CampoPulse

La Viña de Liñán

2012-02-01T21:30:00.000+01:00

La Tasca

2012-02-01T12:39:00.000+01:00

La Viña de Liñán

2012-01-31T12:25:00.000+01:00

Lujos

2012-01-30T15:45:00.000+01:00

El Anón

2012-01-30T15:03:00.000+01:00

CODA piano recital by Natalia Kuchaeva

2012-01-30T10:16:00.003+01:00

JIMENA Jimena's music society, CODA has scheduled a piano recital by Natalia Kuchaeva, who has been to Jimena several times with great success. The recital this time is titled Goyescas, by Enrique Granados (Suite for Piano, 1911). We have the programme only in Spanish (see below). The concert is due to take place at Susana's home (Calle Consuelo 42, just below the Anon) on Saturday, February 4, at 8pm. Tickets for CODA members, €5, non-members €8.>>>

Los requiebros
Coloquio en la reja
El fandango de candil (fandango à la chandelle)
Quejas, o la maja y el ruisenor
El Amor Y La Muerte (Balada)
Epilogo: Serenata del espectro

La Tasca

2012-01-29T14:58:00.000+01:00

Spanair closes down, 20,000 passengers stranded

2012-01-29T09:29:00.000+01:00

Catalonia-owned company puts 4,000 jobs in limbo

BARCELONA (Agencies) Spanair, the airline that has survived only thanks to a total infusion of €1 billion from the regional government of Catalonia, went out of business on Friday, leaving 20,000 passengers stranded without warning. No warning was given to the company's 4,000 staff, either. In fact, the company was still selling tickets online on Thursday evening, according to passengers who bought some. The president of Catalonia, Artur Mas, said in response that it had been decided that, given the present financial crisis, the regional government could no longer keep the company going. "It was a good idea from the start, but we have been unable to interest an international investor to come aboard," he said.>>>

In the meantime, the Minister for Development, Ana Pastor, expressed her shock at the way the company acted, although it was no surprise that the airline is no longer viable. She said that the company could be sanctioned with fines of up to €9 million, plus losing its licence to fly. The employees were told this morning that they were on a 'paid permission' but union representatives wonder how they will be paid their January salaries, let alone any kind of 'permission'.

Megaupload had files on 2.5 million residents of Spain

2012-01-28T09:25:00.000+01:00

Private details are now in FBI hands

SPAIN (Agencies) Some 2.5 million residents of Spain could have their personal details -including banking information- be in the hands of the FBI, according to Josep Trover, the lawyer who won the sentence against the 'digital tax' at the Brussels Court. "US legislation does not recognise protection of private data, so this information is in the hands of the courts there. Let's see what they do with it," says Jover. US authorities have already charged some users with illegal downloads, and some of them have been sent to jail. As soon as Megaupload, and other U2U (user to user) websites, opened a commercial account, they required basic information (name, address and ID) as well as payment details such as credita card numbers or a PayPal account. These pay systems alone generated some U$S 110 million over the last six years.>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

Some consumer agencies have encouraged users to claim back their private data from Megaupload, though there is no immediate information on the success obtained with it.

The President of the Asociación de Internautas (something like a 'surfers' group), Víctor Domingo, says that the FBI has already set in motion a kind of 'digital Guantánamo' whereby millions of users are wondering what will happen to their data, when they are with the FBI and which, he says, has the privacy issue up in the air. He has strongly suggested that statements should be made the National Police or the Guardia Civil alleging the disappearance of one's details.

'Where does Gibraltar go from here?

2012-01-26T19:14:00.001+01:00

GIBRALTAR An article by David Eade under the above title in Gibraltar View Point starts like this: "The recent revelations in the Hain book (Outside In, by Peter Hain, Biteback Publishing, Ltd.) coupled with the Brussels Process and rumours of other Conservative Government plotting with Spain tells us one simple fact: given the opportunity London would clinch a deal with Madrid over Gibraltar. That applies to whoever is in power and Cameron would snatch a deal as readily as Blair or Thatcher." There's a great deal more and a very well reasoned point of view on the subject - worth reading, indeed.

What a little love can do ...

2012-01-26T19:05:00.003+01:00

BEFORE

AFTER!!

You may remember Grace (Grace needs a loving home and plenty of food). She featured in one of our many appeals. She was lucky, she was fostered and ended up staying with her foster family. Her progress is almost unbelievable and it makes us extremely happy that she is so very well. Alas, there are still lots of animals all over the place that need help - there was also talk of setting up at least a fund-raising entity in Jimena but that seems to have fizzled out when it was evident that Prospero was not about to run it, though he did offer to help with setting it up, and Spanish appeals, etc. More AFTER photos below>>>

Now, that's one happy dog!

You may also want to see some of the articles we have put up over the years:

ABOUT DOGS

Is this any way to keep an animal?

Pets or pests?

Seven puppies and their mother ...

Abandoned animals are a national problem

Help us find a home, we were just dumped here

On the old JimenaPulse, we published plenty of items about horses, too, but alas some of the links have died and many photos removed. If you go there, you can see some of them (no photos, though) if you write horses in the Search field.

La Línea payment struggle gets nasty: Councillor attacked

2012-01-26T11:37:00.001+01:00

Aurora Camacho

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Councillor Aurora Camacho, who is responsible for personnel and public works, and is preganant, was attacked by a female municipal employee on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the incident, which occurred against the background of heightened tension in the municipal workforce over unpaid salaries. The workers have not been paid for seven months and tempers are increasingly frayed. The worker, a cleaner currently on sick leave, could face criminal charges and will also face a disciplinary process. Councillor Camacho fainted after the attack and received medical attention on the spot. Protests continue and are getting increasingly aggressive, although one group of workers held a peaceful demo close to the governing party's (PSOE) headquarters and to Mayor Gemma Araujo's home. In the meantime, all political parties have condemned the incident and other incidents have begun to occur in other municipalities with serious salary payment difficulties. For example, the Guardia Civil are investigating a fire that yesterday destroyed a vehicle belonging to a councillor in San Roque, in the belief that it is arson.

Union Jack Removals

2012-01-25T15:39:00.001+01:00

20 tons of nickel stolen in Algeciras, recovered in Catalonia

2012-01-24T19:21:00.001+01:00

Scrapped nickel (illustration only)

Gang of Eastern Europeans and Spaniards
ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The Mossos d'Esquadra (regional police of Catalonia), in cooperation with the Guardia Civil, have recovered 20 tons of nickel that had been stolen in Algeciras last year. Also recovered at a scrapyard in Sant Adrià de Besòs, near Barcelona, are 35 tons of copper and other metals, as well as three luxury vehicles and two large-cylinder motorbikes (one of them a custom-built Harley valued at €35,000), plus several heavy vehicles used in transporting the metal and stolen from several businesses all over the country. A total of 27 people have been arrested in the operation so far -more are expected- of whom 15 are accused of stealing the metal and the heavy vehicles needed for transport, and the rest of distributing or selling it. Sources report that the gang is made up of people from Eastern Europe -allegedly doing the stealing- and the rest are Spanish, allegedly receiving it.

La Viña de Liñán

2012-01-24T12:33:00.000+01:00

Iberia cancels 289 flights as result of three-day strike

2012-01-24T10:18:00.001+01:00

Strikes are scheduled for January 25 (tomorrow), 27 and 30

SPAIN (Agencies) The pilots union, SEPLA, scheduled the strike in protest over the airline's decision to create a low cost line and are a continuation of previous protest strikes. Iberia has said that, while most of the cancellations impact principally on internal flights and some in Europe, they are able to put passengers on alternative routes and flights, and are therefore operating at 66% capacity. Passengers can obtain more information on the Iberia website but those who have paid for their tickets will be getting a message informing them of the situation. More information is also available on Facebook and Twitter as well, says the airline.

Tourists denounce hotel after finding webcam in shower

2012-01-24T10:06:00.001+01:00

(Illustration only)

GIRONA (Agencies)Three tourists from Madrid made a denuncia against the hotel they had been staying at after one of them found a hidden web camera behind a ventilation grille above the shower. The camera was found to be connected to an aerial and was apparently recording. The matter has gone to court and a judge is now investigating the circumstances. Reports say that one of the party noticed a piece of tape showing behind the grille and pulled on it, revealing the camera. They reported it immediately to the regional police (Mossos d'Esquadra), who took the matter to court and the hotel now stands accused of invasion of privacy, among other things. The hotel says that it is investigating the circumstances but it had found that the master key card had been used on that bedroom at midnight on July 22. A cleaner says she saw the tape a couple of weeks before the camera was discovered but didn't think it was important. The tourists' lawyer is asking for €20,000 compensation for each of them, and if anyone is found guilty, the sentence carries a maximum of two years in jail.

PP to request renewal of sovereignty talks

2012-01-24T09:38:00.001+01:00

(Photo: gibnet.com)

'Talks should count on the equal participation of the people on both sides of the frontier'

SPAIN / GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The Partido Popular has requested the Government to ask the UK to renew talks on sovereignty of Gibraltar, 'something that is irrenounceable to our country,' it says. This at any rate is the proposal that is being taken to the party's XVII National Congress. It is signed by several PP bosses: the presidents of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre; Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel and Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas. The text of the proposal says, among a lot more, that 'every opportunity should be seized to propose renewal of the talks with the UK Government, aimed at recovering sovereignty of Gibraltar by Spain.' This should be done "according to the UN mandate, which urges the governments of the UK and Spain to resolve their differences over Gibraltar.' The party does not specifically mention the Tripartite Forum that was created by the PSOE when it came to power in 2004 and which met periodically to deal with local cooperation matters but setting the thorny subject of sovereignty aside. The Forum brought the three main interested parties together; Gibraltar, Britain and Spain each had its own delegation, something the PP has always criticized because 'it gave a voice and a vote to Gibraltar'. The Forum is 'in suspense' at the moment, but the PP proposal says that regional cooperation 'is welcome and presents advantages to local inhabitants.'>>>

However, the text also says that in order for the proposed talks to 'meet its potential they should count on the equal participation of the people on both sides of the frontier.' In other words, if Gibraltar is represented, then so should representatives of the Campo de Gibraltar be present, a matter long in demand in the region.

Whatever else, the proposal concludes that 'Spain should not be satisfied with merely lregional cooperation and should renew conversations on sovereignty.'

The talks the party is demanding were started by the PP itself when it was in power and the last meeting was held in February 2002, between the then Foreign Ministers of Britain, Jack Straw, and Spain, Josep Piqué. They were held within the framework of the so-called Brussels Process, which dates back to 1984. The Tripartite Forum was created in 2004, setting the Brussels Process aside. Thus far, neither side has mentioned any conversations regarding sovereignty.

From IT to olive oil and a life of 'luxuries'

2012-01-24T08:57:00.004+01:00

'Lavender and Bits' Soap

That’s a simple title for a considerable change in the lives of Ann and Kenton Smith. They left the UK and the complex world of IT to come to a 22 acre olive farm in Southern Spain. They started in 2009 with an experiment in handmade soap – and now sell a large variety of products for the face, body and hair, for men and women, directly to their customers via the Lujos area representatives, who will also offer excellent value gift packs and sample packs. In the Campo de Gibraltar, this is Julie Allbon, whom you can contact on 617 904 671. She will be happy to tell you about the Lujos range, and will come to your home for a ‘luxurious’ party. Julie tells us that it takes only a week to get your choices to you. (And we can tell you that the prices are very reasonable, too)

Lujos

2012-01-23T15:44:00.000+01:00

Burns Night is open to Sassenachs

2012-01-23T15:05:00.001+01:00

JIMENA Burns Night is to be celebrated at Oba Bar & More on Friday, January 27th (although Robert Burns's birthday is on the 25th, it being a Wednesday) from 8pm onwards. The haggis will be addressed at 8.30, we're told (and had to look it up, being utter, hopeless Sassenachs here, and were delighted with Wikipedia yet again). The meal includes Haggis, Neaps and Tatties, we're also told (pssst, wot's a neap?), and the announcement says that even Sassenachas are welcome (well, given that there are only about four true Scots in the village (right?) that's not surprising). (Note: with Jan's help, we started trying to explain the whole thing to locals in Spanish but gave up the task as impossible. Can anyone help?)

El Anón

2012-01-23T15:02:00.000+01:00

Gong Chi Fa Cai

2012-01-23T07:18:00.000+01:00

Garlic is good for you - and a poison detector, too

2012-01-22T16:08:00.000+01:00

(From JimenaPulse, March, 2007) Aside from its ability to bring good luck, protect against evil and ward off vampires, there are other benefits to this marvel of Spanish cuisine, sometimes known as ‘the stinking rose’ thanks to its therapeutic value. There is hardly a dish available in Spain that doesn’t contain it in one form or another. Just in case we’ve forgotten, here is a short list of some of its benefits: Provides Vitamins B6 and C; lowers blood pressure and LDL cholesterol (the bad one); increases HDL cholesterol (good); helps prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease; reduces risk of heart disease and strokes; inhibits coronary calcification. But, there's another useful thing it does, specially in these parts: it is a toxin detector: if you have any doubt about any wild mushrooms you might have collected, boil them for 15 minutes in water with two large cloves. After that, remove them with a wooden spoon and cut each in half; if the insides are white, there is no poison in the mushrooms, if not, chuck the whole thing out (from http://noloseytu.blogspot.com, so don't blame us if anything goes wrong!). Any wonder why the famous Mediterranean Diet works? Or is that just another good reason to live here? Prospero is off to the kitchen…

La Tasca

2012-01-22T14:58:00.000+01:00

Welcome to ... No Name Yet

2012-01-22T09:49:00.001+01:00

(Photo: europasur.es)

CASTELLAR The zoo in Castellar has a new member. She was presented to society in general and the media in particular on Friday at a press conference at the Holiday Inn Express in Los Barrios, where she was shown to everyone and where a chat was given about the kind of care she needs, etc. The daughter of Rahin and Tronca, the little nameless 'kitten' is the result of a lot of work with her parents, both of whom were rescued, one from a private home, the other from a circus. She has no name as yet, but the zoo, which houses some 500 animals of all kinds of species, is using Facebook to find a name for her (although I can't find any reference to it there...)

Decade of chess makes its opening move next week

2012-01-21T13:26:00.000+01:00

Largest tournament ever gets under way on Tuesday at 3pm

GIBRALTAR (Panorama) The biggest ever global event in Gibraltar celebrating 10 years of chess will make its opening move next week. The 2012 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival has grown beyond all recognition since it first started 10 years ago. The open tournament, the Gibraltar Masters, with the largest concentration of chess Grand Masters and players ever, begins on Tuesday, with the first move scheduled for 3pm. “The Tradewise International Chess Festival is ready to play host to the greatest number of world chess players and Grand Masters ever who will compete in Gibraltar in its 10th edition,” stressed organiser Brian Callaghan. The success of the tournament is described as down to the team both at the Caleta Hotel which has become the home of chess on the Rock, and the international team of chess arbiters etc., in the first few years headed by Stewart Rubens, and now by Stuart Conquest.>>>

Crucial

The atmosphere created over those 10 days of play has been crucial to its success. The fact that amateur chess players can sit alongside professionals has been an important ingredient in the growing popularity of the festival. Being able to eat, breathe and sleep chess every moment of the day for 10 days has also been vital, as has been the emphasis given to the women’s game.

The festival has been made possible because of the belief and constant support of all the sponsors. Gibtelecom was the first major sponsor and continues on board on the technical front, but leading the sponsorship today is the Tradewise Insurance Company.

James Humphreys from Tradewise says the company is very proud of its association, as all in Gibraltar should be proud of this international Chess Festival, and the promotion of the game as a learning tool in schools locally.

“Having our name above the door to such a prestigious world event means more for Tradewise by way of supporting Gibraltar, and the dynamic individuals responsible for placing Gibraltar on such a worldwide stage, than it does for our own global recognition,” he says.

“Chess is a massive worldwide community, second only in size of federations to football, and the eyes of the world will once again be focused on Gibraltar next week. It is not surprising that the tournament has grown in size and recognition as so many have worked very hard in order to create a warm and inviting “City of Chess” that people, players and their families, want to return to again and again,” he emphasised.

Over the years the tournament has been enjoyed by a huge internet audience and has become the world leader in this area in the world of chess introducing the game to a wider audience.

This has been thanks to Gibtelecom’s innovative technology and the unique, built-for-purpose webcasting suite installed at the Caleta Hotel which has brought into the arena thousands of chess enthusiasts from all over the world.

“Gibtelecom is committed to continue supporting this event, both as a sponsor and technically, and will continue to seek new ways to ensure that the event remains at the forefront of chess technology. The company also values supporting the local community and sees sponsoring this event as an opportunity for promoting and developing the game of chess in Gibraltar,” said a spokesperson for the company.

Requests

At the end of this week 57 GMs, eleven of whom are rated 2700 or over, will begin to arrive on the Rock. In all 58 federations will be playing in Gibraltar this year and Director Stuart Conquest, who continues to be bombarded with requests as the day approaches, points out that this is a considerable increase on last year, when there were only 46. This with the big names on the list is certain to make the 2012 tournament stronger than ever before and the best open anywhere in the world. Running simultaneously will be the Challengers and Amateur tournaments.

Electricity bills to return to 'normal'

2012-01-21T12:11:00.000+01:00

You will be able to choose to stay as it is now

SPAIN (Agencies) The country went up in arms in 2008 when the power companies were allowed to bill monthly, with meters being read every other month - and thus causing enormous confusion about 'estimated' bills in between. Now the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism is planning to allow consumers to pay 'only for what they use' (their words, not ours!). The project is in the hands of the National Energy Commission for review. Included in it is the possibility that some consumers might want things to stay as they are, in other words, a reading every other month but monthly bills. What's more, the project also includes the possibility of consumers providing their own reading from their own meters - which used to happen if the meter reader was unable to access the meter. The ministry explained that there had been a 'significant increase in the number of complaints' about estimated bills. IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

Ever thought about all you get for the price of a coffee?

2012-01-20T16:00:00.001+01:00

(From JimenaPulse, March 2007)

What's the price of a coffee where you live? (Click on Comments below)

Coffee

Sugar

Use of spoon, cup and saucer

Read today’s newspaper

Gossip

Use of the toilet

Toilet paper

Water for drinking, ablutions or something else

(and did you know you can’t be refused a glass of water, by law?) THERE'S MORE!>>>

Toothpick

More gossip

Use of table, chair, tablecloth

Napkin

Use of waste paper basket

Sun, fresh air or air conditioning

More gossip

The chance to run into friends (or enemies)

Pen and paper if you need them

… add something to the list (click on Comments below)

Junta amnesty for 90% of illegal homes in Andalucía

2012-01-19T19:28:00.000+01:00

Illegal construction in Chiclana

Another 10% to remain under threat of demolition

ANDALUCÍA (Agencies) Nine out of ten constructions, be they individual homes or within an urbanization, that were constructed on what is called suelo no urbanizable, or restricted land, will be able to obtain property rights for their owners, after a decree was approved last week by the Junta de Andalucía's Government Council. The rest will be demolished unless otherwise instructed by a Court of Law. The announcement by the Junta's Councillor for Housing, Josefina Cruz Villalón, confirms what had previously been mentioned by the President of the Junta, José Antonio Griñán, during the State of the Region debate last June. In fact, there is no register of otherwise 'illegal' construction, except as listed in reports such as those carried out in the Axarquía region of Málaga, for example. So, with the help of aerial photography, the Junta has calculated that about 10% of the 250,000 'illegal' buildings can be made fully legal. Another 80% will not be officially 'legalized' but will have their circumstances approved so that they can legally obtain basic services such as water, power, etc.. The remaining 10% will not get any kind of approval or legalization and will be scheduled for demolition, unless otherwise directed by a court.>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. ALMOST EVERY ITEM THAT APPEARS HERE HAS TO BE TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

The reason for the situation of these last is that they have been built on fully protected land, so the applicable town planning laws have not prescribed. They are mostly built on areas of 'natural risk', such as on river beds, flood plains and other such. Many of them are also under judicial procedures in any case.

Indeed, many of the supposedly 'illegal' urbanizations have already been 'regularized' (good Spanglish word, that!) as each council puts into effect its new planning regulations.

Nevertheless, the decree makes a distinction among those properties that will get their licencia de primera ocupación (licence of first occupation) as long as they meet the current building regulations -whether or not they have planning permission- and those that do not meet these current standards but met regulations current at the time of building, as well as all those built before 1975 (if these are not in a declared state of ruin). The latter are pretty scarce, according to Junta sources, who says that most illegal building was carried out in the 1980s and 90s.

A licencia de primera ocupación is the document that allows the property to be inscribed at the Property Registry, which in turn will permit the utility companies to connect to their supply.

The legal term that applies to 80% of these 'recognized' properties -a way round various laws- is asimiladas afuera de ordenación (assimilation out of town planning ordinance), which, while not obtaining a licencia de primera ocupación, they will nevertheless be allowed to remain as they are and get their utilities up to date. The procedure is in the hands of the local town hall, which will have to decide which buildings in the municipality get such 'recognition'.

Josefina Cruz pointed out that the decree is not aimed at getting properties legalized indiscriminately, but "a response according to need", adding that it is an "exercise in reality" that intends to sort out construction that is in a legal quandary: they are illegal but the 'crime' has prescribed.

The Councillor also said that the 'legalization' procedure sends out a message of 'wiping the slate clean' but that in future will not be so obliging, and that the cost of obtaining 'legalization' "will be borne by the proprietor", not the public purse.

"Legal instruments and taxes can now be established so that basic services and utilities, and urbanization costs, can be charged to the individual owners or renters and not to all the members of a community," said Cruz Villalón. "Many of these homes are paying Council Taxes (Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles, or IBI) even though they are illegal."

The decree is not a finality in itself, said the Councillor, but a way for the results of years of illegal building to be recognized as existing; they cannot be demolished and they can't be legalized.

Union Jack Removals

2012-01-18T15:36:00.000+01:00

Victor Chandler to become BetVictor in UK

2012-01-18T14:17:00.000+01:00

Victor Chandler
(Photo: casinoscamreport.com)

BetVictor runs successfully all over Europe, UK 'catching up'
GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Gibraltar-based betting pioneer Victor Chandler is to rebrand to BetVictor in the United Kingdom. In a recent statement Victor Chandler said it maintains a rich heritage in the UK, from a small family business to one of the strongest independent sports and gaming companies in the world. The decision to change the brand name is to ensure consistency and instant recognition across all international markets. BetVictor is already running successfully across Europe, and will now be the banner under which the UK operation trades as well. The uniform brand will leverage all the long-standing qualities and values, and most importantly the pioneering spirit and passion for sport that makes Victor Chandler such a trusted and successful business, it said.>>>

“The new website offers a fresh and exciting feel and has been designed to deliver a cleaner and more engaging betting experience for customers. Ease of navigation and enhanced functionality are at the heart of the new creation and these features will compliment a continuing range of great value betting opportunities across a raft of sporting events”

Chairman of BetVictor, Victor Chandler said: “As a company we are always innovating and moving forward, as well as extending our brand across new territories. The UK will continue to be the fulcrum of our international business and it makes perfect sense that the same brand name is used here as in foreign territories.

“I personally guarantee that we will continue to provide our superb range of betting opportunities across a comprehensive range of sporting events.”

Environmental crime in Jimena

2012-01-18T13:40:00.002+01:00

Illegally felled trees

Trees felled illegally over the Christmas holidays
JIMENA An interested reader, Andrés Rebolledo Barreno, sent these photos to TioJimeno (see the web album here) to denounce what he considers a crime against the environment that took place in the area known as Viña Rodrigo. You are not allowed to chop down cork oaks without considerable hassle. Among other things, Andrés says that this whole thing 'smells vary badly' because it is neither part of the original plan, nor have any permits or licenses been obtained. The significant number of trees that were chopped down during the Christmas holidays, when presumably the authorities 'were on holiday'. It all points to governmental negligence, he adds. And, Andrés also says that he is saddened by the reaction -or rather, the non-reaction- of the people of Estación and Jimena in general, who have shown 'indifference and apathy' about such a crime.

Jimena, the only area municipality to be exempt from Council Tax increase

2012-01-18T13:20:00.000+01:00

Other councils must apply 4 or 6% rises by law

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The central government has decreed that, in order to increase municipal incomes, there must be a generalized increase in the Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles (Council Tax), a temporary measure for this year and next. IBI is now the main source of municipal finance as a dramatic downturn in new building throughout the country, so town halls everywhere are suffering from a lack of income from building licences and urban projects. But the decree does not apply to every municipality, nor even to every cadastral unit. Application of the decree will range from the complete exemption for Jimena to an increase for all urban buildings in Los Barrios and La Línea. The reason behind Jimena's exemption, and that of other councils outside the Campo, is>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

that they raised their taxes between 2005 and 2007, at the top of the market.

It is expected that the rise will be about 10% for Los Barrios and La Línea (their valuations, or cadastral value -valor catastral- was revised before 2002) and Castellar, Algeciras, San Roque, and Tarifa's are calculated at 4% (revised between 2008 and 2011). There are no area municipalities that have to apply a 6% rise, which concerns only those whose revisions were carried out between 2002 and 2004.

In general terms, the increases will be applied to the top 50% residential buildings in terms of their revised valuation. However, increases will be applied everywhere (except Jimena), to other urban buildings such as garages, commercial properties and other uses, independent of their cadastral value.

Nevertheless, the percentages mentioned above apply only to the cadastral value, not necessarily to the bills themselves. As you know, IBI is calculated on the basis of a property's cadastral value, not on its last purchase or sale price, and therefore not on its actual market value. It is the job of the provincial government, Diputación Provincial, to collect the monies in the name of most of the area's councils. (This is a highly politicized thing that we don't need to go into here.)

Picardo: 'I am not in favour of the frontier not existing'

2012-01-18T13:13:00.000+01:00

New Spanish government wants to return to Brussels Process talks
GIBRALTAR In an recent interview for Europa Sur, newly installed Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said that the frontier is an obstacle, a problem for those who cross from one side to the other every day. "It would be good if the frontier operated like any other international frontier, with red and green streams. I believe that is the way people from either side would like," he added. "I am not in favour of the frontier not existing, it must exist. There are many possibilities between it being a line on the ground and a place of daily confrontation." About the Tripartite Forum, the Chief Minister said that although the new government in Spain has mentioned that it is willing to return to talks prior to the Forum, to renew the Brussels Process where it was left off (when the PP lost the elections to the PSOE - the PP now being returned to Governement again) he would not agree with changing its structure in any way. He emphasised, though, that his new (Socialist) Government's position regarding bilateral (i.e. Spain and UK only) talks on the Rock's sovereignty "are over and will never be renewed." The UK, he added, has said clearly that it would only reopen sovereignty negotiations if the people of Gibraltar requested it.

Why is Wikipedia closed down today?

2012-01-18T10:50:00.000+01:00

An explanation and somewhere you can make yourself heard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. Our own thoughts: Why does the USA think it owns the world? Google is also protesting on its home page: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ and so are lots of others: check a simple Google search!

La Viña de Liñán

2012-01-17T12:32:00.000+01:00

La Viña de Liñán

2012-01-17T12:31:00.000+01:00

Government to audit OEM payments

2012-01-16T17:58:00.001+01:00

Rosia Bay, Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Government is in the process of formalising terms of reference for a forensic audit of payments surrounding the closure of Haymills and other entities in the OEM “saga”, No 6 has confirmed to the Chronicle. OEM was originally involved in the affordable housing project in the Rosia district. (See OEM International collapses - Gibraltar affected, July 10, 2009)

Lujos

2012-01-16T15:44:00.000+01:00

El Anón

2012-01-16T15:01:00.000+01:00

La Tasca

2012-01-15T14:57:00.000+01:00

Domestic service gets legal - does it affect you?

2012-01-14T10:58:00.002+01:00

(Illustration only)

SPAIN Call them sirvientas (servants, but definitely not PC), muchachas (girls of whatever age), domésticas (yes, you're right), limpiadoras (cleaners) or whatever PC term you prefer, but from January 2, they have the same rights as any other employee. A new law that went into effect on that date says a number of things that will interest anyone who employs such a person for any amount of time - and anyone who is in that kind of domestic employment. Among other things, they must now have a proper, written employment contract that replaces the previous verbal version. Before the new law came into effect, there was no requirement for a formal contract and Social Security was usually paid by the employee, if at all. Now they must be paid the minimum wage, €8,000 a year plus the two traditional extras in June and December, which adds up to €8,979.60 divided into fourteen annual payments of €641,40 per month (except June and December which double this amount). This comes to about €172,68 per week full time. Plus Social Security. In an example from the Social Security office: if a cleaner comes in for three hours per week and is paid €10 an hour, it comes to about €120 per month. The Social Security payment on that will come to €16. But how to make these payments and get on the right side of the law?>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

Although the employee has indeed been employed maybe even for a number of years, the employer now needs to be registered as such officially. This takes place at the Tesorería de la Seguridad Social (Social Security Treasury), which is not the same as the local Social Security office, although they will probably be able to tell you where that is (if it's at a different place). Like all treasuries, they handle the money.

At the Tesorería the employer asks for a Código de Cuenta de Cotización, which opens an account with which to track the payments.

You will need to take along the written contract with the employee. This will detail the number of hours to be worked and the amount of payments. As with most bureaucratic stuff in Spain you will also need your passport, NIE number, the details of the employee and just about any other official document you possess (just in case!)

Once the account has been opened, the employee has a right to lots of other things, the principal of which is indemnity payments. The Social Security office tells us that the new contracts are usually defined as 'indefinite', which means that the employee will henceforth be protected by the same law that applies to all employees.

If he or she -this law also applies to gardeners and drivers, for instance- already has a contract, i.e. before the new law came into being, then he or she will be paid 7 days' salary for every year worked when leaving or being let go. If there was no contract, then the indemnity payment will be 12 days' salary for each year.

If all this sounds complicated - and even if it doesn't - we strongly advise you to seek help from a Spanish tax consultant (asesor fiscal) or a labour specialist (graduado social), often found together and possibly in one person at a good gestoría. It is probably not necessary to use a lawyer (abogado) - at least not initially, but you may have to look out for one if you get it wrong.

All of Gibraltar's bank holidays

2012-01-12T13:49:00.000+01:00

GIBRALTAR (Thanks to Sheila Churchill) Below you will find a list of all of Gibraltar's official bank holidays, including a new one for May 1st, not surprisingly called 'Workers' Day as it is established by the GSLP. There are a total of 13 of them so far, and the next one is on March 12th, Commonwealth Day. Further investigation might elicit, if we could be bothered to get down to the research, might say that bank holidays on the Rock are more prolific than almost anywhere else in Europe. That may or may not be true and we'll rely on you, Dear Reader, to do the research ... (Thought to ponder: Why is it Workers' Day, or Labour Day, and nobody works?)>>>

BANK HOLIDAYS IN GIBRALTAR, 2012

2nd Jan – New Year's Day

12th March – Commonwealth Day

6th April – Good Friday

9th April – Easter Monday

1st May - Workers' Day

7th May – May Day

4th June – Spring bank holiday

5th June – Queen's Diamond Jubilee

18th June – Queens Birthday

27th August – Summer bank holiday

10th September – National Day

25th December – Christmas Day

26th December – Boxing Day

Union Jack Removals

2012-01-11T15:37:00.000+01:00

Avon

2012-01-10T15:23:00.000+01:00

La Viña de Liñán

2012-01-10T12:26:00.000+01:00

Messi wins Player of the Year for third consecutive time

2012-01-09T21:05:00.000+01:00

ZURICH (Agencies) Already considered one of soccer's greats at age 24, Lionel Messi became the first person to win FIFA player of the year three times in a row. The Barcelona and Argentina forward received the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2011, winning out over club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo for the sport's top individual honor. "It's a huge pleasure for me," Messi said, after accepting the trophy from another three-time winner, retired Brazilian forward Ronaldo. "It's the third time I get this award, and it's a huge honor." The only other three-time winners are Ronaldo (1996-97 and 2002) and Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003). The FIFA award was renamed last year, when it merged with France Football's Golden Ball. Messi scored 55 goals in 2011 for Barcelona, which won its third Champions League title in six seasons, and he had four goals for Argentina's national team. Barcelona won five trophies last year.>>>

Messi received 47.88 percent of the points in votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected reporters. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second with 21.6 percent and Xavi got 9.23 percent to finish third for the third straight year.

"This one is very special because I want to share this with my friend and teammate Xavi. He deserves it," Messi said.

On a night of Barcelona dominance, the Catalan club inflicted another defeat on its great rival Madrid in the men's coach of the year award.

Barca's Pep Guardiola was chosen ahead of Madrid's Jose Mourinho and Manchester United's Alex Ferguson. Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend, as Madrid plays a Spanish Cup match Tuesday in Malaga.

In the women's award, Homare Sawa of Japan ended Brazilian forward Marta's five-year reign as the top player. American Abby Wambach was a finalist.

Sawa led Japan to win the 2011 Women's World Cup and adds the FIFA prize to her tournament best player and top scorer trophies.

A major international tournament victory is all that now eludes Messi.

Guardiola and Ferguson agreed at an earlier news conference that Messi should be considered alongside Pele, Diego Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano.

"Now he can sit beside them. It's a huge award, no?" Guardiola said.

Messi joined Michel Platini winning the Ballon d'Or for three consecutive years, though the France great won from 1983-85 when only European players were eligible. Dutch forwards Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten also received three Ballon d'Or awards in their careers.

Neymar was voted the Puskas Award for the goal of the year, winning fan voting for a solo run for Santos through the Flamengo defense. The other finalists were Manchester United's Wayne Rooney for his bicycle kick in a Premier League match against Manchester City and Messi for his goal against Arsenal in a second-round, second-leg Champions League match.

Spanish Conversation Classes

2012-01-09T15:53:00.000+01:00

BEGINNERS' LEVEL CLASS AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY MORNINGS

Lujos

2012-01-09T15:43:00.000+01:00

El Anón

2012-01-09T15:01:00.000+01:00

La Tasca

2012-01-08T14:56:00.000+01:00

Indian banquet coming up

2012-01-07T20:31:00.000+01:00

Illustration only

JIMENA Oba Bar & More are having an Indian Banquet on Thursday, January 12, from 8pm onward. Guest chef: Callum. Simon says: please pre-purchase your tickets at the bar (Only €18 p/p) or call 665 353 717.

Government puts brakes on cash payments, increases income tax

2012-01-07T20:01:00.003+01:00

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría

SPAIN (Agencies) In a move aimed at reducing 'fiscal fraud' (i.e. tax evasion) the Government yesterday announced that it will be implementing limits on cash payments for certain transactions, and the use of cash not declared in the payments. These measures are similar to those set upin France and Italy, though details for Spain are pending. The Spokesperson for the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said that is is 'unfair' that those who have most to declare (to the taxman) 'don't declare it, or declare less than they should.' She added that 'the situation is even worse than we thought', and that an extraordinary situation demands extraordinary measures. Some of these were signalled: tests on activities that are linked to the 'underground economy', using Social Security and Labour inspectors more efficiently, as well as tracing credit card usage and electricity.>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

The plan, says Sáenz de Santamaría, will work on three basic premises: an intensive fight against tax evasion through under-declarations, improvements in the collection of taxes and cooperation among the Central Treasury, the tax authorities in the regions and Social Security. At present there is very little exchange of information among them.

Improvements, too, to the online self-filing system whereby 'errors' in calculation can be brought to the attention of the taxman before the contributor incurrs a penalty. Large denomination bills, added the spokeswoman, also lead to fomenting tax evasion when paying for certain kinds of transactions.

The fight against tax evasion is one of the problems in some countries that have needed interantional bail-outs, such as Greece, which has put into effect similar plans. That in a country where the previous government said was as high as a quarter of its GDP.

Other measures

A special watch on banking transactions over €3,000 was an electoral promise of the PSOE in the general elections last November. Many believe that this had already been put into effect, possibly through the tax authorities themselves even though it has not been approved by Congress. In any case, this is likely to be officially announced in order to scare tax evaders.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the new Minister for Economy and Competivity, Luis de Guindos, said that changes have to be made in the Constitution regarding maximum deficits allowed to the regional governments and the exercise of more control over their budgets - one of the truly outrageous problems that Have brought Spain to the brink, where we still are.

The country's Public Administration, says Sáenz de Santamaría echoing De Guindos' word to the FT, must be reined in. There are some 4,000 entities, organizations, foundations and consortiums that are part of the Administration network.

As to reforming the financial system, De Guindos presented a report that, he says, will see the reformation applied within six months. In addition, he is to ask the Bank of Spain to make sure the top people in entities that have needed financial help with public money are not "rewarded with large sums after bringing these organizations to this situation."

Among other things mentioned at the press conference, is the fact that thee Government last Friday approved cutbacks to the tune of €8,900 millions, as well as an income increase of €6,275 million, to be carrried out through scaled income tax increases, details about which will be forthcoming next week.

...and Guardiola is named 'world's best' for the second time

2012-01-06T16:11:00.002+01:00

SPAIN Since we're on the subject of el míster (see previous item), news comes in that Pep Guardiola (Pep is short for Josep in Catalan, or José in Castillian, in case you wondered) has been named the best coach in the world by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics), whose press release says as follows: "Selected editorial offices and experts from 81 nations across all continents took part to the election of The World’s best Club Coach, carried out annually by the IFFHS since 1996. The "Top 18" of the year 2011 is composed by 11 Europeans, five South Americans as well as one African and one Central American coach. Of these 18 coaches are three Portuguese, three Germans, two Argentinians and two Uruguayans. Among these 18 trainers, four coached English clubs, and three German and Spanish teams.>>>

"Jupp" Heynckes is, as expected, the best-placed German coach in this annual ranking of club coaches, while the Dortmund coach "Kloppo" Klopp failed with his Borussia at an international level in two consecutive years. Five coaches managed to enter the "Top 10" for the first time. Together with the Serbian Ivan Jovanović, Argentinian Jorge Luis Sampaoli and Uruguayan Jorge Daniel Fossati, there are the two Portuguese Domingos José Paciência (born on 2.1.1969) and Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas, who, aged 33, won the UEFA League with FC do Porto.

40 years-old "Pep" Guardiola became in 2011 superior and for the 2nd time The World’s best Club Coach of the year. With him "Barça" won the national, the continental and the world championships and repeatedly showed fantastic performances. The title-holder José Mourinho confirmed his exceptional qualities once more and reached the second place, narrowly ahead of the old master Sir "Alex" Ferguson. After a poor year with his "Gunners", Frenchman Arsène Wenger reached only the 12th position.

The two best-placed coaches will be honoured with a gilded and silvered IFFHS-trophy in occasion of the 2012 World Football Gala."

Guardiola is a míster, so is Mo

2012-01-06T15:49:00.002+01:00

SPAIN All football managers in Spain are referred to as el míster, or, if there was any doubt, 'the mister'. The question is: why? Although any good English-Spanish-English dictionary will translate it as 'coach, trainer' and such, we have been unable to find the exact reason behind it. The term has been used for a long time and it doesn't require much imagination to associate it with the advent of football to Spain. The first teams came into existence with British businesses and their workers. It is said that the very first 'official' team was the one set up by the Rio Tinto Zinc Company in Huelva, though there are those who would dispute the assertion. According to Wikipedia, the oldest football club in Spain is>>>Aaron Collins FC, formed on December 23, 1889 by Dr. Mackay and British workers employed by the Rio Tinto Company (see?). Although Gimnàstic de Tarragona was formed in 1886 and Sevilla FC in 1890, the clubs did not form an actual football team until 1914 and 1905, respectively. The first official football game played in Spain took place in Seville on March 8, 1890 at the Tablada Hippodrome. Recreativo de Huelva played against Sevilla FC, a team made up of workers from the Seville Water Works. With the exception of two Spanish players on the Huelva team, all the players on both teams were British. This is the reason why the team is called Sevilla FC (football club) and not Sevilla CF (club de fútbol, in Spanish correct way). The Seville team won 2-0.

It all began courtesy of two Scots, Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, overseas British workers at the Rio Tinto mines, and the club was originally named Huelva Recreation Club, now Recreativo de Huelva. The doctors founded the club in order to provide the mine workers under their care with physical recreation.

During the 1910s, the club won several Andalusian regional leagues, and became the first Spanish side to defeat a Portuguese team, winning against Sporting Clube de Portugal. In 1940, it first reached Segunda División, only lasting however one year and not returning until 1957. Since 1965, the team also began hosting the Trofeo Colombino.

In the Basque Country during the early 1890s, British shipyard workers and miners formed the Bilbao Football Club and Basque students returning from Britain founded the Athletic Club in 1898. This early British influence was reflected in the use of English names such as Recreation Club, Athletic Club and Football Club.

Jyske Bank 'robber' appeared in court this morning

2012-01-05T17:29:00.001+01:00

GIBRALTAR (Text & Photo: GibChronicle) A man suspected of trying to rob Jyske Bank by claiming he had a gun was found to be unarmed when he was arrested by police minutes later. The man allegedly walked into the Main Street bank just after midday yesterday and passed a note to a clerk claiming he was armed and asking for cash, the Chronicle understands. A heavy contingent of uniformed officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police rushed to the scene after bank officials raised the alarm at around 12.20pm. Main Street was heaving with pedestrians at the time but the incident passed largely unnoticed outside the bank until police arrived- Although armed police were on standby in the area, they were not actually deployed, an RGP spokesman said. The man was said to have left the bank empty handed and was arrested by police officers outside less than 30 minutes after the incident started. The bank remained sealed off under police guard for some time after the incident as RGP forensics officers worked at the scene. The man has been identified as Roderick Macdonald (d.o.b.05/12/61, of No Fixed Place of Abode), who appeared in court this morning, charged with one count of Attempted Robbery.

Art School student wins exceptional Andalucía award

2012-01-05T17:13:00.000+01:00

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) Despite the many problems with its building the Algeciras Art School (Escuela de Artes y Oficios) still produces excellence. One of the students, Andrea Martín has just won one of the Junta de Andalucía's top priozes for Plastic Arts & Design, in the section on Interior Design. Her award-winning project was titled Turning a Commercial Property into a Pharmacy (in Spanish, natch), and it is the only award in all available sections to be given in the province of Cádiz. (Prospero note: these kids are incredible! Their roof leaks, they have no heating or air conditioning, a good part of the roof is on the point of collapse, etc. etc. - yet there they are!)

San Roque Museum opens at last

2012-01-05T16:57:00.002+01:00

Visitors yesterday
(Photo: europasur.es)

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) The President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, was the guest of honour at yesterday's opening of the San Roque Museum, an accomplishemnt after five years under renovation. After cutting the traditional ribbon, Griñán was given a guided tour of the two-story building on Calle San Felipe that houses a considerable collection of artifacts dating back to the earliest , prehistorical, settlers in the area. It also offers audio-visual items as well as, naturally archaeological pieces. A series of open-door workshops is planned for the near future and the museum is open every day except Monday, during the usual hours (including, no doubt, a long lunchtime break), but on weekends will be open only in the morning.

Municipalities look to fines as cash cows

2012-01-05T16:28:00.000+01:00

JEREZ The municipality of Jerez has just given notice that it is prepared to lower costs without lowering income. One of the ways it is proposing to do this particular bit of financial gymnastics is via fines. Although the report mentions only traffic fines, we would bet on them and every other municipality in deep doo-doo, finding a way of fining us for everything from painting a tiny spot on the house without a licence to following one as we walk the dog (did he pick it up?). In other words -and we are getting increasingly cynical- we are warned. Needless to say, there are other moves from the Government after today's Cabinet meeting (held usually on Friday but tom tomorrow's a national holiday).

Union Jack Removals

2012-01-04T15:34:00.000+01:00

Education "has lost the culture of effort," says minister

2012-01-04T09:45:00.001+01:00

José Ignacio Wert

SPAIN (Agencies) The new Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, José Ignacio Wert, yesterday announced that he is seeking agreement from all parties -not just political but on a 'national' basis- on a profound change in Education. The consensus he is looking for is aimed at "looking forward, not backwards," in his words. Wert wants to diagnose the failures of the Spanish education system because at present there is a "culture of mediocrity, of punishment for excellence that is punishing the entire future of the country." He points out that early school leaving levels are the worst in Europe, while those of excellence are the lowest. The Minister says that "the culture of effort" has been lost and there is but a "lax attitude toward results," a situation he believes must change radically and that the Government must lead the way and he warned that changes to the system take a long time to produce results, which is why it is "extremely urgent" to get to work now.

San Roque museum due to open tomorrow

2012-01-03T18:47:00.001+01:00

(Photo: europasur.es)

SAN ROQUE Although it has been ready since mid December, it was felt that January 4th was a better date for the inauguration of San Roque's museum. Located on Calle San Felipe, it has been over five years in the making. At a recent press conference, Mayor Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix announced that the inauguration tomorrow will be in the presence of the President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán. Amongst other things, Ruiz Boix said he would work towards bringing back to San Roque the numerous museum-quality pieces of art and architecture, the latter from the Roman era Carteia site, that over the years have found their way to a variety of exhibition spaces all over Spain. Some of these illustrate the very first human settlement on the Guadarranque river.

A-7 toll road ups prices

2012-01-03T17:51:00.002+01:00

COSTA DEL SOL New year, new prices. The toll road from Guadiaro to Málaga (called autopista) went up to a low season's total price of €8.55 - and to €13.95 in summer. The prices were approved by the Ministry for Industry on December 19. Thus, the price rise is in the order of 3.6% for each of the three sections during 'regular' periods, which is more than the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rose all of last year. The new prices per section: barriers at Estepona, €1.85 low season, €3,05 in summer; at Marbella €2.70 / 4.40; and at Málaga €4.00 / €6.50. (...and a Happy New Year...)

Avon

2012-01-03T15:22:00.000+01:00

Flamenco show presented in Jimena to tour America

2012-01-03T15:18:00.000+01:00

El Indiano in Jimena, 2008

LA LÍNEA David Morales, the Flamenco dancer of La Línea who now also offers classes at the Instituto Cervantes in Gibraltar, presented a show called El Indiano at the 2008 International Music Festival of Jimena. It was a great success there and everywhere it went. The show brings the rhythms and sounds of South America (e.g. vidalitas, colombianas, tangos and milongas, to name but very few) and joins them with flamenco, not so much in 'fusion' but in a'there and back' format that is difficult to explain but certainly worth seeing. However, you will have to make a trip to South America towards the end of May in order to do so. Morales is taking El Indiano first to Buenos Aires and other large cities of Argentina, then on to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil - all places the show has been on stage but which are demanding more. This time he will be offering a fresh show to which he has added and taken out pieces under the same concept. Before that, though, he has a date at the Falla Theatre in Cádiz on May 12th, to take part in the Iberian American Festival there. Good friend that he is to Jimena (and to this writer), we wish him the best of luck.

Cutbacks and more cutbacks - what's new?

2012-01-03T13:23:00.000+01:00

Cristóbal Montoro, Finance Minister
(Photo: cadenaser.com)

SPAIN (El País/Miguel Jiménez) Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro on Monday said the Cabinet will unveil further measures to rein in the budget deficit. The incoming conservative Popular Party government on Friday announced tax hikes and spending cuts worth some 14.9 billion euros after revealing the budget deficit for last year would overshoot the previous administration's target of six percent of GDP by a full two percentage points. Montoro did not say if the new measures, to be announced on Thursday, would include further belt-tightening measures or initiatives to boost growth. The minister said the new batch of measures will show Spain's European partners that the country has a government "capable of taking decisions.">>>

In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena SER, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said the final figure for last year's shortfall could even come in above eight percent. "It is possible," he said. "I hope it won't be by much."

During its campaign for the November 20 general elections, the PP had pledged not to hike taxes. De Guindos said the government, which took office in the third week of December, had only detected the blowout in the country's finances days before announcing last Friday's measures, which he justified as "an exercise in responsibility."

The economy minister argued the austerity drive was needed to ensure Spain meets the target agreed with the European Commission for reducing its budget deficit this year to 4.4 percent. If the government had not taken the measures, they would have been "imposed" on us, he said.

"The government cannot allow itself to announce that the public deficit will fall two percentage points short of the six-percent target without introducing tax hikes, despite the fact that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy rejected this during the campaign," De Guindos said.

A failure to act would have created a "very difficult situation for the domestic economy," De Guindos said. Spain's risk premium was steady on Monday.

The minister said the government is not ruling out having to raise the standard value-added tax (VAT) rate, which currently stands at 18 percent, in the state budget for this year, which is expected to be released around March.

While in opposition, Rajoy heavily criticized the outgoing Socialist government's decision to raise the standard VAT rate from 16 percent as a measure that would dampen demand and depress activity.

"We have to talk with our European partners as we have to be aware that if we only turn the screws in terms of spending cuts, we're going to get ourselves into a mess."

The minister said the new government has an "aggressive reform agenda," to boost growth. The first pillar of this agenda will be an overhaul of the labor market. The government expects to receive proposals in this area next week from the country's labor unions and employer groups.

Royal son-in-law formally accused of corruption

2012-01-03T11:58:00.003+01:00

Iñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma

The King's son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarín, is embroiled in a corruption case involving public finds (See Royal household allegedly involved in corruption scandal). New revelations in the case say that he negotiated contracts with members of the Balearic Popular Party (PP) at Marivent Palace, the royal family's holiday home in Mallorca. The Duke of Palma -his official title- is married to Infanta (Princess) Cristina, King Juan Carlos's youngest daughter: he is formally accused of misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement and administrative fraud through tourist-sports conventions organized by his supposedly non-profit Nóos Institute and is scheduled to appear in court on February 25th. The alleged misconduct was discovered when investigators looking into the Palma Arena case that involved a sports complex that ran over budget by some €65 million. The media are now reporting that the King urged his son-in-law to straighten things out as long ago as last March, but Urdangarín carried on operating via the foundation until after that, even though he was no longer part of its organization. Monies were allegedly 'diverted' to accounts in Belize and London, among other places, by the Duke and his business partner Diego Torres, to the tune of €5.2 million.

What's the difference between a 'recibo' and a 'factura'

2012-01-03T11:37:00.000+01:00

There isn't one, much. The dictionary defines them as follows: factura = bill, invoice; recibo = bill, account (eg recibo de la luz = electricity bill). In fact, the word recibo means receipt, so it could be said that you would get one when the bill has been paid. But no, because this all comes from a bureaucratic past (and present) when there was no direct debit. It was simple: you got a factura, you paid it (at the bank, town hall or wherever, in cash) and you got a recibo. Would that it had stayed as simple... In any case, all either seem to do these days is rise and rise.

Spanish Conversation Classes

2012-01-02T15:47:00.000+01:00

BEGINNERS' LEVEL CLASS AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY MORNINGS

El Anón

2012-01-02T14:59:00.000+01:00

Spanish court says 'nein' to neo-Nazi bookseller

2012-01-02T13:34:00.000+01:00

Pedro Varela Geiss in court

BARCELONA (El País / Jesús García) Adolf Hitler has landed a Spanish neo-Nazi in legal hot waters. Pedro Varela Geiss, the Barcelona librarian who was jailed for disseminating genocidal ideas, will sit on the dock again soon. But this time it will not be for selling books that denigrate blacks and homosexuals, or for saying that the Holocaust was a "myth" made up of "six million soap bars." This time, Varela - who feels he is the victim of a persecution, to the extent of comparing himself with Jesus Christ and Joan of Arc - is indicted on more prosaic charges: violating intellectual property laws by publishing and distributing Mein Kampf, the bible of National Socialism.>>>

Varela published his own edition of Hitler's work and sold an unknown number of copies throughout the years at his bookstore, an establishment called Europa that was attacked and virtually destroyed last year by around 20 "anti-fascist" youths. The bookstore remains open to the public, but the owner's activities became known to the Free State of Bavaria, the German land that owns the rights to Mein Kampf until 2015, when 70 years will have elapsed since the Führer committed suicide inside a Berlin bunker.

"Hitler was a resident of Munich until his death, and that is why Bavaria came to own the rights to his work," explains Dr Edith Raim of the Munich-based Institute of Contemporary History.

The librarian's attorney, Fernando Oriente, adds: "The occupation forces seized Hitler's assets" and turned them over to the newly created Federal Republic of Germany. "Hitler's legal heirs claimed those copyrights, but their claim was not even admitted to proceedings," says Oriente.

In February 2009, the German Consulate in Barcelona - incidentally, located just 350 meters from the Europa bookstore - decided to end Varela's Mein Kampf-related business and sued him for a crime against intellectual property rights. The judged dismissed the case at first, but the Barcelona attorney for hate crimes, Miguel Ángel Aguilar, appealed the decision and the provincial court sustained his appeal.

The investigation is nearly complete, and Aguilar now wants to know how much money Varela made on the sale of Mein Kampf, one of the works that was seized by regional Catalan police in 2006, when they raided the bookstore and arrested Varela. Although Bavarian authorities are not demanding any specific amount of money in damages - they are not officially represented in the suit despite having reported the situation- the librarian could end up having to pay a considerable amount of money if he is found guilty, according to legal sources.

"It is a significant amount, yes," admitted Varela's defense.

The Penal Code establishes prison sentences of up to two years for intellectual property crimes, extendable to four if the profits made from it were especially high. But Oriente questions Bavarian authorities' legitimacy in claiming copyrights.

"There are contradictory rulings in Italy and Sweden; this is a complex issue," he says, lamenting that Varela is being targeted "but not other general bookstores that sell the book without any problems. I suppose it's because of who he is."

In Germany, explains Raim, it is forbidden to publish Mein Kampf but not to own it.

Hitler's book is one of the titles that a judge ordered destroyed after Varela was sentenced to 15 months in jail. The librarian was unable to avoid prison because he had already been convicted in the past for a similar crime, and he is expected to be released next March.

Meanwhile, Varela feels like the victim of a persecution and his followers are trying to raise funds to help him because "every truth needs someone to proclaim it."

He insists that he is just a simple bookstore owner. "Who do I ask what books I may sell? Where is the inquisitor?" he lamented at the trial. Never mind the fact that he kept a bust of Hitler, made at the height of Nazism, concealed in the storage room.

December 'bridge' to be eliminated

2012-01-02T12:17:00.001+01:00

SPAIN Business leaders and labor unions have reached an agreement that will do away with the December "macropuente," the several-day midweek mini-vacation traditionally enjoyed by Spaniards in the first week of December for Constitution Day on the 6th, followed by a holiday commemorating the religious Feast of the Immaculate Conception on the 8th, with a "bridge" day in between. This year's fell on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, which meant a whole week off for lots of employees, many of whom called in sick. Other holidays that come in the middle of the week are also in the sights of the Government to be moved to a Monday: these will be the August 15, November 1 and, of course, the one on December 8.

La Tasca

2012-01-01T14:55:00.000+01:00

2012-01-01T12:26:00.000+01:00

'Facts are Subversive: Political Writing From a Decade Without a Name' by Timothy Garton Ash

2011-12-31T14:33:00.000+01:00

(Published recently in Spanish, this is a review of the hardback in English by Andrew Moravcsik for Foreign Affairs, a synopsis) Oxford's Garton Ash is no dusty don producing authoritative tomes grounded in archival sources, statistical charts, or revisionist reinterpretations of the past. His virtues are journalistic -- most notably, a brilliant eye for spotting a memorable detail in an exotic locale -- yet his vision is broader than most reporters or columnists. He knows his history and literature, and he combines reportage with passionate political commitment. To be sure, these 48 short essays published over the last decade indulge some journalistic vices. They were written in the moment, and some have thus been overtaken by events: there are ruminations over the proper response to weapons that Iraq did not have, criticisms of an "Enlightenment fundamentalism" that Garton Ash now admits is illusory, and confident predictions about the spread of Ukraine's Orange Revolution that never came true. Moreover, the essays are selective, focusing on flashy subjects that make for engaging interviews: heroic revolutionaries, sordid politicians, and exotic nationalists. Economic interests and electoral calculation, the bland bread and butter of modern politics, play little role. Still, one would like to think this is how history is lived, and the result is engaging. These vignettes are highly recommended for those who cannot wait for the proverbial owl of Minerva to spread its wings.

New look for CampoPulse

2011-12-31T13:21:00.001+01:00

We would appreciate a donation, too

We will be working on a new look for CampoPulse over the weekend, but speed depends on dodgy internet connection at this time of year. So, if you don't see a lot of items coming up, please forgive us. There will also be some excellent advertising deals, aimed at celebrating the fifth anniversary of JimenaPulse, so watch this space.

Gibraltarians on New Year Honours List

2011-12-31T13:13:00.001+01:00

Isobel Ellul-Hammond

GIBRALTAR The Queen's New Year Honours List included two Gibraltarians: Brian Callaghan received an OBE for services to tourism and chess, and Isobel Ellul-Hammond got an MBE for services to the community in Gibraltar. Brian Callaghan has organized the Gibraltar Chess Festival for almost ten years now. It now attracts some 300 players from all over the world, including some 50 Grand Masters. He is also a former Deputy Chairman of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. Isobel Ellul-Hammond is the founder of the Breast Cancer Awareness Charity, formed in 2007 and making headway in raising funds. She also helped found the Prostate Cancer Support Group in Gibraltar and is a Trustee of Learning from Auschwitz. She was elected to Parliament in the latest elections of December 2011.

Are you wearing red knickers?

2011-12-31T12:32:00.001+01:00

What? Yes, hadn't you noticed all the selections of red underwear -male and female- that abounds at this time of year? They're sure to have some at the Chinese shops if you forgot to buy any for tonight. But why? One of the least evident traditions for New Year's Eve in Spain -one of many - requires that you wear red underwear to meet the New Year. It apparently gives you luck in finding a partner (it doesn't specify whether permanent or temporary). Until quite recently, if you wore yellow underwear, all you got was luck. We have been unable to find out where or when this tradition began, but if it has anything to do with cunning marketing, like the eating of the 12 grapes at midnight (see below), we wouldn't be at all surprised. But this is not the only 'good-luck traditional ritual' (i.e. superstitions), here are some more, including some pretty strange ones:>>>The 12 grapes at midnight. This is supposed to bring good luck and your wishes come true if you manage to eat them as the twelve chimes go off, and, of course, you enumerate each of your twelve wishes. The 'tradition' was started in the 1920s by a canny salesman who had a bumper crop of grapes that year. You can now buy little tins with exactly twelve peeled and seeded grapes in an outrageously sweet syrup.

Money. One way of making sure you get money throughout the year is to count money at exactly midnight - this, naturally, is to be carried out as you stuff your mouth with grapes in time to the chimes. There are those who go for putting money in shoes for the same purpose (be careful, do not switch the coins for grapes!).

Lentils. Eating a spoonful of lentils supposedly brings fortune and prosperity. Or giving a handful of them to a business friend, acquaintance or partner will no doubt make for good business in the coming year. There is no indication as to whether the lentils should be cooked or not - or about the consequences of eating too many of them

Luggage. Coming and going out of the house with luggage guarantees many journeys. Or putting luggage outside the front door after midnight. (Be sure it contains all the needs of whatever the person you are throwing out at the time).

Marriage. Sitting and standing at each of the twelve chimes ensures marriage. Do not sit on the grapes nor drop the wad of money you're counting.

Love. Take a photo of the one you love, tie it with a red ribbon and sleep on it under your pillow tonight. Your love will be returned.

Bad luck. On a piece of paper write down all the bad things that have happened to you this past year, and burn it. You are burning your past (though there may be those who don't think you can...).

Getting rid of the negative. Throw a glass of water out the front door, to be rid of tears and sadness.

Happiness. At each chime, repeat "I will be happy this year" Try not to spit out any grapes.

Stones. Many homes select three stones and place them prominently in the house. They represent health, love and money. Do not confuse them with grapes: dentistry is expensive.

Candles. Blue attract peace; yellow, abundance; red, passion (see?); green, health; white, clarity; and orange, intelligence, though we don't know whose.

New clothes. Wear new clothes on New Year's Day and you will be able to buy lots of new lothes the rest of the year. Applies principally to the fashion conscious.

Clean house. Your house must be clean, clean, clean tonight, even if you're not seeing in the New Year there. Clean everything, but pay special attention to the corners. Get rid of anything that is broken, useless or unpleasant. You must also place cinnamon and sweet smelling things in various places; the first attracts good luck and the second, love. (Says Prospero: No bleeding wonder!)

The table. Set out your best tablecloths and napkins, as well as the silver cutlery and glassware your grandmother left you. Don't forget the red candles; there should also be something golden. (Maybe the lentils should not be cooked as they are bound to mess up the decor... On the other hand, see the old year out and the new one in where you don't have to worry about washing up.)

Any more of these - oh, there are more alright - and we won't make it to any of the celebrations...

Brussels warns of increase in number of poor in Spain

2011-12-30T19:16:00.000+01:00

SPAIN (Agencies) The drama of unemployment in Spain is well known, the result of a 21.5% rate, which doubles the European average. However, recent report from Brussels points out that the level of poverty within Spanish homes continues to grow, placing this country in third place, behind Greece and Romania. The report says that poverty among Spaniards who are employed is already at 11.4%. This is owed in large part to the high number of temporary employment contracts that exist here -25% of all people in work- that creates a 'considerable segmentation' between temporary and permanent workers. "The risk of poverty among temporary workers is over twice as much as that among permanent employees," says the text. Spain presents two kinds of employment>>>that are highly differentiated: one is indefinite employment that is 'highly regulated', the other, temporary, is a great deal more flexible. The study also says that temporary employment is 'not voluntary' and is generally associated with 'discriminatory salary levels'. The report points out, too, that the minimum wage (See Government to freeze minimum wage...) is the third lowest among the 27 EU members and that, on top of that, this salary base is applied only to indefinite employment, which therefore accounts for the risk of poverty among the temporarily employed. The head of the European Commission's Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion department, Lázló Andor, says that the proposal regarding 'mini-jobs' sent by the ECB to the Spanish Government, would go some way to alleviating the enormous unemployment figures among under-25s (See Germany suggests Spain apply 'mini-job' concept to unemployment crisis)

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

Prices have risen by 48% since the euro, salaries by only 14%

2011-12-30T14:51:00.000+01:00

Huevos, up by 114% since euro

SPAIN The only things that have come down in price since the arrival of the euro ten years ago on January 1, 2001, are related to technology. According to OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios), the consumers organization, bread, a basic necessity in the country's shopping basket, rose by a whacking 81% since then. The officical shopping basket used as a measuring stick for these things, went up from costing an annual average of €4,600 to its present €6,800, an increase of 48%. The average salary, though, went up by a mere 14% in comparison. Some other items: eggs, up by 114%, milk, 48%; rice, 48% and olive oil, 33%. These among a lot of other items. OCU says that this is the moment to 'do some maths' as 'neither the euro nor the EU are going through their best moments' and there is an abundance of rumours about returning to pesetas, marks, francs or whatever. Other comparative prices rises include>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

housing, for instance, which went up by 78% in Madrid for a 'used' home. New builds were up by 66% per square metre, according to the Sociedad de Tasación (Society of Valuers). Public transport is no exception either: up by 45% for train journeys since 2002, travel by bus is 48% more expensive, and urban transport by 58%. Fuel, petrol or diesel, went up by an increasingly prohibitive 48% since the pre-euro days.

In fact, 'technology', as it's called in Spanish, are the only things that went down. Television sets, sound systems and DVD readers now cost 62% less than ten years ago. Photo cameras went down by 72% and white goods, by only 4%.

The annual average salary in Spain, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE, or National Statistics Institute), was €19,802 in 2002, and in 2009 (the latest figures available) it was €22,511 - only up by 14% from 2002 to 2009.

OCU says that many, probably most, salaries are increased according to the Índice de Precios de Consumo (IPC, or Consumers Price Index). The accumulated variation for the index is 32%, which does not therefore reflect the general price increases since the euro came into being. Their figures point out that if salaries had grown in direct proportion to salaries, Spaniards should have an extra €3,600 in their pockets.

Among many measures being taken by the new government, is freezing the minimum wage at its present level, and cutting salaries to civil servants, as well as freezing (or possibly cutting back) old age pensions. The question then arises: who has benefitted the most from keeping wages and salaries as low as this? And the answer is: employers.

Nevertheless, it is a matter of common sense: less money to spend, less products are bought. But common sense has no price, yet it is priceless.

El Anón

2011-12-30T14:20:00.000+01:00

20-metre whale turns up in the port

2011-12-30T14:19:00.001+01:00

A Rorqual or Finback whale

ALGECIRAS Dock workers at Algeciras port yesterday morning saw a very large whale that had found its way into the commercial area of the port. The whale was reported as being as large as 20 metres. Having made the report, members of the Centro de Gestión del Medio Marino (CEGMA, or Marine Management Centre) went out to watch its behaviour, to see if it was injured or ill, and act accordingly. Warnings to local shipping went out as soon as it was first sighted and it was seen again at 3pm. The Circe organization in Tarifa says it is very likely to be a

rorqual or finback whale, which is in its migration stage at present. No further sightings have been reported since then.

This is how lager got started

2011-12-30T13:10:00.000+01:00

Saccharomyces eubayanus

A team of international investigators recently identified the yeast that apparently travelled some 11,000 kilometers to get into some caves in Bavaria and thus created the microbiological fusion that today sustains the beer industry. At least that is what it says in an article in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' written by a team from Portugal, Argentina and the USA, which describes its discovery of a wild form of yeast in the beech forests of Patagonia. The discovery apparently solves the ancient mystery of the origins of yeast that makes it possible to brew the ubiquitous beer known as lager. The articles goes on to give a little history: In the 15th Century, when Europeans began moving people and merchandise across the Atlantic,>>>

IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

a microscopic stowaway made its way to the caves and monasteries of Bavaria. It, and presumably its many mates, could have come to Europe on a piece of beech wood or in the stomach of a fly. Soon enough, there was a fusion with a local, domestic variety of yeast, a distant cousin (close cousins were out, according to the Church at the time) that had been used for centuries to make bread, wine and other kinds of beer.

The resultant hybrid, says the article, brought about the type known as lager, which is fermented at low temperatures and was first made by Bavarians in the 15th Century and is today one of the world's most popular alcoholic drinks.

In fact, scientists and brewers have long known that this particular yeast is a hybrid, but only a part of the story of the yeast was fully understood. One of the components, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was well established in the world of science but a second component, which gives lager the ability to ferment in cold, continued to be a mystery because scientists had been unable to find it among some one thousand species of yeast known to man.

"Scientists have been searching for this yeast for decades," says Chris Todd Hittinger, scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The 'new' yeast, Saccharomyces eubayanus, was discovered as part of an intensive search led by José Sampaio and Paula Gonçalves of the New University of Lisbon. The Portuguese team analysed European collections of yeasts, the scientific literature available, and they identified new yeasts, but only in Europe. Still, no European candidates were forthcoming.

At work in Patagonia

So they extended their search to other parts of the world, working closely with Diego Libkind, of the National Council of Scientific Research and Technology in Argentina. It was through him that it was thought that the galls (the name for those orange 'balls' in the picture above) that infected the beech trees in Patagonia might contain a candidate.

"The beech galls are very rich in sugars, an ideal habitat for yeasts," says Hittinger. For his part, Libkind adds that the yeasts are so active that they ferment spontaneously, adding, "When they over-mature, they fall to the ground (in the forest) where they often form a thick carpet that smells heavily of ethanol, most probably owing to the presence of Saccharomyces eubayanus."

The Colorado team also identified genetic mutations in the hybrid lager yeast. These changes (which occur during brewing) have accumulated since the immigrant yeast combined with the yeast used for brewing ale (at much higher temperatures) some 500 years ago, thus perfecting the lager yeast's ability to metabolise with the sugar and malt, to produce sulphytes.

Area reservoirs have enough water for the next two years

2011-12-29T18:39:00.001+01:00

Guadarranque reservoir

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR (Agencies) A recent report by the Mancomunidad de Municipios says that there is enough water in the local reservoirs to last at least a couple of year. This stems from the balance made at the end of the 2010-2011 hydrologic year. Both reservoirs, Guadarranque and Charco Redondo were well fed by plenty of rain over that period, which, although showing less rainfall than the previous year, was nevertheless above the average. Guadarranque is at 80% of capacity and Charco Redondo at 72%, and water had to be released at the end of last winter. This winter, however, is expected to be drier than usual, so the reservoirs are nevertheless being carefully watched.

Ice skating project collects over 600 kilos in food

2011-12-29T15:09:00.002+01:00

Conesa, Cid and Regordán at the rink

ALGECIRAS Last Friday we told you about how your kids could get some free time on the skating rink in Algeciras (Free ice skating in exchange for food). The event was a grand success, according to this morning's media: some 600 kilos of non-perishable food were collected, all of which is going to the Cáritas food bank for the needy. The idea came from the rink's owner, Manuel Cañadillas. The local representative of Cáritas, a Church charity, Juan de Dios Regordán, said that some 2,700 families are currently being helped, of which 400 have no income at all. He, and Algeciras Councillors Paula Conesa and Juana Cid thanked Cañadillas for his initiative.

Childish politics in naming a kindergarten

2011-12-29T14:55:00.003+01:00

A road in El Saladillo, Algeciras

ALGECIRAS In what can only be described as childish politics, three political parties are throwing their toys out of the pram in their disagreement over naming a new kindergarten in one of the town's most neglected sections, El Saladillo. The PP (in power) proposed the name of Infanta Leonor, after one of the Kings's granddaughters. Izquierda Unida ('United Left') immediately said no (they profess to be republicans), it should be called Daniel Candel, after a semi-local man that went into exile for the republican cause. No, no, said, the PSOE (in power until local elections earlier in the year), it must be called Hermanos Mariscal, in honour of two brothers of a local family who went through medical tribulations to cure one of their number's congenital disease. The stuf that delights the media, whose local representatives have made hay with the straw of this subject. Why do local politicians have to behave like children? Can't they just get on with so many other, much more important matters?

La Tasca

2011-12-29T14:17:00.000+01:00