|
|
|
|
Updated: Thursday, 3 July 2008
We started from 0 to date on July 1, 2008 with this new digital The New Entertainer. Visits from 01/07/08: 762 |
| |
June 2008 |
|
Mojácar celebrates the three day Moors and Christians festival from Friday June 6th which is the major local event of the early summer. Noise, booze, music and colour triumphant.
This month, Angel talks about sex and Lenox smashes a wasp. JAFO follows Obama's fortunes and Peter follows those of Zapatero and Rajoy. Charlie introduces us to a film goddess, Tom works on his animal noises, Gwyneth goes boozing in London and Jocelyne throws out the trash. Kovaks gets scammed, Hugh finds some good and bad news and Sergio mans the barricades.
Our picture this month was painted by Pepe Obradors, an engineer at the Villaricos desalination plant. Pepe is also a portrait artist and you can see his work on http://pepeobradors.blogspot.com. We ran another picture of Mojácar in February by an artist called Nicolas Carillo Murcia: the first painting of the town on record (1902). The old place has hardly changed a bit in the past hundred years, except for a dab of white paint and a few places to get a good gin and tonic and a bun. |
Love and Other Circunstances |
|
As one of my more agreeable duties as a councillor in the Mojácar town hall, I am occasionally called on to officiate at weddings, which is to say in modern parlance, I exercise the role of authority under whose aegis the happy couple are invited to sign a wedding contract which joins them in matrimony for social, legal and tax purposes.
To date, all of those couples that have been joined under my watch have been heterosexual. It’s not that I have anything against a same-sex marriage (besides, of course, idle curiosity) and I would perform my function with my usual joy and pleasure. I think it’s always a good thing when two people decide to formalize their relationship. ‘No exceptions’ is what I say.
Well, one. I have worried about this – in a theoretical sort of way. One of my jobs at a wedding is to congratulate the beaming couple and in the event of, you know, one of those weddings, I would have a moment’s hesitation in my final duty, which is normally to kiss the bride and shake the groom’s hand vigorously.
Well, as I say, I’ve married quite a few couples in the past year. Nothing to it. It shows me that people are continuing to get married which is wonderful but, with the financial and social costs these days of starting a family, perhaps a bit surprising.
It’s true that less couples than before decide on a church wedding, adding to the worries sustained by us councillors with other civic preoccupations, like the holes in our streets, the state of the town’s accounts, the cultural activities planned to refresh our citizens, the street-cleaning, repairs, policing, public works, government subsidies, trips to Seville and so forth; so now we must learn about love, sex and family.
Which is why I have taken to reading up on the subject, which, through age and sundry adventures, I appear to have allowed to have faded from my mind slightly.
From what I have seen, those that come along asking to tie the knot are inevitably convinced that they are in love, that they are going to start a family and that their sexual desires will be fulfilled. Wrong!
According to what I have been reading, it is clear that those three features of a happy existence are moving further apart. The church might have considered love, sex and family to be indivisible, but this is no longer the case.
In a recent article in El Mundo, entitled ‘Sexual Crisis in the Land of the Rising Sun’, I read that ‘The Japanese are a proud race. But their vanity deserts them when the subject turns to sex. In the nation with the lowest number of days off work, it seems that the Japanese save up their rebellion for the family bed. Take Ryotaro Kono, a thirty nine year old technician who hasn’t missed a day in years. At work that is. He still dimly remembers the last time he had sex with his wife. Two years ago. He doesn’t think there’s anything odd about that: ‘I’ll give it another eight years before the next time’, he told El Mundo, ‘after all, we have a child. I think I respect my wife too much and I feel like a brute forcing my attention on her’’.
So the Japanese, that practical race that brought us the GameBoy and flat screen televisions, have discovered that sex hasn’t much to do with family. Or with love either.
‘Sex’, says Dr McCann in a book called ‘The Universal Atlas of Sex’, ‘is different in a man than in a woman. He wants to put it about, distributing his genes in as many children as possible from as many mothers as can put up with his aftershave, to leave his mark on posterity. She, on the other hand, is looking for the strongest to assure healthy children’.
So, a man’s idea is genetically different from a woman’s when it comes to love and family.
Antonio Machín, our answer to Frank Sinatra, was wrong when he asked ‘How can you have two women and not go crazy?’
But no, Antonio old pal, it’s not two women that a man needs, but three!
Actually, you knew that in another song - ‘She is my love, my wife and my mother all rolled up into one’.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not talking about a harem.
I’m talking about what a man needs – and I shall include this thought in my future wedding speeches. His delightful bride will need to juggle three roles in life. She must be revered platonically and be a continued source of inspiration, she must be enthusiastic and creative in the family bed and, thirdly, she must be a dab hand at sewing on those buttons, making a good bowl of lentils, running the family accounts and looking after the nippers. Goddess, sex-fiend and mum all rolled into one. Well, that’s the dream. I’ve no idea what women are looking for…
|
The Wasp |
|
I receive by email a daily average of at least two articles taken from the British media that are critical of Spain, its housing problems, the Vera demolition, illegal homes, bankruptcies and the like. Poor Spain – the country we have come to love is now the target for the vilest accusations from Fleet Street and Broadcasting House! Reports of threats of demolition, special payouts for illegal homes, fraud, calls to the European Court of Human Rights… it sounds like Morocco in 1958 when the lunatic king decided to nationalise all the foreign land. The British media love a good story and this one has it all – all those rich bastards going to live the Life of Riley and losing their savings while we Telegraph are stuck in an increasingly horrible ‘Great’ Britain.
After all, one house was knocked down this January in Vera by a maniac who should by all rights be in prison or at the very least fired from his job in the Junta de Andalucía for incompetence. But they haven’t fired him - not for his arrogance or his immorality and certainly not for costing Spain a staggeringly huge amount of both money and jobs. Indeed, they haven’t even fired him for going after ‘opposition’ town halls like Cuevas, Zurgena and Vera while ignoring places like Arboleas, Huercal Overa, Albox and Carboneras (all PSOE towns).
And the Brits don’t think local politics are interesting…
The Spanish aren’t very keen on being criticised by the foreign media. They don’t like these daily stories, ITV’s ‘Holidays in Hell’ and the rest of them, that are continuously beating the same drum. So, they circle the wagons and ignore them. The Spanish press will admit that there are too many empty houses already – although most of these were built around the cities as apartments for working families – but they don’t want to report on the problems facing the coastal towns or those concerns experienced by the Northern European émigrés that are so lovingly followed by The Times and Telegraph. And, as long as a few breasts make an appearance in the story, count on The Sun and the News of the World for joining in with some of their trademark sensitive reporting.
Locally, there is bemusement among my Spanish friends. Why have they turned on us? Well, you’ve got mayors, councillors, builders and architects all facing court sentences, I tell them, for fraud. Companies with a capital of just 3,000 euros change and switch to avoid bankruptcies but, if sued, only have those three thousand euros and, traditionally, a penniless president who resides in a nut-hatch. Politicians can patiently wait until long after they are out of office before having to defend themselves in court or who rely on ‘compañeros’ in the system to get them off the hook. If it wasn’t for the lack of judicial expedience, some of these characters might even have gone to jail by now. In fact, the Minister of Justice defending that the nation’s judicial system was ‘not in chaos or collapse’ recently admitted that it would take a while to straighten things out.
But, we can’t blame the town halls entirely. In the recent years as the money came in, they enlarged their legions of public employees (it’s good for votes) who get a guaranteed sinecure for life, and started on various projects such as museums, sports stadiums, multi-storey car-parks and all things nice. They are now stuck with continuing with these projects. At the same time, the traditional power of a mayor to decide what’s good for his pueblo (i.e. to give out building licences) has now been passed to higher authorities, sometimes with little understanding and sympathy over local issues.
There’s a story of a wasp that flew in through the window of a speeding car and stings the driver. The car flips and crashes into a bus. Twenty dead. One little wasp is responsible for a major accident. So, too, one demolition in Vera has started the cry from the foreign press (well done, most of our local freebies, for staying staunchly silent on this issue!).
Of course the problem of Spain’s building industry is much larger than one pointless demolition, although one has to wonder at the poor question of timing.
|
Spain in Europe |
It was ten extraordinary years ago that the European Union finally admitted Spain to the elite list of eleven countries of the Euro. Two years previously, this just simply didn’t seem possible: there was a public deficit of 6.7%, public debt of 70%, long term interest rates stood at 12%, inflation stood at 5% and the Pesetas was almost constantly being devalued.
Despite these extremely negative conditions, Spain managed to pull itself together and join the Euro club, and what benefits it reaped: years of prosperity beyond our wildest dreams in almost every area, for one basic reason: Spain had finally managed to look beyond its borders and add an international slant to its behaviour, which paid off in spades, and as a result many could now plan for a peaceful and prosperous future, both internally and externally. Furthermore, it must be added that the PP government at the time did indeed make grandstanding part of its policies, but this was accompanied by actually carrying out what had been promised, clearly showing everyone concerned that it was not a government of empty promises. This has been the course of all the Prime Ministers of the recent decades: Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo saw Spain admitted to the Atlantic Alliance; Adolfo Suarez oversaw the transition to democracy, Felipe Gonzalez contributed his efforts by improving the status of the country that included the staging of a Middle East Peace conference in Madrid attended at the highest levels with the President of the United States in attendance, and the Government of José María Aznar managed to take Spain into the Champions League of Europe, by negotiating the Amsterdam Treaty, defending Spain and ensuring that it played a highly relevant part in the emergence of the new democracies once the walls of Communism came tumbling down. These negotiations were by no means easy, but as a result of the Spanish stance, the country managed to obtain some sixty-two billion Euros in development aid from the EU over the period 2000/2006, which gave the country a tremendous boost to the infrastructures that it so badly needed to become competitive in the world of today.
The Way Back
Unfortunately, that was all to change after the elections of 2004, and resulted in some truly dreadful results later for the country, for as a result of not doing the preparations necessary, and simply by appearing unwilling to go the whole hog in defending the country, in 2005, the Socialist Government of José Luís Rodriguez Zapatero managed to engineer the loss of 90% of all the grants from the European Union for the years 2007/2013. This was achieved by the poorest negotiating stance imaginable, with a ‘walk all over me’ style, which the other members of the EU quite rightly took to mean that the new Spanish government was not interested in defending the country, or even attempting to maintain its previous status as one of the leading countries on the world stage - up there along with the UK, France and Germany, all of whom had and continue to have leaders with a vision that extends far beyond their respective national borders.
A few simple questions simply point out what has been going on: What - since 2005 - has been the Spanish policy towards the EU? Has the country looked outside its borders in order to achieve a solid position for itself internationally over the next few years? What has been undertaken to ensure the improvement of the international position of the country vis-a-vis the rest of the world?
The answer to all this is quite simply nothing. Over the last four years, Spain has not looked towards the future at all, and has been far too concerned with what at best could be termed as internal contemplation - and that’s putting it very politely. The Socialist Government has avoided undertaking policies leading to concrete events and developments, preferring to serenade the populace with empty words of consolation and to a large extent deliberately showing an ignorance that is almost on a par with the Burmese Junta: no, there is no financial crisis in Spain was the word before the elections, and even more so now to the extent that the Prime Minister had the temerity the other day to state that anyone who believed that Spain was going through the financial doldrums was a traitor. He should pull his head out of the sand and look around him: the Basque terror group ETA is bombing and killing again; there are more people out of work than ever before; the deficit is creeping up as the year gets longer, and the number of company closures generating subsequent longer queues of the unemployed; the banks are in disarray in the main because the government has allowed the housing market to collapse, and has continued to sit on its hands as the price of oil has shot through the roof to levels never before reached. This latter international development has led to dramatic price increases of Butane gas, petrol at the pumps and all the rest, whilst food prices have also roared up massively, and what has been the attitude of the Government: Well it is the state of the world today. That maybe, but what has it done to try and improve the world? What has it done to try and ensure that prices remain stable, with as little an increase as possible? What has it done to try and slow the near collapse of the housing market? The answer to all these questions is exactly the same as to the previous set of questions: absolutely nothing. It presages very poorly for the Spain of 2009, 2010 and 2011, and by 2012 when the elections come around again, will anyone emerge to pull the country out of what by then will be probably one of the worst financial situations imaginable?
The alternative to the current gang would be, of course, the PP. But, what will happen there? Can Mariano Rajoy really believe that, like the ever-losing Partido Popular candidate for Andalucía Javier Arenas, he can hold on and finally emerge triumphant? Unfortunately, we will have to sit on the sidelines and wait and see.
|
Peter Gooch,
Editor - Valencia Life
www.valencialife.net |
The Race is Still On |
|
The race for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States has become boring and exciting at the same time. Boring because we are totally fatigued listening to the same drivel over and over again. The policy differences between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are negligible. In her case she is engaging in personal attacks, often in code. While he prefers the high ground she unfairly conflates his association with people of questionable character. They have one thing in common; both of them are arrogant and full of their own self-importance and a sense of entitlement.
The race is exciting because Clinton has vowed to stay in till the end even though she can’t win, unless Obama commits a catastrophic error or something unsavoury is uncovered from his past. Though a long-time follower of John McCain, Clint Eastwood thinks Clinton deserves some serious respect. “Everybody’s trying to talk her into folding, but it doesn’t seem like the spirit of America.” The spectacle of Clinton, driven by hunger for power, continues to be fodder for the media pundits, the satirists, late night TV and especially “Saturday Night Live.” They are feeding off it and want her to press on to keep up their ratings.
It wasn't too long ago that Hillary Clinton was singing the praises of “Saturday Night Live” for the way it was portraying the 2008 campaign. Between invoking SNL to score points in a debate with Barack Obama and laughing it up alongside Clinton impersonator Amy Poehler, Clinton milked the show's favourable treatment of her for everything it was worth. But it's safe to say the love affair has now come to an end after SNL subjected Clinton to one of the most punishing comic assaults of the election season. The show opened with Poehler, playing Clinton, making the case for why she is a better candidate to go up against John McCain.
“Good evening, my fellow Americans. As we all know, this has already been a long, hard-fought campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. But tonight, with my recent victory in Indiana, and Senator Obama's in North Carolina, we remain exactly where we were four months ago. Hopelessly deadlocked. Therefore, this nomination is going to be decided as it should be, by the super delegates, based not on primary results or delegate counts or popular vote, but on their sober assessment of which candidate will be the strongest against Senator McCain in November. Tonight, I'm here to tell you why I am that candidate.”
“First, I am a sore loser. If and when I am the nominee, I know, as do the super delegates, that Senator Obama will work his heart out for my election. If, on the other hand, Senator Obama is chosen, I will probably refuse to campaign for him. Or, if I do so, it will be in a resentful, half-hearted way, thus ensuring his defeat ... so that I can run again in 2012. You see, unlike my opponent, I'm just not going to lose gracefully. It's not a criticism of Senator Obama, it's just a fact.”
“Second, my supporters are racist. If and when I am the nominee, Senator Obama's African-American supporters will be disappointed, perhaps. But they will still rally to me. If, however, Senator Obama is the nominee, my supporters will refuse to vote for him. Partly because I will secretly tell them not to, but mainly because they are racially biased and would never vote for any African-American candidate.”
“My third and final argument: Unlike Senator Obama, I have no ethical standards. Even my critics would agree that once I get the nomination, I will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to win. Whereas with Senator Obama, there are some things he simply will not do. Take, for example, the race card, which he has been reluctant to play. As in, anyone who doesn't vote for me is a racist. I, on the other hand, will be happy to play the gender card, and claim that anyone who doesn't vote for me is a sexist."
"So there you have it, sore loser, racist supporters, no ethical standards, qualities Senator Obama simply cannot match. That's not an attack on my opponent; it's just the truth. When you consider that, the choice is obvious. Thank you, and live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
What a slam down! The super delegates are the Democratic Party big wigs as opposed to delegates the candidates win through the primary process. All of the delegates will attend the Democratic convention in Denver, Colorado, in August. If Clinton continues to run to the end, the convention will be mayhem. Obama has a slim majority of elected delegates. However, because there are concerns regarding his electability, many of the super delegates are sitting on the fence wondering if they have the courage to deny him the nomination in order to win the White House.
On the other side of the aisle the Republican party nominee John McCain is only just beginning to receive media attention. This will rapidly increase after the Democrats have decided who their candidate is. In the meantime McCain is desperately trying to reinvent himself and redefine his positions on policy issues like global warming, energy and taxation. He is pandering to the electorate, styling himself as a maverick and independent Republican. He is abandoning his conservative principles and like the other two will say and do anything to win. If he were to win in November, at 71 he would become the oldest first-term President in U.S. history. His likely opponent Barack Obama at 46 is young enough to be his son.
McCain hisses through his dentures and has a tendency to wink at people, which raises the question of his age and whether he is too old for the job. Last Saturday when he appeared on “Saturday Night Live” he said: "Controlling government spending isn't just about Republicans or Democrats. It's about being able to look your children in the eye. Or in my case, my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the youngest of whom are nearing retirement." So to sum up, here’s what we have. A candidate who cannot be elected (Obama) is being nominated by a party (Democrat) that cannot be defeated, while a candidate who is eminently electable (McCain) is running as the nominee of a party (Republican) doomed to defeat!
While all this brouhaha is going on, among some in the American media there is quiet excitement that another candidate will emerge, one who has already said he intends to run for president as a Republican, but not until the year 2016 because he has other obligations and commitments to fulfil until then. He was born in New York General Hospital in 1964, so no problem with age. Presidential aspirants are often accused of pursuing one office with the intent of using that office as a stepping stone to a still higher office.
A couple of years ago there were reports of a confrontation with U.S. immigration officials at John F. Kennedy airport when he vowed to renounce his American citizenship. We all know how frustrating travelling is these days and passing through airport security can easily turn into a harrowing experience. As it turns out his threat was nothing more than hot air and he remains as American as Barack Obama! If Obama wins this November and is re-elected for a second term, the new Mayor of London, Boris Johnston, will be ready to run for president of the United States in 2016! There are a small but growing number of folks on the right who are praying that Boris will return to his native land and restore American conservatism!
After Words
Someone said the problem with political jokes is they get elected! |
Penélope |
Captivation took place at San Cugat railway station, outside Barcelona, in 1992: so might a prosecuting counsel put it before a feminist sharia tribunal. It was then that I first set eyes upon Penélope Cruz, in a film poster. The strong thin lines, like those of a draughtsman wont to break his charcoal, of that face have been populating billboards ever since.
It was several years before I actually saw her on film in Almodóvar's "All About My Mother" (Todo sobre mi madre). She played a pregnant nun with AIDS! It was a role without glamour. Her holy orders were a rebellion against a sophisticated and cynical mother. However the specific gravity of the latent sexuality she brought to the part was such that her extraordinary misfortune, when it transpired, did not seem improbable: debilitated by AIDS, she was to die after childbirth with the baby miraculously uninfected.
Her first important role was as the almost childish youngest of four sisters in "Belle Epoque" (1992), the charming comedy which won the Oscar for best foreign language picture. In it, a liberal minded family, impotent artist father, four attractive daughters, singing mother with a French manager and lover, take in a soldier, who, caught up in the cross currents prior to the Spanish Republic of 1931, has deserted as the safest option. Each sister seduces the boy in turn but it is Penélope as Luz the youngest, who gets to keep him, her desire captured in the rapid energy of the furious and hilarious outbursts of jealousy she directs at her sisters.
After "Belle Epoque" Penélope made "Jamón, Jamón", roundly condemned for its obscenity in the pages of this very, august journal. In an arid wasteland of lorries, petrol stations, road-side hovels, puticlubs, and breezeblock ham curing sheds, Penélope, as the innocent but non-virgin teenager Silvia, navigates a desert teeming with all the clichés known to Spain: paella, ham, garlic, bulls, balls, motorbikes, Mercedes, family businesses, spoilt sons, madres, cuckoldry, putas, ejecutivas, hotels and pigs. Hopelessly tangled up in her employers' family, pregnant by the heir, she finds unlikely love in the coarse garlic chomping yob dispatched by the materfamilias to seduce her and get her out of the way. The steamy sex scenes for which the film became famous, are fleeting and more atmospheric than erotic. Judicious use of split second stills however, promoted the film very successfully by announcing the early corruption of Spain's sweetest new star. Silvia is no more than a teenager-with-boyfriend in the contemporary sense, catapulted into the passions and drama of adulthood by those old standbys, womb and heart. Coping with her sexuality as best she can, her extreme youth is the stronger theme. The story ends tragically when heir and yob fight it out, to the death, in a reproduction of Goya's "Duel with…", where "…cudgels" are replaced with… hams!
The Gypsy
Unhappy at having become a sex symbol, Penélope did not disrobe again until 1998 in "Volavérunt", Latin for some body hair which mysteriously flies the body of Cayetana 11th Duchess of Alba: somebody else plays the duchess. Penélope plays Pepita Tudó, in the film, a gypsy who, body hair firmly in place, poses for Goya's "Maja Nude" and "Maja Clothed", paintings notoriously supposed to have been of the Duchess herself. Pepita is the mistress of Manuel Godoy, the prime minister, in his turn lover to the Queen, and like Goya, a lover of the Duchess'. As an uneducated demimondaine, Pepita enters into unequal intrigue for the interests and interest of her paramour, armed with the wits and charm, but endangered by the passions, of a spirited character. She fights her narrow corner and, when the intrigue turns murderous, is insignificant enough to be spared, unlike the Duchess.
Recent work includes "Don't move" (No te muevas), a dark drama where she plays Italia, a harried and haggard daughter of Italy's underclass. Sexually abused as a child, a prostitute, she is raped by a successful surgeon, who revisits her to apologise and initiates a series of encounters where violence is gradually displaced by tenderness, affection and finally love, cut short by death from the delayed effects of a back street abortion. The spirited character is loaded this time with a sexuality which can only be a burden, a mere organ which brings trouble. The violent surgeon's attentions come to elicit a response in her other than mere endurance. The marks of his assaults nudge him towards sympathy. In fits and starts Italia incorporates a sexuality beyond and above anatomy and function. They elope. The surgeon's wife just delivered of a child is left stranded. Anatomy comes back though, with a vengeance, to make Italia the victim, dead at the portals of happiness and stability.
Her versatility now beyond doubt, Penélope has undertaken frivolity, playing a virus hunting doctor in the action movie "Sahara" and a female gangster, with Salma Hayek as co-gunwoman, in "Bandidas": James Bond tremble! A return to Almodóvar in "Volver" allowed her to portray the trials and tribulations of Raimunda, a working class mother of rural origin, who has to bury the corpse of the abusive stepfather her daughter has murdered. She holds family together while all around the crimes and ignominies, and passions and scandals of villagers and relations unravel. Sexuality drives the story but tenacity resolves it.
This year's "Elegy", is a powerful duet with Ben Kingsley. Set in New York, he is a successful transplanted Oxford don and she is Consuela (sic) a post graduate student with a self possession that fully incorporates her allure. As his most intriguing student he marks her down for conquest and then falls for her, only to dump her at the eleventh hour. Single again, age and mortality bring on a belated flowering of his humanity and he takes on her newly scarred nature after she suffers a mastectomy. Her performance is of great simplicity and depth as she evolves from a curious and favoured professor's squeeze into someone who loves him for his depth, a depth he is at pains to conceal, even from himself.
We await with baited breath "High Society", a critique of contemporary materialist London where Penélope descends back into low life and "Vicky Cristina" where she plays opposite Scarlett Johannsen, from whom she must defend a, by all accounts, thoroughly undesirable husband, played by Javier Bardem, the yob in "Jamón, Jamón".
So with this selection from her career and her stunning photographs in the L'Oréal campaign still fresh in mind, what is the secret? My theory is that candour is the quality which underlies all her work, a quality very much at large in female Spain, which she is able to distil. Candour over what? Sexuality of course -what else have we been talking about? A sexuality neither projected nor contained but present. It imbues the person, is incontrovertible, manifesting itself now indistinctly now clearly, like a vapour: capable of taking on narcotic, euphoric, even poisonous, qualities, it can vanish or emerge to envelope, it can combine with or withdraw from any act. What might be an anarchic gremlin for women, not to mention their spouses, Penelope Cruz can turn off and on, while keeping the appearance of its random nature. Whether skilful or inspired, these modulations do not just draw our attention, they can tow a tale behind them, without throwing anything in your face. Approaching maturity will see her practice the same modulation upon sagacity.
charlysangster2001@hotmail.com
|
Feedback |
The Editor - The New Entertainer
Parque Comercial, 94
Mojácar 04638 Almería.
info@thenewentertainer.com
tel:950 475 313
fax: 950 475 333
Woolly Thinking
Dear Sir, Property used to either be 'ilegal' or 'legal'. It was or it wasn't. Of course - one can always turn a blind eye and blind-eye-turning has often been the way to do things in Spain. Which, of course, can lead to a problem down the line when an excuse to give someone grief becomes necessary. 'Say - isn't old Paco's house illegal?'
In Huercal Overa the other day - six illegal viviendas erected in a park within the town have now been given a special classification by the sympathetic house-inspecting authorities. They are 'alegal' which means - presumably - 'illegal, but we ain't gonna do anything about it'. Rather neat, really!
Richard Rambeau
Vera Mental Home
Stamps for Charity
Dear Sir, I would like to thank everyone who, over the years, has collected stamps for me to send on to the Save the Children. The last ‘packet’ sent over weighed sixty kilos and the money raised from these stamps was sent to Dafur, an area which has a catastrophic loss of childrens’ lives, with more than seventy under fives dying there every day.
Save the Children is now one of the largest charities working in West Dafur. Thanks to the generosity of so many people, the charity is supporting around 500,000 children every month with food, water, sanitation, healthcare and protection. In neighbouring Chad, the charity is scaling up their efforts in order to help more than 50,000 children with emergency shelters and safe spaces to play.
I would like to thank Clare Barrett of Andacar for her invaluable help in transporting the stamps and, of course, my godson Oscar who helped me weigh the stamps.
If you want to contact Save the Children, then write to Sally Brighton, Community Fundraising Director, at Save the Children UK, 1 St John’s Lane, London ECIM 4AR.
Marguerite Taylor,
Mojácar
A French aid-worker for Save the Children was assassinated in Darfur on May 1st. Editor
Satisfaction
Dear Mr Napier, Please find enclosed cheque for thirty euros for a year’s subscription to The New Entertainer. I know you hate sticking on labels, so the bit extra is so that you can have the occasional drink to make the task a bit more acceptable.
It’s still a great read.
Tony Lucock,
Javea
Cantoria Residents
Dear Lenox, I am writing to advise of the Cantoria Residents Association AGM, Monday 14th September 2008. The Association is open to all Cantorians, and residents of all nationalities from the outlying districts and hamlets, including Almanzora. We meet every 2nd Monday of the month, the next meetings are, 9th June2008, 14th July 2008 etc, 8th September 2008, (August closed) in the Association meeting rooms, situated above the pre-school building in the town. The Association also runs two advisory information clinics; Mondays and Thursdays, between 11.00am and midday, where members can take advantage of the liaison team's services, who give assistance with local issues, translation help with the town hall, school problems, Guardia Civil, Local Police etc. There is also a library available, where members can donate/exchange books etc. Membership involves a donation of 5 euros per year, benefiting from regular social activities. There is a wealth of shared knowledge on local issues available, and the association will be especially of interest to those contemplating a move to the Cantoria area. We are also affiliated to the local asociación de mujeres (women), and the 3rd age club in the town. We are also represented and fully active in the local Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) scheme.
We have a table sale planned for Saturday 14th June 2008, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm, in the meeting rooms, and a BBQ in Miguel's Bar in the town for Friday 20th June 2008
For further information check out our web site www.residentsinspain.com or phone Bruce (the secretary) on 662413075
Bruce Hobday,
Cantoria
Agency News
Dear Lenox, The Leading Sotogrande based advertising, media and marketing agency, PLC Inter-Communications SL, has secured the international marketing campaigns for renowned Knight Insurance Brokers S.A. (KIBSA).
PLC won the business following a complete creative and media presentation and will now be involved in all aspects of the marketing for KIBSA throughout Spain. This will include media planning and buying, public relations, creativity, and below-the-line requirements.
PLC Inter-Communications was established in 1992 as a full-service agency aimed at targeting the ‘International Client’ in Spain. The agency has a high level of expertise in marketing to the expatriate community and exceptional knowledge of available media. The addition of KIBSA to their portfolio is yet another very valuable piece of business for PLC. Following its successful and continued partnership with the Liberty Seguros Group, PLC has already developed a sound experience of working within the insurance industry.
KIBSA continues to be the largest independent broker serving foreign residents in Spain, with over 60,000 expatriate clients and 15 offices. Its new campaign will deliver a contemporary style and will include an update of its corporate image and fun style ads in the press and on radio. The creativity has been developed to demonstrate Knight’s brand experience, competitive prices and high level of service.
For further information contact:
Philip Langley,
PLC Inter-Communications S.L. Tel: 956 794 112.
|
Old MacDonald's Farm |
Oliver Goldsmith, master of English prose occupies a spot in Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. If my memory serves me correctly, it says on his tomb that he wrote like an angel and spoke like poor Poll. Apparently Oliver had difficulty with foreign languages and could not understand why in French they called a cabbage a shoe. We can well understand the problem. The French spell the word cabbage as chou and pronounce it as shoe.
When learning a language we need to listen and repeat what we hear. For example, an elderly Finnish chap who lives just a few doors away used to say yam and then one day he realised that we call it jam. Some years ago I helped a Spanish girl learning English. She had a problem with the word “sugar” and called it “soogar”. After I corrected her pronunciation she called “shoes, sues”. When she asked for an explanation I had none. We just pronounce things that way. The girl needed to use her ears.
In order to speak a foreign language well an extensive vocabulary needs to be acquired.
It intrigues me to imagine what Oliver might have made of Spanish. No doubt he would have been a conscientious student and made a strenuous effort to accumulate a decent vocabulary. He would probably have had difficulty coming to terms with words which mean one thing in a said situation and something quite different in another context. Manzana for example usually means “apple.” Eva tentó a Adán con una manzana causes no confusion. However, what about Adán y Eva viven en la otra manzana? Do they live in the other apple or apple number two? No of course not, manzana in this context means building or block of apartments. The Spanish for a “walk around the block,” is dar una vuelta de la manzana. I shall limit myself to three examples from a lengthy list of words which usually mean one thing and occasionally something completely different. The word esposa means wife but make it plural and esposas doesn’t mean wives but handcuffs. Gemelos usually means twins but occasionally “binoculars,” gato – “cat” but also “car-jack.”
Languages are arbitrary and we have to accept the eccentricities. To ask and seek explanations is to be encouraged but to expect satisfactory answers to our questions quite futile. Nevertheless, at times I wonder a bit. For example why do cherries, peaches, plums, olives, etc in English have a stone una piedra and in Spanish a bone un hueso? It’s as if we study a language and then learn how to use it. For example, we all have bones huesos, and in English even fish have them. Some fish are very bony but in Spanish they have muchas espinas many spines. Pip is an odd word. In English we say that grapes have pips and tomatoes seeds. In Spanish the word pepita means both pip and seed so we might wonder why British army officers go around with pips on their shoulders. Spanish army officers wear estrellas stars on their shoulders, not pips. Strangest of all a pepita can be a nugget so a lucky miner might find una pepita de oro literally a pip or seed of gold.
Some years ago we were doing some work on the house and needed a skip. I didn’t know the word and did my best to explain it to the Spanish workman. He smiled at my effort and told me I wanted un eskip. Now if the Spaniards call a skip un eskip I am tempted to wonder why they do not call a spanner un espanner instead of una llave inglesa literally an English key. The fact is that they just do and there is no arguing. It would be equally futile for Spaniards to speculate on why we use a jack to lift a car when they use un gato a cat.
If Old MacDonald had a farm inhabited by English and Spanish speaking animals there would be mayhem. Vacas, cows would have few difficulties. They spend the day chewing the cud, get milked and say moo. On the other hand all gatos meow but then some purr and the others limit themselves to going ron ron. Dogs have serious problems what with the British breeds going woof and Spanish varieties guao. Sheep however have a problem with British varieties going baa and Spanish beh. Poultry face a major difficulty with British hens clucking while the Spanish birds cloquean, the British roosters going cock a doodle do and the Spanish kiki riki. The Spanish language seems to have a proverb for every occasion. There is one which goes, Cuando te llamen asno es hora de rebuznar, when they call you an ass it’s time to bray.” So I’ll hee haw and be on my way.
|
|
So, Boris Johnson, famous for his blunders, his extra-marital affairs, and for his appearances on Have I Got News for You, has made it to Mayor of London. Of course, Red Ken also appeared on HIGNFY, but no one remembers much about that. One such appearance occurred in the run up to an election and, early on in the proceedings, he stated categorically they'd get nothing out of him. This attitude, along with the discretion he has shown in maintaining his various family commitments, is presumably why he makes fewer gaffes, or at least why they are less widely reported.
Anyway, now Boris is in charge, and one of his first policy decisions was the announcement of un plan para prohibir el alcohol on public transport in the capital. The ban tomará efecto on the first of June. His argument seems to be that controlling small crime will help combatir el crimen mayor. (Careful there - that's "serious crime", not "mayoral crime".)
Beber alcohol on public transport isn't el delito más serio que se me ocurre, but the British attitude to drinking has always been bastante particular, if not downright odd. Hace años, a Spaniard I knew who went to Northern Ireland to study English told me she was shocked when she heard the host family father say, "Let's go and get drunk" on the Friday night, rather than, "Let's go for a drink." Of course, even if he'd said "Vamos a tomar algo" that "algo" would probably have been purely líquido, as back then UK pubs didn't tend to serve anything solid.
Perhaps that's why it was tan fácil creer the early reports about the Irish couple who - allegedly - drank so much on the first night of their Portugal holiday that hotel staff had to call social services to look after los tres niños pequeños while the parents were taken to hospital. Presumably the story made the headlines as it happened en la víspera del aniversario of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. It certainly gave the newspapers the chance to use that single Portuguese word that all Brits now know: the parents were not "arguidos".
Later reports suggested they were ill rather than drunk. Personally, I wondered if they had had un par de chupitos de absenta after drinking cheap wine with the meal. I drank absinthe in Portugal years ago and if I say "me acuerdo", well, it would be somewhat of an exaggeration.
One of the worst things about this type of news story is that it's in the headlines for a day or two but then is replaced by something else and you never hear the end. It may be that la pareja have been labeled as borrachos when hospital reports would have cleared their name. Or it might be quite the opposite. If it was important enough to make the BBC website front page, I'd like them to follow through and tell me el desenlace de la historia.
At least the estudios científicos published on news sites are usually self-contained and need no follow up. Recent examples have included a report that one in three empleados británicos admits to having been to work with a hangover, and uno de cada diez has been drunk en el trabajo. 85% of these confirm that this ha afectado their mood or the quality of their work. What about the other 15%? If they're suggesting that ni la bebida ni una resaca alters their mood, I think they're wasting their money drinking.
Now a survey shows that the majority of drinkers are "ignorant" about alcohol. The "Know Your Limits" campaign is aimed at over 25s and presumably in particular at those of us who started drinking before anyone talked about "recommended daily limits" and "units" of alcohol. They say that when asked how many units there were in a large glass of wine, nearly twice as many 18-24s as over 55s got the right answer.
On Patrol
Por supuesto, knowing and acting on knowledge are two different things. Which is apparent from lo que pasó recientemente in Calella, in the north of Spain when estudiantes from 37 British universities attended a sports tournament. Reports from the town suggest that many of los universitarios se dedicaron a emborracharse y destrozar el pueblo rather than actually taking part in any sports.
Of course one of the big problems with any plan to combatir crimen and deal with drunken hooligans is quíen se hace responsable de hacer cumplir las normas. Although videos have been doing the rounds on YouTube showing Madrid Metro security guards whose uniforms give them the confidence to throw their weight around, the UK transport unions don't seem to think el mero hecho de llevar uniforme is enough to authorise their staff to act as untrained police.
Fortunately, Boris has promised to cut advertising costs and reduce bureaucratic waste to help fund extra police on the capital's streets; ironically, the cuts may well affect high profile police campaigns including the Met's campaign to fight gun crime. Boris intends to provide 440 more police community support officers to patrol buses and Tube stations. I suppose "patrol" implies "on foot" rather than what's happening in Madrid where the Policía Municipal are trying out the idea of patrullar en patinete.
Sadly, I haven't yet seen a copper on a Segway - described on Wikipedia as "a two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicle" - but I'll be a carrying my camera with me on the off-chance. It seems one of the advantages is that they are cleaner than the police horses currently patrolling Lavapiés - un barrio already famed for the amount of caca de perro on the streets. (The name dates back to the sixteenth century so, although apt, it's probably coincidental.) First trials suggest the patinetes aren't very good for chases as it's difficult to dodge people a gran velocidad.
Back in London, the police have found that el transporte público can itself be useful in apprehending offenders: officers commandeered a double-decker bus in Deptford this week and drove it to Lewisham Police Station where a crowd of teenage passengers were arrested in a move to preempt a gang fight. No mention was made of alcohol in the reports I have read.
|
| Going Going Gone |
|
A couple of decades ago a junior chef working in the kitchens of the Ritz in London got disgusted with the amount of waste coming back from the salad bowls presented for free at the tables of the rich and powerful in the restaurant. He was not a TV so-called ‘celebrity chef’ but one of those who actually wielded a real knife on a real chopping board and produced something really recognisable and really tasty. To present food well is one thing.
To torture ingredients to make them look like something growing on Mars is arrogant and plain stupid. A carrot is a carrot after all and no amount of sculpture is going to make it taste of anything but a carrot. When the Roux brothers started using snails’ eggs for decoration with fish dishes I drew the line and relegated their books under a real pile of real unidentified bin bags containing real unidentified matter in the attic.
Meanwhile our young chef at the Ritz was picking the leftover lettuce leaves from the returning bowls. Once the dressing is put on the leaves quickly wilt as anyone who bothers to dress a salad knows. Good dressing by the way: 4 tablespoons of olive oil, one of balsamic or cider vinegar, one teaspoon of runny honey, the same of mustard and freshly ground pepper. Stir well and taste. Add salt if need be.
So there he is, in those vast kitchens in the basement of this once upon a time immigrant’s emporium and he had an idea. He placed those limp leaves between that famous thin bread and put it through the machine that turns an ordinary sandwich into those perfect little squares dowagers love to quaff with their little finger up.
Any dish written in French seems to be more authentic than it is so our young chef offered ‘petits paves de pain de froment rustique a la laitue fatiguée’. To you and I: small brown bread sandwiches filled with tired lettuce. It was an instant success and nearly deposed the traditional cucumber king from its British throne.
At the last count the Ritz is still serving them in London. I can’t check that one out. The last time we were there we had to produce some plastic to pay for two Champagne cocktails.
In the mean time Cesar Ritz is laughing in his grave. Not bad for the son of a poor Swiss goat farmer.
Waste Not
The food waste coming out of an ordinary household is appalling. The well-known woman’s monthly magazine in UK (tried, tested and trusted) conducted an experiment not very long ago. They monitored a family with three children over a week. The wife is a homemaker so it would seem that even with three children she has the whole day to simmer a casserole. But obviously not.
At the end of the week that ‘homemaker’ had binned 8.50kgs of food. Amongst other things she threw away 500gms of cheese (for goodness sake!), the same weight in croissants and vanilla custard, nearly a kilo of salad stuff, more than 3.50kgs of left-over food and fed her dog more than a kilo of fresh meat. There were other items to bulk up that sorry list.
She is not a homemaker. She is a home buster. Her excuse is that she buys foodstuff she thinks is good for the family; the family has other tastes so she throws away what they don’t want when the sell-by-date has expired. Stupid woman. There are a couple of issues in her case. First, the family must eat what is on their plates. Don’t like it? Tough. Go with an empty belly. Second, she can go with the family tastes and let them rot their teeth with fizzy drinks and get obese on MRM (mechanically removed meat) hamburgers. Option three is to ignore the sell-by-dates and keep the food stuff and meat in good condition in the fridge for a few more days. Or cook it in the form of a casserole. That infamous date is only a guide line. It is also a shield for the supermarkets against any possible court case involving food poisoning.
To throw away a pound of cheese is madness. Even the hardest of cheese can be grated; think of Parmesan. Grated cheese can be added not only to pasta but to soups, potatoes, vegetables, roasted chicken pieces, pies and so on. Vanilla custard and croissants would have made a trifle with any jam lurking in the cupboard. In the meantime that brainless woman bought some ready made puddings for her family… What a dingbat! Salad stuff (a kilo!) can be blended as a soup with the addition of a little milk, some water with a cube of stock and, if any, some left-over cream. She also threw away some squashy tomatoes. It is very simple to use those. Just fry a couple of onions in olive oil; roughly chop the toms with their skins on. Add a pinch of whatever herbs you have on the shelf, a half cube of stock, a teaspoon of sugar or honey, the same of vinegar and freshly ground pepper. Add a little water so it does not stick at the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes. You have a marvellous sauce for pasta, meat or vegetables. Check seasoning.
Left-over pasta will reheat well in the oven. Add a little white sauce, or cream, even just milk. Mashed potatoes mixed with left-over flaked fish and a little flour will turn into scrumptious fish cakes that will beat the chemical pathetic offerings from that dirty old man wearing a paper captain cap on the well-known packet of frozen rubbish so common in lower grade supermarkets.
I know. It takes a little time but why not cut on the hours wasted watching some inane soap on TV? Get going in the kitchen with a glass of wine. To make a casserole or stew for ten portions does not take longer than to make is for two. Freeze by portions. Some of the margarine or yogurt tubs are strong enough to be washed and used as containers with foil on top. Always put a label on anything that you will store in the freezer. No need to spend money on special bags, special labels, special pens that the supermarkets sell at a vast profit. Your local stationary shop has got adhesive labels. The ordinary felt tip pen you use daily will do the trick and if you keep the clear plastic bags that the traders are so fond of using you are all set to pack your freezer.
That woman also threw a whole loaf of bread in the rubbish.
In France bread was sacred in my days. For large families it came in three kilo loaves. By law it had to be weighed by whoever sold it. If it was short in weight a piece was cut from an already used loaf with a bread cutting machine which is collector’s item now and added to the loaf. This odd piece was the perk of whoever was dispatched to get the daily bread and was promptly eaten on the way home. Before cutting into the new bread my grandmother used to draw a cross with a knife on its underbelly. Odd, considering that we were a totally atheist family. Nevertheless throwing bread away was not even thought of. It was grated to make crumbs, toasted to be spread with lard (cholesterol had not yet arrived on the scene), cubed and roasted in the old range oven to add to soups or vegetables. If, on its last leg, there were some signs of greenery on it the dogs, cats or chicken were happy to gulp it with a bit of sour milk or the last dredges of last night sauce from the casserole. Or water. No human or animal could afford to be fussy in those days.
Times are a-changing. I know; but times have got a habit to come full circle.
Me think that a circle is about to close up.
Anybody who throws bread or any other edible matters into the bin should carry a government warning on his/her forehead.
Because otherwise it will be going into that big landfill. Once going it will be gone. The circle will be complete
|
| The Parish Line |
All the local charity, culture, club and association news that fits.
Please send your news and information: magazine@elindalico.com
Mojácar. Moors and Christians. Friday 6th June through Sunday 8th June. Without doubt the jolliest, noisiest, booziest and most colourful festival you will ever see. Most of the fun takes place in the pueblo, including the late-night parties held by each of the six ‘Kabilas’. Just follow your ears… Other attractions to include bands, jugglers and Gordon in a djellabah. The famous procession starts on Sunday evening at 7.00pm with around five hundred participants dressed in breathtaking outfits. Enjoy the chorography and music as they march slowly past from the Plaza Nueva to the fuente.
Terry Pritchard exhibits his paintings, including the magnificent ‘Moors and Christians’ series (the warriors who appear in Mojácar during the festival are in fact a forgotten race of troglodytes who live in a series of caves below Mojácar) at the Centro de Arte in Mojácar Pueblo from Friday June 6th to 29th.
The Valle del Este Golf Society meets every Tuesday and Friday at Valle del Este Golf Resort, the most challenging golf course in our area. Join us - because new memberships are now available. We're a serious, fun-loving local golfing society and welcome all resident golfers to join us. Please call Alan Townsend, Membership Secretary, on 690-09.09.82
Cabrera Lawn Bowls Club. Following the highly successful and enjoyable bowls “football league” which ran during the winter (October to April), Saturday 3 May 2008 saw the start of the summer bowls “football league”. Eleven teams are taking part from now until the middle of August. Members of the teams are those of us who stay here all year, unlike the “snowdrops” who return to the UK for the summer and the (usually wet) bowling season in the UK.
The Indalo Players next production, 'Old Time Music Hall', in November 2008. Auditions to be held at the Kimrick on May 29th at 7.30 p.m. Bring your ideas, songs, sketches and long felt wants! Sue Mehmet
Asprodalba is an occupational centre on the outskirts of Vera for people with learning difficulties. It has some 90 'students' of all ages. There is also a small residential centre nearby that houses approximately 12 of the students. Recently, Vera town hall donated a piece of land in the El Palmeral area of Vera to enable Asprodalba to offer warden-assisted apartments for 24 of the students, which it will build with the help of funding from the Key Mare Fundación and the Once Foundation for the disabled, set up by ONCE, the charity for the blind that runs the daily lotería.
Dames in Turre. June 12th. Visit to the Spa at Archena including lunch. Phone Lesley 950478633. June 16th. AGM (members only) followed by lunch at which members guests are welcome
The Royal British Legion. The Mojacar Branch had a very good day out on Monday the 12th of May with a visit to Caravaca de la Cruz. The Embroidery Museum was the first stop to view the fantastic costumes all hand sewn for the Moors and Christians Fiesta. Among the most outstanding pieces are the adornments of the Caballos del Vino (wine horses) these lavishly harnessed horses are the centre of attention during the festivals of Santisima y Vera Cruz. Then it was on the train up to the beautiful and historical Cathedral which had been built within the walls of the Moorish Castle. It was then time to go back down on the train to a well-known Restaurant for an excellent lunch and then back home to Mojacar. Future Events: Wednesday June the 11th to a Bodega at Valle de Laujar. Thursday 26th of June Bowls Match at La Mata.
Membership Secretary 950 618 232. Secretary 950 473 174. Welfare 950 472 042
Club Taurino de Mojácar. 29 members turned out in force to spend a most enjoyable sunny afternoon in Turre on May 1st to cheer on Jesus de Almeria, who was toreando four bulls. This was followed by dinner in a restaurant on Mojácar Playa. Our next meeting has been arranged for Thursday, May 29th at La Mata at 1pm. The format will be as before, and, for any who haven't been previously, this means we each bring a plate of finger food to share, the bar will be open for coffee, wine, etc., and we hope to show some films. Please come and bring any interested friends. Put the date in your diary now - we look forward to seeing you.
May 30th. The Anglican Chaplaincy in Mojácar is holding a social evening with refreshments and a showing of "Calendar Girls". There are a few places still available. If you would like to come please ring us for availability - 950 475 261
Smooth Jazz. The Stan Roberts quartet every Monday from 9.00pm til midnight at the Hotel Mexico.
The Voices of Almanzora Summer 2008 Show. The Voices of Almanzora present The Sounds of Music on Sat 28th- Sun 29th & Mon 30th June at Hostal Rosaleda Albox (opposite Bar International). Starting at 8.30pm, tickets priced at 8 euros available from choir members, The Word, Girasol and Sol y Mar Albox, or by ringing Tricia 950 439 347 or Trudi 950 432 333
The Oasis Christian fellowship. Sunday 27 April 2008 saw the Inauguration Service of Reverend Stephen Robinson at the new venue of the Church, which is above the Gatsby shop, in the forecourt of the Hotel Puntazo, Mojacar Playa. People attended from many Churches, i.e. Cuevas, Turre, Garrucha, Mazarron, Mojacar, Albox and Dr Paul Tarrant and his wife Cathy flew in just for the Service, from the UK. Dr Paul Tarrant was officially representing the Church of the Nazarene, which is the Church which the Reverend Robinson comes from in the UK. Some 80 people attended in all, and it was a truly international affair with all there to support Stephen and to thank God for his vision and worship jointly together on the happy occasion.A presentation was made to Jerry and Marilyn Taylor, who have now decided to stand down from Pastoral leadership of the Oasis Christian Fellowship, after 7 years of service, handing over the work to the new Pastor.
Services are each Sunday at 11.30a.m. Reverend Stephen Robinson preaches most Sundays and ministers by pastoral visitation throughout the week. There are also regular guest speakers from other local churches which highlights the growing sense of unity among Christians in the Mojácar area. Visitors regularly come from Albox and beyond to share fellowship at Oasis. Rev Robinson says, ‘If the Church is alive it's worth the drive!’
Coffee, tea or squash is served after the Service, along with biscuits and or cake, which gives a nice time for people to have a chat and get to know each other, or talk about their situations and any problems they might be having.
Call David and Eileen: 950 168 349 or Margaret on 950 477 063
PAWS CATS - Kitten season is upon us and with it comes the patter of tiny paws. Little bundles of fluff are just what you’ll find at PAWS, so if you are looking for a particular type of kitten or you feel you could offer a loving home to one, please make your first call to PAWS Cats on 950 47 70 63, and be assured that you are helping a deserving feline.
The next Ladies and Gentleman´s Breakfast Meeting of the FGBMFI (Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International) will be on Saturday 21 June at 10.00a.m at the Kimrick, Mojacar Playa. A full English breakfast is served for 5 Euros, including Tea/Coffee and Fruit Juice.
The Speaker Mr Alan Fenton Smith is coming from the UK to tell us how God entered his life and changed it forever. With all the gloom and doom around, treat yourself to some GOOD NEWS, you will be given a warm welcome. Tickets available from 950 168 349 or 661 140 481.
Classical Concert at El Mirador in Mojácr Pueblo. Friday 20 June 7.00pm Programe of Bach y Beethoven with Carmen Mayo, piano & Jorge Fanjul, cello. Tickets 16 euros include a welcoming glass of wine and a tapa. Tickets on sale 10 days prior to concert date at the following places: Desert Springs - La Carpa. Turre - The Word. Parque Comercial - Springs' Color. Las Buganvillas - Forget-Me-Not. Mojácar Playa - Gill's English Bed Linen Shop. Mojácar Pueblo - Arnes Cuero and Café-Bar El Mirador del Castillo. For info: call Patricia 655 512 345 or email information@elcastillomojacar.com
News reaches us of the passing of Dick Charlesworth, whose famous jazz bar 'The Time and Place' in Mojácar Pueblo was the place to go during the 'seventies. Dick with his clarinet was joined by many well-known British jazz musicians and the atmosphere was always 'hot'. Our thoughts to Gillian and to their daughter Lucy.
|
|
|
Plaça Universitat. Three girls, arms a flurry of wild gesticulation. One of them sputtered raw choking sounds and shoved a clipboard with papers in my face. On the top sheet - next to a handicap symbol - it said: Certificate of Regional Association
For Dumb Discapacitado Deaf Person
And for the Poor Children
We want to obtain to a national center the internet
Help please thank you very much? Below that, fields for filling out your name, postal code and city of residence. The footer at the very bottom of the page had an email address: center-of-internet@hotmail.com I should have told those janes to dangle the moment I read their poorly written plea for charity. But I was oiled to the gills and feeling good. Had I been sober their shady operation would have been obvious. They each had a clipboard with the same gibberish printed on it. Each had long wavy brown black hair, tied back. The jane who handed me the clipboard wore camouflage cargo pants and a striped purple t-shirt. Her helpers wore jeans and blue and red t-shirts respectively. Their clothes looked two sizes too big. Rumpled, like they had slept in them. Like a sap I reached into my pocket for some loose change. Nada. The problem was I’d blown all my jack on slugs of rye and a dancer in a go go club. I said, “Lo siento, señoritas,” and handed the clipboard back. “No dinero.” Her hard black eyes wrinkled into two Vs, and the corner of her lip trembled. I thought I heard her mumble cabrón, but I wasn’t sure. She shot over to an obvious tourist who was walking by - her helpers in tow. I forgot about it until the next day when I saw three other kittens pulling the same stunt in Plaça Catalunya, near the double-decker tour bus stop. They had the same sartorial style: baggy clothes, hair tied back, clipboards in hand. I was cold sober and broke, but it was so hot that day I had to get out of my cramped hotel room and walk around. I’d taken off my hat and had my gabardine draped over my arm. I was taking shade, leaning against a balustrade leading up to the center of the plaza, when I saw this go down. While I burned through a Reig I watched the girls bounce from tourist to tourist like pinballs until they got one to stop. Easily half the tourists they stopped took a pen and wrote out personal details on the clipboard before forking out cash. I saw blue bills, pink bills and plenty of small change. In the 15 minutes I stood there these three girls pulled in at least 50 smackers. That comes to 200 euros an hour. Not bad for a day’s work. Then the tour bus took off, and with it went most of the tourists. Something miraculous happened. These Discapacitado Deaf Persons sat down on a cement embankment next to a fountain. Two of them started jawing and gaffawing. The third put on headphones. Some deaf & dumb charity. The Charity of Gypmeisters! I shadowed these deaf dumb posers while they conned tourist after tourist around the plaza. Around 3 o’clock they headed for the subway on Passeig de Gràcia. I followed them underground and hopped on the purple line subway after them, half a car down. They were laughing the whole ride. None of our fellow passengers could have guessed these lively kittens had the sharpest claws of all. A voracious appetite for conning tourists out of their hard-earned scratch! They rode all the way to the end of the line at Pep Ventura and I followed them out. When they reached surface level they stopped at the mouth of the subway entrance. I walked past and took a plant in a bar facing them. 8 minutes later a mold-green Ford 131 with busted rims pulled up. They piled in and the car peeled out and shot down Marquès avenue. That night I resolved to track the Charity Con Artists wherever they went. So far I’d seen them at Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Universitat, two tourist hotspots. I decided to hit the rest of the hotspots over the next few days. I went to Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia, took the stretch of Paseo de Gracia. I waded through a sea of beer-swilling tourists on the Ramblas. I cased the Gotic, made my way to the La Catedral and La Palau de Musica. There are more tourist hotspots, but I’d peeped enough. My ticker almost went blooey. This thing was much bigger than I thought. The Charity Con Artists had multiplied like a dangerous virus and were all over this burg! I couldn’t believe their cunning. And the tourists. Instincts of troglodytes! Those gypmeisters were roping them in like docile cows. There were several groups of girls. All donning the same rumply threads, all using the same paraphernalia. I tracked them back to the end of the purple line every afternoon. Different cars, different groups of girls. They always got off at Pep Ventura at the end of their “workdays”. Sound Con I called my contact, Falcó. He’s a desk sergeant in the mossos who’s been around and respects my implacable drive to fight crime against tourists. He said las carpeteras, as they’re called in police terminology, are a growing problem. Since they are minors, and the amount they swindle is usually less than 300 euros, they can’t be thrown in the cooler. Falcó told me they have to release the kids to their folks the same day they’re nabbed. The next day the kids are back on the streets. Their folks, says Falcó, are the criminal masterminds behind the Charity Con. Since they are nowhere around the girls when they’re scamming, they can claim innocence. So it works like that. Tourists end up giving their money away to some dead beat padres. Boy it wound me up tighter than a ten euro watch from a topmanta, and I was going to bust! Finally I got my chance. Just yesterday they accosted me over by Plaça Catalunya and Portal de l’Angel. It was about 11 in the morning, tourists were everywhere. I was dressed casual with my Hawaiian shirt and my straw hat. Three janes with clipboards jumped in front of me. They made those raw choking sounds and stuck a clipboard out. I took it and squinted my eyes. I shook my head. “No puedo leer. No can read! Illiterate!” Another girl showed me a grimy coffee can filled with small change and bills. She pointed to the handicapped sign on the clipboard I was holding. I rubbed my chin like I still didn’t get it. I grabbed the clipboard and started furiously flipping through the sheets of paper. Signature after signature of duped tourists. “Poor children! Ha! Dumb Discapacitados!” I raised the clipboard high and brought it down on my knee. It shattered into pieces and sheets of paper fluttered off. The girls started wailing and shaking their fists. A young tourist woman with dreadlocks snatched up one of the papers and shot the girls a glance. Then she turned to me with righteous indignation. “You fat racist pig! How dare you treat these poor helpless children this way! How dare you! How dare you!” A crowd of tourists had formed around us. They looked at me and shook their heads. Then something unbelievable happened. They started consoling the gypmeisters and giving them money! Then they walked off in a group. An old lady hissed and shook her fist at me. One of the gypmeisters turned and stuck her tongue out. I kicked part of the broken clipboard and walked down Fontanella to the first bar I saw. I swear this burg is a one stop fraud shop. And they got the best customers of all. Clueless tourists. |
"Good News - Bad News" |
| Life is full of contrasts and so often we are asked which we would like first – the good news or the bad news? Of course that is not an easy question to answer if we do not know what the news is going to be, but on the whole I think it is best to get the good news first as it may well make the bad news easier to deal with!
Such was the case with the Diocesan Synod held in Cologne recently with clergy and lay representatives from across this vast Diocese of Europe – as I am sure I have mentioned before, this covers one sixth of the earth’s land surface, as many as nine time zones, and churches from Vladivostok in Northern Russia to Morocco and the Canary Islands.
Our four-day gathering was, as always, centered in worship – and the four daily services were the focus and inspiration for all that we did. Bible study (on the book of Genesis), talks and discussions around a wide variety of subjects which are the concern of the work and witness of the Church of England overseas. And of course an important part of gatherings like this is the sharing of news and views at mealtimes and needless to say – in the bar!
There was then, plenty of good news to share about life in our Chaplaincies – we learned that the Church in the Diocese in Europe is vibrant and showing signs of real growth – many new members (indicative of course of the shift of British people to homes overseas); new Chaplaincies; a good number of people coming forward for training as Readers and to offer themselves as candidates for ordination, and a general feeling of optimism around.
Little wonder, then, that we did on the whole, feel greatly encouraged for all that is going on in church life. This is certainly something which is reflected here in this Chaplaincy of Costa Almería and Calida. Like many others we have set up new worship centres – at Roquetas and Albox, and we have been pleased to welcome quite a number of new church members and more contacts developing with the English first-language residents and visitors.
´So What Could be Better?
This leads us unfortunately to the other side of the coin! So to the bad news!
At our synod we were made aware that in recent times three of the archdeacons out of the six in our diocese had resigned on health grounds – it has been proved the job is just too much for one person to handle given the fact that the archdeacons also have chaplaincies to run and are often faced with long distance journeys. Our own much-loved archdeacon, Father Alan was a case in point – he was not only archdeacon with lots to cover, but also Dean of our Cathedral as well, and it was just too much! I should perhaps explain that in U.K. most archdeacons cover a much smaller area without the responsibilities of having a parish as well. Although they have more churches and parishes to supervise, they do not have vast distances to travel as is the case here. This archdeaconry of Gibraltar covers Spain, Portugal, Balearics, Canaries, Madeira, Morocco and Andorra.
With this background, our diocese is determined to see that these mistakes are not repeated, and in each archdeaconry as well as an Archdeacon there will be an Area Dean appointed to ease the burden. I have the honour of being the first Area Dean for the Gibraltar Archdeaconry, remaining of course as Chaplain to Costa Almería and Calida.
The new Archdeacon for us is Fr David Sutch who is Chaplain of Costa del Sol East i.e. Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Calahonda and Coín. He and I both hail from the Diocese of Gloucester and know each other very well which augurs well for the future we think!
Little did we realise, however, when we met at Cologne that a much bigger shadow was looming over our diocese! It is all to do with finance and pensions for clergy. Like everyone else in the Western world at least, clergy are living longer, and thus a big burden is placed on the church pension funds. This has already forced the Church of England Pensions Board to increase the number of years a priest must work full-time to earn a full pension, from 37 years to 40 years. The impact of this is that whereas in the past many clergy were happy to come to this diocese as I did at the age of 65 to serve in a part-time capacity as a final phase of active ministry, having achieved the number of years for full church pension, it will not be so easy to attract such candidates in the future as they will be that much older when they reach that stage. The average age of ordination is in the early thirties so one does not have to be a mathematician to work that one out! This is already seeing its effect – very few come forward to respond to adverts for example.
The much bigger blow really concerns our younger clergy in the diocese. I am not fully understanding it all, but it appears that under new rules governing pensions, due to what are called ‘cross-border’ schemes which are a European Union issue, clergy who work in this diocese can only do so for up to five years with their pension rights fully protected – not nearly enough for this diocese! It is difficult to see, therefore, how younger clergy can be attracted to posts in this diocese!
Needless to say, therefore, this has caused great consternation! Our own Bishop Geoffrey will be bringing it to the attention of Archbishop Rowan and the leaders of the Pensions Board, government officials and others with a plea that we should not be discriminated against in this way.
What’s This Got to do with Me’
If you are not a church member, then you may well feel this has little to do with you!
But it remains a fact that most people do still want the services of the church on occasions even if not regularly. There is a considerable number of people who approach us for baptism, marriage blessings and especially funerals. An interesting statistic for you – more than 90 per cent of people in the UK who die, want a Christian funeral.
We as a church which is here to cater for the spiritual needs of the largely ex-pat population are here to respond to these needs.
We came away from our Synod in Cologne determined to share this problem and challenge with people in whatever way possible – I for one am asking people to pray about it in the hope that a way forward may be found to ensure the Anglican Church can continue its work and witness in the future in this part of the world.
So – good news, and bad news! And to finish on a positive note, Christians always need to remember that the word Gospel means Good News, and therefore at the end of the day only the Good News of Jesus Christ will prevail!
Until next time – God Bless.
|
Anti Planning-Abuse Meeting in Mojácar |
|
On the 3rd May last, a meeting was held at the Best Hotel in Marina de la Torre, Mojácar, Almeria regarding the problems of property in Spain - from demolitions to expropriations, 'illegal properties', third party mortgages, dodgy salesmen, 'builders' electric', 'land grab', buildings in flood plains, unfinished ‘off plan’ buildings and so on, at which almost 400 people attended.
The meeting was chaired by Lenox Napier of the political party Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar and was organised with their assistance to discuss the planning problems arising in the area. The head of this political group and Councillor of Mojácar, Mr Angel Medina, spoke and stated that Spain should be kept as a favoured destination for foreign investments and was a good place in which to live, despite the problems which had arisen and which should be remedied (see the Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar website at http://ciudadanoseuropeosdemojacar.blogspot.com).
With respect to the problems, Mr Medina mentioned a number of measures which should be taken, including: the establishment of a legal protocol (a set of regulated steps) for conveyancing; estate agents to be registered, supervised and insured; that the publicity and public consultation for plans be made obligatory and this be implemented as soon as possible; that the land registry should be relied upon to show the real-estate and planning situation on a particular property; that the catastro should be tied in with the land registry as soon as possible; that a commission should be set up to consider the current planning problems and to make recommendations, of which the administration and associations should be a party; and that there be independent agencies to oversee the protection of the environment and human rights.
Mr and Mrs Prior were invited and spoke. Readers will recall the demolition of their house – before the very eyes of this unfortunate couple, which has had great repercussion with the media outside Spain. They explained that, at the moment, no compensation for them was in sight. Bob Preston, President of Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No, an association trying to fight against perceived planning abuse in the Almanzora Valley in Almería where thousands of homes are under threat also spoke and complained that, despite various indications from the various administrations, few concrete steps had been taken to legalise the homes involved (see his speech in full on http://www.almanzora-au.org).
During the speeches Mr Svoboda, of Abusos Urbanisticos No in Valencia, who has been fighting against planning abuse for many years, and whose association has thousands of members, urged people to group together to fight for their common interests to prevent planning abuses. Mention was made of a new association which was being set up to cover the Levante Almeriense (the western coastal part of Almería) which would be linked to Mr Svoboda’s association and would work together with other similar associations, and eventually form part of a national federation of like-minded Associations.
Abusos Urbanisticos del Levante Almeriense - No.
This new, fledgling association is to be called the AULAN (‘Abusos Urbanísticos Levante Almeriense No’). Members to be of this association have indicated that the association is to be independent of political parties, though they are grateful for the support the political party Ciudadanos Europeos is giving to the aims of the new association.
It has been stated that the purpose of the association can be summed up in one phrase: to strive for the protection of human rights within the ambit of the real-estate and planning fields, preventing abuses.
It has also been stated that the association will seek to inform its members of planning changes – a bit like an early warning system so that its members will know what changes are afoot and are not surprised with the bulldozer turning up on their doorstep.
In addition, it is considered that by people grouping together they can press the administration for solutions to current and possible future problems.
Apart from this, concrete steps have already been discussed at political level and with other associations to seek to remedy the problems which have arisen and the members to be are pleased that these ideas appear to have some support.
It is thought that situations like that experienced by Mr and Mrs Prior must not be allowed to happen again, and full backing is expressed for Mr and Mrs Prior by the members-to-be of the association.
Concern is expressed that the plight of the Priors has had a wide coverage outside Spain – one of the main reasons the British are reluctant to invest in Spain, due to the perceived lack of legal security - but that the Spanish media at a national level has failed to inform on what has transpired.
A meeting is to be held on Friday June 6th at the Hotel Continental on Mojácar Playa from 12 noon to formally set up the association, elect members etc. In addition, at this meeting an informed talk will be given on the planning issues relating to this area.
Both English and Spanish living in this part of Almería are welcome to come along and join. |
(France, Then and Now) |
1968 and All That...
In May 1968 The Rolling Stones were at number one in the British charts with Jumping Jack Flash, the USA was being rapidly dragged deeper into a messy conflict in Vietnam and Maríe-José Douet was a young student standing, with her peers, on the very edge of history. Douet, also known as Dado, was from Rouen in northern France and had come to Paris to study. What she didn't know, like many of her contemporaries, was just how quickly she would be drawn into the revolutionary vortex which was late sixties France.
"The media described the events of May 1968 as a sexual revolution" Ms Douet informed me. "But it wasn't, it was a general strike. Sure, we wanted to live freely and we didn't want to wait until we were married to make love, it was one of the reasons of the student revolution, but there were others."
Worldwide, 1968 is often seen as a pivotal year in history, but it was a time in which many young people were taking to the streets of cities across the globe to protest.
"At the time there were protests all over the world about America's involvement in Vietnam" Dado explained. "There was also the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King had just been assassinated, and in France there was a growing resentment against American banks."
France, under the leadership of Charles De Gaulle, had been a country of protest leading up to the events of May/June 1968. After some student unrest, the government had closed down the University of Nanterre in the western suburbs of Paris and had then occupied the Sorbonne. On May 6th 1968, 20,000 students and university lecturers took to the streets to protest at the police occupation. Soon the police were making baton charges on the students, and the protestors retaliated by erecting barricades.
It seems ironic that on the tenth anniversary of De Gaulle taking power - in what Dado described as a "Sort of coup d'étât with the help of the military" - on 13th May 1968, the French trade unions called a general strike. Conditions in French factories and industry, at that time, were described as hellish and it was estimated that around one million marched through Paris on the day of the general strike.
"Conditions were terrible" Dado remembers. "Workers had to queue at the end of their shift and wait to be given permission by the bosses to go home. Health and safety was very poor, and the managers ran the factories like a police force. About one third of the workers were immigrants. But they too had downed tools and stood beside their French comrades during the strike."
Meanwhile, De Gaulle fearing a full-blown revolution fled the country to an air force base in Germany.
But it wasn't just factory workers who had walked off the job. Footballers, farmers and even strippers from the world-famous Folies Bergère had joined the barricades.
"The girls from the Folies Bergère" Dado laughed. "They said, just because we take off our clothes doesn't mean to say we have nothing in our heads!"
In total, around 10 million French employees from a workforce of 15 million came out on strike. After the one-day stoppage the workers refused to follow their union leaders and declined to go back to work. They occupied the factories. A sit down strike at the Sud Aviation in Nantes was soon followed by the occupation of the Renault factory in Rouen, Dado's hometown and the reluctance of the workers to return to work spread.
"The peasants also" Dado recalls "were very important. They controlled agriculture and therefore food supplies and they went on strike. There were no trains and people could no longer move around the country freely. In this period the police could do nothing, they just stood aside. There were demonstrations for a new government, a popular government, a people's government."
Eventually De Gaulle, on the advice of Georges Pompidou, the French Prime Minister of the time, dissolved the National Assembly and ordered fresh elections in June. Following this, the general sent riot police into the factories.
"They used live ammunition" Dado said sombrely. "And grenades, many workers were killed while some lost arms and legs and were maimed."
By June the would-be revolution had ran its course, The Gaullists - ironically - swept back to power at the elections and formed the new government. Charles De Gaulle slipped quietly into retirement in 1969 and died on November 9 1970.
Dado completed her studies, but inspired by her experiences - and perhaps the romance of the moment - continued to fight for socialism and became a member of the Gauche Révolutionnaire. Reflecting on those exciting student days and the unrest of May/June 1968 Marie-Jose, small, bespectacled and still dark said simply:
"I learned that it is always the people who pay for the mistakes of the leaders and the bosses."
I thought about this. Reflected on rising food and oil prices, impending environmental catastrophe and the financial chaos of the credit crunch. I had to concede she just might have a point.
France 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy, the new right-wing leader of the French has been compared to Charles De Gaulle. Like De Gaulle, he too has had his protestors to deal with. Recently, anti-Genetically Modified crops protestors danced in the sun on Les Invalides while in the National Assembly President Sarkozy and his Union for Popular Movement prepared to push through a bill which would legalise the use of GM crops. But it wasn't going Sarkozy's way and when two UMP members abstained, Sarkozy's plans disintegrated and the bill was defeated.
The following day another bill to reform the relationship between France's governing departments was also beaten.
Some commentators claimed both defeats were the result of Sarkozy's authoritarian style of leadership. A style which has generated increasing unrest within his own UMP party. It is also thought that some backbenchers in the UMP are beginning to display a growing sense of discontent and there is a feeling that Sarkozy, surrounded by hand picked aides, is losing touch with the ordinary French citizen.
But the French president, barely a year in the job, is unlikely to lose any sleep. The French left seem in total disarray and unable to mount any kind of meaningful opposition. Just as well those closer to the president are able to make their voices heard instead.
Fire
A fire in a flat on the ninth floor of a building in Calle Ribadavia, Madrid, led fire-fighters and police officers to a secret chemistry laboratory where illegal drugs were being produced. Thirteen people, including seven police officers, were treated for smoke inhalation from the fire, which broke out at a party in the flat where the equipment was found.
Four people were arrested and it was rumoured that two of those taken into custody were transvestites.
The flat was consumed by thick black smoke, probably related to the drug making equipment found in the premises in the Pilar district of Madrid.
Two pensioners in a next-door flat had to be rescued. There is, however, no truth in the rumour that the old couple aged 83 and 77, told the media that 'Everything is cool man, ain't no reason to get tight y'all. Okay which way to the Blue Elephant Club, we all gonna hang ya dig?'.
Drug Free Zone
The dog sneezes. I look up from the keyboard, eye him suspiciously, search the floor for tell-tale signs of white powder. But no, of course, why would the dog need drugs? He has a ball, a rope he can play tug with, and a squeaky hamburger toy. As Buster would tell you if he could speak. 'Who needs drugs man, hey dude...which way to the Blue Elephant Club?' Yes, very funny dog! |
© 2008 Radio Mojácar S.L.
Producido por |
 |
|
|
|
|
