The Courier Week 90

PARENTS in the peacefularea of Entre Naranjoshave been left fearing fortheir children’s safetyafter the attempted abduc-tion of an eight-year oldBritish girl.

And Torrevieja Council’sInternational Residents chiefGraham Knight fears thewould-be kidnapper maywell try again – in any localtown.

The incident happened atapproximately 12:45 onSunday afternoon, when agroup of local children wereplaying football in the recre-ational area.

Ronni lives in Almoradiwith her parents, but hadspent the previous night ather friend’s house in EntreNaranjos. Her motherdescribed how the group ofsome 10 children, had gonechasing after the ball, butRonni had not wanted toplay so remained alone bythe swings.

It was at this point shesays she was accosted by

the man, who grabbed herwrist and the scruff of her T-shirt, leaving visible marksalong her collar bone.

Reacting immediately,Ronnie is believed to have

kicked her assailant, forcinghim to loosen his grip,before breaking free andrunning to the safety of herfriend’s house nearby.

On the same afternoon,

Ronni was taken for a rou-tine medical examinationbefore giving a detailedaccount of events to thepolice. She described herattacker as being around 5ft10in, of slim build, with darkbrown hair and a grey fringe.She said he was roughlyshaven, had quite tannedskin and was possiblyMoroccan. He was wearinga red T-shirt, blue jeans andblack trousers.

The man was driving awhite van, which one of thechildren in the groupbelieves was a PeugeotPartner. He reportedly leftthe engine running and backdoor open when heapproached the child.

Several of the childrensay the van was parked inthe same location for a pro-longed period the previousday, and that the man wastalking on the telephone andstaring at the youngsterswhile they played.

Ronni’s mother told TheCourier she was proud ofher daughter’s courageousactions, and grateful that

the child knew what todo in such a situation.“We are all veryshocked about whathas happened,’’ she

said, ‘’ but also whatcould have happened.

Ronni took it all in her stride.“We have gone to great

lengths to educate Ronni inhow to respond if threatenedby strangers, and hope thatother parents will take noteand prepare their children inthe same way.

“If she had not been soquick to react, then theresult could have been verydifferent.”

Meanwhile, Mr Knightwarned: “Whilst this matterhas been denounced andthe security services areaware, it is quite probable,especially in view of the factthat the offender did notachieve his aims, he couldwell try again.

“This could happen in anytown in the area in any placewhere children congregate.

“The offender was seenfor about an hour before theactual attack, watching thechildren playing.’’

He urged anyone whosees a suspicious personanswering the descriptionabove in an area near towhere children play to callthe police immediately on112.

Edition 90 www.thecourier.es Friday, November 9, 2012

COMMUNITY ONKIDNAP ALERT

HEIDI WARDMANReports Fears grow after girl, 8,

fights off abduction bid

Our latest edition is always online at www.thecourier.es

THE Courier has stren-thened its rocketing repu-tation as the best Englishlanguage newspaper inthe Costas - by addingtop talent Heidi Wardmanto our already formidableeditorial team.

As news and mediac o o r d i n a t o r ,Wolverhampton-bornHeidi will be concentrat-ing on the local scene,with the emphasis onexpanding our service.

Heidi’s first love hasalways been writing andher work for various localmedia groups over theyears has made her afamiliar face in the localcommunity.

After studying CreativeWriting and EnglishLiterature at university,her career took a sharpturn and she adopted var-ious roles within SocialServices Children andFamilies Department. Shealso worked for a world-wide childcare charity in"a demanding role thatcould bring a wide spec-trum of emotions on adaily basis."

Heidi relocated toTorrevieja in 2003. Hernew home brought aworld of new adventures,

as well as a return to herroots in writing. She tooktime out from her writingto open a bar/restaurantin Eagles Nest, whichcontinues to welcomegreat success and hasbrought with it manyfriends and happy memo-ries.

However, she is nowback in the hot seat andlooking forward to herwork at The Courier.

"The office is constant-ly buzzing, with some-thing fresh and challeng-ing to get my teeth intoeveryday,’’ she saysenthusiastically. “Onething is guaranteed- I willnever get bored here!"

THE UK Embassy press office in Madridhas issued the following statement inresponse to The Courier’s request forclarification of the recent mass cancella-tion of SIP cards.

‘’As most people are aware, the Spanishgovernment has recently made changes tothe national healthcare system. The INSS isnow in charge of granting access to health-care and the regional healthcare authoritiesare responsible for delivering the services onthe ground. Those who have taken out resi-dency prior to 24th April 2012, whose annualincome is less than 100,000€ and who donot have entitlement through any othermeans, can now access state healthcare asresidents.

As part of the process to ensure that thosewho have entitlement to state healthcare asresidents are correctly registered, the

authorities have been updating their records.A result of this review is that people whowere incorrectly registered, or who neededto update their circumstances with the INSS(Instituto Nacional de Seguridad Social),have found they have been deregisteredfrom the system.

If this has happened to you, contact yourlocal INSS office directly to find out what youneed to do in order to re-register. If you wereremoved from the system in error, it shouldmerely be a question of reconfirming yourentitlement. If you were removed becauseyou were incorrectly registered (for example,with your EHIC) then you will need to find outby what other means you could now accessstate healthcare in Spain.

Further information can be found on thehealthcare pages on the British Embassy´sUKinSpain website.

2 Friday, November 9, 2012

The Courier, its publishers, members ofstaff and its agents do not acceptresponsibility for claims by advertisersnor can it be held responsible for anyerrors in advertisements which arereproduced from poor artwork, low qual-ity electronic data or inadequate instruc-tions for text or other layout features.Further no responsibility is accepted forany loss or damage caused by an error,inaccuracy or non-appearance of anyadvertisement, although all advertise-ments produced are checked prior toinsertion. We regret that we cannotaccept responsibility for more than ONEincorrect insertion and that no re-publi-cation will be granted in the case oftypographical or minor changes whichdo not affect the value of the advertise-ment. E&OE. NO PART OF THISNEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCEDWITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENTOF THE PUBLISHERS.

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Printed by Localprint S.L

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Healthcare turmoil:Where YOU stand

Five-year-old JasmineLuscombe (on the right) andher cousin Sara Boujou (6)at the May fair in Torrevieja. Photo by Michael Luscombe

Heidi hi! The new face of local news

THE new Corvera airport isset to start functioning in thespring, according to publicworks Councillor AntonioSevilla.

However, Sevilla says thatin order to switch flights fromSan Javier to Corvera, therewill be a period of transition,the length of which will befixed by AENA.

He went on to say that hisdepartment would give sup-port to all the building work

to modernise the Murcia andCartagena areas, such asthe high speed train link andimprovements to the roadnetwork.

Sevilla believes that eco-nomic growth in the area willgo hand in hand with theregeneration of employ-ment. One of the Murciangovernment’s priorities is toencourage investment in theLorca area, which was stillrecovering from last year’s

earthquake when floodscaused havoc last month.

There will be a €120 mil-lion budget to invest in infra-structure in the Comunidadof Murcia, €34 million ofwhich will be used to regen-erate Lorca.

This will go on rebuildinghomes, helping those whostill have nowhere to live,creating employment andrestoring landmarks in thetown.

SPRING IS IN THE AIRSan Javier-Corvera switch gets nearer

3Friday, November 9, 2012

WHEN we wear a poppy weremember all those servicemen and women who havebeen killed and injured inarmed conflicts in thebelief that this will help usto live in a better world.

Meeting the biggest hero of the1982 Falklands conflict was inspi-rational. Simon Weston was thekey speaker at last week’s annualCOBIS (Council of BritishInternational Schools) conferenceat King’s College School and LaTorre Hotel in Roldan.

Guest speakers flew in from allover the world, whilst more than300 teachers and head pupilsattended from schools inAmsterdam, Bucharest, the UK,Luxembourg, Spain and France.

Simon’s talk, OvercomingAdversity, gave an insight into thepain and hardship this braveWelshman has endured, and howhe managed to turn his life aroundand become happy in his own skin.

He talked about the moment theSir Galahad was bombed at BluffCove in the Falkland Islands,describing how he was carried tosafety on a stretcher which would-n’t fit through the narrow doorwayson the warship. With amazinghumour, he went on to mention thepainkillers he was given which did-n’t take away the pain, but stoppedhim from caring about it - and thenthe moment his mother saw himfor the first time with 46% of hisbody covered in burns. Afterrecognising Simon through hisvoice, she asked him in a matter-of-fact way what he was going todo now.

Simon’s mum and grandmotherwere the real rocks in his life. Theywere the two people who pushedhim to get on with life, and refusedto let him sit back and fall intodepression. He endured fouryears of over 70 operations andpainful skin grafts, depression, iso-lation, lack of independence andself confidence, and self doubt.Alcohol became a friend, and stay-ing home became preferable togoing outdoors to stares of horror.

He was 20 years old. Deciding that enough was

enough, Simon’s mother arrangedfor an officer from the WelshGuards to invite him over toGermany to see a regimentalrugby match, and this was the keyto unlocking his self belief, leadingto a huge change in his life.

The soldiers were not going togive Simon any self pity. Theywere used to seeing injured ser-vicemen returning home maimed,and expected him to muck in anddo his bit despite his trauma. He

started to participate in events toraise money for children’s burnsunits in hospitals, and this gavehim a reason for living. He startedto feel useful again.

The fact that Simon’s face isrecognisable wherever he goeshas actually become a blessing.He became a patron for manycharities which help people withdisfigurements, and set up thenational youth charity, WestonSpirit, which has helped hundredsof disadvantaged teenagers whoseemed to have no direction in

their lives. While doing this charity work,

Simon met Lucy and exactly sevenyears after the attack on the SirGalahad - on June 8th 1989 - heproposed. They are happily mar-ried and have three children andone grandchild.

Simon realised he had started togive up on himself. Starting to dothings again gave him the confi-dence to believe in himself again.He began to believe that he had areason for living.

He has been the subject of five

BBC documentaries, the mostmoving of which featured Simongoing back to the Falklands andmeeting the Argentinian pilot,Carlos Cachon, who dropped thebomb on his ship. He had playedthis moment out in his mind manytimes, but the cameras showedtwo normal men, one who had car-ried the guilt on his shoulders eversince pressing the button, andanother who, through this meeting,managed to lay his ghosts to restand forgive another fellow humanbeing who was just followingorders.

The two men have becomefriends and Cachon has metSimon’s family.

Simon loves to talk and is a bornentertainer, so becoming a busi-ness speaker was an obviousoption. He flew in to Spain lastweekend from Miami, where hehad been giving another talk. Hisenthusiasm for life and positiveattitude are the ideal combinationof characteristics for a speaker.His message of single-mindeddetermination to turn whatever youhave, to your advantage, demon-strates how a positive mental atti-tude can help you achieve greatthings in life.

Simon’s message is that we areall capable of doing our best. Wehave to accept and adapt tochange, pay attention to things wecan do and make the most of theabilities we have.

It was a pleasure to meet thiswar hero, and it is an experiencethat will not be forgotten. The talkhe gave was emotional, movingand funny, all rolled into one.

This year is the 30th anniversaryof the Falklands War. Some 255armed forces and Merchant Navypersonnel died in the short butbloody conflict, along with 649Argentinians and three islanders.

Let us remember them onNovember 11th, along with all theother servicemen who have diedor been injured fighting for theirbeliefs.

HOW SIMON CAME TOTERMS WITH HIS BURNS

The Courier’s SALLY BENGTSSON meets Falklands War hero SIMON WESTON

MY HERO: Sally Bengtsson with Simon Weston

BAR STOP owner Margaret Sample andpatrons of her La Marina business havebeen avid supporters of TRIQE, who areofficial fundraisers for the QueenElizabeth Hospital Charity inBirmingham.

The charity helps to finance the rehabilita-tion of wounded military personnel returningfrom War Conflict anywhere in the world.

But there is an irony!Margaret’s stepson, Lance Sergeant Lee

Sample, was injured in Afghanistan recentlyand flown to the QEH for treatment.

An Irish Guardsman attached to the ScotsGuards, he was on duty when a grenade hithim – taking 60% of his left arm muscles and

leaving him with multiple shrapnel woundsdown his left side.

Forty-eight hours after he was hit, Lee(pictured) arrived at the QEH. He wasunconscious most of the time, induced bymedication, but the QEH medics workedhard and fast to save him from losing bothhis left arm and left leg.

From the point of being hit, he wasstretchered by Afghanistan Military supportto a Mastiff Armoured vehicle (which to datehas never been penetrated by the Taliban)and taken to Camp Bastion for intensive,emergency medical treatment.

The field hospital is not under canvas!Field Military treatment has moved a longway from the days of M.A.S.H.

Once stabilised Lee was flown by an RAFair medical team in a TriStar plane convertedto carry ‘walking’ military personnel home onleave – but with the front section convertedinto an “intensive (stop-gap) hospital” in theair.

On landing at Birmingham Airport, a spe-cialist ambulance was waiting to take Leedirect to the QEH, where he received the

treatment awarded to all injured military per-sonnel.

Lee’s dad Keith, who works in the troubledMiddle East, was on leave here in La Marinawhen the news broke.

And as he was about to fly to Birmingham,a call came through to say that Lee was tobe discharged. Joy!!

Ironically, it was Margaret’s idea a coupleof years ago to attempt to raise funds for therehabilitation of injured war victims.

There are many worthy causes collectingfunds for war heroes - Afghan Heroes, thePoppy Appeal and Help For Heroes, to namebut a few. One huge problem is that theinjured are very rarely mentioned.

The QEH Charity is passionate in its com-mitment to rehabilitating these brave peoplewho need so much help to return into thereal world.

One of the biggest problems with recoveryis the need to have their loved ones nearby.A family can live anywhere away for theQEH. Some folk may travel from abroad andwhen they arrive at the hospital, unsure ofwhat they will find, they then have the addedworry of finding accommodation. Which isnot only very expensive, but also very scarcein the area.

To solve the problem, Fisher House is inthe final stages of being built in the groundsof QEH. It will offer family rooms with allfacilities to the loved ones of the injured soas to be close. All this is vital for rehabilita-tion.

Fisher House has been financed by fund-ing from all over the world, and the moneywe collect here in La Marina is for on-goingsupport to give the families free accommo-dation whilst they stay close to their beloved.

Every euro collected here in La Marinagoes, without exception, to the QueenElizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, inorder to support the rehabilitation of thewounded.

I feel privileged tohave met Lee, and tohave listened to hisstory. What surprisedand humbled me somuch is that thishandsome young managed 22 wants somuch to get back tothe area he got injuredin - and to be there with his comrades,friends and colleagues!

“NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMANCONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SOMANY TO SO FEW!!!”

Give proudly to The Poppy Appeal,TRIQE or Queen Elizabeth Hospital.


A Remembrance Servicewill be held outside theTown Hall in SanFulgencio at 11.30am onSunday. The Mayor, local

Catholic priest, Churchof England priest,Councillor JeffWiszniewski and mem-bers of the Royal British

Legion will be amongthose attending.Residents and visitors ofall nationalities are invit-ed.

AFFAIR OFTHE HURTAfghanistan casualty Lee cashes in

on stepmum’s work for war wounded

By MARION HAM


[email protected] POSTBAG: YOUR VIEWS ON OUR NEWS

The green face of another world

IN response to your article‘Snip Hooray for TabarcaCats’, I have recently comeback from a visit toTabarca Island and sawmany cats and kittens, sothey are breeding loads.

We also found two smallkittens thrown into a deepbin just to starve and die.We put a plank of wood in,hoping they will climb out.Whilst eating in the restau-rant so many cats come upto your table and jump upto grab your food as theyare so hungry.

Something needs to bedone to sterilise the cats. Ihear stories that at the endof season they cull themby poisoning the cats. Thisis terrible.

I realise it is costly hav-ing vet procedures carriedout but the cats should beprevented from over breed-ing on this island.

MEL BROWN

RUBBISH SERVICEIS TAXING US ALL

REALLY Mr. Kearney, asOrihuela Costa’s mouthpiecefor Pedro Mancebo, youshould try to stick a bit moreclosely to the fact.

The problem we have is not with the“dumping”, as he calls it, of garden rub-bish on the streets. It is the failure ofthe collection service. It is not a crimeto put out garden rubbish for collection.It is a failure of government that theservice we pay for through our taxesdoes not work.

According to Mr. Kearney, putting outgarden rubbish for collection on thewrong day is illegal and is akin to com-mitting a crime. Wow! But what is theright day? Depends on the sched-ules. First of all you have to obtainone, then you need a magnifying glassto read and understand what is beingexplained and finally, after a few daysobservation, you can quickly confirmthat the schedule is not adhered to.

Surprise? No. But to threaten peo-ple with fines for what he calls thecrime of putting out garden rubbish forcollection is utterly unbelievable.What kind of society does he andPedro Mancebo want us to live in?

As to Pedro Mancebo and what Mr.Kearney says is his “tirelessly hardwork for Orihuela Costa”, the truth isthat he is hardly ever here. Not sur-prising since he has so many otherresponsibilities, Councillor for Tourism,Infrastructure and Maintenance as wellas for the Coast, which is a fulltime jobneeding a full support staff. We aretold that he comes to Orihuela Costaabout once a week and he has been

unable to recruit or appoint staff to helplook after the coast. Pedro’s chief con-cerns are his political problems inOrihuela – clinging on to power in aminority government despite expellingmembers of his group who do not toehis line.

To ensure that after their expulsion,they do not have the right to vote tobring about a change of government hemanipulates a law. Complicated andwith no guarantee of success. No won-der he has little time to spend inOrihuela Costa.

CLARO, Orihuela Costa’s local polit-ical party, organised a peaceful demon-stration on October 24, against thestate of the coast and the failure of thegarden waste collection service. We

did so because there was no responseby the Town Hall to a smaller, non-polit-ical demonstration organised someweeks earlier. Since our demonstra-tion, the first signs are that some heedis being paid to our protest and someimprovements are visible.

There is a long way to go before theugly accumulated mountains of infest-ed garden waste are removed and wehave doubts as to the service we willget after the end of November, when atemporary support contract for wastecollection comes to an end.

Mr. Kearney, you can go on support-ing Pedro Mancebo. CLARO will con-tinue to support the people living inOrihuela Costa.

BOB HOULISTON

Shake-uptime for

Maria andthe PinkLadies

I WOULD like to announce thatsome of the Pink Ladies from"Maria and the ‘Pink Ladies’have resigned from raisingmoney for the AECC (the cancercharity) and its early detectionprogramme. They informed me that they feltthey had gone as far as theycould in raising funds on behalfof the AECC and would now liketo raise funds for other charitiesas there are many worthwhilecauses that also need funds. I would like to thank them, bothpersonally and on behalf of theAECC for all their efforts in thepast. I am in the process of recruitingladies to become ‘Pink Ladies’and have already recruited anumber of willing volunteers. Ipersonally will, with the help of‘Pink Ladies’, continue to raisefunds for the AECC - and as acancer sufferer myself, my pas-sion to make people aware ofthe importance of using theAECC early screening pro-gramme and to raise as muchmoney as possible to subsidisethis programme will continue,hopefully for many years tocome. MARIA WILSON

AECC Torrevieja President.

Tragedyof feralcats of Tabarca

THE VIEWSEXPRESSED

ON THIS PAGEARE NOT

NECESSARILYTHOSE OF

THE COURIER

I FELT I just had to reply to Mr Kearney ofOrihuela Costa (Issue 89).

I first have to ask if Mr Kearney is house-bound. If he is, I am extremely sorry for him buthis lack of knowledge regarding his surroundingarea is absolutely shocking. What world does helive in?

I only have to drive down two or three roadsbefore I notice the 'green waste' piled high. Yes,the waste is sometimes put out there on thewrong days but surely it should be picked upeventually during that week? But no, I can showyou mounds of greenery that have been there formonths. Yes, months Mr Kearney!

And as for the 'illegal' dumping of green wasteon the roads near the new 'Ecopark' at Lomas deCabo Roig, I'm afraid that most of that is done bythe council. I have watched them early in themorning whilst walking my dogs!

So regarding the protest, well done to one andall that make the effort. I don't care what your pol-itics are, the disgraceful lack of green waste andrubbish collection is beyond a joke. Sorry, MrKearney, did I just mention household rubbishthere? Yes, that too is not being collected regu-larly- or every day as you call it. There are timeswhen our nearest bin is overflowing for days, notillegally dumped refuse just plain old household

rubbish!! Having mentioned the "tireless hard work for

Orihuela Costa" by Pedro Mancebo, would MrKearney care to drive through other areas thatMancebo 'isn't' responsible for and tell me whytheir streets are clean, their bins empty, round-abouts are smart and well cared for and roadsdon't have weeds growing out of the gutters?

Sorry Mr Kearney, it's time you "woke up andsmelt the coffee" as they say. Or are you toobusy having that coffee with Pedro Mancebobecause he is certainly not available for com-ment.

PAT WHELTON, Playa Flamenca

Garden waste in La Florida on Monday his week

I WAS pleased to read John McGregor’sarticle on my idol also - Jimmy Greaves.

I did not know he had a stroke last yearbut hope he has recovered.

As a schoolboy I cut the pictures from theprogrammes showing Greaves scoring andcovered my bedroom walls.

When he returned from Italy I went over toWhite Hart Lane. The first Spurs game wasBlackpool - JG had five chances, threegoals, one hit post, one cleared off the line!

As for his diet on match days, I rememberTerry Venables writing that Jimmy pickedhim up on the way to a game, stopped at a

cafe for lunch, and Jimmy ate all greasyfood while Venables wanting chickenbreast, no skin. That Saturday I was there. Ithad poured with rain all morning - only16,000 there in the afternoon. Jim had fourgoals at half time, five by the finish againstWBA. Result was 7 - 1.

It was well worth the entrance fee backthen, but recently a Gooner friend here hada ticket for the Chelsea game. £60!

PS: In 1966 I watched the World Cupgame with France when Jim got injured. Iwould not and did not watch the final on TVbecause he was not picked. MELVINO

GOAL-GLUTTON GREAVES WAS MY HERO TOO!

Friday, November 9, 2012 7

HALLOW ‘N’ GOODBYEI suspect that most of them, like me, still

find Guy Fawkes more interesting companythan ghosts and vampires. But a Halloweenparty is a Halloween party, so I and threefriends invested in some suitably demonicattire and eventually arrived at Retaurante StJoan in El Altet in full scary mode.

The other 32 guests got there before us– which wouldn’t have been difficult.Because only ONE person had made morethan a token effort to join in the mood ofthe occasion.

It was all such a letdown…a ‘theme’evening devoid of a theme. And the eveningwas only salvaged by the enthusiastic partic-ipation of the local Spanish community of allages.

I can in a way understand the apathy ofolder Brits because when I was a kid,Halloween was an irrelevance. We were toobusy celebrating the failure of Guy Fawkesand his boys to blow up the Houses ofParliament in 1605.

How weird…now had the Gunpowder Plotsucceeded, that WOULD have been a rea-son to celebrate.

Back in the mid-20th century, we DID cele-

brate by hoisting effigies of the aforesaidFawkes atop our bonfires on November 5 asfireworks lit up the sky.

Nowhere did we see ‘Trick or treat’ extor-tionists frightening grannies to death as theyanswered a ring on the doorbell. Instead, wecon-kids would gently request a ‘Penny forthe Guy’ from householders – and treat themto scowls and curses if they didn’t give us atleast ten times that amount.

Those of us with a work ethic made aneffort to create a Guy worth investing in. Thelazy ones just shoved a mask on the smallesturchin in the gang and wheeled him from

door to door in a battered dolls pram.In Bonfire Night, we used to have a jolly

good November celebration in the UK ...a cel-ebration the whole family could enjoy..

But at some point, the Americans allemerged from Macdonald’s, put their fatmitts into the mix (yes, there were Mittsbefore Romney put on the election gloves)and shunted the Gunpowder Plot into obliv-ion.

As for selling Guy Fawkes to them, for-get it. They say cutlery made specificallyfor men will never catch on inAlbuquerque.They always said I look like a witch

I’M not doing Halloween any more. I’ll stick to the Spanish version infuture...or I fear I’ll be heading for the Old Fawkes Home pretty pronto.

It seems to me that the concept of dressing up on All Hallows Eve hasn’t got through tothe older generation of Brits, as I discovered to my embarrassment on October 31.

FRIGHTENER: Only four of us bothered to dress up for the Halloween party

It’s NOT cos youis a foreigner...ALI G, the comedian extraor-dinaire, was famous for hisexpression “Is it cos I’sblack? to question any slightor criticism.

I fear that some expats aredeveloping the same chip ontheir shoulder if the article byDonna Gee (Issue 89) is any-thing to go by.

I have every sympathy forMike Thornton, who wasfined for using a hands-freekit in his car, contrary toSpanish law.

The only hands-free kitallowed in this country is viaa loudspeaker and micro-phone, not anything attachedto the ear. The fact that this isallowed in the UK is hardlyrelevant; we live in Spain.Until we become the UnitedStates of Europe, suchanomalies will exist.

There are certain rules thatare rigidly enforced in the UKsuch as political correctnesswhich can reduce freedom of

speech and over the top “elfand safety’’. Cherry pickingthe rules that we like anddon’t like is normal but notterribly constructive.

I too have been fined for amotoring offence that I didnot commit by an over zeal-ous Policia local; I was incan-descent as motoring law ismy speciality; I thought ofappealing but then let it go asI did not want to become amarked man. On this occa-sion, I was driving mySpanish car and did not saya word until the officer hadfinished his rant; the pointbeing that he did not knowthat I was English until Ispoke and he heard myaccent, so it wasn’t cos’ I wasa foreigner

Unless Mike was driving acar liveried with Englishwords, the Guardia would notknow that he was a foreigner,

either.Trust me, I live in a

Spanish village so hear myneighbours’ complaints andmy business means that I amdealing with the notoriousbureaucracy daily; thenatives get messed aroundas much as we foreigners do.A great example was one daywhen I was in the engineers’office at the ITV station that Iuse daily. A Spaniard wasexplaining to an engineer,known for his jobsworth men-tality, that there had been noproblem with his inspectionthe year before, so what wasthe problem with his paper-work this year?

The engineer wasunmoved and it was at thepoint when the youngSpaniard doubled up andclenched his fists in frustra-tion that I thought I wouldtake a coffee break. This rein-forced to me that we expatsare not being picked on.

Finally, follow this link to aYouTube video that sums upthe attitude of some bureau-crats; it was made by aSpanish company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXWZ3uAEKsw

Yes, please moan andgroan, but don’t assume it’s‘cos we’s foreign’.

GRAHAM SHELTON

YOUR COMMENTS


I WAS helped, ashen-facedand shaking, into the puband plonked gently ontomy usual bar stool.

Dave the barman turned tothe two kind passers-by whohad escorted (carried) me infrom the street.

'Thanks, guys,' said Dave.'The next time you're in here,just ask for me and I'll getyou a drink on the house.'

'But we probably won't bein here again,' said one of thestrangers. 'We were on ourway back from a businessconference to the train sta-tion when we saw this poorfellow slumped shivering onthe pavement and pawing atthe pub door.'

Both guys were eyeing thebeer taps and licking theirlips in obvious anticipation ofsome gratis liquid refresh-ment.

'What a shame we shallnot have the pleasure of yourcompany in the forseeablefuture,' said Dave. 'As thebarman, indeed as theowner, of this public house Iwould willingly serve you acouple of foaming pints forfree.

'But in my third capacity asthe first-aid officer of thisestablishment I must attendimmediately to the treatmentneeds of this sick customer.'

Mrs S and I had beenspending an afternoon at theshops. (Well, she was theone planning to do the actualspending.)

Anyway, we were in adepartment store amblingpast the elasticated frocksrail when suddenly hell wasunleashed.

Mrs S launched herselfinto a scrum of screamingwild women who were slug-ging it out six-deep around aclothes counter bearing thelegend 'REDUCED.'

Amid the unbearable noiseand furious activity, I sank tothe floor, assumed the foetalposition and commenced topray.

Mrs S answered my invo-cation. I heard her call to a

Dave the barman pointedat my quivering form. 'Let usface it,' he said grimly. 'Hemight need an ambulance.He might even need ahearse.'

The two strangers noddedtheir understanding of the sit-uation and trudged from thepub.

'Spare me from suchgreedy opportunists,' sighedDave the barman, watchingtheir departure. 'Anyway,that's saved me the cost of acouple of pints. Now, let'ssee what's wrong with our

David.'Dave cupped my chin and

stared at my pupils.'Hmm,' he said. 'There

doesn't seem to be anythinggoing on behind those eyes.So nothing unusual there.'

Ol' Red Eyes, who wasslumped semi-comatose onthe bar stool next to the one Iwas slumped semi-awakeon, slowly opened one of hisown bloodshot eyes, shovedhis face close to mine andreflected on my appearance.

'I find it hard to believe,' heslurred, 'But our David looks

worse than I do.''Don't crowd him!' shouted

Daft Barry, pushing Ol' RedEyes away. 'He has obvious-ly suffered a massive shock.'

Ol' Red Eyes opened hisother eye and shook hishead. 'But how on earthcould anything shock ourDavid? He hasn't got theintelligence to be emotional.'

Daft Barry thought for amoment. 'You're right!' hesaid, turning angrily on me.'What could possibly haveshocked you? Whoever sug-gested you were shocked isa pillock . . . oh, it was me,'he giggled.

Dave the barman grittedhis teeth. 'The next personwho mentions the wordshock will be thrown out ofthis pub.'

He picked up my chin

again and slapped meacross the face.

'Why have you doneTHAT?' asked an astoundedDaft Barry.

Dave the barmanshrugged. 'That's what youdo for shock, innit?'

'Ooh,' said Daft Barry,pointing at him. 'You said theword shock. You'll have tobar yourself.'

Dave the barman growled:'Daft Barry, don't be a CleverDick.'

'Ouch!' I shrieked in adelayed reaction to the slap.'I am no longer in shock. NowI am hysterical. I need a longdrink and some wholesomefood.'

A tumbler of brandy and apacket of pork scratchingslater, I was ready to explainwhat had happened . . .

A SCARY TIMEIN STORE

Continued on p15


Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH

SAY IT IN SPANISHLESSON 45

THIS week we are going to carry on with adjec-tives and then there will be some translating tocheck your knowledge. It will be covering every-thing that you have done so far, so I hope youhave been refreshing your knowledge regularly.

Adjectives as we know are words that modify a noun, anda noun is the word that tells us who or what the sentence isabout.

Cien and ciento are adjectives of quantity, cien is usedbefore a plural noun (masculine and feminine) it means onehundred. E.g. tengo cien euros – I have one hundred euros,quiero cien mil euros - I want one hundred thousand euros.

Ciento is used after you have passed the number 100, e.g.Hay ciento noventa casas en la calle – there are 190houses in the street.

We will carry on with more than one adjective modifying anoun, the rules for where they go still apply. The adjectiveswill be separated either by a conjunction (and, or,etc) or acomma.

E.g. Ella esta enfadada y impaciente – she is angry andimpatient, tengo un amigo simpático y sincero – I have afriendly, honest friend, el viaje es largo, tedioso – the jour-ney is long, tedious

Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms whichare usually the most common in both English and Spanish.

E.g. bueno, -a,-os,-as – good; mejor(es) – better; el/lamejor de, los/las mejores de – the best

malo, -a,-os,-as – bad, peor (es) – worse, el/la peor de,los/las peores de – the worst, grande(s) – great, mayor(es)– greater/older, el/la mayor de, los/las mayores de –the greatest/oldest, más grande – bigger, el/la más grandede, los/las más grandes de – the biggest, pequeño, -a,-os,-as – small, menor(es) – lesser/younger, el/la menor de,los/las menores de - the least, the youngest

Examples- ¿Eres el mayor de todos los hermanos? -are you the oldest of all the brothers?

I hope this is making sense to you and you are becomingmore familiar with adjectives and are remembering yourverbs.

We are going to test your knowledge now with somehomework. Take your time to ensure you get it correct.Translate the following into Spanish. You will need to useyour knowledge from many of our weeks to be able to com-plete these, but most of all enjoy:

I want a red car, I want to see an interesting film, I want

a new coat and skirt, We want two ice creams, I work in abig office, Yhe third year in University is long and difficult, Aglass of cold milk please, There are three green chairs in thedining room, My husband is in a hurry, These shoes are fromItaly, I am as short as my friend, At what time do you eat?, IAm going with you, I like cats, Today is friday the fifth ofNovember, Do you want to go to the party tomorrow?, Whowants to see the film?, You´re right, it´s very cold here.

I have received a question from Audrey, who has beenlearning with The Courier for some time. She says: ´I am a lit-tle confused when doing some revision. In Lesson 23Jeanette is doing opposites and states that tall/short is alto/aand bajo/a. I am led to believe that bajo is Spanish for low

and the Spanish for short is corto/a. I have always used cortofor short and am now wondering if I am right.´

Firstly I am not sure where you were led to believe this;however, I will explain. In English there is one way to sayshort, however in Spanish there are more. It all depends onthe situation in which it is being used. I am correct in my les-son on opposites, the opposite of bajo/a is alto/a, whereasthe opposite of corto/a is largo/a. So, when are they used?Bajo is used to mean height, altitude, so if you are talkingabout a ´short´ person you would say, una persona baja, unhombre bajo, una mujer baja, for example and of course atall person is una persona alta. So you are correct to thinkof it as ´low´ but of course we say a short person not a lowperson, so it´s important to think of it as low and short. Thereare other uses for bajo but this is the general rule whenapplied to ´short´. Corto on the other hand relates to dis-tance, time or length, a short race would be una carreracorta, the short sleeves are las mangas cortas. It is impor-tant to use the correct adjective because if you say un hom-bre corto you are saying one that has a short memory or nomemory. The easiest way to remember it is by the opposites,if you know alto/a is tall you can get the idea of height, andif you remember largo/a is long you get the idea of distance,time, etc.

As ever it is important to listen to Spanish whenever youcan, use books whenever you can. I learned when to use thedifferent forms from my son’s Spanish books, and remember,sometimes you don´t need to know why - you just need toknow when.

I am really happy to receive your comments and questionsso please keep sending them. If you have a question there isa good chance someone else may be thinking the samething.

It´s also great that some of you are revising and keepingup to date on your knowledge, I hope you are getting theopportunity to use it verbally as well.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Este hombre es muy bajo

By HEIDI WARDMANREGISTERING Spanish vehicles is set tobe made far easier – thanks to an agreementforged between the Provincial Council ofAlicante’s Contributions Agency, SUMA andthe council body.

The Provincial Corporation has released astatement, reporting that it will soon be pos-sible to organise a number of vehicle docu-ments via the internet, including the paymentof taxes and fines, as well as applying for aProvisional Driving Licence.

The new service will mean a car can befully legal and registered within two days,eliminating the need to visit the office andsubmit paperwork.

Likewise, the system will reportedly be

“more dynamic” cutting down on the amountof paperwork generated by the organisation.

It will also mean that less administrativeinput is required, although in light of the highunemployment levels currently being feltthroughout the country, this can be consid-ered as a negative.

Sources from SUMA confirmed that it willresult in “a significant saving in humanresources and materials.”

The President of the Provincial Council,Luisa Pastor, signed the agreement along-side the President of the College ofGestores, Francisco Candela, announcingthat “This is a positive move towards theimplementation of electronic administrationin municipalities across the province.”

Coming shortly - a speedier route

to car registration

ALMOST 100 people tookpart in the MABS CancerSupport Group’s eighthannual Race for Life inMazarrón.

And after running uppledges of €5,655 along-side funds received onthe day, MABS Mazarrónshould achieve its €6,000target for the 2012 event.

Participants were ableto walk or run a 4km or an8km course and MABSMazarrón Co-ordinatorZue Burgess said: “Weare really pleased that somany turned out on a

Sunday morning to helpus raise funds for thelocal community. We arecurrently supporting 86people and their familiesin the area who areaffected by cancer, soevery centimo raisedensures that we can con-tinue supporting thosepeople.’’

If you have the bug for

running and raisingmoney for MABS, thenext Race for Life will bein Los Alcázares on thisSunday. It’s just 3km,along the promenade bythe picturesque MarMenor. For full details,please check the website:http://mabsmurcia.com/events/race-for-life-2012/or call 615 016 035.

MABS Race for Life is awinner - 6,000 times!


Top dog psychologist PETER SINGH writes exclusively for The Courier. Checkout www.thedogyouneed.com or email Peter at [email protected]

WHY DO THEY DO THAT?

Talk of the Devil Dog..

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT?

MANY teenagers and younger children livewith dogs, but very few have a sincere relation-ship with their four legged friends.

A popular sight where I live is a youngster walking downthe road with a mobile phone stuck to their ear, while thedog is ten feet ahead on a flexi-lead with no guidancefrom the human whatsoever.

Youngsters are quick to state that they want a puppy,but when the novelty wears off many just discard the dogas a nuisance or something that simply gets in the wayof their busy social lives or the 12 hours they spend infront of a computer screen every day telling the rest ofthe world what they had for dinner last night. Or who theylast slept with.

If I ended my career as a dog behaviourist today, Icould write several volumes of books on how youngstershave rejected, teased and abused dogs. I have been inconsultations where a dog is showing the first signs ofserious aggression and while the parents listen carefullyto my advice, the youngsters cannot tear themselvesaway from social media sites, just a few feet away fromwhere we are speaking. They take no interest in how tosolve the problem, but will be the first to beg Mum andDad for another new puppy, if the family make the unwisedecision to have their current dog put to sleep because ofthe problem they have created.

For the few seconds Mum and Dad manage to averttheir attention from the computer screen, all you can getout of these children is what I can only call a grunt.

They cannot look you in the eye because their socialskills are based on sitting behind a computer and not havinga proper conversation in front of another human being. Thedialect they speak is something I simply do not understand

and they are one of a number of lost generations, who willnever craft and hone the skill of practical communicationswith another of their own kind, let alone the family dog!

Teaching children how to treat and respect a dog is some-

thing that rarely happens and I have seen children stand onor lie on top of dogs while they sleep, pull their ears andshout and scream at their dogs to get them to play with them!

When I hear of a story on the news, where a dog hasattached a child, I would always like to know what the childwas doing to the dog before the attack.

All the media portrays is the headline, ‘Devil Dog’, withouteven trying to understand why the incident hap-pened.

When I walk my dogs, I regularly get childrenrunning up to them and shouting and

screaming at them to try and get a reaction. Ifyou look at my dogs’ reactions to this abuse,they are very uncomfortable in that situation. Itry to educate these children how to approachdogs, but very rarely do they realise that Godgave them two ears and one mouth for a rea-son! It is a sincere concern of mine that thesekids do not have an ounce of intelligence onhow to communicate with a dog and it is alwaysthe dog that pays the price in the end, when hehas had enough of the abuse and retaliates.

There is no such thing as a ‘Devil Dog’. Dogsdon’t suddenly wake up one morning anddecide to attack without good reason. If weteach youngsters how to have a fulfilling rela-tionship with dogs, this will teach them vitalskills, such as empathy and compassion.

Better still, it will get them away from theaddictions of computers and mobile phonesand engage them in important life lessons

such as bonding, nature and love.Educating children on dog welfare has to

start now, because if we think we currently have problemswith the abandoning and abuse of dogs, what do you thinkthe next generation will be capable of?

TEO & TIMO are two five-month-old Dachsie crossbreeds.They were found four weeks ago along with their sister, Mumand also, sadly, a dead female adult. They are gentle natured

little boys and very keen to be your friend. All their bloodtests results are clear and they are fully vaccinated and micro-

chipped. If you think you could change Teo’s and Timo’s lifefor the better please call the kennels on 966 710 047.

Dogs can share a lot of wisdom with children

Teo Timo

WE are part of the ‘H’Gang and were brought tothe kennels with our Mumwhen we were only 3-4days old; Mum had done agreat job but needed a littlebit of help as there were 11of us and she had nothingto eat or drink except whatshe could find near thebins. We are now fourmonths old and some ofour brothers and sistersare already enjoying a newlife in a forever home;. Thethree of us that are leftwould love to find newhomes too -we are fullyvaccinated and micro-chip-ped. If you can help, plea-se call the kennels on 966710 047. SAT AnimalRescue.

The H gang

NALA is a one- year-oldBelgian Shepherd- Boxercross. She is good with otherdogs, vaccinated, chipped,housetrained and has herpet passport. Call 645 469253

Nala

NAOMI is approximatelyfour months old and inurgent need of a newhome. She was rescuedfrom the perrera when shewas just six weeks old andis sadly still waiting. Call966 725 975 www.petsins-pain.com [email protected]

Naomi

STELLA is approximately10 months old and is along-haired GermanShepherd. She is goodwith people and otherdogs, is fully vaccinated,chipped and has her pass-port. Call 659 274 573.

Stella

TINKER was dumped on afriend’s doorstep andreally needs a foreverhome. She is about fivemonths old, extremelyhappy and loving and ingood health. Call 645 469253 www.petsinspain.com

Tinker

SHAH is a dear little gingerboy born about the begin-ning of July. If you wouldlike to meet Shah, pleasecall Joe (The Cat Man) on966719272.

BARBIE was found in thecampo caught in barbedwire. She is approximatelyfour months old, veryfriendly and just wants to becuddled. Call 645 469 253.www.petsinspain.com

Barbie

Betsy

BETSY is seven months oldand is quite a small dog.She is good with other dogsand children, has been spa-yed, fully vaccinated andbeen chipped. Call: 634 332978. www.petsinspain.com

Shar


LÍNEA DIRECTA INSTRUCTS ITS CUSTOMERS ONTHE STEPS TO TAKE IF THEY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED

BY THE RECENT HEAVY RAINSTORMS Madrid, 2 October 2012.- Línea Directa Aseguradora instructs its customers affect-

ed by the recent heavy rainstorms recorded on September 28 and 29 in the regions ofAndalucía, Murcia y Valencia on the steps required to speed up the processes of mak-ing claims, treating and repairing the damage caused.

As any extraordinary risk resulting from a natural catastrophe, claims for damage toproperty and personal injury must be made to the Insurance CompensationConsortium (CCS), a body which is dependent on the Ministry of Economy andFinance. The Consortium will be wholly responsible for processing claims,assessing the damage caused and paying out compensation to those affected.

In order to claim for damage to property, the customer can contact the InsuranceCompensation Consortium directly by calling 902 222 665 from 9am to 6pm,Monday to Friday. Claims for personal injury or loss of profits must be presented inwriting to the local office in question or by post by completing the correspon-ding form.

In addition, in the case of Expatriate customers, Línea Directa will act as an inter-mediary, administrator and advisor with the public body, with an aim to speeding up theprocesses of compensation and repairing material damage to vehicles, which will beassessed, processed and compensated entirely by the Consortium. To this end, LíneaDirecta has set up a helpline 902 326 326 which its customers affected by the damagecan call in order to receive help and information both in English and German on thecorrect processes required.

Línea Directa wishes to express its deepest condolences to the families of thosepeople who have lost their lives and offers its services to all customers affected to pro-vide them with any type of additional information they might require.

Insurance Compensation Consortium Addresses

ANDALUCÍA ORIENTAL (Málaga, Jaén, Almería, Granada) Av. Aurora, 55, planta 1ª 29006 - MÁLAGA Tel.: 95 206 13 91 Fax: 95 206 13 92 [email protected] ANDALUCÍA OCCIDENTAL (Sevilla, Cádiz, Huelva, Córdoba) C/ Luis Montoto, 107 41007 - SEVILLA Tel.: 95 498 14 00 Fax: 95 498 14 01 [email protected] MURCIA Ronda de Garay, 10 30003 - MURCIA Tel.: 968 35 04 50 Fax: 968 35 04 51 [email protected] COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA: Plaza de Tetuán, 15 46003 - VALENCIA Tel.: 96 315 43 00 Fax: 96 315 43 01 [email protected]


AS another year moves through its fourth quar-ter, there are a few celebrations to look forwardto - of course the main one being Christmaswhich is celebrated all over the Christian world.

However, we have recently seen one date that seems topass without much excitement in Spain, but in the UK andAmerica is a day of huge significance which people spendweeks preparing for. I am talking of course about Halloween,October 31, the date when witches and warlocks fill ourstreets, along with skeletons, blood-drenched outfits andhorror masks.

So, what about Spanish Halloween? I was talk-ing to a group of young Spanish people on AllHallows Eve. They were around 13 years old andtold me they were too old to participate in the fes-tivities. As I was just about to go home and get onmy witch’s outfit I kept quiet! I spoke to a friendlater who said that my local streets had been full ofchildren ´trick or treating´ in the early evening, butthat slowly the streets had emptied.

By the time I had got home and changed into apink witch (well, I didn´t want to be a hideous one),it was gone 9pm. My friends and I made our wayto their local bar, which was empty.

It´s a Spanish bar and the owners had alldressed up and made a fantastic effort. And asthey left around 9.30pm I guessed they had a partyto go to. We decided to go into town, which was ashort walk. However, this was also empty. Wewere the only ones dressed up and there weren´tvery many other customers.

I understand that it was a Wednesday but the

next day was a holiday in Spain so the excuse that everyonehad to get up for work the next day was non-existent.Therefore, why was there nobody about? We ended upgoing to two other bars, only one of which had even putHalloween decorations up and neither of which had manyother customers.

I remember when I worked in a bar here in Spain but in amainly English area, I worked two Halloweens and theywere always popular with people making an effort to dressup and enjoy the festivities. So was it because we are in aSpanish town that there was no enthusiasm? I understand

that Halloween is a pagan festival and in a Catholic countryit may not be the most popular celebration, but I can´t helpwondering if it just isn´t important here.

In a country where they use any excuse to have a party,why is Halloween ignored by the people? Or is it true that itis a fiesta for the young children and the older ones have yetto see the fun in it? Because, when all is said and done it isjust another excuse to dress up and have fun for the rest ofus. For pagans it may be a special day but just as I celebrateChristmas with my son and give him Easter eggs although Iam not a Christian, I can also enjoy a pagan festival without

actually being a pagan. To me it is all about hav-ing fun and wearing something a bit different.

I felt a bit sad that no one else managed tomake an effort and that the Spanish were justletting it pass them by as they get ready for thenext phase of partying. But I for one, am goingto be keeping hold of my costume and wig fornext year and will make the effort again. I will bedressing up, taking sweets to give out to anychildren who may cross our paths and having afun night.

Before that, however, there are a few birth-days coming up that we are making arrange-ments to dress up for, one of which is mine inJanuary. I may send an open invitation nearerthe date to all the fun people who just want todress up and enjoy a night out without worryingabout anything, and of course my friends and Iare used to being the only ones in costume. Lifeis long, so more reason to kick back and enjoy itat every possible opportunity.

Vanish of the Spanish

shop assistant: 'Lookafter my husband, luv. Iwon't be long.' And shedived back into the fray.'My goodness,' I whis-pered to the shop assis-tant. 'Is it always like thisat the bargains counter?''Every time,' she replied.'It's certainly not a sightfor male eyes. May Iescort you to the storerestaurant? There's atwo-for-one offer thisweek on sausage, beansand chips.'I thanked the nice ladyfor her attentiveness butdeclined her tasty offer. Iwas in a seriouslystunned state and need-ed to escape to the safetyand protection of my sec-ond home.'And that was how thosetwo kind gentlemenfound me, in a trauma-induced stupor trying tocrawl back into the womb. . . er, I mean pub,' Irecounted later to thehushed members of thehostelry discussiongroup who were gatheredaround me.

'Wow! You have beenthrough so much,' every-one chorused. Everyoneexcept Ol' Red Eyes whohad gone back to sleep,his snoring facesquashed against DaftBarry's shoulder.I turned to Dave the bar-man. 'I hope you reward-ed those two kindlystrangers for draggingme in here.''I certainly did,' lied Dave.

'I sent them on their waywith a bottle of whiskyeach and a tenner out ofthe till. And I've put it allon your tab.'I returned home, verifiedthat Mrs S was free ofabrasions and bruisesfrom her shoppingadventure, and asked herwhat she'd purchased. 'Not a thing,' she said.'But then again I was onlybrowsing.'

WHY am I not surprisedthat Barack Obama is backin the White House for asecond four-year term?There was always going tobe one winner and manyexcitable pundits wereconveniently forgetting tomention that the result isdecided by an ElectoralCollege of votes, ratherthan one national popularvote.

So despite Mitt Romneypiling up supporters inalready Republican areas, itwas Obama who gotthe crucial votes inthe key swingstates withsome incredi-ble turnoutfigures foryoung voters,as well asfrom Hispanicsand blacks.

Obama hasdone a prettygood job fromwhere I’m sit-ting, andf r o m


BARACK TO THE FUTURE

NEW Look Second Hand Warehouse issituated in the village of San Miguel (oppo-site the Nuthouse Bar). Selling only top qual-ity used furniture at unbelievable prices, avisit to the Warehouse is a must! Goods instock range from sofas priced from £95,table and chairs from just £60, coffee tables,wall units and beds, there are just too manybargains to mention, so a visit to theWarehouse is a must! There is also a largeselection of white goods for sale – all with a30-day guarantee. New Look Second HandWarehouse offers Free Local delivery, and

same day delivery on all goods. Our experi-enced staff pride themselves on customersatisfaction and providing excellent cus-tomer service. Opening times are Mondayto Friday 9.30am to 7pm and Saturday9.30am to 2pm. AND REMEMBER, for pur-chases over €20 you can choose either aFree Bottle of Wine or opt for a FREE ticketfor the Xmas Raffle Draw! So why not call inand have a look around and if you have anyquestions regarding any items on sale, justask one of the friendly staff who will be onhand to help you.

From p10

Give your home aNew Look look!

Mitt and hiss Republicans need friends in low placesan international per-

spective, youalso feel safewith him hav-

ing his handon then u c l e a rtrigger. Asfor the

Republicans,they have to

go back to the drawing boardyet again, and seek to beliked by key minorities, whosee them as a nasty uncaringparty. What’s the betting,then, that they’ll just lurch tothe right and alienate evenmore people? Somethingthat the UK Tories found outto their cost for a number ofyears.

qHas Tory MP NadineDorries lost her mar-

bles? After constantly puttingthe knife into DavidCameron, she then gives himthe perfect excuse to haveher suspended from theConservative parliamentaryparty. The daft bat hasswanned off to join Ant andDec in the Aussie jungle forthe new series of “I’m A

Celebrity….”, leaving herBedfordshire constituents inlimbo for up a month.

Dorries says she’ll getmany more viewers hearingher views on subjects likeabortion, as opposed to hersaying it in Westminster. Ifshe feels that strongly, thenshe should resign immedi-ately and join the daily TVpanel of twaddle that iscalled Loose Women. I alsowonder what her voters willhave to say about her notdoing the job she was elect-ed to do? I do also hope thatshe’s going be handing backa month of her Parliamentarysalary, on the back of thisspectacular political own-goal.

qI always used to likeDenis McShane, the

now ex-Rotherham MP whohad to quit the Commons forfiddling his expenses. Hewas a straight talker and not

necessarily someone whowould toe the party line. So Iwas disappointed to hearthat he had been a naughtyboy and just couldn’t comeup with even a vaguely enter-taining reason for payinghimself extra from the publicpurse. But even worse is thetrickery of hiding behind par-liamentary privilege, whichmeans he’s almost certainlygoing to avoid public prose-cution.

One rule for them and onefor us yet again, but at leasthe’ll have to live with publichumiliation instead, and thegood residents of Rotherhamought to vote against themajor parties in the resultingby-election to show the politi-cians what they think.

By the way, the initialsilence from the Labour lead-ership was deafening, as yetanother of their MP clan hasbeen trapped putting his

grubby fingers in the till.

qTalking of the mute,where were the Tories in

their condemnation of a verysenior party figure who wasup to no good back in the‘80s? The same people whowere leading a hystericalwitch-hunt against the BBCover Jimmy Savile, were ini-tially nowhere to be heardover who was involved in apaedophile ring at a Welshchildren’s home. This was arank outbreak of hypocrisythat had the stench of a wetf**t. Fortunately, DavidCameron stepped up to themark on Monday byannouncing inquiries into thewhole affair at the home, aswell as others in Wales.

Meanwhile, the name ofthe senior Tory involved has“been out there” for ages onthe internet, so why isn’t hecoming forward to clear hisname and reputation, ratherthan threatening to sueeverybody in sight? That wasan old trick from that crookedCzech cretin Robert Maxwell,which is why he got awaywith conning everybody foryears, and why writs wereplastered all over the place,including one against yourstruly and my employer!

By the way, didn’t a certainJimmy Savile bully every-body over taking legal actionif anyone breathed a wordabout his disgusting activi-ties?


CAFE GOLF... THE BEST OF SPANGLISH CUISINE

SITUATED in San Javier, just five minutes from the air-port, Cafe Golf is one of the nicest places in which toenjoy a fantastic meal in a friendly, relaxing atmosphere.

Offering the perfect combination of Spanish and Englishfood, and with prices to fit all pockets, Cafe Golf has some-thing for everyone. Where else will you get a free tapa withany and every drink you order served by the smiling faces ofNike and Neil? The tapas are delicacies in their own right,with a huge selection of “montaditos” (small rolls filled withmouth-watering ingredients) and tasters of typically Spanishdishes.

Santi, the chef at Cafe Golf for the past six months, isreally putting his stamp on the food served. He was bornand bred in kitchens, and describes himself as a food artist.He really cooks with his heart and his goal is to ensure yourmeal at Cafe Golf is the best food you have tasted. He only

cooks with fresh, local, seasonal produce, and the taste issecond to none. Once you have tried Santi’s cooking youare guaranteed to come back again and again for more.Cafe Golf’s food is addictive.

Every weekend there is selection of Specials for you to try.Menu of the Day costs just 7€, and changes constantly. Inkeeping with autumn, the starters at present include creamof artichoke soup, and cream of pumpkin, with main coursessuch as beef in sauce and grilled fish. There is always achoice of three starters, three main courses and threedesserts, and the desserts include dishes such as rice pud-ding, cheesecake or chocolate mousse. The price includesa drink, so you really can’t go wrong.

Alongside the traditional Sunday lunch, which costs11.50€ for three courses, Cafe Golf run a Chef’sSuggestions Menu, which offers something completely new

every Sunday for just 10 euros. If you have special dietary requirements, have no fear.

Cafe Golf can cater for diabetics, gluten free diets and anyother special requirement. There is also an extensive vege-tarian menu, with lots of mouth-watering dishes to choosefrom, all of which are cooked with seasonal vegetables andproduce. Booking is advisable in these cases.

If you are seeking somewhere to celebrate that specialevent, then look no further. Cafe Golf can cater for birthdayparties, anniversaries, golf presentations, Christmas partiesetc. with a menu adaptable to any budget. Music can alsobe included if previously arranged.

This is an ideal place to come and watch sporting events,as Cafe Golf show football and golf tournaments. And you’llbe in the company of other knowledgeable people. Neil is of

Continued on page 17


course available for any golf require-ments.

Next Wednesday, November 14,Cafe Golf will be hosting a Craft Fayrefrom 11am to 2pm. A wide range ofcrafts will be on display including woodturning, card and cake making, watercolour painting, patchwork andmosaics, silverwork and flower arrang-ing and dollies. There is no entrancefee, but any donations will go to MABS.

Watch this space for the coming live jazz music nights withset menus from different countries or regions. This will be

starting in the New Year. The idealplace to see what is happening in CafeGolf is their new website: www.cafe-golfsanjavier.com which has all theirlatest offers and events and will soonhave some printable vouchers for freedrinks or snacks.

In January Cafe Golf will be cele-brating its fifth anniversary. Why notpop along and see just for yourselfwhy this is becoming everyone’s

favourite local. Phone 666766600 to book a table or fordirections.

Anyone who has bingedon alcohol knows only toowell about the unpleasantaftermath known as a hang-over. Hangover symptomsvaries from person to per-son, but may includeheadache, nausea, sensitiv-ity to light and noise, dizzi-ness, lethargy, diarrhoeaand thirst. Hangovers areusually experienced in themorning after a night ofheavy drinking, but can alsobe experienced at any time.Hangover symptoms arepartly caused by the build-up of toxins produced in theliver while the alcohol isbeing processed, and partlydue to the irritation of thestomach and dehydration ofthe brain.

Excessive alcohol intakecan be very damaging tohealth, and health expertsadvise drinkers to limit theirintake to 3-4 units of alcoholper day for men and 2-3units per day for women. A

unit of alcohol is 10ml or 8 gof alcohol. Half a pint (280ml) of beer, lager or cider ofabout 3.5% alcohol instrength contains one unit.However many lagers nowcontain 5% and some othersup to 9% alcohol. A 25 mlpub measure of 40% spiritcontains one unit, but manypubs now serve 35 mlmeasures as standard. Asmall (100 ml) glass of winethat is 10% alcohol containsone unit. Depending on itsalcohol content, a bottle ofwine typically containsbetween 8-11 units of alco-hol.

Women do not handlealcohol as well as men for anumber of reasons. Womenhave lower levels of thestomach enzyme ‘alcoholdehydrogenase’ than men,and so less alcohol is deac-

tivated before it enters theblood. For this reason,women tend to absorb athird more alcohol than men.Women also have lowertotal body water contentthan men, causing a higheralcohol concentration in theblood. Furthermore, womentend to show a higher inter-ference with thoughtprocess than men, anddevelop higher blood alco-hol concentrations with thesame amount of alcohol asthey get older.

Before going out to drink,you may consider takingArtichoke extracts to stimu-late liver function or 1g ofVitamin C which also helpsin the processing of alcohol.People with low levels ofVitamin C tend to have amuch worse hangover.Alcoholic spirits such as

cognac, brandy and whiskycontain substances knownas Congeners, which addflavour and colour. Thesesubstances are known tocause more stomach irrita-tion and a lot worse hang-over than spirits such asVodka and Gin. Drinking ona full stomach helps slowdown the absorption of alco-hol so that the liver is able tobreak it down more efficient-ly. Try not to gulp yourdrinks quickly, instead takesmall sips slowly, and thatway your liver has a chanceto keep pace with yourdrinking. Drink at least half alitre of water before going tobed to help overcome thedehydration caused by alco-hol. If you still wake up witha hangover after taking pre-cautions, drinking water willhelp speed up your recov-

ery. Drink small amounts ofwater often all day to take inat least 2 litres of water.Gulping down a lot in a gomay trigger vomiting. Theextracts of the plant MilkThistle has a powerful pro-tective effect on the liver fol-lowing alcohol intake. Theycontain the antioxidant

Silymarin which regulatesthe entry of alcohol into theliver, and helps neutralizethe toxins from alcoholbreakdown. Milk thistleextracts in combination withArtichoke can be taken onthe morning of the hangover,to speed up the recoveryprocess.


DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINICEmail your questions and comments to [email protected]

ALCOHOL AND HANGOVERS

Facing up to a Faith LiftIs your skin looking tiredafter the summer? Do youneed to get into “that”dress for Christmas?

As wonderful as the sunmakes you feel when you’resipping a cold drink and lyingon your lounger, it can bevery damaging to the skin.High factor sunscreen in thesummer is a must but some-times even that isn’t enough.

Here at Medaesthetics we can help! The Faith Lift is a non surgical face lift with products used

to visibly help lift sagging, aging skin and reduce the appear-ance of fine lines and wrinkles. The skin looks fresh andlines appear softer after just one session. A course of sixtreatments is recommended but after just one there is anoticeable difference to the skin. The Faith Lift cream carrieson working after the facial has finished with the effects last-ing for days.

Also available at Medaesthetics, we have a large range ofDermalogica facials and products that can be tailored toeach individual; from a calming facial for sensitive skinthrough to an anti-bacterial facial for acne-prone skin. A thor-

ough facial analysis is carriedout on your first visit to helpidentify any problems youmay have - once identified, wewill select the correct productsto help you to combat them.

Do you need to lose a fewinches to fit into your party fin-ery for Christmas? TheShrinking Violet Body Wrap isjust for you! This is a revolu-

tionary new treatment to remove unwanted fat from areasyou want without effort or discomfort. The amount of fatreduction varies depending on your build but many peoplecan “shrink” by one whole dress size after the first treatment.The Shrinking Violet Body Wrap works by Lipolysis. Thisprocess is the splitting up or decomposition of fat - you willnaturally pass the excess cells after the treatment.Unwanted fat can affect areas such as the stomach, but-tocks, thighs, hips and upper arms. Immediate results can beseen with the maximum effect observed after 24 hours.

Combining the Shrinking Violet Body Wrap with exerciseand healthy eating plan – such as Cambridge 800 alsooffered at Medaesthetics – and that’s your start to a newslimmer, happier, healthier you!

WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

Considered by manyscholars to be the old-est healing science,Ayurveda is a holisticapproach to health thatis designed to help peo-ple live long, healthy,and well-balanced lives.The term Ayurveda istaken from the Sanskritwords ayus, meaninglife or lifespan, andveda, meaning knowl-edge. It has been prac-ticed in India for at least5,000 years and hasonly recently become

popular in Western cul-tures. The "contempo-rary" form of Ayurvedicmedicine is mostlyderived from severalsacred Indian texts,which were written inSanskrit between 1,500 -400 AD. The basic prin-ciple of Ayurveda is toprevent and treat illnessby maintaining balancein the body, mind, andconsciousness throughproper drinking, diet,and lifestyle, as well asherbal remedies.

QMY mum is 49 years old and wasdiagnosed with diabetes 12 years

ago. In the past year, she has visited herdoctor a number of times, complainingof shooting pains down both legs thatdon’t last long but seem to be occurringmore often. Her doctor changed her dia-betes medication and also prescribedchromium for her. Her condition never-theless has remained the same. I will beglad of your help.

AThe symptom you describe is sugges-tive of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a

common complication of diabetes. It usuallyaffects the nerves of the legs and feet, andis associated with symptoms such as pain,burning sensations, numbness and tinglingsensations. Diabetic neuropathy occurswhen blood sugar levels are poorly con-trolled, and the resulting high sugar levelsthen cause injury to the nerves. In mostcases, early symptoms of diabetic neuropa-thy can be reversed if blood sugar level iscontrolled. Chromium has been recognisedby researchers to be very helpful in prevent-ing and managing diabetes. It improves theinteraction of insulin with the body cells,thereby improving insulin resistance andreducing the amount of insulin required bythe body. Chromium is especially helpful inreversing diabetes in its early stages, andmay not be very helpful in long-term dia-betes. Your mum should now ensure thather blood sugar level is well regulated toprevent further worsening of her condition.

Taking extra care of the legs and feet is akey aspect of management. They should beexamined daily to detect any changes andstart treatment early. Wearing properly fit-ting shoes will prevent injuries from occur-ring since wounds may take time to heal.Having regular appointments with a podia-trist also helps care for the nails and feet. To relieve the shooting pains down her legs,she should consider taking R-lipoic acid,which plays a critical in maintain normalblood glucose levels and preventing compli-cations of diabetes such as nerve damage.

QI often read your articles in TheCourier and am concerned as I take

Simvastatin 20 mg and would like tostop. I now take lupin seeds alternatelywith the statin but would like to stop tak-ing statins completely. Can you pleaseadvise me as to what I can take that isnatural.

AYour choice of lupin seeds is excellentsince they have been studied and

found to reduce cholesterol levels bydecreasing its intestinal absorption.Exercise and Diet plays a huge role inmaintaining normal cholesterol levels. TotalCholesterol and LDL cholesterol (BadCholesterol) are typically lowered by exer-cise, especially when combined with aweight-loss programme for those needingto lose weight. Meat and other animal foodsthat are high in saturated fats have beenlinked to high cholesterol. It is advisable to

eat very little of foods high in saturated fatssuch as beef, pork, veal, poultry (especiallypoultry skin), cheese, butter, ice cream andall other forms of dairy products notlabelled “fat free.” Many vegetable oils arepartially hydrogenated, and so results inthe formation of Trans fatty acids that raisethe levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ (LDL) as wellas increase heart disease risk. Olive oil isvery beneficial because it lowers ‘bad cho-lesterol’ levels in the body, especially whenit replaces saturated fats. However, olive oildoes not seem to increase the levels ofgood cholesterol and because of its highcalorie content, should be used cautiouslyby people trying to lose weight. Eatingsugar has been found to lower the protec-tive effects of ‘good cholesterol’ (HDL cho-lesterol). Eating a lot of fish, especiallydeep sea oily fish such as salmon andmackerel high in omega-3 fatty acids, hasalso been found to increase the levels of‘good cholesterol’. Whole grains, nuts,seeds, fruits and vegetables with high fibrecontent also lower cholesterol levels. Oatgrain is particularly rich in a type of solublefibre known as Beta-glucan. Several stud-ies have shown oat grain supplementationto significantly lower cholesterol levels inpeople with high cholesterol. Flaxseed is another good source of solublefibre, and has been reported to lower totaland LDL cholesterol in clinical studies. Inaddition to controlling diet, there are a num-

ber of supplements that also help controlcholesterol. Omega-3 essential oils havebeen shown to increase good HDL choles-terol and lower harmful LDL-cholesterol.Omega-3 supplements are now made froma variety of plant sources, thereby avoidingthe characteristic ‘fish oil’ smell and taste.Garlic capsules are also very beneficialwith studies showing an average of 11 %(and up to 25%) reduction in cholesterollevels. Other studies have also shown that garliccan reduce and even reverse hardeningand furring of arteries known as atheroscle-rosis. Antioxidants neutralise harmful toxinsin the body, and a good intake protects cir-culating fats from oxidation (oxidised fatscause hardening of the arteries). Blue andred coloured fruits are usually rich in antiox-idants. Pycnogenol is an antioxidant sup-plement extracted from the bark of maritimepine, and contains a variety of potentantioxidants that can significantly reduceharmful LDL-cholesterol and increase ben-eficial HDL-cholesterol. Lecithin or phos-phatidyl choline blocks the absorption ofcholesterol from the intestines, andincreases its excretion into bile. Clinical studies have shown how high doselecithin decreases LDL by 30% andincreases HDL by 46% in a single month.Psyllium seeds, Alfalfa seeds, Artichoke,Green tea, Chromium and Magnesiumhave also been studied and found to lowercholesterol levels.


MUM’S DIABETES IS A REAL PAIN


Richard moved to Spain seven years ago hav-ing left his management background behind inthe UK and decided to use his IT skills to helphome users and small businesses with their PCproblems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he isout and about in the Spanish sun every day,making house and shop calls and using hisvast experience and qualifications to (usually)sort out the problem there and then. Computersare his hobby as well as his work so don’t besurprised to get an answer to your email in theearly hours!

RICHARD CAVENDERBluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services com-pany on the Costa Blanca, they provide quality computerservices at realistic prices and specialise in working with

home users and small businesses.

FIXED: James wanted to know how to recover his Terra.espassword

Hi Richard, can you help with aproblem? How can I find outmy terra.es password Thanks,James.

Hi James, in order to recoveryour Terra email password youneed to go here…

https://registro.terra.es/modificaciones/ModPub/olvPassword/PRCOlvidoPassword.jsp…and complete the form, they will take you through a process to recover your password.

Update: Bingo! It worked thanks.

[email protected] www.bluemoonsolutions.es

Mobile: 655 044 970 Office: 902 906 200

FIXED: John was having difficulty sending pictures withPicassa.

Hi, can you help a 77 year old. I can send a text, and I can send a photo, but I can-not send both at the same time. Can you advise please. I am on Windows Xp withPicassa 3 photo album. Many thanks to you and a great paper. John

Update. Hi John, could you explain to me what exactly you are doing when you send a photoplease?

Update. I use the drop-down list and go to Picassa Photo Gallery, then to the e-mail symbol(envelope) open Google e-mail, enter user name and password and sign in. I look for a per-son’s e-mail and send them the photo. Once it's confirmed that it has been received, I sendthe text, John

Hi John, I am not sure what you are doing wrong, but when you click on “sign in” youshould see the following window asking you for the email address to send the imageto together with an area to type a subject and an area to type the email message (asshown above).

QA

ADVICE: Malcolm needed advice on a check disk taking avery long time.

Hello Richard, I have a problem, possiblybigger than I think! I have a notebook +tower running windows 7 32/64bit. I haverun ccleaner on both, and then run win-

dows disk cleanup, followed by antispyware/mal-ware. I also ran the check disk, as I do now andagain, on my old XP, and now on win 7. I knowonce it's started, it has to finish, some 3/5 hrs later,depending. The trouble is, it doesn’t seem to wantto finish on the tower. It reached part 4, and noth-ing progressed for nearly 1hr so I turned the pcoff/on to let it run again. It stopped on file 147263,which seemed to be about halfway, and didn’tmove beyond this no for over 1 hr so I turned it off/on again to let it run again. The scanstopped at the same number, I don't know how long for, but when I looked at it, I gave it45mins from then still no movement so I shut down for the night. Are there some files miss-ing, which is causing it to stop, and/or should I just let it run, no matter how long it takes, andwill it do any damage with the hard drive light glowing (not flickering) a nice bright red. Manythanks Malcolm.

Hi Malcolm, it’s pretty hard to say without seeing the problem first hand, knowingthe size of the hard drive etc., however one reason for a “check disk” to take anextremely long time to run - as in your case - is that there could be a physical prob-lem with the hard drive.

My advice, erring on the side of caution, would be to firstly take a copy of your important data- if your computer boots up into Windows of course; if it does not then you should call in anexpert who should be able to remove your hard drive and, fingers crossed, back up yourdata. Once the backup is complete then perform a full check disk – regardless of the amountof time it takes, if that works then I would run another check disk and this time it should gothrough a lot quicker, if it doesn’t work then you are probably looking at a replacement harddrive. But first things first, make sure you get a good copy of your important data.

Q

A

Don’t forget you can follow meon twitter @bluemoonspainAlternately why don’t you signup for my newsletter. You cando this by going to:-www.bluemoonsolutions.esand fill in the form that is onany page except the frontpage.

Q

A

THE pricing policy ofbudget airlines wassuperbly demonstrated bythe British press last weekwhen they announced itwas cheaper to bring yourbutler on a flight than totake an extra suitcase.

This has brought the cre-ative pricing nonsense ofthe airlines into sharp focus.

When it is cheaper to buya second seat inside the air-craft than to pay for a suit-case in the hold, then air-lines have gone stark star-ing mad.

What gave rise to thenewspaper story was pricecomparison websiteWhichAirline.com whichhighlighted that one personflying on Ryanair toBudapest would pay£126.99 for a return ticket iftravelling alone with twobags.

Alternatively, if the personenlisted someone to carryone of the bags, it woulddrive down the cost of thetrip to £113.98, a saving of£13.01, the Daily Telegraphreported.

A return trip from Gatwickto Alicante with Easyjetwould cost £284.98 for oneperson carrying two bags.But a second passengercarrying one of the cases

broughtt h ep r i c e

d o w nt o

£252.96.I'm not too

b o t h e r e dabout this

c r a z i -

ness, because undoubtedlyan airline will arrive whichtreats customers with morerespect. It's called customercare, which seems to havegone out of the window forsome.

What particularly annoyedme was a throw-away line inthe story which said Easyjetwere offering MPs cheapflights in a deal struckbetween them andParliament.

It's fair enough if thesewere essential flights ongovernment business, but,knowing how MPs arealways after the perks, myguess is that MPs will besubsidised by all otherEasyjet customers. And whythe hell should we be doingthat?

Come on Easyjet - getreal.

qI must now remind youjust what a money-

grabber we've had repre-senting the electors ofRotherham.

Ex-Labour minister DenisMacShane has been on thefiddle big time, faking 19invoices to claim £12,900 inexpenses.

He was suspended fromthe House for a year andhas since resigned. Goodriddance!

The bills were signed witha nom de plume purport-

ing to come from ageneral manager

who did notexist.

T h eEuropean

a m b a s -s a d o rfor TonyB l a i r

c l a i m e dthousands

of pounds for computersand laptops. He even sub-mitted the same invoicetwice for one computer hebought.

He also used his parlia-mentary expenses to ‘enter-tain European contacts’ andclaimed for ‘extensive’ bookpurchases.

Commons expenseswatchdogs said his claimsfor extensive European trav-el, including air fares, hotelsand meals, were of the‘utmost gravity’.

Labour leader Ed Milibandmoved quickly to suspendMacShane from the Labourparty.

But many would think heshould quickly move fromthe Commons to a dock inthe Crown Court, andScotland Yard said they hadnot closed the case but hadsimply decided to take ‘nofurther action’ after advicefrom the Crown ProsecutionService.

The problem has beenthat police did not previouslyhave access to evidenceused by the ParliamentaryStandards Commissionersince it was subject toParliamentary privilege.

A Met Police spokesmansaid the force would nowconsider the contents of theCommons report.

MacShane could stillavoid charges because let-ters in which he makes anumber of frank statementsabout his expenses claimssubmitted to the inquirycould not be used as evi-dence in court.

This antiquated nonsenseproviding MPs with parlia-mentary privilege and allow-ing them to avoid the legalconsequences of theiractions should be repealed

immediately.If someone has commit-

ted an offence, then theyshould face the full force ofthe law and to be protectedby parliamentary privilege isat best antiquated and atworst ridiculous.

Thankfully this is the viewof a growing number of MPsand anything which breaksdown the ‘them and us’ atti-tude is most welcome andlong overdue.

Back in Rotherham, I sup-pose they will be votingLabour again at the by-elec-tion.

qI was interested to readCourier colleague

Donna Gee's distaste ofhaving clouds of smokedrifting over her from smok-ers while trying to sit outsidecafes and restaurants.

I most heartedly agree.We were stuck between aselfish man smoking anatrociously smelling cigarand two women chain smok-

ing.Needless to say this com-

pletely ruined the lunch wewere trying to eat. It really isabout time that society treat-ed smokers as the drugaddicts they are and bannedthe grossly anti-social prac-tice in all public places.

Public health should beput first, with anti-socialbehaviour in all its forms,whether it be drunken yobs,noisy and inconsiderateneighbours, litter louts orsmokers all in this samemould.

I was interested to readthat the mayor of Paris hasordered 10,000 ashtrays tobe installed in the city'sstreets to combat a risingtide of cigarette-related litter.

Here's where a lot ofmoney could have beensaved by simply banningsmoking in the streets, andgiving on-the-spot fines tooffenders would bring in rev-enue.

qI was amazed at thelatest UK statistics

which revealed a millionmore people now live ontheir own than in 1996.

Almost one in threehomes now have just a sin-gle occupant. Three in fiveare aged 16 to 64 andalmost 60 per cent are men.But among the over 65s themajority are women.

Other statistics revealthat 2.9 million couples arecohabiting, a rise of 1.5mil-lion in a decade, and thenumber of couples with chil-dren cohabiting has dou-bled, revealing the extent ofthe collapse of marriage.

It all spells a very sad pic-ture. Granted that by nomeans all people livingalone are lonely - but it's myguess that a lot of them are.

And the growth of cohab-itation just demonstrateshow untrusting people noware that a marriage willwork and probably anincreasing number are wor-ried over the cost ofdivorce, property settle-ments and future childcare -and avoiding commitmentlike the plague.

Society must take a long,hard look at the direction itis taking. This really is noway to bring up the nextgeneration.


Two seats please,one for my bag...


PLAYAFLAMENCA C.C.Focus on

Mysteries of the figures of fantasyANTISHA, the leading gift shop on the Orihuela Costa, is

now in its fifth year - and continues to provide excellent serv-ice and choice. Pop in and see our range of fantasy figuresincluding skulls, dragons, unicorns and much more. Lots ofnew stock has now arrived for the Christmas season. Plentyof gift ideas, prices to suit all products The Crystal and angel-ic side of the business now has even more to offer and is stillgrowing. If there is anything on your wish list, we will endeav-our to source if from our many UK suppliers. We are still thebest in terms of selection and price for our sterling silver andgemstones jewellery. Don't forget our superb range of up-to-the-minute fashion jewellery and evening bags. Goods canbe reserved up to Christmas for a small deposit. So call in fora browse or call us on 693 688 940.

Goodfellas – going great steaksGoodfellas is soon to be refurbished inside – but our

amazing food remains as tasty as ever. And we’ll steaktheir reputation on that.

Choose from a good selection of finest meats and suc-culent Aberdeen Angus steaks. We have got a SpecialOffer during the month of November on all Main CourseMeals buy one and get ONE FREE excluding Steak,Lamb & Fish

Our fantastic menu offers the tastiest dishes and some-thing for everyone. Large groups and parties are cateredfor with set menus available. For more info, contact LynnSmith on 637 900 008 or facebook Goodfellas Spain

A glittering visit to treasureTHE dazzling Treasure Chest shops in Playa Flamenca,

Villamartin and Quesada have a real sparkle about them –

especially the new season range of goodies now in stock.

Our wide choice of jewellery includes Shambola’s new range,

an irresistible choice of gold and silver jewellery, and a wide

selection of fashion jewellery. They also do Gold and Silver

repairs. And don’t forget our watches by Citizen, Police, Eton

etc – or the cards and giftwrapping that complete the pack-

age for someone special.

Jayne moves a cut above the restJAYNE has been hairdressing for 30 years and moved

from Northern Ireland to the Orihuela Costa area six yearsago

At the moment her Unisex Barbers Shop is next to KingKod on Playa Flamenca Commercial Centre but Jayne islooking forward to moving towards the end of November toher brand new Barbers Shop still in the Commercial Centre,next to the Laundry Shop

Jayne does wet cuts for Men, Ladies and children. Youdon’t have to make an appointment - just pop in and enjoythe experience. Jayne likes to build up a relationship with herclients, who keep coming back

Modern haircuts are updated all the time to help peopleenhance their appearance. Jayne gives advice on what suitsthem and gives a precision haircut which is then manageableby yourself as it is cut so well it can dry naturally and fall backin style.

Bring the voucher…and we’ll see you tater!

SPUD Murphys are pleased to introduce their special win-ter takeaway offer, so cut out the voucher and come and seeus.

Since we opened our doors in April 2002 we have alwaysprovided quality freshly cooked food, to either eat in or take-away. So much more than fish and chips, we have a variedmenu from breakfast, lunch and a new two course wintermenu offering great value.

Just give us a call to reserve your table, we have wifi avail-able and now accept credit cards.


PLAYAFLAMENCA C.C.Focus on

La Zenia Boulevard

Playa Plamenca C.C.Turn off at theBurger King andLidl roundabout

Top Up’s call guys are right up top! AT Top Up (formerly Games and Grooves) we provide a

friendly and affordable phone-unlocking and computer-repairservice. In our two-storey shop, we have a wide range of newand used unlocked mobile phones for sale along with a widerange of English laptops. Whether you need a new blingphone cover, charger, cables or a nice protective leathercase for your I-pad, we have it! We can also unlock I-phones,Blackberries etc – and carry out virus removals, languagechanges, reinstalls. You name it, we can do it...

Oh, and we have a used section of Nintendo dsi andiPods... plus weekly discount specials on our phone andcomputer accessories.

The Lansdowne wins - hands downLOOKING for the best pint of Guinness on the Costa?

Then get down to the Landsdowne!

Enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of a traditional style bar

with plenty of extras. From Thursday to Sunday we have live

music. Now appearing every Thursday live Band

Showaddywaddy Legend, Friday Live Band Kolted, Saturday

Solo Artist Greg Lomas, Sunday Solo Artist Nicky G and if

you prefer to tune in to the best sports coverage, we have got

it all - including GAA rugby

Stay on top of your gameat Legends

LEGENDS Bar is both the home of football and the No 1

party bar on the Costas. Watch the big games on large

screens - with HD Projector showing all the matches at one

time

If you'd rather pot a few balls, our professional Pool Table

is FREE on Mondays There is also Karaoke plus a DJ seven

nights a week, with drink promotions and much more, includ-

ing throughout November a Karaoke competition.

Be sure - and ensure you insure with us!

WITH all the worry and concerns about the banks in Spain,why not pop into Jennifer Cunningham's Office in theCommercial Centre Playa Flamenca and ask for an insur-ance quote from one of the largest Insurance Companies,Liberty Seguros (part of Liberty Mutual Group)? At the sametime, if you discover you have no health cover, we can offerspecial terms and prices on both Health and Funeral Plans.Staff at Jennifer Cunningham are much more than a voice onthe phone. So why not drop into the office in Playa FlamencaCommercial Centre and discover what excellent polices andprices are available? The office is open 9am to 5pm Mondayto Friday Tel: 965 326 209


UK HEADLINES

OLYMPIC cycling heroBradley Wiggins is beingtreated in hospital for brokenribs and a damaged wristafter being knocked off hisbike by a vehicle during atraining ride.

The multiple Olympicchampion was apparently hitby a white Vauxhall AstraEnvoy van at around 6pm onWednesday night close to apetrol station inWrightington, near his homein Eccleston, Lancashire.

Police initially feared hisinjuries from the crash werevery serious, but later itappeared he suffered brokenribs, a fractured finger andcuts and bruises.

Wiggins was given a pre-cautionary head scan atRoyal Preston Hospital,according to The Times.

Despite his injuries thereigning Tour de Francechampion is said to havestaggered after his wifeCatherine as she tried to

confront the woman driver.The local woman driving

the van, who was uninjured,was apparently devastatedas police said to her: 'Do youknow who you have hit?'.She was apparently heard tosay: 'I can’t believe it.

'He said he thought hehad broken his ribs andwhile a lot of police carsarrived it was about 15 min-utes before the ambulancegot there by which time hewas blue.'

THIS horrific CCTV image shows the moment atragic teenager fell from a platform and wascrushed by a train.

Georgia Varley, 16, fell between the platform and thetrain after going into Liverpool for a night out to celebrate afriend’s 18th birthday party.

She was said to have died because train guardChristopher McGee, 45, gave driver Belinda Nicholson thesignal that it was safe for the train to pull out of JamesStreet station in the city centre.

McGee from Wallasey, Wirral, a train guard for 20 years,appeared at Liverpool Crown court charged with themanslaughter of Georgia, from Moreton on the Wirral, inOctober last year.

He denied the charge and an alternative charge underthe Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to take reason-able care to ensure Georgia’s safety on the platform.

McGee told police and his bosses at Merseyrail thatGeorgia had moved away from the train before he gave theorder to set off but then came back and started banging onthe windows before she fell between the platform and thetrain onto the tracks.

But prosecutor Nicolas Johnson QC played the jury a 30second CCTV video of Georgia which the prosecutionclaim shows that she was leaning against the train when itmoved out.

Mr Johnson told the court that Georgia was “very drunk’’and had traces of the recreational drug MCAT in her systemwhen she went into the city to continue the birthday cele-brations.

She had been to a house party for friend Maddy Bowers’18th birthday party where she had drunk vodka and wassaid to be “the drunkest person at the party”.

Mr Johnson said: “Only one person had the capability toprevent the situation which led to her death. ChristopherMcGee was the guard on the train and we say he did twothings.

“He gave the signal to the driver when he could not havefailed to realise that Georgia was in contact with the trainand she was in an intoxicated state.

“It was a deliberate act. He must have known that itwould subject Georgia to a degree of force which was high-ly likely to throw her off balance with the consequent risk ofinjury. We say that starting the train was in itself a criminalact. The second thing he did was he failed to countermandthe signal when it was clear that Georgia could be draggedunder the train with the obvious risk of killing her.’’

The case continues.

GREEN LIGHTTO DEATH... Daily Mail

The Sun

A CITY trader splashedout £40,000 on drinks at aswish London bar whiletrying to impressHollywood star BenicioDel Toro.

The commodities deal-er - who has not beennamed - was at aHalloween party atRaffles in Chelsea.

He arrived at around9.30pm with nine fellowtraders and kicked off theevening with a round ofzombie-themed vodkacocktails, each costing£30, made from rum,absinthe and grapefruit.

But onlookers said thetrader's spending spi-ralled after the Puerto

Rican actor - who starredin Snatch and The UsualSuspects - came and satnearby.

Del Toro's arrival ataround 11pm was said tohave sent the partyatmosphere 'into a fren-zy', prompting the tradersto order more drinks.

Within a couple ofhours the businessmanhad splashed out £24,000on three bottles of DomPerignon champagnecosting £8,000 each.

By the time he left inthe early hours of lastThursday morning, hehad racked up a receiptfor £40,090.73 - includinga £5,229.31 tip.

City boozer’s£40,000 bill

Wiggins hurt incollision with car

Benicio Del Toro...£40kbill to impress him


Bigastro - wherelife begins at 40s

BIGASTRO has neverbeen the easiest place tofind – but it got lost intime at the weekend.

The occasion was asmash-hit ‘40s night atLa Terraza Café Bar, runby new proprietorsDarren Yarrow and hiswife Hazel to raise fundsfor the Royal BritishLegion.

Eddie Coleman, vicechairman of the Legion’sOrihuela and DistrictBranch, was there withhis Land Army wife Jean,friends and fellow mem-bers. The evening, whichincluded a buffet supper,raised €250 for the RBLand a raffle for a foodhamper was won by JeanHatch of Bigastro.

Cathy Carson andTAABS provided themusic.

Next on Darren’s agendaare a 60's Party Night onSaturday November 17 –and a Christmas Fayre andCash for Your ClothesAfternoon Tea onWednesday December 5from 1-5pm. For more info,

Call Darren on 625 272256 or email [email protected]

xx

LA SIESTA LadiesFriendship Grouphold their annualf u n d r a i s i n gChristmas Fayre at LaSiesta church onSaturday November24 from 10.30am.

It will feature bric-a-brac, jewellery, raffle,home baking, mulledwine, mince pies, hotdogs, auction, linen,books, games,tombola, tea & coffeeetc. Says chairmanJean Wallace: “Lastyear we supportedthree local charities,Water Aid in Africaand an orphanage inHaiti.

“This year we will belooking at helpingmainly the local chari-ties including,Reachout-Torrevieja,in this time of crisis inSpain’’

qAJ’s Bar in UrbLa Marina will

host a ChristmasFayre on SaturdayNovember 24 to raise

funds to help strug-gling San Fulgenciof a m i l i e s .Spokesperson PaulinePrior says: ‘’This eventbrings in money sothat we can then goand purchase non per-ishable food items tobe distributed to theneedy. At present wehave approximately 60children and their fami-lies in need of ourhelp.’’

qMaria Wilson andsome of her new

Pink Ladies raisedmore than €250 for theAECC from a raffle atThe Jazz Singer’s NeilDiamond tribute showat the New Asturias.

qMathilde Sanchezand Judith Ferris

of AFA receive acheque for €1,500, theproceeds of a success-ful concert byCantabile Singers, JustBrass and TerryHorvath Morris. If youenjoy singing, contactPhyl on 965077457 orJennifer on 966796866or view www.cantabilesingers.es

SET FAYRE...

SEVERAL membersof local writers group,WordPlay, will be sign-ing copies of their lat-est books at theHabaneras branch ofBookworld betweennow and Christmas.

Each Wednesday andSaturday until Dec 8,between 11am and 1pm,an author will signcopies of that day’s fea-tured book.

The featured authorson Nov 14 and Dec 8 areJoy Lennick, previousTorrevieja InternationalShort Story winner, withher memoir, My GentleWar, and KJ Rollinsonwith the first book in her

dragon trilogy, Fallynand the Dragons.

Nikki Dee (Nov 28and Dec 1) will promoteher first novel, LosingHope – the harrowingstory of a young girlabducted when justfive and discovered 15years later.

And finally, Shortsfor Autumn will beshowcased on Nov 21and Dec 5.

WordPlay meets onthe second Monday ofevery month, 11am atthe Emerald Isle, LaFlorida. Its aims are toencourage writers towrite, and then getthem read.

A RECORD-BREAKINGsum of €1,663 was raisedfor Age Concern fromDoug and Val Knott’sannual Garden Party attheir villa in Quesada.

The 120 people whoattended the event weretreated to lots of laughsand fun, compered onceagain by singer JonSummers, who returned tolive in England last Aprilbut came back at his ownexpense to take part in thisevent.

Doug and Val would par-

ticularly like to thank themany local businesses forproviding prizes.

Thanks also go to thepeople who contributed tothe provision of food anddrink provided – and to allwho came for the after-noon and spent theirmoney so generously.

On a sad note, Dougand Val have decided togive the Garden Party arest for a while, havingraised well over €10,000for two charities overseven years.

The party Is over... with€1,663 for Age Concern

Anita Fuster Jongeneel of Banco De Valencia presentingthe cheque to local Age Concern president Maureen Payne

LOCAL AUTHORSBOOK IN FORCHRISTMAS

VIVIENNE Paterson, owner ofthe Irish Rover bar in Torrevieja,is pictured presenting cancercharity AECC with another sub-stantial amount of money inmemory of her mother's deathfrom cancer four years ago.Vivienne (right) organised a num-ber of fundraising events at thebar, this time raising more than€600. The money was handedover to Maria Wilson, President ofAECC for the Torrevieja andOrihuela Costa area and will beused for AECC's much-used sub-sidised cancer screening in thearea.

Cancer-sufferer Maria is avail-able to talk to, offer advice andarrange cancer screening. Callher on 602 418 959, between10am and 4pm.

Friday, December 16, 2011Friday, November 9, 201230


SPANISH NEWS

=

By SALLY BENGTSSONIF you found it hard tofind a chemist openlast Monday, it’sbecause hundreds ofpharmacies through-out eastern Spain wereprotesting against thefact that indebtedregional authoritieshave not paid theirbills.

Two thirds of the 2,200pharmacies in the Valenciaregion joined in the first dayof a rolling strike, with justover 700 opening their doors.

The reason for the open-ended strike is to draw atten-tion to the "dramatic situationthat pharmacies in Valenciaare suffering," said aspokesman for the pharmacyassociation, adding that noincidents were reported dur-ing Monday's strike.

He said the regional gov-ernment owed pharmacies€450 million for prescriptionmedicine issued under thepublic health systembetween May andSeptember. "If the banks donot renew their credit for thepharmacies, 500 of themcould go bust this verymonth," said the president ofthe College of Pharmacists,Maria Teresa Guardiola, in astatement.

Spain's autonomousregions, which control budg-ets for health and education,have seen their debts soarsince the collapse of a prop-erty boom in 2008 that hasdriven Spain to seekEurozone bailout funds for itsbanks.

Valencia and eight of theother autonomous regionshave requested rescue fundsfrom the central governmentto help finance their deficits.

The College of

qSpanish savingsbank La Caixa said

Monday it had taken itscapital out of the PortAventura theme park nearTarragona in northeast-ern Spain that it helpedfound.

It said its investmentarm Criteria CaixaHoldinghad sold its 50-percentholding in the park to theinvestment fundInvestindustrial for 105million euros.Investindustrial is nowsole owner of PortAventura.

92 die inMorocco

boat exodus

PILL PUSHERS!

THE Popular Party (PP)administration will postponeuntil 2014 the introduction ofreforms to limit the number ofholidays and long weekends,known in Spain as “bridges,”as part of its efforts toincrease worker productivity.

Deputy Prime MinisterSoraya Sáenz de Santamaríaexplained after Friday’sCabinet meeting that the gov-ernment won’t have to rush todesignate what holidaysworkers will be entitled to nextyear because most of thosedays will fall on Fridays,Mondays or during the week-end.

In January, labour unionsand the nation’s largest busi-

Pharmacists said pharma-cies were demanding that thecentral government rescuethem as it did the banks. Thebudget ministry said onMonday that the governmentwould renew its aid fund forthe regions in 2013, with con-ditions obliging the regions topay pharmacies and otherservice providers.

Meanhile, unemploymentin Spain continued its seem-ingly inexorable rise inOctober, with the number ofpeople registered as out ofwork climbing for the thirdmonth in a row to close to fivemillion.

According to figuresreleased on Monday by theLabour Ministry, joblessclaims last month climbed by128,242, or 2.73 percent, tothe giddy figure of 4.833 mil-lion.

The ministry pointed outthat the increase in unem-ployment was lower than inOctober 2011, when joblessclaims rose by 134,182.

The National StatisticsInstitute’s Active PopulationSurvey, published last month,showed that the jobless rateclimbed above 25 percent inthe third quarter for the firsttime on record.

According to the survey,which is considered a moreaccurate reflection of thestate of the labour market,5.778 million people are outof work.

About three-quarters of thenewly unemployed camefrom the services sector.

ness confederation, theCEOE, agreed to push nation-al holidays to Mondays sothat workers can still enjoy athree-day weekend whilecurbing the practice of takingadditional working days offshould they fall between holi-days and the weekend.

Studies by the CEOE haveshown that workers are lessproductive on Mondays fol-lowing these “weekendbridges.”

But not everyone hasagreed to this formula. Theregions and the CatholicChurch, which has a say insuch matters, as outlined inthe 1979 accord betweenSpain and the Vatican, are still

negotiating with the govern-ment. The three sides are try-ing to decide what to do withthree specific dates: August15 Feast of the Assumption,November 1 All Saints Day,and December 6 ConstitutionDay.

The CCOO and UGT labourunions are asking to keep theMay 1 Workers Day holiday.

Red Day reformsoff until 2014

Furious pharmacies outto make authorities pay

MORE than 90 illegalAfrican migrants arebelieved to have diedattempting to reach Spainfrom Morocco in the pasttwo weeks.

“According to the testi-monies of six survivorswho managed to reachSpain, 54 people on thesame boat drowned lastweek," said PierreDelagrange, president ofMorocco’s sub-Saharanimmigrant community.

He said that another 19died off the coast ofTangier, Morocco's north-ern port city, just 14 kilo-metres from Spain. , inthe last fortnight.

A Moroccan securitysource said the body of asub-Saharan migrant wasfound on the coast atNador on Monday, nearSpain's north Africanenclave of Melilla, afterthe body of a man and hisyoung son were discov-ered in the same area lastweek. The casualty figureof 76 raises the number ofAfrican migrants con-firmed to have drowned inthe waters betweenMorocco and Spain in thepast two weeks to 92.


Horoscopes By Pandora

Aries March 21 - April 19 By agreeing to read this horoscope youmay be bringing on yourself several levelsof suffering and/or pleasure. If you agree tothis, please stop reading now. Or carry on,depending on whether you're willing to takethat chance. Knowing your hand span maybecome useful over the coming days,although the mystics will not give me anyinformation as to how or why.

Taurus April 20 - May 20 You may feel like starving yourself today inorder to lose some weight. Back in schoolwhen people would bully you about yourhair and possibly jacket, you swore youwould have your vengeance. Make todaythat day. If you can't tell your bum from yourelbow, it might be time to lose some weight.Flabby arms are not attractive to anyone butthe walking dead or possibly alley cats anddogs.

Gemini May 21 - June 20You are important, at least as important asthe discovery of the dock leaf when youwere stung by a nettle as a child. Todaymight surprise you by quickly changing thecolour of the clouds perhaps for up to 10seconds. This horoscope may destruct in10 seconds.

Cancer June 21 - July 22The shop you like to buy your food frommay suddenly disappear with a whoosh-ing sound as you approach it. If you feellike you're struggling to go ahead with therest of the world, sit down, relax and per-haps watch some day time television.Take care when opening up an email froma friend today as you may not enjoy theelectronic content inside.

Leo July 23 - August 22Try to avoid challenging yourself today.You may find that you are ready for a fall.Almost everything you feel about life isunwarranted. You should feel almost theopposite about life at the moment andembrace your worst fears. Horoscopeshave always had a tendency to be wrongfor you, but today's will be a peach.

Today is another day, and all can be wellboth here and in Denmark. Even in thedarkest places you can find yourself -although you may break your nose on adoor. This week may cause some prob-lems for you as your secrets are sharedacross the internet. It all used to be somuch easier, but with age you're findingcertain things much more difficult.

Libra September 23 - October 22You think "pink", but you buy "blue". Thisis why you're confused a lot of the time.Your heroic attempts to liven up variousmeetings and get-togethers are all fornought this week as you are finallybrought down to ground by a professionalclown. The age you should be acting likeis written on the soles of your shoes.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21Your neighbour's taste for loud music maycause them to incur an unfortunate acci-dent. The loony-left is a phrase that youquite like. The colours you see around youare intended to give you an idea of threedimensional space. Close your eyes andyou become a dangerous walking buffoon.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21Smiles help the world go round, especiallywhen the smiles are accompanied by dirtybig wads of cash. Cold hard cash. In fact,forget the smiles, just give everyonemoney. Money is a source of evil you can'tdo without. Credit card companies mayseize on your lack of self-control. LEDsmay come to the rescus for your today,shining fluorescently to the answer youtruly seek.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19"Have a good day!" is not somethingyou'll want to hear from anyone as yousuffer from a bottom related illness.Cartoon fun can be yours if you pick upthe right set of pencils and think reallyhard about drawing. You have manymore years ahead of you. Jail sentencesbetween 5 and 10 years may be applica-ble to your situation today.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18Why not pick up the phone and yell into itwildly before dialling your required num-ber. You should focus on all the positivethings that have happened over the pastfew years. This will help you overcomethe incredible setbacks which are comingin the next few weeks. Purple clouds arenot usual, nor is red rain.

Pisces February 19 - March 20

You are weak at heart and must endeav-our to become stronger by subjectingyourself to ritualistic torture. All your long-term plans will come into fruition thismonth. Beware of speeding busses. Youhave recently received some equipmentfor which there was a manual. Please givethis manual a quick read so as to avoidproblems later.

Virgo August 23 - September 22

The hapless motorist isbelieved to be the coun-try’s most incompetentcandidate to date, accord-ing to data supplied by theDriving StandardsAgency.With the theory test cost-ing £31, the woman fromEssex has spent morethan £3,000 so far -enough to buy arespectable second handcar, such as a 2005 NissanMicra with 38,000 miles onthe clock.Her latest unfortunate tilt

at the exam took place atIlford, unfortunately theresult was the same as theprevious 104 attempts.No other candidate hascome near, though a manin Peterborough, Cambsis giving it his best shotwith 84 attempts so far.The theory exam, whichmust be passed before acandidate is allowed totake the practical exam,entails answering 50 mul-tiple choice questions -with 43 correct answersrequired.

Figures from the House ofCommons Library show thatfor a typical litre of petrolcosting 138.3p, 81p goes tothe Treasury in fuel duty andVAT.

That figure equals arecord set earlier this year,which helped force GeorgeOsborne, the Chancellor, topostpone an earlier pro-posed increase in tax.Drivers of diesel cars aretypically paying 143.2p for alitre, of which 81.8p is tax,close to a record for thisyear.

Under current Treasuryplans, duty on petrol anddiesel will rise by 3p a litreon Jan1 next year.

Motoring groups and cam-paigners, includingConservative MPs, are urg-ing the Chancellor to scrapthe planned rise, which theysay will squeeze householdbudgets further and dampenBritain’s economic recovery.

The Commons library,which is politically neutral,tracks data on fuel and pro-duces regular reports for

MPs on prices and tax lev-els.

Its latest report showsthat, after gradually fallingover the summer, pumpprices are close to levelsseen in April, when a typicallitre of petrol cost 141.7p.

The library’s researchersreport that this year’s higherprices have mainly beencaused by rising global oilprices, forced up by politicaltensions in the Middle East,especially over Iran’snuclear programme.

However, tax has con-

tributed to longer-term rises:“The price increases sincelate 2010 have been as aconsequence of rising oilprices, the weaker poundand increases in duty andVAT,” the report said.

The library reported thatoverall, British fuel duty wasthe second highest in theEuropean Union.

According to data from theEuropean Commission,British diesel is the mostexpensive in the EU,“despite relatively low pre-tax prices”, the report said.

Tax paid on petrolreaches a record high

Woman failstheory 105 times


Every so often a govern-ment alights on a policywhich works. Then, almostinevitably, the same policygets ditched. One such poli-cy was the scrappagescheme which ran from May2009 to March 2010, andallowed anyone trading in anold banger (one registeredbefore February 29 2000) toget a £1,000 grant from thetaxpayer to buy a new car. Inturn the manufacturerschipped in another grandand everyone was happy.

The motorist got rid of theold rustbucket which shouldhave gone to the great junk-yard in the sky years earlier.Car workers were kept inwork because demandsoared. Even where thecars bought were madeabroad, showroom staff kepttheir jobs rather than goingon to the dole.

Arguably, scrappage eventicked the environmentalboxes, with the carbon-belching jalopies beingtaken off the road and shinygreen clean machines tak-ing their place.

The figures spoke forthemselves; on average, thecars which went to thebreaker's yard were emitting

182.1g of CO2 per kilome-tre, their replacements132.4g/km.

If that wasn't goodenough, then there was thenot inconsiderable bonusthat the Treasury made aprofit out of the whole deal.With VAT at 15 per cent, theExchequer was quids inwhenever a scrappage cus-tomer paid more than£7,600 for a car includingtax.

In fact, the average priceof cars bought under thescheme was £9,000. Evenmy back-of-cigarette-packetcalculation suggests that forevery £1,000 theGovernment was dishing outin subsidy, it was gettingback £1,350 in tax.

With VAT now beingcharged at 20 per cent, thearguments for reintroducingscrappage are even moreattractive.

Bring back thescrappage scheme



Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues;instead, every letter of the alphabet has beenreplaced by a number, the same number representingthe same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have todo is decide which letter is represented by whichnumber. In this week’s puzzle, 23 represents T and 26represents J, when these letters have been enteredthroughout the puzzle, you should have enoughinformation to start guessing words and discoveringother letters.

CODE CRACKER

CRYTPIC CLUESAcross1 Able seaman’s secretfurrow (4)3 Optical disorder pro-ducing falls (8)9 Strike left for harmony(7)10 Batsman’s prayerbefore digging in? (5)11 Communist in care ofbelief (5)12 Burning for a lover?(6)14 Denial about beingarrested (6)16 Middle part removedfrom rubbish put in out-house (6)19 Virginia rents out theservants (6)21 Share between twosome lethal venom (5)24 Faulty hinge makesanimal cry (5)25 Stroll after a bee tothe blackberry bush (7)26 Wicked sister in trou-ble (8)27 Group found in urbandevelopment (4)

Down1 Scares an awful oppo-sition to Crusades (8)2 Tree begins autumnpruning, putting leaveseverywhere (5)4 Lost a try, as in a badway (6)5 Sort of elegant, butafter the alien has left,still a divine figure (5)6 I mean once across, anexplanation for paleness(7)7 Meet up at stream (4)8 Gloomy doctor got up(6)13 Right always finishpreacher (8)15 Language, one with aLatin derivation (7)17 As his head is able tobecome an Americanrubbish bin (6)18 High-class fur at one’sdisposal (6)20 Distinctive characterin Macbeth? Osric? (5)22 A sign of balance? (5)23 Extreme objectives (4)

Last weeks SolutionAcross: 1 Scamper, 5 Vague, 8 Opulent, 9 Stake, 10Ewers, 11 Instant, 12 Superb, 14 Canyon, 17 Clipper, 19Get up, 22 Notes, 23 Curator, 24 Stray, 25 Sea legsDown: 1 Stone, 2 Acute, 3 Presser, 4 Retail, 5 Vases, 6Granary, 7 Everton, 12 Seconds, 13 Printer, 15 Algeria, 16Precis, 18 Pasty, 20 Title, 21 Paris.

DOUBLE CROSS-WORDSolve the Double Cross-Word puzzle using either the

standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

3 letterwords

EarElfElk

HamHodIre

LawLeaMetSagSamSeaSeeSoyToeToo

4 letterwords

AllyArchArcoArts

BaneCall

CedeDykeEdgeEpicEsseHawkHeadIntoItemKeptLear

LotsLurkMilkNeroPollPoreRotaSarkScotSettSialSibsSkatSlatSparTealTidyTipi

Toed

5 letterwordsActorAllotDeltaElite

HyenaIronsKronaNooseScramSkirt

SporeTepeeThermTotalTreadTulleUpset

Viola6 letterwordsCreeksKnotty9 letterwords

DevilmentSaturdays10 letterwords

EspadrilleFamiliarly11 letterwords

SmithereensThatcherite

FILL IT INComplete the crossword grid by using the given words:

Across 1 Travelling bag (7)5 Cloud-nine (5)8 Pay back (9)9 Admirer (3)10 Reach maturity (5)12 Grassland (7)13 International bankingcentre in the Caribbean(6,7)15 Most important element(7)17 Moves towards (5)19 Kimono sash (3)20 Exactly alike (9)22 Slightly burn (5)23 Reading desk (7)

Down 1 Employer (5)2 Polynesian garland offlowers (3)3 European country onAdriatic Sea (7)4 Senior British cabinet min-ister (4,5,4)5 Give a benediction to (5)6 Contagious viral infection(9)7 Vocalisers (7)11 Doctor (9)13 Plentiful (7)14 Maniac (7)16 Dwell (5)18 Reception room (5)21 Stick used in snooker (3)

QUICKIE

Last weeks SolutionAcross: 7 Alcove, 8 Anoint, 9 Bats, 10 Soft-soap, 11Bolster, 13 Naked, 15 Brief, 17 Tactics, 20 Infamous, 21Bury, 22 Malice, 23 Merger. Down: 1 El Paso, 2 Boss, 3 Perspex, 4 Gaffe, 5 Constant,6 Insane, 12 Scenario, 14 Satsuma, 16 Runway, 18 Cartel,19 Boxer, 21 Barn.

Across 1 Tuberías (5)4 Native land (6)9 Fan (air) (7)10 Cosa (objeto) (5)11 Cicatriz (4)12 Atrasos (7)13 Niño (3)14 Berry (4)16 Smell (4)18 South (3)20 El más rico (7)21 Each (4)24 Sombra (zona sin sol)(5)25 Lawyer (7)26 Deportes (6)27 Carreteras (5)

Down 1 Alabanza (6)2 Silver (metal) (5)3 Barco (4)5 Previous (former, earli-er) (8)6 Reign (7)7 Agosto (6)8 Hoy (en este día) (5)13 Sótano (8)15 Elderly old man (7)17 Strawberries (6)18 Robar (5)19 Canoes (6)22 Spider (5)23 Puerta (de casa,vehículo, armario) (4)

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORDImprove your Spanish - clues in Spanish, answers inEnglish or vice versa.

STANDARD CLUESAcross1 Clothing stitch (4)3 Waterfall (8)9 Relationship (7)10 Mealtime prayer (5)11 Belief (5)12 Blazing (6)14 Fastened (6)16 Petrol station (6)19 Manservants (6)21 Split in two (5)24 Whinny (5)25 Prickly shrub (7)26 Ominous (8)27 Gang (4)

Down1 Rugby union team (8)2 Fruit (5)4 Away from the rightdirection (6)5 Divine messenger (5)6 Deficiency of red bloodcells (7)7 Pour (4)8 Sullen (6)13 Clergyman (8)15 European language (7)17 Rubbish bin (6)18 Working (6)20 Basic beliefs (5)22 Seventh sign of thezodiac (5)23 Ceases (4)

Scribble Pad


dia de hispanidad

dia de la madre

domingo de pascua

el dia de muertos

el dia de reyes

el dia de trabajo

jueves santo

la asuncion

la navidad

la noche buena

la noche vieja

la semana santa

pascua

san jose

viernes santo

Empareja estas palabras para animales - Match the Spanish and English animal wordsYou will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.el día de hispanidad, 2.el día de la madre, 3.domingo de pascua, 4.el día de muertos, 5.el día de reyes, 6.el día de trabajo, 7.jueves santo, 8.la asunción,9.la navidad, 10.la noche buena, 11.la noche vieja, 12.la semana santa, 13.pascua,

14.San Jose, 15.viernes santo.

a.Mother’s Day, b.Saint Joseph (Father’s Day),c.Holy week (Easter), d.New year’s eve, e.Hispanic Day (whenColumbus arrived in America),f.Easter, g.Christmas, h.Easter Sunday, i.Labour Day,j.The Day of the Dead (Also

known as Todos Santos),k.Christmas Eve, l.Three Kings’ Day, m.Good Friday, n.The Rising of the Virgin Mary,o.Maundy Thursday.

Answers:1e, 2a, 3h, 4j, 5l, 6i, 7o, 8n, 9g,10k, 11d, 12c, 13f, 14b, 15m.

Across1 What name is often givento attempts to prevent peo-ple discovering the truthabout a serious mistakes orcrimes? (5-3)5 Which adjective means‘lacking nothing essentialespecially not damaged’? (6)10 What name is usuallygiven to a golf course that isbuilt on sandy ground near ashore? (5)11 Which British car manu-facturer with its headquar-ters in Gaydon,Warwickshire, specialises infour-wheel-drive vehicles?(4,5)12 Which musical directionmeans ‘plucking the stringsof a violin or other stringedinstrument with one’s fin-ger’? (9)13 Which weekly magazinespecialising in celebritynews and human-intereststories, was first published inthe UK in 1988 (5)14 With which sport wouldyou principally associateBunny Austin, Jean Borotra,Don Budge and RoyEmerson? (6)15 Which adjective, meaning‘of an appropriate or perti-

nent nature’, comes from theFrench for ‘(with regard) to(this) purpose’? (7)18 Derived from the Frenchfor ‘in the fashion’, whichphrase means ‘up to date’?(1,2,4)20 Now called Ho Chi MinhCity, by what name was thecapital of the independentrepublic of South Vietnamknown as from 1955–75? (6)22 Which adjective means‘of, in or relating to thenose’? (5)24 What was the title of the17th film in the James Bondseries, the first to star PierceBrosnan as the fictionalMI6? (9)25 Which game show wasthe first programme to beaired on Channel 4? (9)26 What was the name ofmission in San Antonio,Texas, which was the site ofa siege in 1836 by Mexicanforces, in which all 180defenders were killed? (5)27 What is the name of thehard white substance cover-ing the crown of a tooth? (6)28 What name is oftenapplied to a situation inwhich two or more competi-tors in a race are exactly

level? (4,4)

Down1 Derived from the Arabic for‘deputy (of God)’, what name

was given to the civil andreligious leader of a Muslimstate, regarded as the suc-cessor of Muhammad? (6)2 Caracas is the capital of

which republic on the northcoast of South America? (9)3 What name is given to thedeadly ‘game’ in which aperson loads a single bulletin the cylinder of a revolver,spins the cylinder so that thelocation of the bullet isunknown, points the weaponat his/her head, and pulls thetrigger? (7,8)4 In astronomy which celes-tial objects, thought to be arapidly rotating neutronstars, that emit regular puls-es of radio waves and otherelectromagnetic radiation atrates of up to 1,000 pulsesper second? (7)6 Lough Neagh, the biggestlake in the British Isles, islocated in which country ofthe UK? (8,7)7 Which heavy block of ironor steel on which hot metalsare shaped by hammeringshares its name with theincus of the ear? (5)8 What sort of creature wasFreda, who appeared on theBBC children’s programmeBlue Peter from 1963 to1979? (8)9 Which domestic breed ofgoat is raised for its longsilky hair, which is the true

mohair? (6)16 The eight-week summerseason of daily orchestralclassical music concerts andother events held annually,predominantly in the RoyalAlbert Hall in London are for-mally known as The HenryWood [What] Concerts pre-sented by the BBC? (9)17 Which marine crustaceanhas an external shell thatattaches itself permanentlyto a surface and feeds by fil-tering particles from thewater using its modifiedfeathery legs? (8)19 Which punch is made ofsweetened milk or creammixed with eggs and usuallyalcoholic liquor? (6)20 According to TheTremeloes 1967 number onehit single, [What] is Golden?(7)21 In computing, which verbmeans ‘to restart (a comput-er) by reloading the disk-operating-system programinto working memory’? (6)23 Which device, developedby Emile Gagnan andJacques-Yves Cousteau,lets divers breathe underwater? (5

Quiz Word

Last weeks Quiz WordsolutionAcross: 1 Garlic, 5 Helmsman, 9 Crackers, 10 Cymbal, 11Plasticine, 12 Feta, 13 Moccasin, 16 Nuncio, 17 Idioms, 19Basilisk, 21 Mark, 22 Cornershop, 25 Sluice, 26 Expected, 27Pyrenees, 28 Seesaw. Down: 2 April, 3 Lucas, 4 Clerics, 5 Hessian, 6 Lectern, 7Semifinal, 8 Abattoirs, 14 Old Bailey, 15 Clockwise, 18Secrete, 19 Burgess, 20 Sherpas, 23 Sucre, 24 Omega.

SUDOKU SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

Last Week’s Solutions

Code Cracker

Soduko Span - Eng Quizword Fill It In

1. Who is Issur Danielovitch better known as?2. What three counties were Eliza Dolittle taught to pro-nounce?3. Where was the setting fot the TV show Rin Tin Tin?4. Who played the part of the scarecrow in the movie'The Wiz'?5. Joseph Levitch became famous using what stagename?6. Who made a TV advertisment for Southern MaidDoughnuts?7. Which 1936 film started with a world war and endedwith a space flight?8. What word could Ernie Bilko not say without stutter-ing?9. Who was the female lead in movie 'The Shootist'?10. Cheers exterior shots featured a real bar, what wasit's name?11. Ray Bolger played who in 'The Wizard of Oz'?12. Who starred in the film 'The Sixth Sense'?13. Alfred Schneider became famous as who?

ANSWERS: 1. Kirk Douglas 2. Hertford, Hereford andHampshire 3. Fort Apache, Arizona 4. Michael Jackson 5.Jerry Lewis 6. Elvis Presley 7. 'Things to Come' by H.G.Wells 8. Million 9. Lauren Bacall 10. Bull & Finch 11.Scarecrow 12. Bruce Willis 13. Lenny Bruce

movies / tv QUIZ

Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch. (Answers below)

APERITIVOS - SNACKS


TRELI ON THE TELLY

The Courier Friday TV November 9

00:35 This Week01:20 Holiday Weatherview01:25 Panorama01:55 Countryfile02:55 Antiques to the Rescue03:55 Planet Earth Live04:55 Sport Today05:00 BBC World News05:30 HARDtalk06:00 BBC News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:15 Remembrance Week11:00 Homes Under the Hammer11:58 BBC News; Weather12:00 Robbed, Raided, Reunited12:30 Cash in the Attic13:13 BBC News; Weather13:15 Bargain Hunt14:00 BBC News; Weather14:30 Regional News and Weather14:45 Doctors15:15 Nick Nickleby16:00 BBC News; Weather16:05 Trade Your Way to the USA16:35 Lockie Leonard17:00 Blue Peter17:30 Junior MasterChef18:00 Newsround18:15 Pointless19:00 BBC News19:30 Weather20:00 The One Show20:30 Nigel Slater's Dish of the Day21:00 EastEnders21:30 Outnumbered22:00 Have I Got News for You22:30 Me and Mrs Jones23:00 BBC News23:25 Regional News and Weather23:35 The Graham Norton Show

00:20 Dara O Briain's Science Club01:20 The Culture Show01:50 HARDtalk02:00 Newsday02:30 ABC World News03:00 BBC News03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today04:00 BBC World News04:30 Asia Business Report04:45 Sport Today05:00 Schools - Empire06:00 Schools: Children of World

War Two06:30 Schools - History Hunt07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest07:50 Rastamouse08:00 School of Silence08:30 Pet Squad08:40 Eliot Kid08:55 Newsround09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo?09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town09:45 I Can Cook with You10:00 ZingZillas10:15 Baby Jake10:25 Dipdap10:30 Wibbly Pig10:40 The Koala Brothers10:50 Get Squiggling!11:05 Big Barn Farm11:20 Charlie and Lola11:30 3rd & Bird11:40 Waybuloo12:00 In the Night Garden12:30 BBC World News13:00 Daily Politics14:00 Weakest Link14:45 Live Tennis: ATP World TourFinals18:15 Antiques Road Trip19:00 Eggheads19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - ItTakes Two20:00 The Dark: Nature's NighttimeWorld21:00 Mastermind21:30 Gardeners' World22:00 Attenborough's Ark: NaturalWorld Special23:00 QI23:30 Newsnight

00:05 The Jonathan Ross Show01:05 Jackpot24704:00 Tonight04:25 ITV Nightscreen05:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Daybreak09:30 Lorraine10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show11:30 This Morning13:30 Loose Women14:30 ITV News and Weather14:55 Meridian News and Weather15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show16:59 Meridian Weather17:00 The Dales17:30 The Dales18:00 The Chase19:00 Meridian Tonight19:30 ITV News and Weather20:00 Emmerdale20:30 Coronation Street21:00 Island Hospital21:30 Coronation Street22:00 Who Wants to Be aMillionaire?23:00 ITV News at Ten andWeather23:30 Meridian Tonight andWeather23:35 Dave

00:05 The Inbetweeners Top 10Moments01:05 Random Acts01:10 99902:10 Embarrassing Bodies03:05 The Great British PropertyScandal04:00 Unreported World04:25 Dispatches04:55 Deal or No Deal05:50 Countdown06:35 Make Do & Mend07:00 Channel 4 Presents07:05 Sali Mali07:10 The Hoobs08:00 Freshly Squeezed08:30 According to Jim09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond10:00 Frasier11:00 Undercover Boss Australia12:00 A Place in the Sun13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Celebrity Come Dine with MeExtra Portions15:05 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent16:10 Countdown17:00 Deal or No Deal18:00 Come Dine with Me18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals19:00 The Simpsons19:30 Hollyoaks20:00 Channel 4 News20:30 Unreported World20:55 4thought.tv21:00 Come Dine with Me22:00 Derren Brown: Fear andFaith23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

01:05 SuperCasino04:55 HouseBusters05:20 House Doctor05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge06:10 Nick's Quest06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Thomas & Friends07:10 The WotWots07:20 Fireman Sam07:30 Jelly Jamm07:45 Peppa Pig07:50 Olive the Ostrich07:55 Little Princess08:10 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom08:20 The Mr Men Show08:35 Thomas & Friends08:45 Make Way for Noddy09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots09:15 Peppa Pig09:25 Peppa Pig09:30 Roary the Racing Car09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas09:55 Mio Mao10:00 Tickety Toc10:15 The Wright Stuff12:10 Cowboy Builders13:10 5 News Lunchtime13:15 Highland Emergency13:45 Highland Emergency14:15 Home and Away14:45 Neighbours15:15 CSI: Miami16:15 The Circuit18:00 5 News at 518:30 Neighbours19:00 Home and Away19:30 5 News at 6.3020:00 The Gadget Show21:00 Wild Things with DominicMonaghan22:00 The Mentalist23:00 Castle

DERREN BROWN:FEAR AND FAITH

Having survived the end of the world last week, theshowman now presents a new two-part experiment inwhich he claims to remove people's experience of fearthrough the use of a powerful new drug.

to play the British DeputyPrime Minister. And NickClegg he certainly isn’t!

Byrne’s character of TomDawkins is a good guy, andhe’s smelling somethingnasty after an American oil

factory blows up inthe North East, witha number of bodiesto be buried.

It’s conspiracytime as a journalist,

played by thealways reli-able GinaMcKee, fillsDawkins inon thedetails. Butbad newslike thatneeds tobe buriedby the

party boss-es, who are

just interestedin winningelections.

Thirty yearsafter the open-

Paradise is coming back fora second series? We canlook forward to that nextAutumn, as we are sadly leftwith the last episode for thetime being this Tuesday nighton BBC1.

Meanwhile, I am alreadybereft on a Sunday evening,now that ITV1 has finishedanother run of DowntonAbbey. It was almost a happyending, which amongst manystorylines featured Batescoming to the rescue of hisnemesis, Thomas. At leastwe don’t have to wait thatlong for the Christmas spe-cial, but I’m intrigued to seewhere the next series willtake us.

qIt was great to see amuch-delayed tribute

to the comedy genius Eric

Sykes on BBC2 lastSaturday night. As a writerand performer, he wasamongst Britain’s best ever.Might I suggest that the BBCalso add some regularrepeats of Eric’s work along-side some of the other come-dy gems getting an airing onBBC 2 at the moment likeFawlty Towers and Dad’sArmy, so that a new youngaudience can marvel at hisexcellent and timeless work.

There really is somethingspecial, by the way, aboutFawlty Towers in that I canwatch the Hotel Inspectorsepisode for the zillionth time,and still crease up in hyster-ics. What fabulous stuff writ-ten by John Cleese and histhen wife, Connie Booth.

FOR a country that fea-tures a lot of politics, I’vealways been surprised bythe lack of high-qualityBritish dramas about thesubject.

Two of my favourites inthe last 30 years havebeen State of Play and AVery British Coup,a n dWednesdaynight’s bril-liant openerof SecretState paysopen trib-ute toCoup asthe inspira-tion for thisseries.

Channel Fourhave pulled out thestops on thisgoodie, enticingGabriel Byrneover from America

ing of Channel Four, this isthe kind of drama that hasmade the network alwaysinteresting to watch, which Ihope they’ll continue to do fora long time.

qSecret State joinsFour’s American

import, Homeland, as mustview TV, with Homeland justgetting better and better.Brody has now been turnedinto a CIA informant, and thescenes featuring DamienLewis and Claire Danes areelectrifying, like the one lastweekend in the interrogationroom when Brody brokeunder questioning from hisex-lover. There is little that’spredictable about this show,and that along with high qual-ity acting and a smashingscript leads to TV perfection.

qHere’s some goodnews if you enjoy

watching The Walking Deadon Channel Five. Seriesthree, which starts in theNew Year, is bang on form,and we are four episodesdown on the Fox channelshere in Spain and the UK.

After a yawn fest of a pre-vious season, this new runhas come out fighting withtons of zombie action andsome great new charactersled by Brit actor DavidMorrissey, who plays TheGovernor (with a Georgianaccent last used by DeputyDawg!). It’s always good tosee a show you enjoy regainits mojo, after seeminglyappearing to wither from alack of ideas and direction.

qWhy am I not sur-prised that The

with ALEX TRELINSKI

Coup, what aninspiration!

39

The Courier Saturday TV November 10

00:20 The National Lottery FridayNight Draws00:30 Would I Lie to You?01:00 EastEnders02:55 Weatherview03:00 Hairy Dieters: How to LoveFood and Lose Weight04:00 Question Time05:00 BBC News05:30 On the Road With06:00 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites11:45 Lord Mayor's Show 201213:00 BBC News; Regional Newsand Weather13:15 Football Focus14:00 Bargain Hunt15:00 Live International RugbyUnion17:30 Final Score18:20 BBC News; Regional Newsand Weather18:40 Pointless Celebrities19:30 Strictly Come Dancing21:05 Merlin21:50 The National Lottery SaturdayNight Draws22:00 BBC News; Weather22:15 The Royal British LegionFestival of Remembrance23:50 Match of the Day

00:00 The Review Show00:45 Weather00:50 Later with Jools Holland01:55 The Little Shop of Horrors03:05 Bedlam04:25 BBC News04:30 Click04:45 Newswatch

05:00 Close07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Rastamouse08:00 Roar08:30 Bear Behaving Badly08:55 The Scooby-Doo Show09:20 Dennis and Gnasher09:30 Trapped Ever After10:00 Jedward's Big Adventure10:30 Sorry, I've Got No Head11:00 The Ministry of Curious Stuff11:25 Deadly 60 Bites11:35 Splatalot12:00 Prank Patrol12:30 OOglies12:45 MOTD Kickabout13:00 The Sky at Night13:20 Flying down to Rio14:45 Live Tennis: ATP World TourFinals18:00 Live International RugbyUnion20:30 Attenborough's Ark: NaturalWorld Special21:30 Dad's Army22:00 QI XL22:45 The Making of QI23:45 Perfect Sense

00:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent00:55 Inside Hollywood01:00 SuperCasino04:55 Motorsport Mundial05:25 House Doctor05:50 Michaela's Wild Challenge06:10 Wildlife SOS06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Peppa Pig07:05 Fifi and the Flowertots07:15 Bert and Ernie's GreatAdventures07:25 The Mr Men Show07:35 Olive the Ostrich07:40 Abby's Flying Fairy School07:50 Roobarb and Custard Too08:00 Bananas in Pyjamas08:10 Funky Town08:15 Play!08:25 Noddy in Toyland08:40 City of Friends08:55 Little Princess09:10 The Adventures of Bottle TopBill and His Best Friend Corky09:25 Angelina Ballerina09:45 Rupert Bear10:00 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus10:25 Roary the Racing Car10:45 Jelly Jamm11:00 Power Rangers: SuperSamurai11:35 ThunderCats12:10 The Removal Men13:10 Cowboy Builders14:05 Rolf's Animal Clinic15:05 The Accidental Witness16:55 Wandering Eye18:40 Hell Boats20:25 5 News Weekend20:30 The Bridge at Remagen22:45 CSI: Miami23:45 CSI: Crime SceneInvestigation

01:35 ITV News Headlines04:00 Columbo: a Friend in Deed05:40 ITV Nightscreen06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse07:25 The Hive07:50 Canimals08:05 The Avengers08:25 Rated A For Awesome08:50 Horrid Henry09:35 Shake It Up10:00 My Phone Genie10:25 ITV News10:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA11:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA12:20 Dinner Date: Australia13:15 ITV News and Weather13:29 Meridian Weather13:30 Countrywise13:45 Home Sweet Home14:45 Home Sweet Home15:45 Star Wars Episode VI:Return of the Jedi18:20 Meridian News and Weather18:35 ITV News and Weather18:50 The Golden Rules of TV19:20 New You've Been Framed!19:50 Take Me Out21:05 The X Factor22:50 The Jonathan Ross Show23:50 ITV News and Weather

00:05 Friday Night Dinner00:35 8 Out of 10 Cats01:25 Random Acts01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show01:55 My Name Is Earl02:20 Bob's Burgers02:45 Allen Gregory03:05 Napoleon Dynamite03:30 Charlie's Angels04:10 9021005:35 Deal or No Deal06:30 Countdown07:15 Channel 4 Presents07:20 The Treacle People07:30 Beach Volleyball08:25 British Rallycross08:50 Channel 4 Presents08:55 The Morning Line09:55 The Crush10:25 Made in Chelsea11:25 Suburgatory11:55 The Big Bang Theory12:55 The Simpsons13:25 The Simpsons13:55 Deal or No Deal14:55 Channel 4 Racing16:55 Come Dine with Me DownUnder19:25 Channel 4 News19:55 4thought.tv20:00 George Clarke's AmazingSpaces21:00 Heston's Fantastical Food22:00 Knight and Day

THE ROYALBRITISH LEGIONFESTIVAL OF

REMEMBRANCEHuw Edwards presents coverage of the annual eventfrom the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the Queenand other members of the royal family. Rod Stewart,Alexandra Burke, Russell Watson, the Overtones,Amore, Jonjo Kerr and the Military Wives Choir per-form alongside the Massed Bands of the HouseholdDivision, the band of HM Royal Marines, the Queen'sColour Squadron and the RAF Squadronaires.

The Courier Sunday TV November 11

07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Rastamouse08:00 Roar08:30 Deadly Art08:45 Copycats09:15 The Scooby-Doo Show09:40 Wingin' It10:00 Gastronuts10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites12:00 Two Minute Silence12:05 The Great British Bake Off13:05 Flog It!13:30 MotoGP15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World TourFinals17:50 Live International RugbyLeague20:00 Remembrance Sunday: TheCenotaph Highlights21:00 Operation Iceberg22:00 Dragons' Den23:00 Harry & Paul23:30 Hebburn

00:04 Meridian Weather00:05 The Fast and the Furious:Tokyo Drift02:00 The Store04:00 Ladette to Lady: Australia04:45 ITV Nightscreen06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Engie Benjy07:10 Special Agent Oso07:35 Signed Stories07:45 Monk07:50 Canimals08:05 Matt Hatter Chronicles08:25 Almost Naked Animals09:00 Phineas and Ferb09:30 Big Time Rush10:00 Good Luck Charlie10:25 ITV News10:30 House Gift11:30 The Unforgettable12:00 ITV News and Weather12:09 Meridian Weather12:10 Countrywise12:25 Dickinson's Real Deal13:25 Carry On Follow That Camel15:15 The X Factor17:00 The Home of Fabulous Cakes18:00 Downton Abbey19:25 Meridian News and Weather19:40 ITV News and Weather20:00 Surprise Surprise21:00 The X Factor22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out ofHere!23:35 ITV News and Weather23:49 Meridian Weather23:50 Piers Morgan's Life Stories

00:15 There's Something aboutMary02:30 Viva Riva!04:05 Hollyoaks06:10 Deal or No Deal07:05 Channel 4 Presents07:10 The Treacle People07:20 The Hoobs07:45 The Hoobs08:10 Extreme Sailing Series08:40 Cardiff Half Marathon09:05 Channel 4 Presents09:10 Will & Grace09:35 Frasier10:00 Frasier10:30 Sunday Brunch13:05 The Big Bang Theory13:35 The Big Bang Theory14:05 The Simpsons14:35 The Simpsons15:05 Hugh's 3 Good Things15:35 Hugh's 3 Good Things16:10 Hugh's 3 Good Things16:40 Hugh's 3 Good Things17:10 Hugh's 3 Good Things17:40 Time Team18:45 Furry Vengeance20:25 Channel 4 News20:55 4thought.tv21:00 How Britain Worked22:00 Homeland23:00 Friday Night Dinner23:30 Derren Brown: Fear and Faith

00:40 Forensic Files01:10 SuperCasino05:00 House Doctor05:25 Divine Designs05:50 County Secrets06:05 Hana's Helpline06:15 The Milkshake! Show06:40 Thomas & Friends06:50 Roary the Racing Car07:00 Peppa Pig07:05 Roary the Racing Car07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots07:25 Bert and Ernie's GreatAdventures07:30 The Mr Men Show07:45 Olive the Ostrich07:50 Abby's Flying Fairy School08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too08:05 Bananas in Pyjamas08:20 Play!08:30 Noddy in Toyland08:40 City of Friends08:50 Little Princess09:05 The Adventures of Bottle TopBill and His Best Friend Corky09:25 Angelina Ballerina09:45 Rupert Bear10:00 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus10:30 Roary the Racing Car10:45 Jelly Jamm11:00 Power Rangers: SuperSamurai11:35 ThunderCats12:00 5 News Special12:05 The Gadget Show13:05 Wild Things with DominicMonaghan14:05 Stuart Little 3: Call of theWild15:30 Cats & Dogs17:10 You've Got Mail19:25 5 News Weekend19:30 Lost in Space22:00 Valkyrie

01:10 The Football League Show02:25 Weatherview02:30 The Bottom Line03:00 BBC News03:30 Dateline London04:00 BBC News04:30 Martha, Meals and Malawi05:00 BBC News05:30 Click06:00 BBC News06:30 The Bottom Line07:00 Breakfast08:35 Match of the Day10:00 The Andrew Marr Show11:25 Remembrance Sunday: TheCenotaph11:25 Weather for the Week Ahead13:15 Sunday Politics14:30 Points of View14:45 Bargain Hunt15:10 Live International RugbyUnion17:30 Remembrance Week18:25 Songs of Praise19:00 BBC News; Regional Newsand Weather19:20 Countryfile20:20 Strictly Come Dancing21:00 Antiques Roadshow22:00 Andrew Marr's History of theWorld23:00 BBC News; Regional Newsand Weather23:25 Match of the Day 2

BBC201:15 The Night of the Generals03:30 Close

IM A CELEBRITYGET ME OUT OF

HERE!Ant and Dec present as a fresh batch of famous faceswave goodbye to their lives of luxury and set up homeamong the creepy-crawlies of the Australian jungle. Theline-up hasn't been revealed yet, but those rumoured tobe taking part include fashion duo Trinny andSusannah, former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, dartsace Eric Bristow, Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington,actress Linda Robson (Birds of a Feather) and formerCoronation Street star Helen Flanagan (RosieWebster).

40

The Courier Tuesday TV November 13

00:35 The Graham Norton Show01:20 Masquerade02:50 Weatherview02:55 The Choir: Sing While YouWork03:55 Holby City04:55 The Paradise05:55 HARDtalk06:00 BBC News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:15 Neighbourhood Blues11:00 Homes Under the Hammer11:58 BBC News; Weather12:00 Watchdog Daily12:45 Cash in the Attic13:13 BBC News; Weather13:15 Bargain Hunt14:00 BBC News; Weather14:30 Regional News and Weather14:45 Doctors15:15 Escape to the Country16:00 BBC News; Weather16:05 Deadly 6016:35 Lockie Leonard17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under17:25 Leon17:30 Junior MasterChef18:00 Newsround18:15 Pointless19:00 BBC News19:30 Regional News Programmes20:00 The One Show20:30 Inside Out21:00 EastEnders21:30 Panorama22:00 Richard Hammond's Miraclesof Nature23:00 BBC News23:25 Regional News and Weather23:35 Imagine

00:00 Soul Men01:35 Wonderful Town03:05 BBC News03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today04:00 BBC News04:30 Asia Business Report04:45 Sport Today05:00 BBC News05:30 HARDtalk05:55 Close07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots

07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest07:50 Rastamouse08:00 School of Silence08:30 Pet Squad08:40 Eliot Kid08:55 Newsround09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo?09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town09:45 I Can Cook with You10:00 ZingZillas10:15 Baby Jake10:25 Dipdap10:30 Wibbly Pig10:40 The Koala Brothers10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports10:50 Big & Small11:05 Big Barn Farm11:20 Charlie and Lola11:30 3rd & Bird11:40 Waybuloo12:00 In the Night Garden12:30 BBC World News13:00 Daily Politics14:00 Restoration Roadshow14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy15:15 Weakest Link16:00 Real Rescues16:45 Flog It!17:30 Breakaway18:15 Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is19:00 Eggheads19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - ItTakes Two20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip21:00 University Challenge21:30 MasterChef: TheProfessionals22:00 The Dark Charisma of AdolfHitler23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks23:30 Newsnight

00:45 Anglo-Welsh Cup RugbyUnion01:40 ITV News Headlines03:45 Golden Balls04:35 ITV Nightscreen06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Daybreak09:30 Lorraine10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show11:30 This Morning13:30 Loose Women14:30 ITV News and Weather14:55 Meridian News and Weather15:00 Crime Stories16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal16:59 Meridian Weather17:00 The Dales17:30 The Dales18:00 The Chase19:00 Meridian Tonight19:30 ITV News and Weather20:00 Emmerdale20:30 Coronation Street21:00 Little England21:30 Coronation Street22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out ofHere!23:00 ITV News at Ten andWeather23:30 Meridian Tonight andWeather23:35 The Agenda

00:25 Hatfields & McCoys01:30 How Do They Do It?02:00 SuperCasino05:00 The FBI Files05:50 County Secrets06:05 Hana's Helpline06:15 The Milkshake! Show06:40 Thomas & Friends06:50 Roary the Racing Car07:00 Thomas & Friends07:10 The WotWots07:20 Fireman Sam07:30 Jelly Jamm07:45 Peppa Pig07:50 Olive the Ostrich07:55 Little Princess08:10 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom08:20 The Mr Men Show08:35 Thomas & Friends08:45 Make Way for Noddy09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots09:15 Peppa Pig09:25 Peppa Pig09:30 Roary the Racing Car09:40 Bert and Ernie's GreatAdventures09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas10:00 Tickety Toc10:15 The Wright Stuff12:15 The Hotel Inspector13:10 5 News Lunchtime13:15 Best House in the Street14:15 Home and Away14:45 Neighbours15:15 CSI: Miami16:15 Amber's Story18:00 5 News at 518:30 Neighbours19:00 Home and Away19:30 5 News at 6.3020:00 Wild Things with DominicMonaghan21:00 The Gadget Show22:00 High Plains Drifter

00:35 Secret State01:35 C4 Comedy Presents: Themfrom That Thing02:05 American Football Live05:45 Grudge Match05:55 Countdown06:40 Make Do & Mend07:05 Channel 4 Presents07:10 The Hoobs08:00 Freshly Squeezed08:30 According to Jim08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond10:00 Frasier10:30 Frasier11:00 Undercover Boss Canada12:00 A Place in the Sun13:00 Channel 4 News13:05 SuperScrimpers13:35 Celebrity Come Dine with Me14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent15:40 Countdown16:30 1001 Things You ShouldKnow17:00 Deal or No Deal18:00 Come Dine with Me18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals19:00 The Simpsons19:30 Hollyoaks20:00 Channel 4 News20:55 4thought.tv21:00 Dispatches22:00 999: What's YourEmergency?23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats23:50 Full English

DISPATCHES

In November 2011, Englishman Neil Percival Heywooddied in a remote Chinese city, reportedly of alcohol poi-soning. However, within months of his memorial servicein London, his family learned that secretive CommunistParty investigators in China believed he was slippedcyanide by the wife of one of the country's leading polit-ical figures after he had tried to blackmail her. She wasconvicted for the murder and her husband drummedout of the party.

01:00 Shine02:40 Weatherview02:45 Wartime Farm03:45 Lorraine's Fast, Fresh andEasy Food04:15 Rip Off Food05:00 Rip Off Food05:45 HARDtalk06:00 BBC News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:15 Neighbourhood Blues11:00 Homes Under the Hammer11:58 BBC News; Weather12:00 Watchdog Daily12:45 Cash in the Attic13:13 BBC News; Weather13:15 Bargain Hunt14:00 BBC News; Weather14:30 Regional News and Weather14:45 Doctors15:15 Escape to the Country16:00 BBC News; Weather16:05 Deadly 6016:35 Lockie Leonard17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under17:25 Leon17:30 Junior MasterChef18:00 Newsround18:15 Pointless19:00 BBC News19:30 Weather20:00 The One Show20:30 EastEnders21:00 Holby City22:00 The Paradise23:00 BBC News23:25 Regional News and Weather23:25 National Lottery Update23:35 The Mind Reader: BetweenLife and Death

00:20 Dragons' Den01:20 Britain in a Day02:50 ABC World News with DianeSawyer03:00 BBC News03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today04:00 BBC News05:00 Schools: Music, Mud andMaking Money05:30 Schools: Children at Work 1 -Football06:00 Schools - In My Shoes: China

07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest07:50 Rastamouse08:00 School of Silence08:30 Pet Squad08:40 Eliot Kid08:55 Newsround09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo?09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town09:45 I Can Cook with You10:00 ZingZillas10:15 Baby Jake10:25 Dipdap10:30 Wibbly Pig10:40 The Koala Brothers10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports11:05 Big Barn Farm11:20 Charlie and Lola11:30 3rd & Bird11:40 Waybuloo12:00 In the Night Garden12:30 BBC World News13:00 Daily Politics14:00 Restoration Roadshow14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy15:15 Weakest Link16:00 Real Rescues16:45 Flog It!17:30 Breakaway18:15 Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is19:00 Eggheads19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - ItTakes Two20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip21:00 MasterChef: TheProfessionals22:00 Dara O Briain's Science Club23:00 Later Live - with Jools Holland23:30 Newsnight

00:05 Training Day02:15 ITV News Headlines04:00 Champions League Weekly04:25 ITV Nightscreen05:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Daybreak09:30 Lorraine10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show11:30 This Morning13:30 Loose Women14:30 ITV News and Weather14:55 Meridian News and Weather15:00 Crime Stories16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal16:59 Meridian Weather17:00 The Dales18:00 The Chase19:00 Meridian Tonight19:30 ITV News and Weather20:00 Emmerdale20:30 The Martin Lewis MoneyShow21:00 Deirdre and Me: 40 Years onCoronation Street22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out ofHere!23:00 ITV News at Ten andWeather23:30 Meridian Tonight andWeather23:35 Take Me Out

00:20 Random Acts00:25 Alan Carr: Chatty Man01:25 Shameless02:20 The Good Wife03:45 St Elsewhere04:35 Supernanny US05:15 Supernanny US05:55 Deal or No Deal06:50 Make Do & Mend07:15 The Hoobs08:05 Freshly Squeezed08:35 According to Jim09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond10:05 Frasier11:00 Undercover Boss Canada12:00 A Place in the Sun13:00 Channel 4 News13:05 SuperScrimpers13:35 Celebrity Come Dine with Me14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent15:40 Countdown16:30 1001 Things You ShouldKnow17:00 Deal or No Deal18:00 Come Dine with Me18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals19:00 The Simpsons19:30 Hollyoaks20:00 Channel 4 News20:55 4thought.tv21:00 George Clarke's AmazingSpaces22:00 Heston's Fantastical Food23:00 Fresh Meat23:50 Random Acts23:55 Homeland

00:15 Out for Justice02:00 SuperCasino05:00 HouseBusters05:25 House Doctor05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge06:10 Wildlife SOS06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Thomas & Friends07:10 The WotWots07:20 Fireman Sam07:30 Jelly Jamm07:45 Peppa Pig07:50 Olive the Ostrich07:55 Little Princess08:10 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom08:20 The Mr Men Show08:35 Thomas & Friends08:45 Make Way for Noddy09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots09:15 Peppa Pig09:25 Peppa Pig09:30 Roary the Racing Car09:40 Bert and Ernie's GreatAdventures09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas10:00 Tickety Toc10:15 The Wright Stuff12:15 The Hotel Inspector13:10 5 News Lunchtime13:15 Best House in the Street14:15 Home and Away14:45 Neighbours15:15 CSI: Miami16:15 Bonneville18:00 5 News at 518:30 Neighbours19:00 Home and Away19:30 5 News at 6.3020:00 Highland Emergency21:00 Rolf's Animal Clinic22:00 Body of Proof23:00 CSI: NY23:55 CSI: NY

HESTONS FANTASTICAL

FOODHeston Blumenthal recalls the 1970s heyday of theice-cream van and tries to kick-start a revival of thisailing British tradition by planning to build the world'sbiggest 99 Flake - taller than five metres and weighingin at more than a ton. With Europe's largest ice-creamfactory at his disposal, he begins production with helpfrom some of the experts behind the Olympic Stadium,and plans to serve his creation from the back a van inGloucester.

The Courier Monday TV November 12

41

The Courier Wednesday TV November 14

The Courier Thursday TV November 15

00:35 Veronica Guerin02:10 Weatherview02:15 Exploring China03:15 Servants04:15 Rip Off Food05:00 Paul Martin's HandmadeRevolution05:45 HARDtalk06:00 BBC News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:15 Neighbourhood Blues11:00 Homes Under the Hammer11:58 BBC News; Weather12:00 Watchdog Daily12:45 Cash in the Attic13:13 BBC News; Weather13:15 Bargain Hunt14:00 BBC News; Weather14:30 Regional News and Weather14:45 Doctors15:15 Escape to the Country16:00 BBC News; Weather16:05 Deadly 6016:35 Lockie Leonard17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under17:25 Leon17:30 Junior MasterChef18:00 Newsround18:15 Pointless19:00 BBC News19:30 Weather20:00 The One Show21:00 DIY SOS22:00 Brazil with Michael Palin23:00 BBC News23:25 Regional News and Weather23:35 The National Lottery 23:45 Have I Got a Bit More Newsfor You

00:20 Imagine01:50 HARDtalk02:00 Newsday02:30 ABC World News 03:00 BBC News03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today04:00 BBC News04:30 Asia Business Report04:45 Sport Today05:00 Schools06:00 Who Are We?06:55 Primary English Promo -

Learning Zone Broadband07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest07:50 Rastamouse08:00 School of Silence08:30 Pet Squad08:40 Eliot Kid08:55 Newsround09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo?09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town09:45 I Can Cook with You10:00 ZingZillas10:15 Baby Jake10:25 Dipdap10:30 Wibbly Pig10:40 The Koala Brothers10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports11:05 Big Barn Farm11:20 Charlie and Lola11:30 3rd & Bird11:40 Waybuloo12:00 In the Night Garden12:30 BBC World News13:00 Animal Park14:00 See Hear14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy15:15 Weakest Link16:00 Real Rescues16:45 Flog It!17:30 Breakaway18:15 Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is19:00 Eggheads19:30 Strictly Come Dancing21:00 MasterChef: TheProfessionals22:00 The Hour23:00 The Culture Show23:30 Newsnight23:30 Weather

00:50 Grimefighters01:15 Jackpot24704:00 Loose Women04:50 ITV Nightscreen06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Daybreak09:30 Lorraine10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show11:30 This Morning13:30 Loose Women14:30 ITV News and Weather14:55 Meridian News and Weather15:00 Crime Stories16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal16:59 Meridian Weather17:00 Midsomer Murders18:00 The Chase19:00 Meridian Tonight19:15 ITV News and Weather19:45 Emmerdale20:15 Live International Football22:45 ITV News and Weather23:15 Meridian Tonight andWeather23:20 International FootballHighlights

01:00 European Poker Tour02:00 Channel 4 Presents02:05 Sailing02:30 KOTV Boxing Weekly03:00 Beach Volleyball03:55 Bullrun04:20 British Rallycross04:45 Extreme Sailing Series05:15 Cardiff Half Marathon05:45 Ironman Triathlon06:10 Deal or No Deal07:05 Channel 4 Presents07:10 The Hoobs08:00 Freshly Squeezed08:30 According to Jim09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond10:00 Frasier11:00 Undercover Boss Canada12:00 A Place in the Sun13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 SuperScrimpers13:35 Come Dine with Me14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent15:40 Countdown16:30 1001 Things You ShouldKnow17:00 Deal or No Deal18:00 Come Dine with Me18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals19:00 The Simpsons19:30 Hollyoaks20:00 Channel 4 News20:55 4thought.tv21:00 SuperScrimpers22:00 Grand Designs23:00 Secret State

00:55 CSI: Crime SceneInvestigation01:45 Forensic Files02:10 SuperCasino05:00 HouseBusters05:25 House Doctor05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge06:10 Wildlife SOS06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Thomas & Friends07:10 The WotWots07:20 Fireman Sam07:30 Jelly Jamm07:45 Peppa Pig07:50 Olive the Ostrich07:55 Little Princess08:10 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom08:20 The Mr Men Show08:35 Thomas & Friends08:45 Make Way for Noddy09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots09:15 Peppa Pig09:25 Peppa Pig09:30 Roary the Racing Car09:40 Bert and Ernie's GreatAdventures09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas10:00 Tickety Toc10:15 The Wright Stuff12:15 The Hotel Inspector13:10 5 News Lunchtime13:15 Best House in the Street14:15 Home and Away14:45 Neighbours15:15 CSI: Miami16:15 Hostile Makeover18:00 5 News at 518:30 Neighbours19:00 Home and Away19:30 5 News at 6.3020:00 Emergency Bikers21:00 The Removal Men22:00 Erin Brockovich

00:20 Rumor Has It..02:05 ITV News Headlines04:00 Columbo: the Most CrucialGame05:20 ITV Nightscreen06:30 ITV Morning News07:00 Daybreak09:30 Lorraine10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show11:30 This Morning13:30 Loose Women14:30 ITV News and Weather14:55 Meridian News and Weather15:00 Crime Stories16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal16:59 Meridian Weather17:00 Midsomer Murders18:00 The Chase19:00 Meridian Tonight19:30 ITV News and Weather20:00 Emmerdale21:00 Coronation Street21:30 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out ofHere!23:00 ITV News at Ten andWeather23:30 Meridian Tonight andWeather23:35 Corfu: A Tale of Two Islands

00:05 Random Acts00:10 Geordies Overboard01:10 Abbey Road Studios: InSession01:55 Spotlight02:10 The Crush03:05 9021003:45 Do Not Disturb05:30 Deal or No Deal06:25 Countdown07:10 The Hoobs08:00 Freshly Squeezed08:30 According to Jim09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond10:00 Frasier11:00 Undercover Boss Canada12:00 A Place in the Sun13:00 Channel 4 News13:05 SuperScrimpers13:35 Come Dine with Me14:35 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent15:40 Countdown16:30 1001 Things You ShouldKnow17:00 Deal or No Deal18:00 Come Dine with Me18:30 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals19:00 The Simpsons19:30 Hollyoaks20:00 Channel 4 News20:55 4thought.tv21:00 Kirstie's Vintage Home22:00 Everyday23:50 999: What's YourEmergency?

00:45 Law & Order: Special VictimsUnit01:40 Forensic Files02:05 SuperCasino05:00 HouseBusters05:25 House Doctor05:45 Michaela's Wild Challenge06:10 Wildlife SOS06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Thomas & Friends07:10 The WotWots07:20 Fireman Sam07:30 Jelly Jamm07:45 Peppa Pig07:50 Olive the Ostrich07:55 Little Princess08:10 Ben and Holly's LittleKingdom08:20 The Mr Men Show08:35 Thomas & Friends08:45 Noddy in Toyland09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots09:15 Peppa Pig09:25 Peppa Pig09:30 Roary the Racing Car09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas10:00 Tickety Toc10:15 The Wright Stuff12:15 The Hotel Inspector13:10 5 News Lunchtime13:15 Best House in the Street14:15 Home and Away14:45 Neighbours15:15 CSI: Miami16:15 A Decent Proposal18:00 5 News at 518:30 Neighbours19:00 Home and Away19:30 5 News at 6.3020:00 Rolf's Animal Clinic21:00 WW1's Tunnels of Death:The Big Dig22:00 Hatfields & McCoys23:00 Valkyrie

00:25 National Lottery Update00:55 Salvage02:15 Weatherview02:20 See Hear02:50 Andrew Marr's History of theWorld03:50 Rip Off Food05:20 BBC News05:30 Panorama06:00 BBC News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC News07:00 Breakfast10:15 Neighbourhood Blues11:00 Homes Under the Hammer11:58 BBC News; Weather12:00 Watchdog Daily12:45 Cash in the Attic13:15 Bargain Hunt14:00 BBC News; Weather14:30 Regional News and Weather14:45 Doctors15:15 Escape to the Country16:00 BBC News; Weather16:05 Deadly 6016:35 Lockie Leonard17:00 Prank Patrol Down Under17:25 Leon17:30 Junior MasterChef17:30 Shaun the Sheep 18:00 Newsround18:15 Pointless19:00 BBC News19:30 Weather19:30 Regional News Programmes20:00 The One Show20:30 BBC News; Regional News20:30 EastEnders21:00 Young Apprentice22:00 Hunted23:00 BBC News23:25 Regional News and Weather23:35 Question Time

00:20 Great Continental RailwayJourneys01:20 Storyville02:20 Newsday02:30 ABC World News03:00 BBC News03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today04:00 BBC News04:30 Asia Business Report04:45 Sport Today05:00 Schools06:00 Spark

07:00 Zigby07:10 Finley the Fire Engine07:20 Little Robots07:30 64 Zoo Lane07:45 Chuggington: Badge Quest07:50 Rastamouse08:00 School of Silence08:30 Pet Squad08:40 Eliot Kid08:55 Newsround09:00 What's New Scooby-Doo?09:25 Mister Maker Comes to Town09:45 I Can Cook with You10:00 ZingZillas10:15 Baby Jake10:25 Dipdap10:30 Wibbly Pig10:40 The Koala Brothers10:50 Octonauts: Creature Reports11:05 Big Barn Farm11:20 Charlie and Lola11:30 3rd & Bird11:40 Waybuloo12:00 In the Night Garden12:30 BBC World News13:00 Animal Park14:00 Restoration Roadshow14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy15:15 Weakest Link16:00 Real Rescues16:45 Flog It!17:30 Breakaway18:15 Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is19:00 Eggheads19:30 Strictly Come Dancing20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip21:00 MasterChef: TheProfessionals22:00 Great Continental RailwayJourneys23:00 Hebburn23:30 Newsnight

THE HOUR

New series. The newsroom drama returns. It isNovember 1957 and a year has passed since TheHour was unceremoniously taken off air during thecontroversial interview with Lord Elms and much haschanged. With the nation's attention focused on aperceived Soviet nuclear threat, Head of NewsRandall Brown (The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi)decides to shake up the team by bringing Freddieback.

VALKYRIESecond World War drama based on a true story, star-ring Tom Cruise. As Germany continues to fight aseemingly unwinnable war, dissent begins to growagainst Hitler among his senior politicians and high-ranking military officers. It falls to decorated heroColonel Claus von Stauffenberg to lead a plot to killthe Führer and seize control of Berlin.


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Ref: 61, A lovely two bed-roomed ground floor apart-ment, located in the centreof the small Spanish town ofLos Montesinos, With apleasant communal swim-ming pool adjacent & allamenities in walking dis-

tance. Long and short termrental available. Call: 965707 188 or 626 397 397FULLY FURNISHED 2 BED2 BATH TOWNHOUSE,WITH COMMUNAL POOL.CLOSE TO BEACH. SANTI-AGO DE LA RIBERA. 450€PCM + BILLS 968 335 638 –628 668 718 (91)Viva Villa and VacationServices, For Short or LongTerm Rentals visit: www.vil-laandvacation.com or Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 3972 or 3 bed / 2 bath apart-ments in San Miguel. Lift,communal rooftop pool &solarium, video entry sys-tem. Available for short orlong term rent from 300pcm. Tel 966723437 or636615716. (91) Ref. RS69 – Spacious town-centre apartment only a twominute walk from the beachand well known MarinaInternational in Torreviejacentre. 2 large bedrooms, 1full bathroom, fully fur-nished, 350 € pcm. 966 923963Ref. KBJ3 – Luxury duplexpenthouse apartment locat-ed near the marina inGuardamar. 3 bedrooms, 2bathrooms, amazingpanoramic views, inc.park-ing and storage. 600 € pcm.966 923 963Ref. CBR21 – A rare chanceto rent a frontline beachapartment in Torrevieja!Ground floor with large ter-race, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath-

room, direct and full-on seaviews. 500 € pcm. 966 923963Ref. CBR20 – Spanish style4th floor apartment right onthe beach! 3 bedrooms, 1bathroom, lovely balcony tosoak up the amazing seaviews. 500 € pcm. 966 923963Ref. CBR19 – 2 bedroom 1bathroom apartment insought after area beachsidePunta Prima, with commu-nal pool and fully furnished,only 400 € pcm. 966 923963Ref. CBR18 – Fabulousfinca-style villa only metresfrom Punta Prima beach, 3bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,garage, private pool, andmuch more! 900 € pcm(price inc. Gardener andpool maint.) 966 923 963Ref. CBR3 – 2 bedroom 2bathroom townhouse locat-ed in Algorfa, communalpool, fully furnished, 300 €pcm. 966 923 963Ref. RS20 – 2 bedroom 1bathroom apartment withinprivate enclosed residentialin San Luis, large terrace,375 € pcm. 966 923 963Ref: 49, 2nd floor one bed-room apartment situatedconveniently located in thetown centre of Torrevieja,with a small sun balconyoverlooking the lovely com-munal pool. Short or longterm rental available. Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 397 CBR23 : Stylish new housein Los Montesinos, 3 bed 2bath with large 65m2garage, front and back ter-races. 500 € pcm. 966 923 Ref 33, Ground floor spa-cious 2 bedroom apartment,located in Torre la Mata.Close to all amenities andbeach. 3 month rental€300pcm Call: 965 707 188or 626 397 397Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apart-ment in Torrevieja, (neargypsy lane), small balcony,near all amenities andFriday market. €350pcmCall: 965 707 188 or 626397 397Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bed-room detached villa with itsprivate pool is located on theEl Raso urbanisation nearGuardamar. Convenient forall amenities, shops, super-market, restaurants andbars. Short term rental avail-

able. Call: 965 707 188 or626 397 397 Ref: 155, Luxurious ThreeBedroom Villa With PrivatePool, in Quesada Close toshops and restaurants with-in a five minute drive, andGuadamar Beach is within aten minute drive. Short termrental €800PCM. Call: 965707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bed-room apartment, locatednear los Locos beach, beau-tifully furnished. Short termrentals from 175€ per week.Call: 965 707 188 or 626397 397El Chaparel/La Siesta Twobedroom apartment in aquiet gated urbanisation forrent €350 per month plusbills. Reference No 17 Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 397Ref: 709, A lovely 1 bed-room apartment in AguasNuevas, within a 5 minutewalk of the beach. There is aterrace outside with views tothe sea. Short or long termrental available. Call: 965707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 117, A Lovely 3Bedroomed 1st floor apart-ment on the outskirts ofTorrevieja (Mar Azul). TheApartment is in walking dis-tance of the excellentbeaches and a good selec-tion of restaurants, shopsand bars. Long and shortterm rental available. Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 397Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1stfloor apartment situated in

Monino Blanco. The proper-ty overlooks a superb com-munal pool area, in withinwalking distance of bars,restaurants and shops.Short or long term rentalavailable. Call: 965 707 188or 626 397 397

Comprehensive cover forhouse and contents withCASER Seguros - excellentprices for expats; policiesavailable in English orGerman. Call 966 923 963for a quote.Lovely Corner property inNovamar V, Gran Alacant. 2bedrooms, 2 BathroomsBeing sold fully furnishedincluding appliances, Hassecure underground parkingand faces large oasis com-munal pool. Walking dis-tance to beach. 139.000Euros, Call 627 711 155 andquote Ref No. K10Ground floor duplex, withsplendid views. Quiet loca-tion in Gran Alacant.Immaculate condition. Pricehas just been reduced to105.000 and includes every-thing. For viewing call 627711 155 Ref. No K27Rare opportunity to pur-chase on Mediterrania III,Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms, PrivateParking, F/Furnished, Largecommunal pools & Tenniscourts S/W facing,

Dramatically reduced forquick sale to 126.000 euros.Ref No. K58 Call 627 711155 for immediate viewingRef: 521, €105,000. Thiscomfortable bungalow islocated in San Luis with anew roof and solarium tiles.It is close to supermarkets,bars, restaurants and is onthe local bus route. Call: 965707 188 or 626 397 397 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms,Large Kitchen with Galleria,Secure underground park-ing, Gas Central Heating,Glazed in Porch, Solariumwith stunning views.Viewings absolutely essen-tial. Very large property atreduced price of 190.000euros. Ref No. K38 Call 627711 155 Opportunity to purchase atthe off plan price of 195.000euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 BathBrand new property. Secureunderground parking for 2cars and communal pool.Situated opposite GranAlacant and over looks pro-jected golf course. Ref No.K52. 627 711 155Viva Villa and VacationServices are pleased tooffer property sales for theTorrevieja and Oriheulaareas of the Costa Blanca,Spain. Call: 965 707 188 or626 397 397 or Visit :www.villaandvacation.com


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2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floorduplex. Central heating,Grills, Fully furnished,Glazed in Galleria, 2 com-munal pools, private parkingand walking distance to theGran Alacant commercialcentre. Situated in the popu-lar urbanisation of PuertoMarino. Now only 96,500euros for quick sale Ref No.K46. 627 711 155Immaculate ground floorDuplex, 2 beds, 2 bath,Private Parking, Situated inNovamar, Gran Alacant.Price includes very tastefulfurniture and white goods.Walking distance to all localamenities and beach. Nowonly 129,750 euros. Ref NoK24. 627 711 155Gran Alacant Detached villa,located in a very soughtafter location.Situated on a560m2 S/W facing plot andconstructed in 2005.Comprising of 3 bedrooms,3 bathrooms (2 full baths),Lounge-Diner, fullyequipped Kitchen, Porchand Solarium with Alicante &Sea Views. ref.L81.

€258,000 neg. Tel.680333242Ref 533: Lovely 2 bedroomTownhouse located in thepopular area of PuntaPrima, the property has alarge lounge and fullyequipped kitchen, 2 doublebedrooms, one with balcony,bathroom with double show-er. €126,000 Call: 965 707188 or 626 397 397Gran Alacant Town Housewith a difference. 2Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms,Glazed in Porch, QuietLocation, Extra storageareas, and South FacingPrivate Pool as well as 2communal pools. FullyFurnished, All mod cons.Greenland Views and alllocal amenities close by.Ref. No L79. 179.000 euros680 333 242Gran Alacant immaculatevilla, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath-roomed property maintainedto a very high standardinside and out and the interi-or furnishings are top quali-ty, offering a feeling of luxuryand good taste. The plotsize is 400m2 and has beenbeautifully tiles, and grav-eled and has establishedpalms and plants. Oil firedcentral heating throughout,log effect fire place, ceilingfans in all rooms, towelheater rails, glazed in show-er units, instant hot water,water purifier, free EnglishTV, phone & internet lines,fitted double hangingwardrobes, safe, glazed infront porch, vanity units and

much more. The pool is an 8X 4 m2 salt water pool,meaning maintenance ismuch easier plus outsidetoilet and shower. Sea viewsto front with Greenlandviews to the rear. ref K51.€245,000 Tel 680333242 Balsares is opposite GranAlacant where the proposedgolf course is now beingstarted so this property willvirtually be on the golfcourse, it is an investmentnot to be missed. The prop-erty is on a small gatedurbanisation of 18 houseswith private undergroundparking for 2 cars and directaccess to the house, com-munal pool andtoilets/changing rooms etc.The house is brand new andconsists of 4 bedrooms, 3bathrooms, lounge withworking fire place, largekitchen 12 m2, large galle-ria/ utility room, bedroombalcony and front tiled ter-race. This property also hasa converted under build foran extra lounge or bedroom.ref K52 €198,000 Tel680333242Ref: 516, €39,999. Studioapartment in San Luis, closeto amenities. Open plan fullyequipped kitchen. Goodsized lounge, bedroom andout onto balcony which hasbeen glazed to createanother room. Call: 965 707188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 510, €70,000.Bungalow located in SanLuis. It is close to the super-markets, bars and restau-rants and is on the local busroute. An Opel Corsa car isincluded in this sale. Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: KP3100, €183,000.Three bedroom, two bath-room detached villa, locatedin San Luis, on a 450sqmplot, with communal pool.Garage to side of house.Call: 965 707 188 or 626397 397 Ref: 78, €120,000. Threebedroom Quad in Jardin DelMar VII. There is off-roadparking and small storageshed in the enclosed gardenarea, communal pool near-by. Call: 965 707 188 or 626397 397 Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1bedroom apartment inAguas Nuevas, within a 5minute walk of the beach.There is a terrace outsidewith views to the sea. Shortor long term rental available.Call: 965 707 188 or 626397 397 Gran Alacant Opportunity topurchase a beautiful 3 bed-roomed, 3 bathroomed,largekitchen, detached propertywith rooftop solarium. Wellestablished gardens anddrive way for 2 cars, whilstalso overlooking the project-ed 18 hole golf course.Comprising of fittedwardrobes, utility room, air

con H/C, alarm system,electric wall heaters, inter-com system, fireplace, ceil-ings fans, 8x7 gazebo, useof 2 large communal pools,immaculate condition withmany extras. ref K12.€180,000 Tel 680333242Gran Alacant bargain,detached villa with pool on400m2 plot. Briefly compris-ing of 3 bedrooms, 3 bath-

rooms, Lounge Diner, inde-pendent kitchen, solariumwith views, well maintainedgardens. Quiet location yetwithin walking distance of allamenities. Top quality furni-ture and appliances includ-ed in the price. Extrasinclude, mosquito nets,grills, toldos blinds, built inwardrobes, gas fire, electricheating, ceiling fans, English


MOSQIUITOSCREENS

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& Spanish TV, tastefully tiled& graveled garden with irri-gation system. ref K43.€229,000 Tel 680333242Gran Alacant South facingattractive corner houseSituated in the sought afterurbanization of Monte Faro,this secure gated urbaniza-tion offers a stunning oasispool, with mountain views,tennis courts and footballcourts. Consisting of 3 dou-

ble beds with balconies, 2bathrooms, kitchen leadingonto court yard which caneasily be converted into anextra room, lounge dinerwith working fireplace, frontgarden with private parkingfor 2 cars. Being sold fullyfurnishes with white goods,built in 2006 so immaculatecondition hardly lived in. RefK48 €168,000 priced forquick sale Tel 680333242

Gran Alacant, Largedetached villa with beautifulgardens set on 550m2 plot,built in BBQ area and large10x6 pool.Comprising of 3Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms,Lounge Diner with fire place,Independent Kitchen, aircon H/C, Solarium, frontporch, converted under buildwith 3 extra rooms, privatecovered parking, irrigatedgardens, close distance tobeach and amenities. Ref.K18 €250,000 Tel680333242 Gran Alacant Gem!Fabulous detached Villa,with Alicante sea views tothe front and wood landviews to the rear, means thisimmaculate villa is very pri-vate and un-overlooked.Comprising of 2 large bed-rooms with fitted wardrobes,2 bath, large fully equippedkitchen,glazed porch sittingarea, solarium, AttractivePool with cover, well main-tained Gardens. CentralHeating, Air Con, Ceilingfans, Private Parking, Alarmsystem, Decorative workingFire Place complete withelectric Fire. Outdoor work-shop/storage area, QualityPergola & BBQ.Constructed in 2006, on plotsize of 380m2 and beingsold fully furnished includingwhite goods. ref L80.€234,995 Tel 680333242Gran Alacant, Situated frontline to the famous blue flagbeaches of Carabassi, thereal beauty of this property

is its proximity to the beach,but also on offer is a fantas-tic communal pool situatedin beautifully kept gardenswith little Spanish walkways.Comprising of 2 bed-rooms, 2 bathrooms, loungediner, American style kitchenincluding all appliances, rooftop solarium with stunningviews, front porch area withfront garden and a secureunderground garage. fullyfurnished Ref. K23€125,000 rare opportunityTel 680333242 Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bed-room apartment in DreamHills, with a fully equipped

kitchen, large lounge,glazed-in terrace and alarge solarium. This propertycomes with a large commu-nal swimming pool. Call:965 707 188 or 626 397 397Top floor Duplex. Very goodprice of 108.000 euros for aquick sale. Furnished to avery high standard, 2 bed-rooms, 1 bathroom, LoungeDiner, Glazed in Porch,Large Roof Top Solarium.Choice of Communal Pools,Private Parking. Walkingdistance to all amenities andon the First urbanisation asyou enter Gran Alacant.Viewing essential. Ref No.K44. Tel. 627 711 155

Small removals, deliveries &storage. Spain-UK-Spain.Budget prices. www.span-ishmoves.net UK 01209843971 or Spain 678 756644 (93)

Serenity Free Trips are look-ing for Inviters in CostaBlanca South. Want to knowmore? Call Sue (00 34) 691063 203

Experienced quiz-master/question setter withpersonality available to hostquiz nights in local bars.Tel:- 664 838 581

Need English speakingsolicitors in Torrevieja? Letus help to solve your prob-lems with debt recovery,divorce, property, fraud,criminal defence. Call us on966 923 963, give us briefdetails and get in touch withyour specialist solicitortoday.

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RAG AND BONE MAN

WE have all seen the dif-ferent types of putter,whether they be shaftsthat anchor into yourbelly to look-a-like brand-ing iron type malletheads, to unorthodoxgrips and broom handle.So let’s look at them.

Putting is the one part ofthe game where you canreally tap into your creativeside. Let’s face it, all youhave to do is simply to rollthe ball in the hole, butthere are many ways to do iteffectively.

It doesn't matter whichmethod you use, as longyour wrists stay still duringthe stroke. You can see thevariety of ways that tourpros have had success grip-ping their putters in recentyears. As long as your gripmakes it easy to minimisewrist action, then I say gofor it.

The most consistent wayto roll the ball on line is with

an upper-body-drivenstroke -your upper bodymoves back and throughlike a pendulum. Yourhands move the handle, butthe wrists stay still for themost part.

A hinging or unhinging ofthe wrists often alters theface angle and makes it dif-ficult to roll the ball whereyou want. Because puttershave so little loft thesedays, the position of theface at impact - not the pathof the stroke - is almostcompletely responsible forthe direction of the ball.

My advice is to try severaldifferent grips until you findone that suits you and helpsyou keep those wrists niceand steady.

Or use the KISS method -Keep It Simple Stupid

IN these days of reces-sion, financial constraintsand increasing of IVA(VAT), it is far more impor-tant for businesses - andin our case golf courses -to up their game andinvest in marketing.

Tourism and golf go handin glove, a fact that escapesthe Spanish government.And for golf courses to easethemselves out of the eco-nomic recession they haveto look very closely at theirmarketing strategy and cus-tomer support - to keep thecustomers and get newones.

That is why, in my opin-ion, it was a bad move to tryto save money by stoppingsponsorship on all levels ofEuropean Tour golf tourna-ments. With the global toolof television on hand, thiswould provide exposure forall aspects of golf tourism.But neglecting it will meanno exposure - and it willtake a long time to gettourist confidence back.

Some golf businessesand services elect toincrease income or try toreduce the effects of a

downturn in customer orproduct by increasing theunit price. Very short termand shortsighted.

So increase the market-ing of the product - it willenable the business to be ina better condition through-out the financial bad timeswhen the recessional bitereduces.

Satisfying the needs ofthe golfer has, in my opin-ion, never been moreimportant, and attractingrepeat green fees is a vitalway to ensure income.

Golf courses here seemto think they are predomi-nately dependent on the“visiting golfer”. However,the resident golfer and thegolf societies are andshould be considered as“repeat green fees” as theirloyalty is without question.

The word of mouth fromthese golfers is worth awhole lot more than adver-tising through “third par-ties”.

There are those golfcourses that go out of theirway to encourage visitorsand societies, while othersare not particularly interest-ed.

For those wishing toattract visitors, it is quitesurprising to find a largeproportion of this categoryengaged in finding first-timevisitors, instead of consid-ering the merits of encour-aging repeat green fees.

If you asked golf clubs tomake any comment on this,they would be likely to say:

“If they enjoyed playingthe course they’ll be back”

But wait a minute, if thereare other clubs in the vicini-

ty of a similar standard, howcan they secure repeatbusiness?

In my opinion golf clubscan and should do more toencourage repeat business.

Apart from the weatherthey can make a visitinggroup or visitor feel morewelcome.

For example, the follow-ing could be used,...

1. Use a special welcomeboard, and a branded menufor societies or groups

2. Have the Marshall wel-come and brief the playerson the course before theyget to the first tee.

3. Offer groups a “wel-come pack” which includesa course plan, tee, ballmarker, pitch mark repairerand a ball.

Once the golfer gets outon the course it’s the playa-

bility and aesthetics of thecourse which are noted –the speed of play, ease withwhich the layout can be fol-lowed, as well as how longand tough the rough is orwhether the bunkers haverakes and if they are used.

Different categories ofgolfers will be influenced bydifferent things. For exam-ple high handicap golferswill prefer plenty of room tospray the ball about withoutthe penalty of landing inwaist high rough, losing aball, or having great difficul-ty in getting it out.

A well presented coursemakes a big impression onvisiting golfers who enjoytrim and shaped fairways,low penalty rough, distinctpathways, good and truegreens and clear guidanceon hazards.

When the golf is finishedthe group of golfers will goto the clubhouse. The facil-ities and staff offering serv-ice are always recognisedby the visiting golfer. Agreat day’s golf can beruined by poor facilities,high prices and poor valuefor money and/or inatten-tive staff.

In this day and age, visit-ing golfers make a judge-ment on the whole day’sexperience rather than justthe standard of golf.

As a general rule, sellingand promoting to the first-time customer can cost fivetimes as much as dealingwith existing customers.

Of course, there have tobe first-time customers, butit is far more beneficial tokeep 60% repeat rate. It isa less costly business andis easier to convince some-one who has already expe-rienced a good time.

If you think this would bebetter directed at golfcourses, you’re absolutelycorrect. Let’s hope they areencouraged to read it. Thenmaybe we will all be betteroff for it.


Greenside GossipIVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - [email protected]

A MAN returns home exhausted from a day at golf andplops down on the settee in front of the TV.“Hey darling,” he shouts to his wife, “Get me a beerbefore it starts”.His wife sighs and fetches him a beer. “Actually,” hesays as she’s walking away, “I’ll probably need anotherone before it starts”.She looks angry, but fetches another can and slams itdown in front of him.But after gulping down both beers, he is still not satis-fied, “Quick, get me another beer”, he says. “It’s going tostart any minute”.“No I won’t!” she screams furiously. “Is that all you’regoing to do, after you’ve been out all day playing golf, siton your backside all night in front of the TV drinkingbeer? You’re nothing but a lazy, golf loving, drunkenslob – and that’s not all …..”“Damn”, he sighs. “It’s started”.

MARKET FORCE

TITTER ON THE TEE

Satisfying golfers’ needs is key to game’s success

PUTTING…GETTING TO GRIPS

THIS victory moves CDMontesinos up to joint sec-ond in the table - just onepoint behind leadersOrihuela Costa. After a quiet opening 30minutes it was Victor whoworked his magic, leavingtwo defenders in his wakeand crossing for Chulo totap in the opening goal. Minutes later, Monte couldhave doubled their lead,but Victor’s shot struck adesperate defender on theback and went for a corner.

The second half saw CDMontesinos looking toextend their lead and muchto the delight of their manytravelling supporters, theydid just that as M & A wasbrought down in the homepenalty area. Andresstepped up to slot the ballhome for a 2-0 lead.

The home side were start-ing to get frustrated and itwas Victor who took mostof their aggression. But theMonte striker got his ownback as he scored the thirdgoal after good work outwide by substituteRodrigo. There was still time for

Formentera to have twoplayers plus their managersent off .CD Montesinos are athome against the otherMontesinos side, TodoDeporte, at the CampoMunicipal de Futbol in LosMontesinos on Sunday(4.15pm kickoff).

NOT long after I came tolive here in Spain – canthat really be 14 yearsago? – I was discussingmissing live UK footballwith my expat mateRobert.

Torrevieja’s a little wayaway from us in La Marina,and erm…well, no disre-spect to anyone, but we bothfelt we were missing adecent standard of football(mind you, Robert’s aBrighton supporter, so howhe’d know – now stop it,John, this is serious).

So we made someenquiries where the nearest‘decent’ level of football was,and came up in favour of –Elche!

Initially I had a problemmentally with the City ofPalms. The first time I everdrove out here from the UK,due to my wife-and-navigator’s mild illness en-route we ended up on thelast leg of the long journeylost in Elche at about twoo’clock in the morning.

In the centre, lost in itsmyriad of narrow streets, ittook me over an hour to findmy way out. So I was pleas-

antly surprised to find thefootball stadium was right atone end of Elche, in a pleas-ant, modern new-build hous-ing area, adjacent to a trad-ing estate.

The stadium is exactlyopposite to the Carrefour/ElAljub end of the city, and thecongested little streets in thecentre are a long way fromthe ground. The easiest wayto go there is to hit the ringroad, bear right and keepgoing, past the hospital andgo with the usually police-assisted flow, until you seethe huge stadium risingabove the skyline. Easy!

I was astounded when Ifirst saw the mightily-impres-sive stadium. It neveroccurred to me that Elchehad an illustrious footballinghistory: indeed as recently

as the 1980s they had beenin La Liga, regularly playingthe likes of Real Madrid andBarcelona. When they werebig in the ‘70s, the club builttheir impressive new stadi-

um, named the MartinezValero, for the World Cupwhich was held in Spain in1982.

In the ‘90s the club wentdown to the second division

(known as 2A, Adelante),where they have stayed eversince. The ground is veryuser-friendly, and comfort-ably seats over 40.000. It isoften used for cup finals andinternationals, and is said tobe a lucky ground for theSpanish national team. Popconcerts are also held there.

Car parks/parking? Noproblem! There are hugeareas of flat waste groundand plenty of street parkingvery close to the ground -hardly any walking is neces-sary. There are plenty ofbars and cafes around local-ly to get liquid refreshments,although you can buysnacks and drinks (non-alco-holic) inside the stadium, buthere the choice is a littlerestricted.

The Elche team, as well

as inhabitants of the city, areknown colloquially as ‘LosIllicitanos’. This name goesway back to Phoeniciantimes, when a visiting IberianQueen liked the area and itspeople so much that shegranted them exemptionfrom paying a tax that every-one else had to pay - thusacquiring the enviable nick-name of the illicit ones, i.ethose inhabitants of the citygetting away with it financial-ly – nothing to do with foot-ball – but the nicknamestuck.

The other one sometimesused is the Franjiverdes –the Green Shirts, as Elche’scolours are mid-green andwhite.

l To be continued nextweek with Elche cur-

rently top of the league...

HAVING held on for a 1-0 win over Utiel last time out, FCTorrevieja look to have a testing period ahead of them. ThisSunday at 5pm they host Alzira, who have been in the play-offs or division 2B in the last five years – and have won fiveof their last six games.

Torry then have a real tester at the new Pepico Amat sta-dium in Elda, more so since it will be the first home match incharge for Soto, the manager who took Torry to the playoffsin 2009.

Eldense also boast Torry's player of the year last year,

Diego Meijide. The next two up see Torry face last year'schampions, Catarroja, at the Vicente Garcia. Then it will beoff to La Nucia, who currently top the table.

Back to this weekend and the club is providing free paellafor all fans before kick-off to say thank you for supporting theclub.

There will also be plenty of upbeat music pumping out toget everyone in the right mood. With the game kicking off at5pm, make sure you are there good and early to get yourshare of this tasty dish.


ELCHE - MY GREEN LIGHTTO SPANISH FOOTBALL

Tough times ahead for Torry

Formentera 0 CD Montesinos 3

Every Day’s a Football Day

Nov 9th 1932 Bo’Ness are expelled from the Scottishsecond division when they cannot meet a £50 matchguaranteeNov 10th 1923 Aston Villa defender Tommy Ballbecomes the first, and only, British professionalfootballer to be murdered. This followed a drinkfuelled row with a neighbour (an ex policeman!) Thelegacy of the tragedy is that Aston Villa opened thefirst players’ bar in the country so that players didnot run the risk of being involved in fights in localpubs.Nov 11th 1871 The first four ties are played in theinaugural FA Cup competition. Clapham Rovers’Jarvis Kennick scores the first ever FA Cup goal ina 3-0 win over Upton ParkNov 12th 1930 James Morton, one of the pioneers offootball, dies aged 78. Morton, one of the first play-ers to be recorded on the books at SheffieldWednesday, made his debut in Sheffield’s first everinter-city match versus BirminghamNov 13th 1915 Hearts beat Celtic 2-0 at home. Celticthen go 62 league matches without defeat until theylose to Kilmarnock in Glasgow on 21st April 1917(also 2-0). Of the 62 matches, Celtic win 49 and drawthe other 13Nov 14th 1989 Nigel Martyn becomes Britain’s first£1 million goalkeeper when he moves from BristolRovers to Crystal PalaceNov 15th 1996 Aston Villa’s Mark Bosnich is fined£1,000 for doing an impersonation of Adolf Hitler infront of Spurs fans on October 12. Meanwhile, UEFAPresident Lennart Johansson apologised for com-ments he made while on a visit to South Africa,namely: “When I arrived the whole room was filledwith ‘blackies’ and it gets damned dark when theyare sitting together.’’ Amazingly he was not fined.

Compiled by STUART EVANS

November

Victor steals the show

Brave Orihuela’s champion startITV Orihuela RFC’s league open-

er against last year’s champions,Murcia XV, was not helped by onlyhaving 15 players available.

But their performance – particular-ly in the first half – was one to beproud of.

Orihuela started well but it wasMurcia who struck first on the count-er-attack with a try where the ballwas dropped over the line, only forthe decision to be changed to apenalty try after Orihuela captainVictor had words with the referee.

Instead of heads dropping,

Orihuela hit straight back - first withan Alvaro penalty for an infringe-ment at the breakdown and thenwith a breakaway try from insidetheir own 22.

Good footwork by Alvin after atap tackle saw him off loading apass to Alvaro who set up Victor toscore. Alvaro converted to sendOrihuela in at half time 10-7 up, agreat achievement against theodds.

With their tails up, Orihuela wentinto the second half optimistic ofcausing an upset, but that was put to

bed as Murcia rang the changes inthe last quarter. The fresh legs werethe difference and the championsdeservedly ran out 31-10 winners asOrihuela eventually ran out of steam.

This coming weekend all of theautumn internationals will be tele-vised live at the rugby bar in Rojales,The Steakhouse. Saturday matchesinclude Wales v Argentina at 15.30or England v Fiji at 15.00, Ireland vSouth Africa at 18.30 and on SundayScotland v All Blacks at 15.30.

Info on all things rugby from Garryon 692 767 242.

GIVE US A BREAK48Friday, November 9, 2012

IT can’t go on. It’s got to stop.It’s ruining the game. Racism?Diving? Players’ excess wages?Well, yes, all of them, I suppose –but that’s not what I’m Mr Mock-Angry about this week.

No, the subject that’s reallymade my blood boil is – swappingshirts. The latest farce has upsetsome of Arsenal’s ardent Arsenefans (if he’s got any left) after thelatest dismal Gunners’ perform-ance, hammered by new leagueleaders Manchester United.

Robin van Persie’s triumphant trio - three goals inthree games, the latest after only three minutes, soimpressed Arsenal’s new Brazilian full-back AndreSantos (who was rubbish, btw), that as the two left thefield for half-time – yes, half-time - Santos askedreliant Robin for his shirt: and on his best old-boybehaviour, United’s newest star obliged.

Was Arsene astounded? Did fearsome Fergie flickon the hair-drier? Apparently neither, Alex wasdelighted with United’s performance, and he shouldbe. It could/should have been five, Santi Cazorla’ssweet last-minute consolation goal flattered Arsenal.Free-scoring Fulham coming to the EmiratesSaturday. Is Arsene unpopular? Ask a Gooner...

Spirited Swansea saved the day, albeit very lateagainst Mata-less, Moses-aided Chelsea: are theBlues a one-Mata band? The draw was enough toknock the reigning Euro champions off the top, butkept ‘em second, one point above Manchester City,who also drew, albeit goallessly at West Ham.

Man City: Now then (can you still say that, as longas you don’t repeat it?), has the Man City perm-any-two-from-four upfront strategy been found out? Didyou see the defensively-derided ones flounderingagain on Tuesday against Ajax, where in Europethey’re not getting out of jail regularly like they do inthe Premiership. Can they do it again against Spurson Sunday, early doors?

Personally I think Roberto Mancini is losing it… hecertainly did on Tuesday evening against Ajax.Gossip ‘eard on ’grapevine is that Roberto is trackingNeymar. Who? The 20 year-old is apparently Brazil’snewest, brightest and best talent; he is said to be thenext Lionel Messi/Christian Ronaldo. Oh, and monied-Monaco are supposed to be interested in Robertohimself.

That’s funny, innit, ‘cos with the new Iberian influ-ence now above him at T’Etihad, word is Barcelona’shugely-successful ex-coach, Guiseppe ‘Pep’Guardiola may be being courted, no doubt to take Cityto European places Roberto’s unlikely to be visiting…

Liverpool – eh, wack, there’s only one Luis Suarez,

isn’t there? Literally. Well, there’s the ghost of pres-ent-past Steven Gerrard - the rest, forget it. At once-mighty fortress Anfield Newcastle looked in control,especially with Yohan Cabay’s cool cracker justbefore half-time. But super-Suarez squared it, niggly-naughties ‘n all and when Coloccini went off for a wildlunge at who-else, it looked as though Liverpoolmight nick it. Not good enough though, are they? Still- always look on the bright side, youse... Chelseaaway on Sunday!

The Championship continues to confuse, as every-one’s still beating everyone else. Leaders Cardiffwent down again, amazingly 5 – 4 at Charlton afterbeing 2 – 0 up. This after losing on Saturday afterleading at newly-led Bolton. Also newly-led Palacesoared top as Ian Holloway’s first flight fired five pastpoor old Ipswich - new boy Mick McCarthy’s got muchto do. Second-placed Middlesbrough drew goallesslyat Forest.

Champions League performance of the week mustgo to Celtic, who beat mighty Barcelona 2 – 1 inGlasgow: Neil Lennon’s Bhoys did the City proud.Good wins for Man Utd and Chelsea should put themboth through to the next stages.

A second 0 – 1 away defeat for our very own Elchein the Spanish second division meant the Illicitanosstill lead by two points from neighbours Almeria.

JohnMcGregor

reports

Half-time shirtswop? Sleeveit out, mate!

The Courier Week 90

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