired central heating throughout, log effect fire place, ceiling fans in all rooms, towel heater rails, glazed in shower units, instant hot water, water purifier, free English TV, phone & internet lines, fitted double hanging wardrobes, safe, glazed in front porch, vanity units and

much more. The pool is an 8 X 4 m2 salt water pool, meaning maintenance is much easier plus outside toilet and shower. Sea views to front with Greenland views to the rear. ref K51. €245,000 Tel 680333242 Balsares is opposite Gran Alacant where the proposed golf course is now being started so this property will virtually be on the golf course, it is an investment not to be missed. The property is on a small gated urbanisation of 18 houses with private underground parking for 2 cars and direct access to the house, communal pool and toilets/changing rooms etc.

The house is brand new and consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lounge with working fire place, large kitchen 12 m2, large galleria/ utility room, bedroom balcony and front tiled terrace. This property also has a converted under build for an extra lounge or bedroom. ref K52 €198,000 Tel 680333242 Ref: 516, €39,999. Studio apartment in San Luis, close to amenities. Open plan fully equipped kitchen. Good sized lounge, bedroom and out onto balcony which has been glazed to create another room. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 510, €70,000.

Bungalow located in San Luis. It is close to the supermarkets, bars and restaurants and is on the local bus route. An Opel Corsa car is included in this sale. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: KP3100, €183,000.

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

Garage to side of house.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 78, €120,000. Three bedroom Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is off-road parking and small storage shed in the enclosed garden area, communal pool nearby. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach.

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

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant Opportunity to purchase a beautiful 3 bedroomed, 3 bathroomed,large kitchen, detached property with roof- top solarium. Well established gardens and drive way for 2 cars, whilst also overlooking the projected 18 hole golf course.

Comprising of fitted wardrobes, utility room, air

PAVING

KITCHENS

con H/C, alarm system, electric wall heaters, intercom system, fireplace, ceilings fans, 8x7 gazebo, use of 2 large communal pools, immaculate condition with many extras. ref K12. €180,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant bargain, detached villa with pool on 400m2 plot. Briefly comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bath-

rooms, Lounge Diner, independent kitchen, solarium with views, well maintained gardens. Quiet location yet within walking distance of all amenities. Top quality furniture and appliances included in the price. Extras include, mosquito nets, grills, toldos blinds, built in wardrobes, gas fire, electric heating, ceiling fans, English

PLASTERER

SECOND HAND FURNITURE

KENNELS

PETS

MOSQIUITO SCREENS

PERSONAL TRAINER PLUMBERS

MASSAGE

POOL TABLES

45

Friday, November 9, 2012 & Spanish TV, tastefully tiled & graveled garden with irrigation system. ref K43. €229,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant South facing attractive corner house Situated in the sought after urbanization of Monte Faro, this secure gated urbanization offers a stunning oasis pool, with mountain views, tennis courts and football courts. Consisting of 3 dou-

ble beds with balconies, 2 bathrooms, kitchen leading onto court yard which can easily be converted into an extra room, lounge diner with working fireplace, front garden with private parking for 2 cars. Being sold fully furnishes with white goods, built in 2006 so immaculate condition hardly lived in. Ref K48 €168,000 priced for quick sale Tel 680333242

REMOVALS

Gran Alacant, Large detached villa with beautiful gardens set on 550m2 plot, built in BBQ area and large 10x6 pool.Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner with fire place, Independent Kitchen, air con H/C, Solarium, front porch, converted under build with 3 extra rooms, private covered parking, irrigated gardens, close distance to beach and amenities. Ref. K18 €250,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant Gem! Fabulous detached Villa, with Alicante sea views to the front and wood land views to the rear, means this immaculate villa is very private and un-overlooked.

Comprising of 2 large bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, 2 bath, large fully equipped kitchen,glazed porch sitting area, solarium, Attractive Pool with cover, well maintained Gardens. Central Heating, Air Con, Ceiling fans, Private Parking, Alarm system, Decorative working Fire Place complete with electric Fire. Outdoor workshop/storage area, Quality Pergola & BBQ. Constructed in 2006, on plot size of 380m2 and being sold fully furnished including white goods. ref L80. €234,995 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Situated front line to the famous blue flag beaches of Carabassi, the real beauty of this property

is its proximity to the beach, but also on offer is a fantastic communal pool situated in beautifully kept gardens with little Spanish walk ways.Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge diner, American style kitchen including all appliances, roof top solarium with stunning views, front porch area with front garden and a secure underground garage. fully furnished Ref. K23 €125,000 rare opportunity Tel 680333242 Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bedroom apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped

STORAGE

RAG AND BONE MAN

ROLLER BLINDS

RECYCLING CLOTHES

kitchen, large lounge, glazed-in terrace and a large solarium. This property comes with a large communal swimming pool. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Top floor Duplex. Very good price of 108.000 euros for a quick sale. Furnished to a very high standard, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, Lounge Diner, Glazed in Porch, Large Roof Top Solarium.

Choice of Communal Pools, Private Parking. Walking distance to all amenities and on the First urbanisation as you enter Gran Alacant.

Viewing essential. Ref No. K44. Tel. 627 711 155

REMOVALS Small removals, deliveries & storage. Spain-UK-Spain.

Budget prices. www.spanishmoves.net UK 01209 843971 or Spain 678 756 644 (93)

SITUATIONS VACANT Serenity Free Trips are looking for Inviters in Costa Blanca South. Want to know more? Call Sue (00 34) 691 063 203

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

Tel:- 664 838 581

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

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

WANTED

46

Friday, November 9, 2012

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

MARKET FORCE IN these days of recession, financial constraints and increasing of IVA (VAT), it is far more important for businesses - and in our case golf courses to up their game and invest in marketing.

Tourism and golf go hand in glove, a fact that escapes the Spanish government.

And for golf courses to ease themselves out of the economic recession they have to look very closely at their marketing strategy and customer support - to keep the customers and get new ones.

That is why, in my opinion, it was a bad move to try to save money by stopping sponsorship on all levels of European Tour golf tournaments. With the global tool of television on hand, this would provide exposure for all aspects of golf tourism.

But neglecting it will mean no exposure - and it will take a long time to get tourist confidence back.

Some golf businesses and services elect to increase income or try to reduce the effects of a

Satisfying golfers’ needs is key to game’s success

downturn in customer or product by increasing the unit price. Very short term and shortsighted.

So increase the marketing of the product - it will enable the business to be in a better condition throughout the financial bad times when the recessional bite reduces.

Satisfying the needs of the golfer has, in my opinion, never been more important, and attracting repeat green fees is a vital way to ensure income.

Golf courses here seem to think they are predominately dependent on the “visiting golfer”. However, the resident golfer and the golf societies are and should be considered as “repeat green fees” as their loyalty is without question.

The word of mouth from these golfers is worth a whole lot more than advertising through “third parties”.

There are those golf courses that go out of their way to encourage visitors and societies, while others are not particularly interested.

For those wishing to attract visitors, it is quite surprising to find a large proportion of this category engaged in finding first-time visitors, instead of considering the merits of encouraging repeat green fees.

If you asked golf clubs to make any comment on this, they would be likely to say: “If they enjoyed playing the course they’ll be back” But wait a minute, if there are other clubs in the vicini-

ty of a similar standard, how can they secure repeat business?

In my opinion golf clubs can and should do more to encourage repeat business.

Apart from the weather they can make a visiting group or visitor feel more welcome.

For example, the following could be used,...

1. Use a special welcome board, and a branded menu for societies or groups 2. Have the Marshall welcome and brief the players on the course before they get to the first tee.

3. Offer groups a “welcome pack” which includes a course plan, tee, ball marker, pitch mark repairer and a ball.

Once the golfer gets out on the course it’s the playa-

PUTTING…GETTING TO GRIPS WE have all seen the different types of putter, whether they be shafts that anchor into your belly to look-a-like branding iron type mallet heads, to unorthodox grips and broom handle.

So let’s look at them.

Putting is the one part of the game where you can really tap into your creative side. Let’s face it, all you have to do is simply to roll the ball in the hole, but there are many ways to do it effectively.

It doesn't matter which method you use, as long your wrists stay still during the stroke. You can see the variety of ways that tour pros have had success gripping their putters in recent years. As long as your grip makes it easy to minimise wrist action, then I say go for it.

The most consistent way to roll the ball on line is with

an upper-body-driven stroke -your upper body moves back and through like a pendulum. Your hands move the handle, but the wrists stay still for the most part.

A hinging or unhinging of the wrists often alters the face angle and makes it difficult to roll the ball where you want. Because putters have so little loft these days, the position of the face at impact - not the path of the stroke - is almost completely responsible for the direction of the ball.

My advice is to try several different grips until you find one that suits you and helps you keep those wrists nice and steady.

Or use the KISS method Keep It Simple Stupid

bility and aesthetics of the course which are noted – the speed of play, ease with which the layout can be followed, as well as how long and tough the rough is or whether the bunkers have rakes and if they are used.

Different categories of golfers will be influenced by different things. For example high handicap golfers will prefer plenty of room to spray the ball about without the penalty of landing in waist high rough, losing a ball, or having great difficulty in getting it out.

A well presented course makes a big impression on visiting golfers who enjoy trim and shaped fairways, low penalty rough, distinct pathways, good and true greens and clear guidance on hazards.

When the golf is finished the group of golfers will go to the clubhouse. The facilities and staff offering service are always recognised by the visiting golfer. A great day’s golf can be ruined by poor facilities, high prices and poor value for money and/or inattentive staff.

In this day and age, visiting golfers make a judgement on the whole day’s experience rather than just the standard of golf.

As a general rule, selling and promoting to the firsttime customer can cost five times as much as dealing with existing customers.

Of course, there have to be first-time customers, but it is far more beneficial to keep 60% repeat rate. It is a less costly business and is easier to convince someone who has already experienced a good time.

If you think this would be better directed at golf courses, you’re absolutely correct. Let’s hope they are encouraged to read it. Then maybe we will all be better off for it.

TITTER ON THE TEE A MAN returns home exhausted from a day at golf and plops down on the settee in front of the TV. “Hey darling,” he shouts to his wife, “Get me a beer before it starts”.

His wife sighs and fetches him a beer. “Actually,” he says as she’s walking away, “I’ll probably need another one before it starts”.

She looks angry, but fetches another can and slams it down in front of him.

But after gulping down both beers, he is still not satisfied, “Quick, get me another beer”, he says. “It’s going to start any minute”.

“No I won’t!” she screams furiously. “Is that all you’re going to do, after you’ve been out all day playing golf, sit on your backside all night in front of the TV drinking beer? You’re nothing but a lazy, golf loving, drunken slob – and that’s not all …..”

“Damn”, he sighs. “It’s started”.

47

Friday, November 9, 2012

NOT long after I came to live here in Spain – can that really be 14 years ago? – I was discussing missing live UK football with my expat mate Robert.

Torrevieja’s a little way away from us in La Marina, and erm…well, no disrespect to anyone, but we both felt we were missing a decent standard of football (mind you, Robert’s a Brighton supporter, so how he’d know – now stop it, John, this is serious).

So we made some enquiries where the nearest ‘decent’ level of football was, and came up in favour of – Elche!

Initially I had a problem mentally with the City of Palms. The first time I ever drove out here from the UK, due to my wife-andnavigator’s mild illness enroute we ended up on the last leg of the long journey lost in Elche at about two o’clock in the morning.

In the centre, lost in its myriad of narrow streets, it took me over an hour to find my way out. So I was pleas-

ELCHE - MY GREEN LIGHT TO SPANISH FOOTBALL antly surprised to find the football stadium was right at one end of Elche, in a pleasant, modern new-build housing area, adjacent to a trading estate.

The stadium is exactly opposite to the Carrefour/El Aljub end of the city, and the congested little streets in the centre are a long way from the ground. The easiest way to go there is to hit the ring road, bear right and keep going, past the hospital and go with the usually policeassisted flow, until you see the huge stadium rising above the skyline. Easy!

I was astounded when I first saw the mightily-impressive stadium. It never occurred to me that Elche had an illustrious footballing history: indeed as recently

as the 1980s they had been in La Liga, regularly playing the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. When they were big in the ‘70s, the club built their impressive new stadi-

um, named the Martinez Valero, for the World Cup which was held in Spain in 1982.

In the ‘90s the club went down to the second division

(known as 2A, Adelante), where they have stayed ever since. The ground is very user-friendly, and comfortably seats over 40.000. It is often used for cup finals and internationals, and is said to be a lucky ground for the Spanish national team. Pop concerts are also held there.

Car parks/parking? No problem! There are huge areas of flat waste ground and plenty of street parking very close to the ground hardly any walking is necessary. There are plenty of bars and cafes around locally to get liquid refreshments, although you can buy snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic) inside the stadium, but here the choice is a little restricted.

The Elche team, as well

as inhabitants of the city, are known colloquially as ‘Los Illicitanos’. This name goes way back to Phoenician times, when a visiting Iberian Queen liked the area and its people so much that she granted them exemption from paying a tax that everyone else had to pay - thus acquiring the enviable nickname of the illicit ones, i.e those inhabitants of the city getting away with it financially – nothing to do with football – but the nickname stuck.

The other one sometimes used is the Franjiverdes – the Green Shirts, as Elche’s colours are mid-green and white.

To be continued next week with Elche currently top of the league...

l

Tough times ahead for Torry Every Day’s a HAVING held on for a 1-0 win over Utiel last time out, FC Torrevieja look to have a testing period ahead of them. This Sunday at 5pm they host Alzira, who have been in the playoffs or division 2B in the last five years – and have won five of their last six games.

Torry then have a real tester at the new Pepico Amat stadium in Elda, more so since it will be the first home match in charge for Soto, the manager who took Torry to the playoffs in 2009.

Eldense also boast Torry's player of the year last year, THIS victory moves CD Montesinos up to joint second in the table - just one point behind leaders Orihuela Costa.

After a quiet opening 30 minutes it was Victor who worked his magic, leaving two defenders in his wake and crossing for Chulo to tap in the opening goal.

Minutes later, Monte could have doubled their lead, but Victor’s shot struck a desperate defender on the back and went for a corner.

Diego Meijide. The next two up see Torry face last year's champions, Catarroja, at the Vicente Garcia. Then it will be off to La Nucia, who currently top the table.

Back to this weekend and the club is providing free paella for all fans before kick-off to say thank you for supporting the club.

There will also be plenty of upbeat music pumping out to get everyone in the right mood. With the game kicking off at 5pm, make sure you are there good and early to get your share of this tasty dish.

Victor steals the show Formentera 0 CD Montesinos 3

The second half saw CD Montesinos looking to extend their lead and much to the delight of their many travelling supporters, they did just that as M & A was brought down in the home penalty area.

Andres stepped up to slot the ball home for a 2-0 lead.

The home side were starting to get frustrated and it was Victor who took most of their aggression. But the Monte striker got his own back as he scored the third goal after good work out wide by substitute Rodrigo.

There was still time for

Formentera to have two players plus their manager sent off .

CD Montesinos are at home against the other Montesinos side, Todo Deporte, at the Campo Municipal de Futbol in Los Montesinos on Sunday (4.15pm kickoff).

Brave Orihuela’s champion start

ITV Orihuela RFC’s league opener against last year’s champions, Murcia XV, was not helped by only having 15 players available.

But their performance – particularly in the first half – was one to be proud of.

Orihuela started well but it was Murcia who struck first on the counter-attack with a try where the ball was dropped over the line, only for the decision to be changed to a penalty try after Orihuela captain Victor had words with the referee.

Instead of heads dropping,

Orihuela hit straight back - first with an Alvaro penalty for an infringement at the breakdown and then with a breakaway try from inside their own 22.

Good footwork by Alvin after a tap tackle saw him off loading a pass to Alvaro who set up Victor to score. Alvaro converted to send Orihuela in at half time 10-7 up, a great achievement against the odds.

With their tails up, Orihuela went into the second half optimistic of causing an upset, but that was put to

bed as Murcia rang the changes in the last quarter. The fresh legs were the difference and the champions deservedly ran out 31-10 winners as Orihuela eventually ran out of steam.

This coming weekend all of the autumn internationals will be televised live at the rugby bar in Rojales, The Steakhouse. Saturday matches include Wales v Argentina at 15.30 or England v Fiji at 15.00, Ireland v South Africa at 18.30 and on Sunday Scotland v All Blacks at 15.30.

Info on all things rugby from Garry on 692 767 242.

Football Day November

Nov 9th 1932 Bo’Ness are expelled from the Scottish second division when they cannot meet a £50 match guarantee Nov 10th 1923 Aston Villa defender Tommy Ball becomes the first, and only, British professional footballer to be murdered. This followed a drink fuelled row with a neighbour (an ex policeman!) The legacy of the tragedy is that Aston Villa opened the first players’ bar in the country so that players did not run the risk of being involved in fights in local pubs.

Nov 11th 1871 The first four ties are played in the inaugural FA Cup competition. Clapham Rovers’ Jarvis Kennick scores the first ever FA Cup goal in a 3-0 win over Upton Park Nov 12th 1930 James Morton, one of the pioneers of football, dies aged 78. Morton, one of the first players to be recorded on the books at Sheffield Wednesday, made his debut in Sheffield’s first ever inter-city match versus Birmingham Nov 13th 1915 Hearts beat Celtic 2-0 at home. Celtic then go 62 league matches without defeat until they lose to Kilmarnock in Glasgow on 21st April 1917 (also 2-0). Of the 62 matches, Celtic win 49 and draw the other 13 Nov 14th 1989 Nigel Martyn becomes Britain’s first £1 million goalkeeper when he moves from Bristol Rovers to Crystal Palace Nov 15th 1996 Aston Villa’s Mark Bosnich is fined £1,000 for doing an impersonation of Adolf Hitler in front of Spurs fans on October 12. Meanwhile, UEFA President Lennart Johansson apologised for comments he made while on a visit to South Africa, namely: “When I arrived the whole room was filled with ‘blackies’ and it gets damned dark when they are sitting together.’’ Amazingly he was not fined.

Compiled by STUART EVANS

Friday, November 9, 2012

48

GIVE US A BREAK

Half-time shirt swop? Sleeve it out, mate!

IT can’t go on. It’s got to stop.

It’s ruining the game. Racism?

Diving? Players’ excess wages?

Well, yes, all of them, I suppose – but that’s not what I’m Mr MockAngry about this week.

No, the subject that’s really made my blood boil is – swapping shirts. The latest farce has upset some of Arsenal’s ardent Arsene fans (if he’s got any left) after the latest dismal Gunners’ performance, hammered by new league leaders Manchester United.

Robin van Persie’s triumphant trio - three goals in three games, the latest after only three minutes, so impressed Arsenal’s new Brazilian full-back Andre Santos (who was rubbish, btw), that as the two left the field for half-time – yes, half-time - Santos asked reliant Robin for his shirt: and on his best old-boy behaviour, United’s newest star obliged.

Was Arsene astounded? Did fearsome Fergie flick on the hair-drier? Apparently neither, Alex was delighted with United’s performance, and he should be. It could/should have been five, Santi Cazorla’s sweet last-minute consolation goal flattered Arsenal.

Free-scoring Fulham coming to the Emirates Saturday. Is Arsene unpopular? Ask a Gooner...

John McGregor reports

Spirited Swansea saved the day, albeit very late against Mata-less, Moses-aided Chelsea: are the Blues a one-Mata band? The draw was enough to knock the reigning Euro champions off the top, but kept ‘em second, one point above Manchester City, who also drew, albeit goallessly at West Ham. Man City: Now then (can you still say that, as long as you don’t repeat it?), has the Man City perm-anytwo-from-four upfront strategy been found out? Did you see the defensively-derided ones floundering again on Tuesday against Ajax, where in Europe they’re not getting out of jail regularly like they do in the Premiership. Can they do it again against Spurs on Sunday, early doors?

Personally I think Roberto Mancini is losing it… he certainly did on Tuesday evening against Ajax.

Gossip ‘eard on ’grapevine is that Roberto is tracking Neymar. Who? The 20 year-old is apparently Brazil’s newest, brightest and best talent; he is said to be the next Lionel Messi/Christian Ronaldo. Oh, and moniedMonaco are supposed to be interested in Roberto himself.

That’s funny, innit, ‘cos with the new Iberian influence now above him at T’Etihad, word is Barcelona’s hugely-successful ex-coach, Guiseppe ‘Pep’ Guardiola may be being courted, no doubt to take City to European places Roberto’s unlikely to be visiting…

Liverpool – eh, wack, there’s only one Luis Suarez,

isn’t there? Literally. Well, there’s the ghost of present-past Steven Gerrard - the rest, forget it. At oncemighty fortress Anfield Newcastle looked in control, especially with Yohan Cabay’s cool cracker just before half-time. But super-Suarez squared it, nigglynaughties ‘n all and when Coloccini went off for a wild lunge at who-else, it looked as though Liverpool might nick it. Not good enough though, are they? Still - always look on the bright side, youse... Chelsea away on Sunday!

The Championship continues to confuse, as everyone’s still beating everyone else. Leaders Cardiff went down again, amazingly 5 – 4 at Charlton after being 2 – 0 up. This after losing on Saturday after leading at newly-led Bolton. Also newly-led Palace soared top as Ian Holloway’s first flight fired five past poor old Ipswich - new boy Mick McCarthy’s got much to do. Second-placed Middlesbrough drew goallessly at Forest.

Champions League performance of the week must go to Celtic, who beat mighty Barcelona 2 – 1 in Glasgow: Neil Lennon’s Bhoys did the City proud.

Good wins for Man Utd and Chelsea should put them both through to the next stages.

A second 0 – 1 away defeat for our very own Elche in the Spanish second division meant the Illicitanos still lead by two points from neighbours Almeria.