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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

THIS WEEK IN PAGE 3 – HOW AND WHEN WILL IT STOP? PAGE 4 – WHO’S WHO IN THE TOWN HALLS PAGE 5 & 6 – SPANISH NEWS PAGE 7 – THE LONGEST OF ALL DAYS PAGE 8 – SPAIN RE­WELCOMES SEPHARDIC JEWS PAGE 9 – LIKE IT OR GRUMP IT PAGE 10 – COASTLINE VERSUS COMMERCE PAGE 12 & 13 – THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO – 200 YEARS ON PAGE 14 – SPANISH NEWS PAGE 15 – CROCKER’S CORNER PAGE 16 – READERS LETTERS & LOTTERY RESULTS PAGE 17 – SAN FULGENCIO’S FIRST LADY PAGE 18 – UK RELATED NEWS PAGE 19 – SPANISH NEWS PAGE 20 – WORLD NEWS FEATURES PAGE 21 – THE DREAM COMES TRUE AGAIN PAGE 22 – FELIPE VI – ONE YEAR A KING PAGE 23 – THE VIEW THROUGH THE LENS PAGE 24 – HEAVEN OF HORRORS! PAGE 25 – OLLIE’S MOOD SPILLS PAGE 26 – THE VIEW ON NOSTALGIA – 19 JUNE 1979 PAGE 27 – FOR YOUR INFORMATION PAGE 28 – WHAT’S ON THE TELLY – THE ONLY WAY IS ETHIOPIA 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 – SPANISH NEWS EXTRA PAGES 38 & 39 – PUZZLE PAGES PAGE 40 – CAPTION COMPETITION PAGE 41 – MOTORING PAGE 42 – BUS JOURNEY – EL PILAR & MIL PALMERAS PAGE 43 – TRAVEL AROUND SPAIN – MINORCA & FORMENTERA PAGES 44 & 45 – CLASSIFIED ADVERTS / THE VIEW OUTLETS PAGES 46 & 47 ­ SPORT

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EDITOR’S WEEKLY MESSAGE N

o sooner had I sent off last week’s message and mentioned the passing of Ron Moody, the news came through of the death of Sir Christopher Lee. There have been many words written about him, but I couldn’t resist adding to them and have put together a tribute not only to him but two of the other great horror actors of his time on page 24.

Staying with the subject of actors, the great Sir John Hurt has announced he’s in the early stages of pancreatic cancer. One of his great roles was that of cancer stricken jockey Bob Champion and he can only be inspired by him and his survival to this day, some 35 years later. I join his many fans in wishing him well in his fight.

There shouldn’t be much doubt as to the location of this week’s stunning front cover, which comes from the International Space Station over Spain. Rita Williams of Guardamar contacted THE VIEW to say that last week’s picture of the Scottish Castle would make a fantastic jigsaw! I agree.

The issue of double taxation for Service Pensions in Spain and the UK has been a major part of my electronic postbag this week and I’m grateful in particular for the contributions from Mick Gossage and Ray Harrison. Should you pay once or twice and if so, where? We will be looking into more detail about this problem that will be faced by many in their tax declarations for 2014 (closing date of 30 June don’t forget) and more so for next year. In the meantime, I understand the situation to be this: “For UK pensions, those paid by the public sector or civil service ­ council employees, retired police officers and so on, but not NHS workers ­ are not taxable in Spain as a sum

is withheld by the issuing authority in Britain, but they must still be included in annual tax returns as they may affect total income thresholds.”

On our FOR YOUR INFORMATION section on Page 27, we’ve included for the first time and by popular request some local train timetables. These include the Alicante TRAM line to Benidorm via Campello and Villajoyosa, and from Benidorm to Denia via Altea and Calpe. From personal use of these routes, they come highly recommended with spotless trains and stations and you really can set your watches by them! There is also the Alicante to Murcia line but our timetables show the hours from the convenient Albatera / Catral Station to Alicante. I know of many that use this service which I intend trying myself shortly.

Keep an eye out for next week when we’ll feature the Alicante to Madrid AVE line timetables and details.

In the aftermath of the Municipal Elections at the end of May, it’s not just some of the well­known politicians that have lost their jobs. Even though they were employed by the Ayuntamientos (and thus the ruling party) of Torrevieja and Guardamar respectively, Jean Paul Mulero and Phil Hughes are no longer in post working as a vital link between the foreign residents and the Town Hall’s. It’s uncertain whether the new administrations will be replacing them or indeed whether there will be a point of contact for non­Spanish residents whoever they voted for. We’ll keep you informed of any developments in THE VIEW. The weather is staying settled for the next seven days, although a drop of rain is expected for next Friday, with no sign as yet of the very hot days and nights. If you’re off to one of the Hogueras next Wednesday in Torrevieja, Guardamar or Alicante, be careful and don’t get too close to the fire­ fighter’s hose!

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

HOW AND WHEN WILL IT STOP? Solve the cause and not the problem

By Darren James

O

n a daily basis the TV news and the print media are full of the stories of either migrants being rescued from an impending fate on the high seas or those desperate to make their way into Britain from Calais.

This week in particular video footage taken by scared coach passengers has been made public.

You could hear the driver telling them not to worry, “we’re well locked up”, as dozens of people tried to break into and board a large articulated lorry in front of them.

I’ve also seen on social media other similar film taken from a driver’s cab of a French lorry bombarded with missiles, people putting barriers in the way of the lorry ­ which in one case caused the driver to swerve and narrowly avoid another oncoming vehicle – and all accompanied by series of Harvey Smith and Churchill gestures when they notice they’re being filmed.

I feel sorry for the drivers of these vehicles caught up in this apparent lawless scenario who

have to face the wrath of British Customs officials when they get to Dover after a random search has found people on board their vehicle. But what can the drivers do? Confront them in Calais? Put yourself in their position coming face to face with a group of desperate people.

Would you challenge them, particularly if you didn’t know if they were armed or not? Massive Catch­22.

According to sources, the French gendarmerie appear not to be interested. They’re happy to have the migrants leave their shores for Britain. The Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, has claimed that Britain refuses to take any responsibility for the problems caused by migrants in the French Channel port. Bouchart said that they didn’t want to claim asylum in France but get to the UK because there were better conditions for them than anywhere else in Europe: “There are no ID cards.

They can easily find work outside the formal economy, which is not really controlled. They can get

social welfare support that doesn’t exist in other countries.”

In view of the current conflicts in the world involving the advancement of ISIS, what worries many in the UK is that the overwhelming majority of those trying to get into the UK are male and in their twenties. What is it that really makes the UK so attractive? Can’t be the weather and there are less and less job opportunities. I believe Madame Bouchart from Calais hits the nail firmly on the head.

Can the cause and the reasons for thousands of people that feel the need to leave their own countries for a better life in Europe in general and the UK in particular be solved

rather than have to pick up the consequences of the problem? On the surface, it appears to me that all the countries, without exception, from where the migrants and the asylum seekers come from are run by non elected, often military based regimes. Democratic countries have their problems, but thousands wanting to leave their shores due to persecution and inter religious wars isn’t one of them. Might a start be for the United Nations to say that countries that aren’t democracies will lose their membership status and the beneifts until they do adopt such a system? But then some will argue that Libya and Iraq were more stable countries than they are now before the international

GLAD I BIT THE HABIT

police went in and removed their dictators. Perhaps I’m trying to say there is no answer to the cause or the problem. Realism over negativism.

As a closing thought about the problems experienced by the British lorry drivers in Calais, can I draw attention to a very important phrase contained on the inside cover of a passport which states, “Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State Requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”

CHEEKY AND DEVIOUS

Oh Mo, I hope not!

U

ntil I left school at 16, I was a dreadful nail­biter and was ashamed at how they looked.

Now, I have to force myself to trim them and keep them tidy when they get to a certain length. There is a Spaniard that may have to join me in this as one was shocked recently to be hit with a fine for the seemingly innocuous bad habit.

He was stopped by traffic police in the central Spanish city of Salamanca and fined €80 and they cite the reason for the fine as being that the driver "was not maintaining the required freedom of movement" and for "driving while biting fingernails".

T

hey say there’s no smoke without fire and I’m getting increasingly concerned at the outcome of the stories about Britain’s Olympic hero Mo Farah.

In news that’s only come to light in view of the BBC investigation into his trainer Alberto Salazar, the suggestion now is that Farah missed two drugs tests before his amazing achievements, one of which because he didn’t hear the doorbell when the testers arrived. I write this before the planned announcement from the UK Anti­ Doping Agency yesterday (Thursday) afternoon and I hope he’s cleared of all wrongdoings, in the very same way that I and millions of others hoped it wasn’t true about Rolf Harris...

I

have to admire the enterprise of a group of Conservative supporters in the UK who, in an attempt to ensure in their view that Labour will never ever win a General Election again, are signing up as associate members of the Party purely to vote for Jeremy Corbyn.

Such a jolly wheeze! Corbyn, who has never even turned right at a set of traffic lights, is one of a Gang of Four hoping to win the leadership race on September 12. My money is on Liz Kendall, but after my racing tips who am I to listen to!

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WHO’S WHO IN THE TOWN HALLS After almost three weeks of indecision in many of the Ayuntamientos in our area, all the councillors gathered last Saturday to elect and ratify the new Mayor’s. THE VIEW introduces....

ALGORFA – MANUEL ROS RODES ­ PSOE

ALMORADI – JAMIE PEREZ ­ PSOE

FORMENTERA – FRANCISCO CANO ­ PP

SANTA POLA – YOLANDA SEVA ­ PSOE

SAN MIGUEL DE SALINAS ANGEL SAEZ ­ PSOE

TORREVIEJA – JOSE MANUEL DOLON – LOS VERDES

GUARDAMAR – JOSE LUIS SAEZ ­ PSOE

BENIJOFAR – LUIS RODRIGUEZ ­ PP

LOS MONTESINOS – JOSE MANUEL BUTRON ­ PSOE

CATRAL – PEDRO ZAPLANA ­ APC

ORIHUELA – EMILIO BASCUÑANA ­ PP

CREVILLENTE – CESAR ASENCIO ­ PP

PILAR DE LA HORADADA IGNACIO RAMOS ­ PSOE

DOLORES – JOAQUIN HERNANDEZ ­ PSOE

SAN FULGENCIO – CARLOS RAMIREZ ­ PP

ROJALES – ANTONIO PEREZ GARCIA ­ PSOE

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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EARLY PROBLEMS IN MADRID

S

pain's construction industry is on edge in Madrid after a far­left mayor took office casting doubts over the future of major building projects.

Manuela Carmena, a 71­year­old retired judge with no previous experience in politics, was sworn in last Saturday has vowed to shelve urban development projects, judging them unnecessary and too expensive at a time when one in four workers is out of a job in Spain. Critics of this policy have suggested that a way of getting people back into work is to encourage investment in construction which accounts for many of the 23% unemployed. As such, shares in Spanish builders have slumped since the May 24th election, reflecting concerns by investors.

Madrid had a large number of building projects awaiting approval before the local elections, the largest of which is an ambitious public­private partnership dubbed "Operation Chamartin" named for the district in northern Madrid where investors want to create a new financial centre. It calls for the construction of several skyscrapers, three new metro stations and around 17,000 new homes, with the project's backers saying it would create 121,000 badly needed jobs for an investment of €6 billion.

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Carmena, whose race for mayor was backed by Spain's new anti­austerity party Podemos, has said she opposes the project in its current form and wants to “curb speculative real estate projects which are under way.”

A Madrid architect said the election outcome had already cost him a project to build 40 homes on an empty plot.

"The Friday (before the municipal elections) it was almost sold. The Monday (after the vote), the French investors backed away," he said.

After only three days in office Manuela Carmena, a member of Ahora Madrid – a party made up of an alliance of community activists ­ is already facing a series of internal political crises, as well as saying that many of her party’s policies were merely “suggestions” which is the reason she’s already dropped the “promise” in the campaign of a local public bank.

After accepting the resignation of her new culture councilor, Guillermo Zapata, over jokes he tweeted about the Holocaust in 2011, Carmena is now being pressured to

dismiss the local government’s spokeswoman, Rita Maestre, who is the target of a court case over offensive behavior at a religious act in 2011.

Meanwhile, the mayor admitted earlier this week that there is no need to create a municipal public bank, even though this was one of Ahora Madrid’s proposals to bolster the city’s financial self­sufficiency and “serve as a tool to fund social, business and cooperative projects to boost the productive economy.”

She went on to say that the campaign promises her party ran on should not be taken literally.

As she explained to the Europa Press agency, “Ahora Madrid’s program was built up slowly and included many suggestions; when I accepted the nomination I said right away that I saw it as a collection of suggestions, but that not all of them should be taken as items of active programmatic involvement. I really insisted on talking about the big objectives. After that, some measures will be carried out, or not, because the important thing is for them to adjust to goals such as equality, anti­corruption and transparency,” The new mayor confirmed that Madrid will continue to honor its debt and meet its payment deadlines, allaying fears of an imminent default that would sink the city and the country into poverty.

“After that, we’ll have to see if we can reach agreements with the lenders, some kind of compensation, we’ll see,” she said. “Depending a bit on the situation, we can seek alternatives to write­offs, we’ll see as we go along, we need to talk to the technicians.”

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

A FATAL SIP A Spanish resident from Benicarló in the Spanish province of Castellón has died mistakenly being served undiluted detergent, which was being stored in an empty bottle of white wine.

Andrés Lorente, 49, was in bar Raconet, on Isabel de Villena square, for a Sunday afternoon drink last weekend when he was served what he thought was a glass of white wine.

It was, in fact, cleaning fluid that had been stored in an empty bottle of wine and mistakenly been put in the fridge by

a member of staff. Witnesses said that after taking his first sip of what he thought was white wine, Lorente felt a severe burning sensation, according to local newspaper, El Periódico Mediterraneo.

He immediately started drinking water from the nearby bathroom but this may have contributed even more to the fatal outcome, making the poison in his body even more corrosive. An ambulance was called and paramedics tried to resuscitate the man at the scene, before taking him to Comarcal de Vinaròs hospital, where he died shortly afterwards.

It appears that the fatal liquid had been stored in a wine bottle similar to those that were used in the bar. The waitress had seen the bottle and simply put it in the fridge with the others. Because the undiluted liquid was then served cold it had eliminated the possible smell that would have indicated something wasn’t right.

The appearance, colour and texture were

SAFER SUMMER BEACHES

The View

identical to that of a glass of wine.

The director of the department of Gastroenterology at Castellón General Hospital, José Antonio Martín, warned that ingesting even a small amount of such a concentrated liquid can be lethal.

“It starts burning immediately. If it is potent, it can burn and puncture the oesophagus and stomach.”

According to Spanish news agencies, Lorente's body will undergo a post mortem to determine the cause of death, and the owner of Bar Raconet has been questioned by police and could face charges. He was due to appear before a judge on Tuesday.

Cheers from abroad

A

s from tomorrow (Saturday), the Prevention Vigilance and Rescue service provided by Red Cross lifeguards, will start on all of Torrevieja's beaches (Cala Piteras, Los Náufragos, El Cura, Piscinas Naturales del Paseo Marítimo Juan Aparicio, Los Locos, Cabo Cervera and La Mata).

They will be on duty from 11am to 7pm and there will be 44 of them every day for the mid season dates from June 21st to 28th and August 31st to September 20th, while in the high season from June 29th to August 30th, there will be 75.

As usual, there will also be a free adapted swimming service for people with disabilities at Los Náufragos and Los Locos and the artificial pools by the Paseo de Juan Aparicio. The service can be requested by calling the Red Cross on 965 71 18 18 and includes transport to the requested beach

for a swim and then back home again.

There will be 26 points with towers near the sea and lifeguards, 9 first aid huts in the high season and 5 in the mid season, 2 rescue jet skis, a Basic Life Support ambulance with a defibrillator and three Advanced Medical Points equipped to deal with emergencies with multiple wounded.

All the lifeguard points will have identification bracelets to locate children or elderly people who may get lost, each of which has a unique number for security.

Don’t forget, that the warning flags are there for a reason on the local beaches.

GREEN means it’s safe to swim; YELLOW means it’s relatively safe, but swimmers should be aware of some of the stronger waves; RED simply means DO NOT ENTER the water, however strong a swimmer you may be. You not only put your own life at stake, but those of the rescuers too.

A

rran Brewery has set up a Spanish subsidiary and opened warehouses near Zaragoza to help boost its business in southern Europe.

The island based crafter beer maker made its bow in the country almost two years ago by appearing at the ArteBeer event.

It was successful in securing listings in specialist beer shops and then began sending kegs of its beers to bars around Spain.

Gerald Michaluk, Arran owner, said the decision to invest in the warehouses reflected the growing sales the business is seeing in that part of Europe and he hopes to add further workers in Spain in the coming months.

He said: "Our expansion in Spain is a result of the growing demand for craft beer and with our two Spanish brewers on staff we

have a natural affinity with Spanish.

"Sales have been growing steadily in both France and Spain and we felt it was time to open our own warehouse to ensure beer is kept in perfect condition for that market."

Earlier this year Arran opened an office in the United States and registered as an importer there.

Mr Michaluk has only recently returned from visiting prospective distributors in six US states.

He added: "The US visit is the start of our invasion of the American market and we have had a very good response and hope to announce the first six of our distributors later in the year with our beers being in market for Halloween."

Arran's beers include Arran Blonde, Dark and Sunset.

Airways, and Air Berlin.

IATA says that the new guidelines are not compulsory; airlines are still free to allow whatever size bags on their planes that they want. But it doesn’t take a devious mind to imagine that plenty will use it as an excuse to force more people to check luggage into the hold. Indeed, some airlines already have, including Lufthansa and Emirates. For Lufthansa, who previously accepted the EU size above, this means it is

cutting its luggage allowance by close to 30%.

IATA says it is concerned that overhead storage has become too full. This may be true. Such is the squash above passengers' heads that sometimes those at the back of the queue are forced to stow their hand luggage in the hold anyway. But could there be another motive here? Last year, according to IATA, American carriers alone made $3.5 billion from luggage fees.

ALL CHANGE FOR THE BAGS

T

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced a new initiative to optimize the accommodation of carry­on bags given differing carry­on bag sizes and airline policies.

Working with airline members of IATA and aircraft manufacturers, an optimum size guideline for carry­on bags has been agreed that will make the best use of cabin storage space. A size of 55 x 35 x 20 cm (or 21.5 x 13.5 x 7.5 inches) means that theoretically everyone should have a chance to store their carry­on bags on board aircraft of 120 seats or larger.

An “IATA Cabin OK” logo to signify to airline staff that a bag meets the agreed size guidelines has been developed. A number of major international airlines have signalled their interest to join the initiative and will soon be introducing the guidelines into their operations.

“The development of an agreed optimal cabin bag size will bring common sense and order to the problem of differing sizes for carry­on bags. We know the current situation can be frustrating for passengers. This work will help to iron out inconsistencies and lead to an improved passenger experience,” said Tom Windmuller, IATA’s Senior Vice

President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.

IATA is working with baggage tracking solutions provider Okoban to manage the approval process of bag manufacturers. Each bag meeting the dimensions of the specifications will carry a special joint label featuring IATA and Okoban as well as a unique identification code that signals to airline staff that the bag complies with the optimum size guidelines.

Several major baggage manufacturers have developed products in line with the optimum size guidelines, and it is expected bags carrying the identifying label will start to reach retail shops later this year.

Recognition of the IATA Cabin OK logo is expected to grow with time as more airlines opt­in to this IATA initiative.

Many are asking whether these new restrictions will eventually creep into the popular budget airlines used to and from Spain which comply to EU sizes, especially as a number of people already have bags of the “right­size”!. These are H­50cm x W­40cm x D­20cm – the width being the significant difference – and are accepted on most of the budget airlines including Ryanair, Jet2, Easyjet, FlyBe, Finnair, Swissair, Aer Lingus, Czech Airlines, Iberia, Air Malta, Norwegian

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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THE LONGEST OF ALL DAYS T

he summer solstice always occurs between June 20 and June 22, but because the calendar doesn’t exactly reflect the earth’s rotation, the precise time shifts slightly each year. This year, the sun will reach its greatest height in the sky for the Northern Hemisphere on June 21 at 12:38 P.M. Here are a few more facts and figures about the date and the history behind some of the celebrations.

THE SUN WILL BE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT THE TROPIC OF CANCER. While the entire Northern Hemisphere will see its longest day of the year on the summer solstice, the sun is only directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer (23 degrees 27 minutes north latitude).

THE NAME COMES FROM THE FACT THAT THE SUN APPEARS TO STAND STILL. The term “solstice” is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because the sun’s relative position in the sky at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice and its surrounding days. The rest of the year, the Earth’s tilt on its axis—roughly 23.5 degrees—causes the sun’s path in the sky to rise and fall from one day to the next.

THE HOT WEATHER FOLLOWS THE SUN BY A FEW WEEKS. You may wonder why, if the solstice is the longest day of the year—and thus gets the most sunlight—the temperature usually doesn’t reach its annual peak until a month or two later. It’s because water, which makes up most of the Earth’s surface, has a high specific heat, meaning it takes a while to both heat up and cool down. Because of this, the Earth’s temperature takes about six weeks to catch up to the sun.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHER AT STONEHENGE TO CELEBRATE. People have long believed that Stonehenge was the site of ancient druid solstice celebrations because of the way the sun lines up with the stones on the winter and summer solstices. While there’s no proven connection between Celtic

solstice celebrations and Stonehenge, these days, thousands of modern pagans gather at the landmark to watch the sunrise on the solstice. Last year, 37,000 people attended.

IN ANCIENT EGYPT, THE SOLSTICE HERALDED THE NEW YEAR. In Ancient Egypt, the summer solstice preceded the appearance of the Sirius star, which the Egyptians believed was responsible for the annual flooding of the Nile that they relied upon for agriculture. Because of this, the Egyptian calendar was set so that the start of the year coincided with the appearance of Sirius, just after the solstice.

IN ALASKA, THE SOLSTICE IS CELEBRATED WITH A MIDNIGHT BASEBALL GAME. Each year on the summer solstice, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks celebrate their status as the most northerly baseball team on the planet with a game that starts at 10:30 and stretches well into the following morning—without the

need of artificial light—known as the Midnight Sun Game. The tradition originated in 1906 and was taken over by the Goldpanners in their first year of existence, 1960.

THE EARTH IS ACTUALLY AT ITS FARTHEST FROM THE SUN DURING THE SOLSTICE. You might think that because the solstice occurs in summer that it means the Earth is closest to the sun in its elliptical revolution. However, the Earth is actually closest to the sun when the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter and is farthest away during the summer solstice. The warmth of summer comes exclusively from the tilt of the Earth’s axis, and not from how close it is to the sun at any given time.

IRONICALLY, THE SOLSTICE MARKS A DARK TIME IN SCIENCE HISTORY. Legend has it that it was on the summer solstice in 1633 that Galileo recanted his declaration that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around.

AN ALTERNATIVE CALENDAR HAD AN EXTRA MONTH NAMED AFTER THE SOLSTICE. In 1902, a British railway system employee named Moses B. Cotsworth attempted to institute a new calendar system that would standardize the months into even four­week segments. To do so, he needed to add an extra month to the year. The additional month was inserted between June and July and named Sol because the summer solstice would always fall during this time. Despite Cotsworth’s traveling campaign to promote his new calendar, it failed to catch on.

ANCIENT ROME HONORED THE GODDESS VESTA ON THE SOLSTICE. In Rome, midsummer coincided with the festival of Vestalia, which honored Vesta, the Roman goddess who guarded virginity and was considered the patron of the domestic sphere. On the first day of this festival, married women were allowed to enter the temple of the Vestal virgins, from which they were barred the rest of the year.

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SPAIN RE-WELCOMES SEPHARDIC JEWS

A

fter months of speculation, Spain's lower house has approved a new citizenship law allowing descendants of the Jews forced to flee the country in 1492 to receive Spanish passports.

The Sephardic Ancestry Bill will enable an estimated 2.2 million descendants of the expelled Jews to apply for Spanish citizenship, which they could hold alongside an additional citizenship. So far, only citizens of South American countries, Andorra, Portugal and Spain's colonies enjoyed these rights.

“This law says much about who we were in the past and who we are today and what we want to be in the future, an open, diverse and tolerant Spain,” Justice Minister Rafael Catalá told reporters outside the parliament building.

The legislation, which passed with a wide majority and with support from all the largest parties, is a rare gesture out of Europe, where anti­Semitism and other ethnic tensions have been on the rise in recent years. It was first proposed as the Sephardic Ancestry Bill in 2012, igniting self­reflection and dragging up painful memories among the global community of Sephardic Jews.

The vote followed the approval in March of a similar citizenship plan in Portugal for Sephardic Jews whose ancestors were forced to leave that country. While some hoped a "Spanish sounding" last name would be enough to receive Spanish citizenship, the process itself is not so simple.

The conditions required to submit a request for citizenship have been thought out by Spanish authorities to the most minute detail and span over 10 pages, including a detailed description of a requirement to prove a family connection to the Jews that were expelled 523 years ago.

Citizenship applications could be based on family documents kept throughout the generations, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, a Ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) written according to the tradition of the Castile Jews, and other similar documents. Requests can also be based on the demonstration of control of Ladino (a Judaeo­

Spanish language) or Haketia (an endangered Jewish­ Moroccan Romance language).

On the list of conditions, which will be examined as a whole, the legislation details what documents could strengthen the application further, including documents from the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain, an approval from a certified rabbinate authority, or any other documents to show the descendants kept Spanish tradition.

Those seeking Spanish citizenship will also be asked to prove links to Spain with documents confirming the applicant took classes in Spanish history or culture. Applicants will also be asked to pass what is described as an "integration" test of familiarity with the Spanish language.

Sephard is the name for Spain in Hebrew. After the Jews were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula along with the former Muslim rulers there, they spread far and wide in North Africa, through the Ottoman Empire and beyond. Estimates of their numbers around the world number as high as 3.5 million. In Turkey, for generation after generation, they continued to speak Ladino, a variation of Spanish and a few still do. But with the creation of Israel in 1948 and the Arab nationalist backlash in many countries where Sephardic Jews previously felt fairly secure, many moved to Israel, while others went to Europe and the Americas—and even back to Spain, where the Sephardic population is now estimated at 40,000.

The Spanish government expects that with the new law around 90,000 more will apply for Spanish citizenship, although it is not certain how many will actually meet the requirements. Among the applicants are thousands of Israelis who have bombarded immigration lawyers and the Spanish embassy in Tel Aviv with requests over the past few years.

While many older Israelis are seeking citizenship as a matter of pride, says Adam Yadid, an Israeli lawyer advising Sephardi­Israelis on the application process, many from the entrepreneurial younger generations, hope to use the

opportunity as a means of gaining access to the European Union. A Spanish passport would give them freedom to work anywhere in the European Union and to travel freely throughout most of the continent.

The application process is set to start officially in October and will be valid for three years only, with a possible fourth year extension—a condition that lawyers familiar with the Sephardic Jewish community say may not be enough time to gather the appropriate paperwork.

In 1492 Roman Catholic King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, having taken the last Muslim stronghold at Granada, issued the Alhambra Decree, which ordered Jews to convert to Catholicism or face death, in many instances by being burned at the stake in the ongoing horror show of the Inquisition. During this brutal period of expulsions, executions and forced conversions, Amiras’ family moved from Catalonia to what was then the Ottoman controlled city of Salonica, now Thessaloniki, Greece, and then to Izmir, Turkey, where they lived for many generations before finally emigrating to Argentina.

“During the time of the Inquisition the Ottoman emperor said, ‘What a stupid man, that Spanish king, now my empire will become the strongest in the world,’” says Amiras, explaining that the influx of Jewish doctors, merchants and intellectuals proved an economic boon for the Divine Port.

That lesson has not been forgotten. While the Spanish government asserts that the move is about making amends, critics point to Spain’s economic interests in encouraging Jews to return. In addition to the Ottoman Empire, history has witnessed a number of economic upturns that came as a result of the transplant of Jewish communities, including in Argentina, Mexico and even Egypt.

Among the famous Sephardic Jews are Benjamin Disraeli, Vidal Sassoon, Peter Sellers, Bob Dylan, Cecil B De Mille, Sam Costa and Neil Sedaka.

Peter Sellers

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

LIKE IT OR GRUMP IT DONNA GEE’S VIEW YOUR VIEW ON Mr Coleman, it’s DONNA’S VIEW time to bring H back your cane D

uring my time in junior school, I was petrified of the cane in Mr Coleman’s study.

As headmaster, he was the only teacher allowed to dish out punishment to errant 10-year-olds.

I worked hard to make sure I never crossed him, or any other teacher for that matter.

When I think back, the fear of bamboo on youthful fingers was the biggest deterrent of all in keeping boisterous pupils on the straight and narrow.

My Dad wasn’t averse to clipping me around the ear when I stepped out of line at home; indeed he occasionally whacked me on the back of the head and was promptly ticked off by my stepmother for overstepping the mark.

“Jack, that’s dangerous,’’ she’d complain. ‘’If you must hit the child, a smack on the leg is sufficient.’’

To anyone under 40, the above scenario must sound Dickensian and to some extent it was. But whilst I was a bit of a naughty kid at home, I made sure I kept on the right side of the school authorities.

Only once was I marched to Mr Coleman’s study and that was for stupidly lobbing a lump of coal onto the school playground. Don’t ask me where the coal came from because I haven’t a clue.

Mind you, this was South Wales and at the time I was very much a

minor. Anyway, you can imagine how this cowardly coal-chucker reacted when the headmaster brought out his cane.

I burst into a flood of tears and apologies... and literally begged for mercy.

My emotional plea had the desired effect on Mr C, though I’ll never know if the cane would have hurt my hand more than his alternative punishment – the exertion of writing by hand 100 times, ‘I shall not deliver coal to the school playground’.

Even the most badly-behaved kids I grew up with were angels compared to the arrogant, rebellious, knife-carrying yobs of 2015.

And I am convinced the appalling behaviour of so many 21st-century youngsters is rooted in the absence of physical discipline.

What makes it worse is that in many cases, the parents of these kids are as bad as their offspring because they also grew up knowing they could take liberties with adults with no fear of punishment.

The fear of physical retribution certainly taught kids of my generation to respect authority. And you’ll struggle to find anyone over 60 who doesn’t agree with that sentiment.

I’ve a message for David Cameron his Commons cronies.

Corporal punishment works. And

it’s largely because Britain has abandoned corporal punishment that young yobs and yobesses run riot everywhere from Manchester to Magaluf.

I have never come across anyone who was permanently damaged, either physically or mentally, by the after-effects of six of the best. In fact, every victim I’ve spoken to said the experience did them good.

But try telling that to the politically correct dummies of Westminster who decided in 1987 to outlaw corporal punishment in state-run schools.

The idealists had a ridiculous conception that they could sit brain-dead Neanderthals on their knee and talk sense into them.

Instead, we saw the emergence of a superbreed of yob - the poten-

tially violent rebels whose behaviour is prompting more and more teachers to turn their backs on the profession they used to love.

When the cane was king, the morons didn’t bother going to school.

These days they revel in the opportunity to intimidate the helpless men and women charged with educating them.

With no fear of painful retribution, they bombard their teachers with insolence and defiance, hoping to push their helpless victim ‘over the top’.

Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in political attitudes, I despair of the UK escaping the scourge of the blood-and-plunder demon it has brought on itself.

A scum society of scallies is running amok while their mothers and

Counting the cost of a pregnant paws I

fell instantly in love with the five tiny pairs of eyes staring at me from the patio terrace, even if it was tantamount to experiencing Heaven and Hell at the same moment.

As the only local resident soft (or stupid) enough to feed the neigh­ bourhood waifs and strays, I’ve been sitting for years on a potential Mog­otov Cocktail in the form of a feral population explosion outside my back door.

However, since the alternative would have been to lie awake each night feeling the hunger pains of starving cats, I felt I had no option.

Trapping and neutering the ferals has cost me a fortune in food and veterinary fees ­ and I’ve also missed out on a few holidays for fear of the menagerie going unfed. There’s no question of putting them in kennels since it’s virtually impossible to lay hands on them.

I’m told some animal charities have feral­cat programmes which include helping to catch adults and assisting with veterinary fees. If that’s true, all I can say is ....HELP! Meanwhile, I apologise for any offence caused by the shameless be­ haviour of an exhibitionist mother­of­five on my patio. Multiple bre­ ast feeding is not permitted in full view of passers by ­ and certainly not when those involved are occupying rent­free accommodation.

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

i Donna, We read with interest your article on EDP. We arrived at Roda Golf on June 5, to be told by Ro­ daFM, our property manage­ ment company, that our gas supply had been disconnected; they had kindly paid the outs­ tanding €80 and we could ex­ pect to be reconnected within 48 hours, the time frame EDP expected from their suppliers.

We have been with EDP since 2007 and have never defaul­ ted. Our most recent bills with our other electricity and water companies have all been paid.

However, EDP told us our bank account details were no longer on their system. We checked with our bank who confirmed EDP had not re­ quested any payment in April As of June 12 we remain disconnected even though we, Roda FM and our solicitor have all been told we remain a prio­ rity for reconnection.

With every phone call we are given different versions. The fact remains they cut us off through their administrative failure and we remain at their mercy as to when we will be reconnected.

MIKE & MARGARET RADFORD

fathers enjoy the pleasantries of a comfortable jail cell or are out of their minds on drink and drugs.

These lowlifes are a tiny minority, yet they are destroying British society.

They respect nobody, live off the proceeds of stealing, mugging, drug pushing and benefits fraud - and even a step up into the gutter is too high a hurdle to jump.

In a country where the police are not even armed, there is little chance of ridding Britain of these scumbags, or of educating them.

Personally, I’m all for establishing a no-nonsense UK Guardia Civil to sort the problem out Spanish style, by treating the yobs in the only way they understand.

Is there a realistic solution? I’m sure the ex-policemen and other law enforcers among The View’s readers will have something to say about that.

But those of you who grew up in the days when attacks on schoolteachers were unheard of will probably view the situation the same way as I do.

To hell with all this political correctness.

Mr Coleman, your cane is needed. Desperately.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

COASTLINE VERSUS COMMERCE

I

centre in Cartagena and the rail network in general, a twin bore rail tunnel would need to be blasted into and through the Punta Escucha headland. In 2014, the estimated cost of such a venture stood at just over one thousand million euros and most likely has increased substantially by now.

Portman, which comes under the umbrella of La Union, were not happy when this scheme surfaced in 2013/ 2014 and have certainly not had a change of heart since! With the cleanup of The Bay of Portman, (after a couple of false starts), now looking to actually take place, the thought of a massive concrete and granite structure, pushing out from El Gorguel Bay, to enable massive container ships and tankers, to off load their cargos, is an appalling thought. After the eventual clean up, a new beach, with imported sand, would complete the project.

Concern now, is with the man made harbour wall jutting out into the Mediterranean. Sea currents would change dramatically, with every likelihood that the newly created beach will be swept away with the first stormy weather. With the possibility of oil leaking from vessels and from cargo transfer actions, this is something the good councillors of La Union, can well do without.

Ecologists are concerned over the effect this project will have on wild life and delicate plant life that thrives so well on these sparsely inhabited headlands.

Way back in 2014, Cartagena Port Headland.

Authority boss, Sr. Angel Viudes, was

t was early in 2013 that the Port Authority in Cartagena spread blueprints and drawings from respected architects across boardroom tables in Cartagena Town Hall to discuss in detail, the possibility of the construction of a massive oil, gas and container port in the Bay of El Gorguel, which nestles between Portman and Escombreras, Cartagena, within the shadow of the Sierra de la Fausilla.

This "Flagship" project from the Port Authority, would see the eventual creation of some 3,000 jobs. The design was such that, vessels of 300 meters able to carry 10,000 containers, would be able to anchor alongside. It is estimated that initially, some two million tonnes of freight would be handled by the new container depot, rising to perhaps three and a half million, by year two. This would equate to the new port handling something in the region of three million freight containers a year.

To enable the containers to reach the existing distribution

El Gorguel Bay and

The way to El Gorguel Bay.

reported as saying, "If a few dolphins are upset about more ships coming past, they should go somewhere else". Sr. Viudes also commented, "I get annoyed every night about my neighbour’s dog barking, but I don't complain."

Just some views from Sr. Viudes that have not eased the minds of local ecologists.

In the last few days, Cartagena has decided upon its new Mayor, Jose Lopez from the Citizen Movement Party. His views on this contentious issue are eagerly awaited by the Port Authority, the good people of Portman, La Union and ecologists around the world.

This massive investment by The Port Authority of Cartagena, will provide employment for some 3,000 people, along with income on a regular basis into the city's town hall coffers. The destruction of the delicate environment will be final.

A difficult one to call, and it's not going away, anytime soon!

Robert W Barnes.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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12 THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO – 200 YEARS ON Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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any significant events in British history are commemorating significant milestones in 2015. As featured in THE VIEW, last week saw the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Two hundred years ago yesterday (Thursday), the Battle of Waterloo took place.

In August 1814, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, twenty five years of war finally came to an end with the surrender of the Emperor Napoleon himself and his banishment to the Mediterranean island of Elba. The European powers then began the task of restoring their continent to normality and peace.

But on 1st March 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba and landed in France. Nineteen days later he was in Paris, resumed his title as Emperor and his army rallied to him. The soldiers who had been captured during the years of fighting had been released enabling Napoleon to reform his Grande Armée. As a response, the European allies reassembled their armies and prepared to resume the war to overthrow the Emperor yet again.

Napoleon resolved to attack the British, Prussian, Belgian and Dutch armies before the other powers could come to their assistance. He marched into Belgium.

The Prussians under Marshall Blucher were defeated at Ligny and driven away to the East. Napoleon sent Marshall Grouchy in pursuit while he advanced on Wellington’s army.

The first battle was at the cross roads called Quatre Bras. The British and their allies were forced to withdraw towards Brussels.

Assured by Blucher that he would join him for the conclusive battle, Wellington on the afternoon of 17th June 1815 halted on the ridge along the Brussels road south of Soignies where he resolved to give battle to the French.

The Duke of Wellington took up a position on the Brussels road where it emerges from the woods of Soignies south of the village of Waterloo. The road crosses a low ridge and descends into a valley before rising on the other side to a further ridge. In the valley, below the first crest, lay La Haye Sante Farm and on the road at the southern side of the valley, below the second crest, stood La Belle Alliance Farm.

During most of the battle the Germans occupied La Haye Sante and the French used La Belle Alliance as a headquarters.

To the North of the first crest the Namur road crossed the Brussels road. The main British, German, Belgian and Dutch positions lay along the Namur road, behind the first crest.

The French approach to the battle was up from the country to the South of La Belle Alliance.

In the valley to the front of the right wing of the British line stood Hougoumont Farm, the key to Wellington’s right flank.

Held by the light companies of the Coldstream and Third Guards, there would be fighting around Hougoumont all day.

Lying by the road leading to the centre of Wellington’s position the capture of La Haye Sante was a crucial goal for the French army. To the East of the Duke’s army lay Papelotte, another farm that would be the centre of a ferocious struggle, particularly as the Prussian Army appeared on the field at the end of the afternoon.

In the Duke’s centre stood the farm of Mont St Jean, used as a headquarters and hospital.

It rained heavily during the night of 17th June 1815. The French artillery commanders insisted that the attack did not begin until the ground had dried out sufficiently for the guns to manoeuvre without sticking in the mud. The French attack began at 11am.

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO 18 JUNE 1815 1100 ­ The French bombardment of Hougoumont Farm, on the extreme right of the Allied line, began the battle. The British artillery on the ridge behind the farm replied, cannonading the French infantry massed for the attack on the far side of the valley.

1200 ­ Prince Jerome ordered the assault on Hougoumont and the French infantry columns of his division moved forward to begin the day long struggle around the farm buildings.

1330 ­ Marshal Ney brought forward 74 French guns over the ridge opposite La Haye Sante followed by the 17,000 infantry of D’Erlon’s corps to begin the attack on the Duke of

Wellington’s centre and left.

The French cannonade began and was later described by veterans as the heaviest they had experienced. The Duke ordered his infantry battalions to move behind the ridge and to lie down and this had the effect of shielding them from the worst of the cannonade. Only Bilandt’s Belgian­Dutch Brigade was left on the exposed slope and suffered heavily.

After half an hour the barrage stopped, giving way to the roar of drums as Ney’s columns advanced to the attack. The French infantry passed La Haye Sante and marched up to the crest of the ridge, where Picton’s 5th division was positioned.

As part of the advance a furious assault began on La Haye Sante, held by the King’s German Legion, which was to continue intermittently for the rest of the day until the German troops ran out of ammunition and were finally overwhelmed.

As the French infantry approached the hedge at the top of the ridge the line of British infantry stood, fired a volley and charged, driving back the massed French columns.

Cavalry formations were ordered to charge in support of the infantry attack; the Household Brigade (1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards), the Union Brigade (Royals, Scots Greys and Inniskillings) and Vivian’s Hussar Brigade (10th and 18th Hussars and 1st Hussars, King’s German Legion).

It is notoriously difficult to pull up cavalry committed to an attack and the British regiments did not readily respond to the recall orders. In particular the Union Brigade continued to attack across the valley. These regiments charged up to the French gun line on the far ridge where they were in turn

DUKE OF WELLINGTON

overwhelmed by French cavalry.

General Ponsonby, commanding the Union Brigade was killed.

It is of note that of the three regiments in the Union Brigade two, the Greys and Inniskillings, had not served in the Peninsula and lacked battle experience.

1500 ­ There was a lull in the battle, the only active fighting being the continuing attack on Hougoument at the western end of the line which had been sucking in more and more of Reille’s corps.

The battle began slowly swinging in the Allies favour as Blucher’s Prussian Army arrived on the field in the South­ East.

Napoleon ordered Ney to capture La Haye Sante, considering the farm to be the key to the Allied position. Ney launched this assault with two battalions he found to hand and during the operation formed the view that the Allied army was withdrawing. It is likely that the movements he saw were casualties or prisoners moving to the rear.

It was on this impetuous assumption that Ney launched the massive cavalry attack on the Allied line. Initially the attacking force was to be Milhaud’s Cavalry Corps of Cuirassiers.

Before the French could reach the Allied line the infantry formed squares interlaced with artillery batteries. The French cuirassiers flowed around the squares but were unable to penetrate them. During the next three hours some twelve cavalry attacks were made up to the ridge and back.

Napoleon while deprecating the initial attack as premature felt bound to commit increasing numbers of cavalry to support the assault.

1730 ­ Ney launched the final cavalry assault. There were too many regiments, fresh mingled with exhausted. The attack failed yet again. Ney now, far too late, launched the sustained infantry assault on La Haye Sante which was overwhelmed. By now the Prussian assault in the South East on Plancenoit was seriously threatening the French position.

Sure that the Allied line was at breaking point, Ney sent desperately to the Emperor for more troops to attack.

Napoleon was at this point deploying the Guard to drive the Prussians back from Plancenoit. Once this had been achieved he resolved to launch the Guard at the main Allied line. By this time Wellington had reorganised his forces and the opportunity that Ney had, this time, correctly identified had passed.

The Guard marched up to La Haye Sante for the attack.

There Napoleon stood aside and left the command to Ney. Ney led the five battalions up the left hand side of the Brussels road. As they climbed the ridge they came under fire from a curve of batteries assembled to meet them. A deserting French cavalry officer had warned of the Guard’s advance.

The Middle Guard threw back the British battalions of Halkett’s Brigade but were assaulted by the Belgian and Dutch troops of General Chassé and Colonel Detmers who drove them back down the hill.

The 3rd Regiment of Chasseurs approached the ridge opposite Maitland’s Brigade of Foot Guards (2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Foot Guards). Wellington called to the brigade commander “Now Maitland. Now’s your time”. One

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

HOUGOUMONT

authority had him as saying “Up Guards, ready”. The Foot Guards stood, fired a volley and charged with the bayonet driving the French Guard back down the hill.

The last of the French Guard regiments, the 4th Chasseurs came up in support as the British Guards withdrew back over the ridge. Sir John Colborne brought the 52nd Foot round to outflank the French column as it passed his brigade, fired a destructive volley into the left flank of the Chasseurs and attacked with the bayonet. The whole of the Guard was driven back down the hill and began a general retreat to the cry of “La Garde recule”.

Within fifteen minutes Wellington appeared on the skyline and waved his hat to give the signal for a general attack in pursuit of the French troops. The British, Belgian, Dutch and German troops poured forward and the French retreat became a route. Three battalions of the Old Guard fought to the end to enable the Emperor to escape from the battlefield as the Allied troops including the Prussians closed in. General Cambronne is reputed to have answered a call to surrender with the words “The Guard dies but does not surrender”.

HOUGOUMONT CHATEAU

LIONS MOUND

who nominated Lieutenant Colonel McDonnell of the Coldstream Guards for his defence of Hougoumont. Colonel McDonnell gave half the sum to Sergeant Graham.

Annually the Coldstream Guards celebrate the defence of Hougoumont with the ceremony of the hanging of the brick.

The farm of La Haye Sante stood on the west side of the main Brussels road beneath the ridge, two hundred metres in front of the centre of the Allied position. As the Emperor Napoleon urged on Marshal Ney, La Haye Sante was the key to the Allied line and had to be taken at all costs.

The garrison to whom it fell to resist the French attack that began soon after D’Erlon’s assault was found from the Major Baring’s 2nd Light Battalion of Colonel Baron Ompteda’s 2nd King’s German Legion Brigade.

The King’s German Legion had expected only to spend the night in the farm and did not discover until the morning that they were to hold it for the battle. By then the main gates had been used on the camp fires and few preparations could be made to put the farm in a state of defence in the time left.

The garrison were largely spectators as D’Erlon’s attack swept past and up the ridge to the main Allied position to be pursued back to their lines by the British cavalry counter­ attack.

It was then that Ney’s attack on the farm was launched on the direction of the Emperor. From that moment the King’s German Legion troops fought for their lives until late in the afternoon, when with ammunition finished and the farm in flames, the garrison was annihilated or driven out. 39 of some 360 survived.

The small chateau of Hougoumont stood before the extreme right of the Allied position. The Duke of Wellington formed the view that the chateau was the key to his flank and garrisoned it with the light companies of the Coldstream and 3rd Foot Guards under Lieutenant Colonel James MacDonnell of the Coldstream Guards. Nassauers and guardsmen held the woods to the front of the building.

The British troops took over the range of buildings on 17th June and spent the night fortifying them, building fire steps and loop holing the walls. All the gates were blocked other than the main gate on the northern side to provide access.

At 11am on 18th June Prince Jerome’s division began the battle with his attack on Hougoumont, the French driving the The British, Belgians, Dutch and Germans lost 15,000 Nassauers out of the woods and attacking the chateau. casualties or one in four engaged. The Prussians lost 7,000.

The French surged around the buildings and rushed the The casualties of the French army are estimated at 25,000 main gate in the face of a rush of British guardsmen headed dead and wounded, 8,000 prisoners and 220 guns lost.

by Colonel MacDonnell to keep them out. The gate was Some portions of the terrain on the battlefield have been damaged and there ensued a struggle by the British to shut altered from their 1815 appearance. Tourism began the day the gate and by the French to force it open. MacDonnell and after the battle, with Captain Mercer noting that on 19 June "a his party of officers and sergeants forced the gate shut and carriage drove on the ground from Brussels, the inmates of Sergeant Graham of the Coldstream put the bar in place. The which, alighting, proceeded to examine the field." In 1820, few French who had penetrated the farm were hunted the Netherlands' King William I ordered the construction of a through the farm buildings. monument. The Lion's Hillock, a giant mound, was During the rest of the day Hougoumont was subjected to a sustained attack by Jerome’s troops with assistance from a further division. The garrison was reinforced NAPOLEON DEFEATED with more companies from the two Foot Guards battalions of Byng’s Guards Brigade, 2nd/2nd and 2nd/3rd Guards.

When, during the afternoon the supply of ammunition in the chateau became critically low, Sergeant Fraser of the 3rd Guards returned to the main line and returned with a wagon of cartridges, thereby enabling the defence to continue.

By the end of the battle the chateau had been set ablaze by howitzer fire and the buildings were heaped with British casualties. The French were unable to capture Hougoumont and their casualties filled the woods and fields.

Some years later an English clergyman bequeathed £500 to be given to the bravest Briton from the battle.

The selection was referred to the Duke of Wellington

THE CASUALTIES AND THE AFTERMATH

constructed here using 300,000 cubic metres (390,000 cu yd) of earth taken from the ridge at the centre of the British line, effectively removing the southern bank of Wellington's sunken road.

Victor Hugo writes the following in Les Miserables, and is part of Chapter VI ­ Napoleon in a Good Humor: Everyone is aware that the variously inclined undulations of the plains, where the engagement between Napoleon and Wellington took place, are no longer what they were on 18 June 1815. By taking from this mournful field the wherewithal to make a monument to it, its real relief has been taken away, and history, disconcerted, no longer finds her bearings there. It has been disfigured for the sake of glorifying it. Wellington, when he beheld Waterloo once more, two years later, exclaimed, "They have altered my field of battle!" Where the great pyramid of earth, surmounted by the lion, rises to­day, there was a hillock which descended in an easy slope towards the Nivelles road, but which was almost an escarpment on the side of the highway to Genappe. The elevation of this escarpment can still be measured by the height of the two knolls of the two great sepulchres which enclose the road from Genappe to Brussels: one, the English tomb, is on the left; the other, the German tomb, is on the right. There is no French tomb. The whole of that plain is a sepulchre for France.

However, the alleged remark by Wellington about the alteration of the battlefield as described by Hugo was never documented.

Other terrain features and notable landmarks on the field have remained virtually unchanged since the battle. These include the rolling farmland to the east of the Brussels­ Charleroi Road as well as the buildings at Hougoumont, La Haye Sainte, and La Belle Alliance.

Apart from the Lion Mound, there are several more conventional but noteworthy monuments throughout the battlefield. A cluster of monuments at the Brussels­Charleroi and Braine L'Alleud­Ohain crossroads marks the mass graves of British, Dutch, Hanoverian and King's German Legion troops. A monument to the French dead, entitled L'aigle Blessé ("The Wounded Eagle"), marks the location where it is believed one of the Imperial Guard units formed a square during the closing moments of the battle. A monument to the Prussian dead is located in the village of Plancenoit on the site where one of their artillery batteries took position.

The Duhesme mausoleum is one among the few graves of the fallen and is located at the side of Saint Martin's Church in Ways, a hamlet in the municipality of Genappe. Seventeen fallen officers are buried in the crypt of the British Monument in the Brussels Cemetery in Evere.

The remains of an unknown soldier were discovered in 2012. He was a slightly hunchbacked infantryman, 1.60 metres (5.2 ft) tall, and was hit in the chest by a French bullet. His rifle, coins, and position on the battlefield led experts to believe he was Hanoverian.

Waterloo decisively saw the end of 26 years of fighting between the European powers and France.

The French star was eclipsed and the German began its ascendancy. For Britain, Waterloo is not just a battle. It is an institution.

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Don’t drink drive and drug PARKING MADNESS

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n one week alone, more than 2,600 drivers have been denounced by the Traffic Division of the Guardia Civil (DGT), for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Of these, 622 were tested positive for drugs and the remaining 1,978 for alcohol; in total, 208,782 were undertaken.

This data is a result of a campaign that the DGT launched between 1st and 7th June and aims to stop those breaking the law from using the roads and being a danger to others, let alone themselves.

For a week the DGT conducted 1,909 drug tests on drivers that showed any symptoms of having ingested substances after they’d committed an offense, or had been involved in an accident. Of those subjected to the saliva test for the presence in the body of drugs, 622 were positive (32% of the total) and were subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

The results of the tests showed, as usual, the most used drugs are cannabis (449 cases), cocaine (198) and amphetamines (72). However, in nearly 200 cases, drivers tested positive for more than one substance.

Saliva tests for the detection of drugs in drivers are increasing and in many cases are more widespread than those used for alcohol. In the last 2013 report, 12% of randomly selected drivers tested positive for alcohol and drugs over the legal

limit.

With regard to alcohol in particular, there were 206,873 breathalyser tests, of which 1,978 drivers were positive; most of which, 1,796, were as a result of road blocks and checks. A further 99 came from drivers having committed an offense, another 72 for being involved in an accident and 11 more displaying very obvious symptoms of having been drinking.

The DGT has increased its focus on drivers who habitually get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs and have increased the penalties in the recent reform of the Road Safety Act. 30,000 drivers have been caught in the past year alone and have been fined €1,000 and had 6 points taken off their license. (In Spain, you begin with an amount of points rather than have them added to as in the UK). Each of these offenders had more than

THE NOISE STOPS HERE

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ifteen years after the first complaints about noise, residents in the bar area of Puerto Marina in Benalmadena have won their battle.

Before awarding compensation, the judge considered that the local council had failed to ensure the rights of those affected and has given a deadline for the bars to control their noise or face closure.

The consistent noise levels caused many locals to suffer severe medical conditions with the consequence of missing and losing work, let alone not being able to sleep. The high volume of the music coupled with the noise emanating from the terraces until the very early hours of the morning at the weekends, made normal life impossible for the 31 neighbours that made the initial denuncias in 1998.

Any complaints to the Town Hall resulted in no action whatsoever. When the local police did successfully close down a

couple of bars, they reopened again a few days later.

The residents took the case to court but the Town Hall won. They appealed to the Supreme Court and this time the judge found in their favour and has ordered the Town Hall to take immediate action. The appeal judge took into account both medical and acoustic level reports that hadn’t been allowed as evidence during the first trial. They must also pay compensation to each of the 31 plaintiffs and although amounts haven’t yet been disclosed, judging by a similar case back in 2008 in Torre del Mar, the local council had to pay the residents €150,000 each – the biggest fine ever to date for noise pollution in Spain.

The spokesman for the residents, Francisco Ruiz, welcomed the judgement and said: “David has beaten Goliath!

At last we can rest easy after years of fighting for our rights.”

0.50mg/l of alcohol in the breath test – double the legal limit.

Even though the formal campaign has now finished, the DGT will continue with their random controls of alcohol and drugs and can pop up at any hour of the day or night and on any road with the sole objective of road safety.

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aken in Zenia Boulevard, evidence of the increasing practice of selfish parking sent in to THE VIEW by a reader. If you see anything similar, please send your photos to editor@theview.es

The View

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

Crocker’s Corner

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fter 40 years on the radio CHRIS ASHLEY swaps the microphone for the pen and shares some of his experiences with THE VIEW in a series of articles. This week, he talks about his love of music and a certain Pauline Preston!

“Oy buggerlugs – turn that ruddy row down!” Aahhh the dulcet tones of dear Pater circa 1956. My father did not like Rock ‘n’ Roll, or foreigners, or Hughie Green (well he was Canadian), or Chelsea FC (Fulham fan), but mainly he did not like Rock ‘n’ Roll. But I did, with a passion, from the moment I heard Heartbreak Hotel on American Forces Network (AFN) in Germany.

Why AFN was on the Robert’s tranny (that had a different meaning then) when we lived in Worthing I know not. Worthing was hardly the hub of Be Bop Rock, although we did boast The Girl With The Giggle In Her Voice ­ Ladies & Gentlemen I give you Miss Alma Cogan ­ and at one time, the now Australian citizen, Leo Sayer as a near neighbour in

ALMA COGAN

Shoreham but that is about it – unless you slippery geniuses know better.

Back to Pops and his total disdain for all this rock malarkey. In particular he loathed the said “The Girl With The Giggle In Her Voice.” I now give you “The Georgia Peach Little Richard.” Why did he irk my old man so

LITTLE RICHARD much? Well it could have been an ethnic bugbear or the way he abused the piano at times, playing it with his feet (Daddy played the organ that came out of the bowels of the local flea pit during the interval to ribald comments from the local Teddy Boys). Maybe that he was simply “Little” (Dad was not keen, like Randy Newman, on short people) and at that time he didn’t know he was gay as well ­ Little Richard, not my Dad, although I am an only child. Ummmm?

So that is where my love for good old Rock ‘n’ Roll originated and I wanted in and be part of it, so with my fellow buggerlugs Barry Feast & Tommy Sparks we formed a precursor to Mumford & Sons ­ possibly as we are back in the 50s Mumford & Great Grand Son ­ thought I would get that in before you lot. Yes, we formed a Skiffle Group (children, you will learn about skiffle in ancient history along with the demise of the

Weird Music Lawsuits

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hen Frank Sinatra's estate sued hot dog business 'Franks Anatra', they hit back with baffling explanations for their name. First, they claimed 'Franks' referred to "frankfurters" and Anatra was Italian for "duck" or "drake".

Then, that the name was inspired by fictional country the 'People's Republic Of Anatra'. Suffice to say ­ 'Franks Anatra' lost.

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dinosaur and the Lib Dems). I badgered my Mum to purchase a five quid guitar on the drip from the Kays catalogue ­ page 28 just before the much thumbed page of the corset section. Well, Uncle Hugh Hefner had not started his empire at this time.

Picture it. Me on guitar – Bazza on the washboard – Sparky on tea chest bass and we were called The Gaylords – stop sniggering at the back.! We did a few gigs to general apathy in various village halls attended by the Teds, Kathy Kirby lookalikes & the local vicar.

They all worried me. The Teds with their potential for gratuitous violence if we cocked up Blue Suede Shoes; the pouting K.K. Doppelgangers, way out of our league as they lusted after the rugger bugger with the Sunbeam Alpine wearing string back driving gloves; and the vicar had the demeanour that today the Yew Tree Operation would be on quicker than a robbers dog.

We entered a talent contest in Bognor Regis. Impressed, huh? Bognor is not twinned with any other town or city but it does have a suicide pact with Skegness (Ed the Anorak ­ where the first Butlin’s Holiday Camp was built in 1936). I thank you. With high hopes we did a stunning version of My Old Mans A Dustman and we lost out to a septuagenarian magician making incontinent doves appear from the most obscure places.

GENE VINCENT

he Village People's policeman and lead singer sued the band's current incarnation (they're a bit like the Sugababes) $1million (£675,000) over image issues in 2009, claiming they'd used his image and voice without his consent. He then won a landmark legal case in 2012 which allowed him to reclaim royalties from the track 'YMCA' and other Village People hits he helped write.

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When I say we lost out we were the only two acts in the contest...beaten by dove too...bitter? A tad.

So that was the demise of The Gaylords. My dreams no more than dust, but wait, all was not lost. This sullen, lanky, spotty 15 year old fell in love with Pauline Preston ­ an older woman, she was 20. Five years is nothing now but then it was a quantum libido leap...as that great philosopher Bobby Goldsboro once crooned in Summer, The First Time. “Went to bed a boy woke up a man.” Yep, a coma will do that to you Bob. Now it has to be said Pauline was no Ava Gardner (children see dinosaur reference back a bit) but she had an astoundingly impressive rack of......Gene Vincent records, all 78rpm. (Children – oh forget it, go and play with someone your own age).

Years later I interviewed sweet Gene Vincent, and there was a man with more baggage than Louis Vuitton. As for Pauline Preston, she dumped me for Barry Feast and his washboard. So, let us bring down the curtain on this tragedy of unrequited love and remember how it started some 60 years ago.

Jordanaires if you are ready. Since my Pauline left me, I found a new place to doss.

Down at the end of lonely street...somewhere in Entre Naranjos!

Thank you. Crocker has left the building and his senses.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

The Reader’s 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.

We do our best to publish as many as we can and reserve the right to edit where necessary.

Dear Editor, Enjoyed your reminiscences about holiday camps in this week’s issue which brought back memories of my late teens in the 60s when I belonged to a judo club in Croydon.

We had an annual contract with Warner’s to put on a cabaret display every Saturday night during the peak season at their Sheerness camp. This would start off with about a dozen of us doing a basic judo display demonstrating standard holds and throws.

This would then progress to something more thrilling with swords, daggers, coshes, etc. and more throwing about of bodies. Our finale was a choreographed 'gang fight' on a rooftop. This involved lots of scuffles and bodies being thrown all around the mat.

Then one night, someone accidentally got thrown off the mat, slid across the dance floor into a nearby table much to the immediate dismay of the ladies sitting there but who immediately fussed over and nursed the 'poor' unhurt chap. This had such a good response from them and us that it became a weekly competition in the group to see who could be thrown the furthest! The audience loved it as bodies travelled anything up to about 50ft across the dance floor and it became a permanent, popular feature.

After the show we would return to the bar where we were, hopefully, mobbed again by the ladies still wanting to take further care of us. But that is another story!

Sadly for me I later broke an ankle in a motorbike accident which curtailed my judo exploits.

Barry Weston, Los Dolses Dear Editor, O.M.G. have you opened a can of worms here.

We took our kids to the holiday camps and our choice was Camber Sands with fantastic beaches to rival those of the Costa Blanca. We went ‘cos we couldn't afford ‘owt else. In those days you could send off what you could afford each week and they would record the amount on a card and stamp it a send it back to you.

We always went self catering, again to keep the cost down. For weeks leading up to going away, my wife would purchase a tin of beans or potatoes or peas or something and store it away, so when the holiday came round we had a "food parcel" to take with us. God bless Fray Bentos corned beef and Vesta curry I say.

The kids had a great time, on the beach, in the sea or joining into the camp (different connotation in them days) entertainment. We would put the kids to bed and the camp had patrols that listened out for crying kids and would broadcast it in the ballroom at night if your kid woke and was crying. People would be horrified today that such a thing ever happened but it did.

We couldn't afford to drink from the ballroom bar so we took a bottle of Cinzano Bianco with us, hidden in my wife's bag, and just kept buying glasses of lemonade all evening and topping them up. Just how pickled you got on lemonade was a miracle.

Happy, happy days.

God bless for reminding me.

Tony Goddard, Quesada Dear Editor, Congratulations on your very informative article in edition 4. I now understand that if the worst happens, my state pension will be frozen at its value when initially received in 2005 and my wife's similarly as in 2001.

However, the most important question (in

my opinion) was left somewhere in the mists of an EU article. At present, we both receive excellent treatment under the Spanish Health Service, paid for by the UK NHS. Should the UK leave the EU and refuse to fund our health care, would we then be ineligible for cover under SHS. At our age and with outstanding health conditions, private health insurance would be a big no­no.

On the subject on a vote in the referendum, I believe that we will not be allowed to vote. I find this disgraceful considering that I am to be vastly affected by the result and whilst still a UK taxpayer, as a result of the conditions of my government pension Alex Walker San Miguel de Salinas Editor’s Note: In last week’s edition (5), Robert Oulds addressed your general concerns as being “Blatant Scaremongering” in many quarters on the basis of the law of acquired rights which means once you have the right to something it cannot be removed.

Dear Editor, BLATANT SCAREMONGERING I was interested in what Robert Oulds had to say, but we are still concerned about the Referendum and the possibility of coming out of Europe. I am not sure how things could remain the same as far as the health care is concerned. At the moment we pay a proportion of our prescription and the rest I understand comes from the UK Government, so in the event of us coming out of Europe, who would then pay the difference? Both my husband and I are over 65. I cannot see how things could stay the same and would be grateful of some clarification and also would

our pensions be affected? We enjoy reading The View.

Thank you. Anne Thomas, Quesada Editor’s Note: The belief is that if the UK left the EU, then they would enter into similar agreements as with many other countries – Philippines being one – that wouldn’t affect future healthcare entitlements. .

Dear Editor, Firstly congratulations on producing such a great read each week, lovely to not have to skip pages that only contain adverts.

Is it, or will it be possible in future editions, for you, under your motoring section, to do an article on exactly what paper work you are required to carry in your car?

We have been resident in Spain for 11 years, and have yet to find the definitive list of exactly I would have to produce if ever I was required to do so.

Regards Edward Regler Editor’s Note: I hope you’ve received the reply to your e­mail which gave you the details you require.

Dear Editor, Thank you for the informative letter by Mick Gossage in Edition 5 of The View.

According to my very recent information from the British Treasury dated 2 June 2015, your Editor's note is spot on and the relevant part of the aforementioned Treasury letter was kindly published in the "Talk Quesada", forum Daily Digest on the 9th June 2015. It is signed by the Treasury Minister, David Gauke MP. Many thanks, Ray Harrison

SPANISH & UK LOTTERY WINNING NUMBERS

The View

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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SAN FULGENCIO’S FIRST LADY

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p and down the country last Saturday saw over 8,000 town halls formally elect and confirm their governing teams until 2019.

Someone that was hoping to be one of those was Samantha Hull who stood for the Partido Independiente Por las Nacionalidades (PIPN) in San Fulgencio, and if things had gone to plan would have assumed the role of Deputy Mayor.

Despite the disappointment, Sam is nevertheless the first British female to be part of the council, albeit in opposition.

THE VIEW caught up with Samantha recently.

Before coming to Spain, Samantha obtained a BEng Degree in Information Technology in 1991 from RMCS Military College and after that worked in the IT industry in many positions from computer programmer to corporate sales, installing large computer networks into Merchant Banks in London.

After the birth of her first child in 2002 she moved to Spain although she was no stranger to the area as her parents had bought a house some years earlier and had been coming out for holidays.

“I felt it was a much better environment to bring up my two small children and I believe that my decision was the right one,” said Sam. “They’re now 15 and 17 and fully integrated into the Spanish way of living with mainly Spanish friends and excelling at Senior School and at College and are trilingual (English, Spanish and Valencian).”

Not everyone wants to get involved with politics in any form, so what was it that made Samantha go down that route?

“I had decided when I first came to Spain that my priority was to learn the language in order to help my children with their schooling. Back in 2010 I was asked by Jeff Wiszniewski to help him learn Spanish, and as you do we spent many hours talking about San Fulgencio and the needs of all the people of different nationalities who live here. When it was decided, in early 2011, to form a new political party, PIPN, I was asked to become a candidate for election.”

The party only won a single seat in 2011, but it was an important one as they had the casting vote and were able to

form a coalition with the Partido Popular (PP). The results of the 2015 elections have proved the value of voting and that the minor parties can have a major influence in local government. After May 2011, Sam became a formal advisor and worked in the Office for the Urbanisations helping people of all nationalities in the intervening four years. The success of the PIPN a month ago gave them two seats, including Sam as Number 2 on the list, and will be part of the

opposition group of six councillors to the PP. Whether in government or in opposition, Sam has and will continue to show a dedication in helping the people in area and has been proud of her achievements so far.

“Our main aim is to give everyone the opportunity to live and work and to enjoy their life in this beautiful country. I believe that NO ONE should go without food on their table and that everyone should be given the right to work regardless of nationality or whether they live in the village or on the urbanisations,” she said. “From the desperately needy who are unable to feed or bathe their children, to the bereaved, ill or families of dementia sufferers. To be able to help these truly inspirational people and be invited into a very painful part of their lives has been an honour and a privilege and an experience I will never forget.

“As I have said before, it is a huge achievement to be able to now represent the people of the municipality in which my children have grown up and of which I have such passion. As the first female British councillor of San Fulgencio and the only one currently in Spain (so I am told), I feel an even stronger desire to fight on for the rights of the people living and working here.”

Much has been written in the month since the Municipal Elections about the poor turnout among the non­Spanish, and San Fulgencio was the lowest (46%) in Spain. Samantha has her own thoughts on why.

“There are many reasons such as complacency, apathy, not knowing enough about local politics, being out of the country and not understanding how to apply for the postal vote.

However I think a big reason was the amount of people who thought they could vote and then found out they could not. So many people were turned away from the polling stations thinking they could automatically vote because they had Residencia and were on the Padron. This needs to be explained much more in four years time.”

Samantha may not be a full­time member of the governing party of San Fulgencio but their loss is the gain of THE VIEW as she joins us to become part of our promotions and marketing team.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

£350,000 LEGAL AID SCANDAL

Brit award buzz

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t was probably one of the biggest news items of 2012 and the one that, when the truth eventually came out in the trial, was the most disturbing. Six young people lost their lives because of greed and revenge and a scam that went tragically wrong.

Everyone can remember the now crocodile tears being shed by the parents of the children at a subsequent press conference and as a result of that performance, their case began to unravel. The police and ambulance service were allegedly already aware of what had exactly happened.

Now, in a shocking indictment of the fees being paid to members of the legal profession, the amounts of money spent defending this couple has been made public.

Mick and Mairead Philpott were

provided with more than £350,000 of taxpayer’s money to fund their legal team including four barristers.

The legal aid figure was published by the Mail on Sunday for the first time, after the Ministry of Justice released the information via a Freedom of Information request.

Mick Philpott was jailed alongside his wife Mairead and their friend Paul Mosley, after being found guilty of the manslaughter of Jade Philpott and her brothers John, Jack, Jesse, Jayden and Duwayne, in 2012. All six had died from smoke inhalation, when their parents set fire to their three bedroom council house at 18 Victory Road, Nottingham. The house was demolished in 2013.

Philpott, who was branded a "disturbingly dangerous man", was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years. His

wife, who will probably be free after serving half of her 17­year term, collaborated in the plan to set fire to the couple's home in an effort to frame Philpott’s former mistress.

Former Home Office Minister, Ann Widdecombe, who met Mick Philpott in a 2007 documentary about benefits culture in the UK, was critical of the high legal costs.

"The fact is, it was at the Old Bailey and it was a very expensive trial. But even taking "It says a lot about what barristers charge."

A Legal Aid Agency spokesperson said: "Legal aid means people on trial can have a lawyer to defend them. But if they are found guilty, we do all we can to get the money back."

In this case, the prospect of recovering a single penny is unlikely.

The View

ollowing a study that will most certainly benefit people all around the world, and especially in Spain, British scientist Luke Alphey has been named as one of Europe’s top inventors by the 2015 European Inventor Award for his ground­breaking work on the control of mosquitos.

Launched by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2006, the European Inventor Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes, honouring individuals and teams whose pioneering work provides answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times.

Nominated in the highly competitive research category, Luke narrowly missed out on the top prize but was praised for his ground­breaking research into infectious diseases and mosquitoes.

Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville­Rolfe said: “We are delighted that Luke’s hard work was rewarded with this nomination. Now in its tenth year, the European Inventor Award showcases the importance of intellectual property (IP) in supporting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

“As part of the UK’s long­term economic plan we will continue to deliver anIP system that supports our innovators, creators and entrepreneurs.

This will make sure that Luke, and others like him, maintain the UK’s position as one of the best places in Europe to innovate and protect new ideas ­ and the best place to set up or expand a business.”

Luke has successfully developed a patented method to control insect pests that damage crops and spread disease. By programming an extra gene into mosquito DNA, the resulting mosquito larvae is unable to reach reproductive maturity. The invention has been trailed in countries around the world to control the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads painful infectious diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya.

The View

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

Spanish big screen success

IT’S FINE EVERYWHERE

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panish film makers are in for a welcome boost after some spectacular trends in cinema habits.

The Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) has published a remarkable set of figures for 2014 which showed a 103.51% increase in cinema goers in a year. 22,412,819 people went to watch Spanish movies last year compared to 11,013,000 in 2013. Overall spectator numbers for all types of film increased from 78,690,507 to 87,988,991 during the same period – an increase of almost 12%.

The batch of popular blockbuster Spanish films such as "Ocho apellidos vascos", "La isla mínima", "El niño", and "Torrente 5” is believed to be a major reason for the significant increase, and boosted to over 25% the number of films produced in the country.

Viewing figures determine the amount of grants awarded to the Spanish film industry by central government, so they will be uprated accordingly.

In total, 401 different Spanish feature films (up from 384 in 2013) and 1,189 from abroad were shown in the year in 3,700 cinemas.

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pain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) recorded a total of €421,071,494 in traffic fines imposed and collected between 1st November 2011 and 24th March 2015, reported Miguel Angel Heredia, Secretary General of the PSOE, in a meeting of Parliament.

The statistics, which include data of fines imposed via radar, whether fixed, mobile or from helicopters, reveal that Andalucía was the region where drivers contributed most to the coffers of the State in 2014, to the tune of €27,504,151.

The second region with most paid out in traffic penalties was Castilla y León (€19,157,050), the third was Castilla­La Mancha (€14,981,977) and Madrid was the fourth (€12,148,137.57).

By province, in the Government’s data – which does not take Catalonia and the Basque Country into account as they have their own entities responsible in this respect – the 2014 ranking is led by Madrid (as above) followed by Málaga in second place (€8,698,623), and

Sevilla in third place (€7,715,684).

El Economista reported that, in 2014, the total amount that drivers had to pay to the DGT in penalties reached €129,604,621, which represented an increase of 4.31% over 2013 and 7.27% more than the amount paid in fines in 2012.

As a comparison, UK motorists themselves paid out more in parking fines and tickets last year as UK councils were accused of 'daylight robbery' as they continued to make a 'profit' from their parking operations, especially in London, new data suggests.

The RAC Foundation said councils in the UK made a £667million surplus from their parking operations in 2013/2014 – marking a 12% increase on the previous financial year and the fifth year in a row of rises.

Motorists in London forked out the biggest portion of the money for parking, with the capital accounting for 44% of the total surplus generated over the last year.

SPAIN IN DETAIL CAMPAIGN

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he Spanish Tourism Board (Turespaña) announced on Tuesday the launch of a new global social media campaign "Spain in detail", a competition that showcases the best of Spain, from the most iconic to the most hidden corners in a totally different way.

This campaign will showcase the great diversity of the Spanish tourism on offer from an innovative point of view, in a way never shown before.

Enter into a hypnotic journey to discover the richness and quality of the most important corners of Spain to become a real expert, and what’s more, you will have chance to win a holiday to Spain to explore the beautiful scenery, mouth­watering food

and friendly people. If you already live here, why not recommend this competition to your friends or family?

Twelve of the most charming destinations of Spain will be featured, and it will be your call to find all the smallest details. All the participants can showcase their knowledge about a destination by just seeing a small detail, but wait; don’t delay your response, the fastest wins more points!

The closing date is 17 July to enter the competition and earn points to win trips to Spain or other fantastic prizes.

So what are you waiting for? Log in to spainindetail.com and start playing!

20 ENEMIES FIGHTING EACH OTHER

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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he Taliban has warned the leader of the Islamic State group against waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan, after a string of defections and reported clashes with militants loyal to IS. The Middle Eastern group, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, has never formally acknowledged having a presence in Afghanistan but fears are growing that the group is making inroads in the country.

In a letter addressed to IS leader Abu Bakr al­Baghdadi, the Taliban insisted that "jihad (holy war) against the Americans and their allies must be conducted under one flag and one leadership".

"The Islamic Emirate (Taliban) does not

consider the multiplicity of jihadi ranks beneficial either for jihad or for Muslims," said the letter signed by the Taliban deputy leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor.

"Your decisions taken from a distance will result in (the IS) losing support of religious scholars, mujahideen... and in order to defend its achievements the Islamic Emirate will be forced to react," it added.

The letter, published on the Taliban website in Pashto, Urdu, Arabic and Dari, did not elaborate on its threat.

The statement demonstrates a growing disquiet within the Taliban about the creeping influence and popularity of IS within insurgent ranks, analysts say.

The Taliban have seen defections in recent months ­­ with some insurgents apparently adopting the IS flag to rebrand themselves as a more lethal force as NATO troops depart.

"To their traditional backers, the Taliban are like an expired formula. The Taliban know this and increasingly fear being sidelined," said Kabul­based author and analyst Ahmad Saeedi.

"This letter is a kind of reconciliation proposal to Daesh... telling them that they are on the same boat and they should not fight each other," Saeedi told AFP. The two groups, which espouse different ideological strains of Sunni Islam, are believed to be arrayed against each other in Afghanistan's restive south, with clashes frequently reported.

Last week, local media reported pitched battles between the Taliban and

The View

supporters of IS in eastern Afghanistan, with casualties reported on both sides.

General John Campbell, the commander of NATO forces in the country, last month said the IS group was recruiting fighters in Afghanistan but they were not yet operational.

There have been fears of IS group making inroads in Afghanistan since US­ led NATO forces ended their combat mission late last year, after 13 years of fighting the Taliban.

In February, a NATO drone strike killed Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim, a former Taliban commander and Guantanamo detainee with suspected links to IS, in the volatile southern province of Helmand.

And in March Hafiz Waheed, a successor to Khadim, was killed along with nine others in the Sangin district of Helmand, according to the Afghan defence ministry.

It is not known whether the men had the official sanction of IS, which announced its presence in South Asia a year ago.

NEPAL – OPEN FOR BUSINESS D

Never complain of inflation again Z imbabweans will start exchanging ‘quadrillions’ of local dollars for a few US dollars next week, as the Zimbabwe government gets rid of its almost worthless national currency.

At the height of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis in 2008, Zimbabweans had to carry plastic bags bulging with bank notes to buy basic goods like bread and milk.

Prices were rising at least twice a day. At the time, the annual rate of inflation was 12,875%.

The process will legally end the local currency. The people of Zimbabwe will have until September to turn in their old bank notes and exchange them for US dollars.

If a person has 175,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion) Zimbabwean dollars in their bank account, they will be paid $5.

The largest bank note to be printed by the

Zimbabwe government was worth 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollars. This was not even enough money to ride a public bus to work for a week!

The government said customers who still have piles of old Zimbabwean dollar notes can walk into any bank and get $1 for every $250 trillion they have. That means a person with a 100 trillion dollar bank note will receive 40 cents.

uring the early part of this week, Nepal reopened six heritage sites, including the famed Pashupatinath temple, for the public in a bid to woo tourists back, nearly two months after deadly earthquakes severely damaged some of the country's historic cultural sites and killed nearly 9,000 people.

The six sites, including Pashupatinath, Swoyambhu, Lumbini, Kathmand Durbarsquare, Patan Durbarsquare and Bhaktapur Durbarsquare, enlisted by the UNESCO have been reopened for public.

However, Licchavi­era Hindu shrine Changu Narayan temple which was badly damaged by the earthquake has not been reopened yet for the public, said Chief of National Achieves Shesh Naraan Dahal.

To celebrate the reopening of these venues, Tourism Minister Vakrasur Sherpa attended a grand ceremony which saw performances by dancers and musicians at ancient city of Bhaktapur, 15 kilometres from Kathmandu.

Mr Sherpa said Nepal's heritage sites are safe for the public to visit and appealed to international tourists to visit cultural and natural heritage sites that are not damaged by the two earthquakes of April 25 and May 12 and a number of aftershocks.

"Now Nepal is safe for visitors. So help Nepal by sending your nationals if you want to help Nepal in real sense," the minister said.

Nepalese Tourism Secretary Suresh Man Shrestha said that Nepal currently receives

800,000 tourists and the country needs to make efforts to increase the number of visitors, learning lessons from tiny South Asian country Maldives which receives nearly double the tourists that Nepal.

The cash­strapped Nepal government opted to push ahead with their reopening despite cautionary statements issued by UNESCO last week that visitors to the ruins should "reconsider the necessity of visiting those sites" because they were still in a "precarious" state.

Nepal is still recovering from two major quakes and several aftershocks that have killed nearly 9,000 people and left a trail of destruction at famous cultural sites.

Out of the total 741 shrines across Nepal, 133 were completely destroyed by the earthquake, Mr Shrestha said. He went on to say that in the first year around Rs.1.8 billion budget is required for restoration and renovation of the shrines in the first phase.

Nepal has a huge tourism industry, a top foreign exchange earner for the country that saw an influx of 5,850,981 tourists, including 1,000,505 from India in 2014.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

THE DREAM COMES TRUE AGAIN

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n last week’s edition of THE VIEW, we talked about the golden days of holiday camps. This week we look at one of the great holiday attractions in the south of England and celebrate its reopening today.

Dreamland!

Following an 11­year campaign, the site on the seafront in Margate has been turned into the country's first heritage amusement park.

It will feature rides celebrating Dreamland's 1960s heyday, when Margate was seen as a cool seaside resort for London holidaymakers. The full list combines attractions from various decades, right back to the 1920s.

The public campaign to restore the park continued and in September 2013, ownership passed to Thanet District Council after a compulsory purchase order was approved by a High Court judge. In 2014, it was confirmed that the park would be redeveloped and reopened. That day has now arrived.

Rides will touch upon every 20th century decade of amusement parks, with the iconic scenic railway rollercoaster representing the 1920s through to the modern day Drop Tower. There will also be dodgems, a tea cup ride, a helter­skelter and a big wheel.

Designer Wayne Hemingway has been helping to transform the seafront site for the last three and a half years and says it is starting to look how he imagined.

He said: "This is Thanet’s community project, there was a fight to get it open and we need to fight to continue supporting Dreamland. What you see here today is just the start and not the finished article. About 15% of all our planned phases will be ready by opening day."

“But it’s like a young footballer who has just made it to the premiership and needs support to be a great success."

“We need the people of Thanet to tell their family and friends and get Dreamland to lead Margate’s resurgence as an enticing seaside town."

“What the Dreamland Trust has achieved has been fantastic with help from local people and Thanet council, but we need to keep up the same pressure and enthusiasm because you can’t compare this place to anything in the world, it is completely unique.”

Project director Eddie Kemsley said: “The external amusements, with all rides, the roller disco and the children’s soft play area will all be 100% ready by June 19."

“Dreamland will feel like a permanent festival all year round, with a re­entry system with people going in and out throughout the day, visiting the shops, going to the beach and coming back at their pleasure! There will be classic amusement park acoustics and even artificial scenting so visitors can soak up the atmosphere.”

The anticipation for the re­launching of Dreamland is palpable ­ visitors queued

round the block to buy the fist tickets which went on sale earlier this year.

The project is set out in four phases. Phase one is the opening which includes the external amusements, roller disco and children's soft play area. Phase two of the project will see the opening of venues for music, dancing and comedians such as the Hall by the Sea. The third phase is due to open next spring with a buffet building and the final part of phase three includes the opening of a cinema in 2016.

Originally, the Dreamland site was a salt marsh known as the Mere that was inundated at high tide until 1809 when a causeway and seawall were built. In 1846 a railway terminus was built on the present Arlington site for the South Eastern Railway, followed in 1864 by a further terminus, for the rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway on the site of what is now Dreamland Cinema.

The first amusement rides were installed as early as 1880 when ‘Sea on Land’ machines were installed. Passengers sat in ‘boats’ that were made by a system of levers to pitch and roll as though at sea – a direct antecedent of the contemporary ‘flight simulator’ rides. In 1893 a large skating rink was built.

Inspired by Coney Island which he had visited in 1906, the new owner at that time, John Henry Iles renamed the site Dreamland and initiated work on the construction of the Scenic Railway rollercoaster in 1919, having purchased the European rights to the Scenic Railway design from inventor and patent holder LaMarcus Adna Thompson. The ride opened to the public in 1920 with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year. Iles also bought other rides common to the time to the park, including a smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip, and the River Caves.

Three generations of the Iles family – John Henry, Eric, and John, were to control Dreamland from 1919 until its sale in 1968.

The new owners, Associated Leisure, introduced many innovations to Dreamland.

1976 saw the debut of a revolutionary new ride, the Orbiter, unveiled by former travelling showman Henry Smith, a ride which went on to become a highly successful ride in other amusement parks and travelling fairs around the world.

Dreamland was purchased by the Dutch Bembom Brothers in 1981. They owned several other amusement parks in continental Europe and renamed the site Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park, bringing in a new headline attraction in the form of the Anton Schwarzkopf­designed

Looping Star roller coaster. The name change lasted until 1990, when it reverted to Dreamland. Other changes they made, included stopping evening hours and charging for admission, rather than per ride.

They also introduced many new ‘high­tech’ rides that updated the park and made it, by the late 1980s, one of the top ten most visited tourist attractions in the United Kingdom.

In 1996 the Bembom family sold the site to local entrepreneur Jimmy Godden, who had previously operated the Rotunda Amusement Park at Folkestone and Ramsgate Pleasure Park at Ramsgate. After his purchase of the park, Godden was able to secure European and regional grant aid to assist in an initial £3m redevelopment. However, during Godden's tenure many of the rides were sold

off, including the big wheel which had dominated the Margate skyline for two decades, but was dismantled and sold to a park in Mexico.

In 2003, Godden announced that Dreamland would close and the land would be redeveloped. Public opinion supported continued use of the Dreamland site as an amusement park, along with a government report in 2004. As a result, Dreamland was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company in 2005 for £20m. A number of local residents then formed the Save Dreamland Campaign.

The Scenic Railway, given Grade II listed building status in 2002 and almost destroyed by a couple of fires, formed the focus of the rejuvenation of Dreamland as an amusement park. This has seen it repaired and restored and new trains built or acquired. On 16 November 2009, the Dreamland Trust was awarded a grant of £3 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with further funding of £3.7m and £4m coming from the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Thanet District Council respectively.

Some historic rides from other parks have already been donated to the Dreamland Trust for installation. The majority of unique old rides from Pleasureland Southport were donated which include, the 1940s Caterpillar ride, King Solomon's Mines wooden roller­ coaster (formerly of Frontierland, Morecambe and later moved to Pleasureland Southport), workings from the Ghost Train and River Caves, the Hall of Mirrors, Mistral, Haunted Swing and the Skyride (Chairlift ride). The Junior Whip which stood at Pleasure Beach Blackpool was also donated.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

FELIPE VI - ONE YEAR A KING

T

here had been some rumours for some time about the extra royal activities of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, but millions of Spanish were certainly not expecting the news that greeted them as they woke on 2 June last year.

The King was to abdicate. One year ago today his son and successor Crown Prince Felipe officially took the Oath.

His Majesty King Felipe VI of Bourbon and Greece, is the third child of Their Majesties The King and Queen of Spain; Juan Carlos and Sofía. He was born in Madrid, on 30 January 1968, at Nuestra Señora de Loreto clinic and he was given the names of Felipe, Juan, Pablo, and Alfonso de Todos los Santos, in memory, respectively, of the first Bourbon King to reign in Spain; of his paternal grandfather, the Head of the Spanish Royal Household; of his maternal grandfather, the King of the Hellenes; and of his great grandfather, Alfonso XIII, King of Spain. His godparents were his grandfather, His Royal Highness Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona, and his great grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie.

In 1981, he received the Collar of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece, granted by His Majesty King Juan Carlos and on 30 January 1986, when he turned 18, he swore loyalty to the King, before the Spanish Parliament, taking an oath to discharge his duties faithfully, to abide by the Constitution and the law and ensure that they are abided by and to respect the rights of citizens and the Autonomous Communities, fully undertaking his institutional role as successor to the Crown.

In 2003, he became engaged to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano and their spectacular religious wedding ceremony was held on 22 May 2004 at the Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral of Madrid.

They have two daughters, the Infantas Leonor, born on 31 October 2005, and Sofía, born on 29 April 2007, both in Madrid.

His father, King Juan Carlos I, formally abdicated the Spanish Throne from 18 June 2014 and one day later Felipe took the Oath set forth in Article 61 of the Constitution and was proclaimed King before Parliament, taking the name of Felipe VI. His Majesty holds the military rank of Captain General of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, the highest military rank, which corresponds exclusively to the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.

He went to Santa María de los Rosales School until 1984, for his Infant, Primary and Secondary education. He completed his Secondary education by studying the last year—the equivalent of the university entrance course—at Lakefield College School, in Canada. From September 1985 to July 1988, His Majesty trained at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, where he pledged allegiance to the Flag on 11 October 1985. He then continued his military training at the Military Naval School in Marín, and at the General Air Force Academy in San Javier, successively and was given the commissions of Infantry Lieutenant, Navy Sub­Lieutenant, and Air Force Lieutenant. He is a helicopter pilot, with

underprivileged situations. He also holds regular working meetings with the Codespa Foundation, dedicated to combating poverty through economic and social development and with the Elcano Royal Institute, the principal Spanish think tank, generating thought and ideas in the field of international and strategic relations.

An enthusiast of sports in general, he was a member of the Olympic Sailing team in the Soling class at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he was Spain's flag bearer in the Parade of the Nations during the opening ceremony. He came in sixth, for which he was awarded an Olympic Diploma.

KING PUNISHES HIS SISTER

instrument flight rating in the 402nd Army Air Force Squadron and also earned Helicopter Pilot Wings from the Army and the Navy.

From October 1988 to June 1993, he studied at the Autónoma University of Madrid, where he graduated with a degree in Law. He also studied diverse subjects relating to the degree in Economic Science, in order to complete his education in this area.

In September 1993, he enrolled in a Master's Degree Course in International Relations at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University (Washington, DC), from which he graduated on 26 May 1995.

From September 1999 to June 2000, he took a refresher course in Security and Defence.

His Majesty is in close contact with the Armed Forces and with the Civil Guard, following a programme of activities that includes giving commissions at the Academies for Officers and Non­Commissioned Officers, attending exercises and manoeuvres, visiting units, centres and institutions, and, since 2010, attending military audiences. King Felipe is informed about current military affairs through private audiences with senior Military and Civil Guard Officers and through working meetings.

As the Prince of Asturias he carried out many activities abroad, playing a very active role in promoting Spain's economic and commercial interests. He was also especially interested in promoting knowledge of Spanish language and culture, through support for the network of Instituto Cervantes centres and the creation of Chairs, to spread knowledge of the history and current reality of Spain at the principal foreign universities. To this end, he made official visits every year, accompanied by Queen Letizia, to an Ibero­ American country and to another country in the European Union, the Middle East or the Far East in which Spain has strategic interests.

Together with the Queen, he presides the Hesperia Foundation, created in 2010 to promote projects of a social nature involving youth, especially young people in the most

The celebrations of his first anniversary must surely be tainted by the news that King Felipe VI of Spain has stripped his older sister of her title as the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca. Infanta Cristina, who is facing trial on tax evasion charges, is “in complete agreement” with her brother’s decision to revoke her title.

Cristina’s lawyer said she agrees with the king’s decision.

She also communicated her desire to give up her title voluntarily prior to the announcement.

The 49­year­old royal, the second child of former King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofia, is accused of plotting with her husband Iñaki Urdangarin in a tax evasion scheme.

A judge ruled that she would be tried on two counts of being an accomplice to tax fraud in December. Her trial date has not been set yet.

She is the first member of the Spanish royal family to be tried in an open court. She could face up to six years in prison if proven guilty.

Her 47­year­ old husband, a former Olympic handball player, is accused, along with a former business partner, of exploiting his royal connections to embezzle six million euros in public funds from contracts awarded to charitable foundation Noos Institute. He and his wife have denied any wrongdoings, with Cristina claiming she trusted Urdangarin to handle her financial affairs. He also lost his ducal title, which was conferred to him by the former King Juan Carlos when he married Cristina in a lavish ceremony in 1997.

The couple have four children together. Cristina was noticeably absent at her brother’s ascension to the throne in June 2014 when their father abdicated.

The View

23

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

THE VIEW THROUGH THE LENS Sharpening:

We see far too many blurry pics online, especially of beloved kids and animals. While there's not a lot you can do to improve a very blurry image, it's easy to fix a small amount of blurriness. As a rule I leave this till the end of my post processing as other edits can change the sharpness and contrast of an image.

Red eye:

J

ohn­Ross Hainey from Guernsey based company JR Photography continues his series of articles for THE VIEW with a few tips on how to improve a photo once taken. Part Two next week.

Photo editing is easier than it's ever been before, which means there's no longer any excuses for posting substandard pics on your social sites.

To help you maximise the potential of your images, I've rounded up some simple fixes for common photo problems that you can fix in a matter of seconds.

Most Smartphone’s boast decent built­in editing options but one of my favourite apps

to use is Snapseed and best of all its free for both IOS and Android devices in the UK and Spain.

Crop/Straighten:

Consider if your image would benefit from being cropped to a certain size or area. All too often you see photos that have unnecessary objects in the frame or horizons are not straight, which detracts from the image's full impact. Don't be afraid to play around with crop options to see if a strategic chop could make for a better photo. I would recommend straightening the image before using the crop tool so you don't lose valuable pixels.

I’d like to think redeye is a thing of the past as I don't tend to use on camera flash. On very small occasions I may use it if it’s extremely dark but I have to say that’s not the best time to use it anyway. Although this is a very simple thing to fix, unfortunately Snapseed doesn't have an adjustment tool for it. The best option is to try to utilise the Selective Adjust filter to place a Control Point and edit the colour and brightness in the eye. It may be hard to pinpoint the red area so after making a selection keep your finger pressed on the screen to move the Control Point around, once you do you can make the necessary adjustments lowering the saturation and brightness.

I’ll be back next week with a couple more tips on how to edit on the go Remember to check out our website and Facebook Page for the latest updates and images.

www.johnrossphotography.co.uk www.facebook.com/JRPhotographyGSY Leave us your feedback at www.johnrossphotography.co.uk/testimo nials

DO YOU "LIKE" STRAWBERRIES?

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

HEAVEN OF HORRORS!

T

he announcement of Sir Christopher Lee’s death at the age of 93 last Friday metaphorically puts the final nail in the coffin of the trio of the very best of the Hammer Horror generation of actors. He has joined Peter Cushing and Vincent Price in the great Hammer studio on the top floor.

Some would say it’s probably a good thing that the modern genre of actors and actresses isn’t as typecast as some of their erstwhile performers. Just off the top of my head, Johnny Depp can transform from young cop to evil pirate, Meryl Streep goes from being Margaret Thatcher to Emiline Pankhurst (in a film currently in production) to a singer in Mamma Mia, and Sir Iain McKellen from Gandulf in Lord of the Rings to Freddie Thornhill in Vicious.

But mention the surnames of Lee, Price and Cushing and you just conjured up one role. Evil, nasty, scheming, devious. Always the bad man and never the clown, although Vincent Price had his share of comedy lines in a handful of his films. For actors that in many respects were typecast, they made over 400 films between them with Lee in 208, and dominated the horror genre from the 1950s through to the 70s.

One relatively unknown fact about this trio was their birthdays. Lee and Price were both born on May 27th (in 1922 and 1911 respectively) and Cushing on May 26th 1913. Is there something about being born a Gemini?

They were simply born to play the parts they did with their remarkable screen presence and looks that were perfect for the roles. Sir Christopher certainly acknowledged this in the title of his first autobiography published in 1997 called “Tall, Dark and Gruesome.”

In the ‘70s, I was aware of Christopher Lee as the actor that made Dracula, but hadn’t at that time seen any of his films.

The first major film that I recall starring him was “The Man With The Golden Gun” when he played the title role of Francisco Scaramanga, the tall, cool megalomaniac with his own island and a laser!

“This is the bit I really like,” as he proceeds to destroy Bond’s seaplane from a distance with his Solex agitator, was delivered with the worst of evil smiles.

From the greatest Dracula and a man famous for having a third nipple to the very best Frankenstein, Peter Cushing.

From the curse, to the bride of, the revenge of, and the evil of, Cushing made that part his own during the 50s and 60s – “The Curse of Frankenstein” in 1957 being Hammer’s first colour horror film. And just who do you think played the evil creation of Victor? Christopher Lee, in the only film two of their famous roles coincided.

Another of the films featuring them both was “Dr Terror’s House of Horrors” in which Five men enter a train carriage in London, and are joined by a sixth, the mysterious Doctor Schreck (Cushing) whose name, he mentions, is German for "terror". During the journey, the doctor opens his pack of Tarot cards (which he calls his "House of Horrors") and proceeds to reveal the destinies of each of the travellers and provides the framework to tell five horror stories. Among the passengers were Lee, Donald Sutherland, Roy Castle and the DJ Alan Freeman. It’s one of my personal favourite horror

films of the era as is “Tales of The Crypt”; another made up of short stories and starring some of the big British stars of the time such as Ralph Richardson, Joan Collins, Richard Greene, Nigel Patrick and Ian Hendry.

This also features Peter Cushing in a very different but equally horrific role. He plays garbage man Arthur Grimsdyke who owns a number of animals and entertains children in his house. To get rid of what they see as a blight on the neighbourhood, two of his snobbish neighbours push him into a frenzy by conducting a smear campaign against him, first resulting in the removal of his beloved dogs and later exploiting parents' paranoiac fears about child molestation.

On Valentine's Day, the instigator sends Grimsdyke a number of poison­pen Valentines, supposedly from the neighbours, driving the old man to suicide. One year later, Grimsdyke comes back from the dead and takes revenge on James. I won’t spoil what happens just in case you haven’t seen the film!

During his film successes, Cushing became a regular guest on the Morecambe & Wise show showing a gift of comedy timing that had naturally been absent in the majority of his film roles. There was a running joke in that every time Cushing appeared in a show he would ask for his five pounds fee for his first show.

Many years later Ernie Wise was a guest for Cushing's appearance on This Is Your Life in 1990. He promptly presented Cushing with a five­pound note, only to extort it

back from him. Cushing was delighted and exclaimed "All these years and I still haven't got my fiver!"

That leaves Vincent Price, with that mid­Atlantic drawl that many of us first remember as a chef in the early 70s on Thames TV. Yes, he really was a TV cook, a celebrated gourmet one, around the same time as Mary Berry found her original fame. Regular visits to the cinema in those days saw trailers for the films he starred in, especially in a series of camp horror films such as “The Abominable Dr Phibes”, which was accompanied with an advert for milk! It was during this time that he starred in one of my all­time favourite films – “Theatre of Blood”.

Price plays Edward Lionheart who thought he was the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day. Helped by his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg), Lionheart sets about murdering, one by one, a group of critics who had both ridiculed his acting throughout his career and declined to award him their "Critic's Circle Award for Best Actor", which Lionheart felt was merited by his final season of performances in various Shakespearean plays; humiliated in the aftermath of the awards ceremony, he attempts suicide and is presumed dead. Unbeknownst to the critics and the police, Lionheart survives the suicide attempt.

The manner of Lionheart's revenge on each critic is inspired by deaths of characters in the plays of Lionheart's last season of Shakespeare. In most cases the critic is first duped by Lionheart's acting initially to "play the part" before Lionheart's murderous intentions are revealed, followed by a forced recantation and an ironic, humiliating and grotesque dispatch of the critic.

It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s comic gore at its best, and features a who’s who of some of the great British acting talent alongside Price such as Ian Hendry, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley, Jack Hawkins (in his last film), and Price’s own wife at the time Australian actress Coral Brown.

It’s not for the squeamish!

Sir Christopher Lee’s death really does close the door on an era and genre of actors who made their name in a style of film that is hardly made, and indeed frowned upon these days.

Modern “horror” is purely a display of special effects that put’s the acting in the background.

In real life, Lee was the best of friends with Cushing and Price – particularly Cushing, and yet despite being known for his evilness and gruesome persona on the screen displayed such a gentle and poignant turn of phrase when Cushing died in 1994.

Lee said: "I don't want to sound gloomy, but, at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. For example, you can call that friend, and from the very first maniacal laugh or some other joke you will know who is at the other end of that line. We used to do that with him so often. And then when that person is gone, there will be nothing like that in your life ever again."

Film fans will be the first to acknowledge that there will be nothing like this great, and “horrific”, trio ever again.

DJ

The View

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

25

OLLIE’S MOOD SPILLS Oh, What a Wonderous World.COM

2

By Gordon Oliver

5th of December 1985. Christmas morning in the Oliver house, 75 Fitzroy Avenue. I will never forget the awe of the brand new BBC Micro, with its black keys and COLOUR screen, wrapped in a big red bow. How many hours I would be in love with the game of Breakout...... IN COLOUR! My father, being in the pharmaceutical business was normally on the upside of modern tech. We had the top loading VHS player, with super fast rewind ability, remote control with not 3 but 5 meters cable length and ultra light handset. We had an Atari with paddles and joysticks. We had the American Vetrex. We also had a superlux Grundig large tube colour TV, on wheels, so could be easily moved to face the dining room table.

I vividly and lovingly recall, the day my grandparents were taking care of us. Nan had cooked us a great dinner and granddad was arranging the TV for us to watch The Tripods, or Robin Hood, I forget which, but it was Saturday night, well past The Grumbleweeds and Bullseye, although at 4 years old, my memory may have wandered.

As he turned the huge set 180 degrees for our viewing pleasure, I remember someone hitting the slow­mo function on my mind. The front heavy tube set tilted and my off balance, possibly, slightly, kissed by an Oban or Glenfiddich, lost control of the gyration. Over went the set and smash. It was the worst thing in the world. No TV at dinner time! There were tears. There were tantrums. Life as we knew it would never, could never, ever be the same again. My Granddad, clearly upset with himself, reminded us however, that he didn't believe we should of been watching it while eating and the TV would not have been on if we were at his house; his beautiful two­up two­down in Whitstable, with his own allotment in the back where he would grow all manner of vegetables and fruit.

The wonderful front garden, which today is still the inspiration behind my Sunday roast, the fragrances as you would walk up the front path, the lavender being courted by the wasps and bees, the rosemary and thyme towards the door, to be followed into the house by the smell of nan’s roast beef and carrots. Then you went through to the back room where the said 15 inch black and white portable was hidden in the corner. The radio was playing some Glenn Miller or some such and out came the spinning tops and plastic army men with which I would spend hours setting up.

It is as this point I would like to point out my roast dinner does not, in any form, contain plastic army men or spinning tops, just in case you have a fashionable allergy.

This story to me is mirrored in a similar way, only with tech which, for only 30 years in a linear sense, is incomparable by advancement.

Every day, I see families sat around tables, communicating with people all around the world via their portable devices.

The iPads, Smart phones, handheld games consoles and the such. Often with headphones or headsets, not being social with each other, indeed not even flirting with their food. It is this precise moment that I wish to turn the devices 180

degrees and tell them that they should interact more as a family and friends. They should be enjoying their food, as I knock the devices off kilter, tumbling to the floor with a cataclysmic crash.

Please understand, I am a tech addict. I adore learning of the latest technological invention or innovation. I have one of the latest smart 3d TV’s, I normally have the latest high spec phone, the newest game system, a high spec laptop, in fact at this very moment, it is 8.30 am on a beautiful summers morn, but I am not taking in the flowers which bloom, or the big beautiful blue horizon.

No, I am writing this article. That's right. I am walking home; listening to a documentary about my foolhardy, genius, soul mate ­ the drug addled Kurt Cobain ­ while typing this article. An old pal of mine, Steve, always used to laugh at me for walking the streets reading a broadsheet or a hardback. He used to say I walked around like a sketch from the Ministry of Funny Walks and would then proceed to enact the giant high kick­step routine, chuckling away, saying that he was dumbfounded I never stepped in front of a car or into a ditch.

Tech these days is amazing. It is advancing at an exponential rate. 8 years ago I was reading books walking to work, these days I am watching movies, while sending emails and checking my bookface (sic).

Fifty years ago, 3rd June 1965, NASA launched the second piloted Gemini mission, Gemini IV, which stayed aloft for four days and astronaut Edward H. White II performed the first EVA or spacewalk by an American. Also in 1965, the United States launched the aptly named, Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite (communications), into geostationary orbit. One small step for the NSA. Eighty years ago, the first beer can was sold, the first parking meter installed in Oklahoma and more importantly the first flight of the British Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, designed by Sydney Camm. Which begs the question to be asked, where will we be in 5 years from now? 20 years from now? 100 years from now?

Well, here's a little taster of what is on the way. You may have seen the current "new tech” TV’s ­ 4k Ultra HD ­ giving four times the picture quality and detail of an average HDTV. Well, Japan is hosting the 2020 Olympic Games and if anyone is dedicated to creating new tech, it is Tokyo.

They are working on 8k UHDTV which boast 16 times the definition of normal HDTV. They are promoting automated vehicles for the Olympic village, in the same way Google have been using in silicon valley, yet on a much larger and more complex scale. They are hinting in the direction of holographic TV being available in most countries at this time and that five billion people will have high speed internet connection. At

present we would consider 100mbps a fast internet connection and many of us only have 10mbps. Yet Japan, who wishes the Olympics to be viewed in 8k on handheld devices, is creating telecommunications networks with speeds of between 1gbps and 10gbps. This is unfathomable in my mind.

That means in layman’s terms, you could download an 18gig Blue ray DVD file between 18 and 1.8 seconds. SECONDS! Also Seagate are creating hard drives which combine laser technology with traditional magnets to increase storage massively and allowing to record 40 terabytes of information.

Why 40 tb? Because that is how much space you will require to record the complete Olympic games in 8k UHDTV. It is at this point I would like to introduce you back to the reality, that this is only 5 years away. 5 very short years. It is truly incredible.

So I would like to leave you with this. Our news editor, Mr Darren James, was truly gobsmacked when he met my two year old son. We met for a meeting shortly before the first edition of THE VIEW, sat down for coffee and my son was happily turning on the tablet, going onto YouTube, finding the video he wanted and singing along with the alphabet or the famous Daddy Finger song. He could not believe that a boy of no more than 28 months old was so adept with the tablet technology, so able to control it to his will, but also and more so, using it as a learning tool as well as to play games. I don't know what I was doing as a 2 year old, but I imagine, in 1983, I was more than likely watching Roland Rat on our high tech Grundig superlux and swallowing Lego bricks.

But I will always hold dear, the memory of that Christmas morning, 1985, unfurling that red ribbon and the wonderment of this computer, which was state of the art, high tech.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

THE VIEW ON.....NOSTALGIA 19th JUNE 1979 Each week on this page, we’re taking you back on an entertainment journey by reminding you of some the BBC Radio and TV programmes, and the UK Top 30 on this very day! This, we look at 1979.

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. It doesn’t have to be on a Friday! 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 4 6.10 FARMING TODAY 6.30 TODAY Presented by Brian Redhead & Libby Purves 8.35 YESTERDAY IN PARLIAMENT 9.05 TUESDAY CALL 10.30 DAILY SERVICE 10.45 MORNING STORY 11.00 THIRTY­MINUTE THEATRE 11.30 A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT ...

11.45 LISTEN WITH MOTHER 12.02 YOU AND YOURS Presenters Nancy Wise and Bill Breckon 12.20 DESERT ISLAND DISCS

13.00 THE WORLD AT ONE Presented by Robin Day 13.40 THE ARCHERS 14.02 WOMAN'S HOUR Introduced by Sue MacGregor 15.10 QUESTIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER 15.35 THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY RICHMOND 16.35 STORY TIME 17.00 PM 18.30 QUOTE ... UNQUOTE Devised and presented by NIGEL REES 19.05 THE ARCHERS 19.20 FILE ON 4 20.00 THE COUNTRYSIDE IN SUMMER 20.45 SO SIMPLE A THING AS THE SUN 21.30 KALEIDOSCOPE 22.00 THE WORLD TONIGHT: NEWS 22.30 LINES FROM MY GRANDFATHER'S FOREHEAD 23.00 A BOOK AT BEDTIME 23.15 THE FINANCIAL WORLD TONIGHT 23.30 TODAY IN PARLIAMENT

13.30 THE FLUMPS 14.00 YOU AND ME 14.40 FOR SCHOOLS &COLLEGES 16.20 PLAY SCHOOL 16.45 HUNTER'S GOLD An adventure story in 13 episodes set in New Zealand in the 1860s.

17.10 ASK ASPEL 17.35 FRED BASSET 17.55 NATIONWIDE With Sue Lawley, Hugh Scully, John Stapleton, and Bob Wellings

18.55 DRIVER OF THE YEAR Introduced by Peter Purves 19.25 CENTENNIAL A saga in 12 parts from the epic novel by James A. Michener 21.25 I DIDN'T KNOW YOU CARED 21.55 THE SHOW JUMPING BUSINESS 22.45 TONIGHT 23.25 MULTI­RACIAL BRITAIN

UK TOP 30 SINGLES CHART

8. THE LONE RANGER – Quantum Jump 9. WE ARE FAMILY – Sister Sledge 10. THEME FROM THE DEER HUNTER (CAVATINA) – The Shadows

11. SHINE A LITTLE LOVE – Electric Light Orchestra 12. H.A.P.P.Y RADIO – Edwin Starr 13. NIGHT OWL – Gerry Rafferty 14. CAVATINA (THEME FROM THE DEER HUNTER) – John Williams 15. MASQUERADE ­ Skids 16. WHO WERE YOU WITH IN THE MOONLIGHT? ­ Dollar 17. HOT STUFF – Donna Summer

1. RING MY BELL – Anita Ward

TV – BBC 1 6.40 OPEN UNIVERSITY 9.10 FOR SCHOOLS & COLLEGES

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7.

ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC – Tubeway Army DANCE AWAY – Roxy Music SUNDAY GIRL ­ Blondie BOOGIE WONDERLAND – Earth Wind & Fire UP THE JUNCTION ­ Squeeze AIN’T NO STOPPING US NOW – McFadden & Whitehead

18. THE NUMBER ONE SONG IN HEAVEN ­ Sparks 19. SAY WHEN – Lene Lovitch 20. REUNITED – Peaches & Herb 21. LIVING ON THE FRONT LINE – Eddy Grant 22. THE COST OF LIVING E.P. – The Clash 23. POP MUZIK ­ M 24. LIGHT MY FIRE – Amii Stewart 25. GO WEST – The Village People 26. BOYS KEEP SWINGING – David Bowie 27. GERTCHA – Chas & Dave 28. SILLY GAMES – Janet Kaye 29. MAYBE – Thom Pace 30. BRIGHT EYES – Art Garfunkel

The View

27

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

FOR YOUR INFORMATION LOCAL FIESTA DATES

The following areas will be celebrating a “local” Red Day over the next week or so. Information supplied by the official Diputacion de Alicante.

Wednesday 24 June ALICANTE & CATRAL Monday 29 June ROJALES FULL FIESTA PROGRAMME FOR ROJALES IN THE VIEW NEXT WEEK

TRAIN TIMETABLES

CINEMAPILAR PRESENTS

PRIDE Thursday 25 June at 7pm and Saturday 27 June at 5pm

To follow on from our popular bus timetables, this week in THE VIEW we go on the rails and bring you a selection of local train timetables, beginning with the ALICANTE to BENIDORM to DENIA route and ALICANTE to CATRAL. One­way single to BENIDORM is €3.75 (€6.40 return), and for pensioners it’s €1.90 one­ way. The CATRAL to ALICANTE fare is €3.70.

NEW 24 HOUR DUTY CHEMISTS

T

he commitment of THE VIEW to bring you important information continues with more lists of 24 HOUR DUTY CHEMISTS in our coverage area. Known in Spanish as FARMACIAS DE GUARDIA, most towns have at least one chemist on the duty rota which changes on a weekly basis.

Please look at last week’s issue for SAN FULGENCIO, GUARDAMAR & LA MARINA, PILAR DE LA HORADADA and CREVILLENTE. We will cover all the local areas during the next few issues of THE VIEW and repeat the major areas from time to time.

TORREVIEJA

There are two chemists that open 24 hours, 7 days a week: CALLE RAMON GALUD, 196 (Corner of Calle Virgen de La Paloma) AVENIDA ANTONIO MACHADO, 115 Of course, we hope you’ll never need to use the services of the emergency chemists. The advice of THE VIEW is to visit your local farmacia to see if they’re on the rota. There is usually a list posted outside the building if they are.

28

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

WHAT’S ON THE TELLY? THE ONLY WAY IS ETHIOPIA

I’d been following the almost hourly trailers on Channel 4 (C4) for some time, so made a very early mark with my yellow highlighter in the TV CHOICE Magazine for Thursday at 10pm and episode one of THE TRIBE. Public research among many of my friends suggests the odd viewer, but there will be more when the word gets around. How can I describe the series in one word? I’ll need a few. Think Roots meets David Attenborough meets TOWIE meets Tomorrow’s World meets One Foot In The Grave and you have THE TRIBE. C4 took a massive gamble in developing this drama documentary with a difference using pioneering rig cameras. I mean, really, who would watch something that many would think would dry even longer than paint and there was plenty of paint to watch on the faces and the bodies of the two tribes featured. The opening announcement of “viewers should be aware that the following

programme features scenes of nudity and bad language from the start” got me thinking that I’d already seen the SKY News story from Magaluf. The old chaps watching their namesakes would’ve been most impressed!

Set in the Omo Valley (stop the giggles) the main family is run by old stager Ayke Muko who, to quote one of and his oldest wife, now “looks like a baboon!” – (can imagine the PC brigade reaction to that one!), who after five minutes was the undoubted star. He’s old, he’s frail and I have a feeling he’s going to provide a very emotional

00:35 This Week 01:20 Holiday Weatherview 01:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Crimewatch Roadshow 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Claimed and Shamed 12:30 Family Finders 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 Would I Lie to You? 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Celebrity MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 The Graham Norton Show

00:15 Weather 00:20 Kate Humble: Living with Nomads 01:20 Panorama 01:50 Inside the Factory: How Our Favourite Foods Are Made 02:50 24 Hours in the Past 03:50 This Is BBC Two 05:00 The Genius of Invention 05:30 The Genius of Invention 06:00 Let's Kick Sum Maths 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Claimed and Shamed 08:30 Family Finders 09:15 Gardeners' World 09:45 Cowboys and Angels 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Tennis from Queen's 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Beat the Brain 20:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 21:00 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites 21:30 Gardeners' World 22:00 Kate Humble: Living with Nomads 23:00 The Clare Balding Show 23:30 Newsnight

end to this mini­series. If Ethiopia had Victor Meldrew, then Ayke Muko’s ‘yer man.

“They’re throwing stones at my hut. F****** kids,” aimed at his own grandchildren as he tries to siesta.

Be honest, we’ve all said that to ourselves on a summer’s afternoon in Spain.

It was a massive eye opener to see how the other half live, but much comes down to tradition. So many, for them, normal things to witness in day­to­day life. Nothing unusual to see a young boy grab hold of a goat’s udder and drink directly from it, see grown men

lying on the ground using a carved plinth as a pillow (or a seat), see people using goats as currency and hear someone say during marriage negotiations, “we pay for a bride for a lifetime.” OK, the last one is relevant today.

What shocked the Twitterati and I was one of the tribe having a mobile phone whose coverage was better in their outback than the centre of London and a transistor radio that picked up BBC World Service better than we pick up many of our local stations! I know, they haven’t got the hills of Guardamar and Santa Pola in the way where

they are! The future is very bright in the Omo Valley, although they have to walk over an hour to get the ‘phone charged.

One scene showed all the elders and the tribal leaders come from miles around sat around a BarBQ (of goat, of course, which at least looked more cooked than a Saturday Kitchen piece of lamb) putting the world to rights in a fetching selection of clothes and colours that suggested that a certain popular store may have been next to the Phone Shop an hour away. I’m sure one was wearing a yellow tea cosy, and the sight of seeing so many men drinking and eating in vests, shirts and shorts that didn’t match and looked as though they’d been put on in the dark, took me back to Benidorm New Town in April.

When the heavy rains came during the feast, it must have reminded many a Mancunian of summer family get­togethers with the shout of, “grab the meet and get inside!”

Part two was on last night and I believe that a woman is going to cause these Two Tribes to go to war.

My own type of Victor Meldrewness comes to mind here....

DJ

00:10 Perspectives 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 12:00 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News London 15:00 Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Gino's Italian Escape 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Doc Martin 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 Vicious

00:00 Dementiaville 01:00 Channel 4 Racing Highlights 01:35 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 02:35 The House the 50s Built 03:30 Dispatches 04:00 Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 04:55 Come Dine with Me 05:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:45 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:55 How I Met Your Mother 07:45 Will & Grace 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Car SOS 12:00 Come Dine with Me 14:40 Channel 4 Racing 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Shipping Wars UK 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 23:00 Sarah Millican Home Bird Live

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Conspiracy 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 HouseBusters 05:45 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 08:50 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 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: Los Angeles 16:15 Jesse Stone: Thin Ice 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 World War II in Colour 21:00 Conspiracy 22:00 Big Brother 23:30 Big Brother's Bit on the Side

Friday 19th June

The View

29

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

Saturday 20th June 00:25 SunTrap

23:50 Not Going Out

00:00 Artsnight 00:30 The Lady (2011) 02:40 Question Time 03:40 1945: The Savage Peace 04:40 This Is BBC Two 06:55 Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) 08:55 The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) 10:15 Animal Park 10:45 Elephant Diaries 11:15 Homes Under the Hammer 12:15 Escape to the Country 13:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 14:00 Live Athletics 18:30 Ocean Queens: The Story of Cunard 19:00 Gardeners' World 19:30 Edwardian Farm 20:30 Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands 21:30 Dad's Army 22:00 La Traviata: Love, Death and Divas 23:00 Mock the Week 23:35 Hamlet 2 (2008)

00:10 The Eiger Sanction 02:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Britain's Best Bakery 04:50 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 13:25 ITV News and Weather 14:40 Tipping Point 15:40 1000 Heartbeats 16:35 The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) 19:00 ITV News London 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 You've Been Framed!

20:00 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 23:00 ITV News and Weather 23:10 Raw Deal (1986)

00:05 Man Down 00:40 Virtually Famous 01:25 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 01:55 Channel 4 Racing Highlights 02:25 Supernatural 03:15 The Hotel 04:10 Four Rooms US 05:00 The Renovation Game 05:55 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:50 River Cottage Bites 07:10 How I Met Your Mother 07:30 Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire 08:00 The Grid 08:30 FIM Superbike World Championship 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Frasier 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 The Simpsons 14:00 Rude(ish) Tube 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 19:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:00 Walking Through History 21:00 Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages 22:00 Rush (2013)

00:30 Big Brother 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:20 The Secret Life of Pets 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:20 Angelina Ballerina 07:35 Pip Ahoy!

07:45 The Mr Men Show 07:55 Milkshake! Bop Box 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 09:00 Wanda and the Alien 09:15 Zack and Quack 09:30 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:45 Jelly Jamm 10:05 LazyTown 10:30 Dora and Friends 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35 Access 11:40 Cowboy Builders 14:45 Columbo: Publish or Perish (1974) 16:10 The Dog Rescuers 17:10 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 18:10 The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 19:05 Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away 20:00 Cricket on 5 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 23:00 Big Brother

00:20 Room 101 - Extra Storage 01:00 The Rookie (2002) 03:00 Weather for the Week Ahead 03:05 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 Sunday Politics 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 14:15 Prized Apart 15:20 Yoga: Bend It Like Britain 15:50 Homes Under the Hammer 16:20 Escape to the Country 17:00 Songs of Praise 17:35 Nigel Slater: Eating Together 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 Live at the Apollo

01:00 The Many Faces of 02:00 Good Hair (2009) 03:30 Watchdog 04:30 Rip Off Britain: Food 05:15 This Is BBC Two 07:00 The Big Allotment Challenge 08:00 Countryfile 09:00 Gardeners' World 09:30 Greatest Gardens 10:00 The Beechgrove Garden 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00 The Box 12:30 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites 13:00 Inspire: The Olympic Journey 13:30 Live Athletics 15:05 Tennis from Queen's 18:35 Flog It! 19:20 The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) 21:00 Dara and Ed's Great Big Adventure 22:00 The BBC at War 23:00 Blood (2012)

01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard 07:25 Pat & Stan 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Sooty 08:30 Fort Boyard 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Weekend 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:30 ITV News and Weather 13:35 Murder, She Wrote 14:35 Long Lost Family 15:35 Off Their Rockers 16:05 Jurassic Park III (2001) 17:50 Midsomer Murders 19:45 ITV News London 20:00 ITV News and Weather 20:15 Catchphrase 21:00 Surprise Surprise 22:00 Black Work 23:00 ITV News and Weather 23:15 Bear Grylls: Mission Survive

00:25 Basic Instinct (1992)

00:00 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 Person of Interest 05:50 Make It Big 06:45 Angels of Jarm 07:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:20 Angelina Ballerina 07:35 Pip Ahoy!

07:45 The Mr Men Show 07:55 Milkshake! Bop Box 08:00 Chloe's Closet 08:10 Milkshake! Monkey 08:15 Roobarb and Custard 08:20 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Paw Patrol 08:50 Little Princess 09:00 Wanda and the Alien 09:10 Zack and Quack 09:20 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:35 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 09:45 Jelly Jamm 10:05 LazyTown 10:30 Dora and Friends 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35 Chinese Food in Minutes 11:55 Ultimate Police Interceptors 15:45 Are We Done Yet? 17:30 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) 19:10 Monster-in-Law (2005) 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 Make You Laugh Out Loud 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 The Other Guys (2010)

00:55 It's a Wonderful Afterlife (2010) 02:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 The Box 13:00 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Tennis from Queen's 17:45 Pointless Celebrities 18:30 Formula 1 19:45 BBC News 19:55 BBC London News; Weather 20:00 Prized Apart 21:05 The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 21:55 Casualty 22:45 The John Bishop Show 23:30 BBC News; Weather

Sunday 21st June

02:50 Channel 4 Racing Highlights 03:20 Hollyoaks 05:30 The Renovation Game 06:20 Deal or No Deal 07:05 Cycling 08:00 Volkswagen Racing Cup 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 The Simpsons 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 The Simpsons 17:30 Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief (2010) 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:00 Kevin McCloud's Escape to the Wild 21:00 Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year 22:00 Humans 23:00 I, Robot (2004)

30

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

Monday 22nd June 00:15 My Big Beautiful Wedding Dress 01:15 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:20 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Crimewatch Roadshow 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Claimed and Shamed 12:30 Family Finders 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 Nigel Slater: Eating Together 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 The Met: Policing London 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 Have I Got Old News for You

00:30 The Clare Balding Show 01:00 Match of the Day Live 03:30 Countryfile 04:25 Holby City 05:25 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Claimed and Shamed 08:30 Family Finders 09:15 Demolition: The Wrecking Crew 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 14:45 Rowing World Cup 16:15 A Man for All Seasons (1966) 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Kangaroo Dundee 20:00 Natural World 21:00 The ÂŁ100K House: The Final Fix 22:00 Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands 23:00 Episodes 23:30 Newsnight

00:15 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 01:15 Jackpot247 03:30 Motorsport UK 04:20 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 Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Johnny Kingdom's Wild Exmoor 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Vicious 22:30 It's a Funny Old Week 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 Sports Life Stories

01:15 Rude Tube 02:10 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) 03:40 Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 04:35 The Renovation Game 05:30 SuperScrimpers 05:35 Deal or No Deal 06:30 The Common Denominator 06:55 How I Met Your Mother 07:45 Will & Grace 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Jimmy's Australian Food Adventure 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Dispatches 21:30 Gadget Man 22:00 Kevin McCloud's Escape to the Wild 23:00 Man Down 23:35 My Tattoo Addiction

01:10 Manchester's Gang Wars: Exposed 02:10 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 House Doctor 06:45 Angels of Jarm 07:00 The WotWots 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Lily's Driftwood Bay 07:30 Fireman Sam 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 09:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders & Bodge Jobs 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Make You Laugh Out Loud 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:10 Buried Secrets (2014) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 21:00 Caught on Camera 22:00 Inside Manchester's Midland Hotel 23:00 Big Brother

00:05 Have I Got Old News for You 00:35 The Graham Norton Show 01:25 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:30 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Crimewatch Roadshow 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Claimed and Shamed 12:30 Family Finders 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 The Syndicate 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 Imagine

00:15 Weather 00:20 Napoleon 01:20 Portillo's State Secrets 01:50 Match of the Day Live 04:00 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools - My Life, My Religion: Sikhism 05:30 Schools - Exploration India 06:30 My Life, My Religion: Hinduism 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Claimed and Shamed 08:30 Family Finders 09:15 Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Tennis from Eastbourne 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Kangaroo Dundee 20:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 21:00 Natural World 22:00 The Bank: A Matter of Life and Debt 23:00 Rev 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show 04:55 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 Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones 21:00 Love Your Garden 22:00 Don't Blame the Council 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 On Assignment

00:35 24 Hours in A&E 01:35 The House the 50s Built 02:35 Churchill and the Fascist Plot 03:30 Country House Rescue 04:25 The Renovation Game 05:20 Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 06:15 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:35 The Common Denominator 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Jimmy's Australian Food Adventure 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Running the Shop 22:00 No Offence 23:00 999: What's Your Emergency?

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:15 Holiday Love Rats 02:10 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 HouseBusters 05:45 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 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Lost Letter Mystery 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 The Dog Rescuers 22:00 OAPs Behaving Badly 23:00 Big Brother

Tuesday 23rd June

The View

31

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

Wednesday 24th June 00:50 Sparkle (2006) 02:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Crimewatch Roadshow 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Claimed and Shamed 12:30 Family Finders 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 Don't Tell the Bride 22:00 The Interceptor 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 SunTrap

00:15 Weather 00:20 The BBC at War 01:20 The Super League Show 02:05 Antiques Roadshow 03:05 This Is BBC Two 03:30 Match of the Day Live 06:00 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Claimed and Shamed 08:30 Family Finders 09:15 Antiques Roadshow Detectives 09:45 Cowboys and Angels 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 Tennis from Eastbourne 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Kangaroo Dundee 20:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 21:00 Dara and Ed's Great Big Adventure 22:00 Napoleon 23:00 Haslar: The Secrets of a War Hospital 23:30 Newsnight

00:10 The Chase 01:10 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 Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 The Cube 22:00 Long Lost Family 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 The Mafia with Trevor McDonald

00:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 01:00 Rude Tube 02:00 KOTV Boxing Weekly 02:25 Gillette World Sport 02:55 Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire 03:20 The Grid 03:50 Volkswagen Racing Cup 04:15 FIM Superbike World Championship 04:45 The Renovation Game 05:45 Deal or No Deal 06:35 The Common Denominator 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Jimmy's Australian Food Adventure 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Auction House 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 Peter Kay: Live & Back on Nights!

01:00 Cricket on 5 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 HouseBusters 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 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 The Dog Rescuers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The 19th Wife (2010) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 21:00 Psycho Pussies: When Cats Attack 22:00 Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords 23:00 Big Brother

00:05 The Met: Policing London 01:05 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:10 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Crimewatch Roadshow 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Claimed and Shamed 12:30 Family Finders 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 Celebrity MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC London News; Weather 23:35 Question Time

00:15 Weather 00:20 The Bank: A Matter of Life and Debt 01:20 Kate Humble: Living with Nomads 02:20 Modern Times 03:20 The Detectives 04:20 This Is BBC Two 04:50 Schools - Simon Armitage, Writing Poems 05:20 Schools - The Plantagenets 05:50 Schools - Punctuation Pals 06:20 Schools - Punctuation Rules 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Claimed and Shamed 08:30 Family Finders 09:15 Horizon 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Tennis from Eastbourne 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Kangaroo Dundee 20:00 Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial 21:00 Rick Stein's German Bite 22:00 Protecting Our Foster Kids 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green 01:05 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 Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News London 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Big Box Little Box 22:00 Superhospital 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News London 23:40 Dangerous Dogs

00:00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 00:55 Wild Life Festival 01:25 Zaytoun (2012) 03:15 The Professionals 05:15 The Renovation Game 06:10 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:30 Jimmy's Australian Food Adventure 11:30 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Deal or No Deal 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Dogs: Their Secret Lives 22:00 The Tribe 23:00 Peter Kay: Live & Back on Nights!

01:00 OAPs Behaving Badly 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Big Brother 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:25 HouseBusters 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 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Garage Sale Mystery: All that Glitters (2014) 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Trauma Doctors 21:00 Celebs on Benefits: Fame to Claim 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Person of Interest

Thursday 25th June

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

fashion forward

BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES

Discover the perfect bridesmaid dress with these feminine and flattering collections at up to 70% off.....

HATS & HEADPIECES HATS OFF TO YOU! Occasion Hats and Fascinators to get you ready for WEDDINGS, THE RACES and everything in between!

Oliver Bonas – ZOE metallic enve­ lope clutch bag £32 (41 euros

KALIKO MAXI MIDDLETON PLEAT DRESS – WAS £179 – now £39 (50 EUROS)

KALIKO RUCHED CHIFFON MAXI DRESS – WAS £179 NOW 39 (50 EUROS)

JOHN LEWIS – Maddy Bown brim hat, Red. £55 (71 euros)

ACCESSORIZE BLUE HAT ­ £20 (26 EUROS) BOTTICA – Henry by Bundle Ma­ cLaren Millinery at www.boticca. com £102 – 132 EUROS.

BHS Espana – ROSIE LONG BRIDESMAID DRESS ­ £84 (110 EUROS)

Glitzy Secrets Stunning silver hair comb set with clear crys­ tals. www.glitzy­ secrets.com £21 – 27 euros.

PLANET – SEXY SATEEN MAXI DRESS. RED. WAS £199 – NOW £49 (63 EUROS)

Visit ­ www.justlastseason.co.uk Just Last Season is the home of Jacques Vert Group’s last season clothing. Pieces from classic brands Jacques Vert, Windsmoor, PrecisPetite, Minuet Petite, Kaliko,

Planet, Eastex and Dash are available with up to 70% off.

Whether it’s a jacket, dress or head­to­toe wedding outfit, the selection on offer is simply unrivalled. Indulge in beautiful dresses, luxury coats, relaxed separates and coordinating accessories – update your wardrobe today with Just Last Season. Last season’s treasures are sure to be next season’s gems.

To find out more about the Jacques Vert Group and our collection of Elegant British Brands please visit our corporate website www.jacquesvertgroup.com.

JOHN LEWIS ­ Kiki pillbox facinator ­ £40 ­ 52 euros

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

The View

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS- WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO? Cap Estel please.

33 GIFT LISTS – MAKES BUYING SO MUCH EASIER!

BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVEE JOHN LEWIS BRASS CHAMPAGNE WITH 2 WOOD BELL ­ GLASSES. £85.00 ­ 110 EUROS £25 – 32 EUROS

Highlights

rooms: flatscreen TV, DVD/CD, free WiFi, minibar and bottled water.

• Private beach and saltwater infinity pool • Set in romantic seclusion outside Èze • Indulgent spa and stylish restaurant

FAVOURITE ROOMS

OVERVIEW

RUNNER­UP: BEST HOTEL POOL SMITH HOTEL AWARDS 2014 On a secluded peninsula snaking out into the Med, Cap Estel’s gated mansion is a shot of Riviera glam amid the azure. Surrounded by palms and terraced gardens, with an elegant restaurant and Monaco and Nice close by, this exclusive retreat is A­list alluring.

NEED to know

ROOMS 18, including 14 suites.

CHECK–OUT Noon, but late check­out may be available for a charge. Check­in, 4pm.

RATES Double rooms from £980.06 (€1,359), excluding tax at 10 per cent.

MORE DETAILS Rates exclude breakfast, from €28.

ALSO Along with the indoor pool, sauna and hammam, try out some of the spa treatments, such as 90­minute facials, toning body treatments, hair masks, waxing and a variety of massages.

AT THE HOTEL

Cinema, spa, gym, library with DVDs and CDs. In

The property is in four parts: Le Cap is the original building; La Corniche is an Italian­style pavilion; La Mer and Le Parc are both positioned at the edge of the peninsula. Suite 210, Le Cap, is a palatial expanse with cream and oatmeal decor, high ceilings, a living room with splashes of crayon­bright colour, a vast terrace and two bedrooms and bathrooms. Suite 410, also in the main building, could double up as a company HQ, with its office space, big lounge area, kitchen and terrace – but the ruby accents and African artefacts mean it’s far from corporate. La Mer’s white and airy rooms, perched above the water, are more modest in size, but they have views of the pretty beach.

POOLSIDE

Not one but two pools to choose from: a fabulous saltwater infinity pool overlooking the sea (open from May until mid­October, subject to the weather), or the spa’s indoor pool.

PACKING TIPS

Your biggest, most movie­star sunglasses; LBD or crisp linen shirt for stylish dining in the hotel’s restaurant; an autobiography of a screen icon such as Grace Kelly or Humphrey Bogart.

ALSO Beneath the terraced gardens is Cap Estel’s own secluded stony beach, kitted out with sunloungers.

YOU WILL TRULY FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS HOTEL

Carolines view on...

IRONS The right iron can make all the difference to what, let’s face it, is a pretty thankless task. I am testing 3 irons priced from £79 (102 euros) to £220 (286 euros). I thought I would buy one as a wedding gift for a friend who absolutely “hates” ironing hopefully to make her life a little easier!

1. Philips Easy Speed Plus­ 40 Steam ­ £75.00 (97 euros) 2. Breville – Digital Technique VIN245 Steam Iron £79.99 (102 euros) 3. Philips Perfect Care Aqua Steam iron £220 (286 euros) There are four main areas to look for –

Performance, ease of use, quality of instructions and design.

PHILIPS EASY SPEED PLUS – 40 STEAM Easy to carry, light and compact. 2400 watt super fast heat­up. Glides easily across fabrics.

Easy instruction guide.

BREVILLE DIGITAL TECHNIQUE Sturdy and heats up quickly. The ceramic soleplate glides smoothly. I like the blue light­up feature on the press button user friendly digital display. Tackles a huge pile of ironing with ease.

PHILIPS PERFECT CARE Iron any ironable garment from silk to linen, to cotton, to cashmere...in any order without having to adjust. Delivers fast results without risk of burn or shine for all your garments. Truly simple ironing.

ROYAL CROWN DERBY JOHN LEWIS SITTING JENNY WREN PAPERWEIGHT ­ GOLD BUDDHA ­ £95.00 ­ 123 EUROS £50 ­ 65 EUROS

WATERFORD LISMORE ESSENCE GOLD GLASSES SET OF 2 ­ £110 – 143 EUROS

LUSTRE FOR LIFE With beautiful pieces from top brands and designers.

Luxurious barware, serveware and decorative accessories will bring a timeless elegance to your home.

Buying from a Gift List HOW IT WORKS If someone is holding a special event, such as a wedding or anniversary, friends and family will naturally want to give them a gift to mark the occasion.

A JOHN LEWIS Gift List means they will receive exactly what they would like and there won’t be any duplications. It’s a free service, offering complete flexibility for both recipients and guests.

Visit www.johnlewis.com

AND THE WINNER IS

AT £79.99 it proves that you don’t have to buy the most expensive one.

Hope she likes it! (if not I will be keeping it for myself)

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

Cornish cowboy pasties Perfect portable comfort food with chicken, squash and sage

Ingredients • For the pastry • 250 g butter • 300 ml hot water • 500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting • 1 tablespoon sea salt • 1 large free­range egg, beaten • 1 handful medium ground cornmeal or po­ lenta • For the filling • 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped • olive oil • 4 skinless, boneless higher­welfare chicken thighs, cut into 2cm dice • ½ small butternut squash, (approximately Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Bring your butter and water to the boil in a large pan, then take the pan off the heat. Stir the flour and salt into the mixture bit by bit with a spatula, until you've got a dough. Tip it on to a floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a smooth ball.

Put the ball of dough into a floured bowl, dust the top with flour, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Meanwhile, get a large pan and fry your chopped onion in a lug of olive oil for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the diced chicken and fry for 5 minutes until brown, then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and herbs. Fry for

another 5 minutes, then add 3 or 4 good gratings of nutmeg.

Season well with salt and pepper, then pour in the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the flour and simmer on a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the stock has cooked away and you're left with nice thick gravy.

Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour, then divide your pastry dough in half and roll each half out until it's slightly thinner than 0.5cm. Use a cereal bowl (about 15cm in diameter) to cut 4 circles out of each half, so you end up with 8 circles. You may need to cut out 2 or 3 circles from each half first, then re­roll the remaining pastry to make the rest. Dust the circles with flour, and spoon your

Breakfast pancakes Ingredients • • • • • • • •

1 cup self­raising flour 1 cup semi­skimmed milk 1 free­range egg 1 pinch sea salt 1 pear a few knobs butter fat­free natural yoghurt, to serve runny honey, to serve

Method Put the flour, milk, egg and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Once combined, grate in the pear, core and all then stir it through with a spoon.

Put a large pan on a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Once that melts, add the batter, a spoonful at a time to the hot pan.

You'll need to cook them in batches, cooking them for a few minutes until golden on the bottom, then flipping over and cooking for a few minutes more until they're done.

When they are golden and fluffy, serve them right away with a dollop of natural yoghurt and some runny honey drizzled all over the top.

Tip: If you sweeten the batter, thicken it with just a little more flour then pour them into a Yorkshire pudding or muffin tin as they also make the most delicious muffins.

250g) peeled and cut into 1cm chunks • 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped • 1 medium potato, pee­ led and cut into 1cm chunks • 6 sprigs fresh sage or thyme, leaves picked and chopped • nutmeg • sea salt • freshly ground black pepper • 300 ml organic chic­ ken stock • 2 tablespoons Wor­ cestershire sauce • 1 tablespoon plain flour

filling into the middle of each one. Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg, then fold each circle in half over the filling and crimp the edges with your finger and thumb to seal them. If you want to see how this is done, check out this video on how to assemble a pasty.

Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper, scatter a handful of cornmeal or polenta over the paper, and place your pasties on top. Brush the pasties all over with more of the beaten egg and sprinkle over a little more cornmeal.

Bake in the hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden, and serve straight away with a fresh green salad. A taste of Cornwall in the Wild West – who'd have thought it!

The View

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

4 Foods You Should Eat Daily Tomatoes

Main vitamin or nutrient: Lycopene If you don’t have them growing in your back yard, chances are, you have them in your fridge. Tomatoes are a simple staple that many generations across many different cultures have and continue to use widely. It is estimated that the average person eats around 80 pounds of tomatoes per year.

These red bulbs make a perfect accent to a wide variety of foods. They are available year round, canned or fresh, and they are relatively inexpensive. But the best part about tomatoes is that they are one of the healthiest foods you can give to your body.

Tomatoes are composed of lycopene, a carotenoid that gives them their ruby red colour. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with cancer fighting properties that has shown to be effective in preventing both prostate and breast cancer.

Like other antioxidants, lycopene destroys free radicals in the body that may otherwise damage cells and they slow down the aging process.

Tomatoes are also relatively high in vitamins A and C, which are great for fighting colds, and they have small amounts of fibre, potassium, niacin, and other trace minerals as well.

Avocados

Main vitamin or nutrient: Potassium and glutathione It’s time to take guacamole off of your “do not eat” list. Long considered a threat to the waistline because of its high fat content, avocados now top the list of healthy foods you should eat every day.

Avocados are extremely high in potassium and are a great source of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that destroys free radicals in the body. Free radicals are responsible for promoting disease and accelerating aging in the body.

In addition to the high levels of glutathione that avocados contain, they also have a high monounsaturated fat content, which means they have the ability to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol in the body. These benefits have been shown to improve the heart health of those living with

To take advantage of all of these healthy benefits, make sure you order the salad on the side of your main dish instead of French fries.

Salmon

high blood pressure and diabetes.

Avocados are also high in vitamin E, which is another antioxidant that protects the cells and helps regulate cholesterol levels.

Although avocados provide the body with many critical nutrients, don’t overdo it. They are high in fat, so eating them in excess can add inches to your gut over time.

Dark, leafy greens

Main vitamin or nutrient: Calcium Dairy products are not the only way to ensure you’re getting enough calcium. Believe it or not, dark, leafy greens including spinach, kale, arugula, and Swiss chard are great ways to ensure you’re giving your bones what they need.

Calcium is integral in building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Added to that, calcium is important in regulating the heart’s rhythm, the transmission of nerve impulses and blood clotting functions in the body.

Dark, leafy greens are also loaded with vitamin A, C and fibre, which are other essential vitamins the body needs every day.

Main vitamin or nutrient: Omega­3 fatty acids We know, it’s hard to eat fish every day, but after you read this next section, you might want to reconsider.

Salmon is packed with omega­3 fatty acids, a group of essential polyunsaturated fats. These fats are considered essential because the body cannot create them, they can only be obtained through food.

Omega­3 fatty acids have been shown to improve heart health, protect against degenerative disease and reduce inflammation in people who consume regular amounts in their diet. Additionally, these healthy fats are thought to improve cognitive and behavioural functions and, in some cases, can effectively reduce symptoms caused from certain psychological disorders, including depression.

In addition to the high omega­3 content, salmon is also a great source of protein and is lower in fat than other types of meat. It is rich in niacin, vitamin B12, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin B6.

Although healthy, salmon and other types of oily fish can occasionally contain trace amounts of heavy metals such as mercury and other toxins. These toxic levels are not as high as those found in other types of fish, and most of the health risks are typically associated with pregnant women or children, but it is important to read labels and try to purchase wild salmon whenever possible.

Eat them daily, feel good forever There you have it — a list of healthy foods that you should be eating everyday if you want to improve and maintain your health.

Even if you exercise, you need to supply your insides with the good stuff to keep a healthy body. Eating the foods listed above everyday will ensure that your body gets what it needs to function properly. So go on, grab your grocery list and make sure you add these four items to it.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

FANCY A SWAP?

T

here you are, sat in your villa or on the patio reading your copy of THE VIEW, and possibly considering doing something different for the summer by way of a holiday. You’ve been on a cruise, you’ve been home and stayed with the family for a month and you’ve had a week in Benidorm. Have you considered swapping your house for somebody else’s for a period of time?

Home swapping is becoming increasingly popular for the 50+ travellers. Seniors home exchanges are a mutual agreement between two people in which they agree, rather than staying in expensive hotels, to use each other’s home for a set period of time so that they both enjoy totally free vacation accommodation.

Seniors home swaps provide a way to make new friends and live like a local in your exchange home – your home from home. It’s a great way to relax and experience different cultures but have all the space and comforts of a real home.

Another great benefit of a senior’s home exchange is that it’s an excellent option for

visiting family and friends living around the world. It gives you the opportunity to visit your friends and family, but have your own space in your free holiday accommodation.

People arrange home exchanges from anything from, a weekend getaway all the way to a 6+ month exchange. So whatever you’re looking for you’re sure to find a senior home swap to suit you.

You would normally pay an annual membership ranging from £25 to £115 (depending on the company), which gives access to listings and allows you to add your own property to their website. Then it’s up to you to make contact with other owners and arrange your exchange. Just type in “Home Swapping Agencies” into your internet search engines to see the companies offering this service.

Each exchange is unique; a relationship of trust should develop as you get to know your exchange partners through e­mail and phone calls. If your exchange involves flights, agree to buy tickets at the same time and share your receipts (members who have paid a substantial amount for flights are very

OVER 80s UK TAX BILLS REDUCED

D

o you have elderly parents living in the UK? A largely unheralded change to the tax system came in at the beginning of April 2015, which could add over £200 a year to the disposable income of up to four million older households.

The change in personal allowance arrangements entitles married couples, or civil partners, where one person is aged 80 or over, to transfer a fixed amount of 10% (for 2015/16, £1060) of the standard personal allowance to their spouse or partner who has not already reached the tax band.

It means that if your income is £10,600 or less, you may be able to reduce your husband, wife or civil partner’s tax by £212. What’s more, you may still be eligible if your income is greater than that because of tax­free savings interest.

It will be known as the marriage allowance, although it shouldn’t be confused with the existing “married couples allowance” and for 2015/16 it means that the recipient can reduce their tax bill by up to £212.

So who can benefit from the change?

The rules state that: • The recipient of the personal allowance must not be liable to income tax above the basic rate (i.e, have an annual income of between £10,601 and £42,385).

• The transfer of their personal allowance should have an annual income of less than £10,600 (plus up to £5,000 of tax free savings

interest).

• As a couple they must not be claiming married couple’s allowance.

• This affects couples where one was born before 6th April 1935, i.e aged 80 and above, as of April 5th 2015.

Since the idea was announced in the 2014 autumn statement, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), have been developing a process by which married couples and civil partners will be able to transfer their allowance.

The party transferring their allowance will have to apply to do so online. Once this has happened, HMRC will reduce their tax code by the amount to be transferred and notify the recipient about the subsequent increase to their tax code.

The transferred allowance is allocated to the recipient as a reduction to their income tax liability at the basic rate – which is much the same as the process in place for Married Couples Allowance (MCA).

Initially, and for this year only, people will be able to register their interest via www.gov.uk, although with many people over the age of 80, this isn’t going to be possible for everyone. Because of this, UK based age organisations are trying to get the message across to many family members to inform their elderly parents. The authorities have said that, even if you do miss applying this year, it will be possible to claim within four years of the relevant tax year.

unlikely to change their minds about an agreed exchange).

To make the swap successful, you’ll need to be prepared to spend plenty of time researching potential exchange partners, tracking down a similar type of person to swap homes with. If you’re foodies and want to spend time sampling local produce and eating out for example, it makes sense to find a smaller place with a good kitchen close to restaurants; whereas, if you’re travelling with children or grandchildren on the other hand, it is important that the house is child­friendly with a garden.

The house­swap companies don’t visit properties before taking them on, so it’s important to study photos carefully, look at the feedback and communicate fully with the owner well in advance. Agencies advise against making the decision to swap before you’ve established a good rapport and are clear about each other’s expectations. You will also have to agree on how utility bills will be settled. You may feel it’s more

The View

straightforward to continue to pay your own, with the exception of phone calls. You may want to swap cars as well as houses, in which case your motor insurer should be informed.

It’s all open to negotiation.

Because the arrangement is non­ commercial, your household insurance shouldn’t be affected, but you should still let your insurer know, double checking that your policy agreement will remain in place while you’re away. Since missing personal possessions are unlikely to be covered unless you have a break­in, it’s best to remove any valuable items. A final tip is to make sure your holiday insurance includes cancellation cover in case a problem arises with your house swap just before you’re due to depart.

National pensioner ’s convention

Y

esterday (Thursday), saw the end of the annual National Pensioner’s Convention (NPC) held in Blackpool, where they discussed the findings of their Age Audit.

According to the report, Britain needs to have a more balanced view of what it’s like to grow older and is based upon data on the areas of income, health, diet, lifestyle, social exclusion and future generations.

Key data from the audit shows that: • Almost 40% of those aged 65 and over in the UK experienced poverty at least once between 2010 and 2013, compared with around 30% of those under 65 • 42% of older people (5.8m) in the UK said they have struggled to afford essential items e.g. food, gas, electricity • 1.5m older people in England have care and support needs that the state does not meet • Over 500,000 people aged 65 and over are victims of elder abuse • 7% of over 65s in the UK (700,000) said they went without food or other essential items in winter, because of worries about the cost of heating their home and 77% of pensioner’s under­heat their homes, eg. only heat one room as a way of reducing their energy bills • Latest estimates suggest 1.3m people over 65 suffer from malnutrition and the vast majority (93%) live in the community • 60% of older people in the UK agree that age discrimination exists in the daily lives of older people

• A high proportion of people are failing to save enough for their retirement; 42% of adults have no pension provision apart from that provided by the state. The majority that do, have a pension pot of around £47,000 – nowhere near enough to give a decent income in retirement.

Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Over the last few years, pensioners have often been described in very negative ways, or portrayed as the cause of society’s problems. Terms such as bed blocker are usually linked with older people, to give the impression that the shortage of beds in the NHS is the fault of the individual, rather than the collapse of the social care system in the community. Equally, older people have been said to have escaped austerity and are the cause of all the problems faced by younger generations. Pensioners are invariably shown as gallivanting on SAGA cruises, or jumping out of aeroplanes on their 90th birthday, but the reality is that 20% of older people live in poverty and 60% are living on an annual income of less than £10,500 a year.”

“We can only start to address the very serious issues facing older people when we accept a more balanced view of what life is like for millions of pensioners in 21st century Britain. With this understanding we can then start to design and map out the kind of services and welfare that is needed to look after and support people after a lifetime of work. At the moment, the UK is not the best place in which to grow older and that needs to change.”

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

BARBARIC OR TRADITION

this, whereas in other villages you may see ropes or sticks being employed for this matter. Three men are needed to reduce the horse and proceed with the rapa. Once the horses are shaven and marked, they are sent back to the first compound, and the children keep the chopped manes inside a basket. This is an important detail of the celebration, since the whole rapa ritual is considered to be a very important tradition that is communicated from the old to the young, also serving as a rite of passage from childhood to manhood.

The men risk being trampled or mauled by the horses as they wrestle the horse to the ground before giving them injections to remove parasites and shear their shaggy coats and trim the tail and mane. Younger horses that have not previously been tagged are branded. It’s thought the tradition dates back to the Plague.

NO CHARGE D

T

his year, as in previous years, hundreds of wild horses will be rounded up and wrestled to the ground as part of a 400­year­old Spanish festival during which the horses are sheared and trimmed by men in the village as festival goers encourage their bravery in dealing with the wild horses.

The Rapa Das Bestas, translated as Shearing Of The Beasts, sees horses herded down from the mountains in north western Spain to be trimmed and groomed.

Thousands of visitors descend on the small village of Sabucedo, Galicia during the first weekend of July to witness the traditional spectacle. The festival which has attracted criticism from animal rights groups began as a way of checking horses for disease and cutting their shaggy coats to keep them cool during hot summer months.

The first morning, at half­past six in the morning, the church bells start ringing, and firecrackers are released, in order to call all the villagers to a mass that is celebrated to ask for the Saint Lawrence’s protection and guidance in the Rapa. After the mass, the participants and the visitors gather together at the Celeiro, the central spot of the village, to get ready for the Baixa, which is the name given to the act of bringing the horses down from the mountains. There are usually

around 14 herds which are brought to the town’s outskirts, what makes a total of 600 horses. During the Baixa, it is very normal to make a pause to eat some appetizers accompanied by a local wine, a beverage that is strongly connected to many aspects of the celebration.

After many hours, the horses start arriving at around three or four in the afternoon. The horses are then kept in a compound outside the village until the Curro takes place, at seven or eight that evening. A curro takes place every day during the three days this event lasts. The Curro is the central part of the celebration; that is, when the male (garañones) and female (bestas) horses are brought into another compound (also called Curro) to have their manes chopped and to get an identification seal on them (nowadays, a microchip under their skin).

One of the special features that the Rapa of Sabucedo has, compared with those taking place in other villages, is that in Sabucedo the Curro is a stone wall, whereas other villages feature a less eye­catching wooden fence.

When the horses are brought into the Curro, it’s the time for the aloitadores to act. These men are in charge of holding the horses still while they’re being shaven and marked. They only use their bodies and arms to do

isabled passengers should not have to pay for in­flight assistance or help getting to and from the aircraft, Spain's National Court has ruled ­ and that includes when they phone up to arrange it.

Short­haul carrier Air Europa has been fined €4,500 for obliging travellers with mobility problems to call a telephone number starting in 902 to book their assistance ­ a premium­rate line, meaning they are effectively paying a surcharge for this help.

Given that a disabled passenger has no option but to arrange help by telephone, he or she cannot avoid the extra payment, the court found. The same applies to

travellers who need to borrow equipment, such as wheelchairs, or bring their own, or passengers who need to advise the airline they will be bringing their guide dogs.

Air Europa was fined by the State Air Security Agency in October last year for giving a 902 number for disabled travellers to ring 48 hours before their flight, despite European regulations stating that all carriers must provide the necessary assistance at no extra charge. The airline appealed, but the fine has been upheld by the National Court.

As a result, the carrier ­ and all other airlines, including low­cost flight firms ­ are required to provide a toll­free number if their passengers have to ring before flying to arrange for assistance or to bring guide dogs.

SMOKING STILL KILLS THOUSANDS

A

report on premature mortality led by Eduardo Gutiérrez Abejón, of the Castilla y León regional health office, has found that over 15% of all deaths in Spain are attributable to tobacco, and shows that smoking kills more people in the country than AIDS, alcohol, illegal drugs and traffic accidents combined.

In what amounts to a slow collective suicide, smoking­related conditions sent nearly 60,500 Spaniards to their graves in 2012 – an average of 166 men and 40 women a day – according to a new study.

“We have yet to reach the maximum level of negative effects on health,” explains Gutiérrez Abejón. His study, which was published in the journal Medicina Clínica, shows a paradox: while tobacco consumption is dropping, mortality rates are rising.

In 1998, 36% of people over 16 years of age were daily smokers. In 2012, the last year for which figures are available, this rate was down to 24%. Yet smoking­related deaths in 1998 were estimated at 55,600, which is actually 5,000 fewer than in 2012.

Gutiérrez Abejón says this rise in mortality is explained by the female population’s relatively recent adoption of the smoking habit. In 1998, women only represented 8% of tobacco­related deaths. Now, they make up one in every four.

“This is the result of tobacco companies’ marketing campaigns,” says the researcher.

The study also shows that half of the deaths occur among 35 to 70 year­olds.

Tobacco is linked to more than 25 diseases, but the biggest causes of death are trachea, bronchial and lung cancers, which account for more than 30% of smoking­related deaths.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease makes up a further 22%.

Bad as it may sound, Esteve Fernández, president of the Spanish Epidemiology Society, believes that the new study actually underestimates the effects of smoking in Spain. This is because the research fails to include other diseases that have also recently been linked to tobacco, such as breast and colon cancer, and diabetes. It also does not take passive smoking into account.

Fernández is asking health authorities for “more courage” in taking action against this legal drug, and advocating measures such as price hikes, generic packaging that does not display brand names, and the incorporation of more

unpleasant images and warning labels on each pack.

“The central government has dropped the media campaigns raising awareness about how bad smoking is for you. They are expensive, but it’s money well spent,” adds Fernández, who is also director of the smoking control unit at the Catalan Cancer Institute.

In 2006 and 2011, the Socialist administration of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero passed two laws that banned smoking first in the workplace, then in all public establishments. But the government of Mariano Rajoy, a self­declared “inveterate smoker” of cigars, has been softer on tobacco.

In 2013, when the conservative prime minister was toying with the notion of watering down the smoking ban to lure the EuroVegas casino project to Spain, nearly 40 researchers from universities such as Harvard and Berkeley told Rajoy that it was their “scientific duty” to warn him that undoing the anti­smoking law “would be a senseless initiative with negative long­term effects on Spain’s health and economy.”

When Rajoy was public administration minister between 1996 and 1999, he stated that smoking was a virtue rather than a vice, and boasted about how he personally ignored anti­smoking rules.

At a meeting of the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council, “the Andalusian government’s economy chief showed up with a decree that banned smoking, but I noted that the mandatory signs were not up on the wall, and I smoked one of my cigars,” he told magazine El Fumador (The smoker).

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

THE BIG CROSS WORD

‘absence of the sense of pain without loss of consciousness’? (9) 23 With which board game would you principally associate Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov? (5) 24 Which oily substance extracted

HISTORY QUIZ 1. Roman men, had to swear on what to testify?

2. Who Was President Of America At The Outbreak Of World War II? 3. What was the nickname of President Duvalier of Haiti, who died in 1971?

4. Who said 'The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it'?

5. At traditional German country weddings, the couple had to do what together?

6. Who Was The First Us President To Take Up Residence In The

from the rind of a dwarf variety of Seville orange is used to flavour Earl Grey tea? (8)

Down

1 Which hard, lustrous spherical

mass forms within the shell of an oyster or other bivalve mollusc? (5) 2 Rock Me Gently was which Canadian singer’s only British hit single? (4,3) 3 What name is given to the horny

Whitehouse?

7. Who Was A Tory, then Became A Labor MP And Finally Lead The British Fascist Party?

8. Oklahoma statehood in 1907 became a sure thing. in part due to the discovery of what?

9. Who Was Henry VIII's Last Wife?

10. Who Pioneered Nursing Whilst Serving In The Crimean War? 11. Which Building In Berlin Was Burned Down In 1933?

12. Which nation invented sauerkraut?

13. In 1969 what category was added to the Nobel prizes?

Answers:

1 Which word can mean both ‘cooking in simmering liquid’ or ‘hunting illegally’? (8) 7 What is the North American name for the elk? (5) 8 According to legend, what was the name of the runaway Roman slave who extracted a thorn from the paw of a lion, which later recognised him and refrained from attacking him when he faced it in the arena? (9) 9 Which is the fifth sign of the zodiac? (3) 10 Which evangelist was the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles? (4) 11 What was the title of Adam Faith’s second British number one hit single? (4,2) 13 Which mythological spirits of nature are imagined as beautiful maidens inhabiting rivers and woods? (6) 14 Which US group reached number five in the charts in 1965 with Hang On Sloopy? (6) 17 Which book by Vladimir Nabokov tells the story of Humbert Humbert, who is possessed by an overpowering desire for very young girls? (6) 18 See 12 Down 20 What is the name given to the Polynesian garland of flowers? (3) 22 Which medical term means an

part of the foot of an ungulate animal? (4) 4 What was the surname of the British admiral was mortally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar?

(6) 5 What was the surname of the author of the Sherlock Holmes’ stories? (5) 6 What title is given to the attendants assisting a combatant in a duel or boxing match? (7) 7 What was the title of The Tymes only British number one hit single?

(2,5) 12/18 What is the name of the hero of Jules Verne’s 1873 novel Around The World in 80 Days? (7,4) 13 In golf, what was the old name for the nine­iron with a heavy, lofted head, used especially for playing out of bunkers? (7) 15 Which American arboreal marsupial has a naked prehensile tail and hind feet with an opposable thumb? (7) 16 Which word means to ‘attack repeatedly with bombs or machine­ gun fire from low­flying aircraft’?

(6) 17 Which is the largest internal organ in the human body? (5) 19 What was the surname of the 18th president of the USA (1869­ 77)? (5) 21 Which word means ‘very eager or curious to hear or see something’? (4)

1. Holding their testicles 2.

Franklin D Roosevelt 3. Papa Doc 4. George Orwell 5. Saw through a log 6. John Adams 7.

Oswald Mosley 8. oil 9.

Catherine Parr 10. Florence Nightingale 11. The Reichstag 12. Chinese 13. Economics

Across

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39

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

SUDOKU

FILL-IT-IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

2 letter words Do In Is It No On So To

3 letter words Ann Arm Car

Col Cot Don Eke Inn Lah Mob Mop Ore Ran Ray Rue Sag Saw Ski Tow

Tub

4 letter words Bars Ewer Many Posh Scab Tare Team Togs

5 letter words Canoe

Cryptic

Across 1 Bounder affirms that they are late (8) 7/19 Let Pam’s car go as steel for recycling (5,5) 8 Drab brown string of horses in Bedfordshire (9) 9 Outlaw Kelly returns to his lair (3) 10 It might clean up long­running television series (4) 11 Bootleg vermin in food (6) 13 The odds against listeners having weapons (6) 14 Agree to trick cowardly dog (6) 17 The wayward married woman gets some heat (6) 18 For a start the river is magnificently well kept (4) 20 Mistake from which one never recovers (3) 22 Radical type whose error is to be trapped in abstemious surroundings (9) 23 Singers lost a production (5) 24 In a tizzy? Call Eric, in Coral Macaw Yearn

7 letter words Auction Contour

9 letter words Direction Horseshoe Polythene Statistic

a pen pushing capacity (8) Down 1 Many poems not in plain English (5) 2 Serrated hideaway gallery (7) 3 Inspect the ring, then say no (4) 4 Scottish Robert gets a small part as a furry animal (6) 5 Puritan can be bad­ mannered on the quiet (5) 6 Writer enters the ship with some hesitation; a poet that is (7) 7 Legislator made a mess of treason (7) 12 See 15 13 Cut off gangster, then quite a few (7) 15/12 They put a stop to affairs of the heart (7,7) 16 Spoken test the morning before is dishonourable (6) 17 Middle Eastern initiation ceremony is commonplace (5) 19 See 7 Across 21 Perform the state entry (4)

Standard

Across 1 Corpses (8) 7/19 Junk (5,5) 8 Bedfordshire market town (9) 9 Hideout (3) 10 Lather (4) 11 Buccaneer (6) 13 Lances (6) 14 Agree (6) 17 Units of heat (6) 18 Cut down (4) 20 Mistake (3) 22 Radical (9) 23 Countertenors (5)

The Big Crossword Answers

24 Belonging to the clergy (8) Down 1 Cyphers (5) 2 Toothed (7) 3 Turn down (4) 4 Bunny (6) 5 Puritan (5) 6 English poet (7) 7 Legislator (7) 12 See 15 13 A number of (7) 15/12 Asystoles (7,7) 16 Shameless (6) 17 Banal (5) 19 See 7 Across 21 Opening (4)

Last weeks Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution

40

Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

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CAPTION COMPETITION THE VIEW has reproduced an image taken from one of this week’s major news stories.

We’re challenging you to come up with a caption to fit.

We’ll publish our favourite suggestion next week.

E­mail your wit to editor@theview.es or send them to Apartado de Correos 255, 03193 San Miguel de Salinas. Alicante.

Last week’s image of Angela Merkel and Barack Obama attracted our biggest entry of captions yet. The entry that amused us the most was sent in by Christine Wilson from Almoradi.

“What do you mean you don’t like ‘THE VIEW’?”

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

Clarkson back at the BBC for final Top Gear

Psst! Wanna buy a motor?

J

eremy Clarkson has returned to the BBC to record a voiceover for what is likely to be his final episode of Top Gear, the broadcaster has confirmed. The programme will be screened in the next few weeks.

Clarkson was dismissed from Top Gear after punching a colleague in the face during filming for the show in March. After an investigation, the BBC decided not to renew his contract, leaving footage that had already been filmed in limbo.

Andy Wilman, the former executive producer of Top Gear and a long­time ally of Clarkson, pledged that the remaining scenes would be edited and broadcast, but the BBC initially took a hard line on the matter, insisting that Clarkson's time at the corporation was over.

Tony Hall, the BBC's director­general, said at the time: "There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."

In the months since Clarkson was ousted from the show, however, "Hall appears to have softened his tough line", the Daily Telegraph says, and has now allowed the presenter to return to record audio commentary to tie the final material together.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed: "He has done the voiceover for Top Gear. He came in to the BBC the week before last.

"He didn't get paid to do it. Even though this happened after his contract was not renewed, it falls under his old contract.

"He is not banned from appearing on the BBC." According to reports, the footage was originally intended to appear across two episodes but has now been woven together into a one­off special that will be

W

shown "in the next few weeks".

The episode is not currently listed in Top Gear's traditional Sunday night slot in BBC2's programme schedule, but a trailer for the episode has been released on YouTube and has already been viewed more than 400,000 times.

In it, Clarkson, alongside his former co­hosts Richard Hammond and James May, are seen racing around the English countryside, smashing into one another while towing caravans. The Top Gear team begin the clip dressed in dinner suits with Clarkson reading out their latest challenge before the trio all hare off. Later in the clip, Clarkson appears covered in mud and wearing goggles with his windscreen smashed in. "Argh, don't want that", he shouts as his spluttering car lurches to a halt.

Due to the popularity of the series and the controversy surrounding Clarkson's departure from the BBC, the episode is "destined to be BBC2’s most­ watched show of the year", The Guardian says.

The bookmaker William Hill estimates that the show will draw in an audience of 8.35 million viewers, the Daily Express reports.

All three presenters are currently completing their live show, Clarkson, Hammond and May Live, and were seen filming in South Africa last week.

hen it comes to used high­ end sports and classic cars, provenance is everything. If the car up for sale has been owned by a Beatle, Ayrton Senna or David Beckham, then the chances are that the price will be inflated to match.

Not all vehicles have such an illustrious history, however. Three bona­fide supercars and a leather­ lined Rolls­Royce to be offered at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed sale – to be held at the British motorsport event on June 26 – were owned by a London gangster branded 'Don Car­leone'.

Recovered from fugitive Alexander Surin by the National Crime Agency – after he admitted that they had been purchased with the proceeds of crime – and now up for sale under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the money raised by these high­end machines – which is expected to top £1 million – will go back into the public purse.

Most exotic of the cars seized, is a gleaming red Ferrari Enzo, which has covered just 1,285 miles and is

predicted to sell for up to £800,000 – nearly twice its original price.

Least expensive of the motors up for grabs is a black Rolls­Royce Phantom, with black alloy wheels.

Found with £800,000 of cash in the boot according to the Daily Mail, this machine "displays 9,630 miles on the odometer, which you should be aware is not the total mileage from new" according to auction house Bonhams, which is managing the sale. Unusually for a Roller, the Phantom is also for sale with no documents, which explains the relatively low £30,000 to £50,000 estimate.

Surin's 2008 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, meanwhile, is set to raise between £60,000 and £90,000 having covered a mere 132km. A similarly low mileage 2009 Ferrari California is poised to sell for around £50,000 to £80,000.

Interestingly, all of these four cars are being sold without reserve, so buyers not put off by their colourful past could bag themselves a bargain at the sale next week.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View

EL PILAR AND MIL PALMERAS P ilar de la Horadada is a town and district in the Province of Alicante located 66 km south of Alicante, and only 1 km north of the regional border (with the Province of Murcia). The town and its neighbouring villages (Pinar de Campoverde and Torre de la Horadada) are home to thousands of British, German and Northern European expatriates. San Javier Airport (Murcia) is within close proximity.

The town has been the site of many battles because of its location at the historical frontier between two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Murcia (Castilla) and the Kingdom of Valencia.

Pilar de la Horadada was a town with dry farms and few houses known as Campo de la Horadada. After various centuries of agricultural economy, its tourism breakthrough came with its independence from the Orihuela municipal district in 1986.

The municipality has five kilometres of beautiful sandy beaches as its main attraction, and is a popular summer destination for the residents of Murcia, which is around 40 minutes away by car. Pilar de la Horadada and the coastal area of Torre de la Horadada grew mainly as a Spanish summer destination, but over the years have attracted an increasing number of international tourists, the urbanisation of Pinar de Campoverde a pleasant green oasis just a few kilometres from the main town.

For such a young municipality it has a long and interesting history, having been settled by the Iberians, the Romans and the Moors. The coastal road was also an important route for the Carthaginians, the Greeks and the Phoenicians. The most visible historical monument, though, dates from after the Reconquista: the sixteenth­century watchtower stands on a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean, and gives its name to the coastal town of La Torre de la Horadada.

The bustling town centre and the beach urbanizations have a variety of shops and restaurants and the weekly market on Friday morning is busy and colourful. Those tired of the shops can sit in the town square, in front of the church and enjoy one of the local pastry products, such as “milhojas”.

In terms of culture the church is an attractive visit and the town’s museum is small but has an interesting variety of exhibits. The remains of a Roman quarry can be found on the coast and there are frequent exhibitions in the Casa de la Cultura and at other venues in the municipality, with a steady programme of fiestas and cultural events throughout the year.

There are also many birds of prey to be found in the region, such as peregrine falcons, golden eagles, European sparrow hawks and kestrels.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Parish Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar: Found in the centre of the town built in 1986 on the same site as its predecessor. The bell tower of the original structure stands to this day.

Río Seco in Pinar de Campoverde: A local river without water for the most of the year. The area is home to a lot of native animals and plants.

Protected Zone of Sierra Escalona: protected in order to preserve native animals, particularly the birds.

Archaeological Ruins of Thiar: an old Roman town on the Vía Augusta, the main route between Illici (Elche) and Carthago Nova (Cartagena), two of the most important Roman cities in Spain.

The beaches of Pilar de la Horadada are spread along five kilometres. They are long with fine and white sand and are relatively safe places. Swimming is permitted in mild conditions. The quality of these beaches is demonstrated with their Blue Flags and Las Higuericas and Mil Palmeras are two of the most popular beaches in the district.

Popular festivals are held in honour of the Blessed Virgin from 29 September until 30 October with the floral tribute on the 11th being one of the highlights.

And finally, El Pilar de la Horadada has a special annual celebration on 30 July – their independence from the Orihuela Council.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

TRAVEL AROUND SPAIN MINORCA AND FORMENTERA

M

inorca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca.

Minorca has a population of approximately 95,000. Its highest point, called El Toro or Monte Toro, is 358 metres (1,175 feet) above sea level, and the island is known for its collection of megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taules and talaiots, which speak of a very earlyprehistoric human activity.

THE ORIGINS

Some of the earliest culture on Minorca was influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, including the Greek Minoans of ancient Crete. The end of the Punic wars saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean.

The Roman occupation of Hispania had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas.

Pirates took advantage of the strategic location of the Balearic Islands to raid Roman commerce, using both Minorca and Majorca as bases. In reaction to this, the Romans invaded Minorca. By 121 BC both islands were fully under Roman control, later being incorporated into the province of Hispania Citerior. In 13 BC Roman emperor Augustus reorganised the provincial system and the Balearic Islands became part of the Tarraconensis imperial province.

The island had essentially a Jewish population. The Letter on the Conversion of the Jews by a 5th­century bishop named Severus, tells of the forced conversion of the island's 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418. Several Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. The act of conversion brought about, within a previously peaceful coexisting community, the expulsion of the ruling Jewish elite into the bleak hinterlands, the burning of synagogues, and the gradual reinstatement of certain Jewish families after the forced acceptance of Christianity, allowing the survival of those Jewish families who had not already perished. Many Jews remained within the Jewish faith while outwardly professing Christian faith.

Some of these Jews form part of the Xueta community.

MIDDLE AGES

Until 1344 the island was part of the Kingdom of Majorca, a vassal state of the Crown of Aragon. Aragon subsequently annexed the kingdom and was then absorbed itself into the unified Spanish crown. During the 16th century, Turkish naval attacks destroyed Mahon and the then capital, Ciutadella,

before Turkish settlement took place on some of the island.

In Mahon, Barbary pirates from North Africa took considerable booty and as many as 6,000 slaves. Various Spanish kings, including Philip III and Philip IV, styled themselves "King of Minorca" as a subsidiary title.

saints is mixed with bitter lemon to make a golden liquid known as a Pomada.

FORMENTERA

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AND THE MODERN ERA

Invaded by Britain's Royal Navy in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession, Minorca temporarily became a British possession. Britain took possession in 1713 under the terms of the Article XI of the Treaty of Utrecht. Under the governorship of General Richard Kane, this period saw the island's capital moved to Port Mahon and a naval base established in that town's harbour.

During the Seven Years' War, France captured the island after the Siege of Fort St Philip (1756), following a failed British relief attempt. Thanks to the Treaty of Paris (1763), the British returned to the island again, following Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War. During the American War of Independence, the British were defeated for a second time, in this instance by a combination of French and Spanish forces, which regained the island after a long siege of St. Philip's Castle in Port Mahon on 5 February 1782. The British ceded

the island back to Spain the next year in the Treaty of Versailles. Minorca was invaded by the British once again in 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars, but it was finally and permanently repossessed by Spain by the terms of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. The British influence can still be seen in local architecture with elements such as sash windows.

During the Spanish Civil War, Minorca stayed loyal to the Republican Spanish Government, while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Nationalists. It did not see combat, except for aerial bombing by the Italians of Corpo Truppe Volontarie Air Force. Many Minorcans were also killed when taking part in a failed invasion of Majorca.

TRADITIONS

Minorca is especially well known for its traditional summer fiestas, which intrigue many visitors. The 'Festes de Sant Joan' is held annually in Ciutadella, during 23–25 June. On the first day of three, a man bears a well­groomed sheep upon his shoulders and parades around the local streets. In the late evening, main streets are closed and bonfires held upon them.

Wine production has been known on the island since ancient times, but it went in to a heavy decline over the last century. Now, several new, small wineries have started up, producing wines locally.

Lingering British influence is seen in the Minorcans' taste for gin, which during local festes honoring towns' patron

F

ormentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pitiusic Islands group (comprising Ibiza and Formentera, as well as various small islets), which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain).

The island's name is usually said to derive from the Latin word frumentarium, meaning "granary". The island (along with its surrounding islets), became a separate insular council (with the same territory as the municipality of the same name) after 1977.

The main island of Formentera is 19 kilometres (12 mi) long and is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Ibiza.

Its major villages are Sant Francesc Xavier, Sant Ferran de ses Roques, El Pilar de la Mola and La Savina.

Formentera comprises one municipality, also called Formentera, and has a population of 9,962 (as at 1 January 2010). Its land area is 83.24 square kilometres (32.1 sq mi).

Formentera is renowned across Europe for many pristine white beaches and the fact that nude sunbathing is allowed on most of them.

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The View

W.G. GRACE – 150 YEARS ON

O

ne hundred and fifty years ago next week, one of cricket's most famous and enduring players made his first­class debut at Kennington Oval.

It started badly for 16­year­old William Gilbert Grace ­ he made a duck batting at No. 3 for Gentlemen of the South against Players of the South ­ but thereafter for him the match was a triumph. With the ball he took 5 for 44 and 8 for 40 as his side won by an innings.

He had a remarkable debut season in 1865 when, in all, he scored 2,169 runs at an average of 40, including 300 in his 13 first­class matches. He was effective with the ball as well, taking 20 wickets at 13.40.

On June 22 came his first­class debut for Gentlemen of the South against Players of the South at The Oval. He was sent in at No. 3 ­ he later said it was "a compliment which I keenly felt I had not justified" ­ but was dismissed for 0, lured down the pitch by a slow, flighted delivery from Farmer Bennett and then stumped by Heathfield Stephenson.

He more than made up for his failure when Players of the South batted. Although over­arm bowling had just been legalised, WG had learned under the old round­arm regulations and his action was described in the 1919 Memorial Biography as "a kind of slinging and his pace a kind of fast medium". He took 13 wickets for 84 and his bowling was, according to Scores & Biographies, "very effective … and his extreme youth must be taken into account". The Surrey club had the ball mounted and presented to him.

A fortnight later he was picked to play for Gentlemen against Players at The Oval. In the days before Test cricket ­

and through until the early 20th century ­ this fixture was one of the main ones of the season and just about the highest recognition a cricketer could hope for. For someone so young to be asked to play was an indication of how quickly Grace's reputation had spread. Although the Gentlemen lost, Grace acquitted himself well, opening the bowling in both innings and taking seven wickets.

He celebrated his 17th birthday during the season at Islington, playing for Gentlemen of Middlesex against Gentlemen of England, scoring 48. As if to underline the casual approach to matches at that time, WG went to Lord's in mid­ July to watch the second day of the MCC's match against Suffolk and found himself roped in to play for a Suffolk side two men short. That was during South Wales' tour in and around London where he enjoyed success with both bat and

ball. The highlight came against Surrey when he took 8 for 72.

He played first­class cricket continually from 1865 until 1904 when he retired from the game at the agincreasin. His last Test Match was in 1899 and his retirement was hastened by his increasing weight. Explaining his decision later, Grace ruefully admitted of his diminished fielding skills that, "the ground was getting a bit too far away."

But was he really that “great”? That word in cricket is used to describe a player’s effectiveness as a Test Cricketer. WG’s career at that level would be classed today as being disappointing. In only 22 Tests he scored 1,078 runs at an average of 32, with just 2 centuries and taking 9 wickets. Compare this to his dominating first­class career of 878 matches, 54,896 runs (average 39.55), 126 centuries, a highest score of 344, and 2,864 wickets. The contrast is there to see.

His superiority over his contemporaries at County Cricket level was astounding. Nobody in the modern era can and probably won’t even come close to replicating those achievements, such is the change in the way cricket is now played.

There have been many anecdotes about Doctor Grace, many of which are probably true. On one occasion on a rather blustery day, WG faced the first ball of a match which clipped the bail. He was out. Without flinching, he bent down picked up the bail, replaced it on the stumps and prepared to face the next delivery. “Windy day, umpire!” said WG. “Yes,” replied the umpire, “and be careful it doesn’t blow your cap off on the way back to the pavilion.”

SPORTING CALENDAR – JUNE & JULY 2015

Below is a list of significant sporting events for the remainder of June, those currently taking place, and the month of July. 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!

JUNE

29th to 12th July­ TENNIS ­ Wimbledon, London

9th -12th ­ GOLF ­ US Women's Open, Lancaster,

Pennsylvania

6th to 5th July ­ FOOTBALL ­ Women's World Cup, Canada 12th to 28th – ATHLETICS ­ European Games, Baku,

Azerbaijan

15th to 21st ­ TENNIS ­ AEGON Men’s Championships, Queen's Club, London 16th to 20th ­ HORSE RACING ­ Royal Ascot

JULY

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 July ­ BEACH VOLLEYBALL ­ World Championships, Netherlands 28th to 6th July­ MODERN PENTATHLON ­ World Championships, Berlin

4th ­ COPA AMERICA FINAL, Santiago 4th to 26th ­ CYCLING ­ TOUR DE FRANCE 5th ­ F1 ­ British Grand Prix, Silverstone 5th ­ FOOTBALL ­ Women's World Cup final, Vancouver 8th -12th ­ CRICKET (THE ASHES) England v Australia –

1st Test, Cardiff

13th -19th ­ SWIMMING ­ IPC World Championships,

Glasgow

16th -19th ­ GOLF – The Open, St Andrews 16th -20th ­ CRICKET ­ England v Australia – 2nd Test,

Lord's

16th -20th – HORSE RACING – Royal Ascot Week 17th -19th ­ TENNIS ­ GB v France, Davis Cup quarter­

finals, Queen's Club 21st ­ CRICKET ­ Women's Ashes – 1st ODI, Taunton 23rd ­ CRICKET ­ Women's Ashes – 2nd ODI, Bristol 24th & 25th ­ ATHLETICS ­ Diamond League, London 24th -9th Aug ­ SWIMMING & DIVING ­ World Championships, Kazan, Russia 25th ­ HORSE RACING ­ King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot 26th ­ F1 ­ Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest 26th ­ CRICKET ­ Women's Ashes – 3rd ODI, Worcester 28th ­ 1st Aug ­HORSE RACING ­ Glorious Goodwood 29th –2nd Aug ­ CRICKET ­ England v Australia – 3rd Test, Edgbaston 30th – 2nd Aug ­ GOLF ­ Women's British Open, Turnberry

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

JJ’s FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE

S

outhampton have signed Spanish striker Juanmi on a four­year deal and Joselu has joined Stoke City from German club Hannover. No transfer fee was disclosed by Southampton but reports in Spain have suggested a figure of approximately £5 million. Stoke paid £8 million for Joselu.

JUANMI

The 22­year­old, capped once by Spain, joins the south­coast side from Primera Division club Malaga, for whom he scored eight league goals last season.

He told the Southampton FC website on Tuesday that, "It's a pleasure to be here and I

am looking forward to being a part of this club," Juanmi won the Under­19 European Championship with Spain in both 2011 and 2012 "I am anxious and I want to start as soon as possible. This is a big club and it has shown a lot of trust in me. Since I was very young, it's always been a dream for me to play in the Premier League. The style of football played here is similar to the way I play, so it's a dream come true. Now I just want to start playing and to start scoring goals."

Southampton finished an impressive seventh in the Premier League last season in what was manager Ronald Koeman's first full campaign at St Mary's.

In the process they qualified for the Europa

JUANMI

JOSELU League and Saints director of football Les Reed said the club's involvement in the continental competition had been a key factor in the club's decision to sign Juanmi.

"Juanmi is a young, exciting and attacking player who fits into the club's strategic plan perfectly," he said. "He has been tracked closely by our recruitment department for some time, and we were keen to act quickly when presented with the opportunity to bring this young player with international quality to Southampton."

JOSELU

EARLIER KICK-OFF TIMES

T

he kick­offs for La Liga’s televised Saturday afternoon matches will be pushed back to meet the demands of the UK television audience.

In 2013, viewers in the UK missed the first 15 minutes of el clásico because of the British broadcasting law that does not permit games to be shown on television from 2.45pm until 5.15pm.

From next season La Liga’s traditional 6pm kick­off time will change to 6.15pm, to enable those matches to be shown in full on UK television.

Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish league, told radio programme 'El Partido de las 12', broadcast on Cope of the change.

Asked by the presenters if the change would mean there would be no “big games” at 6.15pm, he replied that was not true.

Two Sunday kick­off times will also be

changing. The 5pm start will be moved to 4.30pm and the 9pm match will be played at 8.30pm. There will continue to be games on Saturdays at 4pm, 8pm and 10pm, and on Sundays at noon and 7pm.

Tebas said that Friday and Monday games would continue to be played at 9pm, a time that has not gone down to well in Spain, as it means that many schoolchildren will miss the matches.

Tebas also defended the unpopular decision of introducing a Sunday midday game by saying, it was to appeal to the Asian markets.

The variety of kick­off times has proved confusing and unpopular and is cited as one of the reasons La Liga attendances dropped considerably in the 2014­15 season. On average, stadiums were 64% full, well behind the Premier League’s 90%.

The 25­year­old German­born Spanish forward, who has previously played for Celta Vigo, Real Madrid B and Hoffenheim, became the Potters' third pre­season signing following defender Philipp Wollscheid and goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard.

"Joselu has an excellent pedigree and is a player we have been tracking for some time," Stoke manager Mark Hughes told the club's website.

"He has skills and attributes that are

different to what we already have within the squad but will complement the attacking players we already have at our disposal," explained Hughes. "Joselu is excited about testing himself in the Premier League and we're delighted to have him with us," added Hughes, who guided Stoke to a highly creditable ninth place in the Premier League last season.

Stoke have not made public how long Joselu, who scored eight goals in 30 appearances for Hannover in the Bundesliga last season, will be staying at the Britannia Stadium.

Meanwhile Joselu said: "I'm so happy to have joined Stoke City; it's a dream for me to join a club like this and to play in the Premier League. To play in the Premier League has always been an ambition of mine. It is a fantastic league with great clubs, of which Stoke City is certainly one. I know there were other teams in Europe who wanted to sign me but once I had spoken to the people at Stoke I knew I wanted to come here and be a part of this club."

ANYONE FOR TENNIS?

O

ne of the leading Costa Blanca estate agencies, Bennecke, is looking for tennis players both young and old to compete in its prestigious annual tennis tournament, especially British ones. You don't have to be Andy Murray or Heather Watson as there are categories for various abilities and for children too, and as it is being held in Torrevieja it promises better weather than Wimbledon!

This is the second time this competition has been held and big sponsors have been attracted in the shape of Banco Sabadell and the Hispamóvil BMW. The sponsors have donated prizes for the best players in each of the categories, and there are trophies and medals to be won as well.

After the success of last year's event, this year they are hoping to attract a few more entrants from the UK to better represent such a significant part of the local community. All the competitors will get a gift pack of a bag with a t­shirt and tennis cap.

As well as an exciting day of sport, there will be an awards ceremony party with a barbecue.

The tournament takes place between June 28th and July 4th at Torrevieja Tennis Club.

Adult registration costs €12 or €10 for

Torrevieja Tennis Club members; and for children it is €10 or €8 for members.

The categories include Male A, B and C; Female A and B; Kids Male A and B; Kids Female A and B; and mixed doubles.

For more information call the Torrevieja Tennis Club on 966 722 167.

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Edition 6 - June 19th 2015

The View