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munity!

WITH | the best of Valencia and the Community | essential festivals and gigs to see | impartial reviews |

| ¡aprende inglés con nosotros! ...

Free!Free!15 Mary

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When you fi nish with your inVLC. . .pass it on to a friend!

Looking for customers for your business in the Valencian

Community? Contact us on invlceditor@gmail.com

¿Estás buscando clientes para tu empresa en la comunidad valenciana?

Ponte en contacto con nosotros - invlceditor@gmail.com

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AdvancedFirst certifi cateIntermediate A lo largo de esta revista encontrarás distintos niveles de difi cultad indicados

en la parte superior de cada página y recuadros con vocabulario debajo del texto. Para la pronunciación hemos incluido la fonética.

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Spring is offi cially here, which means we can throw off our

scarves, slap on sun-cream and head out for some fun!

Once Fallas fi nishes, most of the Valencian Community catches its breath until Easter, so there’s no holiday page this month. However, we have all the rest of the essential information to help you make the most of everything on your doorstep from cinema and music to investigating the community town of Burriana.

We've also got some interesting articles for you to enjoy. Glasgow goes up against Valencia in I heart Valencia, Eoghan speaks to international photographer Nacho Bofarull and we check out the hottest fashion in Santo Spirito Vintage.

No matter what you do this month, have fun and stay in touch.Enjoy the read, Andy, Kelly & Sean

the sun has got his hat on!

We use CreatorSilk paper It’s chlorine free & the wood used is from sustainably managed forests. We do this because we’re nice & want to reduce our environmental impact.

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The latest News keeping you up to dateHotspotsFree in Valencia we're feeling adventurousI heart Valencia sees Glasgow v ValenciaShop to visit takes us to Santo Spirito VintageValencia community Burriana charmBar of the month sipping tea in tetería latéLet's talkExpat life! Eoghan meets Nacho Bofarull Talking teaching has fun with grammarArt & cultureLive music across the community Your photos of ‘time’Music hot new musical releasesThe cinema v.o. releases in ValenciaRead me Iain loves his books LifestyleGreen Declan is changing some habitsSport news Sport American Football & language intercambiosArtist Michael Brown is brightening our livesArt to see visits 2 great galleriesRecipe Lia is baking a treatCocktails it's cherry seasonHealth takes a napCharity looks at ONCE Animal how to pullEvents & classifi eds keep you in the know

inVLC is for all people in the community of Valencia: whether born here, visiting for a day, or living a new life in the sun.We hope to guide you on what’s going on in the community, help those living in it, and support language learning with a bit of added fun.

Translations Javi & ClaraPhotos Front cover and I heart Valencia Marcin

Contact informationemail invlceditor@gmail.comphone 639 740 746 - English speakersphone 628 831 400 - Spanish speakersfacebook inVLCIf you have any thoughts, comments or complaints or want to advertise, please email or phone us.

Important numbers & Embassies / consulatesFire | 080 Local police | 092Medical | 061 General | 112French | 96 351 0359 USA | 96 351 6973British | 96 521 60 22 Dutch | 96 341 4633 German | 96 310 62 53

Legal chatWe do our very best to strive for accuracy in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for unintentional errors or omissions, accuracy of advertisements or contributors’ opinions. We aim at all times not to off end.depósito legal V-816-2006

indexabout us

15 March 44BC. A seer told Julius Caesar harm would come to him not later than the Ides of March. "But, the Ides of March have come", said Caesar, to which the seer replied "Ay, they have come, but they are not gone."

4 News

Black Economy | The Association of Savings Banks (FUNCAS) has released the fi ndings of a study in which it believes that Spain's black economy is accounting for 17% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country with up to 4 million non-declared (or black) jobs.

Estimates suggest that this means the Hacienda misses out on €30 billion in taxes. The number of people working in this way has increased from an estimated 1.4 million in 1980.

Holidays |

Until 19 March| Fallas in most towns, villages and the city. Download and print our free 4 page Guide to Fallas from www.issuu.com/invlceditor/docs/invlc_fallas which includes a handy timetable for most Valencia events. 8 April | San Antonio de Benagéber. Fiesta Segregación celebrates separation from Paterna, becoming an independent municipality in 1998.

Less oil dependency | March 7 saw new speed limits introduced throughout the country. This was one of 20 measures that the Government implemented as a precautionary measure given the unrest in some oil-producing countries.

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te The new speed limit of 110 km/h is set to be trialled for 4 months but may be extended. RENFE prices will also be reduced by 5% over the 4-month period to help encourage usage and spending on street lighting is set to be reduced by half.

Spain spends the most per capita on street lighting in Europe and is planning to introduce energy saving bulbs over the next fi ve years too.

The reason for this is that the Bank of Spain in Madrid still converts pesetas to euros and the townsfolk hope they can get enough to make the trip to Madrid worthwhile.

Old Money | As the recession bites the shop owners of Mugardos in northwest Spain have come up with a novel way of trying to boost income. Since March 1 shops are allowing people to pay for their goods using the old Spanish peseta. 60 shops are part of the initiative and they have found that people are travelling from all over to spend the currency which has been redundant since April 2002.

15 March 1984. 20 million viewers laugh when eccentric comedian and magician Tommy Cooper collapses on stage while performing on live UK TV thinking it part of his act. It wasn't. He had died from a heart attack.

5

Want to see the Valencian Community on the cheap? Every month we’ll list some great spots

where you can enjoy Spanish culture, nature and have some good, cheap fun. We'll be:

Free/cheap in Valencia

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Have you ever experienced?-Stress-Tiredness, lack of energy-Pinched nerves-Migraines, headaches-Stiffness in the neck-Whiplash, neck trauma-Vertigos, dizziness-Tension, shoulder pains-Thoracic or lumbar pain-Chest pain, Asthma-Bad posture-Stomach acidity-Sciatica, pain down the leg-Joint pain, knee pain-Pins and needles, numbness arms or hands-Pins and needles or numbness down the legIf you have experienced one or more of these symptoms,

chiropractic could be the solution.Call now for a free check, it could be the start of a new life!

Rollitos de anís (roscos) are typical Valencian desserts with three popular varieties - lemon, egg, and, our favourite, aniseed. The aniseed version is very subtle, and makes for a pleasant crunchy biscuit. The recipe can be easily and cheaply made at home, which is the reason why its popularity has continued throughout some of the poorer times of the country.

The biscuit is traditionally eaten at Baptisms, or simply with coff ee or at breakfast time although we found it perfect at any time.

Not all bakers off er them, and we had to visit a few to fi nd them again, but they are worth asking for. They are sold by the kilo, or you can just ask for the number you want (we paid €1.15 for 12).

1| checking out the burning of the statues. What's more impressive is how quickly the streets are returned to normal afterwards leaving only the odd scorch mark.

2| taking a picnic and heading for the mountains. Spring is the perfect time to get walking without melting. Try the diverse ravines and valleys of the Sierra Calderona Nature Park. There are 18 villages within the Park, with their own charm and hikes. www.sierra-calderona.es

3| going into local markets and asking for something we've never tried before. There're many fl avours, textures and sensations that you might be surprised. We found amazing rollitos de anís at Rusaff a market.

15 March 1988. Montpellier. The home of French nougat-making sees a would-be bank robber lose his nerve at the crucial moment. To get rid of the evidence - the gun - he eats it. Turns out to be made of nougat.

6 I heart Valencia

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This month it's a battle of cities, with the third largest populations of both Spain and the

United Kingdom going head to head. Valencia, situated here on the eastern coast of Spain

and Glasgow, which sits on the western coast of Scotland. Let's get ready to rumble!

Round 1| Origins - Valencia (or Valentia Edetanorum as it was known) has been around since 137BC when the Romans set up camp here on the site of an older Iberian town to take the fi ght to an Iberian warlord called Viriatus. When the Arabs took over they called it (Balansiyya). Through natural changes over the years this became Valencia in Castilian and València in Valenciano. Valencia means valor or strength.

The area on which Glasgow now stands has been settled since prehistoric times but the name of Glasgow (or Glas cau) came about in 1116 from its previous name of Cathures. Glasgow itself means Green Hollow although it is sometimes glossed up to mean Dear Green Place.

Winner Valencia

Round 2| Size - Valencia city at the most recent count (2009) recorded a population of 809,267 (compared to Seville's 704,198) and Valencia Community a total of 2.3 million. The Glasgow conurbation also has a population of 2.3 million but in the city itself the population is recorded at 580,690. Interestingly, if this match occurred at the turn of the 20th Century, Glasgow would have won easily with a population of over 1 million when it was the 4th largest city in the whole of Europe after London, Paris and Berlin. This was reduced by large-scale relocation and the development of new towns to ease the poverty and housing problems in the city.

Winner Valencia (just).

Round 3| Gifts to the world - Valencia boasts two Popes, three Kings including Jaime II of Aragon, many writers including Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, architect Santiago Calatrava and Valencia Club de Futbol. This is an amazing achievement in itself but the list for Glasgow is just endless despite its lack of Kings and Popes.

Given its previous status as Second City of the British Empire here are just some famous Glaswegians: three Prime Ministers of the UK (Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Andrew Bonar Law and Gordon Brown), the fi rst Prime Minister of Canada (John A. MacDonald), the 1st First Minister of Scotland after devolution (Donald Dewar), scientists Joseph Lister and Nobel Prize-winning Sir William Ramsey, football legends Rangers and Celtic (whose 1967 European Cup winning team all came with players from a 30 mile radius of Glasgow), and of course Alex Ferguson, father of modern economics Adam Smith, architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, musicians such as Wet Wet Wet, Lulu, Simple Minds, Franz Ferdinand, and Mark Knopfl er (from Dire Straits), actors such as Gerard Butler, Robert Carlyle, John Hannah and James McAvoy. And of course comedian Billy Connolly and star of the big screen Scrooge McDuck! I could go on.

Winner Glasgow for sheer scope of achievements. 

16 March 1912. South Pole. Lawrence Oates, suff ering bad frostbite and worried about slowing the progress of his colleagues, leaves Scott's tent saying "I am going outside and may be some time". He's still not back.

7

Round 4| Education and the Arts - Glasgow is home to the 4th oldest University in the English Speaking world (after Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews) and has been a seat of learning since 1451. There are 168,000 students in Glasgow. The University of Valencia was set up not much later in 1499 and Valencia currently has approximately 55,000 students. Glasgow is the home of one of the richest art collections in the world which can be seen in the 9 museums housed in 13 art galleries and museum locations across the city including the Burrell Collection and The Hunterian Museum (the oldest in Scotland). Valencia also has a rich and diverse art and museum scene including the interactive science museum, MuviM, the Museum of Ceramics and the Valencia History Museum. 

Winner – Glasgow having been a University for longer and having a richer collection of arts.

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I heart Valencia

Round 5| Important historical moments - Valencia grew to the beat of many drums - Roman, Moor, Visigoth, Catalan and Aragonese. It is believed to have printed the fi rst bible in any of the Romance languages. The last person in Spain to be killed as a result of the Spanish Inquisition was in Valencia, it was the capital of the Republic for some time as Franco's forces marched on Madrid and it was the last major Spanish city to fall to him. It is believed that the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper is situated here in Valencia Cathedral.

Glasgow, from its humble beginnings, grew to be the second city of the British Empire after the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. It became extremely rich on the back of this, predominantly through heavy industry and shipping. By 1870 it was producing half of all British ships and a quarter of the worlds trains but problems surfacedin the 20th Century when Glasgow (like Valencia in 1981) had tanks rolling on its streets. After the Russian Revolution and the War against Germany the then Prime Minister David Lloyd George sent 10,000 troops and read the riot act to stop a left wing uprising in 1919.

Winner - Valencia for being important throughout the ages.

Overall its a win for Valencia. And its warmer!

17 March. Guinness, shamrocks and folk songs at the ready - it's St. Patrick's Day. Originally a slave from Britain he escaped his Irish captors before becoming a bishop and banishing all snakes from the island.

8 Shop to visit | Santo Spirito Vintage

With Spring well on its way, the fashion-

conscious are shedding the layers and

rethinking those big lived-in jumpers.

Perhaps it's time for a new look, or just an opportunity to add a few new pieces to the established look. Either way, Santo Spirito Vintage is going to be hot on your list to visit. We popped in to say hello.

So tell us a little about you...We are Tomás Ruiz and Jorge Vento and we recently opened Santo Spirito Vintage, which is one of the few Vintage shops in town. We take the name from an area in Florence, Italy which is full of artisans, artists and Vintage shops, where we have both lived having loads of fun. Far from religious thoughts, the name of our little local business is a tribute to that wonderful neighbourhood.We sell all kinds of clothes here, having a vast selection that goes from high end fashion couture, to denim classics such as Lee or Levi’s, 60s & 70s Adidas, Lacoste, Fred Perry, 80s crazy prints, military pieces, funky dresses, sunglasses, tailored blazers, hats, etc.

What made you start the shop?Jorge: I’m a designer myself and I’ve been working in the fashion industry for a while…I've worked for several fashion brands in the last few years (Alexander McQueen in London, Salvatore Ferragamo, Guess Europe in Florence and Gant in Stockholm) so for me, even if it’s a bit diff erent from what I’ve been doing before, it’s still related to it…Tomi: Jorge and I are really good friends and we had been thinking for years about how there was a lack of Vintage shops back home in Valencia, and since we both loved it, and we were confi dent that we could supply people with nice pieces, we just decided to take the risk and open Santo Spirito Vintage. For many years, I’ve also been a crazy collector of all kinds of old stuff , especially 60s and 70s tennis items.

18 March 1584. Russia. Ivan the Terrible dies, allegedly in sorrow at the death of his son three years previously. A touching story - until you fi nd out it was him that killed his son in a fi t of rage. Terrible indeed.

9Shop to visit | Santo Spirito Vintage

Why should people come?We think that people will love the store since it’s located in a really charming area of the city, the atmosphere here is calm and relaxed, so the shopping experience is much more enjoyable than in the usual fashion chains, and of course, the main reason for people to come are our products: we have amazing clothes, original and unique, designers or brands that no-one else in town has and all of it at a very aff ordable price.

Where do the clothes come from?Our clothes come from everywhere in the world, mostly from Northern Europe and Italy…but we like to bring the best from everywhere, so we like Italy, England and France for tailoring and high end fashion and the US for sportswear and streetwear. Looking for vintage is like looking for treasures in a way, you never know what you're gonna fi nd...or where you're gonna fi nd it!!

How do you fi nd the reaction to you given that the Spanish don't really do 2nd hand?The community has accepted us in an incredible way, especially the younger generations. Everybody travels nowadays, so people know Vintage is big abroad and they love to be able to buy it here, too. Anyway, our customers are from all ages, genders and social status, people who have their love for special clothes in common.

So what sort of prices do you have?Each piece is diff erent from the other, but you can easily fi nd T-Shirts and tops starting at 3€, dresses or shirts for around 12€…we also have some couture pieces from Gucci, Balenciaga, YSL etc for a bit more, but still very aff ordable to almost anyone!

Anything else you want to tell us?Just thank you for giving us the opportunity to present our shop and we want to welcome everybody to Santo Spirito Vintage and to follow and 'like' us on Facebook!

Calle Tapineria, 18

Tues - Sat 10.30am-2.30pm,

5pm-9pm

19 March 1936. Switzerland. Armed with just a knife, sea-shells and that bikini, Ursula Andress, born this day, emerges from the sea in Dr. No and no man (never mind James Bond) is unlikely to ever forget it.

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Valencia community | Burriana

The church was constructed on the order of Jaime Primero, as he marched his way through Spain fi ghting the Moorish forces, and has infl uences of the style known as románico catalán – although I’d rather you didn’t ask me what that is as architecture isn’t my best subject.

There are seven ornate and gilded side chapels, each with a gorgeous retablo, but other than those, the church’s interior is only modestly decorated, and in some cases in need of restoration. Its glory is in the beautiful stained glass windows, not seen often in Spanish churches, framed in unadorned stone below a splendid ribbed ceiling. There is far more glory in its understatement than many of the overly kitsch, overly restored churches you see elsewhere in the Community.

As you walk around the exterior, after having stared up in awe at the 51-metre bell tower, you will fi nd a pair of ancient bronze sculptures, both so weathered by time that they look like stone, fl anking a small metal door. They seem totally out of place on their low plinths and look as if they would at one time have done service as gargoyles – although not of a very ferocious kind. Their appearance is of two cat-like creatures sat on their haunches; one has its paws raised and a big smile as if waiting for you to tickle its belly; the other has the fi ngers of one paw stuff ed in its mouth as if chewing its fi ngernails or licking its paw with pleasure after having just enjoyed a supper of an unsuspecting supplicant.

To the side of the church there’s a pretty park to while away the hours, but where once the complaint along the coast was that all you heard were English accents, here those of Eastern Europe prevail.

On Calle Major, along the side of the town hall, is the Museo de Taronja, a homage to the orange and its importance to the economy of Burriana and the

whole of the Valencian Community during the 19th and 20th centuries.

At one time there were over two hundred growers exporting the fruit, and most of it went to the UK. As well as a selection of agricultural implements, photos and models, the museum displays some beautiful print publicity, mainly the labels that would be slapped on the side of a crate and the delicate tissue that would have been wrapped around the oranges to protect them on their long journey from Spanish orchard to British table. Real works of art in miniature.

Having commented on a number of occasions about the fact that it is almost impossible to get into a church in the Valencian Community because they are almost always closed, thus being unable to view the, usually, incredibly ornate decoration that has been so wondrously restored with hefty chunks of EU money, i.e. you and I have paid for it but they won’t let us in to have a gander, my visit to Burriana’s Iglesia del Salvador surprised me on two accounts:

a.it was open, and b.it was delightfully simple – or at least as simple as a Spanish church can get.

Burriana fact fi lePopulation | 26,757Distance to Castellón | 13kmDistance to Valencia | 50kmPlaces of interest |Museo de TaronjaIglesai del SalvadorAnd nearby | Ceramics museum at OndaFiestas | San Blas 3 FebFallas de San José 15-19 MarchUseful phone numbers | Tourist offi ce| 96 457 0753

21 March 1963. San Francisco. Island prison Alcatraz closes its doors for the last time. Home for a time to Capone and the Birdman, Alcatraz translates into English as 'pelican' or 'strange bird'.

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Valencia community | Burriana

Burriana still maintains some fi ne examples of Modernista architecture, and not all of it of the highly decorated variety. The Mercado Municipal is a curious looking building – vaguely late Modernista but in the ‘railway shed’ school of design, with fl ourishes of stained glass depicting edibles such as rabbits, ducks, fi sh and – inevitably – oranges. After all, this is Burriana, said to be, at least by the Burriense, the orange capital of Spain.

Opposite the market, on the Plaça de Merced, is the soaring structure of the Casa de Cultura, well worth a look for its splendid internal courtyard, which has been converted into an auditorium, its arched and colonnaded quadrangle creating a Roman Coliseum ambience, a feeling enhanced by the headless statue on a platform above the performance area. So fragile does the support look that I’d be very nervous about performing under it. An enormous pleated shade gives the impression that you are in the open air, but a glass roof keeps out the unfriendly elements.

The original 18th century layout has been a prison, Guardia Civil barracks and a monastery, and was totally restored in 1991. Outside is a bronze model of the ancient circular walled town, with castellated towers and four gates.

For a coff ee, you could do worse than nip into the Fundacio Caixa Rural, not necessarily because the coff ee is any better or cheaper than anywhere else, but because of the totally over-the-top salon at the side of the café. Lined from ceiling to fl oor in a splodgy brown marble that looks as if the design came out of the deranged, LSD-hallucinated mind of a pop artist of the 60s. The heavily ornate chandeliers do nothing to alleviate the visual distress, in fact, if anything, they heighten it. A more restrained hand has been shown in the inlaid marble fl oor, a roundel of which displays the signs of the zodiac.

In one of those little bits of street theatre that occur at the most unexpected of moments, I saw a young man so busy directing a wagon through a narrow street so as not to damage the parked cars, that he was blithely unaware of the crane jib overhanging the side of the back of the wagon – until it gave the balcony of a lovely Modernista building an almighty ‘thack!’ and sent cascades of stone over the wagon and the street. Here’s hoping he was well insured! Derek Workman

To discover more about Spain, visit www.derekworkman-journalist.com and www.derekworkman.wordpress.com.

Car | A7 motorway from Valencia Bus | HICID Buses every 45 minutes. Call +34 964 51 03 03 or ask at the bus stationTrain | trains every 30 minutes to VLC, cost around €5. Take around 45 minutes

24 March 1944. Poland. 76 prisoners make an audacious bid to break out of Stalag Luft III by digging a long tunnel underground. The attempt is immortalized in the fi lm 'The Great Escape'.

12 Learn Better with the British Council

The unique aspects of

Valencia, which makes

it interesting to live in,

are the individual and distinct

districts of the city which

form the whole. Fun evenings

are often spent in Rusaff a,

or El Carmen, and now the

Benimaclet area is shining

as an area to head to, and we

recommend tetería laté.

The bar is situated down one of the backstreets behind Avenido Primado Reig, only moments from the Metro and the tranvía. Owner Luis Miguel Torres has run the bar for fi ve years, and he has blended it in with Benimaclet's Arabic origins.

What makes the environment so pleasing is the obvious time which has gone into creating the right ambience. The seating is in keeping with the Arabic background with low but surprisingly comfy seats, some sofas, and beautifully carved authentic Moroccan stools and tables. This combination is instantly relaxing and soothing on the eyes.

One rare attraction is the use of the hookah/ shisha/water pipes for customers for €7. Since the smoking ban came into place the bar off ers fruity herbal alternatives, such as apple, raspberry, or melon (with no tobacco or nicotine) giving the place a very gentle aroma.

Luis off ers 30 types of teas, hence the name, all graciously served to your table.

If tea isn't your thing, they off er sumptuous cocktails, and off er a 'cocktail of the day' for €4.50, which supply a rather pleasant punch. The favourite is currently the fresh Strawberry Caipiroska - delicious!

A dinner menu is available Thursdays to Saturdays for €20-25 with an Arabic infl uence in the choice of food. There are tables, but it's better to reserve a seat to guarantee a spot.

On some Sundays there are live musical events, with singers and musicians adding to the whole experience, check

the Facebook page for upcoming events. If you're considering a night a little diff erent from the norm, or looking for a new place to have fun, this is a great place to visit this Spring.

Teas| €2.50 Bottled beers| €2

Cocktails| €6 (€4.50)Food| Thu-Sat 9pm-12am

Calle Benicarló 37, BenimacletMon, Weds, Sun 6pm-1am

Thur-Sat 6pm-2am Closed Tuesdays

teterialate@hotmail.com96 133 89 47

"I love the decor and the Arabic infl uence, the authentic teas, the

relaxed atmosphere, but mostly it's how friendly Luis is."

Kelly Danvers. Bar fl y.

13Bar of the month | tetería laté

24 March 1603. On the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland accedes to the English throne to become James I of England uniting both the crowns and the ever-warring countries.

14 Expat life | Have Art, Will Travel

31 January 1876. US. All Red Indians had to move into reservations by this date or be deemed hostile. Many could not make it on time and others did not even realise this proclamation had been made.

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technologies allow me that freedom."Nacho has had

shows in Savannah, New York, London and Mexico City. To date he is yet to show in Spain but says he is working on it."I would like to show here in Valencia, I might not

sell anything, but, it’s my town, you know."It seems that in taking the unconventional route

to his profession Nacho has built the all important network of contacts outside the established Spanish art world and so breaking in is challenging.

"It’s a social business, you have to build relationships. Perhaps it's a combination of where I studied and my style, but I just happen to have built those

relationships outside of Spain."He owes his living in no small part to Mexico and to

the patronage of Mexico City’s vibrant art world. "Art is valued there, rich people spend money on it

and that’s what we need to survive."A point illustrated on a large scale by the new free

gallery opened in Mexico City by tycoon Carlos Slim recently.Nacho is currently preparing for a show in Mexico

City in August. The theme may be described broadly as, "interesting spaces that we are not looking at."He likes the idea of recreational space and the structures that house the spectacle we are pointed to enjoy.Nacho Bofarull will be showing at Tal Qual Gallery, Mexico City, in August.

Eoghan Ryan

Photographer Nacho Bofarull was born in Barcelona but moved to Valencia when he was two. At thirteen his father’s work took the family to Madrid and three years later to Singapore. He has attended university in Savannah, Georgia and Madrid.When considering his work, this journeyed

upbringing is not inconsequential. Moving both physically and intellectually contributed to his style and passion. The travels were not the only contributing factors

of course and Nacho is quick to point to supportive family, particularly a generous uncle who bought him his fi rst Polaroid camera at age six and an indulgent grandfather who forked out for fi lm.Educated at religious schools

in Spain, the move to a "truly international" environment in Singapore as well as holidays with family members, as you might expect, had a profound eff ect.Nacho speaks of the importance of art to ask

questions rather than make statements, perhaps a refl ection of the impact his early education had, which he felt told rather than asked. By his own admission he was not the best student

and didn’t like to be told what to think or believe and so he found more fulfi llment in books and photographs."We need things that make us think more, not to be

told what to think, for example, when art is overly explained, it’s probably not true."His formative journey

has seen Nacho return to live in Valencia, a move he feels he is lucky to have been able to make. "I couldn’t have lived

here and done what I did for a living a few years ago, the new

Asking an artist what has infl uenced them or an Expat where

they are from is fundamentally the same question. If you are

lucky you might get an interesting answer.

© Fernando Duran

©Nacho Bofarull

"When we are looking at what we are told to we sometimes miss what’s really going on

around us."

24 March 1989. Alaska. 11 million gallons of oil pour into Alaskan waters when the Exxon Valdez runs aground. As of 2010 there is still estimated to be 26,000 gallons left from the spill in the sand and soil.

15

Have you ever just thought “why the hell don’t I just put my students in a situation in which

they have to use a specifi c structure?”. We can fi re off fancy language at them all day long,

but if they haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about, what’s the point? I was thinking

of some of the best ways to teach some grammatical points in game-like form for my students and

these are some of my favourites:

For those of you who really want to get down to learning the language, we’ll be bringing you an expression each month. This is our job. Your job? Get out there and use it! Then tell us how you got on…

demonios – on earth/ the hell e.g. ¿Dónde demonios lo has puesto?

Where the hell/ on earth have you put it?

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

Orange Language Academy has been an American run language school for the city of Valencia and its provinces since 2005 off ering all types of language related services. They run the Mon language exchange at The Bohemian Café and the Tues and Weds nights at the Portland Ale House. Find out more at www.orangeidiomas.com

four Present Continuous for future plans| HolidayGet your students to research a holiday in pairs and sell it to the rest of the group. The research can be done as homework or during class time (if you have a computer lab or something similar). Students then have to choose the best holiday.

fi ve Future Perfect Simple/ Continuous| Life PlansDraw a road on the board and, along the side, dot some signposts with dates on them i.e. next month, next year, 2015, 2030, etc. Get students to copy the road and complete the little sign posts with actions that will have happened/ will have been happening during that period of time. Make sure students do NOT write complete sentences, just a few key words from the phrase. Put them into pairs and get them to say the complete sentences, e.g. By 2020, I will have been learning English for twenty years or By 2015, I will have passed my driving test. Good fun and great for getting them to using a very uncommon grammatical structure.

I’m sure you’ve got a multitude of similar games in your arsenal for these situations, but sometimes just creating the right situation is much better than a series of timelines on the board. If you’ve got any good ideas that you use in class, please send them in to us.

one Present Perfect Passive: ChangesSplit your students into two groups and send one group out of the classroom. The group that stays in the classroom has to make a series of changes i.e. move bags, open windows, cover the teacher with jackets, etc. When the second group come back into the class, they have to describe what has been changed e.g. The windows have been opened, the teacher has been hidden, the bin has been moved, etc.

two The Causative have| LotteryTell your students that they have won x on the lottery and elicit the things that they would buy. Draw them on the board or, better still, get the students to draw them. Now get them to imagine six months down the line now that things have broken or become a little run down. Elicit who would do the job. You? Don’t be silly! You’re rolling in it! Get them to think of the verb and the object i.e. wash/ the car. Once you have a decent sized list, introduce the structure would have + object + past participle of the verb. Great fun!

three Past Simple/ Past Continuous| AlibiThe academy’s been robbed, some computers are missing and your students need to get to the bottom of it. Explain the situation to them (you could even write a mock front page of the local paper) then choose two ‘suspects’ to go outside and work on an alibi. The rest of the students are ‘police’ and will have to interview the suspects separately. If the police fi nd 3-5 mistakes in the alibi, then the suspects are guilty. If they don’t then the suspects go free. As teacher you can act as the suspects’ lawyer telling them which (grammatically incorrect) questions they are not allowed to answer.

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25 March 1957. Italy. Forerunner of the EU - The European Economic Community is created when Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Holland and Luxembourg sign the Treaty of Rome.

16 Live events

As always the city and the community is buzzing with live events. We've struggled to fi t them

all this month! Here's what we're looking forward to... and if you have any music

recommendations coming up, let us know!

Q Festival| Casal Fester, Alzira, 2/04 An independent festival where all proceeds support NGOs committed to developing countries. Confi rmed artists: Sexy Sadie, The Primitives, Reverend Soundsystem, Estereotypo, Fuzzy White Casters, Virginia Diaz dj, Shining Crane, Limbotheque, Jin Ron Chico, Lupe Catalá. €15 tickets www.qfestival.net or ticketmaster.es

SOS 48| 6-7/05 Murcia These guys are off ering an early bird ticket off er of €34.99 for a limited period. Line up includes Editors, Everything Everything, MGMT, Patti Smith, Suede and many more. www.sos38.com

Benicassim Festival| 14-17/07 With the line up almost complete, we can confi rm that FIB are still off ering a 10% discount for residents (people who are empadronado) in Valencia.4-Day ticket €160. www.fi berfi b.com

Benidorm Low Cost Festival| 21-23/07 There's no harm in getting your tickets early. The line-up includes Mando Dio, Cut Copy, Crystal Castles and many, many more. Visit www.lowcostfestival.es. €60.

Sala El Loco| 17/03 Megaphone Ou la Mort. A mixture of French, English and Spanish head up the ‘Ayuda en Acción’ concert with support from ‘The Someone Elses’. Tickets €5.

5/04 La Pegatina A fun and extravagant musical group celebrates their new CD launch Xapomelon. Starts at 21.30 and entrance is €12.

7-9/04 Semi fi nals of international Emergenza festival.01/04 The Cure tribute band ‘The Exploding Boys’ will be

playing from 22.30 (€8/10). www.lococlub.orgJimmy Glass| C/ Baja, 28 (VLC) This place often

features some great talent from the local and international scene. You can see the Pete Robbins Trans-Atlantic Quartet on 22/03 (21:30) for €12 and The Sanz/ Miller Quartet on 29/03 (21:30) €14. www.jimmyglassjazz.net

Asian Dub Foundation| Sala Mirror C/ De San Vicente Mártir 200 (VLC), 25/03 Around since 1993, they are an anti-racism, Mercury Prize nominee fusion of rap, dancehall & ragga music which they blend into their own sound. €20 on ticketmaster.es

El Palau de la Musica| (VLC) 25/03, 08/04 & 15/04 Jiri Belohlávek directs 'Resurrection', Gustav Mahler’s symphony in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of his death. €20-40.

13/04 Suisse Romande Orchester under the direction of Marek Janowski and the participation of Boris Brovtsyn on the violin, will perform the following pieces: M. Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin, E. Chausson, Poem for violin and orchestra op. 25; M. Ravel, Tzigane. €25-50.

www.palaudevalencia.comDurango Poligono Industrial La Closa (Meliana)

Durango 26/03 Heavy Metal Tribute Fest with ‘Killing Machine’ (Judas Priest) and ‘Seek ‘Em All’ (Metallica) €10/13 (23:00).

09/04 There’s also a Woodstock tribute (€12 on the door) featuring everyone from Led Zeppelin to The Doors.

16/04 Clash/ Ramones tribute night (€9 – on the door) www.durangoclub.es

Go Team| Sala Mirror (above) 30/03 Brighton based Indie rock sextet similar to Sonic Youth with an innovative mixture of blaxploitation and Bollywood soundtracks, double dutch chants, old school hip hop & distorted guitars.

Nacho Vegas| Sala Mirror (above), 31/03 folk/rock singer brings his Cave/Cohen/Dylan infl uenced tones to us at 21.30. €15 on ticketmaster.es.

Excuse me| C/Tomasos 14 (VLC) Always an eclectic taste from Northern Soul to rock, pop and indie. On Facebook.

Café del Duende| C/ Turia, 62 (VLC) A great place to catch some decent fl amenco from Thursday - Saturday from 23:30. www.cafedelduende.com

Café Mercedes| C/ Sueca, 27 (VLC) A nice, cheap jazz venue in the heart of Ruzafa where you can fi nd free jam sessions on Sundays from 20:30. www.cafemercedes.es

Music Box| C/ Pintor Zariñera, 16 (VLC) & Radio City| C/ Santa Teresa 19 (VLC) Open daily with visiting DJs and Tuesdays off er live fl amenco music at Radio City (23:00, €7 with free drink). www.myspace.com/themusicboxclub and www.radiocityvalencia.com

28 March 1930. Turkey. Kemal Ataturk decides that Constantinople will now be called Istanbul and Angora (where the wool comes from) will be Ankara, the new capital of the country.

17Your photos | Time

Each month we’ll give you a topic for the following edition. Email us 1 high-resolution image with a sentence describing the photo by 31st of the month. We’ll choose a few entries to print and the editors favorite wins a prize. This month's favourite is by John Phillips !

Please send 1 photo per person & only send your own photo for copyright reasons. There are other terms and conditions - email us if you want to know them. 

Next month’s topic is ‘life’. Look forward to seeing your pictures.

John Phillips | Internal workings

Monica Ferreira | A contrast of time

Philip Calambakas | A recent trip

Christophe Polin | Walking through time

29 March 1971. California. Charles Manson is convicted of 9 deaths including Sharon Tate at Roman Polanki's house. UK band Kasabian got their name from one of his 'Family's' cult members.

18 Music

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There were so many new albums out this month that we were spoilt for choice. A great situation

to be in! Here is a compilation of our favourites and we hope you enjoy them. If you have any

to recommend, get in touch at invlceditor@gmail.com

Album most likely to win prizes | 21 – AdeleWith the follow up to her award-winning debut album ‘19’, Adele doesn’t disappoint on her second. Many have already been eagerly awaiting this since a sneak preview on Jools Holland in November. Her voice, along with her song writing has matured and has seen the North Londoner move away from her poppy sound to a more soulful, bluesy alternative that was apparently infl uenced by her bus driver who continually played contemporary Nashville music during her US tour.Standout Tracks | Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like you

Album destined for use on an Indie fl ick | Asleep On The Floodplain – Six Organs Of AdmittanceBen Chasny uses a mixture of sounds to accompany his twangy guitar sound on this haunting folk album. An artist who has been recording consistently since 1998, Chasny has worked with a number of diff erent contributors including Devendra Banhart and Sunn O.Standout Tracks| Light Of The Light, Hold But Let Go

Album from an old favourite | The King Of Limbs – RadioheadThe release of Kid A in 1999 marked one of the biggest changes in Radiohead’s sound favouring a much more rounded, electronic sound. The results have seen a band who have undoubtedly grown away from their original Indie rock roots. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but still a worthy listen and one that will be listened to by a large and loyal fan base.Standout Tracks| Morning Mr. Magpie, Feral, Separator

Other releases| Beady Eye, Lykke Li, Gill Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, Glee – Volume 4, P J Harvey, Sonic Youth, Mogwai and many, many more.

Music news| Reading and Leeds festival tickets are to go on sale on March 21 whilst the event itself will take place 26-28 August. Headliners include Foo Fighters, Kasabian, Kings of Leon. (Website under construction).

‘Go f*** yourself’ – Beady Eye lead singer Liam Gallagher on Radiohead’s new album. The outburst came in response to the album title being a reference to a 1,000 year-old tree in Wiltshire.

The new Libertines documentary ‘No Place/ Good Place: The Rime Of The Modern Mariner’ will premiere at this year’s East End Film Festival in London. The fi lm, narrated by Carl Barat, will screen 27 April – 2 May. Clips on www.nme.com

29 March 1461. England. Edward VI claims the English crown with victory over the House of Lancaster in the War of the Roses after the bloodiest battle ever on British soil. 28,000 die.

19Cinema

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UGC Ciné Cité, Avda Tirso de Molina, 16, www.ugc.es

Babel, C/ Vicente Sancho Tello, 10, www.cinesalbatrosbabel.com

A number of Oscars for both The King’s Speech (reviewed in Dec/ Jan inVLC) and Inception

might help out with some sales for both fi lms. Also not gone unnoticed is the double Oscar win for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their roles in The Fighter; a well deserved win for a fi lm which

we hope will be gracing the screens in V.O. as soon as possible. Natalie Portman’s performance was duly rewarded for Black Swan (last month’s inVLC). It’s fair to say that these fi lms might be enjoying extended runs due to these wins. Notable absences were awards for neither Winter’s Bone (Babel: 16:45, 21:10 & 23) nor The Kids Are All Right (last month), neither of which managed to win an award. This month, however, looks relatively quiet in terms of original version fi lms. Although this could change for those lucky winners at this year’s Oscars.

Biutiful| (Alejandro González Iñárritu) Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchib.

He might have missed out to Colin Firth at the Oscars, but Bardem did manage to scoop the Best Actor prize at Cannes and also in the Spanish Goya Awards this year in what is being called his greatest ever performance.

At an important crossroads in life, Uxbal (Bardem) is forced to deal with the immediacy of death. Director Iñárritu has already won many critics over with 21 Grams, Babel and Amores Perros. This particular fi lm was the fi rst time that an actor was nominated at the Oscars for a role delivered in only Spanish.

Pa Negre| (Augustí Villaronga) Francesc Colomer, Marina Comas, Nora Navas, Roger Casamajor.

We’ve heard lots of good things about Pa Negre, a Catalan fi lm which is set in post- civil war, rural Catalunya and tells the story of a boy called Andreu (Francesc Colomer) who, having found the dead body of a father and son in the woods, is forced to fi nd out who committed this awful crime in order to clear his father’s name.

Never Let Me Go| (Mark Romanek) Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfi eld.

Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and adapted by serial screenplay adaptor Alex Garland, Kathy (Mulligan), Tommy (Garfi eld) and Ruth (Knightley) are brought up at an apparently idyllic English boarding school. The relationship between the three develops throughout their childhood and into young adulthood when they begin to seem almost inseparable.

Unable to fi nd anyone capable of understanding their situation or what their futures hold for them, they confi de in each other and tensions soon rise as their feelings soon become apparent.

Their purpose, as students of Halisham boarding school, becomes more and more immediate as they grow older, and their chances of leading a normal life seem further from their grasp.UGC Ciné Cité: From 11 Mar onwards; times tbc

29 March 1886. Atlanta, Georgia. The Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage (or Coke) is invented by Dr. Pemberton. Until 1903 it came with 9mg cocaine in each glass-full.

Read me | Jeff rey Eugenides

The Virgin Suicides - Published in 1993, The Virgin Suicides somehow passed me by. You may have heard

of the fi lm which was also very successful and which also somehow passed me by. So, imagine my pleasure when – after having this wonderful novel recommended to me by a friend – I realised I had belatedly discovered a modern classic.

The Virgin Suicides tells the story of a small-town suburban community in the U.S around the late 60s to early 70s, although the period is never specifi cally defi ned, many of the cultural references are reminiscent of this period in America as are the community’s social customs and mores. The plot revolves around the Lisbon family whose lives are destroyed by the inexplicable suicides of each of the fi ve adolescent Lisbon girls – Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary and Therese – and the eff ect their suicides have on a group of boys who loved them, observed them from afar, failed to save them from their fate and thus had to grow up with a premature knowledge of tragedy and loss.

There are several things that I think make this novel great. First, it’s unique narrative voice – or voices plural – because this is the only novel I am aware of that uses a fi rst person plural narrative voice. So, instead of ‘I loved her and she loved me...’ we have a passage like this – “It didn’t matter in the end how old they had been or that they were girls, but only that we had loved them and that they hadn’t heard us calling, still do not hear us...” It may seem a small matter but this highly original narrative technique lends the novel an eerie sense of inclusiveness – a feeling that the writer has something to say about this community and the suicidal girls, which crucially includes us – the reader – in their universe.

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Bikes| The monthly bike meeting of VLC will take place as usual on the fi rst Friday of the month. This aims to promote bikes and bike safety in VLC.

Place| Plaza de la Virgin, VLC Time| 7.30pm

This theme of narrative inclusiveness is central to the meaning of The Virgin Suicides. The narrative, the depiction of a community in decline – its trees being cut down, its customs slowly eroding, its beauty dying and its youth killing themselves – all this develops slowly but irrevocably the theme of the inevitability of our own decline – us, you and me – the tragedy of lost youth, a past gone forever. This is not a happy book, certainly no feel-good summer read – but then neither was ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ or ‘Hamlet’. Sad stories can remind us of some uncomfortable truths, that we will grow old

and die – and that is why we should live and as the old saying goes “seize the day, gather ye rose-buds while ye may...”

The Virgin Suicides is beautifully written, poetic, poignant and evocative. The community it describes, the aging Lisbon house and the sense of a world disappearing into the

past (epitomised by the narrator and his friends who are now middle aged with paunches and receding hair) – all this results ultimately in a melancholic story that packs a powerful emotional punch. A book for those dark nights of the soul, that alerts us once again to the power of great writing and to the fragility and preciousness of our lives and those around us.

Iain Armstrong

31 March 1959. Tibet. Following Chinese repression the Dalai Lama is forced to leave his homeland by the Chinese. He said he wouldn't go back until the Chinese left. He is still waiting.

21Green living | Alternative goals

Fir

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ifi c

ate

A little goes a long way

What| Use matches instead of butane lighters. Wood is fi ne, and cardboard ones are better. Why| The wood/cardboard from a match biodegrades. With lighters, the plastic ends up in landfi ll and butane is made from that scarce resource: petroleum. Why not| Cardboard can be fl imsy. Benefi ts| That lovely sulphur dioxide smell from matches and less empty lighters cluttering cupboards and landfi lls!

Some people have accused the 'powers

that be', (be they politicians, advertisers,

economists, bankers, etc), of reducing us

all to mere consumers and market segments.

We're not citizens of our countries, we're pie

chart statistics to be manipulated at will.

Personally I believe that that is the view of many bureaucrats but it does point out to us where some of our real power base lies. We can vote every four years, march in demonstrations, and send e-mails and these are all ways of making a diff erence but when we purchase products we are using some of our real power, we are voting with our money and we do it every day!

When we do our shopping we are giving our backing to one type of society or another. What type of society we want will vary from person to person but we must remember that when we buy Coca Cola, Nescafé, Heineken, Samsung, etc we are giving our money to these companies, we are voting for their type of society with our hard-earned cash. When we buy in Mercadona, Corte Ingles, etc. we are supporting their philosophy for our society.

Where do we buy? is the fi rst question we must ask ourselves. When we buy in supermarkets, hypermarkets, massive department stores, etc. Where does our money go? Does it stay in our local communities or end up in Swiss bank accounts? What power do they have over the quality of our food

supply? How dependent on them are we? How do they manipulate us to buy more than we need?

Maybe supermarkets have their place but the balance has swung too far in their direction and we are losing the small local shops which give a more personal service, keep the money in the local community, bring life to our streets and provide more jobs in the neighbourhood. I suggest that we could start by switching our shopping habits and helping to inject life into our neighbourhoods.

What we buy is of equal importance to where we buy and buying from multinational companies and massive national fi rms is giving MORE money to those who have already too much (with the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer). Consider Where do they invest their profi ts? How do they treat their workers in developing countries? Our options are reducing: we are often left with the choice of two multinationals, Gillette or Wilkinson Sword, Coca Cola or Pepsi... monsters with huge turnovers. Let's eliminate as many of them as we can from our shopping list. We can buy from small local companies, buy fruit 'n' veg from local producers, buy second hand goods, buy Fair Trade tea/coff ee/sugar, etc. make our own products, join or start a barter club. Sometimes it might be more expensive and other times cheaper, but we are using our power for a more humane, healthy, and friendly world.

Declan Lehane

2 April 1921. Ireland. The IRA take delivery of their fi rst consignment of Tommy Guns created especially for them. So called due to a nickname of their potential targets - British 'Tommies'.

22

Run Fiona Run| The 7th Carrera de la Mujer (Woman's Race) will take place on 10 April and again will see women of all ages, shapes and sizes taking part to raise awareness of women's health issues, and also just to have fun. The 5km race starts at 10am and costs €7 to enter. 

The race starts on Avenida Pio XII and all entrants will receive a special commemorative pink T-shirt to wear on the day.

Get more info at www.carreradelamujer.com and get your trainers on!

Sport

Valencia fi xtures this month|

20/03 Valencia CF v Sevilla FC

3/04 Getafe v Valencia CF

10/04 Valencia CF v Villarreal CF

Levante fi xtures this month|

20/03 Deportivo La Coruna v Levante

3/04 Levante v Málaga

10/04 Racing Santander v Levante

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Football| It's a quiet month - but don't let that stop you getting out to support the local teams.

Buy tickets for Valencia games from the kiosks at the Mestalla Stadium on Avendia de Suecia, on their web page, on ticketmaster.es, at any of the offi cial Valencia football shops, or even from the La Caixa website. Just ask for una entrada. The seats at Grada de la Mar are cheap and have a good view.

For information on Levante check the up-to-date information in www.levanteud.com.

Please note all game dates and times are subject to alteration so check beforehand.

Feeling horsey| Horse fans are in for a treat this month when the 17th Salon de Caballos comes to town from 31 March to 3 April. It's on at the Feria Valencia in Avenida de las Ferias and will feature

some of the best pure breed horses around. Clothing, footwear and accessories for riding and breeding these animals from some of the best specialist shops in the country will also be there for purchase but you should be aware that bullfi ghts are also on the bill. www.fi ecval.es

Looking for customers for

your business in the Valencian

Community? Contact us on

invlceditor@gmail.com

¿Estás buscando clientes para

tu empresa en la comunidad

valenciana? Ponte en contacto

con nosotros -

invlceditor@gmail.com

30 March 1867. Alaska. Purchased for about 2 cents, an acre from the Russians lead to an outcry of that 'being a lot of dollars for a lot of ice'. Turned out OK though once they found oil.

23Sport| US Football & language intercambios

Hut-Hut-Hut!' shouts the Quarterback an instant before 11 extremely large guys attempt to

move the ball towards the opposition’s goal-line in a mix of skill and sheer brute force.

Most will have seen the game on TV, but did you know Valencia is also home to 2 US Football

teams - the Firebats and the Giants?

Down at the Estadio del Turia, inVLC spoke to Manu Miguel, a 5-year veteran of the Firebats. “Valencia Firebats started in 1993 (originally called the Bats). We play in the Conferencia Española against teams like Madrid and Barcelona. In the last 5 years we have reached 5 National Finals and have won 3. We have Spaniards, other Europeans, North and South Americans so we are truly international. We love the game and we hope to see more people come and support us for each game. It's a great day out and

you can be sure to see some great action.”And it's not just for boys. This year a girl's team was started. Team coach Jason

O'Brien said, “None of the girls had ever played before but once they came here and played, they loved it! They are really enthusiastic and keep wanting to play for real (it's non-contact for girls) but they're not at that level...yet!” Maria Hernandes told us “I'd never really done much sport before, but I'd been watching on TV for years and thought this year was the time to give it a go - so I did!” She's loving it as a way of staying fi t, but she tells me that they need more players. “We only have 8 so if there are any girls out there who fancy coming along please do - we don't bite! - and language really is no barrier.”

When the season ends, they train down at Las Arenas to keep in shape and top up their tans. Nights out are also fun and a great way to make new friends. Why not give it a go?

Training|Games|

Contact|Where|

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Do you want to meet people from other countries and learn new phrases on the way? We've listed the intercambios that we know of to help you. Some are relaxed affairs, others more structured, some cost & others offer treats, so think about what you want and try a few out.

Monday Cafe de las Horas

The Bohemian CaféSp/EngSp/Eng

8pm8.30pm

Tuesday Portland Ale HouseLaboratorio

English nightSp/Eng + Sp/Jap

8.30pm8pm

Wednesday Portland Ale HouseL'ErmitàCafé Infi nitoBar La Red Rose, TorrentLa Ola Fresca

Sp/EngSp/EngSp/EngSp/EngSp/Eng

8.30pm7pm7pm8pm8.30pm

Thursday The Dublin HouseFinnigans (every 2 weeks)

Sp/EngSp/Eng

9.45pm9.30pm

Sunday Thomas & Johnson Sp/Eng Times TBC

Various Active English (excursions) Sp/Eng www.groups.google.com - Active-English

Tuesdays & Thursdays (9-11pm).Saturday (12pm).Jason 665 449 032 (English/Spanish) Estadio del Turia (next to Nuevo Centro)Firebats v in April (exact date unknown) US Football's Champions League.'Valencia Firebats' or www.fi rebats.org

31 March 1889. After 2 years and 7.4 million Francs, the Eiff el Tower is offi cially opened. Parisiens hated it and novelist Guy de Maupassant said that he ate there daily so he did not have to look at it.

242244 Artist of the month| Michael Brown

name| Michael Brownlocation| Valenciawhat's available| Paintings, illustrationsinspiration| Cartoons and a strange sense of humor drive Michael's work. This graphic designer/illustrator/painter spends his days daydreaming of weird and funny characters to paint.

where| Contact him directly for commissions.prices| Depending on size and style: €15 to €250.

web| www.michaelsbrownpaint.blogspot.comemail| barcelonabrown@gmail.com

We want to support new and

up-and-coming artistic talent

in the Valencian Community. Each

month we'll choose one artist at

random and devote a page to

that artist.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to feature in our art pages, contact us at invlceditor@gmail.com

252255Art to see

The art scene in Valencia is hotting up, with exhibitions in hidden corners throughout the city

and community. Get yourselves out there and add a little extra culture to your afternoons

with some great works of art.

Kipling ilustrado | Eclectic and colourful, the MuVIM’s latest exhibition is inspired by the strange and wonderful short stories of Rudyard Kipling whose tales are off ered up through the visual interpretations of seven artists and their distinctive takes on his world-famous tales.

Separated into seven sections, each dedicated to an artist and his chosen story, the exhibition ranges from bright illustrations to black and white stencil designs to the more neutral tones of colour pencil prints, including stories from The Cat That Walked By Himself and Rakki-tikki-tavi to Georgie Porgie

and The Elephant’s Child. With each part off ering a view

more diff erent in both medium and vision than the former, the colonial India that heavily infl uenced Kipling and his works can nevertheless be detected as a common theme throughout the exhibition.

At once dark and fascinating, a sense of exotic mystery resides throughout these artists’ illustrations, continuously alluding to, but never fully revealing the complex world of Kipling’s classic tales. (Until 25 April)

Malou Herkes

MuVIM, Guillem de Castro, 8, VLC Tues-Sun 10am-2pm 4pm-8pm

www.muvim.es | Free!

Lives less ordinary | One hundred and twenty fi ve years of history and the social reputation of Hungarian Romas are the well- executed themes of this exhibition. A series of photographic images, video installations and examples of material culture portray a little well-known and even less understood people with sensitivity, honesty and humour. What appeals to me most is the curator’s desire to create an exhibition which balances the viewpoint of the onlooker, the interloper - as seen through their lenses - with that of the Romas themselves, in the form of family photo albums.

The portraits are numerous and refl ect the spectrum of human emotion. Reticent, trusting, proud, curious, frightened, ambivalent, and delighted men, women and children looked back at me as I wandered through the gallery, returning periodically to the same faces in an attempt to harness their thoughts, hopes and fears.

Where images of craftsmen, carpenters, shopkeepers and musicians demonstrate the diversity and wealth of talents, beehives, handlebar moustaches, aviators and slogan t-shirts do justice to the fashions of past decades.

As I pondered my own culture and my Italian and Irish immigrant roots, I considered the suspicion and intolerance experienced by those who led the way and their collective strength to overcome such prejudices. And so, these images and stories of similarly resourceful and creative people - united in celebration, devotion, grief and accomplishment - left me in the knowledge that the social histories we share invariably outweigh our diff erences. (Until 30 June)

ML

Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, C/ Corona 36 (near IVAM), VLC | Tues-Sun 10am-8pm

www.museuvalenciaetnologia.es | Free!

7 April 1891. Denmark. 'Leg Godt' which means play well in Danish provides the inspiration for OK Christiansen (born this day) who creates Lego. Lego in Latin means 'I put together'.

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Recipe | Strawberry shortcake

Continuing with last month’s strawberry

cocktail theme, here’s a strawberry dessert

to brighten your days.

Strawberry shortcake is a typical American dessert often served on the 4th of July (Independence Day), at county fairs, and summer picnics. It is so popular in the United States that it even became the name of a children’s character featured in a line of toys and television show: a little girl named Strawberry Shortcake, her cat Custard, and a whole gang of dessert and fruit themed friends and pets.

Shortcake is a lightly sweet and rich biscuit made with butter and/or cream. The 'short' part refers to shortening, which are solid fats commonly used in baking. It’s called shortening because of how its incorporation into the fl our creates short gluten strands in the dough, resulting in a crumbly or fl aky texture. (Bread has long gluten strands and a soft texture.)

Gluten strands aside, this is a delicious dessert and versatile because you can use any type of vanilla cake, muffi n, or other sweet bread in place of the shortcake.Lia Wallon reLIAble eats www.reLIAbleeats.blogspot.com How to make it|

one Preheat oven to 200˚ C.two Sprinkle half of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon over the strawberries and mix gently. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.three In a separate bowl use a fork to mix all remaining ingredients except the butter and cream. Use two knives or your fi ngertips to mix in butter until small crumbs form. Add 175ml of cream. Mix just until ingredients are combined. four Put dough on a fl oured surface. Knead twice (turn dough onto itself, fl atten, repeat). Shape dough into a circle, slightly domed in the center. Cut circle in half and cut each half into 4 wedge-shaped pieces. fi ve Put shortcakes on greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.six Beat the cream and gradually add the 2 spoonfuls of sugar. Beat until semi-stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters out of the cream.seven Serve the shortcakes in two halves with the strawberries and whipped cream generously between each layer.

What to buy| (Serves 8)1.5 kilos strawberries, washed with stems removed75g sugar, divided in half2 teaspoons cinnamon250g fl our3 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon baking sodapinch of salt30g unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks425ml cream, chilled (nata para montar)

plus 2 spoonfuls of sugar for the whipped cream

Wow factor| Red strawberries get anyone’s attention! Eff ort| Shortcakes can be bit tricky, don’t rush!

7 April 1832. Carlisle, UK. Joe Thompson goes to market with a view to selling his wife for 50 shillings (£2.50). An hour after starting the price is down to 20 shillings and a Newfoundland dog.

27

Cherries have a cruelly short season. Valencia gets the cheaper South African and Chilean

cherries from now on, and then the tasty Spanish cherries from May. They'll only last until

around July, so get them quickly. Because of their short season and the hassle of de-stoning them, cherries don't make it into many cocktails, but their unique fl avour makes the eff ort well worth it. In the warmer weather, add ice to your drinks and take it easy on the alcohol. Virgin drinks are easy and fun: so we've made a few virginal and naughty options!

Cherry cocktails

three Cherry Vanilla Milkshake For drinking by the pool.

2 1/4 cups pitted cherries1 cup vanilla icecream

1 cup milk1/2 vanilla bean, split

(Add 2cl Amaretto for a twist)

Blend cherries, icecream, milk.

Scrape the black paste from inside the vanilla bean into

the mix; blend until smooth.

Serve in a collins glass with a cherry on top.

one Cherry Mojito!A classic with a seasonal twist.

3 cl White Rum5 pitted cherries

4 Mint leaves1 fresh Lime

1 teaspoon sugarSoda Water to top up

Crush the mint, cherries, sugar and lime juice.

Add rum and stir well.Top up the glass with

soda water.

Serve in highball, garnish with a cherry and a lime wedge.

two Virgin SmoothieDrink at lunch and feel

revitalised.

1 cup pitted cherries10 mint leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 cup soda water

(sugar to taste)2 ice cubes

(Add 2cl rum for a kick)

Blend the ingredients in a mixer.

Serve in a hurricane glass (or a highball) with a cherry.

Here's some tasty spring treats for great fun:

the number of times a person has had intercourse in their lives, before they can consider their 'cherry popped'.

1

the number of cherries to be eaten a day which could help reduce infl ammation for arthritis suff erers.

20

Tip| take the stone out with a strong straw - push the stone

through the fl esh.

28 Health | Siesta

Scientists at Allegheny College in the U.S.

have found that having a little siesta

during the middle of the day reduces blood

pressure. So, if you ever felt guilty before about

having one, now you can smugly tell your friends

that it’s ‘for health reasons’ and not ‘because I’m

in Spain’, ‘because I can’ or ‘because I’m addicted’.

Apparently, getting 45-60 minutes of a nap during the middle of the day is completely healthy and compensates for the two hours of sleep that we currently don’t have, but used to have over 50 years ago. Combine this with the fact that we work longer, more irregular hours and that some of us get home and watch TV until the early hours, we can’t get to sleep because we’re worried about something, etc. The list could go on.

Let’s be honest, we always knew that the Spanish were on to something with this cheeky daytime kip. The traditional siesta sleepers will always tell you that a siesta should never be a deep sleep like the one that you have at night. When I arrived, I was convinced by my friends to have one on the sofa with an orange or a set of keys in one hand so that, every time I drifted off into the land of nod, the sound of the falling object would wake me back up. Any grogginess or sluggishness I experienced was

First ce

rtifi ca

te

normally because I had slept for too long or too deeply.

The results of the discovery show that ‘having a nap’ during the day has “cardiovascular benefi ts by accelerating cardiovascular recovery from mental stress” according to Ryan Brindle and Sarah Conklin Ph.D.

The study involved 85 healthy students who were split into two groups (one of which had a siesta, one of which didn’t). Results showed that those who had had a nap showed much lower levels of blood pressure than those who didn’t.

Sarah Conklin fi nished by saying that napping gives “healing and protective benefi ts”.

Report taken from www.medicmagic.net /one-hour-nap-can-reduce-blood-pressure.html, originally published in Springer’s International Journal of Behavioural Medicine.

thy andthat we ver 50 years work longer, s get home n’t get to

ething, etc.

the Spanish aytime kip. s tell you

ep like the d, I was the sofa nd so that,

od, the me back up.enced was

were split into two groups (one of which had a siesta, one of which didn’t). Results showed that those who had had a nap showed much lower levels of blood pressure than those who didn’t.

Sarah Conklin fi nished by saying that napping gives “healingand protective benefi ts”.

Report taken from www.medicmagic.net /one-hour-nap-can-reduce-blood-pressure.html, originally published in Springer’s International Journal of Behavioural Medicine.

8 April 563BC. Siddhattha Gautama is born in what is now Nepal. One day while sitting under a Banyan tree in Buddh Gaya he became enlightened. He is now better known as Buddha.

29Charity | ONCE

You will have seen the people sitting in

their little booths, or standing on street

corners outside supermarkets and bars,

yet you may know very little about who they are

or what they do. So this month we're taking a

closer look at ONCE.

ONCE stands for Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, which is the Spanish National Organisation for the Blind. It has been in existence since December 1938 and is recognised worldwide as one of the pioneers within the World Blind Union, which was set up in 1984 to speak for the visually impaired among us on a global level.

Their day-to-day work is to help provide a platform for personal autonomy, improve education, increase access to jobs, provide fi nancial support and basically to help improve the social standing of people suff ering from this particular form of disability.

They do not restrict their work to Spain either having close links providing help to the blind in some of the poorest parts of European Europe and Africa. They provide Braille books and texts to help assist the education of those who otherwise would not have access to it. 

Employing over 40,000 disabled people their main income comes from the tickets that you see the vendors selling on the streets - the cupón.

So what is the cupón? In essence - it is a lottery ticket. You buy a ticket for €1.50 and that is your entry to the daily draw which you can see broadcast nightly Monday to Friday on several Spanish TV channels. Five balls are drawn and the basic idea is to match what you have on your card with that onthe screen. 

Prizes are big, tax-free and there are over 500,000 winners every day. The basic prize - i.e. that of the right to another free ticket which occurs if you match either the fi rst or the last numbers on your card with those that are drawn. If you get more matches in the same order as they are drawn you are in line for a bigger and better prize and if you match all fi ve in the right order then you will walk away with €35,000. There are 50 x €35,000 prizes every day. 

If you feel tempted there are other types of tickets with diff erent prizes, like the Cuponazo we bought!

Of course you may never win the big one but why not stop and purchase a ticket every now and again anyway. It's another situation where you can practice your Spanish and you can be sure that at least some of your money is going to a very worthwhile cause.

www.once.es

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10 April 1633. London. Thomas Johnson's shop becomes famous all over the city as people queue up to see and taste his new off ering. The humble banana had arrived in Britain.

30 Animals| On the pull

Do you have problems pulling the ladies?

Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt

from our cousins.

Kimberley A. Phillips, a psychologist at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas has undertaken a study of the brain images of capuchin monkeys with some intriguing results.

Previously it had been noted that both males and female monkeys of diff erent monkey species rub pee into their fur. To do this they pee into their hands, and then transfer it onto their feet and hindquarters. The frequency of this activity is doubled by alpha males when they are being solicited by females. During sexual activity the females pull on the males hair, and then put their hands to their noses.

These new brain images show that the male urine sends sexual signals. And the more mature the male monkey, the better for the female, which leads to a higher 'activity' between females and males with testosterone in their pee. 

"Apparently, a male covered in urine is quite attractive," Phillips said.

Although this study looked at the female brains, it should be noted that females also use this technique - so ladies take note. 

Should you be considering improving your pulling technique for this weekend, perhaps our primate friends have got it right, and we can learn a thingor two. 

This urine-washing study appeared online

February 15 in American Journal of Primatology.

www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/

ajp.20931/abstract

Name| Alice Age| 11 months Size| SmallHealth| Castrated & health vaccinated.Personality| Bright & bouncy.Appearance| Ratonero

More info| P.E.P.A on 650 304 746 www.pepaspain.com

The number of millions of years ago when the fi rst known primate lived. It was called Plesiadapis and lived in North America and Europe.

55-58

12 April 1961. Space. Vostok 1 spends 108 minutes orbiting the earth and makes a household name of Yuri Gagarin, the fi rst man in space. His death seven years later (at age 34) has been subject to various conspiracy theories.

Events & Classifi eds 31

In the number puzzle, each letter is represented by a number 1-26. Crack the code! 3 letters are already in

place. In Sudoku, every row & column of 9 numbers & 3x3 box must include all digits 1-9 in any order.

If you’ve got an event coming up or you are buying, selling or

donating anything, drop us an email and we’ll try to give it a

mention in the next issue.

Markets | Mon-Montroy, Tues-Monserrat & Turis, Weds-L’Eliana Piccassent & Villamarchante, Thurs-Alaquas & Lliria, Fri -Turis, Torrente & Chiva, Sat-Real de Montroy & Torrente, Sun-Alborache

Rastros | Rastro Montroy | Sun 3 April | Calle La Pau, Cindy or Nicolas, 960 80 25 13 or 695 100 540.Olocau Rastro/Table top sale | Sun 27 March | Social Club Centre, Urb. La Lloma, Olocau, 10am-2pm. Raising Funds for Charity - Food & Refreshments available - Spaces FREE - Tables available €1 each. - Carolyn 962555819 or 664809608. Masia Rastro | Sun 20 March, 17 Apr (every 3rd Sun of the month)| Mas Pavia Restaurante, Masia Pavia Urba, nr Monserrat. Pitches are FREE (no more than 2m per stall), just turn up, Stallholders from 9am. Amanda 625819734 or sparklesinsunshine@gmail.com for directions.

IWC | Monthly coff ee morning will be 7 April. It's at HIPERCOR - C.Comercial Ademuz, Av. Pio XII, 51 Valencia, on the top fl oorrestaurant. It's a group of ladies who get together for support, friendship, business networking, fund raising and activities. See www.iwc-valencia.ning.com for more information. Language Interchange | We are a group of 4 or 5 Spanish People over 55 years old interested in exchanging English-Spanish conversations with English speaking People. We meet every Monday morning from 10-12 on 1st fl oor of "Cafetería San Patricio", in Valencia, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, 3. For any questions email.- jv.buso@terra.es

Language Interchange | We are two retired Spanish people; we want improve our English; you teach us English and we teach you Spanish. (In the city or in the towns) serespcar@yahoo.es

Finished with your inVLC? Pass it on to a friend..!

32

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CURSOS DE VERANOEN EL REINO UNIDO 2011

Para ampliar información y solicitar reserva: acude al British Council (Avda. de Cataluña, 9) o llamando al teléfono 963 392 980

BRITISH COUNCIL — 70 YEARS IN SPAIN

CHURCHILL HOUSE.RAMSGATEcurso junior(12 -15)

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Durante el mes de julio mejora tu inglés combinándolo con un intenso programa social que incluye excursiones, deportes y actividades lúdicas, en Centros acreditados por British Council y alojamiento en familias seleccionadas con régimen de pensión completa.