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SOLTIMES MAY 2012
35
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Jilted man gives away holiday
A Nottingham man who spent £1,000 on a holiday for his girlfriend is giving the trip away - after she broke up with him. Tom Frankenburg has uploaded a video to YouTube inviting people who think they deserve the holiday to Malta to get in touch. The 22-year-old guitar teacher and photographer has had hundreds of email responses and more than 20,000 views since the video was uploaded less than a week ago. “I had this holiday that I couldn’t go on. I couldn’t sell it. I couldn’t get a refund. I was pretty stuck,” said Mr Frankenburg. “I genuinely want to get rid of this holiday and after a lot of thought, I thought this would be the best way to do it. “The majority of responses are not people nominating themselves, it’s actually people nominating other people which is really nice actually, that people are doing that,” he said. The holiday in July includes flights to and from East Midlands Airport and a week in a four star hotel. Mr Frankenburg said he hopes his act of kindness can inspire others to do something similar. “Obviously I can’t fix everything but I can fix it a little bit and hopefully this video will inspire you to do the same, even if it’s just a little thing,” he added. “Like sitting next to that lonely kid at school or buying a homeless person a sandwich for lunch on the streets.”
How do insurers determine what your motor insurance quote should be?
As part of the recent launch of its new and improved motor insurance policy, Liberty Seguros, the leading expatriate insurance provider in Spain, has compiled an informative list of factors taken into account by insurance companies when determining insurance rates. While some are general, others are specific to the vehicle and its owner.
Alqueria
The Riverside Holiday Village, Alqueria - part 1
The land to the east of the River was wet, swampy and unfit for human habitation. This was a worry but as they were to target British tourists it was thought they would feel at home there. The Río Verde itself is a stagnant green soup, with strange genetically altered fish and villainous looking amphibians blundering around in its murky depths. The risk of infection is always prevalent if one enters the water and clothing has been known to disintegrate on contact with the it. A plan had been hatched to introduce antibiotics into the food to counter the worst of the River’s effects, but the cost proved prohibitive. Rodriquez bought twenty prefabricated buildings from the now defunct Ispravitelno-trudovoi lager in Siberia, which he sold to the project at an exorbitant price. The Building Committee did question the suitability of ex-Siberian prison buildings, however the assembly instructions caused more of a concern. Written in Russian, the hieroglyphics meant nothing to the insular Alquerians . When completed instead of resembling the supplied illustrations they took the shape of fanciful Disneyland type structures with no two alike. They would not have
John MacDonald (El Sordo) www.caratacus.eu
The decision had been taken to build the Holiday Village east of the Río Verde. The natural barrier afforded by the River would separate Alqueria from the holiday makers. Rodriguez sensing money to be made wanted the lion’s share of the new venture. He put his full weight behind the project and raised the necessary capital. The sale of eighty hectares of land to a Middle-Eastern gentleman financed the project. The land measured two hundred and seventy kilometres long and three metres wide. It was the disused Alqueria to Valencia railway line. The line became uneconomical ten years ago. This was chiefly due to the trains arriving at Alqueria always being empty and those leaving suffering considerable delay while they were thoroughly searched for illicit Remitroot liquor. The ownership of the land, already in dispute became further confused when Rodriquez sold it without the slightest claim to title.
disgraced Goudí himself. Staffing the resort was easy. Unemployed from Alqueria, of which there are many, would be trained and given a smattering of English. Unfortunately the only person in the village with grasp of English is Blythe Gruntmore and as a Geordie this grasp is somewhat tenuous, his Spanish is also abysmal. Many happy, hilarious and alcohol soaked nights passed as Blythe passed on his linguistic gems. The sound of an Alquerian Spaniard trying to say “ Welcome te wor village the booza is tha wa bonny lad“ is a wonder to behold. In these troubled times it is indeed a bold venture. Alquerians have always been given to bold gestures, stupid ones but bold none the less. We can only see how the first inmates, or rather guests react to the resort.
Here are some of the general and personal factors that affect insurance rates: • People Have Accidents - over 40 million accidents around the world each year. • Cars are Expensive to Repair – sometimes replacement parts alone can cost about 3 times as much as purchasing the same car new. • Medical Treatment for Accident Victims is Expensive - rising health care costs means upward trends in medical treatment costs in the event of an accident. • People Steal Cars - as car theft continues to rise, so will the cost of car insurance. • Some People File Fraudulent or Inflated Claims - these people believe an accident is an opportunity to make money. • Your Car - The more expensive a car is to repair or replace, the more it costs to insure. It’s important to highlight the car’s safety features as it can help lower your car insurance quote. • Your Address - Where you live and whether or not the car is kept in a garage will affect your quote. • Your Driving Record - Having fewer accidents, violations or claims in your driving record will also help lower your car insurance quote and might make you eligible for a no-claims discount. The new and improved car insurance policy from Liberty Seguros means customers now get more for their money. The policy is specially designed for expatriates and some of the covers included are: • 24 hour Roadside Assistance • Key Loss Cover/Replacement • Up to 65% No-Claims Discount • Tracker Device Discount • Extensive Breakdown Cover • 10% Named Driver Discount • Courtesy Car/taxi No matter what time of day your car breaks down or if you lose your keys, “don’t panic” as the new ad campaign denotes. Liberty Seguros will be there to help. A courtesy car or taxi will be provided to keep you moving if your car is being repaired and if your keys get lost they will be replaced without any hassle. Plus, if you have a tracker device installed in your car you may be eligible to receive a sizeable discount. As Liberty Seguros works only with the best brokers, customers receive premier service with the flexibility to tailor a policy to suit their specific requirements. If you need to buy quality car insurance at an affordable price and want to deal with a reputable, secure company in your language, visit www. libertyexpatriates.es or call 902 255 258 to find the name of your nearest Liberty Seguros broker. About Liberty Seguros: Liberty Seguros is the leading expatriate insurance provider in Spain with over 150,000 international clients, committed to providing high quality, competitively priced insurance products and services to both personal and business users. Liberty Seguros has been in operation since 2001 and is one of the top 10 insurers in Spain with a total of 1.5 million customers. It is part of the Liberty Mutual Group of Companies, the 5th largest property and casualty insurance company in the US with more than 90 years experience in the sector.