Chocolate can help lower your weight!

We can't help being cynical about these things - wine is good for you, then it's bad, then it's good; popcorn is healthy food, etc. etc. However, we like chocolate, so we could hardly pass up an opportunity to sing its praises. We've forgotten if it's an aphrodisiac or not and don't care anyway, but a new study from the University of California's Archives of Internal Medicine says that people who eat chocolate several times a week seem to have a lower body mass indicator (BMI) than those who do so only occasionally. The study covered 1,018 men and women in San Diego without a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high cholesterol, who took part in a clinical on the non-cardiological effects of statins.PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

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The Green Thing

(From Notalot, via e-mail. We've seen it before many times but it bears recycling) At the check-out, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own shopping bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The cashier responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have The Green Thing in its day.>>>
Back then, we returned all our bottles to the shop. The shop sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. They really were recycled. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every shop and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the county of Yorkshire. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the post, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank water from a fountain or a tap when we were thirsty instead of demanding a plastic bottle flown in from another country. We accepted that a lot of food was seasonal and didn’t expect that to be bucked by flying it thousands of air miles around the world. We actually cooked food that didn’t come out of a packet, tin or plastic wrap and we could even wash our own vegetables and chop our own salad.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the tram or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

How is anyone supposed to live without a salary for nine months?

Inmaculada Martínez
(Photo: europasur.es)

LA LÍNEA This is Europe, albeit at the 'Southern (i.e. poorer) end'. It's not the Third World, or even the Second one, whichever that may be. A piece in today's Europa Sur is worth reading even if it goes into the 'What are you complaining about?' file. "Unfortunately, I work at the town hall," says Inmaculada Martínez. She is a full time cleaner, a mother of three and grandmother to one. She is separated from her husband and is the only source of income in the family. Her home is rented. Her salary does not get up to €1,000 per month and she has worked at the town hall for 14 years. She is officially off sick for depression, which would surprise nobody. She has absolutely no income. "I just can't cope any more," she says. "I have nothing to put on the table today," she adds as she shows a large empty pot, which the photographer captures in a click.>>>"I get something from Cáritas (the Catholic Church charity) sometimes but today, the fridge is empty and I have nobody to help me. I had to pay the electricity bill today, so I had to borrow the money or we'd be cut off," Inma said as the tears began to flow. She said that she had gone to the Town Hall to ask for €50 from the nine months back pay she is owed, "But they said no, there wasn't any money. I ended up asking just for €10, and no again. I don't know what to do.">>>

VAT to go up next year, and alcohol and tobacco and fuel and ... you name it

De Guindos, de Santamaría and
Báñez, ministers various

SPAIN Friday used to be a good day. Not any more. It is the day of the Cabinet's weekly meeting, which now seems to bring nothing but bad news. Just some of it from today: unemployment is now up to 5.6 million, 24.55% of the working population; inflation has reached an official 2%, though anyone in the street will tell you it's more than that; VAT to go up next year, probably to 20% or more; all that, plus all kinds of other measures announced a week ago and about which we are trying to get a grip so we can tell you about them (Watch out for Adiós black money and No more cash under the counter coming soon to your favourite website - THIS ONE, DAMMIT!) 

'No prospect of payment' of municipal salaries

Gemma Araujo
(campodegibraltar.es)

LA LÍNEA Mayor Gemma Araujo admitted yesterday that she is no nearer paying municipal employee salaries than she was after the last partial payment she made over Easter, which was for November salaries. Therefore, and given that Tuesday, May 1, is a Bank Holiday, April salaries have to be added to the long list of the unpaid. Unless there is news on Monday, which from all information, is very unlikely. This will add up to eight months for functionaries' salaries and nine months for other municipal workers (See a following item on how just one family is/is not coping). According to the current labour laws, the latter have to go to court to claim their salaries for May last year before the end of the month, or lose their right to payment. The unions representing both types of employees have announced a 'massive demonstration' to take place soon.

Monday is a school holiday, too

Just in case your child neglected to inform you (which we doubt in the extreme), Monday and Tuesday are both school holidays. That Tuesday is May 1st and a national (bank) holiday, is no news (we wonder: Why is Labour Day, as it is in some countries, a day when very few people actually labour?), and that Monday, the day between (a puente, or 'bridge', in Spain) a weekend and a holiday is chosen by teachers' unions with too much power in Andalucía, is not exactly a surprise. Isn't it time that there were mass protests about the enormous amount of time off teachers get, when Andalucía schools remain at the very bottom of European education lists? PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

24 hours to save the bees!

We subscribe to Avaaz.org because they often come up with stuff that either makes us indignant (we obviously enjoy being indignant) or just plain angry about something. This is one of these latter cases, which starts with: "Quietly, globally, billions of bees are dying, threatening our crops and food. But if Bayer stops selling one group of pesticides, we could save bees from extinction." You can read more and express your own indignation by signing their petition here. You will be telling the Bayer shareholders' meeting in Germany tomorrow, how you feel about it.

Los Barrios man invents dog poo vacuum cleaner

(Photo: europasur.es)

LOS BARRIOS (Agencies) Juan José Gómez has invented and patented a vacuum cleaner that will make taking the dog for a walk much easier. After years in development and much approval from the market, the Turbidog is going into production in two models. At a recent presentation of his invention in his home town, Gómez, of Los Cortijillos, said that it will be manufactured in Logroño by a specialist company. The invention looks much like a car vacuum cleaner but will avoid having to bend over to pick up the dog's excrement, by simple suction. The dog poo goes into a cylindrical filter that makes it recyclable and the operator has only to press a button for it to work. Two models are going into manufacture, the smaller one with a capacity of 50 grams and weighing just half a kilo; and a larger one, for 150 grams, that weighs a kilo. The bigger model of the Turbidog also includes a light for night use, and can emit a squirt of liquid to clean the affected area. Both models come with a bandoleer with which to carry them, and a battery that lasts about a month per charge. Gómez received bank finance as well as development grants from the Junta de Andalucía, and there are already firm orders coming in from Mexico and the US, among other countries. (Prospero note: Let us hope orders flow in from dog owners all over this country!)

Government offers summer jobs for uni students

GIBRALTAR (Press Release) The Government of Gibraltar is offering university students the opportunity to enrol for a ‘summer job’ between 26th July and 24th September 2012 (or such earlier date as they may need to depart to university). Working hours will be 10.00 am to 2.00 pm (four hours daily), without a lunch break, 

Monday to Friday. Remuneration will be £120 per week (£6 per hour), free of tax and social insurance contributions. Opportunities exist within various government departments. Students wishing to avail themselves of this opportunity can register their interest by email at humanresources.recruitment@gibraltar.gov.gi or letter addressed to the Human Resources Department, 83-86 Harbour’s Walk, New Harbours, Rosia Road, stating 

whether they are familiar with the use of computers.

'She wants sex, he wants cuddles' says new Kinsey report

Warning: This item may not be appropriate for children
What Eloisa, a housewife whose name we've changed, likes best of all is sex with her partner. "I love his body, his smell - I still find him madly attractive after sixteen years. He ca excite me just with a look," she says. She says she buys her underclothes with him in mind, and as a way of being provocative. She adds that over the years she has become less inhibited. "I have a real sexual life," she says. "My fantasies have stopped being just that and have become a real part of my daily life. My husband sometimes complains that two daily 'assaults' can be too many, but I have no trouble starting him up again - it's like a game. For me, sex is where I feel secure, strong and fulfilled. What I don't like much is bringing tenderness to bed. There are other times for that ... sex is sex," says Eloisa. Jorge (also a fictitious name), 46, is of a different opinion, though. "For me, sex is important PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.>>>

The best of Córdoba in May

One of last year's winners

If you've never been to Córdoba, May is the month to be there. And if you've been there at any other time of year, May is the best time to visit this ancient city. Aside from the world famous Mosque -a breathtaking experience- and various other fscinating historical spots, the reason to be there this month is the flowers. Spring bursts into bloom with a parade known as La Batalla de las Flores (Battle of the flowers), which launches the Cruz de Mayo (May Crosses) festivals usually during the first week of the month (watch this space for a forthcoming item on them). And that is followed by the Patio Competition, this year held between May 2 and 13, when every courtyard is alive with colour. And this is a preamble to the annual Feria at the end of May. Let's look at the patio competition (and more photos).>>>

Fined €32,000 for illegal building

The Pelayo district, above Algeciras

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The municipal town planning authorities have set a fine of €32,581.14 on R.I.G. for building a two-story house illegally in the Pelayo area of Algeciras, close to the El Portalón restaurant. The process began in 2007, when the man wastold to 'return the land to its prior state'. He has had time to demolish the building since then, but if he does not do so within a month, he will be subject to successive fines of similar amounts - up to twelve, a month apart. He has thirty days from last week to make an appeal either directly to the town planning authorities or via the Administrative Court, within sixty days.

This Council department has a series of such fines outstanding, which were set this month. For instance, a fine of €18,263.31 was issued against the owner of another house in Pelayo, where he had also built a two-story home without any kind of permission from the town hall. And that was the third fine for the same person and building. As a result, a demolition order has also been issued.

'There were drugs all over the place'

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

SOTOGRANDE The headline words were said in court yesterday at the trial of four people accused of trying to smuggle 2,850 kilos of hashish through Sotogrande aboard a yacht. The incident happened in August 2010; the yacht was searched and, to continue the Guardia Civil's testimony in court, "Every cabin, every corner, every cupboard was crammed with the drug. We had to climb over the bales to get inside." Suspicion had been raised because the boat was sailing very slowly and the bow was lower in the water than the stern. Four men - a Spaniard, a Frenchman, a Briton and a Moroccan- are facing charges at the Audiencia Provincial in Algeciras. 

What's best for your pet?

You're going away for a week or two or more. What to do with your pets? Will it be better for them to be moved to kennels for the duration? Or an unknown field? What's the price difference compared to sending them to kennels or have someone house/pet sitting or coming in to check on them regularly? Here are some answers from an experienced pet sitter, Julie Allbon (617 904 671, references on request!). Animals, especially dogs and cats, are very territorial, so it may be better to leave them in their familiar surroundings. The same is true of horses, and although they're not nearly so territorial, accidents are less likely to happen on terrain they already know. As for cost, €12 per day per dog - €10 for a cat - is normal at local kennels. How does that compare with prices starting €10 per day for the lot, in their own environment? Plus your home is watched over and your plants watered into the bargain if that's what you want. Another point to be taken into account is if they're on medication - having someone giving them their dose regularly and exclusively can ensure that the vet's orders are followed to the letter. Think about it.

Messi's mom wins image case in Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (Panorama) The image rights of international football star Lionel Messi were at the centre of a case in the Gibraltar Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Anthony Dudley, ruled yesterday that Lionel's mother, Mrs Messi, was the absolute and beneficial owner of 25,100 shares in Sport Consultants Ltd which is incorporated in Belize. A former Argentinian footballer and now a FIFA accredited agent Mr Schinocca obtained by fraudument misrepresentation/deception Mrs Messi's signature in the transfer documents, according to the ruling. Three companies are listed as applicants: Sovereign Trust (Gibraltar) Limited ("Sovereign Gibraltar")which is a company incorporated in Gibraltar and which carries on business as a provider of corporate services. Victoria Investments Limited ("Victoria"), a company incorporated in Gibraltar and Lima Investments Limited ("Lima"), a company incorporated in England and Wales which are under common ownership with Sovereign Gibraltar and used by it to provide nominee shareholders.>>>

Internet down for three hours - and more?

GIBRALTAR The report in The Gibraltar Chronicle reads as follows: "Many businesses and homes were without internet access for over three hours, due to a fault with Gibtelecom’s internet network, yesterday afternoon. The main areas of Gibraltar that were affected were town area and north district. Internet connection was lost at 2pm and not restored till 5.30pm, leaving many businesses unable to operate for the whole afternoon. Adrian Moreno, Gibtelecom’s Operations Director said, “Our engineers were working to restore the ADSL service since the onset of the fault which was caused by a software bug in the operating system of an ADSL aggregator.” That does not mean that the systems have been hacked and bugs implanted. Gibtelecom explained that internet equipment has an operating system and the software that this system uses got the bug and that their systems are still secure. They also said that this was a one off. A statement issued by Gibtelecom said, “The Company apologises for any inconvenience caused to customers.”" From outside the Rock, however, we were unable to look at both the Chronicle Online, or the Panorama site, for more than a day. Service from our point of view was restored some time this afternoon.

Unpaid municipal workers are planning 'massive demonstration'

Previous union demo

LA LÍNEA The municipal workers of La Línea are planning a 'massive demonstration' to be held soon, in order to protest about their 'dramatic' circumstances they have been forced into: in a few days' time they will have been unpaid for nine months. Union representatives say that the demo could be held 'in the next couple of weeks'. The situation, they add, is having a 'very big impact on the Council as well as on La Línea, as the Ayuntamiento is the town's largest employer'. They protest that while the politicians throw accusations at each other, 'it's the workers who suffer'. They are appealing to the national government and the Junta so that La Línea can receive its share of the Patrica System, which is a portion of the taxes collected from the regions by the central government. Meanwhile, Mayos Gemma Araujo has demanded one million euros per month from the provincial tax service or, she says, she will rescind the town's contract with it and collect its own taxes.

Carrefour to discount VAT for large families

SPAIN/CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The Carrefour stores in La Línea and Algeciras, in common with the rest of the chain's Spanish network, is discounting IVA (VAT) from shopping made by familias numerosas ('large families', see definition below). The discount applies to the following sections in the store: butcher, fishmonger, fruit & veg, bakery, pre-prepared foods and cheeses. These products, which 53% of the bulk of the shopping list, have VAT of between 4% to 8% applied to them, and they are daily items. The plan, called Superfamilias and paid for by the company, applies to some 4,000 products, of which 82% come from Spanish agriculture. The objective, according to a Carrefour press release, is to help the more than half a million such families throughout the country.PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item took 78 minutes to receive, research, translate and publish)>>>

Anti-crisis measures 1: The end of free medicine

First in a series about new government anti-crisis measures
SPAIN This is the end of free medication for pensioners in Spain, among other measures to be taken to reduce the cost of the national health care budget. The new system announced recently and approved at last week's Cabinet Meeting, links income to payment for medicines. Perhaps the most difficult part of the new measure is the creation of a single, nation-wide card that will be linked to the Tax Office, which will allow what level of payment each pensioner belongs. This is complicated in a country that even after 10 years of regional health authorities, has yet been unable to make any kind of online connection among them. At the announcement, prior to the Cabinet meeting, Health Minister Ana Mato said that the measure is more 'educational' aimed at people getting to know the real cost of their medications. It is expected that these measure will take about two months to be put into effect, though the actual process will probably take longer to 'trickle down'while technical and administrative problems are sorted out. So how does all this actually affect everyone? PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.>>>

To open or not to open

This e-mail came over the weekend - well written, good English, apparently genuine. Except that Google Mail, i.e. gmail, does not send these kind of messages. We didn't click on the link because common sense told us not to. So use your common sense and bin it.

What are we complaining about?

This video has been around the internet for a while (unless you understand this language, you don't need sound, just an open mind). It is just a reminder to ourselves that we do whinge a lot, don't we? (Thanks for the reminder, Notalot!)

'Spain is a picture of poverty' says Express

SPAIN (Daily Express) British expats in Spain face a battle for economic survival along with millions of families as demands in the country grow to scrap the euro and return to the peseta. Rampant inflation and rising unemployment have produced a crisis of confidence and anxiety with millions fearing the economy will worsen. Some towns have already taken matters into their own hands and gone back to using the peseta. The country’s bad luck has even affected the royal family. King Juan Carlos has had surgery after breaking his right hip on a trip to Botswana. Yet as the 74-year monarch recovered yesterday, 46 million Spaniards and the one million Britons who now live there are desperately searching for someone who can help the ailing country recover. Borrowing hit a record £260.9billion in March as Spain now faces the worse ­economic crisis since its Civil War. Households have been hard hit with the price of essential goods rising by 43 per cent since the introduction of the euro in 2001. (Read the whole story here - but be sure to  take several pinches of salt with you.) (Prospero comment: we don't usually read or quote from the Express, but a reader sent this in. In my opinion, it is no more than the usual anti-everything diatribe from that paper.)

La Nuit Française at Oba

JIMENA Zees ees a fantastique opportunité for vous and your mate to enjoi ze particulaire cuisine of ze France. On Saturday, Avril 28, from 8pm, our bar favorite in Jimená, Oba Bar & More, ees offering a menú complete of ze three course for une prix petite of €15 only. Eef vouz want to participate, plees achat tickets at ze bar.

Royal Gibraltar Regiment takes up guard duties at Buckingham Palace

(Photo: militaryphotos.net)

LONDON Fifty children from St Anne's Middle School in Gibraltar were amongst the huge crowd that gathered last week to watch the ceremony as the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band led the regiment's detachment out of Wellington Barracks, in through the huge gates of Buckingham Palace, and onto the centre of the Palace forecourt where they were met by the cheers of the Gibraltar schoolchildren. The RG's scarlet tunics were a perfect match for those of the waiting Guardsmen but their white Kitchener helmets were in sharp contrast to the black bearskins of the Old Guard. (Read the full story on MercoPress)

Prince Edward and Sophie to visit Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (Agencies)  The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, are scheduled to visit Gibraltar of June 11 for a three-day visit. The royal visit is part of the celebrations for the Queen's Jubilee throughout the Commonwealth. According to GBC, among the events the Earl and Countess will attend are a parade and a dinner, both to be held on the day following their arrival. It is expected that the population of Gibraltar will come out in force as a way of showing its loyalty to Britain. The reaction in Spain, on the other hand, is likely to have the visit seen as a provocation, particularly by politicians, many of whom have in  the past used royal visits as a means of raising tensions regarding the sovereignty of the Rock and its waters. (See GBC Newswatch report)

Change of plan at Casa Henrietta

JIMENA We just got an e-mail from Melissa to say that Monique is unable to come to Jimena for her concert tonight. Marcus Myers will be playing instead. We know Marcus from the last time he was here - and everyone who was there witll remember him, too. So, this evening's music event stands with someone different onstage and starting at 10pm.

Anti-tax evasion measures, medical co-payments and more children in the classroom

King Juan Carlos's accident made the really big news of the week move over (Prospero's well-exercised cynicism wonders about smoke screens). Three significant things will be approved by tomorrow's weekly Cabinet Meeting, or already were at last week's: co-payment for medicines by pensioners -free medication until now- depending on their income, and the long-term unemployed; anti-tax evasion measures against under-the-counter cash payments to the self-employed; more children in the classroom. We will be looking at each of these, and more, measures being taken over the next few weeks. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

Unprecedented royal apology; world media focuses on Spain

SPAIN King Juan Carlos made a public apology about his elephant safari in Botswana. As he came out of hospital yesterday, where he underwent surgery for a broken hip injury sustained on the shoot, he said, "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again." Such an apology is rare if not unique among Spanish monarchs, and even among European royalty. The Spanish media says that the event was fostered by the heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, who was crucial in handling the public relations gaffe that was the result of the private trip for which the King is supposedly to have paid around the €8,000 mark at a time where unemployment in the country is well over 20%. However, the world's media is paying much attention to this country when we could well do without it. Headlines bark about the monarch, his grandson and son-in-law (you can tell the political stance of almost all of them and grade them on their republican inclinations) but the financial pages look deeply into the crisis, worrying about the need, or otherwise, of a bailout. (More on new measures coming up.)

Soto SolWalk & Fun Run

SOTOGRANDE One of the big events this year, the Soto SolWalk & Fun Run takes place on Saturday May 12, starting at 9.30 at Sotogrande International School. This is a sponsored walk in aid of Children with Cancer (www.daniicharity.bbnow.org) to which everyone is welcome. Donations by onlookers and others are also welcome. To find out more and register, call Jo (671 733 522), Andy (664 581 954) or Alison (690 167 317). You can become a friend on Facebook, too:  http://www.facebook.com/sotosolwalk.

Mar y Sol Market grows and grows

SOTOGRANDE The new Every-Other-Saturday market at Mar y Sol just outside Sotogrande (see map below) is growing apace. The image, left, is of just one item at just one of the many stalls there. There is room for more, especially foodstuffs (do you know a bread maker?), but the stalls that are there already offer a wide variety of things - and it can be under a roof if it rains. Tanya Ward, who started it, tells us of this week's 'special': "Spanish Stray Dogs will be attending our market on the 21st April, we need to give them as much support as we can as they do a fabulous job in re-homing stray dogs and cats. Please tell all your friends to come and support their stall. If you have any unwanted items they can sell on from their stall please bring them along. If you can donate some dog or cat food it would be very well appreciated."

What do Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega have in common?

Miguel de Cervantes,
author of Don Quijote

They were all writers that had an effect on the whole world. And they all died on April 23, which is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.This is why it is World Book and Copyright Day. It is also St. George's Day and Saint Jordi's, too. So all in all, it is quite a Day, wouldn't you say? In Spanish schools it is celebrated as Día del Libro. This year it falls on Monday next, and many schools have organized weekend activities and events that involve reading. The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia (Spain) where it has become a tradition to give a rose as a gift for each book purchased. (Read more on the UNESCO website.)

King and grandson shoot themselves in the foot: media goes ballistic

Father and son

MADRID First, the King's grandson, Felipe Juan Froilán, 13, son of his eldest daughter, the Infanta Elena, and her estranged husband, Jaime de Marichalar, shot himself in the foot last week. Then King Juan Carlos fell over and broke his hip during a private visit to Botswana, where he went out for a shoot over the weekend. Both of these have caused considerable excitement in the Spanish media. The first incident had the boy's father telling the Guardia Civil that the accident happened while they were practicing with guns. Then Marichalar changed his story, saying that it had happened while they were cleaning and putting away their guns. The GC investigated the incident and came to the conclusion that it was indeed an accident, which makes the father liable to a fine of up to €3,000 and the removal of his guns and licences for a period of up to a year - children under 14 are not allowed to handle guns in Spain. Felipe Juan Froilán was released from hospital with a bandaged right foot, while his mother, the King's daughter, is reported to have been less than pleased. The second royal incident happened PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was researched, written and edited using several sources; this took some 50 minutes)>>>

Cemeteries feel the crunch: families are not paying for their 'nichos''

Algeciras, the old cemetery

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The financial crunch is taking its toll on the families of those who have been interred at either of the two cemeteries in Algeciras, according to the Marcos Lo-Iacono, the manager of the cemeteries' concession company. He says that he had sent a list of 'payment pending' names to the Town Hall two years ago. All the official requirements were met (there is considerable paperwork involved, see below) but, says Lo-Iacono, "people must be aware that, unless a nicho is bought, it is a rental that lasts five years." PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was translated, researched and edited, taking almost two hours to produce )>>>

Guardia Civil fines owner for abandoning dogs

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CASTELLAR (Agencies) The SEPRONA (Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza) unit of the Guardia Civil was alerted that someone had abandoned some puppies close to Arroyo Los Frailes. When they turned up, they found four puppies. The incident, which happened on Friday the 13th (good luck for those pups!), was videoed by a resident, through which the owner was identified, as the puppies had not been chipped. They were taken to the refuge centre in La Línea, and the owner will be fined as well as having to pay vet fees, chips and getting their papers in order. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was translated and edited)

CODA organizes a piano recital for Saturday 28th

JIMENA The music society of Jimena, CODA, has organized a piano recital for Saturday, April 28, at 8pm, at Suzanna Tampier's home (Calle Consuelo 42, next to El Anón). The recital is by the young pianist Paula Cózar, who will be playing a variety of pieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and others (see the full programme in Spanish below). Tickets at the door are €10 for non-members and €5 for members.

And the winner is ...

(Photo: The Gibraltar Chronicle)

GIBRALTAR The new Miss Gibraltar is ... Jessica Baldachino. First Princess and runner-up is Kerriane Massetti (r.) and Christina Ainsworth is Second Princess. The event was held in St. Micheal's Cave sharply at 9pm on Saturday. The show was held up by a power cut to the cave and the Upper Rock that started 25 minutes into the acts and lasted several minutes;however the audience and participants were remarkable in their patience. (Read the full story by Alice Mascarenhas online at the GibChronicle).

Your 'water' bill explained

Sample 'water' bill

We have had numerous enquiries about what is what on our water bills. What are we being charged for? Is it all water, or is rubbish collection included? So we thought we would offer an illustrated explanation of an itemised bill, which you will find below. This applies to Jimena but is probably extendable to all municipalities served by Arcgisa - if you could scan your bill (outside Jimena) and send it to us via e-mail, we'd be happy to help you understand it (providing we can).
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item took 54 minutes to produce.) >>>

Capucine and her 'tara-tari' on their way to Miami

(Photo: europasur.es)

LA LÍNEA (Europa Sur) Tara-tari is a Bangladeshi fishing boat, nine meters long and two wide. Capucine Trochet is the French rower who pitched up in it at Alcaidesa over Easter, on her solo way from Marseilles to Miami. So far, the trip has taken five months - even though tara-tari means 'speedy' in the language of the Bangladeshi workshop where the boat was built. But hers is not just an adventure: through her 'sponsors', Watever, she wants to prove that the jute produced in Bangladesh can readily be considered a viable technical fibre with many industrial uses. "We want to go as far as possible," she told Europa Sur, "to study how the fibre reacts [to different conditions] and [how well it] ages. Also, there is a special philosophy about travelling like this, without electronics or instruments: it is possible to make your dreams come true quite cheaply. What I'm doing is not easy, but it is my dream. And it's also an adventure."

Don't worry, it's Friday the 13th

SPAIN Yes, today's Friday the 13th!! But we have news for you. We are in Spain, right? And in Spain the equivalent to Friday the 13th is martes 13, that is, Tuesday the 13th. So we have nothing to worry about at all. In fact, if you're really clever, you can get away with not worrying about martes 13, either, just by saying you're not Spanish. The same applies to April Fool's, Mother's and Father's Days and all sorts. Prospero's been doing it for years...

Luxury yacht docks at Algeciras

(Photo: europasur.es)

ALGECIRAS  The luxury yacht, Wind Spirit, is presently docked at the port in Algeciras. She stands out among the busy-ness of container ships and oil tankers. Wind Spirit, consigned to MH Bland, is here for some renovation work to her elegant interior, as well as a complete inspection of her lifeboats. At 134m in length, she carries four masts, four decks and up to 148 passengers. Her owners, Windstar Cruises, aims at the luxury cruise market - which is evident by the fact that Wind Spirit and her sister ship, Wind Star (also due for refurbishment in Algeciras), also house a library, a casino, restaurant, gym and spa, as well as 74 cabins.

Bogart and Bacall coming to San Roque

SAN ROQUE Howard Hawks' To Have and Have Not, starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Walter Brennan is scheduled to be shown at the Palace of Governors in San Roque this coming Monday, April 16 at 9pm. Entrance is free. A classic of the film noir genre, that will probably be dubbed, not subtitled. The film is set in Fort de France, Martinique, under the Vichy regime in the summer of 1940, shortly after the fall of France. In this exotic location, the world-weary fishing-boat captain Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) is urged to help the French Resistance smuggle some people onto the island. He refuses, until the client, Johnson (Walter Sande), who has been hiring out his fishing boat (and owes him $825) is shot before paying him. (See full synopsis here.) PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was translated and edited.)

Bateleur eagle sighted in Europe for the first time ever, say experts

Bateleur sighted at Punta Carnero
(Photo: Fundación Migres)

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The Migres Foundation and the Ornitur company announced yesterday that they had sighted an African eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus), known in Spanish as an águila volatinera, and in English as a Bataleur eagle. This , they say, is the first time this species of eagle has been sighted in Europe. The sighting occurred on April 5th at Punta Carnero, within the municipality of Algeciras, where annual studies on bird migration are taking place these days. Migres said that this is a young bird that came in over the Strait of Gibraltar, in conjunction with numerous other birds of prey. The fact that it is a youngster - new plumage- and the fact that it carries no identification marks such as rings or other means, leads them to believe that this is a natural crossing. It is as yet unknown that any such bird has crossed one of the world's largest deserts, the Sahara, then acros the straits TO reach Europe on the Iberian peninsula. The Bataleur's natural habitat is PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was translated and edited.)

Gibraltar invested €33.2 million in Andalucía in 2011

GIBRALTAR / SPAIN (Agencies) Gibraltar invested a total of €33,200,000 in Andalucía during 2011, according to the country's Ministry of Economy and Competition. The Rock is outdone only by the UK (€131.1m), Luxembourg (€114.1m) and the Netherlands (€46m). Other interesting Gibraltarian investments: Denmark (€16.8m), Switzerland (€14.2m) and Belize (€11.4m). However, investment in Andalucía from outside the region was down by 61.68%, compared to the same period last year. The cause for that figure is principally owed to the downturn in the construction industry and related businesses such as real estate development, building materials including metallurgy and fabrication, as well as water, electricity and gas production, among others. Andalucía's investment abroad was also down by 21.36% year on year, to a total of €538.8m. Investment went mainly to Brazil, USA, Luxembourg and Argentina. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

Sunday's running of the bulls has one man severely injured

(Photo: europasur.es)

LOS BARRIOS There was a lot of bull running last Sunday. A strange (un-connected?) Easter tradition in many places, and no less so in the Campo de Gibraltar. However, at the toro embolao festivities in Los Barrios an 8 year old bull called Pajarillo ('Little Bird', from the Gavira breeders) gored a young man from La Línea, catching him in the throat. The 26 year old was taken to the Puerta del Mar Hospital in Cádiz, where he remains in 'unstable condition' (pronóstico reservado). PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

Rock & Roll Sessions at San Roque

SAN ROQUE An exhibition of photos by Juan Ferrer, titled 'Rock & Roll Sessions', is happening at the Ortega Brú Gallery in San Roque from April 13 to May 4. Visiting hours: 11am to 2pm and 7 to 9pm, Monday to Friday. The opening  party is at 8.30pm on Friday, April 13, with DJ Riff Raff (using vynil discs only), and live music by Badrriles. Good pics, good party, Good Rockin'.

Reader's story: The eagle on the washing machine

JIMENA (Via e-mail) Having veterinary qualifications is often useful, especially when living in Jimena. I have been presented with all sorts from new-born kittens in dustbin bags together with rubbish, to puppies in bags in the river and a week old kid (goat) which I believe was going to be a family's dinner. Even tortoises and birds. All successfully hand-reared and re-homed. However, one night last week my neighbours called me round as they had seen an injured bird and would I come and help! Out I went into the dark to see this young eagle on top of a mountain of rubble - so up I went armed with safety towel to capture the "small bird" with talons and head armour. Once caught the eagle came to stay with us for a while and lived on the patio. This bird of prey had been captured recently as all his flight feathers had been cut in a very bad way making him unable to fly. The eagle is now fit and well and despite his disadvantage, he is safely in Castellar zoo - hopefully living a more natural life than living on my patio on top of the washing machine. It is illegal to capture and keep birds of prey and if reared in captivity a licence is required so please leave them be, they do not make good pets. (Micaela VN)

New airline now flies into Gibraltar

Joining British Airways, Monarch and Easyjet, another airline now has regular flights into Gibraltar: bmibaby is its name and it flies into East Midlands Airport in the UK. At present the schedule is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing from Gibraltar to East Midlands in the evenings, and returning on the same days at about midday - but check for yourself. One interesting thing they say on their website is that all fares are now displayed including taxes and charges. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue.

Reader's info: horse riding in Jimena

Original painting by Deborah

(Via e-mail) Riding at Cortijo Román close to Jimena de la Frontera.  We have a small selection of horses for hacking out. Not suitable for beginners, but lessons can be arranged. Is  there a  competent rider close by who may like to share expenses and some horse care, in return for riding. A high level is  not necessary, but to be able to control a horse out of doors at canter. Car owner essential. Contact Deborah: Home 956 641 386,  mobile 678 833 020.

How to understand the crisis: only a matter of donkeys

From: How did that cork get in your bottle?
(photo by: J. Quirós)

A prestigious financial consultant was asked to explain the crisis so that it would be easily understood, so that ordinary people could get a grip on the causes of this disaster. This is the way he did that: A man went to a hamlet he had never been to before and offered its inhabitants €100 for each donkey they could sell him. A good number of the population sold him their donkeys. Next day, he went back and offered a better price, €150. Lots of the remainder sold him their donkeys. Next time, he offered €300 for a donkey. The entire population now, had sold him their donkeys. Seeing there were no more animals to buy, he offered €500, telling the inhabitants that he would return the following week. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (Thisitem took 54 minutes to produce.)>>>

Boiling hot arrest

(Photo: eruropasur.es)

GIBRALTAR Customs announced yesterday in a press release that a 41 year old Spanish national had been detained by them as his van was about to leave Gibraltar with two boilers aboard. On closer inspection, the boilers contained 19,200 Winston cigarettes, or 96 cartons. The man, whose name has not been released, was freed on bail to appear in court on the 19th. The vehicle and its cargo were placed 'at the disposal of Customs.