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THIS WEEK’S VIEW....

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

THIS WEEK IN PAGE 3 – “GET ‘YER HEIR CUT ‘ARRY” PAGE 4 – LOCAL ELECTIONS 2015 PAGE 5, 6 & 7 – SPANISH NEWS PAGE 8 – DID HE BREAK THE CAMEL’S BACK? PAGE 9 – LIKE IT OR GRUMP IT PAGE 10 – SPANISH NEWS PAGE 12 – THE VIEW FROM THE LION’S DEN PAGE 13, 14 & 15 – SPANISH NEWS FEATURES PAGE 16 – READERS LETTERS & LOTTERY RESULTS PAGE 17 – EURO COIN COMPETITION PAGE 18 & 19 – GENERAL NEWS PAGE 20 – WORLD NEWS STORIES PAGE 21 – LOCAL MARKET DAYS PAGE 22 – HEY, GOOD LOOKING! SHOW US YOUR MANIFESTO! PAGE 23 – THE VIEW THROUGH THE LENS PAGE 24 – ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 25 – OLLIE’S MOOD SPILLS PAGE 26 – THE VIEW ON NOSTALGIA PAGE 27 – ALICANTE TO CARTAGENA BUS TIMETABLE PAGE 28 – WHAT’S ON THE TELLY PAGES 28 TO 31 – CONCISE TV LISTINGS PAGES 32 & 33 – FASHION, HEALTH & BEAUTY PAGES 34 & 35 – FOOD & DRINK PAGE 36 – OVER 50s LIFESTYLE PAGE 37 – IDENTITY CRISIS – PRIZE COMPETITION PAGE 37 – SPANISH CONCERT DATES 2015 PAGES 38 & 39 – PUZZLE PAGES PAGE 41 – MOTORING PAGE 42 – BUS JOURNEY – LA UNION PAGE 43 – TRAVEL AROUND SPAIN PAGES 44 & 45 – CLASSIFIED ADVERTS PAGES 46, 47 & 48 – SPORT Editor – DEREK JAMES SHANKLAND

News Editor – DARREN JAMES The professional NEWSpaper The View is solely owned by the owners of TV CHOICE

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The View

EDITOR’S WEEKLY MESSAGE I

’ve spent most of this week absolutely fed up!

Yes, fed up of people writing to me, messaging me and dragging me to one side in the street, at a quiz night and even in the chemist yesterday morning to say how much they enjoyed the first edition of THE VIEW! And long may this continue!

On behalf of all the team at THE VIEW, thank you for all your words of encouragement and support for this new venture and we’re delighted that you cannot wait for each edition to appear on the streets. You’re saying that you like the layout, the style, the slightly larger print size, the information, the features and the balance between content and advertising.

It’s what we set out to do and we’re proud, judging by your comments so far, that we’ve achieved those aims.

Our only problem is we’ve set a high standard that I’m determined we retain for future editions.

One or two readers mentioned that they couldn’t get their copy of THE VIEW as early in the day as accustomed. We were a little late on the streets than planned last Friday, but “normal service” has now been resumed! We aim for all the stockists of THE VIEW to have their copies available to you by 12 noon at the latest. Please let me know if you have any problems in getting your copy.

I wrote in my message last week that I want to encourage more interaction and contributions from you, our valued readers. I’m sure there are many budding article writers and columnists (including the odd “Fifth” one ­ I wouldn’t be

surprised) and people that have a story to tell of their experiences in their work, their life and their time in Spain that you’d like to share with others. Please e­mail me at editor@theview.es if you’d like to be one of our regular or ad­hoc contributors and we’ll take it from there.

As Donna Gee writes in her column on page 9 and also featured in a story on page 5, there are simply too many bad stories spread about our adopted country whilst ignoring the positives. I know many people and businesses that are delighted to live and retire and work on the Costa Blanca and have nothing but praise for the country. Yes, we’re all aware of some horror stories, but they’re in the minority.

Let’s see some more positivity and good news instead. It’s certainly my policy governing the features and stories that are published in THE VIEW. Don’t forget that it’s Local Election day in Spain on Sunday, and you’ll find a full explanation on page 4 of what you need to do if you’re taking part, particularly if it’s your first time experiencing the Spanish voting process. Trust me; it’s a piece of tarta, or should that be pastel?!

Weather wise, it appears to be more settled with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the middle to high 70s (21 to 23 in new money!) but be prepared for the chance of rain on Monday and even some thunderstorms on Tuesday evening!

I’m certainly enjoying and making the most of the slightly cooler nights until the natural central heating unit from above is turned up in a few weeks time; the James duvet was well and truly snuggled under on Wednesday night!

I’m just off to have a go at the BIG crossword. I do hope it’s easier than last week’s!

Enjoy THE VIEW!

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

“GET ‘YER “HEIR” CUT, ‘ARRY!” Prince says “Bring back National Service”

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By Darren James

hivers must have gone up and down the spines of two groups of men on Sunday when the words “National Service” dominated the headlines of the British press and TV media! Phrases like, “You ‘orrible little man!”, and “’Am I hurting you soldier? I should be, I’m standing on your bleedin’ ‘air!”, either took people back to the 1950s and early 60s or shook a new breed of youngsters into wondering what might be in store for them!

Directly on his return from a successful trip to New Zealand, Prince Harry, in an exclusive interview with SKY News (that “‘orrible and awful man” Nicholas Witchell from the BBC was snubbed), the popular spare heir reflected on his 10 year career in the Army. Captain Wales, as he’s officially known, is due to leave the army next month and his final posting as a staff­officer at HQ London District as SO3 (Defence Engagement).

“Bring back National Service – I’ve said that before,” he said. He added: "It does keep you out of trouble. Different people do it for different reasons. I did it because since I was a kid I enjoyed wearing the combats, I enjoyed running around with a rifle, jumping in a ditch and living in the rain, and stuff.

"But then when I grew up, it became more than that, it became an opportunity for me to escape the limelight. I've had an epic ten years, I've had great fun. The army keep giving me great jobs, and I can never thank them enough for that."

He also spoke of the "amazing things" that the army had done for those around him, especially the 11 men who were under his command at Windsor. "I dread to think where I'd be without the army," he said.

Forget his background, Harry is a human being

like the rest of us and he had to endure the daily images of his mother being splashed across the media; feeding the general public’s gluttony for Diana’s every move and inclination of her head. And then the bombshell of 31st August 1997. Agreed, sadly and tragically, there are thousands of young boys and girls that lose a parent, but to endure that loss under the full view of millions of people world­ wide must be unbearable.

The image of seeing Harry walking behind the coffin of his beloved mother is something I will never forget. As he was growing up, I was thinking that he was going to end up a rather wimpish character like his Uncle Edward, possibly worse. How wrong could anyone be? 10 years in the services, by his own admission, has made Harry the man he’s become and has grown in stature and affection among the British people and beyond. He’s now a real “man’s man”!

Would the introduction of National Service work in the modern world? Would the do­gooders and the bleedin’ hearts out there actually allow it to work? It’s well reported that parents regularly visit the schools of their darling little ones when a teacher has dared to raise their voice to them, let alone even threaten them with detention. So how would these cotton­wool wrapped cherubs cope with a modicum of discipline in their lives? Many wouldn’t last a day!

I admire the British armed forces, those that have chosen to make it a career and elected to be trained as killers, because in reality that’s what they are. The word “armed” should give it away! Whether getting the official OHMS brown envelope containing the call­up papers could be effective in the 21st century is doubtful.

Mention the word “Mili” to a Spanish man over the age of 30 and you’ll get very different reactions. The final Spanish National Servicemen finally passed out in May 2001 and from 2002, Spain had its first entirely professional force since 1770. Many of my Spanish friends “did the ‘Mili’”. A small number hated it but the overwhelming majority enjoyed the experience, learned a trade or gained extra education, and made them even more proud of their country in the process. Many life­long friendships were made too.

Do you think it’s a good idea to bring back National Service in the UK? Were you a National Serviceman?

Let me know of your opinions and experiences at editior@theview.es Personally, I think it’s an excellent idea, but whether I could’ve survived a couple of years being shouted at by an obnoxious RSM like the famous Ronald Brittain, we’ll never, ever know!

TEA THROUGH GRITTED TEETH A

ccording to some sections of the press, it was HM the Queen that encouraged the controversial meeting between The Prince of Wales and Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and included the “handshake”. The two met during a visit to the National University of Ireland’s campus in Galway shortly after starting a two­day visit which culminated with Charles’ first visit to the scene of the assassination of his mentor and confidante, Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Mr Adams and other senior Sinn Fein members boycotted The Queen’s groundbreaking visit to Ireland in 2011, but Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, an IRA commander in the 1970s, later shook hands with her during a 2012 visit to Belfast.

My own jury is very much out on this subject. I grew up following the “troubles” in Northern Ireland on an almost daily basis on the television, and only narrowly escaped the IRA bomb blast at the gas storage holders at Bromley­By­Bow Station on the London Underground in December 1980. I was on a train that passed the site some 10 minutes earlier.

I’m just not too sure that if I were Prince Charles I would even be able to be in the same room as someone who continues not to apologise to for the death of my favourite great­uncle, let alone shake hands. In his case, it really is beyond the call of his duty and service.

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2015!

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he 2015 Spanish municipal elections will be held this Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect the composition of all the city councils in Spain. These will be the 10th nationwide municipal elections held in the country since the Spanish transition to democracy. Municipal elections will be held at once across all of Spain, while regional elections will be held the same day in 13 of the 17 autonomous communities; Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, and the Basque Country having separate electoral cycles.

with 60% of the votes would have 9 councillors in place.

The Spanish municipal electoral law establishes a clause stating that, if no candidate is to gather an absolute majority of votes to be elected as Mayor of a municipality, the candidate of the most­voted party will be automatically elected to the post.

HOW TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY The polling stations open at 9am and close at 8pm. From experience of previous local election days, you would be advised not to leave it to the last minute to vote. Perhaps cast your vote before you go to the beach rather than rush back at the end of the day. If you are in any queue to vote at 8pm then you will be allowed to vote but not allowed to join those that are waiting. The advice from THE VIEW is to go mid to late morning or during the traditional Spanish lunch / siesta time around 3pm!

We gave you a rundown in THE VIEW last week of the local councils in our area and the current and pending numbers of seats being fought over. The number of seats in each city council is determined by the population count. According to the municipal electoral law, the population­seat relationship on each municipality is to be established on the following scale: POPULATION SEATS Up to 100 3 101 to 250 5 251 to 1,001 7 1,001 to 2,000 9 2,001 to 5,000 11 5,001 to 10,000 13 10,001 to 20,000 17 20,001 to 50,000 21 50,001 to 100,000 25 Additionally, for populations greater than 100,000, 1 seat is to be added per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction, according to the most updated census data, and adding 1 more seat if the resulting seat count gives an even number.

Only parties polling above 5% of valid votes in the entire municipality (which include blank ballots) are entitled to enter the seat distribution.

Local elections take place throughout Spain every four years. These elect the local mayor and councillors. Voting in local elections uses a Closed Party­list with seats allocated to each party in proportion to the number of votes the party receives; for example in a town with 15 Councillors a party

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The process to cast your vote is very simple. However, before you leave home for your local polling station, check that you have your “Tarjeta Censal” (Poll) card with you AND a form of identification that includes a photograph and your NIE / DNI. If you believe you are on the Censo (Electoral Roll) but haven’t received your poll card, your ID will be sufficient.

You or card will tell you the location of your local polling station and the table in the venue where you vote.

When you arrive at your polling station, go straight to the area that contains a series of tables or shelves containing piles of different coloured or styled ballot papers. They will be in a separate room or behind a curtain. (Don’t worry that there may be other voters in the same room with you.) Some ballot papers maybe the same colour so you need to make sure you pick up the paper that corresponds to the party you wish to vote for.

Pick up ONE sheet and place that sheet in the WHITE envelope that you may have already received through the post or you can pick one up in the voting room, and seal it.

PREPARATION PP.......

n electoral campaign poster for the centre­right Partido Popular (PP) in the Balearic Islands uses a photo from an advert for piles remedies!

The embarrassing discovery was made by a Twitter user who uploaded the party's manifesto pictures next to the publicity from a USA­based company, called Hemhealing, offering detoxing for haemorrhoids information.

With they put the two together, the smiling woman on the PP poster used to illustrate promises of investing in and promoting joint academic­vocational education in schools, was the same woman featured on the piles advert.

The PP's mistake would have been that of using a 'stock' picture from either a paid or free­to­use photo download site, or lifted from Google Images without thoughts of copyright.

Already, the PP on the island of Mallorca has committed similar errors in its adverts.

Last year, on a flyer promoting new policies linked to the University of Palma, the party featured a photo which was analysed by a polythologist, or specialist in graphics. The

Conservative Party in the UK were also ridiculed in the early part of the recent campaign when a green countryside image was proved to have been taken in Germany.

Dr Eli Gallardo said he had been scrutinising different party campaigns and noticed that the people showing on the PP's photo did not have either Mediterranean or Mallorcan facial features or colouring. He searched on Google and discovered the PP had used a picture lifted from a campaign by the high­street entity Banco Santander.

"I'm surprised the PP doesn't take its own photos, or use original ones from other sources to illustrate its policy and electoral documents, rather than lifting pictures from an internet database which is easily accessible by anyone," Dr Gallardo remarked.

With the latest poster, however, maybe the PP's aim was to seek piles of votes at the May 24 elections. Curiously, the PP is already in power in the Valencia­province village of Piles, whose sign is one of the most­photographed among English­speaking expatriates in the area.

You don’t need to put a cross or any other mark on the sheet.

You then join the queue, if there is one, at the table (Mesa) named on your poll card. When it’s your turn, you’ll be asked for your poll card and / or your ID and your name will be marked off by the official in charge of the table. There will usually be a representative or two from each of the participating parties sitting alongside ticking off or highlighting your name. When your ID is given back to you, you place your envelope in the transparent plastic box and leave the room.

Please note that regional elections are taking place on the same day but non­Spanish citizens are prevented from voting in these. The ballot papers for these and BEIGE envelopes are kept separate from the local elections. Don’t worry; the officials won’t let you vote in the wrong elections!

As you leave the polling station, you won’t be pestered by exit pollsters or members of the political parties standing for the council as any form of campaigning on Election Day is prohibited under Spanish law. However, many of the candidates will probably be present.

When the polls close, unlike the General Election in the UK, there’s no mad rush to take the ballot boxes to a central counting venue. The ballots are counted in each individual polling station in the presence of representatives of the political parties and candidates and are then immediately destroyed, with the exception of those considered invalid or challenged by the candidates' representatives, which are retained for further scrutiny. This consequence of this is that full recounts are impossible!

The first results are usually available between 1030 and 1130pm.

THE VIEW will produce a full results and analysis page in next Friday’s edition, but if you can’t wait until then, you can find full details on any of the Spanish newspaper and TV websites that are updated as the counts are made.

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

A SIGHT FOR GOOD EYES!

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ollowing the demise of the Torrevieja Costa Lions Club earlier this year, former Club Presidents Iain and Janette Bennett have been spending time winding down Club commitments. The latest event was to uplift over 2500 pairs of used spectacles from Specsavers Torrevieja and Specsavers Guardamar del Segura for onward delivery to the Lions Club spectacles recycling centre at San Vicente del Raspieg near Alicante.

The Lions association with Specsavers Torrevieja goes back to when the store first opened many years ago and to date over 14,500 pairs of spectacles have been collected for recycling.

Last year on the initiative of then Lion President Janette, Specsavers Spanish stores located in Guardamar, Benidorm, Fuengirola, Marbella, Santa Ponsa, Javea and Calpe joined Torrevieja in collecting used spectacles on behalf of the Lions and have recently announced that these stores have together collected a further 3,000 pairs this year already.

Iain and Janette delivered the spectacles on Wednesday morning. The lenses will now be graded according to type, single vision, bi­focal. varifocal etc.

The lenses are then sterilised and fitted in new frames ready for shipment to third world countries where eye care is not provided and aids to vision are not as readily available for those who most need them.

In countries where no eye care is provided Lions Clubs International provide clinics and opticians and where glasses are required those Lions eye

specialists then place orders with the numerous recycling centres worldwide, including Alicante, for onward delivery to those most in need.

A couple of years ago a nine year old boy in Madagascar was provided with a pair of spectacles which, it was discovered originated in the Alicante centre so there is a remote possibility that they may have been collected by Specsavers in Torrevieja! The glasses completely changed the boys' life by giving him better vision, he was also able to learn to read and write at school so with improved sight and education his life prospects have improved immensely.

The recycling centre at Alicante processes around 70,000 pairs of

spectacles per annum from all over Spain, so the massive contribution by the local Lions in collaboration with Specsavers has been tremendous.

Specsavers Torrevieja along with all the other Specsavers stores in Spain will continue to be a collecting point for used spectacles, so any readers who have old specs lying in a drawer somewhere, get down to your local Specsavers and hand them in, you could dramatically improve someone’s life by doing so.

The Lions will ask that the Torrevieja Suomi Lions Club take over collection and delivery from Specsavers.

You can read more about Sight First and spectacle recycling by visiting www.torreviejacostalions.org or www.lionsclubs.org

MORE TWISTING OF THE KNIFE INTO SPAIN

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onna Gee’s column on Page 9 of THE VIEW, takes a look at the bias against Spain and the Costa Blanca shown by British TV. Now it’s the turn of national newspapers as Wednesday’s Daily Express continued to turn the knife!

According to a headline, “Spain is the food poisoning capital of the world!” and based on a survey of 2,000 tourists. It goes on to say that Turkey and Egypt are in 2nd and 3rd place in a “list of dodgy destinations which have left holidaymakers hitting the bathroom more than the beach”.

Some of us that have been here many, many years drink water from the tap eat at Spanish, Chinese, Indian and English restaurants and put ice in our drinks. I’ve only had one case of food poisoning which could be pinpointed to a tapa of Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian Salad – it was the eggs!) in a branch of a large supermarket chain in the area back in 1990. Nothing since!

Could I offer the explanation for the cause of a vast majority of these illnesses caused by so­called “food poisoning”?

Looking dreadful at work one morning a colleague asked why his mate was so bad. He replied, “Before we went out, I had ½ a bottle of wine. Then I had 8 pints of lager, 3 whisky chasers, 2 cocktails, 5 shots of Tequila and a packet of crisps. I’m sure those crisps were past their sell­by date!” You get my point?

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

END OF TERM REPORT ENCOURAGING

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he generation of people in Spain known as “ninis” – the group of young people who neither study nor work – has seen a first drop in their number since 2008.

It’s not a major reduction, but the figure now stands at 20.7% of Spaniards between 15 and 29 that are not students or workers. The figure, still high when compared with the European average of 15%, not only represents a drop of 1.8 points since 2013 (22.5%), it’s also the first decline for seven years, when “ninis” accounted for 15.3%.

The results are part of a recently produced study, “Level Training, Lifelong Learning and Neglect”, by the Ministry of Education with the figures supplied by the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

The percentage of “Ninis” is about the same among all men (20.5%) and women (20.9%). The reduction in the percentage of this group of young Spaniards was recorded in all regions, except in the Balearic Islands and Aragon, where the numbers have risen from 21.2% to 22.4% and from 19% to 19.4% respectively. The highest percentages were recorded in Canarias (25.6%) and Andalucía (25.5%) with the lowest in the

Basque Country (14.0%) and Madrid (15.5%).

In the same report, figures showed that, less people were leaving school and training earlier in 2014 (21.9%) – a drop of 1.7% from 2013. This is a rate that measures the percentage of students who leave school after finishing compulsory education. Although the figure shows an improvement, Spain remains well behind the average of the European Union (11.1% in 2014).

Compared with 2008 (31.7%), when there was a noticeable drop in early school leaving, there has been an improvement of 9.8%.

The Ministry of Education also notes that the rate of early school leaving is much higher among the non­Spanish population, with 41.6% more than double the rate of home students.

More positive data comes from the level of adult education: 42.3% of the population between 30 and 34 have achieved a level of higher education, the same as in the previous year. In this case, Spain remains above the European average (37.9%) and exceeds the EU target of getting 40% of the population between 30 and 34 years into adult education by 2020.

NO MORE PITTA PATTA OF TINY KEBABS? election season. We're used to this. They think it'll win them votes," Tarragona Islamic Center imam, Muhammed Abdul­ Rahim Bokadira said in an interview before leading hundreds in prayer.

In a separate move, Spain announced in February, that it was investigating hundreds of Muslim­owned businesses, on allegations that they funnelled money to militants abroad. Vendors are accused of doing so through hawala, an informal money transfer system, used

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new proposed law, putting restrictions on kebab shops and halal groceries in Spain’s Mediterranean province of Tarragona, has spread fears among Spanish Muslims, seeing it as targeting their expanding community in the coast.

"My tomatoes are Spanish, and so are the potatoes I sell," stated Nouari Benzawi, a 52­ year­old immigrant from Algeria, in a recent report. "Please explain this to me!" he implored. "Do I need to sell pork to be a 'traditional Spanish business'? Do I need to sell wine?"

Immigrating to Spain two decades ago, Benzawi married a Spaniard and together, they opened a kebab shop and halal grocery store seven years ago. Selling no pork or wine, the new proposal to limit the number of kebab shops and other traditionally immigrant­owned businesses in Tarragona's historic quarter, has worried Benzawi and immigrants in general.

Seeking re­election in the municipal elections on Sunday, Alejandro Fernandez, the head of the Tarragona branch of Spain's ruling Popular Party (PP) who is running for mayor, said the changes would prevent immigrant "ghettos" and protect "traditional Spanish businesses."

However, the proposals are potentially not as drastic as first thought. Under the new regulations, no commercial licenses would be granted to any new kebab shops, dollar stores or Internet cafes, unless they are situated more than 500 yards from existing

ones. Reportedly, the proposed new legislation would not force closure of any existing businesses, keeping the late night, post­alcohol treat safe!

Benzawi angrily read aloud labels from grocery items in his market with the words, "Made in Spain" written on them. "My business is legal!" said Benzawi, who trained as an electrical engineer but could not find work in his field. He had hoped being able to speak Spanish, French, Arabic and a bit of English, would serve him in seeking employment, but to no avail. "I pay my taxes.

I don't sell contraband. So what are they so worried about?

This is called discrimination."

For Spanish politicians, the new proposal was a trial to restore an important province from a rising number of immigrants, estimated at 10% of the province population.

In Reus, the capital of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, town councillor for citizen security Joaquim Enrech Garola stated, "Our coastal region has always had the most immigration, and we've never had any problems.”

"In recent years, more Muslims have arrived. Now, for example, let's say a bunch of Muslim kids are milling around after school.

It's better if we disperse them because they could form a ghetto. What we're doing is in their interest and in ours," he claimed.

However, Muslims saw the proposal as part of election games, seeking to gain votes ahead of this weekend’s polls. "It's

predominantly by immigrants, for whom Western Union or other bank transfer fees may be too high.

According to Hilal Tarkou, a lawyer of Moroccan descent, who heads the local Watani Islamic Association, Spain's Muslims rely on the hawala system for sending remittances to support relatives in their home countries.

"Whenever there's a crisis," Tarkou said, "they always blame the weakest ones — the immigrants."

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

DID HE BREAK THE CAMEL’S BACK?

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ention the name Lawrence of Arabia to many and it conjures up an image of the late British hell­ raiser actor Peter O’Toole, in the film for which he was nominated for his first Academy Award. Those of us who love our music, also link the film to the fantastic score composed by Maurice Jarre. But what is really known about the man who died 80 years ago?

Unusually for Victorian Britain, Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence was born out of wedlock, in the north Wales village of Tremadoc near to Porthmadog in 1888. He was a very able pupil, who could read at the age of four and able to read Latin at the age of six. With those early abilities, it was no surprise that Lawrence won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he developed a passion for reading ­ especially books on military history. He read history there and gained a First Class Honours degree.

After gaining his degree, he joined an expedition by D G Hogarth to excavate Carchemish – on the Euphrates River and on the border that is now Turkey and Syria ­ and he found that he had a natural affinity with the Arab people who he met. He learned their language and customs and spent time reading about their history.

When war was declared in August 1914, Lawrence tried to join the army, but was turned down because he was too small, as the minimum height set by the army was five feet five inches. However, he persevered and after several months he was given a commission, where Lawrence joined the intelligence branch of the general staff. His knowledge of Arabic led to a posting to Egypt, where he served in the 'Arab Bureau' at GHQ. He had a very unorthodox approach to his commission, and despite ignoring the usual and traditional protocol in the British Army for smartness of uniform, he was seen as a very able but nevertheless scruffy junior officer!

The British military campaign in the Middle East had not started well. The British had easily repulsed a Turkish attack on the Suez Canal, but their pursuit of the Turks across Sinai ground to a halt near Gaza. In other areas in the region, the Turks had been more successful, especially in Aden. The Ottoman Empire had swallowed a great deal of the Middle East and the Turkish overlords were not welcome in that region. On June 5th, 1916, the Arab Revolt started in the Hejaz ­ though some called it the Arab Awakening.

The revolt had some initial successes, capturing Mecca, Jidda and Taif, but the Arabs failed to take the main rail line that ran through the region and the Turks were able to quickly send more troops there. Thus, the revolt lost its original impetus. In October 1916, the British sent Ronald Storrs to investigate the revolt. He was accompanied by Lawrence.

Lawrence was sent to meet the Amir, Feisal whose tribesmen had been attempting to besiege Medina. Feisal, was the son of Sherif Hussein, ruler of the Hejaz; they developed

an immediate rapport. Lawrence believed that, while the Turks controlled the rail line, they would always have the opportunity to supply Medina. He therefore believed that, Feisal's best chance lay in guerilla warfare against the rail line but, away from Medina. Lawrence wanted to move their campaign north.

On July 6th, 1917, Lawrence and his Arab followers captured Aqaba from the rear, after defeating a whole Turkish battalion. Feisal moved his headquarters to Aqaba and placed himself and his men under the command of General Allenby, British commander in Palestine. Allenby planned to use the growing Arab revolt against the Turks to his advantage and provided the Arabs with guns, ammunition and gold.

As the revolt became more successful, more and more Arab tribesmen joined it. This is what Allenby had hoped for. The Turks could barely cope with the revolt. On December 9th, 1917, Allenby's forces entered Jerusalem; Lawrence was with him and despite being of different ranks, they got on exceptionally well and shared a mutual respect. Allenby was even happy for Lawrence to wear Arab dress, but the decision was something other British officers could not tolerate.

1918 was the decisive year in this operation. In January, Lawrence led an attack on the Turks at Tafila, in which a whole battalion was destroyed. The British, later set a date for a massive attack against the Turks ­ September 19th, although, Lawrence was asked by Allenby to launch a diversionary attack on the Turks at an important rail junction at Deraa, two days earlier on the 17th. This attack was a great success as was Allenby's. Feisal entered Damascus in triumph and Lawrence took charge of civil and military order for several weeks. On October 31st an armistice was concluded with the Turks.

Lawrence lived among those Arabs who fought the Turks. He lived the life of a Bedouin, always doing more than those he fought with ­ riding his camel further, pushing his body harder. He ate, what they ate which led to a number of debilitating stomach ailments. But, by doing this, he earned the respect of those who fought with him.

How important was the contribution of Lawrence to the campaign in the Middle East? Historians are likely to argue this question for many years. Before he arrived in the region, the British campaign had got bogged down. After his meeting with Feisal, the campaign picked up and Lawrence went out of his way to befriend the Arabs ­ something that not all British officers in the Middle East chose to do. At Deraa, he had a force of 3,000 Arabs, but they tied down 50,000 Turks who could not help their comrades against Allenby. The Turkish High Command also spread their forces (150,000 men in total) thinly across the region, making the British campaign that much easier.

Lawrence returned to the United Kingdom a full colonel and immediately after the war, worked for the Foreign Office, attending the Paris Peace Conference between January and May as a member of Faisal's delegation.

He served for much of 1921 as an advisor to Winston Churchill at the Colonial Office.

In August 1922, Lawrence enlisted in the Royal Air Force as an aircraftman under the name John Hume Ross. At the RAF recruiting centre in Covent Garden, London, he was interviewed by a recruiting officer—Flying Officer W. E. Johns, later to be well known as the author of the Biggles series of novels. Johns rejected Lawrence's application, as he correctly believed "Ross" was a false name. Lawrence admitted this was so, and that the documents he had provided were false, and left. But he returned some time later with an RAF Messenger, carrying a written order for Johns to accept Lawrence.

However, Lawrence was forced out of the RAF in February 1923 after being exposed. He changed his name to T. E. Shaw and joined the Royal Tank Corps in 1923. He was unhappy there and repeatedly petitioned to rejoin the RAF, which finally readmitted him in August 1925. A fresh burst of publicity after the publication of “Revolt in the Desert” resulted in his assignment to a remote base in British India in late 1926, where he remained until the end of 1928. At that time he was forced to return to Britain after rumours began to circulate that he was involved in espionage activities.

Two months after leaving military service in March 1935, Lawrence was fatally injured in an accident on his Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle in Dorset, close to his cottage, Clouds Hill, near Wareham. A dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on their bicycles; he swerved to avoid them, lost control, and was thrown over the handlebars. He died six days later on 19th May. He was just 46 years old.

The View

9

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

LIKE IT OR GRUMP IT Donna Gee’s View

On yer bike, biased Beeb and Co - Rob is the wheel deal I

F British TV companies ever decide to make an honest pro­ gramme about the expat commu­ nity in Spain, I suggest they start on their own doorstep.

They could begin by talking to motorbike guru Rob Howitt, who has just completed a 5,000­mile solo trek around Europe during which he celebrated his 50th birth­ day in the dream environment he is desperate to become part of.

Sorry, media boys, but I’m afraid that the Costa Blanca really is a sunshine paradise.

Work commitments limited the boss of the prestigious RJH Motor­ bike Training Centre in Salford to just four days with family and friends in Guardamar before work commitments sent him roaring back to Blighty on his trusty Honda ST1300 Pan European.

Rob, whose past pupils include Coronation Street stars Michelle Keegan and Shobna Gulati, had taken a scenic route down to the Med, travelling through eight coun­ tries and recording several training videos en route.

But with time at a premium, he opted for the shortest route home – 1,494 miles via Calais, complete with £300 motorway toll bill.

Whilst he found some of the scenery in Switzerland, Germany and northern Italy breathtaking, Rob’s heart is set on relocating his family to the Costa Blanca as soon as it becomes a realistic proposi­ tion.

He is typical of millions of work­ ing Brits who dream of a sunshine escape from the UK’s overcrowded shores, despite an endless stream of distorted media propaganda suggesting they will be swapping the rain for plain pain in Spain.

Those of us who actually live that Spanish dream know that, for pen­ sioners and those in adaptable pro­

fessions or trades, life here is the nearest thing to Heaven on earth.

Rob has seen the happy face of the expat community first­hand and is more than ready to spread the good news.

But that doesn’t make good TV back in Britain, where the media thrives on controversy and con­ frontation. Hence you are far more likely to see a series on the gripes of Spain’s 'I can fix anything' cow­ boys, the bungling Brits who have no qualifications but claim to be experts at everything.

You know, the guys who claim to be professional plumbers because they once changed a washer on a kitchen tap and almost stopped it leaking.

When he finally gets sussed and the work dries up, Christopher Plumber heads home to reclaim his UK benefits, insisting his pregnant wife and handicapped child were left to starve in a horror environ­ ment ­ and the TV documentary boys hear the sound of music.

OK, I’m plumbing the depths there but the media merchants of misery like nothing more than spreading the gospel of gloom – and top of the list are sob stories that reduce viewers to tears.

Who better to turn the tap on, then, than Christopher the bum­ mer plumber and his family?

Personally, I find Rob Howitt’s reflections far more interesting. “I first started riding a motorcycle and the age of seven so it was only fitting that I should travel on my bike to celebrate my 50th birthday.

And, boy oh boy, didn’t I do just that!

“I didn't book, I didn't plan, I just packed last minute and I rode. I wanted to get away from a timetable and diary, I wanted to get away from structure, I wanted to get away from daily chores and I

Rob Howitt with actresses Michelle Keegan and Cherrelle Skeete at RJH, where they were taught to ride motor bikes for their parts in Ordinary Lies INSET: Shobna Gulati, another of Rob’s successful pupils, and a familiar face pops in while filming Peter Kay’s Car Share

Rob and his trusty travelling companion experienced some of the most stunning, beautiful parts of the world.

“The highlights were riding through the Swiss Alps with its clean, fresh air; riding through the night and entering Spain as the sun rose; and putting my survival pack on as I headed home through Paris.

“I celebrated my birthday with family and friends in Guardamar

My Parkinson’s is a sick joke THE day I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease really shook me up. It also put my sense of humour to the ultimate test and I like to think I passed with­ out a wobble.

It’s six years since one of Manchester’s top neu­ rologists told me to expect a gradual deterioration in my condition. The consolation, he said, was that the disease would not in itself kill me. With that, I went to shake his hand...and missed.

Since then I’ve been making jokes about Parkin­ son’s at every opportunity, figuring that it might get me my own chat show. (Yes Michael, I’m

younger than you and I’m after your job).

I’m convinced that humour is the best antidote to illness, as did many of my friends at our Parkin­ son’s support group gatherings at Bobby Jo’s in Los Montesinos. Sadly, organisers Pat and Wally Williamson moved out of this area, and the group has faded away.

So this is a message to all upbeat Parkinsonians, partners, families and friends. Give me a call on 603 366 204 and let’s get those coffee mornings going again. Shakin’ Stevens and The Tremble­ows are still waiting to do that gig I told you about...

and my partner Lisa flew down and met me there.

“I hadn’t visited Spain for two years as we had a big house move.

But I have really missed the place.

“Everyone you speak with, Eng­ lish or local Spanish, is always wel­ coming, warm and friendly. And we just don't see blue skies and tem­ peratures like this in UK. “I can't wait to be able to move to Spain; it’s my lifestyle com­ pletely. Another 10 years, when the youngest of our children is out of school, will be a better time.

“I already have my plans. I’m just just waiting for the right time. Mind you, if someone offered me a FAB job, I could be tempted!’’

Rob cannot understand the UK media’s negative stance on the expat experience. Particularly with the overwhelming evidence that the vast majority of us adore the

healthy climate, cheap living and absence of rush hours and traffic jams.

Some folk with medical prob­ lems do understandably go back to the UK, invariably with a degree of regret. But that’s not news to the 21st century media world, where they prefer to focus on dimwits who uproot their families into an alien environment, regardless of the vast language and culture dif­ ferences, believing the expat expe­ rience is one endless diet of beaches, booze and Benidorm.

The sort of idiots whose first language is Foulmouthish and who sober up once a fortnight to to catch up with Big Brother, their favourite British culture show.

Some are no doubt lured to Spain by the UK’s three­month overseas job seeker allowance, believing that if they can’t find work, they can plead poverty and continue to squeeze the system.

Look a bit closer, guys, and you’ll find that most UK benefits are non­ exportable.

As for claiming assistance from the Spanish system, forget it. The country’s economy is in a mess and even native Spaniards can only claim dole money for a limited period.

My advice to those bent on join­ ing the exodus is forget it unless you can bank on at least £10,000 a year in investment or pension in­ come.

For the average working man with no knowledge of Spanish, that means postpone your dream until you become a pensionista. It will be worth the wait, believe me.

WANT TO REPLY TO DONNA? Email your comments to DonnaGee1@aol.com

10

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED IN LORCA

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t’s just over 4 years since the earthquake devastated much of the city of Lorca in the province of Murcia on May 11th.

At 17:05 local time, the first quake struck with a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale. This foreshock inflicted substantial damage to many older and historic structures. The death toll had already begun with 3 confirmed deaths from falling structures. Moments later a number of homes and businesses were evacuated and closed for the day as a precaution.

As Emergency services from across the region reacted to the multitude of calls and residents surveyed the damage to their properties, a second earthquake struck.

The 5.1 quake struck at 18:47 and caused a greater degree of damage to the fabric of many buildings, with more falling masonry striking dozens of panicking residents, some of which we’re already in the open air following the earlier quake. By nightfall the death toll had reached 11.

With many buildings left in a dangerous state, many chose to sleep either in the cars, or camp out in open spaces from fear that further earthquakes would occur.

Having been declared a national emergency, the nation’s emergency response kicked in and the military were called upon to support emergency medical and law enforcement teams. Being just days before the local and regional elections were due to be held, the issue was quickly politicised with both the PP and PSOE seizing the opportunity to pledge their support for the stricken city.

Four years later and the regeneration / lack of regeneration and investment / lack of investment, is still very much the subject of debate with locals. With dozens of developments and property owners still awaiting a satisfactory conclusion to their insurance claims and with many losing their properties altogether, after the banks seized them fearing that Mortgage repayments by the affected owners would never be

WHAT IS THE MINOR AILMENTS SCHEME?

S

omething caught my eye on Facebook the other day, which I’ve since noticed has been shared around. Not all of you are on social media, so I felt this needs to be brought to your attention, especially if you have family and grandchildren in the UK. Did you know of the Minor Ailments Scheme?

Everyone can go to their pharmacist for advice, or to buy a medicine for a minor illness or ailment. But, this is a new NHS service for people, including children, who don’t pay prescription charges.

It means that if your pharmacist thinks you

need it, then they can give you a medicine on the NHS, without you having to pay for it. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP simply to get a prescription.

The NHS Minor Ailments service is available at certain pharmacies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but, ONLY in selected stores in England and Wales and not every store will be able to treat the same list of minor ailments. However, examples of ailments which are commonly treated include: back ache, sprains and strains; colds; conjunctivitis; constipation; coughs;

met.

The Town Hall reports that some 24,000 homes have been repaired over the last 4 years and that 1,152 had to be demolished. More than 90% of all buildings affected by the earthquakes either reconstruction and repair work is either complete or in the process.

Lorca has bounced back and the local residents have largely succeeded in rebuilding their lives, as well as the city itself, but the scars of the 11th of May 2011 are never very far from the surface.

diarrhoea; earache; haemorrhoids; hay fever; head lice; headache and fever; heartburn and indigestion; insect bites and stings; mild eczema and dermatitis; minor fungal infections of the skin; mouth ulcers; nappy rash; sore throat; teething; threadworm and, thrush.

The advice is to tell those in the UK that may be able to take advantage of this scheme to speak with their local chemist to see if they are part of the scheme.

Don’t forget that even here in Spain, you can save time and taking up valuable space from others needier than yourself, by going directly to the local Farmacia for minor

ailments or conditions. If they can’t treat or advise you, they will recommend you visit your GP.

RYANAIR FLYING HIGHER AND HIGHER A SPLIFFING GOOD FIND!

F

ollowing disappointing figures that saw Vueling eat into its lead in 2014, low­cost carrier Ryanair began 2015 on the offensive, exhibiting unrivalled growth of 17.8% in passenger traffic.

Only Iberia Express, at 17.7%, comes close to growing as fast as the Irish company. By business group, however, the top position is claimed by IAG, the holding company that encompasses Spanish airlines Iberia, Iberia Express and Vueling, and the UK’s British Airways.

AENA, the Spanish airports operator, has just released traffic figures for the first four months of the year – including the Easter holiday, a peak travel period. They show that Ryanair is determined to consolidate its advantage.

In 2014, the company headed by Michael O’Leary lost 0.4% of traffic in Spain while Vueling grew 16%; Norwegian expanded by 45%, while Germanwings saw traffic grow by a massive 68%.

In response, the self­styled “no­ frills” budget carrier decided to reopen routes and increase frequencies, while focusing on major airports such as Madrid and Barcelona, and dropping smaller cities.

Ryanair also changed some of its most unpopular policies, with the goal of ingratiating itself with

customers once more: passengers are now allowed to choose a seat ahead of time, rather than have to make a sprint for the aircraft, and a second item of hand luggage is allowed on board.

The new guidelines are already having an effect. In the first four months of 2015, Ryanair added 1.14 million passengers, growing 17.8% to 7.5 million. During this period, the Irish airline has increased its lead over Vueling by more than 800,000 passengers.

It bears noting that these figures log the number of passengers regardless of the distance covered, a fact that somewhat penalizes airlines that cover long­haul routes.

Meanwhile, Air Europa continues to grow at a similar rate as last year, while easyJet is still losing its share in the Spanish market.

Germanwings posted some of the strongest growth in early 2015, but the rate slowed down sharply in April, following the tragic crash in the Alps, caused when a German co­ pilot from the airline deliberately flew his plane into a mountainside in France, killing all 150 people on board.

Overall, low­cost airlines are attracting much of the new passenger traffic at Spanish airports. International arrivals grew 5.8% to 18.1 million people between January and April. Of these, nearly half (47.5%) arrived on budget flights.

British nationals represent the largest portion of international low­ cost arrivals in Spain, making up 33.2% of the total. Catalonia is the favourite destination for 29.8% of tourists on low­cost flights.

O

fficers from the National Police Force have found more than 10,000 marijuana plants in greenhouses of a selection of vegetable gardens and orchards. Three people were arrested. Those arrested had a marijuana plantation in a large greenhouse on a large expanse of land located in the Murcia town of Molina de Segura. 3 tons of the drugs were recovered!

Every year, the National Police undertake an operation called “Path” in Molina de Segura which is set up to prevent the theft of fruit and property crime in these isolated areas. In this particular exercise, with the help of the Policia Local, they saw some strange going’s on at one of the farms early in the morning one day last week. An investigation of the property was carried out and 10,000 marijuana plants were found in various stages of growth and in another building, around 1,000 other plants were in the drying out process. I total, the find totalled around 2,875 kilos and filled up 4 trucks. A tractor, precision binoculars, a pair of walkie­talkies and twenty sacks of fertilizer were also seized.

The three people arrested were of Spanish nationality aged 25, 29 and 30.

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

11

12

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

THE VIEW FROM THE LIONS DEN

I

AIN BENNETT has been a well­known and highly respected name and face in the local community for a few years, thanks to his work with the Torrevieja Lions Club. Sadly, the local branch had to close a couple of months ago due to a lack of members. Iain has joined THE VIEW as one of our regular contributors and you’ll see him around and about at events in the future. In the second part of “THE VIEW FROM THE LIONS DEN”, he explains how they were to raise so much money over the years.

Following the February meeting of 2008, both Janette and I, embarked on a very steep learning curve discovering the aims of The Torrevieja Costa Lions. Whilst Lions are internationally renowned for providing assistance when and wherever in the world that disaster occurs, we also needed to identify the needs of local people too.

The nearest neighbouring Clubs are in Mazarron, Elche and Alicante, plus of course, there is the Torrevieja Suomi Club which is a Finnish Club. So geographically the Torrevieja Lions covered an area from Santa Pola in the North to Mar Menor in the South and inland to include all the villages and towns as far as Orihuela, so the enormity of the task quickly became self evident. My previous experience of Lions in Scotland had been much different because, throughout the United Kingdom most reasonable sized towns had a Lions Club.

Within only a few weeks of Club membership, I was elected as Club Treasurer and Janette elected as Community Service Director. From that moment, although neither of us could foresee it, we were to remain Club Directors. One urgent need that we identified was that the Club was regularly losing members, often due to the fact that, every six months fees to Lions International and the Federation of Spanish Lions had to be paid. A large number of members were retired ex­pats who were reliant on their pension which was, for many,

affected by the downturn of the exchange rate between the pound sterling and the euro. This was further exacerbated by the oncoming global recession. Keeping the Club alive was becoming as vital as the needs of the community that we served.

In order to drive down fees for members, the Club embarked on recruiting sponsors to help finance and grow the Club. Local business people were approached for sponsorship and thankfully many offered great support right up to the recent demise of the Club. A full list of those who supported the Club can be viewed on the Club website, which will remain online until 30th June 2015; the end of the current Lionistic year. www.torreviejacostalions.org When the Club was first formed a lot of hard work was undertaken by all members to help raise funds for those most in need. Many initiatives were both time and labour intensive, but essentially good fun, raising funds and raising the profile of the Club in the community. When it came to fund raising initiatives, the Lions had many excellent events, many of which were so good, that many other local organisations and groups copied them! Lions were first in the area to raise funds with Christmas, Easter and summer basket prize draws. Now everyone does it.

When others copied Lions ideas it made life a little more difficult for us but, never to be daunted, all it meant was that we had to be more imaginative. One major initiative was the Mad Hatters Tea Party, held in the grounds of the former Grand Designs house, Casa La Pedrera. It was a brilliant day out and so well supported that a donation of €2,000 was given to local children’s charity APANEE. Others of course, have copied the Mad Hatters Tea Party with varying degrees of success.

One event that remains unique, and as far as we know, the first and only time that such an event has taken place on mainland Spain, was our Duck Race. One of the biggest challenges we encountered was trying to find a suitable venue for the race. After all, where can you find flowing, clean water in Spain in September and most rivers and water courses in Spain cannot be relied upon to be flowing after a long hot summer?

We did however find a venue in Formentera del Segura, where the river Segura flows immediately adjacent to a very nice park with perfect facilities, including a bandstand, bar, barbecues, toilets and children’s play area. This find was really good fortune, as we had already agreed to raise funds for a young disabled boy, who, coincidentally lived in Formentera. We sought permission from the Mayor of Formentera to use the park and all its facilities and he was most delighted to assist with provision of seating and tables for the venue. It proved to be an excellent day where we managed to raise over €3,500 to help pay for much needed hospital treatment for the young boy.

To date, the Duck Race has never been repeated. However, over 400 ducks will shortly find a new home with another local charitable

organisation and hopefully, in the near future, they will quack on and get the ducks back where they belong ­ raising funds for charity!

A number of fund raising initiatives became annual events, such as the aforementioned basket draws and gallon bottles of whisky prize draws, proving extremely successful with many bars and restaurants selling tickets on behalf of the Club. I am almost certain that the lady in my local bodega thought I had a serious drink problem buying 5 or 6 gallon bottles of Scotch every November!

The most enjoyable of the annual events was held on the beach at La Zenia every Christmas Day. JB Brass would play carols and Christmas tunes for the assembled throng and during the performance Lion members were there to gather any donations made by the public. Year on year, the funds raised have steadily increased with around €900 being received last Christmas Day. This amount was further swollen by a marvellous single donation of €1,000; absolutely fabulous!

Over the years, JB Brass supported the Lions by playing free of charge at many venues and events. Our close association was cemented when, Lions presented them with music stand banners in recognition of their continuing support, which depicts the JB logo and the name of the Club embroidered at the bottom. Whilst the Club no longer exists, the banners remain the property of JB Brass and it would be nice if the name of the Club can live on with every concert that the band performs.

Another major annual event was our golf tournament, recently named the Chris Bignell Lions Shield, played last year at Las Colinas Golf Resort ­ an excellent event at a beautiful location.

A number of years ago, The Lions were approached to assist with the promotion of concerts in Teatro Municipal Torrevieja. This turned out to be an adventure of epic proportions to the extent that, although the Club has now gone, the relationship with Teatro Municipal still trundles along. More of that next time.

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

13

BEWARE! YOU KNOW WHERE YOU SHOULD’VE GONE A

study undertaken by the Spanish Federation of Associations of the Optical Industry (FEDAO) and Vision and Life Association has found that the pre­ assembled glasses available in non specialist outlets can cause severe risks to visual health.

Under the title 'The state of vision at work and leisure’, the study was presented at a press conference by the Deputy Dean of the School of Optometry at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Anna Torrents; the president of the FEDAO, Inés Mateu, the representative of the Public Health Agency of Catalonia Josep Maria Suelves, the representative of the Medical Service of Endesa in Barcelona Joan Oliver, and honorary president of Vision and Life Cañamero and Salvador Javier Alsina.

Torrents said that these pairs of glasses that can be bought in markets, petrol stations and supermarkets were fine to be used very rarely and in emergencies, but she was aware that there are many who wear them all day every

day.

She also emphasised that the people who wear these glasses tend to have both short and long sighted problems and have been known to only choose those that magnify objects. This can cause a very harmful visual overcorrection.

Indiscriminate use of such glasses "causes dizziness, headache and other symptoms of visual fatigue", said Anna Torrents, “given that they have the same graduation for both eyes and the same distance between pupils, so do not respond to the needs of every patient.”

She is advocating that the use of these glasses should be considered as a Class 1 medical device that requires individual adjustment and fitted by an approved specialist.

In addition, the report’s authors said that these “cheap glasses” are not suitable for driving nor do they have adequate eye protection. They are only suitable as emergency reading glasses.

PAELLA VINDALOO MORE WiFi WHEN YOU FLY A

I

mpartial observers and followers of Spanish news in the past year would have noticed an increasing influence of the country on the world stage, which appears to coincide with King Felipe VI succeeding his father as Monarch.

This expansion in other than non­Latino countries which has dominated Spanish history in the past now includes India, and to this extent the government has submitted a plan for cooperation in developing smart and sustainable cities in the country.

The plan is for Delhi and Madrid to soon become “sister cities”, sharing technology and best practices in pollution control, water conservation, recycling and waste management.

Spain’s Ambassador to India, Gustavo de Aristegui, met Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia recently and discussed the issue of sisterhood agreement between the two cities. The Delhi Government has already sent its agreement for the move.

Spanish experts will be required to closely look into the issues confronting Delhi to have a better understanding of the problems the

city faces. While Mr. Aristegui explained the concept of “green police” which checks polluting vehicles in Spain, Mr. Sisodia told him that the availability of water was the most important issue for Delhi, for which Spanish assistance would be required.

A Spanish delegation, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Manuel Garcia­ Margallo, submitted the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) for developing smart cities to Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu in the Parliament House. Spain has proposed to assist in developing Delhi as the first global and smart city in India under the framework of the MoU. According to official sources, Mr. Naidu told the delegation that the Union Government would examine the draft MoU for further action in consultation with the agencies concerned. The Spanish Minister said his country was among the world leaders in building railway and metro networks, roads and ports, besides in shipping, recycling of waste, water management and promoting renewable energy sources.

eropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) – the Spanish body that runs most of the airports in Spain, will provide free and unlimited internet access through WiFi in 46 airports and two heliports and quadruple the download speed at the same time.

The board of directors has set in motion the tendering process for the provision of this service, which will last for two years.

The WiFi will be available two months after the award of the contract, from October.

At present, most airports, like Adolfo Suarez Madrid­ Barajas or Barcelona­El Prat, offer a free 30­minute basic service provided by Kubi Wireless. In the case of Madrid, the service is provided in all their terminals via 99 access points. Once only a bonus for the few who carried laptops, Wi­Fi in airports is now considered a basic and essential service, with mobile phones, tablets, netbooks and laptops being packed in hand luggage as automatically as passports, purses or wallets.

In April 2013, Kubi Wireless was awarded the tender by AENA for the supply and commercial development of their WiFi services for passenger use in 28 Spanish airports. At first, free access was only available for 15 minutes but was then extended to 30 minutes. Once the complimentary period was over,

expensive charges set in. Until December last year, this cost €4.50 an hour in Spain, but now it has gone down to €1.50, it is drastically lower than €3.80 charged at Heathrow and Düsseldorf, €5.90 in Paris­Orly and Paris­Charles de Gaulle, and €6 in Brussels.

As a result, Spanish airports could well go from being those offering the poorest Wi­Fi services to a world leader in cost and convenience within as little as five months.

The company said in a statement that the new service "is one further step in the commitment of AENA in the development of digital services to passengers" such as those provided for smartphone and 3G users to enable them to access flight information and advanced booking of airport parking.

GAS CONTINUES TO DROP

A

s from last Tuesday (19th), the maximum price of a gas cylinder is now €14.12 inclusive of IVA (VAT) compared with the current price of €15.81 – a reduction of 10.7%!

Any reduction in prices is welcome, and comes hot on the heels of a 9.7% drop in March when the price was €17.50 a bottle. The new price will be effective until the third Tuesday of July (21st) when it will be reviewed again according to international rates. Following this review, it’s been announced by the Spanish Ministry of Energy and Industry that in order to stabilize consumer prices, the cost of a bottle of butano can only be increased or lowered by a maximum of 5%.

These prices apply to those paid to the delivery drivers of both REPSOL and CEPSA, but residents are already aware that a slightly higher price may be charged when buying the bottles from other establishments.

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

ORIHUELA TAPAS TRAIL WITH A MUCH NEEDED TONIC!

O

rihuela’s Councillor for Tourism, Rosa Martinez, has announced all the types of tapas – both savoury and sweet – that are due to compete in the latest Tapas Trail being held over two weekends.

The first is 29th, 30th & 31st of May and the following weekend, 5th, 6th & 7th of June, although doesn’t include the two Sunday evenings (May 31st & June 7th).

First prizes of €200 will be awarded to the winning establishments in five categories of tapas, which include a new and most certainly popular extra category – the best Gin & Tonic!

The news gets even better for the “tapafans”, as the cost for each tapa taking part in the competition only costs €1.50 and an extra €1 for a drink.

However, the price of the G&T will be set by the individual outlets!

The jury will be composed of the gastronomy critic, Fernando Canut; Jose Escobar, a distiller, gin and tonic expert and chairman of Regulatory Council of Spirits of Alicante, and Esther Sembra Nadal, Professor of Food at the Miguel Hernández University of Food Technology, among others. Marcelo Fuentes will monitor the public vote on Facebook and other social networking sites.

Councillor Martinez also announced that a tourist train will travel the route of the bars who have registered to take part in the contest. Cheers!

ALICANTE BECOMES THE MIDDLE OF THE EARTH! F

ans of the Lord of The Rings trilogy are in for a treat and will no doubt be flocking to a major exhibition, currently being staged in the spectacular Santa Barbara Castle in Alicante.

The exhibition, “The Fortress of the Ring” opened at the end of March and is continuing until March 2016, includes more than 700 items on display, contained in five rooms of this famous Costa Blanca landmark.

The Mayor of Alicante stressed that, this exhibition will put "Alicante as the centre of attention for national exhibitions.”

In the press conference he was accompanied by exhibition curators and founders of the Spanish Tolkien Society, José Manuel Fernández and Fernando Frias, and the managing director of Esatur, Jorge Rodriguez.

Worldwide, an incredible total of 150 million copies have been sold of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and has been recognised by many critics as the best book of the twentieth century. Now, Alicante itself, is going to become the capital of Middle­earth for a year, with this exhibition organized by the Ayuntamiento of Alicante, Esatur and the Tolkien Society.

The Spanish Tolkien Society (ETS) is a cultural, non­ profit organization, whose sole objective is the promotion, discussion and study of the works of JRR Tolkien.

In “The Fortress of the Ring” exhibition, you’ll be able to see life­size figures of the characters that have been brought to the big screen, alongside costumes, flags, weapons and shields, all mixed in with an atmosphere that puts the visitor in Middle­earth itself.

The exhibition occupies the Tavern Room, the main floor and both the top floor and the basement of the Guards Room and is divided into three exhibition areas.

Firstly, there is an introduction to the whole experience, including a presentation of Middle­earth, featuring the major exhibits and the well­known costumes from the film adaptations. You’ll also learn about Tolkien himself, thanks to members of the Tolkien Society, who are available in the multimedia area and you’ll see life size figures of Treebeard and Uruk Hai. The famous Oxford pub – Eagle & Child – has also been recreated.

We won’t spoil too much for the visitors, but on the first floor, there’s a recreation of Bilbo Baggins’ office, with an exact replica of the desk and in the basement, made to look like Gollum’s Cave, there’s a life­size creation of the character itself!

It looks like a perfect day out for young and old alike, and something to add to the things to do when children and grandchildren come to visit in the summer. This event will no doubt be very popular, so it’s probably advisable to get your tickets in advance at a remarkable price of only €4 per person, for the guided tour that takes place every hour!

Check the website for times and tickets at http://www.lafortalezadelanillo.c om/

The View

15

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

LAST ORDERS AT 4 a.m.

FOR ALICANTE PUBS

MARRIAGE AGE UP IN SPAIN

M

Ps in Spain are bringing in measures to raise the minimum age for marriage from 14, to 16, in a bid to boost protection of minors and bring the country in line with its European Union neighbours.

The legislation was approved by the lower house of Parliament last month and was sent to the Senate last week for debate and likely approval over the coming months.

Currently, Spanish law allows boys and girls to marry at 14 with permission from a judge. Without such consent, they must wait until they are 18. Spain has one of Europe's lowest minimum age for marriage in the EU, with most members setting it at 16.

Ana Sastre of Save the Children in Spain, which supports the change, said the proposal came after United Nations experts in 2010, urged Spain to address the matter. However, the change will affect few people. The National Statistics Institute says six 14­year­ olds — two boys and four girls — got married

in the first six months of 2014, while just one girl of 14 got married the previous year.

"Fundamentally, it's a measure of protection to avert possible forced marriages, sexual exploitation, or offenses against children, especially girls," Sastre said.

Ana Berrocal, civil law professor at Madrid's Complutense University, said the change was necessary given that Spain, acting on another U.N. recommendation and pressure from child protection groups, recently raised the minimum age for consent to sexual relations from 13 to 16.

Javier Fajardo, law professor at the University of Navarra, said Spain's low age limits were not unusual given that, in the past, most of Europe allowed marriage once a person could have children. "Today a person of 14 is seen as still a child, while a century ago, they could have been the head of a family, responsible and working," he said.

FRUITY COKE!

A

gents of the National Police have arrested two people on suspicion of a crime against public health.

Those arrested were allegedly trying to introduce a legal shipment of papayas that concealed 32 kilograms of cocaine. The narcotic substance came from the Dominican Republic and their destinations were Madrid and Barcelona.

The investigation began over a year ago as a result of information obtained by specialized agents in drug trafficking, indicating that several people of Dominican origin could be working on the illegal importation of cocaine from that country, camouflaged with legal products.

Investigators initially conducted a series of enquiries that allowed them to discover that in June last year, a company had been set up in Barcelona as a cover operation, and whose declared business was the import of fresh vegetables. Officers learned in February, that there was a planned shipment of papayas due at the Adolfo Suarez Airport Madrid­Barajas.

Thorough checks of the cargo showed the drugs contained within the papaya skins.

After several more legal shipments in mid­March, the arrival of a particular truck to the loading bay of the airport was detected. The lorry was followed and eventually stopped at a nearby shopping centre in Madrid. The drivers realised they were being tailed and tried, in vain, to escape. They were arrested on the spot!

Further inspection of the lorry found 120 boxes of papayas, and hidden in the fruit itself, 32 kilograms of cocaine, distributed in packages of about a kilo each. They also found €600 in cash.

T

he president of the Port Authority of Alicante Juan Ferrer, and Miguel Valor, the city’s Mayor, signed an agreement which included measures to restrict opening times of the late night pubs in the area. The document included a series of recommendations, aimed at making sure all the establishments play by the same rules.

Amongst the measures were the set maximum closing times of the pubs which is now 4a.m.

Furthermore these establishments would not be able to re­open until 10 a.m.

These recommendations apply to the entire area, east of the port of Alicante. This includes La Escalera de la Reina, La Plaza del Puerto, The Volvo Area, El Paseo Volado, Dock No 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14, including the cruise ship passenger terminal.

The signing was also attended by the manager of the Provincial Association of

Hotels, Vicente Marhuenda, and the manager of the Municipal Tourism of Alicante, Agustín Grau.

Sñr Ferrer said, "It's about wanting to set a benchmark and meet the neighbourhood grievances. We understand what needs to be done and what's good for the city and we will collaborate with the council on these issues" For his part, Mayor Miguel Valor noted that, "the port represents an area of great impact on the tourist image of the city, so the municipality and the port authority have considered a rearrangement of activities, facilities and time constraints.”

Finally, the manager of the Provincial Association of Hotels, Vicente Marhuenda, said that the signing of the agreement is important news for the area and, "for us this agreement is essential, because we believe that there should be an acceptable balance between the needs of the economy and the rights of local citizens.”

EXPORTS RISE AS TRADE GAP NARROWS S

panish exports rose 4.4% in the first quarter of 2015 up to €60.9 billion – a record for a first quarter since 1971.

These figures are among the best in the Europe, exceeding those of Italy (3.2%), France (3.1%) and the UK (­7.6%). They are also superior to the whole EU (3.4%) and the Eurozone (3.0%), but lag behind Germany (5.4%).

During this period, imports recorded an increase of 2.5% to €66.5 billion. In real terms, the increase was greater, since purchases of goods abroad rose 3.9%.

The trade deficit amounted to €5.6 billion, 14.9% lower than that recorded in the same period of 2014.

Exports to the EU accounted for 65.3% of the total, higher than the 64.4% in January to March period in 2014.

Specifically, and quite significantly Spain increased sales to many of their major trading partners: Germany 8.8%; 10.9% to Italy, 3.4% to France and 8.0% to the UK. In the first three months of 2015, exports to non­EU countries also grew at rates of 2.0% year on year, in contrast to a decrease of 4.3% in 2014, and accounted for 34.7% of the total. They increased sales to all non­ EU regions. To Latin America they increased by 6.7%,

with notable increases in orders for Chile and Mexico (30.0% and 13.3% respectively). They also improved sales to North America (10.7%), Middle East (22.8%) and Oceania (58.2%). By country, there are notable and high increases in exports to Canada (48.3%), USA (6.6%), South Korea (38.5%), Egypt (20.1%), South Africa (15%) and Australia (65.3%).

The Autonomous Communities that contributed most to the annual rate of change in exports in the first quarter were Catalonia (25.7% of the total and a 6.6% increase in exports), followed by Valencia (11.5% of total and 14.6% growth).

2015 TAX DECLARATIONS UP ALREADY! M ore than 4.6 million taxpayers have already filled in their annual tax return – some 745,000 more than at this time last year. The increase has been explained by the fact that more people have taken advantage of completing their information online without waiting for the one to one meetings with fiscal representatives.

The Spanish Hacienda (Tax Agency) expects to receive declarations from 19.2 million people of which over 25% have already declared. Some 14.2 million people will be entitled to rebates to the value of €10.5 million.

The closing date for declarations is 30th June 2015.

16

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

The Readers View on....

THE VIEW will feature a selection of your letters every week on this page. If you have anything to say about something you read in THE VIEW, or you have opinions or views on stories of the day, please contact us via e­mail at editor@theview.es or by post to Apartado De Correos 255, 03193 San Miguel de Salinas, Alicante.

Thank you to those that have written to THE VIEW and commented via social media Dear Editor, Congratulations on the first edition of The View. A good read with interesting articles.

Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next copy.

Melanie Wood Dear Editor, I enjoyed the first issue of ´The View´ last week but have to disagree with the Editor´s comments about left wing media bias during the UK election campaign. Time and time again we were bombarded with anti­ Labour stories such as Ed clumsily eating a bacon sandwich, Ed stabbing his brother in the back, Ed being anti­business etc.

This negative publicity completely overshadowed the real issues like privatisation of the NHS and cutting in­ work benefits to the poorest in our society with even more cuts to come. In the run up to Election Day, the foreign owned or tax avoiding newspapers like the Sun, The Mail and the Express constantly printed rabid right wing propaganda. I never hear the Tories complaining about those particular rags.

I hope that The View´ will encourage us ex­pats or economic migrants as I prefer us to be called, a more balanced viewpoint in the future.

Les Adams Dear Editor, May I compliment you on the new paper.

It is very nicely laid out and makes an easy read with a very balanced editorial approach. Long may you continue!!!

David, San Miguel de Salinas Dear Editor, Just got done

reading

the

paper.

Awesome! Just keep the journalistic integrity, report the facts and truth without any sensationalism to gain readership.

Again, best wishes and more issues to come.

Eamonn Dear Editor, When I heard there was due to be another local freebie newspaper it did occur to me that there were enough already. I picked up THE VIEW and ‘am so pleased that I did. It really is so different and nice to read things that I haven’t previously seen.

Me and my husband don’t drive and I have to say we found the bus timetable very useful. Also, my cupboard door now has the list of local and national fiestas firmly pinned to it as a reminder. We went to Elche for a shopping trip last year all the way from Campoamor where we are and the major centre was closed for their local holiday.

This won’t happen again!

Every success for future editions.

Brenda Collingwood, Campoamor LOST “GREEN PAPER”!

Dear Editor, I have just read your article on applying for residency here in Spain and was hoping you or the people who wrote the article could give me some helpful information.

I have had residency since 2008 and was issued with a certificate on green paper as shown on your page. When I bought my apartment I also got several photocopies of the document from the notary, but I have misplaced or had stolen my original certificate and now have only photocopies.

I have been informed my British driving licence requires updating, just the photo, as I no longer have an address in the U.K. I was

going to apply for a Spanish licence but was told by a lawyer that Trafico in Alicante would not accept a photocopy of my residence certificate. I went to the National Police Office in Orhiuela where I got my certificate from and was directed to a small office at the back of the building. I spoke with the gentleman there and explained that I required a replacement certificate.

After putting down his tostado and said that I needed to reapply! I told him again I had residency and he repeated “reapply” and went about his breakfast!

Is there any other way I can get an original of my residence certificate without reapplying? I would be grateful for any help.

D. ALLAN Almoradi Editor’s Note: I fear, David that the tostado chomping member of the National Police may well be right in that you need to reapply, although I will look into this for you and reply accordingly.

Have any other readers had a similar experience to David? Please contact me at editor@theview.es “All the things I want! A great read!”

Susan Dear Editor, Layout of news to features was good.

Advertising, as you explain in your editorial, is an essential ingredient to the continued success of all periodicals. The balance in this edition was just right.

Always enjoyed Donna Gee's jottings, and good to see her on board. The "Residency" item was definitely a "cut out and keep", with "Travels Around Spain", Cartagena and Nostalgia from 1965, giving

excellent balance. The hard work that obviously took place prior to The View, hitting the streets, certainly paid off. Well done to you all.

Very best wishes, Robert W Barnes.

Dear Editor.

Just finished reading The View. Very impressed. The only pages I didn't read was the Sport Section (guess that's a girly thing!) LOL! Very informative and good layout. Thoroughly enjoyed. Well done to the team. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next edition!

Margaret, La Marina Dear Editor, Congratulations on your first issue.

I thought that the table on page four relating to the local elections was very informative and thought provoking. It was very well researched.

When you see the large number of expats registered on the Padron, it is disappointing to note how few of these are on the electoral roll and how few expats will eventually sit on all the local councils ­ probably less than a handful in all.

Local expats need to wake up and demand active participation in local politics.

Mick Clifford, Dream Hills.

Editor’s Note: Thanks Mick for your kind words about THE VIEW. The figures presented in the table were fascinating to compile and showed quite a variance from one area to another. It will be interesting to see how many of the ex­pat candidates retain or win council seats once the polls are closed.

SPANISH & UK LOTTERY WINNING NUMBERS

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

17

EURO COIN GIVE AWAY WIN A HOLIDAY.

Hurry! Closing date is Wednesday!

I

n July 2015, the nineteen euro­area countries will jointly issue a commemorative euro coin to celebrate 30 years of the EU flag. Normally the national side of the coin is reserved for a motif specific to the country, but in this case all of the coins in every country will bear the same design – a symbol of European unity.

This is the fourth time the euro­area members have decided to collectively issue a commemorative coin: The first three common commemorative coins were issued in 2007 (50 years of the Treaty of Rome), 2009 (10 years of Economic and Monetary Union) and 2012 (10 years of euro cash).

A professional jury selected five coin designs from among the 62 designs submitted by Euro area mints. Euro­area citizens and residents have been invited to select the winning design by an online public vote at www.coin­competition.eu Euro­area citizens and/or residents (that is to say you can be either a citizen of, or live in, an EU Member State whose currency is the euro to participate in the vote) who are at

least 12 years old by the end of 2015 can take part in the vote and the quiz.

You will be able to vote by ticking the coin of your choice.

You will then be asked to confirm your vote by indicating your e­mail address, and choose from a drop­down list of euro­area countries your country of nationality or residence.

Right after the voting, the voters will be invited to take part in a short quiz on EMU and you can only take once.

THE VOTE AND QUIZ WILL BE CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY 2015 AT 4pm.

To win one of 56 prizes on offer, three conditions must be met: • Voted for the winning coin, • Answered the 3 questions of the quiz correctly,

• Provided the closest answer to the tiebreaker question.

Should none of the voters for the winning coin have answered the 3 questions of the quiz correctly, only the 1st and 3rd conditions will be applied for the award of prizes.

What are the prizes?

1st prize: Trip to the city of an EU Member State whose currency is the euro (with an international airport) of a value of €2000.

2nd – 6th prize: Personalised iPad Air 64Go 7th – 56th prize: Portable battery chargers for Smartphones THE VIEW has reproduced below the five coins that you can vote for online at www.coin­competition.eu Best of luck, and don’t ever say that you get nothing out of the European Union!

GOOD NEWS FOR THE EXISTING EURO DESIGNS!

I

nvestment bank Morgan Stanley are so confident that the British pound will rise against the euro they have initiated a trade recommendation on the currency pair to clients.

The call comes as the pound sterling continues its recovery from the mid­May low of 1.3362, the rally higher took GBP­EUR back to 1.40 where buying interest quickly dried up. Indeed, this level has proved to be the high­point for the currency pair on three occasions in 2015 and is a major roadblock to any further strength.

Those watching the market and hoping for a better exchange rate will however be

encouraged by the latest Morgan Stanley report; analysts at the bank have told clients they favour sterling to deliver further gains now that the UK elections have passed. The euro is one currency that expected to be particularly prone to GBP strength.

At the time of writing (Wednesday lunchtime) the pound to euro exchange rate conversion is at 1.3946 with gains coming despite April inflation data which disappointed to the downside. While Morgan Stanley takes a bullish stance on the euro the feeling that sideways action may be the order of the day unless a break of 1.40 is made, and importantly, held.

18

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

IF THE CAP WORKS......

T

he benefit cap continues to provide a clear incentive to work, with over 22,000 people who had their benefits capped moving into work, reducing their Housing Benefit claim, or no longer claiming Housing Benefit at all, according to new figures published last week.

The benefit cap limits the amount of benefits a household can receive to £500 a week for couples or lone parents, and £350 a week for single adult households. A cap of £26,000 a year for out­of­work families is the equivalent of a salary of around £34,000. Before the cap, there was no upper limit on benefit claims, with 300 of the highest claiming families getting over £10 million in benefits every year.

The figures came as employment reached an all­time high of 73.5%, with more than half a million more people in work compared with a year ago, and more women making the choice to work than ever before.

Re –appointed Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, said, “As well as restoring fairness to the system, and saving the taxpayer money, these figures show the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to people to get into work. By putting an end to runaway benefit claims and introducing a system which guarantees you will always be better off in work, thousands of people who have been affected by the cap, are gaining the

financial security and esteem that comes with a job and a pay packet.”

Since the cap was introduced in April 2013, around 58,700 households have had their benefits capped – 35,600 of those households are no longer subject to the cap, with nearly 22,400 of them moving into work, reducing their Housing Benefit claim, or no longer claiming Housing Benefit at all.

Recent research published, showed that the cap is motivating people to find work which includes: • Those who would be impacted by the cap are 41% more likely to go into work than a similar group who fall just below the cap’s level.

But this trend didn’t exist before the cap was in place – indeed those with higher weekly benefit used to be less likely to move into work.

• 38% of those capped, said

they were doing more to find work, a third were submitting more applications and 1 in 5 went to more interviews.

• Where households said they intended to seek work because of the cap in February 2014 (45%),

by August the vast majority of them (85%) had done so.

• 2 in 5 (40%) of those who said they had looked for work because of the cap in February, actually entered employment by August.

To increase the incentives for claimants to move into work, households where someone is entitled to Working Tax Credit are exempt from the benefit cap. All households with someone, including a child, in receipt of a disability­related benefit are also exempt from the benefit cap, recognising the extra costs disability can bring.

The View

HADRIAN’S WALL TO MOVE....TO MANCHESTER! M

anchester in Scotland? It could soon become a reality if the general public has its way. A public campaigned signed by over 30,000 people, has called on prime minister David Cameron, to make one of Britain's largest and most influential cities to become part of Scotland.

The idea is gaining massive ground, with a separate poll showing 72% in favour of being ruled from Edinburgh, rather than London. A Twitter campaign has also started which says “Take Us With You Scotland.”

The campaign statement says "Allow the north of England to secede from the UK and join Scotland. The deliberations in Westminster are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the north of England. The northern cities feel far greater affinity with their Scottish counterparts such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, than with the ideologies of the London­centric south".

"The needs and challenges of the north cannot be understood by the endless parade of Old Etonians lining the frontbenches of the House of Commons. The north of England should join Scotland and regain control over its own destiny. We, the people of the north, demand that in the event that Scotland becomes independent, the border between England and the New Scotland be drawn along a line that runs between the River Dee and the mouth of the Humber".

A signatory from Glasgow to the petition says, "It would solve all of this country's problems if we could dig a big trench around London and push it out to sea with a long stick. It can be a horrible little tax retreat for the ultra­rich and we can get back to having a proper country".

Another supporter said, "The UK isn't London. I'd rather party with the Scots any day. Keep the North together". A person from Sheffield says, "The increasingly right­wing Tory/LibDem coalition does not care about the North, other than in terms of how much money we can make for their chums in the City of London".

Manchester is considered the world's first industrialised city with its economy ranking third largest in UK. It is also the third most visited city In UK, together with London and Edinburgh. Greater Manchester is also home to more multi­millionaires than anywhere outside London with the City of Manchester taking up most of the tally.

The View

19

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

ID CARD SUGGESTION FOR MADR-ID NO MIRROR, MIRROR

T

he Socialist mayoral candidate in Madrid has announced that, if he wins the municipal elections on Sunday, he will begin to issue a local identity card for migrants who do not hold residency papers.

The document will allow them to tap into basic services, such as healthcare and public transportation and will even allow them to find a place to live.

During an interview with Spanish newspaper EL PAÍS on Tuesday, Antonio Miguel Carmona explained that his proposal is similar to one that has already been introduced in the Madrid satellite city of Fuenlabrada, as well as in New York City by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“Those [without residency documents] can exercise their municipal rights and will be protected by City Hall, similar to what has been done in New York,” the candidate said.

“There is a risk that many don’t want this [measure], which they have no faith in, but City Hall must protect and register these people so that they can claim their rights.”

Among the benefits the local identity card could give undocumented workers, the politician explained, are the right to tap into medical services, obtain city­funded housing and access public transportation.

Carmona’s plan is not included in the Madrid Socialist committee’s campaign platform framework, but

ON THE WALL!

party sources said that it has the federal panel’s backing because the proposal is in line with the Socialist Party philosophy that social services should be free to anyone who needs aid.

At the same time, the Socialists believe Carmona’s proposal also goes hand­in­hand with the various initiatives party members have presented in local and regional parliaments and in Congress to give undocumented migrants access to the public healthcare system.

In 2012, the Popular Party (PP) government prohibited migrants without residency papers from gaining access to free healthcare – a move that was harshly criticized by the Socialists and other leftist parties. The government did allow minors and pregnant women to access the system and migrants could still go to the hospital if they

had an emergency.

Before, anyone could apply for a health card by just registering on the municipal rolls in their communities. But after the PP decision, many municipalities refused to even allow undocumented migrants from registering.

The government announced in March that it will backtrack on its 2012 decision.

Carmona’s proposal may help many non­resident migrants obtain an ID card and allow them access to basic services, but it may not guarantee they will get free medical care because the health systems are managed by regional governments.

But the Socialists continue to insist that everyone living within Spain’s borders should have the right to universal healthcare.

A

senior fire officer in the UK has issued a warning to the public after a magnifying mirror reflecting the sun’s rays caused a fire which destroyed a young couple’s home. His warning is just as relevant to residents and visitors to Spain.

The incident in Walton­on­the­Naze, Essex happened during the first week of May and caused substantial damage to the couple’s flat which was completely alight when fire crews arrived.

An investigation into the cause of the fire has now found it was started by a magnifying mirror kept by a window. The mirror reflected the sun’s rays onto the window sill, starting the fire.

Assistant divisional officer Simon Dedman said: “The mirror was on the window sill of a south east facing window which got uninterrupted sunlight all morning.

“The mirror reflected the light onto the wooden window sill it was on, starting the fire. The flat was completely destroyed and the couple who live there lost almost all of their possessions.

“This incident is unusual but by no means the only time a fire has started like this. It was a two sided mirror with one side magnified and that was the side facing the sun. If people have mirrors like this in their homes they need to make sure that they are careful about where they keep them. Make sure they aren’t sitting for long periods on direct sunlight and that they don’t reflect light onto combustible materials like curtains or cushions.”

20

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

“SINGH” THIS MAN’S PRAISES!

H

arman Singh has been garnering praise all across the world. The young man showed the world that humanity is much more important that religious sentiment. 22­year­old Harman, removed his turban to help a profusely bleeding child following a road accident in New Zealand.

Harman Singh was at his home in Auckland when a 5­year­old boy, who was walking to school with his elder sister, was hit by a car nearby. Harman rushed to the spot after hearing the screeching of car wheels and the commotion. He said he did not think twice about removing his turban to help the child, who was bleeding from the head.

"I wasn't thinking about the turban. I was thinking about the accident and I just thought that he needs something on his head because he's bleeding. That's my job to help," Harman was quoted as saying by New Zealand Herald. Though removing turban is rare, Harman said the religious protocols do not restrict action in emergency situations, the report said.

The injured boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where his injuries were initially thought to be life­ threatening but later, his condition was stated to be stable.

An eyewitness to the whole episode, Gagan Dhillon clicked a picture of Harman with the child and posted it on social networking site Facebook with a caption "So

F

proud of this young Sikh man who helped at a crash this morning where a child was hit by a car."

Scores of people shared the image within minutes while showering praise on him. Dhillon, a Sikh himself, said taking off a turban to help a stranger on street was a rare sight. "There was enough help as there was, but being a Sikh myself, I know what type of respect the turban has. People just don't take it off ­ people die over it."

Netizens praised Harman for his action, considered a hugely significant act of humanity.

CANDY CRUSH OWNERS MIGHT NEED A LIFE

S

hares in King Digital Entertainment fell in pre­ market trading after the Candy Crush mobile game maker warned that it would see softer financial results heading into the middle of the year.

Shares fell over 14% due to its "game release schedule, the impact of foreign currency changes to date and recent trends", King said. The business expected the mid­year period to be "seasonally softer", returning to growth trends in the latter part of the year." The big drop in its shares came despite first quarter sales figures beating market expectations.

This decline, according to King, was primarily because of Candy Crush. While newer games gave a boost to the current quarter, the company has started seeing lower spending on older games, and analysts believe that since the $500m offering, the company has relied "too often" on Candy Crush.

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson suggested Candy Crush had carried King since its release in 2012, and that "the story for growth after Candy is still uncertain".

Wilson explained that mobile game developers initially rely on a key franchise or genre, and that diversification "has been a rare occurrence". Wilson is unsure whether King would "buck the trend".

It has plans to launch new games, but the probability that anyone would become a big contributor is "relatively small", Wilson said. The next two games are AlphaBetty Saga and Paradise Bay. Wilson suggested that the new Candy Crush Soda Saga would not last either, citing the fact that the company did not have a big release during the most recent quarter.

"This is also temporary, but shows that King is in need of a steady new schedule of new titles to grow, which is a much less profitable model than launching a few longer­performing, highly profitable games," he said.

Financial analyst, Steven Ju from Credit Suisse said King's planned launches for new games "should be hitting their stride" by Q4 2015, and 2016 should be seeing franchise refreshes for not only Candy Crush Saga and Soda, but also Farm Heroes and Bubble Witch," said Ju. "Hence, there is likely upward bias to our updated estimates," Ju explained. He suggested that Candy Crush would continue to "decay at a steep trajectory" and that three out of five launches would be commercial failures.

The View

BIG FOUR IN THE BIG FIX!

our global banks agreed on Wednesday to pay more than $5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to rigging the world's currency market, the first time in more than two decades that major players in the financial industry have admitted to criminal wrongdoing on such a scale.

Traders at JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland conspired among themselves to fix exchange rates on U.S. dollars and euros, according to a resolution announced by the banks and the Justice Department. The currency traders, who called themselves "The Cartel," allegedly shared customer orders through chat rooms and used that information to profit at their clients' expense.

The resolution is complex and involves multiple regulators in the U.S. and overseas.

The four banks will pay a combined $2.5 billion in criminal penalties to the Justice Department for criminal manipulation of currency rates between 2007 and 2013. The Federal Reserve is slapping them with an additional $1.6 billion in fines, as the banks' chief regulator. Finally, Britain's Barclays is paying an additional $1.3 billion to British and U.S. regulators for its role in the scheme.

Another bank, Switzerland's UBS, has agreed to plead guilty to manipulating key interest rates and will pay a separate criminal penalty of $203 million.

Big banks have already been fined billions for their role in the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis. Even so, the latest penalties are big.

Including an agreement announced last year, the group of banks will pay nearly $9 billion in fines for manipulating the $5.3 trillion currency market.

Still, the penalties pale in comparison to the banks' profits. JPMorgan Chase had $4.1 billion in revenue from its fixed income and currencies business in the first quarter of this year alone, while Citi had $3.48 billion.

It is rare to see a bank plead guilty to wrongdoing. Even in the aftermath of the financial crisis, most financial companies reached "non­prosecution agreements" or "deferred prosecution agreements" with regulators, agreeing to pay billions in fines but not admitting any guilt. If any guilt was acknowledged, it was usually by one of the bank's subsidiaries or divisions ­ not the overall company.

One of the most notable financial institutions to plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing was investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert. It pleaded guilty to fraud in the 1980s after the junk bond bubble burst.

Unlike the stock and bond markets, currencies trade nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The market pauses two times a day, a moment known as "the fix." Traders in the cartel allegedly shared client orders with rivals ahead of the "fix" and pumped up currency rates to make profits.

Global companies, which do business in multiple currencies, rely on their banks to give them the closest thing to an official exchange rate each day.

The banks are supposed to be looking out for them instead of conspiring to get even bigger profits by using customers' orders against them.

Travellers who regularly exchange currencies also need to get a fair price for their euros or dollars.

The number of traders who took part in the currency fixing was small.

JPMorgan said the one trader involved has been fired. Citi said it fired nine employees.

The agreement with the Justice Department is subject to court approval.

If it is approved, all five banks will be put on three years of corporate probation. They will also help prosecutors investigate individuals who took part in the rigging.

The View

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

IF IT’S TUESDAY, IT MUST BE........

L

ocal markets are as much a part of daily Spanish life as sun, sangria, siestas and mosquitoes! If you’re new to living in Spain, there is bound to be a market somewhere close to you every day of the week. Yes, support your local markets but why not, from time to time, get in the car and investigate one a little

further away, especially those in Alicante, Benidorm and Altea.

As part of the policy at THE VIEW to bring you more and more information, we’ve produced below a “cut out and keep” comprehensive list of the markets in our coverage area. If you know of any others, please let us know at editor@theview.es

MONDAY Elche Formentera Orihuela San Pedro del Pinatar Santa Pola

THURSDAY Alicante Rojales San Javier Urb. La Marina FRIDAY

TUESDAY Altea Benijofar Orihuela San Fulgencio (Village) WEDNESDAY Benidorm Guardamar del Segura La Mata San Miguel de Salinas

Benejuzar Crevillente Los Montesinos Pilar de la Horadada Torrevieja SATURDAY Alicante Almoradi Catral Elche La Marina (N­332 Lidl & Iceland)

IT’S A LONG WAY FROM GIBRALTAR

T

he organisation Service Protection of Nature (SEPRONA) has found an example of Macaco Sylvanus, known as the Barbary macaque in the Los Balcones area of Torrevieja.

Proceedings were initiated after the Guardia Civil learned of the possible illegal possession of an animal who is listed as part of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora), so they began investigating and to verify the identity of the primate. Usually only found on the mainland of Europe in Gibraltar, the Barbary macaque population is the only such population outside of Northern Africa and the only population of wild monkeys in Europe. The Rock of Gibraltar is populated by approximately 230 macaques.

Earlier this month, agents from SEPRONA accompanied by a local vet and an officer from Primadomus visited the villa in question and found a

female specimen of a Macaco Sylvanus inside a cage of about 6m2, in good health and apparently well maintained.

The house owner was arrested as he failed to produce the necessary documentation that permitted ownership of such a creature and was questioned by the Customs & Excise Agency in Alicante for alleged violation of la Ley Orgánica 12/95, de Represión del Contrabando – Smuggling under any other name!

Primadomus is the Spanish headquarters of the AAP (American Academy of Periodontology) Foundation and based in Villena. In recent years, they’ve developed into a fully CITES accredited shelter facility with its own quarantine facility. They current provide housing for various groups of primates such as chimpanzees, Barbary macaques and baboons and allow them the live out their days under the Spanish sun.

Playa Flamenca Santa Pola SUNDAY Algorfa Benidorm Benijofar Campoverde Campo de Guardamar (Lemon Tree) Elche El Zoco (Quesada – San Miguel Road) Urb. La Marina

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

HEY, GOOD LOOKING! SHOW US YOUR MANIFESTO! B eauty is in the eye of the beholder, an oft­used phrase originating in Greece in the 3rd century, can be used when describing everyone. British politicians over the years have suffered from ridicule and trolling as to their looks. Anne Widdecombe, Glenda Jackson, and Ed Miliband have been at the forefront in recent political history.

Maggie de Block – the Belgian Health Minister – weighing in at over 20 stone hit the news last year, igniting the “brains versus looks” argument.

In Spain, Pedro Sanchez, a 42­year­old economist who was virtually unknown only a few months ago, is a tall, married father of two nicknamed "El Guapo" or "The Handsome One.” One of our own local Mayors – Eduardo Dolon of Torrevieja – is more than qualified to join this elite group! The next Spanish general elections to be held during the latter part of this year, will test this electorate to see if they really do put personality before policies and see Mr Sanchez in power.

Across the world and in Europe particularly, there have been

a handful or more of politicians from all sides that are making hearts flutter and ensuring the “X” or the folded coloured ballot papers will be cast for them at the earliest opportunities.

Let’s cast our eyes over the candidates for more “guapos”......

Spain’s PSOE Leader Pedro Sanchez, 42

Torrevieja Mayor Eduardo Dolon, 39

Swedish Public Health Minis­ ter ­ Gabriel Wikström, 29

Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, 40

Labour MP Tristram Hunt, 40

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, 36

Denmark's Dan Jørgensen, 39

US President Barack Obama, 54

Swedish MP Hans Linde, 36

President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, 48

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, 52

Canada's Nicolas Dufour, 27,

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

23

THE VIEW THROUGH THE LENS

I

hope you enjoyed my introduction last weekend and I sincerely hope it put you in the mood to find out a little more about the work I produce as well as give you inspiration to capture that perfect photo.

JR Photography thrives on good customer service and to achieve this we encourage client feedback. If there is anything in particular you would like hear or add to the article we welcome it with open arms. Here’s a little inside to what’s to

come: Photo of the week, photo of the month, top tips, essential gear, landscape, event, corporate and portrait photography advice and much more.

During WW2 the Channel Islands were occupied by German forces and the islanders are constantly reminded of this by the great fortresses scattered around the Rock. Last week on 9th May Guernsey celebrated “Liberation day”, the 70th anniversary of freedom from the occupation. As you can imagine this is a large event and the island came together in the capital of St. Peter Port to celebrate the day with food, drink, music, cavalcades, dancing and even Pic of the week (POTW): My favourite band in Guernsey royalty! You name it, we had it! One “Buffalo Huddleston” hit the main stage on Liberation day and perform to a of the greatest Liberation days the crowd of 2000.

Shot info: Sony A99, 70­200mm at f2.8, 180mm ISO400 at 1/160 of a second. island has ever witnessed. On this page are just some of the images I’d like to share with you to for the pros, shooting in Raw instead of Jpg gives you great give you an idea. We’ll be uploading the full gallery to our versatility when it comes to editing and adjusting white balance, so auto is good enough for this type of photography site in the coming weeks for everyone to view.

I’m aware the Costa Blanca and Spain in general feature and easily adjusted post production.

The less gear I carry the easier it is on my body. This is my some great parades and Events, and to give you an idea on how to get the best from camera bag on a day out: Two Cameras ­ Sony A99 and Sony A77, 2 spare batteries, these events this is what I use and how I use it.

Personally I use manual mode all the time as it gives me Lenses: 10­24mm f3.5, 24­70mm f2.8, 70­200mm f2.8, more control over my camera. If you’re just starting out I’d 1x32gb, 2x16gb and 8gb memory cards not that I use all of recommend you look in to aperture mode that can also give them.

I tend to bypass crowds and jump in the centre of the action you a lot of control over the final image, but I wouldn't but if you do find yourself in the crowd a monopod can be recommend this during the evening.

A few more camera settings as a guideline: continues focus, handy to get high up. Just make sure you use the camera’s local focusing in auto is a great way to keep in focus on one timer, and finally a Flash gun can be very useful during the area of the frame. I use centre weighted metering to get the day to fill in the shadows in harsh sun light, something there’s best exposure of my subject. White balance can be tricky even no lack of in Spain.

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

THE NEW MAN OF LA MANCHA

JOSH KEEPS THE “GROBANITES” HAPPY!

J

osh Groban's latest album “Stages” hit the shelves at the end of April and went straight to No1 in the UK charts. On the surface, it might be a little different than what his fans were expecting from the multi­platinum recording artist, as the twelve songs are all from the world of musical theatre.

It includes classics like the duet "All I Ask Of You" from "The Phantom of the Opera," which Groban performs with Kelly Clarkson. There's "Over The Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz," and "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables," too.

Why head to the theatre for his most recent record? "Nothing has inspired me more in my life than the energy that is shared in a theatre, when great songs and great art are on the stage," said Groban in his press release announcing the album. "I wanted this album to pay tribute to those inspirations and memories."

Those that have followed his career so far, won’t be surprised at the quality of these performances, as Josh majored in musical theatre when he briefly attended Carnegie Mellon University. Before that, he graduated as a theatre major from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

Back in 2008, Groban starred opposite Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal, in a production of the musical "Chess" from London's legendary Royal Albert Hall. The singer portrayed "The Russian," Anatoly Sergievsky, with Menzel as Florence Vassy and Pascal as Anatoly's opposite number, "The American" Frederick Trumper. One of the songs from "Chess," "Anthem," has made it onto “Stages” as the closing number.

“Stages” also contains versions of "Pure Imagination," "Le Temps Des Cathédrales," "Try to Remember," "Children Will Listen / Not While I'm Around," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Old Devil Moon" (featuring trumpeter Chris Botti), "Finishing The Hat," and perhaps most spine­tingly of all, a duet of "If I Loved You" from Carousel featuring Tony Award­winning actress Audra McDonald.

The album was recorded in part at London's well­known Abbey Road Studios and backed by a 75­piece orchestra. "Stages” is an album I've wanted to make since I signed to Reprise/Warner Brothers Records, during my freshman year as a Musical Theatre student at Carnegie Mellon." Groban continued, "I knew in my heart that, at some point, I would visit the songs I love from that

J

world as an album. Having lived in New York City the last few years, seeing as much theatre as I could see, and having so many great friends in the theatre community, it became really inspiring to take this on. It was time."

Josh Groban ­ Stages Tracklisting: "Pure Imagination" (from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) "What I Did For Love" (from A Chorus Line) "Bring Him Home" (from Les Misérables) "Le Temps Des Cathédrales" (from Notre Dame de Paris) "All I Ask Of You" (from The Phantom of the Opera) (feat. Kelly Clarkson) "Try To Remember" (from The Fantastics) "Over the Rainbow" (from The Wizard of Oz) "Children Will Listen"/"Not While I'm Around" (from Sweeney Todd/Into the Woods) "You'll Never Walk Alone" (from Carousel) "Old Devil Moon" (from Finian's Rainbow) (feat. Chris Botti) "Finishing the Hat" (from Sunday in the Park with George) "If I Loved You" (from Carousel) (feat. Audra McDonald) "Anthem" (from Chess)

The View

ack O'Connell, star of Angelina Jolie's WWII survival tale “Unbroken”, is set to headline former Monty Python Terry Gilliam's long­ gestating passion project Don Quixote, which Variety reports will begin shooting soon for an expected May 2016 release.

Although not mentioned in the article, John Hurt is expected to portray Miguel de Cervantes' title hero in some form or another, taking over the role from previously­mooted Robert Duvall. Derbyshire native Hurt told Daily Mail last month of O'Connell's potential casting, saying, "Jack's Derbyshire born and bred, so it will be fun to work with him."

As chronicled in the documentary Lost in La Mancha, Gilliam had previously attempted to shoot “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” in late 2000, with Johnny Depp playing an ad man named Toby Grosini who is somehow transported back in time and becomes Sancho Panza to a delusional Don Quixote. Filming was plagued by difficulties, including Quixote actor Jean Rochefort falling ill, and eventually abandoned. Years of legal wrangling to get the rights back left Depp unwilling to return, with actors such as Ewan McGregor considered for the lead.

Here's the synopsis for Gilliam's revised vision: A modern and satirical twist on the tale, 'Don Quixote' stars O'Connell as Toby, a jaded commercials director who travels to Spain for a shoot and comes across a gypsy who gives a copy of his student film ­ a lyrical re­working of the Don Quixote story set in a quaint old Spanish village.

Moved by the discovery, Toby sets off on a bizarre road trip to find the little village where the student film was shot and gets caught up in a series of catastrophes.’

"Seven is my lucky number so let’s break the curse and make it!," said Gilliam of his seventh attempt to make Don Quixote.

"We believe this film will capture the essence of

everything audiences loved in Gilliam’s unforgettable masterpieces such as 'Brazil,' 'Time Bandits' and 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,'" said executive producer Gregoire Melin ("Cosmopolis"), who is handling pre­sales at AFM.

THIS WEEK IN CINEMAPILAR Saturday 23rd May 2015 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING 5pm start

The View

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

OLLIE’S MOOD SPILLS SERIOUSLY.... WHAT THE FRACK....?

I

By Gordon Oliver

t's currently 1027am on a Sunday in May. I find myself sat in the garden in nothing but a pair of shorts, perspiration running down my brow, my skin aching, begging me to start up the Jacuzzi and being my day off, a naughty little part of me is considering a small beer. (Never fear, this column is not turning blue!)

The birds are happily chirping above me, there is a new nest of house martins with some little newborn hatchlings eager for their morning feast. The sun is behind the house for the moment, but will shortly be around; those beautifully formed, invigorating, beams of pure energy. It is a delightful morning, something not to be squandered for sure. It seems like nothing on earth could change such a fantastic moment.

Oh, but wait, did I forget to mention the latest fracking report, now crumpled in my fist as I rip the electric meter out of the wall with my other hand, emitting a guttural roar, emanating from the depths of mother nature herself.

"Why God, WHY......." sic, (went a step too far eh?)

For those who are not well versed in fracking, it is a misnomer. An abbreviation designed to comfort the word, to diffuse it, to make it seem somehow amusing. After all even a common pleb such as me can form a witty byline to score a few laughs by simply implementing it in word play. It is an abbreviation for Fracturing. It is a process which was created in Texas. The place which begat such gems as Dallas and J.R. ­ sometimes I wish I woke up in a shower with this all just a dream, preferably not in Texas next to a fracturing field though, I hasten to add ­ that gave us such classic and original comedians George Bush and his son George Bush, those crazy cats who brought us, Iraq and the WMD. Boy, I'm still laughing about that one. No wait, no I'm not.

Millions of lives were seriously, negatively affected and thousand upon thousand were killed. But I cannot for the life of me remember why. Oh of course...... Because Texas RAN OUT OF OIL! It's the Bush family still laughing about that one, rubbing their

blackened hands in their pure white suits, eating half a kilo of beef on their ranch, situated in The Lone Star State. Rich Hall made a fantastic monologue in his BBC3 documentary, of the difference between a Rancher and a Ranch owner.

So fracturing comes down to this. The frackers send high pressured cocktails of chemicals sand and water into the earth to fracture its crust, to release the natural gases.

It’s at this point I would firstly like to bring up a moral issue. The earth is alive. I'm sure we have no complaints about that. If any normal person took a dog, put a pressure washer in an orifice and pumped chemicals and water into it at high pressure with the intention of releasing gas, the world would be in absolute uproar. (Possibly with the exception of certain Cantonese cultures). If I was to fracture someone’s arm, because I wanted to take their watch, would it be acceptable? So it begs the question to be asked why is it acceptable to do it to our host, the living being that we dwell upon. When did the human race get so god damned greedy that it started to self destruct to such a monumental level? No wonder NASA are desperate to find other planets to rape, (sic)

inhabit.. (Incidentally, guess where NASA is from. It’s not Swindon). Now this, friends, is purely the precipice of the downfall of the Titanic.

It would appear that drinking water has been found in houses containing the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling as well as cases of sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water. At this juncture, I would like to point out; HYDRAULIC FRACTURING is on its way to the UK. Now, many people ask, but Ollie, why then does the media not report HYDRAULIC FRACTURING for what it really is? That, dear friend is the Crux of this nasty little tale. For old Uncle Rupert is a major shareholder in Genie Oil & Gas Inc., which comprises or American Shale Oil Corporation, and with an 89% in Israeli Energy Initiative Ltd in Israel.

A part­owner of an Israeli­American company which has landed a shale oil exploration and production license covering 238 square miles in the Judean Hills and on occupied Syrian land, even though this is

illegal under international law.

Murdoch­owned news outlets, generally support U.S. military action against Syria also do not inform their viewers and readers that he has a vested interest in war and the overthrow of the Assad government in Damascus in order to further Genie’s oil exploration efforts in occupied Syria.

Let me give you another viewpoint.

Volcanoes, the world’s method of creating land mass. The amount of active and lava spewing volcanoes in the world today and over the last 100 years are depleting, significantly. When a volcano erupts, the lava hits the sea and solidifies, creating land mass, producing immense steam clouds, which in turn bring rain to surrounding areas and cleans the air in the process. Drilling oil and gas is depleting the earth of its natural juices that it uses to create life. Whether it is volcanoes, rainforests or any other manner of natural wonder we see in our lives and take for granted. But what angers me about this, because I am no puritan, is we do not need to take these fossil fuels.

One solar field the size of Madrid could power the world with electric permanently.

To store this Elon Musk, an entrepreneur, visionary and great innovator has continued the work of Nicolas Tesla, a man who wished to give the world free energy at the dawn of the fossil fuel explosion. Elon has created cells, which can store electric from solar panels, on a house, on a business, anywhere, on a backpack if you wished. At the moment one cell can hold 10kw. A group of ten can be made for commercial premises to store a total of 100kw.

As I step into my garden and look at the beautiful world around me, I wonder how long it’s going to be, before the planet finally expels the fleas on its back. How large does a spot get, how itchy, before it is popped? How sick does a patient need to become, before a doctor operates to remove a tumour?

My guess is as good as yours. I just hope my children and grandchildren don’t drink toxic water in the meantime.

Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the beauty of everything around you. Love, live and laugh.

Take in the view, it’s magnificent!

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

THE VIEW ON.....NOSTALGIA 22nd MAY 1987 Each week on this page, we’re taking you back on an entertainment journey by reminding you of the BBC Radio and TV programmes, and the UK Top 30 on this very day! This week, we look at 1987.

If you have a special or important day in the past 60 years (1955 to date), let us know here at The View, and we’ll reproduce it just for you. Also, if it’s someone’s birthday or anniversary and you’d like to surprise them with their own personalised greeting and listings in The View, contact us at editor@theview.es explaining why the date you’ve chosen means so much.

RADIO – BBC RADIO 2 5.30 MARTIN KELNER 7.30 ANNE ROBINSON 9.30 KEN BRUCE 11.00 JIMMY YOUNG

TV – BBC 1

with Wilfred Brambell, Adrienne Corri, & Ian Hendry 17.35 THE MONTREUX ROCK FESTIVAL 6.00 CEEFAX AM PREVIEW 6.40 FRIDAY PRAYERS FOR RAMADAN 18.00 SIX O'CLOCK NEWS with Sue Lawley 1407 AH And Philip Hayton 6.55 WEATHER 18.35 REGIONAL NEWS MAGAZINES 7.00 BREAKFAST TIME 19.00 WOGAN with Frank Bough, Sally Magnusson and 19.35 EVERY SECOND COUNTS – Starring Jeremy Paxman Paul Daniels 8.40 WATCHDOG with Lynn Faulds 20.10 THE COLBYS Wood and John Stapleton 21.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS 8.55 REGIONAL NEWS AND WEATHER with Julia Somerville And Andrew Harvey 9.00 News and Weather 21.30 WHICKER'S WORLD: LIVING 9.05 DAY TO DAY ­ Robert Kilroy­Silk WITH UNCLE SAM 9.45 ADVICE LINE 10.00 NEWS AND WEATHER 10.05 NEIGHBOURS

13.05 DAVID JACOBS 14.05 GLORIA HUNNIFORD 15.30 ADRIAN LOVE 17.05 JOHN DUNN 19.00 HUBERT GREGG ­ Thanks For The Memory 19.30 FRIDAY NIGHT IS MUSIC NIGHT – Introduced ROBIN BOYLE 20.45 BARRY BIGNOLD ­ At The Piano 21.00 THE ORGANIST ENTERTAINS ­ NIGEL OGDEN

21.55 SPORTS DESK 22.00 GILLIAN HUMPHREYS SINGS 22.30 THE PRESS GANG 23.00 ANGELA RIPPON 1.00 STEVE MADDEN 3.00 A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC 4.00 WORLD CUP RUGBY SPECIAL ­ Scotland V France

10.25 CHILDREN'S BBC 10.30 PLAY SCHOOL 10.50 JIMBO AND THE JET SET 10.55 FIVE TO ELEVEN 11.00 NEWS AND WEATHER 11.05 INTERNATIONAL GOLF The Whyte & Mackay Pga Championship from Wentworth 12.55 REGIONAL NEWS AND WEATHER 13.00 ONE O'CLOCK NEWS – with Martin Lewis 13.25 NEIGHBOURS 13.50 KING ROLLO 13.55 PHILOMENA 14.05 KNOTS LANDING 14.50 FILM 87 SPECIAL 15.20 CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 15.50 CHILDREN'S BBC 16.00 CORNERS 16.10 ULYSSES 31 16.35 THE FRIDAY FILM SPECIAL: CRY WOLF

Alan Whicker talks to Brits who have gone to live in the USA 22.25 OMNIBUS 23.25 FACING UP TO AIDS 23.40 THE LATE FILM: THE DAY OF THE ANIMALS Starring Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, & Lynda Day George 1.15 WEATHER

5. SHATTERED DREAMS – Johnny Hates Jazz 6. INCOMMUNICADO ­ Marillion 7. LIVING IN A BOX – Living In A Box 8. ANOTHER STEP (CLOSER TO YOU) – Kim Wilde & Junior 9. BIG LOVE – Fleetwood Mac 10. I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY – Whitney Houston

11. BACK AND FORTH ­ Cameo 12. BOOPS (HERE TO GO) – Sly And Robbie 13. LIL’ DEVIL – The Cult 14. WISHING I WAS LUCKY – Wet Wet Wet 15. THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH – Five Star 16. NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE – Spear Of Destiny 17. LA ISLA BONITA ­ Madonna 18. HOT SHOT TOTTENHAM! – Tottenham Hotspur FC 19. PRIME MOVER – Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction 20. STRANGELOVE – Depeche Mode

UK TOP 30 SINGLES CHART – 22nd MAY 1987 1. NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW ­ Starship

2. A BOY FROM NOWHERE – Tom Jones 3. CAN’T BE WITHOUT YOU TONIGHT – Judy Boucher 4. (SOMETHING INSIDE) SO STRONG – Labi Siffre

21. JACK MIX II / III ­ Mirage 22. REAL FASHION REGGAE STYLE – Carey Johnson 23. BORN TO RUN – Bruce Springsteen 24. APRIL SKIES – The Jesus And Mary Chain 25. HOLD ME NOW – Johnny Logan 26. SERIOUS – Donna Allen 27. CARRIE ­ Europe 28. FIVE GET OVER EXCITED – The Housemartins 29. TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN – Level 42 30. DOMINOES – Robbie Nevil

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

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28

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

WHAT’S ON THE TELLY? I

AUNTIE – 0 QUEEN – 90

’ll lay my cards out on the table straight away. I am a royalist. Like many, I sat down in front of my TV set on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd June 2012 looking forward to a spectacular Queen’s Jubilee Pageant down the River Thames.

Even allowing for the view being spoiled by constant drizzle which morphed into driving rain, it was a spectacular event. What couldn’t be described using that particular “S” word was the BBC coverage. Another “S” word came to mind.

I wasn’t the only person who was left more than disappointed with what we witnessed. Stephen Fry wrote: “Has the BBC ever presented a more mind­numbingly tedious programme in its history? HRH the Queen said the first ignorant presenter. HRH?” Tory MP Rob Wilson wrote: “Seems we all agree on terrible BBC coverage. Low grade, celebrity driven drivel. How did the Beeb get it so wrong?”

I wrote last week about how the BBC to get it right sometimes, like the magnificent VE 70 Concert, but their coverage of one of the biggest events of 2012 was possibly the biggest dumbed­down event of all time. It was a “One Show” special with a notable absence of the doyens of national state broadcasting. No Dimbleby, Edwards, or Tutt.

Dimbleby senior and the great Tom Fleming, who managed to capture the spirit, serious or otherwise, of state occasions would’ve shaken in their catacombs in the basement of the BBC. The debacle resulted in almost 5,000 complaints to the broadcaster following its decision to use Fearne Cotton as one of the main presenters.

The news this week that the BBC has lost out to ITV to provide coverage of next year’s 90th birthday celebrations for HM (not HRH) the Queen frankly came as no surprise. The landmark event, next May, will feature 600 horses in a spectacular show in the Queen’s “back garden” at Windsor Castle.

At a launch event, its organiser refused to deny that the BBC’s jubilee coverage was the reason the national broadcaster was cut out of the deal. Simon Brooks­Ward, the producer and director of next year’s show, said: “We have worked with ITV in the past, we have complete confidence in ITV’s ability and we are looking forward to working with ITV.”

He refused to say whether the BBC had been asked at any stage whether it wanted to be involved.

Every significant event of the Queen’s life will be celebrated in the 90­minute extravaganza taking place over four nights from May 12th to 15th. The Queen, whose birthday is on April 21st, will attend the final performance. It’s so nice to think that such a fuss will be made to also commemorate the first anniversary of THE VIEW, too, on the 15th! If you’re back in the UK at that time, tickets will go on sale later on this year.

Overall, it’s another nail in the coffin for once respected state broadcaster who are paying the price for both over and underestimating the wants and the needs of their audience and licence payers. I’ve had many a healthy discussion with media people in the UK in recent years and they all have their theories as to why the ratings numbers are significantly lower. Gone are the days when a weekend prime­time BBC show could get 20 million plus viewers. The recent BAFTA TV Awards only attracted an average of 5.2 million viewers and a 24% share of the total TV audience between 8pm and 10pm (UK Time). My maths makes it there were approximately 21 million people in the UK watching TV during those 2 hours.

21 million out of an official population of 63 million. Yes, there are hundreds of other channels and yes, people use catch up and a multitude of other services to watch TV shows, but is possibly the main reason viewing figures are so low these days is connected to the quality of the shows being linked with that “S” word?

DARREN JAMES

Friday 22nd May 00:45 The Other Man (2008) 02:05 Holiday Weatherview 02:10 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Housing Enforcers 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:15 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 16:45 Decimate 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 The Vicar of Dibley 22:00 Have I Got News for You 22:30 Peter Kay's Car Share 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 The Graham Norton Show

00:15 Weather 00:20 Death Defying Acts 01:50 Panorama 02:20 Inside Harley Street 03:20 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Evolution Watch 05:30 Schools - Made of Money 06:00 Schools - Bringing Books to Life 2 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 08:45 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 09:15 Gardeners' World 09:45 Cowboys and Angels 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Italy Unpacked 14:00 Cagney & Lacey 14:45 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Monty Don's Italian Gardens 16:15 Elephant Diaries 16:45 Are You Being Served?

17:15 'Allo 'Allo!

17:45 Just Good Friends 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 Antiques Road Trip 21:00 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites 21:30 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 22:30 Britain's Greatest Generation 23:30 Newsnight

00:10 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 11:55 ITV News 11:59 ITV London Weather 12:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Weekend Escapes with Warwick Davis 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Man and Beast with Martin Clunes 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 Fletch (1985)

00:05 The Night Bus 01:05 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 01:55 The Job Centre 02:50 Grayson Perry: Who Are You? 03:45 Damned Designs: Don't Demolish My Home 04:40 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 05:40 Unreported World 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:40 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:25 Undercover Boss 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:05 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:35 Unreported World 21:00 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Gotham 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Great Artists 05:50 House Doctor 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 07:40 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Little Princess 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Milkshake! Monkey 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Cowboy Builders & Bodge Jobs 13:40 5 News Lunchtime 13:45 Big Brother 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: Los Angeles 16:15 Stone Cold (2005) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Caught on Camera 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket on 5 21:00 Mysteries of the Bible 22:00 Big Brother 23:30 Big Brother's Bit on the Side

The View

29

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

Saturday 23rd May 00:35 Peter Kay's Car Share

test 2015

00:00 Weather 00:05 Later - with Jools Holland 01:05 The History Boys (2006) 02:55 Question Time 03:55 Wastemen 04:55 This Is BBC Two 07:20 A Walk in the Sun (1945) 09:10 Jubal (1956) 10:50 Animal Park 11:50 Homes Under the Hammer 12:50 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 13:50 Hitch 14:50 Talking Pictures 15:35 The Trouble with Harry (1954) 17:10 Formula 1 Rewind 18:10 Flog It! Travels Around Britain 18:30 Britain's Greatest Generation 19:30 Golf: PGA Highlights 20:30 Dad's Army 21:00 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 22:00 Great Expectations (2012)

00:35 BBC News; Weather 00:55 Peter Kay's Car Share 01:25 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004) 02:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 03:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Pentecost 2015 12:00 Homes Under the Hammer 13:00 Wanted Down Under 14:00 BBC News 14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 14:15 Bargain Hunt 15:15 Escape to the Country 15:45 Shark 16:45 Points of View 17:00 Songs of Praise 17:35 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 18:05 Formula 1 19:35 BBC News 19:50 BBC London News; Weather 20:00 Countryfile 21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 23:00 BBC News 23:20 BBC London News; Weather 23:30 Match of the Day

00:00 The Many Faces of 01:00 Man of the Year (2006) 02:50 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 07:30 The Big Allotment Challenge 08:30 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 09:00 Countryfile 10:00 The Beechgrove Garden 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites 12:30 Paul Hollywood's Bread 13:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 14:00 Camelot (1967) 16:50 Flog It! 17:30 Final Score 18:30 Nature's Weirdest Events 19:00 Golf: PGA Highlights 20:00 A Very British Airline 21:00 Demolition: The Wrecking Crew 22:00 Armada 23:00 1945: The Savage Peace

01:00 The Rebound (2009) 02:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Paul Hollywood's Bread 13:00 BBC News; Weather 13:10 Football Focus 13:50 Saturday Sportsday 14:00 Bargain Hunt 15:00 Father of the Bride Part 2 (1995) 16:40 Escape to the Continent 17:40 Celebrity Mastermind 18:10 Formula 1 19:45 BBC News 19:55 BBC London News; Weather 20:00 The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 21:00 Eurovision Song Con-

Sunday 24th May

01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat & Stan 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Sooty 08:30 Super 4 08:45 Nerds & Monsters 09:00 Thunderbirds Are Go 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Weekend 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:30 ITV News and Weather 13:40 Doc Martin 14:35 Who's Doing the Dishes?

15:40 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) 18:30 ITV News London 18:45 ITV News and Weather 19:00 New You've Been Framed!

20:00 Ninja Warrior UK 21:00 Britain's Got Talent 22:20 Play to the Whistle 23:05 ITV News and Weather 23:20 Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)

00:05 Virtually Famous 00:50 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 01:15 The Waterboy (1998) 02:50 Shameless USA 03:45 Just Wright (2010) 05:25 Four Rooms US 06:15 Hugh's 3 Good Things: Best Bites 06:20 Deal or No Deal 07:15 How I Met Your Mother 08:05 Volkswagen Racing Cup 08:30 The Grid 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:35 Frasier 12:35 The Big Bang Theory 13:35 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:15 Come Dine with Me 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:00 Walking Through History 21:00 The World's Most Extreme 22:00 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

00:30 Big Brother 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:20 Angelina Ballerina 07:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:35 Pip Ahoy!

07:45 The Mr Men Show 08:00 Chloe's Closet 08:10 Milkshake! Monkey 08:15 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:20 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Paw Patrol 08:50 Little Princess 09:05 Wanda and the Alien 09:15 Zack and Quack 09:30 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:45 Jelly Jamm 10:00 LazyTown 10:30 Dora and Friends 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35 Chinese Food in Minutes 11:50 The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 12:50 Columbo: Mind over Mayhem (1974) 14:25 The Great Escape ( 17:45 Anzio (1968) 19:55 5 News Weekend 20:00 Cricket on 5 20:55 What the Dambusters Did Next 22:20 Big Brother 23:20 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat & Stan 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Sooty 08:30 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Weekend 10:25 Judge Rinder 13:25 ITV News and Weather 13:40 The Unforgettable 14:10 *batteries not included (1987) 16:15 Britain's Got Talent 17:30 All Star Family Fortunes 18:15 Thunderbirds Are Go 18:45 Ninja Warrior UK 19:45 ITV News London 20:00 ITV News and Weather 20:15 Celebrity Squares 21:00 Sunday Night at the Palladium 22:00 Home Fires 23:05 ITV News and Weather 23:15 Perspectives

00:10 Savages (2012)

00:20 NCIS 01:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 The Gadget Show 05:50 Make It Big 06:45 Angels of Jarm 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:20 Angelina Ballerina 07:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:35 Pip Ahoy!

07:45 The Mr Men Show 08:00 Chloe's Closet 08:10 Milkshake! Monkey 08:15 Roobarb and Custard 08:20 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Paw Patrol 08:45 Milkshake! Show Songs 08:50 Little Princess 09:05 Wanda and the Alien 09:15 Zack and Quack 09:25 Olly the Little White Van 09:30 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:45 Jelly Jamm 10:00 LazyTown 10:30 Dora and Friends 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:40 Ultimate Police Interceptors 14:25 The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) 16:35 What a Girl Wants 18:30 Chicken Little (2005) 20:00 Cricket on 5 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 Make You Laugh Out Loud 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Stevie Wonder: An AllStar Grammy Salute

02:35 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 03:30 Hollyoaks 05:45 SuperScrimpers 06:00 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 06:55 How I Met Your Mother 08:10 Ginetta GT5 Challenge 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 14:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 The Simpsons 16:30 Casper (1995) 18:30 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 19:30 Channel 4 News 20:00 Speed with Guy Martin 21:00 For the Love of Cars 22:00 Trance (2013)

30

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

Monday 25th May 01:00 The Football League Show 02:00 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:05 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 The Housing Enforcers 10:45 Homes Under the Hammer 11:45 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:30 Saints and Scroungers 13:00 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Moving On 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Country 17:00 The Box 17:30 Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman 18:00 Flog It! 18:45 Pointless 19:30 BBC News 19:50 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Marvel Avengers Assemble (2012) 23:15 BBC News 23:30 BBC London News; Weather 23:40 Have I Got a Bit More News for You

00:00 Stanley Baxter: The Many Faces of 01:00 Valhalla Rising (2009) 02:25 Countryfile 03:25 Holby City 04:20 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 08:45 Flog It! Trade Secrets 09:15 Glorious Gardens from Above 10:00 Kidnapped (1960) 11:30 Golf: PGA Highlights 13:30 Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) 15:25 Dances with Wolves (1990) 18:15 Eggheads 18:45 Antiques Roadshow 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 A Cook Abroad 21:00 Springwatch 22:00 Churchill: When Britain Said No 23:00 Episodes 23:30 The Many Faces of

00:15 Premiership Rugby Union 01:10 The Store 03:30 Motorsport UK 04:20 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Bottom Knocker Street 07:10 Canimals 07:35 Sooty 08:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Murder, She Wrote 11:30 Columbo: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976) 13:25 The Unforgettable 14:00 ITV News and Weather 14:15 Catchphrase 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 Off Their Rockers 19:25 ITV News London 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Britain's Got Talent 22:00 Coronation Street 22:30 Britain's Got Talent Results 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:15 Carry On Forever

00:00 The Mega Brothel 01:00 Sean Lock: Purple Van Man 02:00 Renaissance (2006) 03:45 Born Naughty?

04:45 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 05:40 The Renovation Game 06:35 The Common Denominator 07:00 Countdown 07:40 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:25 Car SOS 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:05 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:30 Food Unwrapped 21:00 Damned Designs: Don't Demolish My Home 22:00 Benefits Street 23:00 The Night Bus

00:50 Blinging Up Baby: You Won't Believe It! 01:50 Caught on Camera 02:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Furious & Funny: Caught on Camera 05:00 House Doctor 05:25 Make It Big 06:45 Angels of Jarm 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 07:40 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Little Princess 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Milkshake! Monkey 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Big Brother 13:45 5 News Lunchtime 13:50 Neighbours 14:20 The Ghost of Greville Lodge (2000) 16:20 Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War (2000) 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Caught on Camera 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket on 5 21:00 Furious & Funny: Caught on Camera 22:00 Gotham 23:00 Big Brother

00:30 Armada 01:30 Watchdog 02:25 Britain's Greatest Generation 03:25 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 08:45 Flog It! Trade Secrets 09:15 Collectaholics 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 The A to Z of TV Gardening 13:20 Italy Unpacked 14:20 The Super League Show 15:15 Monty Don's Italian Gardens 16:15 Elephant Diaries 16:45 Are You Being Served?

17:15 'Allo 'Allo!

17:40 Just Good Friends 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 A Cook Abroad 21:00 Springwatch 22:00 Joan of Arc: God's Warrior 23:00 Later Live - with Jools Holland 23:30 Newsnight

00:15 Carry On Cowboy (1965) 02:00 Jackpot247 04:00 UEFA Champions League Weekly 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 11:55 ITV News 12:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Britain's Got Talent 22:00 Coronation Street 22:30 Britain's Got Talent Results 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 On Assignment

00:00 The Island with Bear Grylls 01:05 The Shooting Gallery 01:30 Embarrassing Bodies Down Under 02:25 Supersize vs Superskinny 03:20 You Can't Get the Staff 04:15 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 05:10 The Renovation Game 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:40 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:25 Car SOS 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:05 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It 22:00 No Offence 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:30 Jackass 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 The Dog Rescuers 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Great Artists 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 07:40 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Little Princess 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Milkshake! Monkey 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Cowboy Builders & Bodge Jobs 13:40 5 News Lunchtime 13:45 Big Brother 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Justice for Natalee Holloway (2011) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Caught on Camera 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 21:00 The Dog Rescuers 22:00 Make You Laugh Out Loud 23:00 Big Brother

Tuesday 26th May 00:20 The Football League Show 01:00 The Graham Norton Show 02:00 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:05 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Housing Enforcers 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Country 17:00 The Box 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Crimewatch 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:45 Gary Lineker on the Road to FA Cup Glory

The View

31

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

Wednesday 27th May 00:45 Crimewatch Update 00:55 Biker Boyz (2003) 02:40 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Housing Enforcers 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 11:30 State Opening of Parliament 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Continent 17:00 The Box 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Traffic Cops 22:00 New Tricks 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:45 SunTrap

00:15 Weather 00:20 The Detectives 01:15 Antiques Roadshow 02:15 Rip Off Britain: Food 03:00 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 08:45 Flog It! Trade Secrets 09:15 See Hear 09:45 Cowboys and Angels 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 11:30 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Glorious Gardens from Above 14:00 Cagney & Lacey 14:45 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Monty Don's French Gardens 16:15 Elephant Diaries 16:45 Are You Being Served?

17:15 'Allo 'Allo!

17:40 Just Good Friends 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 A Cook Abroad 21:00 Springwatch 22:00 Springwatch Unsprung 22:30 Modern Times 23:30 Newsnight

00:15 The Big Fish Off 01:15 Jackpot247 04:00 Loose Women 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 11:55 ITV News 12:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Britain's Got Talent 22:00 Coronation Street 22:30 Britain's Got Talent Results 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 Come On Down! The Game Show Story

00:00 Benefits Street 01:00 The Island with Bear Grylls 01:55 KOTV Boxing Weekly 02:25 The Grid 02:50 Ginetta GT5 Challenge 03:20 Shameless USA 04:15 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 05:10 The Renovation Game 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:40 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:25 Car SOS 11:25 Come Dine with Me 14:05 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Supervet 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 The Job Centre

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Great Artists 05:50 House Doctor 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 07:40 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Little Princess 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Milkshake! Monkey 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Cowboy Builders & Bodge Jobs 13:40 5 News Lunchtime 13:45 Big Brother 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The Husband She Met Online (2013) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Caught on Camera 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 21:00 Seconds from Death: World's Worst Near Misses 22:00 Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 23:00 Big Brother

00:15 FA Cup: The Road to Wembley 00:45 Jagged Edge (1985) 02:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Housing Enforcers 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Continent 17:00 The Box 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Watchdog 22:00 Britain's Secret Terror Deals 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:45 Question Time

00:15 Weather 00:20 The Detectives 01:20 See Hear 01:50 Portillo's State Secrets 02:20 Hunters of the South Seas 03:20 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 08:45 Flog It! Trade Secrets 09:15 Shark 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Cagney & Lacey 14:45 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Monty Don's French Gardens 16:15 Elephant Diaries 16:45 Are You Being Served?

17:15 'Allo 'Allo!

17:40 Just Good Friends 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 A Cook Abroad 21:00 Springwatch 22:00 The Game 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:45 Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green 01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 11:55 ITV News 12:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Britain's Got Talent 22:00 Coronation Street 22:30 Britain's Got Talent Results 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:45 The Late Debate

00:00 Bodyshockers 01:00 Street Sound and Style 01:25 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 02:15 One Born Every Minute USA 03:10 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 04:05 Cat Ballou (1965) 05:40 Deal or No Deal 06:35 The Common Denominator 07:00 Countdown 07:40 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:25 Car SOS 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:05 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Born Naughty?

22:00 Inside Jaguar: Making a Million Pound Car 23:00 Seven Psychopaths (2012)

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 The Hotel Inspector 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Person of Interest 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Great Artists 05:50 House Doctor 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 07:40 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 07:50 Peppa Pig 07:55 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Little Princess 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Milkshake! Monkey 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:45 Cowboy Builders & Bodge Jobs 13:40 5 News Lunchtime 13:45 Big Brother 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Beyond the Blackboard 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Caught on Camera 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 World War II in Colour 21:00 Deep-Sea Super Predator 22:00 The Hotel Inspector 23:00 Big Brother

Thursday 28th May

32

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

fashion forward

NEW BRAND – WRAP LONDON A boutique brand focusing on natural fabrics for a cool yet relaxed aesthetic. Team the luxe cashmere and light linens with your current wardrobe staples. Shop the range at – www.johnlewis.com

The View

LUGGAGE Whether travelling for a fortnight in the sun, ski break, romantic getaway or on business, you will find the ideal luggage to accompany you from DEBENHAMS. EXPRESS DOTS, TORQUOISE Medium.

63 EUROS. HOLDALL ­ 25 EUROS

TRIPP – HOLIDAY IN 4 COLOURS – SALE – WAS 130 EUROS – NOW 50 EUROS

Wrap London Ingrid Jumper Dove­New Brand 167 Euros

Cashmere Hoody Seaspray 97 euros

Wrap London Kathleen Sweater Dove­ New Brand 89 Euros

Natalya Short Culottes Soft Jade 97 euros

BROWSE GARDEN & CONSERVATORY FURNITURE at www.marksandspencer.com

With vibrant colours and colourful accessories, this look will brighten up any garden or patio area. The compact, foldable furniture is perfect for small spaces.

Colour – Blue 130 euros International home delivery to EUROPE . £7.50 Get your order within approximately 7­10 days.

LOFT – BUCKET BARBEQUE Small and compact, this portable accessory is a perfect way to enjoy a barbeque on the beach or small garden party.

23 euros International home delivery to Europe

JASPAR CONRAN AT TRIPP CRUISE WHITE CABIN 139 EUROS

POPPY INDIGO/ RASPBERRY, BLUE/RED. MEDIUM 59 EUROS. HOLDALL 25 EUROS

Visit our website for more fantastic offers – www.debenhams.com

The View

33

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

THE SECRET IS OUT! Balmain is H&M’s Shimmer of ‘76 next designer!

BUMP UP YOUR TAN, BOUFF UP YOUR HAIR....

“The collaboration felt extremely natural to me: H&M is a brand that everybody connects to. It calls for unity, and I am all for it” – Olivier Rousteing.

H & M is proud to announce its Autumn guest collaboration with the Parisian house of Balmain. A heritable bastion of French luxury, under the creative directorship of young Olivier Rousteing, Balmain has grown into a global pop­ culture phenomenon.

Ann­Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M says “we are very excited to have Balmain as our guest designer. With its mix of couture spirit and streetwise attitude, Balmain owns a unique style.

Available from November 5, in around 250 stores worldwide and ONLINE. The collection will feature clothing and accessories for both women and men.

MICHAEL KORS HYDRATING BRONZE GEL CREME in Permanent Vacation is very Farrah Fawcett. £25 (32 euros) www.escentual.com

ZARA ..just gets better and better.

There is such a huge variety of HOMEWARES now including their NEW LOOK MILANO COLLECTION You can now purchase Virtual Gift Cards online and you will find great gift ideas and gift baskets too.

Visit www.zarahome.com

ZARA FISH CUSHION - £19 (24 euros) ZARA BLANKET - £99 (128 euros) ZARA BLUE WHITE LAMP £99 (128 euros) ZARA BLUE STRIPEY CUSHION £19 (24 euros)

Carolines view on.

C

BOOTS NO7 PROTECT & PERFECT INTENSE ADVANCED SERUM

linical studies published this week now show this anti­ageing marvel not only works but also has cumulative benefits.

I love the price of £25 (32 euros) it feels light on your skin – is not drying unlike other serums, but best of all used regularly soft lines and wrinkles will look less pronounced. The change is subtle, but it is definitely there.

So what are the magical ingredients? Most importantly there’s MATRIXYL 3000 this a blend of peptides­amino acids, closely related to proteins that restore collagen and plump up skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. They also contain anti­oxidants which work as a gentle face peel. Protect and Perfect Intense also has hyaluronic acid which fills wrinkles and firms skin – Hurray!

We don’t need gold boxes, celebrities or expensive advertising campaigns – just order ONLINE at www.boots.com

S W NE Coming soon to C&A...28th May 2015 SHOP ONLINE AT www.c­and­a.com

ESTEE LAUDER BRONZE GODDESS EAU FRAICHE is infused with the “sun tan oil” note of coconut along with amber and myrrh. £47 (60euros) www.esteelauder.co.uk

H S A L F

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

Roasted chilli frittata

Blackening the chillies calms the heat and releases their sweetness to give a really deep flavour

Ingredients

4–8 chillies, a mixture of green, red and yellow 1 red or green pepper, optional 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar Olive oil 6 sprigs flat­leaf parsley, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped 1 knob of butter 5 large free­range eggs 1 handful of grated Parmesan 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 100 g goat's cheese, or 100g feta Salad leaves, to serve This frittata is a meal in itself. You can make it with a mixture of chillies and a pepper, try it with double the chillies. Serve it up with ham, prosciutto or bacon for a damn fine breakfast that will set you up for the day.

Preheat your oven to full whack. Prick each of your chillies and the pepper (if you're only using 4 chillies, you'll need the pepper to bulk up the filling) with a small, sharp knife, then blacken over a gas flame, in a dry griddle pan or under a grill. Once they're nicely charred, pop them in a bowl and cover with Clingfilm.

After 10 minutes, remove the skin, stalks and seeds,

then delicately tear lengthways into thin strips. Put these strips back in the bowl and add the red wine vinegar, a lug of olive oil and the parsley stalks. Heat a lug of olive oil and some butter in a small ovenproof frying pan, then add half of your marinated chillies and the chopped garlic.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl with some grated Parmesan and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Put a few of your parsley leaves to one side, then finely chop the rest and add them to the eggs.

Pour the eggs into the pan then crumble in half of the

goat's cheese or feta. Move the pan a bit to spread everything around. When the egg is just starting to set, crumble over most of the remaining goat's cheese, then pop the frittata in a hot oven for 5 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Once it's out of the oven, delicately drape the rest of your chilli over the top, crumble over the last few bits of goat's cheese or feta, then drizzle over a little of the chilli marinade. Sprinkle with the reserved parsley and serve with something fresh and lovely, like a rocket, lemon and Parmesan salad.

Ultimate gingerbread Gorgeous with ice cream and as a cheesecake base Ingredients

400 g shortbread 170 g coarse demerara sugar 3 level teaspoons ground ginger 40 g mixed peel, chopped 40 g crystallized ginger, chopped 70 g plain flour 1 pinch baking powder 40 g golden syrup 40 g treacle 70 g unsalted butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and find a baking tray about 20x35cm. Put the shortbread, sugar and 2 teaspoons of the ground ginger in a food processor and whiz until you have

crumbs. Remove 100g of the mix and keep this to one side. Add the remaining teaspoon of ginger to the processor, along with the mixed peel, crystallized ginger, flour and baking powder, and pulse until well mixed.

Melt the syrup, treacle and butter together in a saucepan big enough to hold all the ingredients. When melted, add the mixture from the food processor and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Tip into the baking tray and spread out evenly. Press the mixture down into the tray, using your fingers or something flat and clean like a potato masher or a spatula. When the mix is a flat, dense and even layer, pop the tray in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the hot gingerbread with the reserved crumbs, pressing them down really well with a potato masher or spatula. Carefully cut into good­sized pieces with a sharp knife, and leave to cool in the tray before eating.

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

Anyone for ant-flavoured gin?

T

he Cambridge Distillery have created the worlds first gin infused with the 'essense' of ants Anty Gin is the brainchild of the Nordic Food Lab and The Cambridge Distillery.

Miles Irving, a professional forager, collected over 6000 red wood ants and placed them in a strong ethanol solution, before distilling it to make an ant concentrate.

The gin is the first in the world to be made using insects, and each £200 bottle contains the "essence" of 62 ants.

The ants were chosen for their citrus flavour, caused by the formic acid they produce.

William Lowe from The Cambridge Distillery said: "The reason people use ants is they have a very specific flavour which is best described as a citrus flavour.

We did a lot of research and found that the reason ants taste like citrus is because they spray formic acid as a method of defence."

"Hundreds of years ago formic acid was made by distilling ants, and so that's what we decided to do.

They mixed botanicals like stinging nettle, wood avens root and alexanders seed to mix with the distilled ant solution.

"The result is a spectacular, one­of­a­ kind gin that is being very well received worldwide. People are astounded at how good it tastes. It's expensive because it's so labour intensive ­ Anty Gin was almost a year in the making."

"We want eyebrows to be raised. The whole point of Anty Gin is to open people's eyes to the possibility of insects being used as a viable source of food and flavour."

There only 99 bottles of the unique gin on sale, available from the Anty Gin website.

35 10 Food Secrets You Didn’t Know!

1. Apples – An apple a day can help you lose weight! Apples are rich in pectin, which is a soluble fibre. The pectin reduces the release of sugars, which helps you feel fuller longer!

2. Corn – Rich in biotin, this little kernel stimulates the production of keratin a major component of hair strands, thus making your hair stronger and lustrous!

5. Broccoli – Reduce your risk of breast cancer with this green goodie! Broccoli contains a natural chemical called indole­3­ carbinol, which blasts out pre­cancerous cells!

6. Cinnamon – This tasty little seasoning reduces your blood sugar levels keeping them at an even keel.

7. Avocados – Besides being filled with “healthy fats” these green little gems have Omega­9’s (a healthy fat) that help fight cravings!

8. Chives – Lower your blood pressure by eating Chives. Chives have polysulfides that are known to relax your arteries thus allowing blood to flow smoothly.

3. Watermelon – Energy and more energy from this wonderful fruit. Why? It has vitamin B6, which is a natural energizer.

4. Plums – Reduce the appearance of spider and varicose veins. Plums contain thrombin, which helps blood clotting.

9. Beef – Migraines are a goner with Beef!

Beef is chock full of niacin which is proven to reduce pain from migraines.

10. Oregano – Spice up any Italian meal with this herb and reduce bacterial infections. It has a natural antibacterial compound called estragole, which helps ward of bacteria.

36 TIME TO RETIRE? PERHAPS NOT JUST YET...

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

N

fire service.

ot everyone spending time in Spain is retired.

Many are still actively working in the UK in their late 50s and early 60s planning and saving for their future retirement which may include selling up and planting roots in this part of the world.

There are others, fit, healthy and young at heart, that have for whatever reason no intentions of retirement just yet. Are there benefits of not retiring when you’re entitled to do so?

The official advice and guidelines from the UK Government might sway your decision.

RETIREMENT AGE

NATIONAL INSURANCE You might decide that you don’t want to stop working when you reach State Pension age. If you do, you’ll no longer have to pay Class 1 and Class 2 National Insurance contributions.

However, you’ll still have to pay Class 4 contributions if you have taxable profits from the year you reach State Pension age – for the next year, you’ll be exempt.

You’ll be able to claim back National Insurance if you’ve overpaid.

If you do decide to continue working you must formally show your employer proof of your age, birth certificate or passport, to make sure you stop paying National Insurance.

You don’t need a certificate of age exception (CA4140).

If you don’t want your employer to see your birth certificate or passport, write to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) giving the reason.

HMRC will then send you a letter confirming you have reached State Pension age and don’t need to pay National Insurance.

AGE DISCRIMINATION

The law protects you against discrimination if you’re over State Pension age and want to stay in your job or get a new one. There is no official retirement age and you usually have the right to work as long as you want to. However, there are some circumstances when employers may have the right to set a compulsory retirement age that they choose. Your employer can’t make you redundant because of your age.

You don’t have to give your date of birth when applying for a new job. Employers can’t make you give you this information if you don’t want to. Employers also can’t set an age limit for a job, unless they can justify it (e.g. because of certain physical abilities) or it’s a limit set by law, e.g. for the

OLD LABOUR?

R

elating to the other articles on this page about retirement age, there’s someone out there who doesn’t quite yet believe it’s his time.

Britain’s longest­serving local councillor stood for election for the 16th time on May 7th after a remarkable sixty­six years in office.

Lloyd Wilce, 86, entered the world of politics as a Labour councillor in 1949 after a stint in the forces – before Winston Churchill's second term as Prime Minister.

The authority – now Cinderford Town Council – has changed name three times since he was first elected and he has seen countless mayors and leaders.

Father­of­two Mr Wilce has run unopposed for more than 20 years due to a lack of candidates but this year prepared to defend his seat for the first time in two decades.

Needless to say, he was re­elected as part of his Ward.

He counts his biggest political victories as securing a bigger swimming pool for the Gloucestershire town and raising enough

money to install a bronze statue of a miner.

Great­grandfather Mr Wilce said: "All those years ago I never thought for a second I would last this long as a councillor.

"In fact, around three years ago I had a spell of poor health and I didn't think I would last much longer. But here I am, and I enjoy just being part of the community. I've always liked joining in with things and being part of what is going on in the area."

His interest in politics began when he joined the Labour League of Youth as a teenager and became their regional chairman aged 16. Following his national service he got a job at Debenhams in Gloucester in 1949 and won his first seat on what was then called East Dean Parish Council. Mr Wilce has met Tony Blair and John Prescott during his tenure, as well as going to the Queen's garden party twice and visiting the House of Commons and the Lords. He cites his proudest achievement in his political career as raising £20,000 through bingo nights for a bronze statue of a miner.

Default retirement age (formerly 65) has been phased out ­ most people can now work for as long as they want to. Retirement age is now when an employee chooses to retire and most businesses don’t set a compulsory retirement age for their employees. If an employee chooses to work longer they can’t be discriminated against, although some employers can set a compulsory retirement age if they can clearly justify it.

It’s an employee’s responsibility to discuss when and how to retire with their employer.

This could include phasing retirement by working flexibly.

Members of occupational pension schemes need to discuss with their pension scheme managers what impact a change in working hours or income might have on the pension, whether the scheme supports phased retirement and working beyond the scheme’s normal pension age.

Employers may or may not be able to agree requests. If an employee is unhappy with their employer’s decision, they can challenge this at an employment tribunal.

Retirement is a form of resignation ­ employers and employees must follow the right procedures for this.

STATE PENSION AGE

Retirement age is not the same as State Pension age which can be between 61 and 68, depending when someone was born and if they’re male or female. Anyone can carry on working past State Pension age.

THE NAME’S BOND....

PENSIONER BOND

M

ore than a million older savers have bought over £13 billion of the government’s 65+ pensioner bonds, which came off sale last Friday (15th).

These sales figures mean that the bonds have been the biggest selling retail financial product in Britain’s modern history.

With annual interest rates of 4% for the 3 year bonds and 2.8% for the 1 year bonds, the government’s 65+ pensioner bonds have offered savers the best available rates in the market.

Chancellor George Osborne said, “The 65 plus pensioner bonds have been a huge success. They’re now helping over a million older savers who have done the right thing, by boosting the return on their savings and securing a more comfortable financial future.

It’s part of our long term plan to support savers and boost peoples’ financial security at

all stages of life.”

The government had originally allocated £10 billion for these bonds. However, in February the Chancellor announced that they would be on sale for four months, until 15 May 2015, to ensure that those aged 65 and over who wanted to benefit from their market leading rates had time to do so.

A key part of the government’s long term plan is to support savers at all stages of their lives and help people secure their financial futures.

That is why the government announced at Budget 2014 that National Savings and Investments (NS&I) would launch two fixed­rate, market­leading savings bonds, and why the Chancellor confirmed in December last year that the interest rates these bonds would pay are significantly higher than any others currently offered in the market.

The View

37

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

IDENTITY CRISIS!

Who are the 9 people pictured below? Some are very well­known, some not so. Send your answers with your name and daytime contact telephone number to editor@theview.es or by post to APARTADO DE CORREOS 255, 03193 SAN MIGUEL DE SALINAS, ALICANTE. Closing date is Friday 29th May 2015 at 6pm. The first entry containing the most correct answers will win a meal for 2 at their popular Tuesday Steak Night, courtesy of CAFE J's BAR, Consum Square, Urb La Marina

B

A

D

ow many times have you discovered that one or more of your favourite singers or groups have been on tour in Spain after the event?

THE VIEW is giving you some advance notice of some of the big names due in Spain for the remainder of 2015. Why not combine a concert night out with a couple of days away touring and sightseeing some of the great Spanish cities?

More ticket details can be found www.worldticketshop.com/cou ntries/spanje

F

E

H

G

H

C

I

WHO’S PERFORMING IN SPAIN IN 2015?

14th June – BARCELONA 15th June – MADRID MAROON 5 18th June – MADRID 19th June – BILBAO 20th & 21st June ­ BARCELONA SPANDAU BALLET

6th July – MADRID BOB DYLAN 20th July – MADRID LENNY KRAVITZ

22nd September – MADRID 26th September ­ BARCELONA DIANA KRALL 5th, 6th, 9th & 10th October ­ BARCELONA U2 12th October ­ MADRID DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

1st July – MADRID PAUL WELLER

29th July – SANTIAGO 31st July ­ BARCELONA MARK KNOPFLER

24th October – SAN SEBASTIAN CHARLES AZNAVOUR 5th November – BARCELONA 6th November – MADRID NICKLEBACK 6th November – MADRID 7th November ­ BARCELONA SUPERTRAMP 19th November – BARCELONA FOO FIGHTERS 25th November – BARCELONA MADONNA – THE REBEL HEART TOUR

38

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

THE BIG CROSS WORD

7. The Oche in darts 8. National Brazil 4 Italy 1 6. Show Jumping (1986) 3. France 4. Australia 5.

1. Scotland 2. Peter Shilton

Answers:

6. With Which Sport Do You Associate Harvey Smith, Nick Skelton And Rob Hoekstra?

7. What in sport, is 7 feet 9 quarter inches(2.375 metres) in length?

8. In Sport What Do The Initials NFL Stand For? 9. Which City Do The Maple Leafs Ice Hockey Team Come From?

10. At Which Sport Do The Brisbane Lions Play The Adelaide Crows?

11. Which Is Always The 3 rd Grand Slam Event In The Tennis Calendar?

12. Which Formula One Company Have Their Headquarters In Woking In Surrey?

13. The Terms Acid, Blunt, Casper & Spine Are All Associated With Which Sport?

14. Which boxer is known as the Dark Destroyer?

Football League 9. Toronto 10.

1. The Rugby Player Kenny Logan Represented Which Country At International Level?

2. When Maradona Scored His Famous "Hand Of God" Goal In Who Was In Goal For England At The Time?

3. Which Country Has Had The Most Wins At The Angling World Championships?

4. Dennis Lillee Took 355 Test Wickets For Which Country?

5. What Was The Score In The 1970 World Cup Final?

the Greek alphabet? (7) 3 In the ancient Roman calendar, what name was given to the days falling roughly in the middle of each month (15th or 13th)? (4)

Australian Rules Football 11.

SPORTS QUIZ

Down 1 Which Greek author wrote fables about the tortoise and the hare and the ant and the grasshopper? (5) 2 Which is the fifth letter of

Wimbledon 12. McClaren 13.

Germany in 1938? (9) 23 John who played the camp Mr Humphries in the television series Are You Being Served? (5) 24 See 1

4 Which deciduous flowering shrub of the rhododendron family has clusters of brightly coloured, sometimes fragrant, flowers? (6) 5 Which alloy of iron and nickel is used in tuning forks?

(5) 6 See 11 Across 7 In India was name was given to the robbery and murder practised by the Thugs in accordance with their ritual?

(7) 12 What is the name of the feral, sullen, deformed creature in Shakespeare’s The Tempest?

(7) 13 Mogadishu is the capital of which African country? (7) 15 What is the medical term for the shoulder blade? (7) 16 What name is given to a painting done rapidly in watercolour on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries? (6) 17 Jacob and Wilhelm were the first names of which German folklorists? (5) 19 Which Mexican agave plant with large fleshy leaves is cultivated for fibre production?

(5) 21 In athletics, which spherical weight is thrown, or put, from the shoulder for distance? (4) Skate Boarding 14. Nigel Benn

Across 1/24 The Super Bowl is the championship game of which sport? (8,8) 7 Which ballroom dance originated in Buenos Aires in the early 1900s? (5) 8 From the Irish for ‘Saxon’, what word is a derogatory term for an English person? (9) 9 In botany, which slender bristle­like appendage is found on the bracts of grasses? (3) 10/13 In the Christian tradition which is the first day of Holy Week? (4,6) 11/6 Which device, named after the German scientist who invented it, is used for measuring radioactivity by detecting and counting ionising particles? (6,7) 13 See 10 14 What name is given to a hot spring in which water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air? (6) 17 Which swelling of the neck results from an enlargement of the thyroid gland? (6) 18 Vientiane is the capital of which landlocked Asian country? (4) 20 Which Scottish seaport is the centre of the area associated with Robert Burns? (3) 22 What name was given to the annexation of Austria by

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD Across

1 Walls (interior) (7) 5 Milk (5) 8 Open (7) 9 Jarabe (liquido) (5) 10 Ebony (5) 11 Leona (7) 12 Spiders (6) 14 Siempre (indicando frecuencia) (6) 17 Advertisement (7) 19 Dolores (físico) (5) 22 Tías (5) 23 Quarry (mine) (7) 24 Anxiety (5) 25 Serio (7)

Down

1 Paz (5) 2 Queen (5) 3 Defeat (sport, military) (7) 4 Taburetes (6) 5 Ready (physically) (5) 6 Plum (fruit) (7) 7 Handcuffs (7) 12 Air hostess (7) 13 Pupils (school) (7) 15 Principiante (7) 16 Flies (insects) (6) 18 Basket (5) 20 Ice (frozen water) (5) 21 Focas (5)

The View

39

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

SUDOKU

FILL-IT-IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Act Are Arm Bra Cue Era Eve Fab LAN Net Our Ran Rep

Roe Rut Shy Tie

4 letter words Fete Pert Seen Tons

5 letter words Agree

Angst Arras Atlas Blink Coach Llama Metre Naive Otter Petal Range Rouge Sleep Songs Tatty

Cryptic Across 1 Water down leggings (4) 3 Chats up pressure group that contains cover up (8) 9 Wander, heading Middle East followed by a strange­looking nerd (7) 10 Function in the mid­seventies (5) 11 She’s caught in the beam (5) 12 Wandering light following a saint (6) 14 A second drink for a pursuer (6) 16 Consent to give up first small account (6) 19 Endlessly discuss event (6) 21 Sailor consumed tail off (5) 24 Al meets Jack at the table (5) 25 Name one mysterious garden flower (7) 26 Hidden from view, like film stars (8) 27 Take it easy like all the others (4) Down 1 Nostalgic Kim Toast

6 letter words Action Balsam Enlist Locate Lotion Racket

7 letter words Lattice Telling

chose confusion (8) 2 Went for a dip in front of Indian teacher (5) 4 Raise a right row.

This results (6) 5 Tuck into a mixed plate (5) 6 Lift characters at levee (7) 7 Location that sounds worth looking at (4) 8 Stick a commercial at this place (6) 13 Forcible opening around English border (8) 15 He’s high up in the world (7) 17 Stops cases around end of June (6) 18 Point to the condition of your property (6) 20 Denounce phoney cures (5) 22 A fuss about love (5) 23 Sang about old horses (4)

3 Hold back (8) 9 Roam (7) 10 Happening (5) 11 Glow (5) 12 Off course (6) 14 Follower (6) 16 Agree (6) 19 Athletics competition (6) 21 Decrease (5) 24 Communion table (5) 25 Windflower (7) 26 Shielded (8) 27 Relax (4)

Down 1 Nostalgic (8) 2 Hindu religious teacher (5) 4 Chaos (6) 5 Crease (5) 6 Raise (7) 7 Place (4) 8 Hold fast (6) 13 Fervent (8) 15 Flyer (7) 17 Comes to an end (6) 18 Land (6) 20 Nuisance (5) 22 Worship (5) 23 Scolds (4)

Last weeks Crossword Solution

Standard

Across 1 Tights (4)

The Big Crossword Answers

Sudoku Solution

40

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

41

The new 2015 Lotus Evora 400

T

he new Lotus Evora 400 will cost from £72,000 (€100,475)when it goes on sale in August, the company has revealed.

Described as a faster, lighter and better­packaged version of the company's flagship, the Evora 400 will be the fastest production Lotus yet built, is the first fruit of a dramatic sales and product push masterminded by Jean­Marc Gales, the firm’s boss, whose aim is to treble volume to around 3500 cars a year in the next three years.

The revised Evora carries the ‘400’ tag because the output of its supercharged 3.5­litre V6 has been raised by 16% to 400bhp.

For its asking price, customers also get AP racing brakes, climate control and an infotainment system. The options list includes Alcantara or leather trim for £2500 (€3488), cruise control for £300 (€418), and metallic paint for £900 (€1255).

Also available is a 'Black Pack', which colours some of the 400's body parts black for £1250 (€1744).

Lotus recently confirmed the Evora 400 had lapped its Hethel test track six seconds faster than the old Evora S. It made its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

In total, 60% of the car’s parts are new. It has an all­new nose and tail styling, the cabin is completely redesigned and major modifications have been made to the extruded aluminium chassis tub which now offers greatly improved cabin access.

The car’s dynamics have been refined, high­speed downforce has been improved and kerb weight has been cut by 22kg.

Sales for 2014­2015 are already up 63% year on year and are on target to beat the first­year mark of 2000 cars set

by Gales.

Lotus is so confident of the Evora 400’s enhanced appeal that it is creating two production lines at Hethel (separating the Elise/Exige line and that of the Evora) and hiring an extra 150 production workers. This all forms

part of a plan to lift production from the current 45 cars a week to around 70 by September, while incorporating a 10% cut in build times in order to feed a worldwide increase in dealers from the present 168 to more than 200 by the year’s end.

Gales calls the Evora 400 “a true supercar for today whose looks and performance can only be matched by cars costing much more”. He cites as evidence the 400’s compact dimensions, luxurious new interior, 186mph top speed and 0­60mph time of 4.1sec. Its Hethel lap time of 1min 32sec now equals that of the Exige S, the lap record holder in the current range.

These revisions are the first major changes to the Evora since its launch at the British motor show in 2008. The revised exterior adds 30mm to the overall length but contributes (with lighter seats and wheels) to the lower kerb weight.

The cooling apertures are larger and the front spoiler, rear wing and diffuser have been redesigned to double the downforce at 150mph. There’s no increase in frontal area, but the extra vents and downforce slightly increase the drag

coefficient from 0.33 to 0.35.

The Toyota­sourced V6 gets a bigger supercharger and a more efficient intercooler, both fitted by Lotus, plus improvements to its engine management and a three­inch exhaust tailpipe with a driver­activated valve that reduces back pressure (and sharpens the exhaust note) at higher speeds.

Modifications to the six­speed manual version’s powertrain include a new clutch and a lighter flywheel to smooth out gearshifts, while the optional six­speed automatic gearbox (which costs £2000, €2790) gets a new, sportier shift strategy and an elegant pair of column­mounted shift paddles.

Selectable combinations of traction control and chassis stability functions give the choice of Drive, Sport and Race modes.

The biggest cabin news is a much­needed improvement to access and space. The chassis sills are now 43mm narrower and 56mm lower, footwell space is widened and door inners are thinner and lighter, giving occupants similar space and convenience to rivals, with no degradation in chassis rigidity.

Lighter front bucket seats each save 6kg and are more supportive, while occasional rear seats are also wider and lighter, while saving a further 3.4kg. There is an all­new fascia design incorporating the familiar instrument binnacle but with clearer graphics, and a new ventilation and air conditioning system. Lotus will offer a choice of three different trim levels with a luxurious full­ leather edition at the top of the range.

Gales said: "The Evora 400 is the fastest road­going Lotus that we have ever produced. It delivers supercar looks allied to supercar performance and our global dealer network of 179 dealers which will grow to 200 by the end of the year is excited to be able to deliver this high performing benchmark handling supercar to the ever growing customer waiting list.”

42 T

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

LA UNION

he next stop on the Cartagena to Alicante route is La Union. What don’t we know about this area and it’s hidden past?

La Unión is situated in the Region of Murcia, in the southeast of Spain, between the beaches of the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea. It occupies an area of 24.6 km² with a population of just over 16,000. With an average 12 months temperature of 17ºC, the sun shines for 320 days of the year. La Unión is situated in one of the sunniest areas in Europe. This kind of climate makes possible the many leisure activities, popular fiestas, sports, and cultural activities that are held in the town.

La Union has long had close ties with mining and still does to this

day. For many years, it was the city’s main industrial activity. Today, visitors can learn more about it at the former Workers’ Lyceum. Built in 1901, it has now been transformed into the Mining Museum and the La Unión Mining Park. It has 50,000 m² and offers visitors the chance to go down into an old underground mine and take a ride on a mining train. The city’s historic heritage can also be explored through places such as, the Casa del Piñón residence and the old Public Market, as well as in the traditional architecture of buildings like La Co­operativa.

There are two red­letter dates on La Unión’s calendar: the Easter Week celebrations and the Cante de las Minas Festival in August. This is the world’s most important flamenco

festival and has been designated a Festival of International Tourist Interest. A visit to the museum dedicated to this festival is also highly recommended.

La Union was only named little more than a century ago, when the two small villages of Herrerias and El Garbunzal became united.

Portman lies on the coast, 9kms from La Union and from it there are tracks which lead to some lovely wild beaches.

The history of this mining area begins in Roman times, they were the first to open mines there and extract the rich minerals found in them. These were transported all over the Mediterranean via the

port of Portman, known to the Romans as Portus Magnus and indeed, what is now La Union was known to them by the same name.

As in many mining villages in Spain, La Union was a busy, industrial town with nearly 40,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the 20th century. But life in the mines was harsh, wages were low and after the end of the First World War, many people left their hometown to seek their fortunes or at least a living, in the large cities, and the mines fell into decline. A few decades later, new technology meant that it was feasible to work the mines again, and they remained open until

1991, when they were finally closed. So the population has fluctuated over the last century or so and at the present time La Union is home to 16,000 inhabitants.

The hills where the mines are located, occupy roughly a third of the land of this municipality and the terrain is rugged and very dry in appearance. They have been transformed over the years by the work of the miners and the old chimneys are clearly visible. Near the top of these hills, at the Hermitage of the Virgin del Rosario there is a Mirador (looking platform) from which to enjoy the view.

The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

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TRAVEL AROUND SPAIN VALENCIA ­ is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, with around 800,000 inhabitants in the administrative centre. Its urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 1.5 million people. The city has global city status, and the Port of Valencia is the 5th busiest container port in Europe and busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC. The city is situated on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, fronting the Gulf of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea. Its historic centre is one of the largest in Spain, with approximately 169 hectares; this heritage of ancient monuments, views and cultural attractions makes Valencia one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Major monuments include Valencia Cathedral, the Torres de Serranos, the Torres de Quart, the Llotja de la Seda (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996), and the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences), an entertainment­based cultural and architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela.

The Museu de Belles Arts de València houses a large collection of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including works by Velázquez, El Greco, and Goya, as well as an important series of engravings by Piranesi.[5] The Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (Valencian Institute of Modern Art) houses both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art and photography.[6] Valencia is integrated into an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast). The traditional Spanish dish, paella, originated in Valencia.

within its administrative limits on a land area of 1,062.64 square kilometres (410.29 square miles), ranking fifth in Spain. It is the 35th most populous municipality in the European Union. The population of the metropolitan area was estimated in 2006 at 783,763 inhabitants. The municipality is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragonese population.

The city lies at an elevation of 199 metres (653 feet) above sea level.

Zaragoza hosted Expo 2008 in the summer of 2008, a world's fair on water and sustainable development. It was also a candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2012.

The city is famous for its folklore, local gastronomy, and landmarks such as the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafería Palace. Together with La Seo and the Aljafería, several other buildings form part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fiestas del Pilar are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain.

PAMPLONA ­ is the historical capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former Kingdom of Navarre. The city is famous worldwide for the running of the bulls during the San Fermín festival, which is held annually from July 6 to 14. This festival was brought to literary renown with the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises.

Pamplona is located in the middle of Navarre in a rounded valley, known as the Basin of Pamplona that links the mountainous North with the Ebro valley. It is 92 km (57 mi) from the city of San Sebastián, 117 km (73 mi) from Bilbao, and 407 km (253 mi) from Madrid. The climate and landscape of the basin is a transition between those two main Navarrese geographical regions.

The historical centre of Pamplona is on the left bank of the Arga, a tributary of the Ebro. The city has developed on both sides of the river. Its climate is Oceanic with influences of Continental Mediterranean.

ZARAGOZA ­ is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, are roughly in the centre of both Aragon and the Ebro basin.

In 2010 the population of the city of Zaragoza was 701,090, MARBELLA ­ is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the region of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the region; it is also the head of the judicial district that bears its name.

Marbella is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, between Málaga and the Gibraltar Strait, in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca. The municipality covers an area of 117 square kilometres (45 sq mi) crossed by highways on the coast, which are its main entrances.

In 2012 the population of the city was 140,473 inhabitants, making it the second most populous municipality in the

province of Málaga and the eighth in Andalusia. It is one of the most important tourist cities of the Costa del Sol and throughout most of the year is an international tourist attraction, due mainly to its climate and tourist infrastructure.

The Marbella municipality occupies a strip of land that extends along forty­four kilometres (27 miles) of coastline of the Penibético region, sheltered by the slopes of the coastal mountain range, which includes the Bermeja, Palmitera, Royal, White and Alpujata sub­ranges. Due to the proximity of the mountains to the coast, the city has a large gap between its north and south sides, thus providing views of the sea and mountain vistas from almost every part of the city. The coastline is heavily urbanised; most of the land not built up with golf courses has been developed with small residential areas. Marbella is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Istán and Ojén, on the northwest by Benahavís, on the west

by Estepona and on the northeast by Mijas. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south.

BILBAO ­ is a municipality and city in Spain, the capital of the province of Biscay in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. It is the largest city of the Basque Country and the tenth largest in Spain, with a population of 353,187 in 2010. The Bilbao metropolitan area has roughly 1 million inhabitants, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in northern Spain.

Bilbao is situated in the north­central part of Spain, some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the Bay of Biscay, where the estuary of Bilbao is formed. Its main urban core is surrounded by two small mountain ranges with an average elevation of 400 metres (1,300 ft.).

Since its foundation in the early 14th century by Diego López V de Haro, head of the powerful Haro family, Bilbao was a commercial hub that enjoyed significant importance in the Green Spain, mainly thanks to its port activity based on the export of iron extracted from the Biscayan quarries.

Throughout the 19th C and beginnings of the 20th C, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialisation which made it the centre of the second­most industrialised region of Spain, behind Barcelona. This was joined by an extraordinary population explosion that prompted the annexation of several adjacent municipalities. Nowadays, Bilbao is a vigorous service city that is experiencing an ongoing social, economic, and aesthetic revitalisation process, started by the iconic Bilbao Guggenheim Museum.

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

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46

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

THEY’VE DONE IT AGAIN!

LUCKY BLAUGRANA ON SHOW IN BERLIN

B

arcelona reign in Spain once more thanks to a title­ clinching 1­0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon Sunday.

The triumph is Barca's 23rd La Liga crown and the first of a potential hat­trick of trophies for Luis Enrique's men in the coming weeks with the finals of the Copa Del Rey, against Athletic Bilbao, (on May 30th) and the Champions League, against Juventus, (on June 6th) still to come.

Lionel Messi inevitably scored the all­important goal on Sunday, brilliantly finishing off a typically intricate Barca move after 64 minutes.

The little Argentine was ranked alongside Pele as the greatest player to ever play the game by former Barcelona legend and coach Pep Guardiola earlier in the week.

Few have been able to cope with Barca's front line of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez as the Blaugrana hit top form in recent months. The triumphant trio has already scored 115 goals between

I them this season.

Although Suarez was missing from the starting line­up Sunday, the ever reliable Pedro Rodriguez was there to fill in and it was he who set up Messi for the game's only goal.

With only one game of the La Liga season remaining, Barca's lead of four points is now unbridgeable for closest rival Real Madrid which won 4­1 away to Espanyol Sunday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat­trick to take a 45­41 lead over Messi in the "Pichichi" standings and 58­54 overall this season.

The View

And the Catalan club's triumph is undoubtedly all the sweeter, given that it came at the home of Atletico, which claimed last year's La Liga title at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on the final day of the season.

"Right now I'd like to thank everyone who helped in achieving this title and our fans," Barcelona boss Luis Enrique said in comments posted on the club's Twitter feed after the match. "There are still two titles left to find out our grade, but winning La Liga is very satisfying to us," he added.

n a further boost for the club, the European Federation has granted Barça the right to use its home kit in the big game in Berlin, against Juventus on June 6. The Catalan giants were drawn as visitors for the Final, but because their main uniforms are totally different from Juve’s home jerseys, UEFA decided to let both teams wear their usual colours.

It will be the fourth straight time that Barça uses the Blaugrana kit in the European Cup title

match, and they have won the title on all the other occasions. In 2006 against Arsenal, and in 2009 and 2011, both against Manchester United.

Do you know the significance of the term Blaugrana?

Palau Blaugrana translates in English as "blue and deep red palace" and is the name of an arena in belonging to FC Barcelona.

The 7,585 seating capacity arena is home to the basketball, handball, roller hockey, and is located between Mini Estadi and the Camp Nou

SPORTING CALENDAR – MAY & JUNE 2015 As a further part of the commitment of THE VIEW to bring you information for future planning instead of knowing about it after, below is a list of significant sporting events for the remainder of May and the month of June. Most of these events are due to be shown on TV – and you’ll find more details in your copy of the weekly TV CHOICE MAGAZINE. Available Every Wednesday!

MAY 21st to 24th ­ GOLF ­ PGA Championship, Wentworth 21st to 25th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 1st Test, Lord's

27th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Europa League final, Warsaw 29th to 2nd June ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand,

2nd Test, Headingley 29th to 31st ­ ROWING ­ European Championships, Poland 30th ­ RUGBY UNION ­ Pro12 League final

23rd ­ FOOTBALL ­ League Two play­off final, Wembley 24th ­ F1 ­ Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo 30th ­ FOOTBALL ­ FA Cup Final, Wembley 30th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Scottish Cup Final, Hampden Park 30th ­ RUGBY UNION ­ Premiership final, Twickenham 30th & 31st ­ TRIATHLON ­ World Series, London

JUNE 5th ­ HORSE RACING ­ The Oaks, Epsom 6th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Champions League Final, Berlin 6th ­ HORSE RACING ­ Epsom Derby 6th to 5th August ­ FOOTBALL ­ Women's World Cup,

24th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Premier League ­ Last league matches of the season 24th ­ FOOTBALL ­ League One play­off final, Wembley 24th ­ MOTORCYCLING ­ World Superbike Championship, Donington 25th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Championship play­off final, Wembley 25th to 7th June ­ TENNIS ­ French Open, Roland Garros, Paris

Canada 7th ­ F1 ­ Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal 7th ­ ATHLETICS ­ Diamond League, Birmingham 9th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 1st ODI, Edgbaston 11th to 14th ­ GOLF ­ Women's PGA Championship, Rye, New York 11th to 4th July­ FOOTBALL ­ Copa America, Chile 12th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 2nd ODI, The

Oval

12th to 28th – ATHLETICS ­ European Games, Baku, Azerbaijan 14th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 3rd ODI, Southampton 15th to 21st ­ TENNIS ­ AEGON Men’s Championships, Queen's Club, London 16th to 20th ­ HORSE RACING ­ Royal Ascot 17th to 21st ­ CYCLING ­ Women's Tour of Britain 17th to 30th ­ FOOTBALL ­ UEFA Under­21 European Championship, Czech Republic 17th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 4th ODI, Trent Bridge 18th to 21st ­ GOLF ­ US Open, Chambers Bay, Washington 20th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Chester­ le­Street 21st ­ F1 ­ Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg 22nd to 28th ­ TENNIS ­ AEGON Women’s International, Eastbourne 23th ­ CRICKET ­ England v New Zealand, T20 international, Old Trafford 26th to 5th August ­ BEACH VOLLEYBALL ­ World Championships, Netherlands 28th to 6th July ­ MODERN PENTATHLON ­ World Championships, Berlin 29th to 12th July ­ TENNIS ­ Wimbledon, London

47 SPANISH SUCCESS IN VOLVO OCEAN RACE The View

Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

A

fter all the razzmatazz and promotion surrounding the start of the Volvo Ocean Race that began in Alicante on 11th October last year, the progress of the teams – particularly the Spanish team – has been largely forgotten. Until now.

Spanish boat MAPFRE, under skipper Iker Martinez, dominated from start to finish claiming their first victory in the Volvo Ocean Race in­port series on Saturday, watched by a packed dock of thousands of Newport, Rhode Island sailing fans.

The MAPFRE victory, achieved after they grabbed a narrow advantage at the first stage, will be particularly sweet for skipper Martinez who was returning to the crew after missing the previous leg through other commitments. The result leaves the Spanish crew still trailing the fleet in the overall standings on 31 points, but they have closed the gap considerably after a string of largely disappointing performances prior to Saturday.

Martinez, from San Sebastian, won gold in the 2004 Athens Games and silver in Beijing 2008, but finished disappointingly down the field in the 2012 London Olympics. He is

determined to put that right in Rio de Janeiro next year, but his commitment to his preparation has led to his missing several legs in this edition of the nine­month Ocean Race which started last October.

WILL THEY SELL IN LESS THAN 4 MINUTES?

"We are improving slowly and that's the way we want to do these things," said Martinez after the victory. "Today we were first and we're feeling super good."

They were chased all the way by home­town favourites, Team Alvimedica, who were delighted to finish second on the podium, but never really threatened to mar MAPFE’s day after Martinez led them from an early advantage in overcast conditions. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing – led by Ian Walker from GB – could be forgiven for being almost as happy with the result as the two boats that beat them, having trailed during the first leg.

The victory put MAPFRE in an excellent mood as they left on Sunday morning to begin the 7th leg of the race for Lisbon, Portugal. It may be the shortest stage so far at just 2,800 nautical miles, but probably the most treacherous as the fleet crosses the Atlantic. The boats are expected to arrive in the Portuguese capital anytime between tomorrow (Saturday) and Wednesday. After the In­Port races in early June, they set off on the final two legs to Lorient, France and then on to the finish line on June 27th in Gothenburg, Sweden.

THE FUTURE’S SWEETER FOR CASTER

I

magine the scene. 6th May 1954 and three British athletes with varying degrees of success and disappointments at international level are at the starting line of a mile race. Did they know they’d all be part of history when the gun went off?

All those years later, the running shoes used to set one of the greatest milestones in sports history are going up for sale. The lightweight leather spikes worn by Roger Bannister when he broke the 4­ minute mile over sixty­one years ago will go under the hammer on September 10th in London at Christie’s auction house. They are expected to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000.

The shoes, made by GT Law and Son, had long, thin spikes and weighed four ounces, much lighter than other shoes at the time. “They served me great purpose,” Bannister said in the Christie’s announcement. “I’m grateful to them. I think it’s the right time to part with them.”

Bannister, a young medical student at the time,

became the first runner to break the fabled 4­minute barrier when he clocked 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds on May 6, 1954, at the Iffley Road Track in Oxford. It was a record that many had thought impossible at the time.

When the announcement of the time was made, all that was heard was “The time of three.”! The rest of the time was lost in the cheering and excitement of the spectators who’d witnessed the event. His record lasted just 46 days in is some 13 seconds longer (a long time in athletics!) than the current record of 3:43.13 held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco. Previous Britons that held the record were Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram.

Bannister, knighted in 1975, is now 86 and lives in Oxford with his wife, Moyra, and is coping with the effects of Parkinson’s after being diagnosed 4 years ago.

The shoes will be offered for sale along with a “letter of provenance” signed by Bannister and a letter written to him before the race denoting “the lightness” of the shoes. “I could see there was an advantage in having the shoes as light as possible,” Bannister said. “The leather is extremely thin and the spikes are unusually thin, as I used a grindstone to make them even thinner. These shoes are the last tangible link I have with the 4­minute mile.”

On the morning of the race, Bannister sharpened his spikes on a grindstone in the laboratory at St Mary’s Hospital in London, where he was studying. His collection of trophies is on display at Oxford’s Pembroke College, where he served as master.

Bannister said he plans to donate part of the proceeds from the auction to the Autonomic Charitable Trust, which encourages neurological research.

Coincidentally, he devoted most of his medical career to the study of neurological conditions.

Earlier this week, it was reported that a stopwatch used to time Bannister’s four­minute mile was auctioned for £20,000.

I

n the last two years, South African runner Caster Semenya hasn’t shown the 800m form that made her famous, when she took gold at the 2009 World Championships and silver at the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics, and led to a gender­test controversy. The results of the test were never made public.

Semenya, now 24, hasn’t registered an 800m time yet this year and ranked No. 139 in the world, clocking 2:02.66 for a disappointing 10th place at a meet in Rome in June 2014. She won the 2009 World title in spectacular style with a time of 1:55.45.

In 2013, she failed to qualify for the World Championships and has also dealt with injury and a coaching change since the London 2012 Games.

Still, as she told a BBC interview, Semenya is determined to reach her dreams, and she was asked if she was scared to win at the Olympics, a claim some made believing she didn’t want the added attention toward the gender­testing controversy.

“How can you be scared?” Semenya said. “You want to be a winner. I’m a dreamer. What I dream of is to be Olympic champion, World champion, world­record holder, so I can’t stop running because of people. If you have a problem with it, you have to come straight to me, tell me. I cannot stop because people saying, ‘She looks like a man,’ this and that. It’s their own problem; not mine.”

Semenya reflected on her breakthrough at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, which sparked the gender­testing controversy.

“It was good memories,” she said of taking gold. “Unfortunately, we had to go this controversial story, which wasn’t really good for me. For publicity, to become a World champion, you never celebrated. Probably, if it wasn’t for my family, I don’t think I could have survived it.”

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Edition 2 - May 22nd 2015

The View

MATCH OF THE DAY NEWCASTLE “v” HULL CITY – WHO’S FOR THE DROP? The final round of matches in the 2014/15 English Premiership takes place on Sunday, and for the first and only time in the season, all 20 teams kick­off at the same time of the day – 3pm (UK Time). The significance of this is to stop any sides getting undue advantage of what they need to do in their match, unlike the unfair and unjust end, for some, of the Six Nation’s Rugby Union. This year, with Chelsea securing the title, Manchester City as runners­up and Arsenal in 3rd spot, there’s less excitement at the top of the table than normal. The bottom shows a different story...

QPR and Burnley are already relegated to the Championship after just one season back in the top flight but the fight to remain in the Premier League and the millions of pounds that means, THE match of the day, is between Newcastle United and Hull City. They’re not playing each other – Newcastle are at home to West Ham United and Hull City host Manchester United – but the outcome of their matches will decide their fates.

The scenarios are these. Both Newcastle and Hull City win or draw – Hull are relegated. Newcastle win – Hull draw or lose – Hull are relegated. Hull win – Newcastle lose – Newcastle are relegated. Hull win and Newcastle draw – both on 37 points but unless there is a major statistical upset, Hull will survive on goal difference.

Sunderland secured their own Premier League safety with a magnificent display of defensive determination and organisation to get the point they needed at Arsenal on

Wednesday night and takes the pressure off them as they visit Chelsea. What a fascinating tie that would have been had things not been settled already!

Arsenal's own point effectively means they will finish third but all the celebrations belonged to Sunderland as manager Dick Advocaat completed the recovery he has engineered since succeeding the sacked Gus Poyet.

The Gunners dominated the first half, though they struggled to break the visitors down, with Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud's off­target efforts the closest they came to a breakthrough. Dick Advocaat threw on Steven Fletcher at half­time, and he almost made an immediate impact, only to be denied by David Ospina. At the other end Costel Pantillimon saved well from Giroud before Fletcher wasted two more great chances to score.

Arsenal had the best of the late chances, but after Sebastian Coates cleared Aaron Ramsey's effort off the line and Billy Jones cleared against his own post, Pantillimon saved from Theo Walcott to preserve a point.

Arsene Wenger's side spent the majority of the opening 45 minutes camped inside the Sunderland half but lacked the composure in the final third to break the deadlock.

The hosts' best chances came as Ozil lashed over the crossbar after getting on the end a lofted pass from Jack Wilshere ­ making his first start since November due to ankle problems. Wilshere then set up Giroud with a similar ball, only for the Frenchman to fire narrowly wide of the right­hand post.

Sunderland goalkeeper Pantilimon was forced into his first meaningful save of the match in the 56th­minute, diving brilliantly to his right to prevent Giroud from converting Hector Bellerin's right­wing cross. Still, the visitors continued to cause Arsenal problems going forward and went close to profiting on the counter, however, Fletcher's lobbed effort was turned wide by Ospina.

Fletcher let another chance go begging by prodding a left­wing delivery from Van Aanholt high and off target.

Sunderland's hearts were in their mouths when Ramsey's deflected cross hit Jones in the face and cannoned off the left­hand post.

Pantilimon provided more heroics to deny Walcott but, despite continued late pressure from Arsenal, a gutsy Sunderland hung on to ensure they can breathe easy on the final day of the season, while Hull and Newcastle sweat over their Premier League futures.

Advocaat was visibly emotional as he went to thank the jubilant travelling support after the final whistle.

2014/15 ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP ­ BOTTOM OF THE TABLE ­ MAY 22nd NEWCASTLE UNITED HULL CITY BURNLEY QPR

P 37 37 37 37

W 9 8 6 8

D 9 10 12 6

L 19 19 19 23

FOR AGAINST DIFF POINTS 36 63 38 ­25 34 51 33 ­18 30 53 27 ­26 30 68 41 ­27