Gibraltar Insight™ March 2020

MARCH 2020

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THE ROCK’S LONGEST RUNNING MAGAZINE

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£2 mainland UK where sold.

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M AR CH ISSUE 47

Contents

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Business Insight

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Features

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BUSINESS NEWS

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PORTUGAL, WHAT IS THE BUZZ ALL ABOUT?

40 A GLIMMER OF HOPE ANYWHERE?

SUMMARY MARKET UPDATE 2019/20

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THE PARASOL FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 16 YEARS IN GIBRALTAR

50 GIB TALKS … YEAR 6 56

THE GIFT OF SPRING

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FAIRHOMES COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS

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KIRSTY ALMEIDA RELEASES ‘MOONBIRD” CD

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Sports Insight 28

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – THE THEATRE OF DREAMS

30 GOLF NEWS 31

MAKE MERRY FOR FREE ON THE ROCK AT THE WORLD POOL MASTERS

Football Insight 32

LYNX FC - JONATHAN COSTA REFLECTS ON SPONSORSHIP AT THE CLUB

History Insight 36

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THE LAST STRAW – THE STORY OF TWO SHIPS

WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN TO YOU?

46 PICK A CRUISE TELEPHONE CPR CAN SAVE LIVES

Regular Features 8

COMMUNITY INSIGHT

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AT THE MOVIES

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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT

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TAGORE COMPETITION

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ARMED FORCES INSIGHT

44 MOTORING INSIGHT 53

ON THE SPOT: MASTER ANTHONY JOAQUIN

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VET COLUMN – COMPANION ANIMAL OR PET?

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MUM ON THE ROCK – WHAT’S ON AT PACS

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HEALTH & WELLBEING INSIGHT

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HOROSCOPES

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MAMA LOTTIES RECIPE

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WEDDING INSIGHT

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THE LIGHT & POWER SHOP CROSSWORD

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Gibraltar Insight Deputy Editor: Jean King

Gibraltar Insight - the Rock’s longest running magazine.

Production: Billy Couper

Published by GBZ Media Limited, 5 Governor’s Lane, Gibraltar GX11 1AA.

Accounts & Administration: Rosemary Salah-El-Din Production Assistant: Steven King Superyacht Owners’ Guide Managing Editor: Sophie Blake

Printed by Roca Graphics Limited, 21 Tuckey’s Lane, Gibraltar GX11 1AA

Creative Director: Ben Lewis

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

Executive Editor: Ross Ford

The names Gibraltar Insight, Bermuda Insight, Mum On The Rock, SYOG, Superyacht Owners’ Guide & GBZ Media are marks of GBZ Media (Overseas) Limited, used under exclusive licence. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

For advertising & general queries, contact: +350 200 40913 Email:

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Gibraltar Insight places great importance on the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, but cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Views expressed by contributors and/or correspondents do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Neither Gibraltar Insight nor GBZ Media Limited is responsible for any claims made, or material(s) used, in advertisements.

For permission to copy cuttings for internal or client use, contact NLA - nlamediaaccess.com or +441892 525273.

Photo: Elliott Howe

MEDIA LIMITED

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT

GOVERNOR EXITS “From the moment Lorraine and I stepped off RFA Mounts Bay, when we arrived on the Rock on 19th January 2016, we have been humbled by the warmth, kindness and sincerity of the Gibraltarian People’s embrace. It is, indeed, true that to know the People of Gibraltar, is to not only deeply admire, respect and enjoy them, but also, to deeply love them. Thank you, the inclusive, respectful and generous People of Gibraltar, for welcoming us into your inspiring Community. Thank you for making us feel so completely at home over the last four years. Thank you for the smiles, laughs and hugs.

Most of all, thank you for your

friendship; treasured friendship that we have been truly blessed to experience and will profoundly cherish for the rest of our lives.

People of Gibraltar, our dearest of friends, as we prepare to leave your beautiful Rock, Lorraine and I wish you all future happiness and success that you so richly deserve.

We have no doubt, and will always proudly champion, that Gibraltar will continue to be Gibraltar.”

We will miss you, Your Excellency. Haste ye back.

BOSOM BUDDIES CANCER TRUST MRS GIBRALTAR Recruitment for Mrs Gibraltar 2020 is now open.

The entry requirements include:

Bosom Buddies Cancer Trust recently donated £867 to Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. A total of £7,803 was raised from sales of their 2020 calendars, with the funds donated equally to the nine Gibraltar cancer charities.

Louis Baldachino and the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness team wishes to thank everyone one involved, with a special mention for Bosom Buddies chairperson, Sonia Golt.

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Married ladies

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Mothers over 22 years old or longterm relationships

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Divorced ladies

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Mothers over years old

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You can apply on the Mrs Gibraltar Facebook page, or mrsgibraltar@ gmail.com The closing date is Wednesday 1st April 2020 and the event will be held on Friday 7th August in the Alameda Theatre.

Good luck!

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT

GUARDIAN

ANGEL DONATION

FANCY A NATTER WITH THE CM? The latest tour dates featuring Chief Minister Fabian Picardo around The Rock have been released. These clinics continue the initiative from last year, and aim to provide communities with more direct access to the CM. Wednesday

4th March 2020 No.6 Convent Place

Thursday

12th March 2020 Plater Youth Club

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25th March 2020 Laguna Social Club

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31st March 2020 Glacis (Ex-St Theresa’s Hall)

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21st April 2020 Varyl Begg Social Club

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6th May 2020 Mid-Harbour Family & Community Centre

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13th May 2020 IPA Social Club

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20th May 2020 Catalan Bay Social Club

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27th May 2020 City Fire Brigade Social Club

Constituents are able to request a time slot for a oneto-one meeting with the Chief Minister by sending an email in advance to CMonLocation@gibraltar.gov.gi.

The Guardian Angel Foundation has donated over £3,300 to the Office of the Commissioner for Sustainable Development and Future Generations to support an initiative that encourages young people to take social responsibility, look after the world around them, and play an active part in their community.

This money has been used to purchase books and other resources that can be deployed in lower and upper primary schools. A further £4,500 has been earmarked to develop the initiative further by encouraging growing food in schools and looking after green spaces.

The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change, Prof John Cortes said, “Building a greener tomorrow is not just the responsibility of the Government, it requires that everyone in the community think beyond their own individual needs and take responsibility. This initiative builds upon the excellent work being done by local educators and youth workers and questions what is important to us as a community now, and in the future.”

Mr Kevin Hook, spokesman for the Charity, added, “We also seek to fund activities that may benefit children and make their lives happier with less worry, which really is what childhood should be all about.’ Mr Hook explained that the Charity ‘has established a close working relationship with the Government to help guide us in our projects so that our help has a maximum impact on the children who most need it. In effect, every penny raised is used solely for the projects that have been identified. Therefore, all administrative and other costs associated with running the charity will be met by the Committee members themselves.”

JOHN MACKINTOSH HALL GETS A REBOOT Visitors to the John Mackintosh Hall may notice something a little bit different. There are now recycling bins for paper, plastic, cans and Tetra Brik in the main courtyard and on the first floor of the facility.

Plus, there’s a new water fountain in the main courtyard, and two designated dog zones just outside the main entrance. Cyclists can also park their bikes in a designated rack, located in the alleyway between the Hall and the Gibraltar International Bank.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said, “I have really enjoyed my recent On Location meetings. Seeing people in their communities has helped me to build a better picture of the problems they are facing. This initiative is proving to be a great way to reach out to the community and, in this way, we can work more closely together in order to find solutions to people’s issues.”

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BUSINESS INSIGHT CLARITY ON

FUTURE RELATIONSHIP DESPITE SIGNALS TO THE CONTRARY FROM BRUSSELS, THE UK GOVERNMENT REITERATED THAT GIBRALTAR RETAINS ITS INTEGRAL STATUS AS PART OF THE UNITED KINGDOM’S NEGOTIATION FOR FUTURE EU RELATIONS. THE UK’S MANDATE SPECIFICALLY STATES, AT PARA 11, AS FOLLOWS: “11. The Government will act in these negotiations on behalf of all the territories for whose international relations the UK is responsible. In negotiating the future relationship between these territories and the EU, the UK Government will seek outcomes which support the territories’ security and economic interests and which reflect their unique characteristics.”

This position confirms what was set out in writing by Sir Tim Barrow in

November 2018, as the Permanent Representative to the EU for the United Kingdom Government, in answer the statement of the EU at the time of the conclusion of the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo commented, “I am very pleased to see confirmation today that the UK Negotiating Mandate includes Gibraltar, exactly as we had agreed with the United Kingdom and as the UK’s Permanent

Representative in Brussels set out in November 2018 when the EU first suggested it would seek to exclude us from any future agreement. I look forward to the start of the negotiations and to the work we want to do to improve our relationships with the EU, despite our leaving legal membership of it, and in particular to improving our relationship with Spain for the benefit of the people who live and work on both sides of the Frontier.”

OFFICIAL OPENING FOR NEW NEWTON STORE Chief Minister Fabian Picardo officially opens the Newton Store’s new premised.

Photo: Neil Wilson.

S KI LLS FOR ALL

Thirty-three candidates received their Level 2 and Level 3 national Vocational Qualification Diplomas at a presentation presided over by the Hon Sir Joe Bossano.

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The successful candidates underwent training and work placements over a three-year period for construction and four years for engineering.

During this time, a number of assessments were carried out that comply with UK NVQ National Standards.

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FEATURE

Portugal WHAT IS THE BUZZ ALL ABOUT? THE ATTRACTIONS OF PORTUGAL AS A PLACE TO LIVE AND INVEST HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. PORTUGAL OFFERS TWO GREAT ATTRACTIONS TO NEW RESIDENTS: THE NON-HABITUAL RESIDENT (NHR) SCHEME AND THE SO-CALLED ‘GOLDEN VISA’. FOR EU CITIZENS THE GOLDEN VISA IS LESS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE IN PORTUGAL WITHOUT FORMAL IMMIGRATION AND INVESTMENT. FOR THEM THE DRIVER IS NHR STATUS, WHICH HAS ATTRACTED MANY NEW RESIDENTS FROM UK, SCANDINAVIA AND FRANCE IN PARTICULAR. The NHR scheme is badly named. To qualify as a ‘non-habitual’ resident, an applicant must actually intend to be ‘habitually’ resident in Portugal – so the name is an oxymoron. To be resident in Portugal you must spend at least 183 days per year in Portugal or have a permanent home there.

If you have a home available to you in Portugal, you may be considered tax resident but this is not necessarily the case. If you are generally tax resident in another jurisdiction and spend most of your time there, you will not generally be tax resident in Portugal.

You would therefore have no tax obligations in Portugal and would not need to apply for a special tax status.

If however you don’t have an alternative tax residency and you own a home in Portugal, you might well become tax resident and it would be advantageous to be an NHR to enjoy substantial tax benefits. With careful structuring, an NHR will not be taxable on anything other than their Portuguese source income for the 10-year designated term.

For the moment, a UK passport holder is still treated as an EU resident but that is set to change from 1 January 2021, when any UK

WORDS BY HOWARD BILTON GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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FEATURE

passport holder wishing to take up residency in Portugal will need to go through the normal immigration channels and obtain some sort of visa. This can be obtained in a number of different ways but the process will no longer be as straightforward.

have no Portuguese tax obligations. Those who do live in Portugal will be tax resident there. Anybody who has been tax resident in Portugal at any time in the previous five years is ineligible to apply for NHR status.

Portugal is under pressure from the rest of the EU to limit the tax advantages for NHRs. No tax advantageous scheme lasts forever and neither will this one. We therefore believe that anyone intending to move to Portugal or who might be spending sufficient time there to be considered tax resident would be well advised to apply for NHR status now, while it is still easily available to UK passport holders.

The most popular form of Golden Visa investment has been residential property, which has fueled a rise in property prices in Lisbon and Porto in particular. It seems that most properties that used to be valued from 350,000 to 500,000 have been repriced to 500,000 or above and this has had a knock-on effect on the rest of the market. The (justifiable) complaint from locals is that they are being priced out of the affordable end of the property market, especially in Lisbon and Porto. It is thought that the law will soon be changed such that real estate investments in Lisbon and Porto will no longer qualify. All other investment options seem set to remain.

If they find that after application they are no longer fulfilling the residency requirement of NHR, the only consequence will be that they have used up one of the 10 years of tax advantaged residency to no real purpose. If they are not tax resident in Portugal they will have no Portuguese tax obligation. Their NHR status will remain in place but that year of the 10-year special status will have been wasted. So what! We believe that right now there is a window of opportunity which will partially close to UK passport holders at the end of the year and is almost certain to close to everybody at some stage in the future. So why wait?

To apply for NHR status it is necessary to have a place to live in Portugal. This can just be a room in somebody else’s house which is available to you. Rent need not be paid; a contract that provides that accommodation is available to you in return for paying overheads or similar will suffice.

Other formalities include filing a tax return at the end of your first tax year. If you have not actually taken up residence it will be sufficient to file a zero return. Otherwise a return will need to be filed for any income that is taxable in Portugal. Under NHR status this includes income from local employment or Portuguese-source income (as well as any foreign income that has been incorrectly structured). For most NHRs, a zero return will be all that is required.

The Golden Visa scheme is a completely different matter but can be combined with NHR. The Golden Visa is designed to attract foreigner investors who want a fast and easy way to obtain the legal right to reside in Portugal. By investing €500,000 in property, €350,000 in a redeveloped property (both reduced by 20% if in a low density area), €350,000 in a qualifying Portuguese regulated investment fund or a similar sum in an employment generating business, it is possible to obtain residency immediately, with permanent residency following after five years.

For those who wish to live in Portugal this status can be combined with NHR to provide the same 10-year tax advantageous residency.

The Golden Visa status means that the successful applicant is a legal resident of Portugal but not necessarily a tax resident. Those who do not live in Portugal will not be tax resident there and will

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Of course, the fact an individual is tax resident in Portugal does not mean that they are not also tax resident elsewhere as well. It is relatively common for individuals to have more than one tax residency and be liable for tax on the same income or capital gain in more than one place at the same time. Tax treaties may decide who has the taxing right or give a credit for tax paid in one jurisdiction

against tax due in another on the same income. Proper planning is necessary to eradicate double taxation and to avoid high taxation in Portugal and elsewhere.

After five years of legal residency in Portugal, it is possible to apply for Portuguese citizenship. In most countries it is necessary to actually live in the country to obtain nationality; it is not sufficient just to have maintained the legal right to live there. Indeed for every other form of residency in Portugal there is no chance of obtaining nationality without having lived in the country for the majority of the five-year qualifying period. Golden Visa holders, however, can qualify for nationality without having been physically present in Portugal.

There is pressure to change this but at the moment only seven days presence in Portugal per year is required in order to maintain Golden Visa immigrant status and be eligible for Portuguese nationality.

This is highly exceptional and it unlikely that Portugal will be permitted to continue with this arrangement in the long term. There is already pressure from other EU member states to change this. After all residency and nationality in Portugal gives access to all other Eu states. Many of these have tougher immigration rules and don’t like Portugal being used as a back-door entrance to themselves. To take advantage of this special EU entry possibility speed may be of the essence.

Howard Bilton is a barrister, Chairman of The Sovereign Group and visiting Professor at Law at Texas A&M University. He is also a winemaker in Portugal.

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FEATURE

S UMM ARY MA RKET UP DATE

2019/20

OUR LAST UPDATE WAS CREATED DURING THE LATTER PART OF 2018. WE HAVE HELD BACK FROM PROVIDING OUR MARKET UPDATE UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT THERE WAS A CLEARER WORKING PICTURE ON BREXIT. THIS UPDATE TAKES A SNAPSHOT PICTURE OF THE MARKET OVER THE PAST 12-18 MONTHS AND PROVIDES OUR FORECAST AND THOUGHTS FOR 2020.

IN BRIEF: The latter half of 2018 was from our perspective a little weak and steered primarily by continuous speculation on the outcome, if any on Brexit. Patience and energy were wearing thin and a slowdown in sales was prevalent across the board but primarily at the top end.

Our expectations for 2019 were concerning to a degree, with still no sign of any certainty, we expected a relatively flat / mediocre year from a sales perspective.

2019 kicked off with good sales at the mid end of the market as had been anticipated by us in previous reports; price ranges of between £300,000 to £800,000 had been the driving force of the market since June 16 and our view was that this would remain the trend for the foreseeable future. The rental market proved to be king in general and we had forecasted this; we had cautious buyers, but the flow of interest continued as the economy continued to grow – rentals proved to be the sensible avenue with the uncertainty surrounding us. Our management rental portfolio has grown by 40% over the period since 2017.

BULL OR BEAR…… OR NEITHER? Over the period from late 2017 and very much into 2018, forecasting and generally pinning the market was a tough call. There has been no real continuous trend across the board which underpinned further our thoughts over the years on varying tiers in the market and mini segments within these tiers. What was emerging over this period was an adjustment in these four tiers (low / mid / high / upper high) of the market and certain segments within these tiers showing substantial growth, with others weakening.

So, bullish certainly from the middle market driven by real owner occupiers, but also real concern of a false market driven by speculation and expectation of which the story to date remains uncertain, in so far as end users and yes we are particularly referring to the studio market in general. More on this in our annual market update to be published Q2 2020.

The clear growth in prices across the mid end region principally the £300,000 to £700,000 price ranges during 16’ through to 17’, which we had expected and which saw increases in this sector of approx. 9% to an average market price level of £510,000, has flattened slightly with little to no price gain over the period. We are not surprised or discouraged by this and class it merely as a breather.

Our overall average on prices in general shows an increase; this is due to an increase in the sale of high end properties such as The Sanctuary, The Island and Buena Vista Park which have all bounced back in terms of actual sales. This turn around at the top tier has therefore increased our total average price level from approx. £625,000 in 2018 to £660,000 or approx. 6% which is in our view is a positive sign that the higher end which had seen a slow down since June 2016 is back to form and delivers new confidence to the market. Interestingly enough the below quote was written by us in 2018 in our previous annual market update.

“We continue to take the view that the upper 4th tier in the market has a great deal more to offer, but uncertainties surrounding Brexit negotiations will no doubt impact any immediate growth and further increases at prices ranges of above £1,750,000.“

IN SUMMARY Q3&4 of 2018 as well as Q1&2 of 2019 was in fact a mixed bag with sales slowing a little in certain segments and values flattening in most areas, all countered by rentals going through the roof, and recording some of the best ROI’s we have ever seen – so a good period if you were a Landlord and confusing depending on where you sat in the market as vendor.

If you were a high value owner looking to sell, you may have waited a while and may still yet be waiting; by this I refer to the plus £2m market (upper tier). We believe this segment in the upper tier will likely see better days following some certainty with regards to Brexit and importantly a stronger and more stable UK Government.

BREXIT – OUR VIEW AND IMPACT ON THE MARKET Our view in so far as political threats and our status goes, remains much the same as it always has been vis a vis Spain. We do not take a view that Brexit will adversely affect our relationship with Spain any more than it has over the past 50 years or so; in fact given the tax agreement and negotiations leading to this (borne out of Brexit), suggests that Gibraltar can and has moved its political position with Spain positively and continues to do so.

For further information on the market, please contact us on +350 200 51010 or info@bmigroup.gi

WORDS BY LOUIS MONTEGRIFFO, BMI GROUP GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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AT THE MOVIES PAUL ANDERSON IS AN ARTS BROADCASTER, RADIO PRESENTER, PRODUCER AND JOURNALIST. HE’S KNOWN FOR WORK ON BBC 6 MUSIC, XFM, CAPITAL AS WELL AS HOSTING HIS OWN ONE-HOUR FILM SHOW ‘AT THE MOVIES’ ON SMOOTH RADIO.PAUL IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE LONDON FILM CRITIC’S CIRCLE.FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @AFILMGUY.

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MILITARY WIVES: 12a

Possibly one of Jane Austen’s least likeable characters, Emma Woodhouse, when we meet her, is a sweet natured, well-heeled young woman living with her dad (Bill Nighy). Played by Anya Taylor-Joy (who is better known for creepy roles in Witch and Split), Emma, after one successful attempt, decides a career in matchmaking is the right one for her. She starts messing in the lives of her friends and neighbours, including a vicar Mr Elton who eventually gets the wrong end of the stick, gets drunk and proposes to her. Then there is the busy body and talkative Miss Bates (a wonderful Miranda Hart), to whom she is simply rude and nasty. As with all Austen there is a twist and there is one liaison that leaves Emma reeling; that’s not a spoiler the book was published over 200 years ago; and then the foppish George Knightly appears and although dismissive of her at first, he warms as the film progresses.

The score is typically sweeping from Isobel Waller-Bridge and if you are a fan of Austen, Downton, Sunday night TV period pieces or any rom com you will love this.

Life in the services, with all its uncertainty and anger is difficult enough for the men and women serving, so for their partners and families there must be many obstacles to overcome, not least of which is boredom. Sharon Horgan plays Lisa a brash and funny grab-life-by-the-lapels mum of teenagers who is asked to organise events for the wives and partners. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Kate and is the polar opposite of Lisa. Aloof, organised, controlled and stiff. Lisa decides the best way to ease the boredom and tension for the wives is to get together with booze and rubbish food. Kate does not approve and does her best to derail everything Lisa tries to organise. Based on a true story the Director Peter Cattaneo has drawn authentic characters - as he did in 1997’s The Full Monty - and takes us through their journey of how to alleviate the fear while waiting for the doorbell or the phone call that may lead to news of a loved one lost.

Lisa and Kate gradually realise each other’s strengths and weaknesses and work together on the idea of a choir. Cue hilarious terrible singing and heart-warming solos. This really happened, and they bagged themselves a UK number one with it. While it will resonate to service personnel, there are enough uplifting, funny and moving moments to keep all audiences entertained and not a little moist eyed.

Download and subscribe to th e Gibraltar Insig ht: At The Movies – av ailable on both Apple Podcasts and Spot ify, and smart speakers.

WORDS BY PAUL ANDERSON GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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SPORTS INSIGHT

Cheltenham festival THE THEATRE OF DREAMS

CHELTENHAM NATIONAL HUNT FESTIVAL, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, WHERE EQUINE STARS OF ENGLAND, WALES AND SCOTLAND CONVERGE ON THE COTSWOLDS TOWN IN GLORIOUS BUT OFTEN VAIN ATTEMPT TO REPEL THE CHARGE OF THE IRISH BRIGADE, THE ALL-CONQUERING STEEDS FROM THE EMERALD ISLE, AN ENCHANTING ANNUAL BATTLE OF SUCH INTENSITY AND BEAUTY THAT SEES 70,000-PLUS JUMPING FANATICS FROM ALL OVER THE BRITISH ISLES PACK INTO PRESTBURY PARK FOR EACH OF THE FOUR-DAY EXTRAVAGANZA, ALL DREAMING OF SUCCESS FOR THEIR FAVOURITE FOUR-LEGGED BEAST, ALL DETERMINED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, SINK A FEW PINTS, WIN A FEW QUID AND WIPE THE SMUG SMILE FROM THE BOOKIE’S FACE, BUT ABOVE ALL UNIVERSALLY UNITED IN CELEBRATING THE LOVE OF THAT NOBLEST OF ANIMALS, MAN’S BEST FRIEND, THE HORSE. The curtain rises on the eagerly anticipated spectacle on Tuesday 10th March when at 1.30pm (GMT) the runners for the first race come under starter’s orders, a year-long expectation is about to be consummated, fevered anticipation fulfilled, the white flag is raised, the jockeys jostle for best position, an excited murmur from the crowd that gradually rises to a thunderous crescendo reverberating off Cleeve Hill as the flag of battle is lowered, the tape released and, in a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour, they’re off, the dream is reality – the start of four days and 28 races of the highest quality equestrian endeavour – heaven on earth to this gnarled old horseracing addict, indeed when the Grim Reaper gives me the curly finger and optimistically assuming that I will ascend skywards to my final destination, rather than descend to hotter climes down below - by no means a sure bet - I intend to parlay with the Almighty that my eternal reward must include a non-negotiable annual fourday entry from on high to this most revered of all racing festivals.

The four championship races of the meeting are the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Chase, the Arkle and the Gold Cup and some Insight readers may be aware that this correspondent has had a modicum of success over the past couple of years in forecasting winners of some of these Grade 1 events – yes, I know, I’ve heard it before, even a blind squirrel occasionally stumbles upon a nut – but, emboldened by this triumph I crave your indulgence while attempting to repeat the feat once more.

The Champion Hurdle is the glittering highlight of the opening day, a race that conjures up images of wonderful winners from the past – Istabraq, Night Nurse, Monksfield, Sea

Pigeon to name just a few of the greats, legends now strutting their stuff in celestial pastures up there with Pegasus in Equine Heaven. This year’s race contains nothing of that calibre but I will be entrusting PENTLAND HILLS with my fiver each-way at the current odds of 7/1, while in the same day’s Arkle Challenge Trophy I have burdened BREWIN’UPASTORM with another ‘deep sea diver’ each-way at 10/1 On to Wednesday and the Queen Mother Champion Chase where ALTIOR is my confident choice to retain his crown, his current odds of 2/1 look generous for this four-time festival winner – he’s my banker bet of the meeting - get on! And then, all too soon, it’s final day Friday and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the ultimate prize, the blue riband of steeplechasing whose roll of honour is a who’s who of immortals – Arkle, the greatest of them all, Kauto Star, Denman, Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Dawn Run. Wonderful warm memories of heroes past and who knows, perhaps Al Boum Photo, last year’s winner may yet be destined to join the ranks of the great.

Trained in Ireland by legendary handler Willie Mullins, AL BOUM PHOTO at current odds of 4/1, is a somewhat tentative choice in a very open-looking race to repeat last year’s success.

Domestic commitments contrived to thwart my plans of attending the festival this year, instead I’ll be wending my way to the atmospheric multi-screened Sports Arena in Ocean Heights to have a bet and watch the action. Lets hope that for once Lady Luck smiles rather than scowls and I get to raise a glass or two in celebration as my selections romp home. Drinking with bookie’s money - now that’s an intoxicating thought! Hope to see you there.

KY C U BE L

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GOLF

NEWS

THE BASSADONE MOTORS TROPHY The Med Golf 2019-20 Season continued with its 4th event at Alcaidesa on the Heathland Course on Sunday 9th February to contest the Bassadone Motors Trophy.

The more recent of the Alcaidesa’s two courses, the Heathland was designed by Dave Thomas and opened in 2007. At over 6000 metres off the yellow tees with wide fairways and generous, but fast, greens, the course can be a real challenge in the wind.

While the wind on the day did change direction during the round, it was light

enough not to have a great impact on the golf and the dry, unseasonal, warm conditions set up a very enjoyable day’s golf.

Alistair Knight was Champion of the day, winner of the Bassadone Trophy, a £150 voucher redeemable at Cohen and Massias, jewellers and agents for Tag Heuer, and a coveted Winner’s shirt that qualifies him for the Med Golf Masters at San Roque Club in July. Alistair scored a very fine 37 points off handicap 17 to beat Paul Miles (handicap 19) by virtue of a lower handicap.

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As a consolation, Paul won the Category 2 prize which also earned him a Winners shirt and entry into the Med Gold Masters, as well as the Best dressed golfer chosen by Med Golf’s Judith Benezrah – “Best in Show!”.

To complete his run of good fortune, Paul also won the card draw prize of a golf bag.

The best gross score of 73 was posted

by Matthew Bruce-Smith, handicap 0. A serial winner, Matthew was also the Category 1 winner with 35 points beating John Hunter (5.2) on handi-

cap. Matthew also won the best gross score on the par 3s and nearest to the pin in 3 on the par 5 10th hole.

Our handicap category prizes were won as follows: Category 1 (handicaps 0 to 13): The winner was Matthew Bruce-Smith who won a Med Golf voucher for 40€ having previously qualified for the Med Golf Masters.

Category 2 (handicaps 14 to 21): Paul Miles won with 37 points and received a Winners shirt and entry into the Med Golf Masters, Category 3 (handicap 22 to 30): The winner was Russell Eldridge a score

of 34 points. Russell also received a Winners shirt and entry into the Med Golf Masters..

Nearest the pin winners were: Matthew Robinson, Russell Eldridge, Matthew Bruce-Smith and John Robbins.

Nearest to the pin in 2 on a par 4 was Richard Atkinson and Matthew Bruce Smith was nearest to the pin in 3 on a par 5.

The best senior with a score of 33 points was John Robbins and Richard Atkinson had the longest drive on Hole 17. Best Sponsors of the day, Baspair was John Huntsadone Motors, not only Guests are er and Chris Warren displayed sample vehimade very welcome with a joint score of cles on the course, but at all events and are 67 points also generously doencouraged to join us and nated extra prizes for enjoy a great day out.

While The best guest the winners for which they are not eligible to win was Brian Griffiths they were sincerely the trophy or category prizes, with 32 points thanked. Gareth was they can win the many which earned him invited to present the a one year free mini-competition prizes prizes. membership of Med and even a best guest Golf. prize if warranted by numbers.

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SPORTS INSIGHT MAKE MERRY FOR FREE ON THE ROCK AT THE WORLD POOL MASTERS Gibraltar’s ever-increasing participation in global sport takes another giant step forward this month when the nation once again stages the World Pool Masters, a leading tournament featuring the sport’s elite players, household names from many lands coming together at the new state-of-the-art Europa Sports Complex, all eager to hustle their way to stardom, each one chasing the same impossible dream of donning the Mosconi mantle of greatness, all eager to emulate legendary Willie Mosconi, the 15-time world pool champion and the greatest ever exponent of the game, whose exploits on the table meant the game’s popularity rapidly grew throughout the sixties and seventies in the saloons and gaming halls of the United States and far beyond, giving birth to modern-day showdowns like this month’s “Shootout on the Rock”.

Alcaide is back this year to defend his crown and will be joined by the sport’s finest from all over the world, a stellar cast including Russia’s European champion Feydor Gorst, United States Open champion Joshua Filler from Germany and two-time tournament winner Shane van Boening, an American who seems to have been a staple of the sport forever. The lineup contains a great global mix featuring contestants from China, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Britain is represented by tough as teak Glaswegian, 31-year-old Jayson “Eagle Eye” Shaw who has been playing pool from when he was a tiny tot of five years and who relishes the prospect of winning his first Masters to go with the multiple honours won in a long outstanding career.

Gibraltar, shorn of the shackles imposed by a recalcitrant and belligerent neighbour that had Four action-filled days, from Thursfor decades vetoed admission to UNLIMITED FEAST OF FREE WINE, day 26th to Sunday 29th March, will major sporting bodies such as UEFA BEER AND SOFT DRINKS WHILE see 24 of the world’s top cuemasand FIFA, is now revelling in its new ters congregate in pursuit of the first found role of hosting global sporting WATCHING THE BOYS ON THE BAIZE prize of 25,000 dollars from the tourevents – football has seen The Rock IS THE TANTALISING PROSPECT FOR nament’s total prize fund of $100k welcome international hotshots DenWORLD POOL MASTERS PREMIUM – apologies for expressing the prize mark, Switzerland and Ireland, while TICKETHOLDERS AT THE EUROPA money in greenbacks, but ever since at club level both Glasgow giants SPORTS COMPLEX THIS MONTH! the looming spectre of Brexit hoved Celtic and Rangers have come callon to the horizon and sadly has now ing, with darts, snooker, chess and become a reality, administrators of major global sports, like last year’s acclaimed Island Games putting this tiny nation football, golf and tennis have spooked at the possibility of under the world spotlight – and now this picture-postcard currency collapse, have ditched the pound, preferring the location will add the prestigious World Pool Masters 2020 perceived safety of Uncle Sam bucks – the centuries old to its burgeoning portfolio. maxim Sound As A Pound would now, alas, appear to hold While glancing at the media release advertising the event, sway no more in financial circles. my eye was drawn immediately to the line that jumped Sponsors will be hoping for a repeat of the excitement of up off the page right at me, the promise of ‘unlimited free last year’s epic final when Spain’s David Alcaide emerged beer and wine’ to premium ticketholders – what….? Yes, it’s as champion, pipping Greece’s Alexander Kazakis 10-9 in true, make merry and watch the World Pool Masters with a thrilling decider, clinching victory with an awesome taas much Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and pints of bitter you ble-length double pot, a spectacular shot that brought the can ship on board, and don’t worry if the little woman decrowd to their feet and the Masters’ title to the Spaniard cides to tag along, there’s plenty of the soft stuff to keep for the second time. her happy. I can’t wait.

Cheers

WORDS BY LIAM BEGLAN, SPORTS WRITER GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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FOOTBALL INSIGHT

Our Most Loyal Supporters Lynx F.C.’s CEO Jonathan Costa reflects on sponsorship at the club.

Sponsorship is a crucial source of income as much for clubs as for leagues, federations and even players. Getting the right supporters takes time and effort. Sure, you can send out a cookie-cutter sponsorship proposal to a large number of companies, promise them “exposure” in exchange for sponsoring you and hope for the best, but at Lynx F.C., we make sure we understand a sponsor’s objectives for being involved, beyond branding. We help build relationships with our sponsor’s clientele and expand their network, we become ambassadors for them.

Sponsorship will continue to develop in the coming years, as new technologies contribute to the progressive professionalisation of the sector, allowing for increasingly profitable investments.

Grupo Casais has been an integral part of Lynx F.C.’s success for over the past three years and a loyal force behind the reigning Futsal champions. This season we were thrilled to also secure “Resolve Salvage & Fire” as the main sponsors of the Senior Football Team along with GBZ Media and Gibraltar Insight.

These partnerships have been visible in our 2019/2020 campaign with the Football team sitting in fourth place - short of third which qualifies for a UEFA competition.

Clubs qualifying for Europe are reaping the benefits financially and this expands their opportunities, both in terms of assets that can be sponsored and the activation of sponsorship rights.

Seeking sponsorship is time-intensive especially with volunteers at the club, and takes a lot of hard work. For that reason, it’s usually not a thing that someone can do on the side. This is why the Lynx Committee has worked tirelessly as a team placing time, energy and belief to make it work.

Pulling together increased our chances for success and we are extremely proud to have gone the extra mile for our sponsors, who are the backbone of our Club. We wouldn’t be writing this article to start with if it wasn’t for the support from the Gibraltar Insight team, who give us this page each month, in addition to cash sponsorship.

Finding a sponsor is not just about a financial transaction, but creating a real opportunity with measured deliverables and forging long-term relationships that are mutually beneficial. We’ve never been afraid to ask, we may be told no, but as long as we’re determined and don’t give up at the first hurdle, we’ll be sure to succeed. We will forever be grateful for all those that believed in us and help Lynx F.C. continue to grow.

Please get in touch for more information about sponsorship: lynxfc.com You can learn more about our main sponsors here: Grupo Casais:

www.casais.pt/en/

Resolve: Salvage & Fire:

www.resolvemarine.com

Developing a sponsor partnership can be beneficial for any team in the national league, especially for those not qualifying for the UEFA Competition. It has helped Lynx F.C. finance travel costs, equipment, grow the youth infrastructure and shoulder other investments. At the same time, our sponsors have benefited from increased exposure and a positive marketing opportunity. However, finding a sponsor with whom there is a genuine synergy and to whom you are able to deliver exactly what they are seeking can be challenging. We understand that it only takes one mistake to lose a deal. Knowing what to look out for is half the battle, as are persistence and resilience.

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FOR FURT HER INFORMAT ION, PLEASE CO NTACT THE CLUB ON LYNXFC@M AIL.COM OR 200 69 695.

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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT

THERE WAS A QUIRKY LAUNCH EVENT FOR SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS WHICH FEATURED TOP FASHION BRAND THOM BROWNE IN NEW YORK. It showcased the new Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition collaboration, to an audience of media, celebrities, influencers and technologists.

The new phone features distinctive Thom Browne signature brand colours. To co-ordinate the look further, the special edition device also comes with custom designed Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Watch Active2.

The device will be rolled out globally in March, starting in key markets. GBP price is yet to be confirmed.

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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT

THE NEXT ROUND OF CONSOLE WARS ARE WELL AND TRULY UNDERWAY, WITH SONY AND MICROSOFT TRADING BLOWS IN TERMS OF THE CAPABILITY AND RAW SPECIFICATIONS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE NEW DEVICES. Although it’s still the beginning of the year, both have their eyes on lucrative Christmas sales, so building both hype and awareness beforehand is crucial.

to the architecture in the most efficient way, without causing lag or having to go through the CPU first for instruction.

The new X Box Series X appears to be an impressive engineering feat. For those of you conversant in “geek”, it features:

Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing: in other words, true-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time as you explore the game world.

custom designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures which outputs four times the processing power of an Xbox One

Other innovations include SSD Storage, Quick Resume to get back to gaming faster, Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), HDMI 2.1 and 120 fps support.

capable of 12 terraflops of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) performance

On top of all this, Microsoft has made a commitment to make the Series X backwards-compatible with Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Variable Rate Shading (VRS): a patented form of VRS empowers developers to more efficiently utilise the full power of the Xbox Series X. This means that tasks can be assigned

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More details and test units will be in the wild soon, we’re promised. Can’t wait.

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FEATURE

THE LAST STRAW THE STORY OF TWO SHIPS

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FEATURE

BEING SUNK DURING A WAR IS A TRAGEDY AT THE BEST OF TIMES, BUT HAVING SURVIVED ONLY TO BE SUNK AT THE LAST MOMENT IS DOUBLY UNFORTUNATE. THESE ARE THE STORIES OF TWO SHIPS. The loss of life at sea in both World Wars was high. Submarines came into their own in the 1914-1918 war. From the outset they extracted a heavy toll in life and material on Britain who depended on sea transport to maintain the war and feed its population which made it more vulnerable to attack at sea than the Axis who was mainly dependent on land networks. The British Empire was the main source of food and material until the United States came to her assistance. In the First war, aircraft played no part of any significance in the protection of shipping and submarine detection was non-existent. However the range of these underwater menaces was limited at first which allowed the defenders to concentrate their efforts more effectively. This was not the case in the Second World War, but fortunately sonar gradually improved, and intelligence helped to mitigate the effect of the unseen attackers.

The mentality of the Admiralty in World War 1 was still based on the might of the Battleship. Vast sums of money were spent on these monsters by all sides, even those not involved. These relatively slow and cumbersome beasts were an ideal target for submarines, but their prime target. This was the lifeline to Britain, consisting of slow lumbering cargo ships loaded to the Plimsol Line with food, fuel and munitions. The first story is about HMS Britannia a battleship. HMS Britannia was launched on December 10th 1904 and commissioned nine months later. She was a pre-dreadnaught and by 1908 she was already made redundant by HMS Dreadnought. Britannia was one of eight ships in the class and served her first commission in the Mediterranean Fleet, joining the Home Fleet in 1906.

The ship was again attached to the Mediterranean Fleet between 1912-13. In 1914 she returned to the Grand / Channel fleet. Based in Scapa Flow in 1915, was hit by a shell from HMS Africa during en exercise which killed a Marine.

The following day she ran aground on a Scottish island where she stayed for three days before being floated off.

In 1916 the Britannia was in the Adriatic and Atlantic. In February/March 1917 she underwent a refit in Gibraltar end then joined the 9th Cruiser Squadron Freetown, escorting convoys around West Africa. Following further updating of her 6� guns in Bermuda, Britannia returned to her West African station and escort duties. She was returning to Gibraltar when she was spotted by the German submarine UB-50. On the morning of November 9th 1918 there was a sudden explosion followed shortly afterwards by a second caused by a fire in her 9.2 magazine which set the cordite alight in the magazine.

A torpedo had hit the battleship. Below decks everything was in darkness. Valves used to flood the magazine could not be located.

Those that were, were seized and could not be operated. The ship was doomed. A ten degree list to port developed. Here she remained some miles west of Cape Trafalgar. Smoke and toxic fumes from the magazine fire made any attempt to go below decks impossible. Fifty men were either killed or died of toxic gas poison and a further eighty were wounded or suffered from the gasses.

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She remained afloat for three and a half hours, by which time ships from Gibraltar were able to reach her and. rescue all the survivors and dead which were taken to Gibraltar Two days later the Armistice was signed ending the First World War. The celebrations locally were dampened by the burial of the victim’s at North Front Cemetery. The dead were buried with full military honours. The cortege passed though Main Street on gun carriages draped with the Union Flag along streets lined with military and civilians, bear headed. Only the crunch of the wheels and the steady beat of the military escort broke the silence once the funeral march, played by the band of the United States Navy, had passed by. Large contingents of the French, American, Italian and British navies were represented. The last rites were followed by volleys from the firing parties as the dead were laid to rest.

The next story is of the 9551 ton tanker Regent Lion, built in Sunderland for the CT Bowring Company of London and launched in 1937.

Tankers were the prime targets of enemy submarines and for this reason were generally allocated positions in the convoy which provided the maximum protection, if such a thing existed. On February 17th 1945, convoy UGS72 from the United States to Suez was twenty seven mile from Gibraltar when U300 under Fritz Hein, fired four torpedoes at the ships hitting a Liberty Ship, the Michael J Stone and the Regent Lion. The Liberty Ship managed to limp into the Bay under its own steam, even though it was well down by the stern.

Regent Lion

The tug HMS Behest took it in tow and brought it into the harbour where it was put into No. l dock and repaired. The fate of the Regent Star was more tragic. She was taken in tow by the Dockyard tug Rollicker and Arctic Ranger but on the 19th she was beached on Pearl Rock near Punta Carnero and became a total loss.

Seven of her crew were lost. The U300 was sunk on February 22nd by depth charges from HMS Recruit.

Pincher and Evadne west of Cadiz. These were the last victims of the war in the area before VE day was declared on May 8th 1945. der tow

Regent Lion un

Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar.

Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com

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FEATURE

a glimmer of

?

anywhere WORDS BY RICHARD CARTWRIGHT 40

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FEATURE me be positive.” The record does indeed show lessons not learned: Cambodia in the 70s genocide to the tune of almost 14,000 who entered an execution centre, only seven survived... Rwanda in the mid 90s, mass murder of over half a million Tutsis and others whilst thousands Hutus killed in Burundi in the early 70s... again during the mid-90s genocide in Bosnia. Almost 9,000 were killed with the mass expulsion of thousands and many more thousands dying during the fighting in those war torn countries.

Levi and I continued our chat highlighting the hotspots around the world and ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East: Syria, the Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the never ending skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians, unrest in South America and lest we forget the occupation of Tibet and the Rohingya’s struggle in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Trouble everywhere and no lessons learnt... at least looking that way, we contended. Does the West only intervene where it suits? “Yes, there are so many more important issues we could be attending to that affect us all and yet not enough is being done as we see now with the climate issue, global warming and the plastic in our oceans etc.,” Levi reminded me. It seems we’re more intent in creating conflict and killing, being corrupt and ruling over others. “Remember the story of Noah’s Ark, how all the animals of every kind went in two by two with no trouble between them? Maybe therein is the message of how we humans are meant to behave. I always accept individuals for who they are, whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or a nonbeliever and regardless of their nationality.” And I fully agree; you deal with individuals on a one-to-one not what you assume they represent because of where they’re from, their social status, beliefs or colour of their skin. It has to be said though, there are those who are like-minded and try

yesterday’s and tomorrow’s world, and relevant and useful for everyone of us to take on board. “Well in total it can take me four or five hours to put those two minute talks together, mulling ideas around in my mind as I go. They come from observations from bits and pieces I may have read or heard about anywhere. Also, for example, taken from when I travel on the bus to town by simply listening to what fellow passengers are saying.” Levi’s been delivering those interesting thoughts for the day for many years now - about 30, I think - and he never pushes the religious theme, instead he aims to give them a universal angle which anyone can understand and take on board. His topics are very relatable, to the point, and more importantly... they’re appropriate and relevant at the start of the day!

I sometimes think the problem with conflicts of any type whether domestic, in the street, amongst communities or culminating in serious confrontation, point to you and me - us humans! Jealousy, hate, greed, vanity, never accepting one may be wrong, plus all the other negatives which dwell within, winding all the way up - for some - to the insatiable thirst for power, ending in WAR and the killing of each other which make you question if we are born good or evil?

Going back to the 60s whilst in the UK, I remember watching those promotions on TV which went something like this: `just £2 a month, will help feed this child for a month...’. Those promotional appeals, as are world conflicts... are still ongoing! Yes, the elusive `glimmer of hope’ comes to mind.

WE’VE RECENTLY WITNESSED THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUSCHWITZ EXTERMINATION OF OVER SIX MILLION JEWS AND OTHERS. ANY HUMAN BEING FROM WHICHEVER COUNTRY, ETHNIC GROUP OR RELIGIOUS BELIEF, YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT WOULDN’T HAVE ALLOWED SUCH A TRAGEDY TO BE REPEATED, WHATEVER IT TOOK... HAVE WE SUCCEEDED? Commemorations were a-plenty in many countries and all over our TV screens with thousands of solemn faces which read, `How, could this have happened?’ and `Never Again!’ Well, nearly eight decades later you’d be forgiven for thinking the world is not on a trajectory to become a better place, considering what has happened since. The lessons that horrifying and shocking episode in the world’s history should have taught us have gone unheeded... or so it seems.

Over a cup of coffee and a glass of wine I chatted to friend and fellow broadcaster amongst other `occupations’ - Levi Attias, a Jew, who like me, was just as apprehensive or anxious as I, as to `which way we are going Billy...’ or so the song goes! Given the goings on since those atrocities all those years ago there seems to be no positives in our behaviour to speak of. “During our Chanukah feast,” Levi tells me, “we place a candle on our window sill outwards facing the world, declaring peace to all and sundry, but it seems much of what needs to be addressed is swept under the carpet.

As a Jew I am hopeful and my faith helps GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

their hardest to get us on the right track.

For all the negativity places of worship and those that frequent them receive and are criticised for, there are many believers who are genuine in their task of putting the right message across and maintain a culture of doing the right thing by producing good deeds. Thank heavens for that! I’m sure to the more enlightened and discerning, all of that sounds a little simplistic but it could be argued that’s where it starts: be happy with yourself first, and then apply some of that feel good factor towards others. As for those nations, ethnic groups and countries and peoples of differing beliefs that hold those populations, more `jaw jaw’ and less `war war’ - as said by Winston Churchill would not go amiss.

I specifically asked Levi to meet me and talk about these issues mainly because I know his reasonableness would augur well for a good `jaw jaw’ between us, spurred on also because I enjoy his short contributions on Radio Gibraltar’s Monday to Friday segment of `Pause for Reflection’ where he picks on subjects which are pertinent to today’s, MARCH 2020

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ARMED FORCES INSIGHT

BRITISH FORCES GIBRALTAR BIDS FAREWELL TO ITS ROCK Farewells are often hard to do. In close-knit organisations, more so.

Marie Martinez was British Forces Gibraltar’s longest serving member of staff. She started at a turbulent time as the military operations on the Rock were being scaledback in line with defence cuts and the emergence of a different kind of military threat. Her fuirst job was that of part-time clerical assistant in 1984, when she was told not to make herself “too comfortable”. Time has proven to be on her side!

She then moved on to work in the former Principal Supply and Transport Organisation (Naval) for four years, before moving into the budgeting world in early 1989.

Promoted to EO in November 1991, Marie remained within the Budgets area until January 2004 when she transferred to the Library at HMS Rooke.

Here Marie became a qualified para-professional in the Library and Information field and spent many a happy day processing books, preparing competitions for our younger readers, preparing learning opportunities and ensuring the Joint Education Library and Information Centre (JELIC) was the best learning environment it could be. The Library sadly closed its doors in 2013, and Marie was instrumental in achieving the gifting of the contents (both books and shelving) to HMGoG for inclusion and use in the John Mackintosh Hall Library. The JELIC became the Joint Education Centre and moved to Devil’s Tower Camp in 2016, becoming the Joint Education and Training Services (JETS) in the wake of the Op Model re-organisation.

The Ops Model provided opportunities for the MOD workforce and in 2017 Marie was promoted to HEO, taking over the position of manager of the JETS. Marie held this post until her retirement in January 2020. She has relished these last three years, with the highlight of JETS achieving notable success in the field of Functional Skills for Command personnel.

Marie joins her husband Kevin, in retirement and they plan to travel as long as health and finances permit. Gibraltar salutes you, Marie!

HONOURS & AWARDS Commodore Tim Henry, Commander British Forces Gibraltar, presented a number of awards at a ceremony in The Tower.

The latest ceremony saw four members of the British Forces Gibraltar community being awarded CBF Commendations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to Headquarters British Forces Gibraltar.

Daniel Ferro, Ms Liz Connor, Ms Lourdes Berllaque and Mrs Audrey Maclean were commended.

Royal Gibraltar Gun Salute A Royal Gun Salute was fired by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment on February 6th to mark the Accession to the Throne of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On this occasion, the Inspecting Officer was Major (Retd) Charles Armstrong ED JP, a former Battery Commander of Thomson’s Battery. Major Armstrong relinquished command of B Company in 1990 and retired from the Regiment in 1992. The Battery was commanded by Major Charles Bonfante of B Company, RG.

RESILIENCE GAMES The second Resilience Games took place at Devil’s Tower Camp on February 12th, hosted by British Forces Gibraltar.

Participants competed to test their physical strength and mental resilience in various components of fitness, across five team workouts.

These comprised 12 two-person tri-service teams, featuring same sex and mixed pairs. The event saw friends and colleagues pair up to fight for the winning title.

After the five workouts, the final count of scores was compiled by Sgt Zoe Fowler.

WINNERS Cpl Danny Richards and AB Jamie Reed

RUNNERS UP Cpl Sean Simmonds and LCpl Matthew Hall

THIRD PLACE Maj Nick Kemp and Maj Phil Godsiff The day ended when Commodore Tim Henry, Commander British Forces Gibraltar, presented the winners with trophies and prizes, and congratulated all entrants on their efforts.

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MOTORING INSIGHT

FIRST DRIVING IMPRESSIONS AUDI Q3 SPORTBACK

F A C T F IL E FROM THE FRONT THERE IS HARDLY ANY DIFFERENCE TO THE WELL-LOVED, AND VERY POPULAR STANDARD Q3, IF IN FACT YOU CAN CALL A Q3 STANDARD. BUT MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE CAR, AND A WHOLE NEW WORLD OPENS UP. THERE ARE SHARPER CREASES ON THE DOORS, AND THE ENGINEERING TO PRODUCE SUCH PERFECTLY SHAPED METAL. GO AROUND THE BACK AND IT HAS A SLOPING ROOF, AND LOOKS LIKE A VERY SEXY COUPÉ. THE FRONT WINGS AND REAR WINGS WITH THEIR CONTOURED HAUNCHES OVER THE REAR WHEELS LOOK QUITE DRAMATIC, A VERY HANDSOME LOOKING SUV. Audi have produced this car to offer customers something a bit different, those loyal to the brand, and there are plenty of them could have gone elsewhere to buy a good-looking SUV, but to combat any deserters Audi have come up with the perfect solution.

The car we had on test was the Q3 Sportback 35 TDI S Line with the S-Tronic automatic gearbox that has a UK basic price of around £37,000, but the test car had a few nice options that bumped the price up to nearly £43,000.

Like all new Audis, it has the new badging system that is a bit difficult to explain, especially to friends and neighbours when you are in a rush. This Audi had 35 on the rear door, and people always say, bet that goes, having a 3.5-litre engine. When in reality, the 35 is a power range that is applicable to both petrol and diesel engines, good idea in principal, but not sure it works in reality.

This 35 TDI produces something that we do understand, and that is a 2.0-litre diesel that produces 150ps, goes from 0-62 mph in 9.3 seconds, a top speed of 127 mph, where permitted.

The interior space for passengers appeared to be about the same as the Q3 Hatch. Luggage space with the rear seats folded down is 1,400-litres, and with the rear seats up it is a very handy 530-litres. You would think with it having that slopingcoupé-like roof it would lose some space, but not at all, it probably has more room than some of its competitors.

Driving the car around Yorkshire for a few days proved it can ride the potholes and lumpy roads very well, and felt solid and safe, and has loads of standard safety equipment. In other words, typical Audi.

The interior is very similar to the Q3 Hatch, with very few changes, but there really don’t need to be any changes as the Q3 has plenty of modern design features. Although the plastic and trim at eye level, and those you are looking at all the time are up to a very high standard. But look a bit lower down and they can feel a bit hard and scratchy.

The infotainment system on the Sportback is the same as the Hatch, you get a 10-inch touchscreen as standard and a 10-inch digital Virtual Cockpit display that replaces the conventional analogue dials. These screens are so easy to use and very intuitive. This is reflected in all the systems, including the standard satellite navigation system and telephone system.

The Q3 Sportback is a lovely car to drive, it has a raised seating position so makes vision so much better. It is quiet, with hardly any road, wind or engine noise, thanks to its advanced sound insulation system, including the insulated windscreen.

Audi have designed and developed a very attractive 5-door SUV Coupe that looks brilliant from every angle, a car that will appeal to a wide range of people, and is bound to sell well.

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MOTORING INSIGHT

FIRST DRIVING IMPRESSIONS BENTLEY BENTAYGA

WHEN IS AN SUV, A LARGE SUV? WHEN IT’S A BENTLEY, OF COURSE. AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO BE IMMERSED IN THE FULL BENTLEY EXPERIENCE THAN CREWE, THE SPIRITUAL HOME. Bentley moved from their original factory in London in 1946, which was just behind Baker Street. Their new home in Crewe had been used from 1938 to 1945 to build and assemble Merlin engines for various aeroplanes used in the second World War. Bentley started in business in 1919, so last year celebrated 100 years. Quite a milestone for any company. But in that century, it has not always been plane sailing, with many difficulties and problems on the way.

The Bentayga we drove around Cheshire was powered by a 4.0-litre Twin-Turbocharged V8 petrol that produces 550ps and goes from 0-60 mph in a sprightly 4.4 seconds, it has a top speed of 180 mph (290km/h) where allowed … which is virtually nowhere.

It has a combined fuel consumption figure of 21.7 mpg or 13-litres per 100 km.

In 2019 Bentley delivered 11,006 cars to customers worldwide with the new Continental GT taking first place and the Bentayga in second. In 2020 they expect sales figures to rise to up to 16,000 as the new Flying Spur goes on-sale, plus more of their vehicles will be offered with hybrid technology. The Bentayga is already available with a plug-in hybrid that is capable of travelling around 24 miles on pure electric. By 2023 all Bentley models will be offered with hybrid technology.

Bentley, which these days is part of the Volkswagen Group, is doing all it can to be carbon neutral. It has over 22,000 solar panels on site, which can power up to 60% of the energy they use. For every one tree they use in production, they plant three.

Before the drive we were allowed into the factory, which is exceptionally clean, and seemed to be full of happy people. Bentley employ 4,200 people who work in various departments and in different parts of the factory.

We went into the trimming shop were the hides are prepared.

The hides are only from bulls that are kept in fields that do not have any barbed wire, so as not to damage the hide. The hides are dyed to any colour the customer wants, and lastly they’re cut using highly-specialised machines in the trimming shop. Every Continental GT uses 8 hides and a Bentayga 12.

F A C T F IL E

Finally, we ventured into final assembly where all the pieces of the jigsaw come together. The bare body enters the factory and after everything has been fitted by hand - such as electrics, trims, engine, gearbox, seats, wheels and everything else in a car - it is fired up and a new Bentley is born. Numerous tests are carried out on every car before it is despatched to its new owner anywhere in the world.

In the factory they do have their own medical team and even 53 defibrillators scattered around. Maybe these are needed when a customer starts adding specification to their cars, then find out the price!!?

After a spot of lunch it was time to take the Bentayga, on the road in a wet and miserable day in Cheshire. Once you get into this large SUV it is so apparent it’s oozing luxury, and having just seem them being assembled and all the trim being hand-crafted it made it even more special.

The car we had was the ‘Design Edition’ which had around £28,000 of UK list options included in the car, but this did make the cost around £180,000. Probably the most expensive car I have driven in my long time in the motor industry.

The power was amazing, although you couldn’t really try it in the poor weather conditions on the roads around Crewe.

Put your foot on the loud-pedal and it was off, despite its size and weight. It is so quiet and refined and hardly any engine, wind or road noise enters the cabin. The automatic gearbox is smooth and effortless. It is just a joy to drive.

The Bentayga is 5.14m long, so is a large car, but the disadvantage is parking it in tight multi-storey or supermarket car parks, a bit tight in any car park. The advantage is, it is huge inside, with loads of legroom, and a massive luggage area.

The Bentley Bentayga is a great SUV, it has everything, quality, craftmanship, the finest materials available, performance, comfort, everyone is unique, and those very prestigious Bentley badges. Yes it is expensive, and yes you can buy other luxury SUV’s for half the money, but if you are a multi-millionaire, what is two-hundred grand for a very nice car..?

And if you’re not a multi-millionaire, then prices do start at just over £130,000. It’s when you start adding on a few nice options the price starts to rise dramatically.

We saw the Bentley logos that go on the headrests being produced, with every one having 4,760 stitches in one badge. A little known fact is the badge has 10 wings on the left, and 11 on the right. This was an early security feature, purposefully designed like this to catch out counterfeiting.

Then it was into the wood shop where all the veneers are produced and cut into shape. These go through many time-consuming processes to end up with a perfect finish that is unmistakably Bentley.

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FEATURE

PICK a Cruise I’M PROBABLY PREACHING TO MORE THAN THE CONVERTED ABOUT HOLIDAYING ON THE OCEAN WAVES AS SO MANY OF US HAVE BEEN ON AT LEAST ONE CRUISE. BUT FOR THOSE FEW WHO HAVE YET TO INDULGE, GO ON - `PICK A CRUISE,’ IT’S A WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE!

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FEATURE In the same way that Christmas is now well behind us, yet soon we’ll be booking our favourite restaurants or venues to celebrate the next yuletide outing, now - or even earlier - is the time to start flicking through the cruise company catalogues to choose a trip that takes your fancy out at sea during the warmer months shortly to be with us during 2020.

Well, it is value for money: one payment and you’re fed, thirst-quenched, entertained and delivered to a number of destinations without having to lift a finger or spending an extra penny - and there are now drinks packages included in the price!

I’ve been on a number of them, including river cruises which are more intimate and becoming very popular also. You may have heard about the abundance of food on offer on cruise ships throughout most of the day... well it’s true. You have the self-service restaurants for breakfast and lunch, the main dining restaurant in the evening as well as the cafe for tea, sandwiches and cakes in the afternoons - food is everywhere. For a more intimate venue and perhaps a touch of romance there are chic eateries which you can visit for an extra charge. The issue is if you’re into food, on a cruise you can stuff your face to your heart’s content, however, ladies need to watch out and concentrate on a `morsel-picking-discipline’ and ignore the delicious dishes you’ll be tempted to gorge on if you’re concerned about putting on weight. But on board there are plenty of ways to exercise in a fully equipped gym, deck games and the ever popular power walks around the ship on a clearly, markedout deck... and don’t forget the must-takewith-you bottle of water and iPod! Your comfy stateroom (as they’re called these days), awaits you for an afternoon rest before it all kicks off again with more food, drink and entertainment. As you relax, those with a balcony can sunbathe with very little on with only the odd seagull or flying fish to take a peep.

The entertainment offered is normally first class with singers, dancers, comedians and others in a fully functional theatre just like the West End. There are ice shows and any number of bars and lounges with more entertainment to keep you well oiled through the night sipping cocktails, a good selection of beers and best wines. Drinks

generally have to be paid for unless you have a drinks’ package. Shops, a sauna, spa, massage parlour and beauty salon are where you can spend a little more cash if you want to and you’ll find an art gallery, library and cinema, board games room and even a bingo session or two, all for free, or perhaps spend a little more in the casino or the handful of shops selling top branded goods... plenty to keep you busy throughout your cruise. The ship is run just like a four or five star hotel. All of your

probably much cheaper considering all that’s included in your one-off-paymentcruise. Tours are offered on board at a price... and what a price! My experience has taught me to get off the ship and make your own way to whichever tourist attraction you fancy. I know some local travellers tend to book all or most of what’s offered on board at a hefty price - this applies also to photographs taken on your cruise from as soon as you come on board to everywhere else - restaurants, gala and fun

spending is done with your Sea Pass credit card which also serves as your stateroom key and ID for getting on and off the ship.

Whatever you spend on board is deducted from your card or cards at the end of the cruise, so you can freely have fun and spend - prudently of course! It’s also good to learn about the layout of the ship to get from A to B. Today’s cruise ships are very big, built on 12 or 13 decks so it’s easy to lose your sense of direction. Meeting the Captain happens once when you queue up to shake hands and exchange a quick hello. He’s a busy man and hasn’t a lot of free time for much else. There is one other expense which you need to be aware of and that’s tipping: you’re expected to tip your stateroom attendant and waiters. The service provided is second to none and all the individuals are very pleasant and helpful.

Whether extra niceness is put on is difficult to suss out but most seem pretty genuine.

Through training and having dealt with so many cruise enthusiasts over time, it probably comes as second nature to them.

These days you’re expected to pay specific amounts for stateroom attendants and restaurant staff.

nights and almost every other activity. My view is to choose carefully what you’re really interested to see and which photographs you’d like to have and not book and buy everything. Some so-called tourist attractions are often not all they’re cracked up to be, in my experience. Clearly it’s the aim of the cruise lines to make as much as they can on each cruise by inviting you to spend and spend at will - as long as you’re in agreement of course - you’re not forced.

Spend wisely. Once you’ve done a couple of cruises you begin to sort out what your preferences are and choose accordingly. Looking after your cruise budget is all important. Places of Worship, castles, citadels, fortresses, art galleries and so much more to see if you really want to. For me... well, how many cathedrals, art galleries and old ruins do I want to visit? Call me a philistine if you will but there is a limit. My interest is directed more to the folklore of a place, concerts - classical or otherwise and how countries have developed but hey, horses for courses and the choice is yours.

Destinations are usually looked forward to and great to visit.

It’s certainly a handy way to get to know places without having to spend all that time in departure lounges, hopping on and off planes, and

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All of the above can be experienced on a cruise, sea-going or on a famous river.

These days cruising enthusiasts are sailing on ships operating across the world from Alaska to Vietnam, they’re all available for you to choose and think carefully about your preference. They’re certainly value for money whichever you choose and it’s up to you how to spend your time onboard or whilst ashore. Save and count and then count again and when you’re ready, grab those socks full of cash and visit your favourite Travel Agent or dabble on the internet thing and find the best deal on offer...

Happy 2020 cruising!

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FEATURE

TELEPHONE

CAN SAVE LIVES

‘HELP US TO HELP THOSE PEOPLE YOU LOVE’ Would you know what to do if someone has a cardiac arrest? Cardiac arrest is reversible in most victims if it’s treated within a few minutes.

Collaboration between Gibraltar Fire & Rescue Service, Gibraltar Ambulance Service and Gibraltar Health Authority saw the launch of the Telephone-CPR service (T-CPR) on the 14th February, Valentine’s Day. Run along the lines of the UK system, this initiative will bring Gibraltar in line with developed countries in Europe. “Telephone-CPR and Bystander CPR is part and parcel of the chain of survival,” states Chief Ambulance Officer, Sigurd Haveland.

Chief Fire Officer, Colin Ramirez explains that calls from anyone ringing 190 or 112 will still be received by the Fire Control operators who will then deploy whatever resources are required in terms of emergency ambulances. “The dispatchers will ask the caller 4 questions to establish if the patient requires resuscitation and if the caller does accept those instructions and is willing to perform those actions, the Controller will then provide instructions on how to give chest compressions until the arrival of the Paramedic Ambulance.”

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FEATURE GHA’s Resuscitation Officer, Tina Reyes-Hughes, explains that an estimated 20 people in Gibraltar will have a cardiac arrest out of hospital this year, either at home, at work or in a public place. A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly and without warning. “Because these people are not likely to be in hospital, it is the public, friends, relatives and strangers that are in the best position to make a difference by starting CPR quickly and before the ambulance arrives,” she says. Tina is keen to stress that the quality of survival from a cardiac arrest is increased hugely by having somebody administering CPR almost as soon as they collapse. “We know that people survive because of it, but we also know that they survive better in terms of neurological outcomes - how their brain functions - so it is about the quality of survival as well as the fact that they do survive.”

“The initiative for the project came from Sigurd in 2017 who together with Tina were the instigators of all this,” Colin states. “We started discussions with the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service on how to implement it safely which required training and for policies and procedures to be put

tem - so that made us bespoke the algorithms to Gibraltar and secondly, luckily enough we had an appetite from the call handlers and dispatchers, so it was custom-made by all of us - the call handlers and the GHA for Gibraltar, and there is no algorithm outside Gibraltar that looks like ours.”

Tina outlines the training process: “We started off by producing an algorithm for the call handlers to take the calls down - asking some very basic questions such as “is the patient unresponsive?’, “can you wake the patient up?”, “is the patient breathing?” and then another set of simple instructions including “don’t hang up”, “put your phone on loudspeaker” and “we need you to listen carefully”.

“We got all the nine call handlers in dispatches into two batches and spent four hours making sure that their basic life support was perfect and then got them to use the algorithms in order to instruct their colleagues outside the room on how to do CPR. So they did it themselves, then they told somebody else how to do it, and then they told somebody else how to do it without being in the same room, which is of course what is going to happen in real life.”

Get Involved Both Tina and Sigurd say that they are asking the community for their help to learn and give CPR. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by up to 10%. “People should find out how to do CPR and that will always be better than hearing how to do it for the first time when faced with a non-breathing, non-responsive casualty,” Tina emphasises.

Sigurd highlights that this is a three-strand project. “Telephone CPR first of all, then Public Assisted Defibrillators and very soon we will be implementing Children’s CPR at school.” The curriculum has already been reformed to allow for Children’s CPR and it is hoped that in a couple of months they will be able to start training teachers.

in place,” Sigurd tells me, going on to say that It also required an appetite from the Government to launch such a system in Gibraltar, and it was in September last year when everything started to materialise. “The endorsement by the Government was priceless.”

“It has been a show of cooperation between the services for the ultimate beneficiary, the community, and it is very important that Sigurd and Tina implemented that selfless effort to make it happen, and the GFRS want to thank them for their support,” Colin states.

Sigurd explains that the system in place is bespoke to Gibraltar. “We looked at various other algorithms around the world which have been used to implement CPR for years now and there are two aspects here - one is that they use digital systems and we still use a dedicated manual sys-

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Initially, fire operators were trained to handle fire calls, then took on the responsibility of dispatching emergency ambulances and they are now responsible for the delivery of T-CPR instructions. Colin says that it was crucial to keep the process as simple as possible to ensure that the life of the person does not deteriorate as a result of the instructions that they are giving over the phone. It is difficult in a small community, where everybody knows everybody else, whether you are a paramedic, a nurse in A&E, a Resus Officer or the Fire Control officer, because you are going to see somebody at some stage who has been involved in the resuscitation procedure.

“Sigurd and Tina have struck the right balance to give the call handlers the confidence that what they are doing is the right thing,” Colin comments.

“They see the value because none of us can really understand what it is like to be on the phone,” Tina says.

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As an aid to the instructions delivered by the call-handler, you can use the beat of some popular songs such as Staying Alive, Yellow Submarine, Happy Birthday, Match of the Day or Nellie the Elephant to help you perform CPR. Tina says that as long as you are doing 100-120 chest compressions in a minute you can use any song you like. “Preferably not out loud,” she adds. “There are a range of useful learning tools available online, including metronome apps that you can download to your smartphone, or go to the Resuscitation Council website where you can find some useful videos that you can interact with as you perform CPR.” T-CPR and Bystander Assisted CPR saves lives. www.resus.org.uk

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GIB TALKS... YEAR 6!

It was another successful Gib Talks at John Mackintosh Hall, the sixth edition of an idea born out of the TED Talks in the United States and Canada. Here, we have our own brand: namely Gib Talks with, as to be expected, the `Llanito’ element thrown in for good measure.

Since the 80s the idea has spread to much of North America, Europe, Asia and Africa: TED – TECHNOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT AND DESIGN is how it started and has now been expanded to almost any subject under the sun and in Gib the topics are as varied as the speakers themselves: from politics, business, culture, education, personal experiences of whatever genre and much more. In a small community such as Gib we pretty much tend to know everyone and what they do... or do we? Gib Talks in many cases reveals what’s underneath, or the other side of the persona we have come to know, or simply learn more about their job, family life, or their pastimes, hobbies or other leisure pursuits - in some cases quite revealing. The bottom line is, it’s enlightening to learn more about the person you brush shoulders with on Main Street day-today who you think you knew everything about, or the individual you know from being in the spotlight as a politician, television, radio, media or sports personality, musician or head of a top charity or other local business organisation. 15 minutes is the maximum time each speaker has to say as much as they want to say about the topic chosen and, more often than not, provide an interesting insight about themselves whilst you sit comfortably on a Saturday afternoon listening to speaker after speaker on any number of topics. A great way to spend part of your weekend - so far on six occasions enjoying our version of TED Talks namely - the very successful, February Gib Talks!

We’ve listened to about 100 speakers so far and this sixth edition was as eclectic as all the others. At the helm is playwright-lover-of-the-break-a-leg-genre, Julian Felice, who

brought the idea home to the Rock and who this time came on stage to a musical intro in the rock vein to which he jokingly quipped, “That was a bit unnecessary no?” As always he gets the ball rolling from the start with a ten minute chat informing us what to expect for the rest of the day and that, `we need to talk,’ and talk we did... or they did!

Kicking off the session were Gib Talk veterans Mark Randall and Stephen Hermida recounting their travels `From the Rock to a High Place.’ Maite Facio-Beanland followed with her experiences as a deaf person assisted by sign language interpreter Richard Weaver sitting in the audience narrating Maite’s words for all of us to appreciate (later he went on stage to sign language for those deaf or hard of hearing members in the audience). Maite told us there was one good thing about being deaf... “My children tell me my husband is a loud snorer so I don’t hear him!” Politician Damon Bossino related to his autistic son’s difficulties and became a little emotional reciting a poem describing his dad who’s suffering from dementia.

Young Francesca Makey recounted her experience of womb cancer at the very young age of 17 - very unusual at that age... and so the speakers kept on coming - seventeen of them: most chatting for 15 minutes and a few for 10 as VPs - vox pop invitees - individuals not necessarily in the public domain who express an interest in wanting to say a few words. We learnt about the tough negotiating goings on in the `Beautiful Game’ from Kenneth Asquez - a football agent. Government Minister, Steven Linares got the laughs as he told us about all the jobs he had before arriving at Parliament House. Eloquent, Moroccan Gibraltarian Youssef El-Hana spoke about the hard times

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FEATURE had by the Moroccan diaspora arriving on the Rock during the blockade when they were really needed, and then there were more speakers and more interesting chats and anecdotes. We also learnt about aviation on the Rock going back a good many years as told by Bland’s veteran Luis Pereira. Transgender Zyle Peralta revealed his experiences from female to male and how he became happy with himself, not least pursuing his love of body building becoming a qualified personal trainer. “Feel free and become what you want to become” he declared.

Luke Stagnetto stood for the European Elections as a UK Liberal Democrat and lamented the ugly texts he received during the campaign. He says, “Yes, speak freely but speak fairly!” Well into the early af-

ternoon we proceeded and more interesting speakers appeared; Jackie Anderson on the Pleasures and Perils of Poetry, motivator Anita Chaperon on `the Business of You’ and Eddie Wood who was funny, telling us about living with his nonagenarian mum who still holds the throne! Young journalist, Adriana Lopez about her time in Barcelona - lessons learned and the importance of dialogue and of course whilst up there...

Gibraltar came up! Linda Alvarez, hard working sports enthusiast but not very good at badminton told us all - or nearly all - about the highs and lows of organising the Island Games and not forgetting my colleague at GBC, Kelly-Anne Borge who charted her course to the present, becoming the popular radio and television presenter/journalist she’s deservedly become.

Gib Talks 2020 was another great success, but the sad news is there won’t be another Gib Talks for the next two years due to refurbishment works at the John Mackintosh Hall. Therefore, we look very forward to Gib Talks 2023. Well worth the wait and the visit and it’ll only cost you £5!

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ON THE SPOT

MASTER ANTHONY JOAQUIN 7TH DAN JU-JITSU 1ST DAN JDUDO How would you describe yourself?

“As a fully dedicated and professional martial arts instructor.”

Which person had been the biggest influence in your life?

“I would say my family, especially my two daughters, Kelly Ann and Joelly Ann for their respective achievements.”

What is the best book you have ever read?

“A book about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, it was a great read.”

What is your favourite music track?

“I love all kinds of music, especially whilst training or working in my Katas or with my weapons. I find that it gives me an inner concentration.”

What makes you laugh?

“My two grandchildren, they are what keeps me going, and they enjoy the experience of coming down to the academy to train with me.”

What is your greatest ambition?

“To leave everything in good order when I’m gone, for my daughters and grandchildren to continue the way of Budo, serving their community providing world class Ju-Jitsu.”

What is the best country you have ever visited?

“For me, it has to be Japan, training with the elite Samurai warriors, sleep, eat, drink, train, it was a great experience, a totally different world to Europe, the way the Japanese conduct their daily business, their culture, was a real eye opener.”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

“To wake up each morning and thank God that you have another day ahead to enjoy and make the most of, we only live once.”

who have abused my confidence, for example if you say no to any given thing, you become the worst person in the world in an instant and they forget all the good you have done for them over the years.”

Have you had any embarrassing moments?

“Yes sure, I remember once filling up a trolley with goods and realizing when at the till that I had left my wallet at home, having to run home and apologize to the poor cashier on my return.”

What keeps you awake at night?

“Eating late at night, climbing out of bed, going to the kitchen, eating chocolate and sweets and then suffering massive heart burn for the rest of the night.”

What word or phrase do you most overuse?

“Good morning, good evening, hello, thankyou, please. I call this respect and manners.”

Do you have any regrets?

“I have come across people

What is your biggest fear?

“Not waking up the following morning, without having first finished my dedicated work towards martial arts development in Gibraltar.”

If you did not live where you are currently located where would you like to live?

“For me Japan, in the countryside, feeling free and enjoying life, being at one with Mother Nature.”

What person historic or living would you most like to meet?

“I would like to meet my mother in heaven, just for five minutes, just to tell her how much I love and miss her.”

If you could change something about yourself what would it be?

“I would like to be 20 years of age once more but with the life experience I have now. Other than this I would not change anything as I’m quite proud of my achievements in my 40 years dedicated to martial arts.”

If you could change one thing about Gibraltar what would it be?

“One would be the over laid back attitude that exists here in some respects. And also in other ways, the over stressful life that some lead, which denies them the chance to enjoy life to the fullest.”

Have you ever been given advice that you wished you had acted on?

“I have always sought advice from my family, who are the ones who support me through good and bad times, so I’ve always been in good hands in this respect.”

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What is the best experience you’ve had in life so far?

“Visiting the land of the rising sun, Japan, can’t wait to return one day.”

What is your favourite hobby or interest?

“My favourite hobby is Ju-Jitsu, it can do so much for each individual person, it promotes healthy living, fitness and in my opinion, makes you a better person in the process.”

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This Month’s

Dog Of The Month

Lesley

Lesley is a sweet young girl, under a year old, whose heart problems have limited her ability to travel to any homes abroad.

She is being cared for by the shelter but she urgently needs an angel to offer her a respite home. She doesn’t need any long walks, just a soft bed, some medical care and somewhere to rest comfortably.

To adopt Lesley or one of the many dogs awaiting their forever home: https://www.ainf.gi Facebook: Animals In Need Foundation (Adopt a Rescue Dog Gibraltar) If you would like to make a donation to our society, please see info on the right.

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FEATURE

THE

G I F T OF

and New Beginnings in Nature

In a few weeks from now spring will be sprung and the seasonal ‘new beginnings’ will slowly but surely start to show. At first the obvious place to look for spring is outside the house where you will notice new growth just about anywhere there is greenery. One of the joys of an early morning walk on a sunny day takes on a whole new meaning in the springtime. The trigger that will tell you that are the birdsongs or the screeching of swallows (or is it the swifts?) as they dart around our skies.

Whenever I walk into town, summer or winter, I always include Commonwealth Park in my route. What sheer joy that jewel has brought to the heart of town, and a couple of laps around it is medicine for the soul especially early morning in spring. And to think that the doomsayers were writing this park off when it was still in its infancy - where will they be walking this spring I wonder?

If you walk along our rocky shoreline you will notice that the new hatchings of various species of fish are also darting around in schools using their strength in numbers and the shadows in the shallows to avoid capture by predators. Nature is clever and the large numbers of fry will be decimated but not exterminated unless we ‘wise’ humans intervene and stop polluting our shoreline with residual oils and plastics think Rosia Bay or the Europa foreshore.

Med Steps devotees will tell you that there is nothing like waiting for the sunrise up there in some tranquil perch, camera (or phone) ready and senses alert to click your own portrait of a new day breaking on our beautiful Rock. Local fishermen who go out in the dark will be dreading the sunlight because with the advancing light their trolling ‘golden hour’ is coming to an end as hungry fish now start seeing better and avoid the lures that they troll behind their boats at slow speeds. A tug at the lure sends the adrenalin racing and the hunter gatherer instinct kicks in, the world forgotten for a few seconds, the joys of fishing.

That joy will not be diminished if the catch doesn’t materialise because invariably there will be near misses that later become the tales of ‘the one that got away.’ When was the last time you went to the botanical gardens just to spend time and reinvigorate your senses? Listen to real birdcalls not on your iPhone but out in nature, and then in your mind you can write your own narrative as the squawking seagulls insist on interrupting your bliss.

Visible signs of spring cannot be taken for granted in our part of the world because if ‘Mr. Grey Levanter’ insists it can be bleak and blustery for weeks on end and our early morning outside routines will be curtailed for many.

The brave keep fit brigade will soldier on regardless, but their goals are different to ours. We only want to relax and reinvent our moods before breakfast. For us the promise of spring is an opportunity to observe Easter or Passover or other seasonal highlights and then move into the glorious summers that we are blessed with at the confluence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. We are lucky indeed.

Next spring will be sprung in Australia this September 1st and as ever nature will be working its hardest to overcome the tragedies of this year’s fire season. In early February I saw a documentary ‘Australia on Fire’ and the images of injured koala bears and kangaroos still haunt me because I don’t know how to hope that it will be alright again. Climate change is happening and the joy of spring over here in our cocooned post-Brexit corner of Europe tends to blind us to that reality.

It’s all about the optimism that only a new day in spring can conjure up.

When you decide on your spring routine in a few weeks, and please include nature in you plans, make room in your thoughts for the plight of our planet. Whatever we can do, however small and insignificant it may seem, to improve the chances of our future generations appreciating what we will be enjoying this spring in partnership with nature is surely worth preserving at any cost and that goes for our freedom too.

Some gifts we simply can’t take for granted.

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FEATURE

KIRSTY ALMEIDA RELEASES

‘Moonbird’ H ER NEW C D A F TE R SI X YE A R S

The last time we heard from this talented local singer songwriter was her seminal album ‘Pure Blue Green’ and then when she performed at our second Jazz Festival in 2013. That was over six years ago and now she is a mother to Ray who at nearly six has provided her with the new focus and freedom to continue her interrupted artistic career.

One listen to these nine tracks on ‘Moonbird’ will suffice anyone who knows Kirsty Almeida and her music that it almost seems as if she never left. None of her charm and magic, as well as song writing skills, has been dented by life. She got together again with her band ‘The Troubadours’ and with her fellow co- producer Matt Owens set about recording this fine bunch of nine songs into which she poured her heart and all her creativity.

Five times Grammy award winner record producer Jerry Boys (Buena Vista Social Club) was tasked with mixing the recordings and being the master that he is, has painted with sound an incredibly beautiful picture of Kirsty’s tuneful and whimsical songs into an audio feast. It’s immersive if you listen to the album on good headphones because none of the subtle brushstrokes which enhance the listening experience will be lost by distractions.

titled ‘I’m going to love you’ which for me should have been the closer, but that is all I would have done differently.

Some highlights to point the way for you now. The opening track is called ‘The Fire’ and is in the key of ‘heart-warmer’, it brings back the best of Kirsty the songwriter and singer so that you are immediately surrounded by good music brilliantly captured. ‘Dance with me’ is the new single and there is a video clip online which was shot here on the Rock last year featuring local Dance wizard Nathan Conroy which is a must-see. The song is deceptively simple and tuneful and soon grows on you with its swirling choruses which will draw the listener into the magic world that Kirsty plucks out of her soul.

‘Josie Brown’ is a lovely story of a child who helps an older person once a week and lights up her world. The lyric melts the poignant story and Kirsty puts a masterful stamp on what, for me, is a standout track in this collection.

can flavour helped along by a syncopated double bass and Kirsty’s plucked parlour guitar, always her trademark. Judicious dollops of reverb on choruses and echoes bring the rich mix together with an always interesting and developing orchestration.

Just to have come up with this stellar track justifies our long wait for Kirsty’s overdue return.

If you like your music in concept albums this one has a gravitational pull that will satisfy you as you will discover ‘new things’ in the imaginative song arrangements and polished performances from the lady and her band. If you know her previous work, you are sold already. If you saw her tantalising live performance here, even more, but if you are willing to engage with her music now you are in for a treat. Buy ‘Moonbird’ now and post your happy comments on social media - she is totally deserving of them and will love that.

The title track ‘Moonbird’ is awash with atmospheric bird calls and a South Ameri-

Musically there is so much going on in each track and nothing is lost. My best recommendation is that if you were ever into Joni Mitchell’s legendary song productions then you are in the same audio ballpark here. Good songs well sung and played, beautifully arranged and elegantly produced sonic landscapes to embellish them. This is not a Rock album and there are no thumping beats and wild guitars.

Instead there are complex layered vocal harmonies, sensitive arrangements of romantic ballads which tell good stories and all the fairy dust which our songstress can weave into a musical tapestry. There is a rousing New Orleans jazz flavoured song

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What’s on @ PACS Trinity @PACS – Mondays 10 - 11.30am We will be giggling our way into March! For our story we will be reading “Tickle Me Too” and during the month we will be doing hand printing, bubble painting and feet printing during craft time.

Come join us for lots of giggles at Mid Harbours Family Centre.

of spring! Daffodil fun for St David’s Day, lots more flowers for Mother’s Day and a Rice Krispie construction site!

Join us for our action-packed session at Laguna Youth Club, Glacis Estate.

Cooking @PACS – Friday 12.30 - 2.30pm

Bumps & Babies @PACS – Wednesdays 10am - 12pm

Cooking Club will be exploring the foods from The Caribbean, China and the USA during March. Children will have the opportunity to taste authentic foods and drinks from the country and then get hands on creating food from those countries. Come to this yummy and creative session at Laguna Youth Club, Glacis Estate. *This is the only PACS session that must be prebooked via email pacscooking@outlook.com

Our regular social catch up for parents-to-be and babies is held at The Living Room Café, Methodist Church, Main Street. The home from home atmosphere makes this a relaxed session, where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and chat about the highs and the lows of parenting.

Playgroup @PACS – Fridays 9.45 11.45am This month at playgroup as well as having our climbing frames and slides, our sensory table will have a touch

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Contact Us for more information: pacsgib@gmail.com or on Facebook: Parent and Child Society – PACS Gibraltar

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S AT ICLE AIM THIS ART E ONLY, RMATIV FO IN G BEIN L OR MEDICA S. WITH NO ETENSE STIC PR YOU DIAGNO P UR G IF YO LT CONSU R A RELT YOU O SUSPEC FFERING AY BE SU ATIVE M NDITION CO E TH FROM CRIBED. HERE DES

HEALTH & WELLBEING

WOMAN TO

Full-time job, housework, grocery shopping, young family, elderly care, entertaining, arts and culture, charity drives, sports, weekend escapades… are you juggling all this in an 18-hour-plus day, followed by a few hours of fitful sleep before it starts all over again tomorrow at the crack of dawn?

Can’t remember last time you had some ‘me-time’?

Actually, can’t even remember what ‘me-time’ means?

You may be suffering from Superwoman Syndrome, a behavioural condition that mostly affects western countries’ women, but it is spreading to the developing world too.

It is the compulsion and the pressure for women, usually aged 30 to 50, despite more and more adolescents already feeling they’re running a rat-race in high school, to having and being it all - career, family, health & fitness, social life – without wanting – or affording – to delegate to family members or to paid help.

Do you help your kids in educational tasks like dressing up or homework, just to speed up their getting ready in the morning or for bed?

Are you driven by a competitive edge even in casual situations like holidays, sports’ days, family picnics, or corporate team-building events?

Are your meal plans bordering eating disorders, including orthorexia?

When was the last time you were satisfied with your accomplishments at work or at home?

A superwoman is different from, and perhaps busier than, a career woman: the latter, in fact, is a woman who pursues any profession until not long ago regarded as the boys’ exclusive playground, a woman who commits to working long hours, perhaps travelling and commuting, but she either relinquishes family life for it, or hires a small army of professionals to run her household while she focuses on work.

Do you tend to sceptically shun compliments on a job well done but you are overly sensitive and receptive to those about your physical appearance?

Conversely, a superwoman is, or feels she is, a one-man, ehm, one-woman, band who reckons she can, and will, control it all, juggle it all. Her mantra “If others can, I can too. And better.” She might have been raised by empowering feminist role models or on the contrary escaped an abusive, dysfunctional or simply over-traditional family background, or she may want to emulate somewhat unrealistic images portrayed in the media.

Furthermore, if you are irritable, incensed, indecisive, unable to concentrate, subject to mood swings and negative thoughts, and if you lack sense of humour, it may be time to slow down and admit that Rome wasn’t built in a single day – or by a single individual.

Do you pay too much attention to gossip and judgement?

Are you judgemental?

Do you make a big fuss of a bad hair day?

When your body cannot keep up with your schedule demands, it might ring alarm bells through cephalea, elevated blood pressure, shortness of breath, palpitations, insomnia, restless sleep, loss of appetite, sudden weight gain or loss, hair loss, brittle fingernails, dry and itchy skin, rashes, hyperhidrosis, blackheads, dull complexion, yellowing sclera, bloodshot eyes, dark circles, bleeding gums.

The unhealthy strife to be perfect in every situation may build up to unsustainable levels when the superwoman fails to meet her own expectations. Beware I said ‘her own expectations’, because most superwomen are responsible for setting their bar too high, while LIFESTYLE: their loved ones can see they’re overdoYOUR DECALOGUE TO A BALANCED ing it and warn them to slow down, and auditioning for Mary yet superwomen might interpret this Let go of perfectionism: you are not o. pant a as condescendence, criticism or veiled in role ins’ Popp attempts to suggest they are failing at e between wants renc diffe the this modern ‘glass-ceiling-crashing nonMake your goals realistic. Tell and needs. sense’ and that a woman’s real place remains in the kitchen! tionally.

So ask yourself: do you constantly give without anything in return?

Do you attend to needs of others before your own?

Are you a people pleaser even if it makes you unhappy?

Do you throw or attend parties you feel alone at?

Do you feel exhausted and anxious?

Do you find yourself to mentally dismiss, disparage or belittle stay-at-home mums and homemakers in general, even if they are family?

Do you often compare yourself to other working mothers or colleagues?

Do you critically compare your kids’ milestones to those of other children their age?

Sometimes it is difficult for clinicians to make the connection to stress, if patients are in denial about being under excess stress, and truly believe they’re breezing through life ‘just peachy’.

Many superwomen find their quick-fix in caffeine brewing or pill popping. Prescription drugs misuse is harmful when it neutralises the symptoms but not the causes of chronic fatigue or mental health acute disorders, and it leads to blurred circadian rhythms, irregular heartbeat and ultimately to self-bestowed cardiac disease.

De-clutter, materially and emo le, but nobody is Learn to say no: nobody is expendab r. eithe able pens indis brave, to ask for help.

Learn to delegate: it is ok, indeed Rather than indulging in overloading your priorities, to express your bloodstream with chemicals, you must take Train yourself to assert your own g or abiding to plyin com of ad inste ngs, stock of your life priorities and exercise an feeli thoughts and energetic spring cleaning, perhaps with the others’. support of your family, friends and theraing work r othe or ives relat your pist.

Build a support network with r. othe each for And s. mothers. Sisters do it for themselve When FOMO (fear of missing out) and perfectionism turn into addiction, you are y want with whom you really Take time off to do what you reall the sole, or almost the sole, healer of your want. soul, through acceptance that you are only pany of a ‘slow-living’ human, so you cannot do everything perMake regular time to enjoy the com fectly, but you must focus on what is really friend. making you tick and life worth living in a ! time meto ting toas out. And serene, personalised-paced way.

Embrace JOMO, the joy of missing

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N: RMATIO RY INFO ADVISO not ts must

pplemen ra Food su titute fo as a subs and be used nced diet la ba d e If you ar varied an lifestyle. ng a healthy eastfeeding, taki , br der pregnant ations or are un ic se any med ion, plea supervis althcare medical ctor or he s read do a t ul way cons al and al profession l before use. the labe

HEALTH & WELLBEING

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR THE MENOPAUSE Not everyone suffers with the same symptoms that are typical of the menopause and which are due to a decreased production of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

The most common symptoms of the menopause include: hot flushes, night sweats, and flushing; vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex; reduced sex drive (libido); difficulty sleeping; emotional changes, low moods or anxiety and problems with memory and concentration.

Sometimes the symptoms can be really difficult to cope with and what works for one person may be different to what works for another.

Avoiding certain foods such as added sugars, processed carbs, spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol may alleviate symptoms. Physical activity, yoga and relaxation exercises will help you to stay healthy and keep you in control of your body. Even a small amount of activity is better than none.

ALL WOMEN GO THROUGH THE MENOPAUSE, DEFINED AS STARTING ONE YEAR AFTER THE END OF A WOMAN’S LAST PERIOD. THIS ‘CHANGE OF LIFE’ USUALLY OCCURS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 45 AND 55 AND IS WHEN THE OVARIES LOSE THEIR REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION. FOR SOME WOMEN MENOPAUSE CAN BE A WORRYING TIME, BUT IT IS A COMPLETELY NATURAL PART OF AGING.

Some women choose to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but if you don’t want to or are concerned about doing so, there are other options, including some complementary therapies and natural remedies.

Holland & Barrett sell a range for products for treating menopausal symptoms, including herbal remedies such as evening primrose oil, black cohosh, angelica, ginseng and St John’s wort.

Night sweats and hot flushes are one of the more common symptoms and Sage, or Salvia officinalis, often used as a culinary herb, has been shown to help relieve the problem. One A.Vogel Menoforce Sage Tablet containing sage extract taken daily can help against excessive sweating, hot flushes and night sweats.

St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), a flowering shrub native to Europe, is another popular herb used to treat symptoms of low mood and anxiety, especially during the menopause. Try Holland & Barrett Moodease St. John’s Wort One-A-Day or alternatively Holland & Barrett Menopause Mood Relief Tablets which also contains Black Cohosh, a combination found to be effective in alleviating menopausal symptoms.

can also affect your sex drive and many women experience a low libido during the menopause. The Ginkgo Biloba tree, also known as maidenhair, is native to China and has been used for thousands of years to assist with mental focus, memory, cognitive performance and blood circulation. Holland & Barrett’s Maximum Strength Ginkgo Biloba 120mg Tablets could be the answer to giving your sex life a boost.

Sea buckthorn is another herbal product that can help with symptoms like vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy (where the tissues of the vagina start to thin) and sea buckthorn oil is especially useful for women who can’t use oestrogen creams or suppositories. Relatively few plant species are good sources of essential fatty acids, but Holland & Barrett Sea Buckthorn Oil Blend Omega 7 Softgel Capsules provide polyunsaturated omega 7 fatty acids, as well as omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid), omega 6 (linoleic acid) and omega 9 (oleic acid).

Vitamin E is known for its ability to support healthy skin and eyes, but research now shows it could be good for hot flushes, too. Holland & Barrett Vitamin E 400iu 100 Softgel Capsules can help relieve dry skin and tackle vaginal dryness as well.

Soy is a plant high in isoflavones which are a type of phytoestrogens - chemicals found in plants that work like oestrogens. It has been widely studied for its impact on menopause symptoms, particularly hot flushes and night sweats. Herbal food supplement A Vogel Menopause Support Tablets contain a unique formulation of Soy Isoflavones, Magnesium (known to help with tiredness and fatigue), Hibiscus and Vervain (a flowering plant in the verbena family of herbs), and can be used to help you through all stages of the menopause.

Valerian root has been used since ancient times for various health problems, including insomnia. Holland & Barrett Valerian Capsules are a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the temporary relief of symptoms of mild anxiety and to help aid sleep.

Whatever your personal journey through the menopause, you don’t have to suffer through it and there are plenty of natural options available which may help.

Have you lost your ‘get-up-and-go’ mentality? Do you suffer with a persistent lack of energy and feelings of tiredness? This

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HEALTH & WELLBEING ANOSMIA (INABILITY TO SMELL) AND HYPOSMIA (REDUCED ABILITY TO SMELL) ARE RELATIVELY RARE CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS ABOUT A COMPLETE LOSS OF SENSE OF SMELL, WHILE HYPOSMIA CAN BE A CONSEQUENCE OF AGEING, AKIN TO HEARING OR SIGHT LOSS. IT CAN BE GENETIC OR ACQUIRED, AND USUALLY IT ISN’T SERIOUS, BUT IT AFFECTS THE SENSE OF TASTE AND IT CAN, IN EXTREME CASES, FAIL TO ALERT THE SUFFERER OF AN IMMEDIATE DANGER, LIKE GAS LEAKS, FIRES OR POISON. It can be temporary, and in most cases it is. Surely you have experienced how all foods have little taste when you are nursing a bad cold, but just imagine dealing with this sensation for a long time, or all life long, if you are born with it and you can never know what spring in the air smells like, or you tell apart coffee from hot chocolate only by the size of the mug.

Conversely, anosmia is difficult to diagnose and measure, since different people are naturally born with different receptivity and different ability to notice and tell odours apart, when they are dim or similar. For example, have you ever noticed how frying onions smell like stale sweat? Well, you aren’t completely wrong there, since they contain the same sulfur-based molecules!

Anosmia sufferers usually show little interest in pleasure eating and cannot fully grasp the idea of gluttony, which can indeed be a plus when it comes to dieting, but often makes their mealtimes boring and may lead to malnutrition.

Anosmia is diagnosed with CT and MRI scans or nasal endoscopy and currently there is no treatment for it. It is particularly difficult to recognise when congenital, but alarm bells do ring when babies and toddlers don’t fuss over vegetables like broccoli or peppers, and when they don’t show any emotional reaction to being introduced to strong pleasant smells, like roses, or are invited to follow the scent towards the oven where a cake is baking.

In fact, when we taste food, we actually smell it first, and in our lifetime we learn to recognise hundreds of flavours, while our tongue is designed to feel only a handful of different tastes.

Lack of smell is usually due to irritation of the nasal mucosa, because of viral infection or allergies, but it can also have neurological causes and alas be the symptom of undiagnosed illness, perhaps serious, such as head trauma, nasal polyps, nasal septum deformities, tumours, or stroke.

Anosmia happens when the airborne molecules of any aromatic substance fail to carry to the top of our nose and fire up the olfactory nerves, whether because of a nose blockage or because said nerves are malfunctioning.

Usually, there are no life-threatening complications for this condition, but it is recommended that sufferers install smoke alarms and are cautious with food storage, since they cannot detect any pong from deteriorated produce, or when opening jars and tins, as well as when using insecticide, bleach or ammonia.

FF OSE GOES O

HEN YOUR N ANOSMIA: W

Certain medications can list partial anosmia in their side effects, particularly antibiotics – which are taken for a short period after which your sense of smell should be restored – and hypertension medication. In the latter case, treatment is prescribed for longer periods or permanently, so patients have to seek alternative ways around their secondary anosmia, unless their doctor can explore alternative medication that keeps blood pressure controlled without affecting the olfactory receptors.

Smoking, alcoholism, lengthy exposure to chemicals also damage the receptors, so anosmia can be an occupational hazard for cleaners, lab technicians, factory workers, and even police officers who spend long time in the midst of traffic jams.

It is important to investigate the causes of anosmia, especially when it manifests relatively suddenly and is not connected to rhinitis.

DUTY

The opposite to anosmia is called hyperosmia, described as a heightened sense of smell. This has no cure either, and it triggers recurrent headache and nausea.

Commonly, hyperosmia affects pregnant women, but it isn’t the direct cause for morning sickness. The condition may continue during breastfeeding.

Congenital hyperosmia does significantly affect the sufferers’ lives, limiting their comfort in crowded areas, whether indoors like public transport, elevators, restaurants, cinemas or nightclubs, or outdoors, like carnivals or busy thoroughfares. There, they will suffer from sensorial overload from other people’s perfumes and bodily odours, mixed with cooking food and spilt alcohol. Sadly, they’ll shun rose and lilies in their wedding bouquets…

But there is a silver lining: hyperosmia can even land you a prestigious job as essence mixer at a perfume factory, or sommelier in fancy wineries - it is known in the business as ‘nez absolu’, French for absolute nose.

In fact, it can be an early symptom for vitamin deficiency, hypothyroidism, diabetes, epilepsy, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases, and one of the subtle red flags for transient ischemic accidents.

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ARIES (MAR 21 – APR 21) Step down a gear this month, Aries, and try to go with the flow just a little more. It might be hard at first but will pay off in the long run.

TAURUS TAKEAWAYS

(APR 21 – MAY 21)

VEHICLE REPAIRS

You may feel a tad reticent in implementing a change this month, Taurus, but in your heart you know that you must. Remind yourself that it is for the good of all concerned and just do it!

GEMINI (MAY 22 – JUNE 22) Sometimes in life we get second chances, Gemini, and sometimes we don’t. When we do, we must grab it with both hands as it is very unlikely that you’ll get a third chance.

CANCER (JUNE 23 – JULY 22) You have been swallowing something you very much want to say, Cancer and you can’t keep it down for much longer. So don’t!! Say your piece clearly and succinctly and move on.

LEO (JULY 23 – AUG 23) Your intolerant side comes to the fore this month. Leo. When you decide that you are simply fed up of dealing with other peoples’ stuff. Tell them that enough is enough and they can get on with it themselves.

VIRGO (AUG 24 – SEP 23)

BARS / PUBS

It seems that a visit is long overdue, Virgo. Someone to whom you are very close but feeling a little out of touch with. So, make it a priority.

You’ll be very glad you did.

LIBRA (SEP 24 – OCT 23)

Something has been niggling you recently, Libra, and you need to deal with it. If you are worried about hurting someone’s feelings then worry no more ….. they will thank you!

SCORPIO OCT 24 – NOV 22) You will have the opportunity to listen to very strong hunch, Scorpio.

You don’t much like it but you will be amazed at what happens when you follow it through.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23 – DEC 21) You exude an air of confidence this month, Sagittarius, and this will help enormously in encouraging someone to follow their dreams and ambitions.

CAPRICORN INDUSTRIAL

(DEC 22 – JAN 20) So, we are now in March, Capricorn, and time to ask yourself what you have planned for the rest of the year? Maybe you need to clarify the direction of some things and now is a good time to do so.

AQUARIUS (JAN 21 – FEB 19) So, you are feeling intellectually bored at the moment, Aquarius, and you need to broaden your horizons. It won’t come to you so you need to get out there and find the stimulation you desire.

PISCES FEB 20 – MAR 20) Time to celebrate, Pisces! You know it doesn’t really matter what you celebrate … to be honest just being alive is more than enough. We have so much to be grateful for every day.

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Email: katemch@gmail.com Facebook Group: Horoscopes Gibraltar

Pan Dulce (Sweet Bread)

Ingredients • 300 G Self Raising Flour • 125 G sugar • 125 G Margarine • 1 tsp baking powder • 125 G Mixed fruit • 50 G glacé cherries • 50 G walnuts • 50 G pinenuts • 2 large eggs • 100 ml milk • 1 tsp dry anise • hundreds & thousands • Golden Syrup • 50 G Almonds • 50 G Mixed Peel

Method Using the rubbing method, rub together the flour, sugar and margarine in a large bowl using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add all the fruits and nuts and mix in with your mixture.

Now continue by adding in the wet ingredients such as the eggs, milk and dry anise and stir together with a wooden spoon, until mixed well.

You should now have a nice dough consistency to knead with.

Knead the dough into the shape of a loaf; with this mixture you can make one very large loaf or two medium loaves.

Finish your preparation by brushing your loaves over with milk and using a knife criss-crossing the top. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 30 – 40 minutes.

Remove from oven when ready. Poke several holes throughout the top and brush over with golden syrup, finish off by sprinkling hundreds and thousands all over. Recipe by Maria Luisa Pau

For more delicious Mama Lotties recipes visit:

www.mamalotties.com

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Just Married on the Rock Beatriz & Vinicius, married on 10th December 2019.

Photo by Radka Horvath.

Rachel & Neil, married on 5th December 2019.

Photo by Radka Horvath.

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Just Married on the Rock Mobile: 58897000 Email: nicholas64@gibtelecom.net Sherry & Lars, married on 26th January 2019.

Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

Sabrina & Dan, married on 3rd February 2019.

Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

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Canine sweethearts London & Lola recently tied-the-knot, at a ceremony on the Sunborn organised by Hour Weddings.

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