Cristóbal Castilla

Did your clocks spring forward?

Clocks in Spain and various other parts of the universe, went forward by an hour last night. But did you change them all?

Mingo

La Tasca

Casa Henrietta

Private Eye goes to town on Spain

SPAIN The famous satirical magazine published an article on Spain in its March issue (yes, March is almost over but what the hay). We discovered this not because we subscribe to it (we can't afford it) but because we came across it looking for something else - not quite, we were listening to GBC Radio a couple of days ago, and they mentioned it in their news section. So we found the cover on the Private Eye site, but couldn't read the whole article as we are not credit-card-carrying subscribers. However, we did find a review of the article on the GBC site, and fearlessly cut enough of it to give you a taste of what it says (okay, okay, we will give you the lot, so long as you promise to visit the GBC site for other information...)>>>

Jimena Real Estate

Brian Cornford memorial on Monday

JIMENA A 'memorial' for Brian Cornford is announced for Monday, April 1, between 1 and 3pm at La Tasca. His family, who will be present, feels sure that he would like all his friends to attend.

Mingo's Easter and beyond

JIMENA Mingo, the bar and restaurant run by Mirella and Laurent in Jimena, tell us that they are keeping their Sunday specials at the same price, but, in celebration of Easter, will also be offering roast lamb with all the trimmings this coming, Easter Sunday. Their opening hours will remain the same throughout the holidays. They also tell us that they will be closed for a week from Wednesday, April 3, to Wednesday, April 9, inclusive. That means they will be re-opening on the eleventh.

Clocks spring forward on Saturday night

Not a good idea
to get a permanent clock

Clocks go forward by one hour on Sunday, March 31 at 2am, which by a simple flick of the wrist or a handy magic wand, becomes 3am. This despite a campaign to put Spain's time in line with the UK, as we reported here.

Bombona price up, electricity down

SPAIN The price of bottled gas, bombonas, went up on Tuesday by 5%, from €16.32 to €17.13, according to the nation's official bulletin, BOE. The announcement also said that the price, controlled by decree, is to be revised every two months instead of the present three, and that it cannot be raised or lowered (that'd be nice!) by more than 5%. Consumer organizations have complained that this is hardly the time for an increase that affects some 11 million homes in Spain, and is the only source of heating and cooking. Nevertheless, a bombona in Spain is still one of the cheapest of its kind in Europe, or at least the 'old' Europe'. (We have tried to find a comparative list of prices but failed - can anyone help? In the meantime, and on the Good News side, the price of electricity goes down from April, as we reported here.

Óptica Regueira

Asesoría Juan Pérez

Barclays to review operations in Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR Staff at the Barclays offices on the Rock were told yesterday, Tuesday, morning that management have decided to go ahead with a formal review of its operations in Gibraltar, and that it could take up to three months. Nigel Riley, Head of Barclays Wealth International Direct, who is on a visit to Gibraltar, has already begun contacts with staff and major clients, according to the GBC, though there seem to be redundancy notices handed out already, if the social media is to be believed. Outgoing Barclays Gibraltar boss Franco Cassar, however, denied any such thing. The review is part of a strategic retrenchment that includes 3,700 job cuts a throughout Barclays operations worldwide. It is understood that the Gibraltar 'branch' is part of the Wealth and Investment Management division, which, although performing well, is one of the divisions that ran into well-publicized trouble in the recent past. Cassar added that regardless of the result of the ongoing review customers' money is 'as safe as at any branch in the UK'. (For further direct information, clients can call Barclays on 200 67519.)

Spanish media: 'Dijsselbloem is a cretin, mediocre, not up to his job'

Jeroen Dijsselbloem

SPAIN  While the rest of Europe is frantically trying to calm the troubled waters of the EuroZone after Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem's saying that the €10b is a template for banking in Europe and setting off market scares galore, much of the media in Spain is calling him names that range from 'mediocre' to 'cretin'. The much-loved morning and/or evening debate shows on radio and TV have been outraged by it all. On one of them we heard German Prime Minister Angela Merkel being called 'the new Hitler'. The fact is that there is much unease about it all, and small savers (we don't know any large ones) do not trust the banks, although there are no polls out on their concept of safety. Much less do they trust their politicians, whom they blame for all the ills of Spain.

Holy Week Special at Casa Henrietta

JIMENA This picture is about Easter, also known locally as Holy Week. If we were Batman we would say something like "Holy Smoke!" but we're not, so we won't. What we will say, however, is that Casa Henrietta, one of Jimena's famous establishments (Calle Sevilla 44, just up from the main square in Jimena), is holding a to-do over the weekend. Tapas, cocktails and wines, as well as lunch and dinner in honour of -you guessed it - Easter, from Friday 28 to Sunday 31. It isn't necessary to spend the entire weekend clinging to the bar (accommodation is readily available) and it is probably not advisable, but it will be worth dropping in...

Brian Cornford (1926 - 2013)

Brian Cornford, long-time resident of Jimena, died suddenly on Sunday. Cremation takes place today and further arrangements are to be announced.

Easter holidays rubbish collection schedule

Punto Limpio recycle centre
just outside Jimena
(Photo: File)

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Easter collection schedule has some changes worth noting. Thursday 27, as usual; Friday 28 (Good Friday), no collection; Tuesday April 2, no collection. All the rest are as usual: no collection on Sunday, collection as usual on Monday, etc. This schedule applies to all the municipalities using the ARCGISA collection service, but since the law states that there can not be two consecutive days without collection (except when they're on strike), it probably applies to other municipalities as well - your town hall will be able to inform you, or there may well be a Bando Municipal (Official Notice) pinned up in the nearest bar.

La Viña de Liñán

Derrick Aspinall (R.I.P.)

Derrick Aspinall, a long time resident of Jimena, died recently on holiday on the Costa Brava. Arrangements for a memorial to be announced.

Olive oil may not be what it says it is

MADRID A consumer organization, Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU), reported recently that it had carried out tests on 34 brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 6 on Virgin Oil brands aimed at checking their quality. A battery of chemical tests that followed the official analyses system revealed that most of the leading brands meet all current regulations, but 9 do not. In these latter cases, the oil is labeled 'extra' when they are simply 'virgin'. This, says OCU, is fraudulent because not only is it mislabelling but also sells a lower quality of oil at prices for a better one. It is not, however, a matter of food safety, but of illicit financial gain. The price of a litre of Virgin Olive Oil is around the €2,50, while the Extra costs around one euro more (see listing below).>>>

Spain also has a tax on savings, 'but not like Cyprus'

Cristóbal Montoro

SPAIN At a recent press conference called by Minister Cristóbal Montoro (Hacienda) announced that Spain is about to introduce a tax on savings accounts ranges from 0.1% to 0.2%. Montoro said that, unlike what is happening in Cyprus, the tax is to be paid by the banks, not the savings account holders, although soon after, the media reported that the banks have responded by sating that the tax would have to be passed on to the savers. In fact, a state tax on bank deposits was announced last December and has been in effect since January 1 but for the moment remains static at 0%, having been created not as a method of collection but to 'guarantee market unity' and to prevent regional authorities from creating their own tax, which was already happening in Andalucía, the Canaries and Extremadura.>>>

Union Jack Removals

98% of Andalucía's secondary school teachers are demotivated

'Demotivation is catching'

ANDALUCÍA A recent survey by one the region's  unions (Central Sindical Independiente y de Funcionarios (CSIF) de Andalucía) has found that 98% of teachers are 'disillusioned' and 'demotivated' with their jobs, according to a press release. Among the reasons: lack of respect from students, more working hours, an alleged bureaucratic 'harassment' and lack of support from the administration. Teachers complain of the 'progressive deterioration' of their work conditions, and about the 'intrinsic difficulties' in the education of students at these ages. (More detailed articles on Education will soon be available at SpainInformer.cm)

Cristóbal Castilla

Mingo

Only 45% of men between 18 and 34 have left home

(Photo: es.123rf.com)

SPAIN The old joke has it that Jesus must have been Spanish because he was 34 and still living with his parents. It may well be true. A study carried out last year revealed that only 45.6% had left the parental home to live on their own. Okay, this is owed in good measure not only to the present national economic situation, but also to a variety of cultural reasons. The study was carried out by the Fundación de Ayuda contra la Drogadicción (FAD, Help Against Drug Addiction), and the Obra Social Caja Madrid. Young Spanish men, apparently, are the bottom of the European list of what is here called emancipación. The EU median age for leaving home is 29. Women, on the other hand, do so in 51.1% of cases - not much different from their male counterparts. (A more detailed article will soon be available on SpainInformer.com)

Just for laffs

(Cartoon: glasbergen.com)

A couple of (familiar) funnies that raised a smile:  

Tech Support: Click on the 'MY COMPUTER' icon on the left of the screen.

Customer: Your left or my left?

Tech Support: Hello.  How may I help you?

Male Customer:  Hi .. . . I can't print.

Tech Support: Would you click on 'START' for me and . . ..

Customer: Listen, mate, don't you start getting technical me.  I'm not Bill Gates!!!     

Cat Neutering Day to be held within next 3 weeks

JIMENA The postponed Cat Neutering Day is now to be held within the next 3 weeks - date to be confirmed, so watch this space. If you have a cat that needs castrating/spaying or know of one of the many strays in the village that we can catch and neuter, then please contact J.A.W.S. or write a comment below. We have negotiated good rates with a local vet so please do the right thing and put a stop to the numbers of cats that are roaming the village!

La Tasca

Casa Henrietta

Church expels priest for sexual abuse of minors

Pere Barceló Rigo

MALLORCA (Agencies) The Ecclesiastical Court of Mallorca has declared Pere Barceló Rigo, parish priest at Can Picafort guilty of abusing several underage girls in the 1990s, and sentenced him to the maximum canonical penalty of expulsion from the clergy and his ministry. In a statement, the Bishopric of Mallorca said that his crimes were 'very serious'. The sentence will be ratified by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (once known as the Inquisition). Barceló can appeal against his sentence in Rome. The process began when a girl reported that she had been raped on several occasions by the parish priest at Can Picafort when she was ten. Another similar report was dismissed for lack of evidence in 1998. The priest was suspended in March 2011 after another woman from a nearby village came forward to denounce him for sexual abuse.

Spain planning to have Gibraltar suspended from EU aviation regulations

(Photo: spanishvida.com)

GIBRALTAR / MADRID Last Wednesday the European Commission announced its proposals to amend its Regulation 261/2004 regarding passenger rights, whereby existing rights would be substantially expanded. Gibraltar would be significantly impacted if the Spanish Government manages to have the removal of the suspension clause - this is one of the few directives that still has such a clause, according to L. Olivera on Panorama, but the proposal does not seek to remove the suspension clause. Should these proposals be approved in Brussels, the new regulations will come into effect in 2014. Gibraltar Government has responded angrily to the proposal because it is in line with the present Spanish Government's intentions of dismantling the Cordoba Agreement, which included the Rock's airport in the measures to be taken on European Civil Aviation, according to one source. The new regulations would include>>>

Have you been fined for speeding on the A-405 road, near Castellar?

The area in question

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR We have had a number of enquiries about speeding fines on the A-405 road (the A-369 on GoogleMaps, which is about 3 years late), from Jimena to Taraguilla, particularly between the turnoff to Sotogrande International School, passing by the entrance to Castellar cemetery and the entrance to Castellar Nuevo. These fines are particularly heavy - ranging from €150 to €400 - because, we believe, that heading for the coast, there is a section with a maximum of 50kph that includes a very straight part (passing by a plant nursery), which then turns into 70kph before a sharp bend. Curiously, on the other side of that same section, heading to Jimena, the speed limit is 70 kph, which leads not only to confusion but might also be a mistake (fallen speed sign, perhaps?). If you have had a fine there, please let us know, so we can make enquiries with the powers that be... (no promises!)

These lovely pups need a home, says J.A.W.S.

JIMENA From J.A.W.S. Facebook page: HELP needed URGENTLY!! 2 beautiful puppies found dumped in the Campo - probably about 4 months old - very friendly, sweet dogs. PLEASE can you help house them for a few days to allow me time to get homes for them? Or can you give at least one of them a forever home???

Russia may restrict Spanish meat and milk products

SPAIN / MOSCOW (Agencies) Russia's phytosanitary and veterinary services (Rosselkhoznadzor) is preparing to order restrictions on importing meat and milk products from 614 suppliers guaranteed by Spain's veterinary services. A recent inspection by the Russians resulted in that possibility, according to Rosselkhoznadzor's spokesperson, Sergei Dankvert, who added that 19 establishments were checked, and "even if some concessions were admitted, 62% of the products do not meet our requirements." And if other things are taken into account, such as laboratory procedures, according to European regulations, "not one of the companies passes inspection." Among the deficiencies uncovered by the inspections are products that do not meet the information required by that country's Customs Union; a lack of analyses that meet the required standards, which, according to Dankvert, causes "inexact certification" of products imported by Russia. (A more detailed article on this subject will soon be available on SpainInformer.com)

Getting ready for Holy Week processions

Poster by Raúl Cárdenas

JIMENA The village is getting ready for Easter week, or Holy Week as it's called by the Catholic Church (see full programme in English below). The advent of Holy Week processions is relatively new to Jimena, although they were present here until the Civil War. The tradition began to be taken up again in the early 2000s with the Palm Sunday procession of La Borriquita ('Jesus on a Donkey' may not be the correct wording but is descriptive), and the addition of two more processions starting last year. Other villages, towns and cities, are also getting ready for it all.In the Campo de Gibraltar, the processions in San Roque are considered the best (we will try to get a programme together for that, too.)>>>

CampoPulse is now on Blog-Connect

CampoPulse is on the German blog listings at Blog-Connect, a very nice fact we discovered when we checked who is looking into your favourite site. This is another proof that many of our readers are not native-English speakers. Indeed our readership includes speakers of French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, various Arab languages, Turkish, several Malaysian languages, and a lot more. Many of them are looking for information on Spain, particularly in the South, before and after taking a holiday in the area. (Another good reason to advertise here!)

Polo season begins at Sotogrande this weekend

SAN ROQUE / Sotogrande The 34th José Ignacio Domecq Memorial Tournament gets under way at Los Pinos next Saturday, March 23, which puts the 2013 season onto the map. This is officially the Spring Season, but major and minor competitions organized by the Santa María Polo Club will be frequent from about now until the end of summer. The year begins with the Domecq Tournament, which is bringing together five 12-goal teams (Sapphire-Bayswater London Gin, FCT Polo, Ayala-El Rosario, Santa Quiteria and Silex) with players from Argentina, Britain, Ireland, The Phillipines and, naturally, Spain. Everything starts at 4pm on Field 3 at Los Pinos, Santa María's headquarters, with a match between Ayala-ElRosario and FTC Polo. (See the full fixtures below.) The Spring Season ends on April 7 with the 11th Conde de Guaqui Tournament, which gets under way two days before that, on the 5th.>>>

Jimena Real Estate

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Brilliant! Electricity rates to go down by 6.7% in April

Good news! (Phew!)
(Image by carrollbryant)

SPAIN This may sound like an April Fool joke, but it isn't (Spain's equivalent is December 28). The vast majority of consumers pay the TUR (Tarifa de Último Recurso) domestic rates, which is due to go down from the first day of next month. This is the first time such a miracle is happening since July 2009, though the rates did go down in October 2012, but went unnoticed because VAT went up at the same time. The Spanish system of power auctions and price highs and lows is largely incomprehensible to the average consumer, and certainly to us at CampoPulse, so all that remains is to be grateful for small blessings...

IOC inspect Madrid's 2020 Olympics candidacy

Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid

Strikes and protests during visit
MADRID Inspectors from the International Olympics Committee are spending four days evaluating Madrid's candidacy for the 2010 Olympics. Probably to be called the Austerity Olympics, the city's candidacy has an ace up its sleeve: about 80% of the infrastructure needed is already in place. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy addressed the group yesterday, emphasizing the financial aspect at a time of drawbacks and unemployment. One media commentator calculated that the Olympics would generate some 83,000 jobs, not insignificant in a country with a 26% unemployment rate. Madrid is competing against Istanbul and Tokyo as host cities. Rajoy pointed out that Madrid is quite used to organizing and hosting major events, and that Spain is one of the world's top tourist destinations. This is Madrid's third bid for the world's major sports event, having lost to London for the 2012s and to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016s.>>>

Spring is here!

So where did winter go? Officially, Spring starts tonight, but you knew that. You also know that this is the rainy season in these parts (you didn't need us to tell you that, either.) It is also the time of year when a train ride up to Ronda is a magnificent experience - the wildflowers are breathtaking. In fact anywhere you go out into the countryside in the next couple of months will be well worth it - though we suggest you let some sun seep into the ground just to give the flowers a bit of a push. And if you get any good photos, send them in!

Óptica Regueira

School holidays coming up

ANDALUCÍA According to our School Calendar (on the sidebar) schools all over Andalucía are closed for a week over Easter, starting this weekend. So the last day is this coming Friday, and they come back on Monday April 1 - April Fool, indeed! The weather, though, does not look too fantastic for that week, so maybe a little forward planning is in order, especially for the smaller ones.

J.A.W.S. information meeting on April 4

JIMENA Jimena Animal Welfare Society (J.A.W.S) will be holding a meeting upstairs at Pastor 2, on Jimena's main square, at 12 noon on Thursday, April 4. The idea is to offer everyone an update on what has been done so far (only 9 months), progress and future plans. Guests will have to get their coffee at the bar on the way up, but if anyone wants to bake a cake to have with it, no objections. Everyone with any interest in animal welfare is very welcome, as are their ideas and suggestions.

264 kilos of cocaine seized from container at the port

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

ALGECIRAS The Guardia Civil announced yesterday that it had seized 264 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container in transit at Algeciras, coming from Argentina. Four people were arrested when they attempted to collect the drug, all of whom are in jail. The GC statement said that they established an operation that watched the container, loaded onto a tractor truck at the cargo terminal; when the truck was stopped and inspected, they found several bags full of the packaged cocaine and arrested three men. Involved, too, was a third man who had access to the container terminal with a van belonging to his employer; he was also arrested. 

Jimena Instituto needs native English speakers

JIMENA After 20 years of Prospero volunteering to speak in 'native' English to help students at Instituto Hozgarganta, and never being taken up, a new teacher there has at last admitted that this would be a very good idea. So, we now need several people to come in for maybe an hour at a time to speak to all classes in English, according to a schedule Prospero has been given. This is NOT a full time commitment, and takes place from APRIL 8 TO 12 at various hours of the morning but could take up a whole morning if there aren't enough volunteers. This is a wonderful opportunity to be of help in our community and simply involves such things as reading, listening to pronunciation, answering questions, etc; in some cases the levels are pretty good, not so in others. In any case, it can be enormous fun! Please contact Prospero on jimenaprospero@gmail.com, as a comment below - but please leave a contact number or address so he can get back to you.

Asesoría Juan Pérez

All Spain’s institutions are discredited, except the Police

King Juan Carlos

SPAIN One of Spain’s largest regional newspaper publishers, the Joly Group, often commissions surveys that are published under the Joly Barometer umbrella. Taken between February 7 and 19, and published earlier this month, the Barometer offered little comfort to Spain’s main institutions regarding the level of trust held by the public. The only two to come out relatively well are the Police and the Armed Forces taken as a whole, about whom seven out of ten surveyed expressed their trust. The poll, carried out by Commentia, allows for comparisons on the evolution of the trust factor since a similar survey took place in 2010, asking the same questions as this latest one.Aside from a generalized mistrust of almost everything, a significant impact has been felt by the Royal Family resulting from the Nóos Case, in which Iñaki Urdangarín, the Duke of Palma and the King’s son-in-law, is accused of financial malfeasance and other dodgy money matters. (More detailed articles such as this will soon be available on SpainInformer.com)