March Magazine

J OURNAL

March ~ 2013

THE

Águilas - Lorca - Totana - Condado - Alhama - Camposol - Fuente Alamo - Pto de Mazarrón - Cartagena

St Patrick’s day March 17th

See our advert on page 40 see our advert on page 3

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“Property Sales and Rentals”

JOURNAL

THE Dear Reader,

Welcome to our March St Patrick’s Special edition of The Journal.

By the time you are reading this we will have we will have hopefully put the cold windy weather behind us and be getting ready to say goodbye the short nights and hibernating indoors with the log burner on!

The good news is that there are plenty of reasons to be out and about this month! The social calendar kicks off with Mothering Sunday on the 10th, where all the mums out there get cards and gifts and spoiled for the day. As it’s up to me to organize Mothers Day on behalf of my wee boy I fully intend to push the boat out and give her the no expense spared 5 star treatment. This will in turn earn me plenty of Brownie Points, which I intend to cash in the following week on Sunday the 17th of March, which is of course St Patrick’s Day! St Patrick’s Day is quite possibly one of my favorite days of the year as it normally involves several pints of Guiness and a very tasty Irish Stew (see the recipie page). This year however I won’t be getting into the spirit of things until later in the afternoon, as I´ll be running the Murcia half marathon in the morning. What a bad day to schedule a race on, but I´ve heard that there will be Guiness at the finish line. If that’s true then there is a distinct possibility that I will come first!

Then there is of course the Easter celebrations with an extra 2 days off work for Jueves Santo and Viernes Santo on the 28th and 29th of March. (Also the 19th is a Fiesta day for San Jose) This Easter I have asked my other half to limit the amount of Easter eggs she buys herself- I mean our son- to no more than 10. Last year, I could have become a major shareholder in Cadburys with the amount of Chocolate in our house! With Best Wishes currently selling Cadburys Creme Eggs at 4 for 3€ I fear the temptation will be too much for her to resist!

I hope you enjoy the magazine and have a great month! See you in April Robert Rutherford Disclamer: This month’s joke page contains several jokes of an Irish nature. If you belong to the Brigade of Politically Correct or lack a sense of humour, or are likely to be offended on behalf of the people of Ireland then please don’t read it.

History of St Patrick page 10

Chocolate & EasterFacts page 20

page 2

Irish Recipes page 31

Staff GENERAL MANAGER Robert Rutherford robbiedistrictjournal@hotmail.com 664 287 099 NEWS Rod Sawyer rodsawyer41@hotmail.com 618 553 786 FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Gemma Barnes ART WORK Danny McCarthy Insignia Graphics 618 615 903

CONTACT DETAILS

www.thecamposoldistrictjournal.com

968 103 008

CONTRIBUTORS Dawn Llewellyn-Price John Brown Fiona Killick Cassandra Shirley Ann Fisher CORRESPONDENCE CAN BE LEFT IN Box 378 Best Wishes on Camposol or at the Business Centre Sector A

Hospital info page 18

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2013

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We speak:

Embargoes and Infrastructure There are clearly two big challenges that face Camposol. Our infrastructure is getting even more run down than it was. The hole in the road on Sector A is now six months old with no sign that it is to be mended. The bridge repairs have taken months. Meanwhile the temporary road detireriates and street lights go out. Clearly the roads and lighting is the council’s responsibility. Water continues to be problematic with cuts every week.

The sad point is that the Town hall does not have the cash or borrowing capacity to do much.

The infrastructure affects us all.

Embargoes only affect those who either live on polygonos where there are no escritura at all or parts of polygonos or individual plots, again without escritura.

Definitely affected are RE3, the new build, D23 and D32. It would also appear that parts of C15 have been embargoed by the tax Authority, Hacienda. In one case at least a plot has nine embargoes on it. In another the owner was sold the plot through an estate agents who failed to tell them about the embargo on the property.

Hence it’s not just those who bough off plan, but even some resale’s.

either a plot or a plot and villa. This property can then be publicly auctioned off. Not every case has the same variants and generalizations are difficult. Clearly MASA are the culprit. Had they built according to the plan parcial, resolved the dry river bed issue, and not allowed occupation until escritura were obtained, then no one would be in this position.

However it is not just MASA, some estate agents have also been responsible particularly for failures to adequately check the legal status of properties or follow through.

The CRA ran a meting on Wednesday 16th January at the Cultural Centre, where they planned to outline the problem and introduce Luis Canovas, the international lawyer based at the Business Centre to owners with the possibility of pursuing action in the courts. In the event possibly 150 crowded into the centre to hear what could be done. The meeting itself was very well conducted, with Bob Owen chair of the CRA introducing speakers and inviting questions. It was complicated since what became very evident during questions that each case was really unique.

ay os nd ch ur Su Lun 50 e 6. om fr

Perhaps the two most important points to come out were that Jose has approached the Land Registry to acquire the nota simple for all affected properties. So far they have acquired 49, and owners As we said last month, an embargo is a who do not have escritura or who are on court decision to take over a property, an affected polygono are invited, with a donation of 10 Euros, to get sight of whether they do have such a property. The r “Tu esd y ou hly Restaurant r t Land Registry can ay T d Bolnuevo fres r e an men Specia eat” process about 50 a Com inning Kidney u de l rd w eak & a l week, which means w n a o €10 e St ngs .00 che mad puddi it will be some time before we know Full English breakfast 4.00 from 10am the whole picture.

Value main meals available 12 till 3.30pm 4.95 The CRA was very Menu del dia 8.50 for 3 courses + coffee concerned that there were properties Menu del noche 3 courses 14.95 which had been sold Fish & chips from 5.00 with embargos on Special offer 2 large fish chips & peas them. So far, it has with a bottle of wine only 18 found a few. These Evening Menu, Sirloin, cases all underline Ribeye, Fillet & Argentinian rump Leg of lamb steak, gammon steak, poached fillet of the need to consult salmon lawyers rather than Medallions of pork tenderloin, pan fried chicken fillet. interpreting services Evening Meals start from 6.30pm when purchasing Private Parties & Buffets Catered for. villas.

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Both Bob and Luis outlined why it is

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important to take action now. The courts could order the sale of properties at any time and once that order is made; there is nothing owners can do to rectify the situation. Their property will be auctioned. What court intervention can do is to stop this process and ensure that the real owner’s interests are protected.

Bob explained that the CRA had explored other lawyers but that Luis had offered the best deal. It will be a costly exercise, and one which in reality no owner should have to undergo. Unfortunately until you have your escritura then technically the land and villa belong to MASA. You must have all your paperwork outlining how much you have paid to MASA along with utility bills and any other evidence which establishes your residence. In one sad case the owner lost some of his receipts some time ago, his bank cannot help since too long a space of time has gone by, and he now lives in limbo. For many this may become the proverbial straw which breaks the camels back.

In the case of a house on an already subdivided plot, the embargo can be lifted so that no new embargos can be inflicted.

In the case of undivided polygonos, as in D23, D32 and part of RE3 on A, the embargo cannot be lifted but your interest can be logged in, showing your vested right and interest in the ownership of the property. In both cases the practical result is to prevent auctions, since once the auction process is started it is almost

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impossible to stop.

These actions will have to go alongside other actions. Mary Pounceys group are soon to appear in court suing the 10 year insurance. All that can be achieved is in the case of the individual villa owners without escritura, the absolute logging in of their interest in the property. In the case of the polygonos, only their interest is logged in and the property cannot be sold. This whole process will cost thousands. Individual owners will need to contact Luis and work out their costs.

There will be owners who cannot afford the process. The only saving grace at present is that economic situation will slow things down. Prices in auctions are at an all time low.

Cost:, 1375 for the first embargo, then 325 for every successive embargo. Embargos are individual matters and each will need contesting; 300 Euros for an architects certificate, which is only needed if you have to outline the details of your villa to the courts. 240 Euros for the first embargo to the Procurado, 40 euros each for successive embargos; 200 euros in judicial fees and 0.5% of the value of the land of the house again for judicial Fees.

The Lawyers Luis Canovas is acting as the contact with the law company in Alhama. The company is very much a family concern run by his brother. Luis himself is owner and proprietor of the Camposol Business Centre on Sector A. It lies next to Marianos and has a number of companies based there, including the British lawyer, Shirley Fisher who is also associated with the programme. He was brought up in Alhama and did his initial law degree at Valencia, moving to London for ten years, and gaining a further two degrees at London University. As well as the Business Centre he acts as an international corporate lawyer worldwide.

His English is impeccable!

Top of Form MAM SOLICITORS Bob Owen Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:26 am MAM were originally based in Torrevieja but have been at San Javier, behind Iceland for some years.

They were the solicitors I used in my purchase and I have received the following from them.

2013

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They are confirming all that Luis told us at the meeting but the most important part states they are doing this work for their existing clients as part of the original contract you had with them to obtain your escritura. The way I read it it is free to existing clients. So if you used them in the past contact them to check it out, nothing ventured nothing gained.

We have 14 clients in our firm who bought properties at D-23 & D-32 from Jumasa many years ago. The title deeds were not granted and since the situation is getting worse we are taking care of representing them in a Court Case against Jumasa.

We at MAM are very concerned about this situation so we have had a meeting with our associated barrister in order to discuss the different options regarding a possible Court case against MASA. The situation is as follows: All the owners in plots D23 and D32 cannot obtain their title deeds of ownership regardless the fact properties have been paid in full and keys have been delivered many years ago.

As you probably know, the problem lays on a lack of a permit/licence which has to be granted by the CONFEDERACION HIDROGRAFICA. Without this permit the Town Hall is not able to grant the

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corresponding building licences. Without the building licences, title deeds cannot be signed and registered in the name of the owners.

We are aware that plots 23 and 32 are still in the name of JUMASA and that there are now several embargos (seizes) registered against the land. We are also aware that it is possible JUMASA enters into administration in a very near future.

This will complicate the situation even more.

Is there any possibility for the owners then?

We need to gain time since we all hope the problem with the Confederacion will be one day sorted. It is not possible hundred of owners do not get a solution from the authorities‌ At certain stage, we feel the owners will need to take control of the situation (not leaving things just on the hands of Jumasa) but as any possible solution will take time, efforts and money we need to concentrate in the most urgent thing which is trying to secure your rights in some way.

There is one important thing to protect: • The fact that as per your contract of purchase you have a right to a portion in D-23 or D-32. We understand that although your house cannot be registered as a separate entity, your right of ownership could be registered as a share/

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percentage in the overall master plot.

By doing this you will get something registered in your name and it will be always easier to proof that you are the owner of the property. • But not only that, it will prevent other future embargos to be registered on the overall plot of land. Any future embargos will be registered only in the share which still remains in the name of JUMASA. Our barrister suggests to serve a lawsuit against both Jumasa and those creditors who have already registered their rights upon the land. The aim is to have your right of ownership (which at the moment is only a share in the land, not a house) registered.

The advantages are many because you are sure you have some kind of right registered in your name and it will protect you if Jumasa goes into administration and its assets are sold.

Having said the above, we must warn you that the case is not easy nor quick but our barrister is confident there is plenty of leeway for success.

You will need to sign a special power of attorney to allow the barrister to represent you in Court. If you are not in Spain at the moment, I can prepare a power of attorney for you to sign back at home, in front of a notary public.

To ground the case, the barrister will need

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to proof the Court your ownership and possession of the property and in order to do so it will be required: 1- Original contract of purchase.

2- Proof of payments to Jumasa, including the last one.

3- Copies of utilities from the date the property was occupied by you. And any other documents which show you have had the possession of the property during all these years.

Since this is a standard email I am sending to our clients in Camposol, it is possible we have already got some of the requested documents. We will confirm what we need when you contact us.

A report from an architect with the measures of your plot will be also required. Our barrister will organise this.

The aim is to present two different law suits, one for each plot D-23 and D-32.

At MAM solicitors we are taking care of our clients so we will be covering the legal expenses corresponding to the court case.

We will welcome any other owners outside MAM who are interested to joint us so you are free to pass this email to any of your neighbours, we will prepare a tight budget for them.

A difficult way is in front of us but we are confident we will finally reach a solution to this terribly problem.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Kind regards Cristina Muñoz MARTINEZ-ABARCA & MUÑOZ ABOGADOS C/MONASTERIO DE VENTA DE BAÑOS, 1º, BAJO SAN JAVIER 30.730 MURCIA TEL 902 555 095- 968 334 439/ FAX 968 56 60 38

The Murcia region has one of the driest months of December of the last 33 years The Aemet says the average rainfall in this period was one liter per square meter 04.01.2013 | 00:00 EP The average rainfall in the month of December 2012 in the region of Murcia was one liter per square meter per month characterized as “very dry”, the fourth

driest December since 1979. The area of ​​ Murcia most monthly precipitation was the Altiplano, with just 4 liters per square meter, where most of the precipitation is collected on the 25th. The accumulated rainfall between October and December, 122 liters per square meter, they accounted for 117% of the normal value. These data allowed few months of October and November moist, unlike very dry December 1, said yesterday the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).

In the latter months of the year the average temperature was 10.3 degrees Celsius, was 0.4 degrees higher than normal value, thus the character of the month was “warm”. During the first half, the minimum temperatures were lower than normal, to -4 degrees Celsius recorded on day 9 in Los Royos of Caravaca. But between 15 and 24, temperatures were well above average, reaching up to 25 degrees Celsius in Sewell, the 15th. The temperatures of the last days of the month ranged from normal values. During the month of December, predominant winds from the west, reaching more than 90 mph in gusts recorded on day 21 in Yecla

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Spangles choir Visits Camposol Spangles are one of the best known choirs in Spain. The have won gold medals at the belamedina music competition, and after a year in which they were unable to take part are keen to take another gold. Some time ago Shirley , better known for her work as a British lawyer based at the Camposol Business Centre, ran some adds to create a community choir on Camposol. This resulted in , which has had several public outings, singing for example at the Age Concern Christmas Fair , two years running. Shirley has taken a back seat with them for a few months now, but has joined Spangles up in Torrevieja.

Spangles are very professionally run, very disciplined and serious about their music, although they obviously have great fun singing. They want to spread the word about Barber shop quartets, part singing. To this end they had the idea of running an introductory session on Camposol. This they did on the 21st January at Marianos. The day was a great success. The dozen participators, virtually all from Camposol, worked

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hard all day. tonal center and imply major and minor Wikipedia defines Barber shop as, chords and barbershop (dominant and “Barbershop vocal harmony, as secondary dominant) seventh chords codified during the barbershop revival that resolve primarily around the circle era (1940s–present), is a style of a of fifths, while making frequent use of cappella, or unaccompanied vocal other resolutions.”[1] music characterized by consonant fourSlower barbershop songs, especially part chords for every melody note in ballads, often eschew a continuous beat, a predominantly homophonic texture. and notes are often held (or sped up) ad Each of the four parts has its own role: libitum. generally, the lead sings the melody, The voice parts in barbershop singing the tenor harmonizes above the melody, do not correspond closely to the the bass sings the lowest harmonizing correspondingly named voice parts in notes, and the baritone completes the classical music. Barbershop singing is chord, usually below the lead. The performed both by men’s and women’s melody is not usually sung by the tenor groups; the elements of the barbershop or bass, except for an infrequent note or style and the names of the voice parts two to avoid awkward voice leading, in are the same for both. tags or codas, or when some appropriate The day consisted of breathing embellishment can be created. exercises, a demonstration of harmony Occasional traveling may be sung by collage, choreography, learning “feeling fewer than four voice parts.” groovy”, amongst other elements.

According to the Barbershop Tel: 968 138 516 Mobile: 620 27 76 90 Harmony Fax: 968 59 29 08 Society (BHS), Email: gestionesryl@movistar.es “Barbershop music features songs with Camposol Insurances C/Castellon de la Plana,229 understandable Urb Camposol A lyrics and easily 30870 Mazarron (Murcia) singable melodies, Open Monday to Friday 10am till 1pm & 2pm till 5pm whose tones clearly define a Mazarron Office Tel: 968 59 28 28

www.thecamposoljournal.com

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There was a performace to a relatively small audience of friends, family and supporters in the evening at Marianos, an audience of about 40. It was a shame more didn’t come since two quartets from Spangles performed three songs each, Viva and Chardonnay and the new Camposol Chorus performed its first public event!

Spangles want to come back and maybe do a day for men and certainly regard Camposol and Mazarron as a fruitful area. There is after all St Nicholas Church Choir with Maureen and the new community choir, not to mention the large number of karaoke singers.

If you are interested and missed the event get in touch with Shirley Fisher at the Business Centre, who sings with Spangles and it was thanks to her that the event was organised.

The concert consisted of two ladies barbershop quartets, both singing three pieces. With Viva doing Amapola, a Spanish song, California Dream, and I want to come back as a man, very witty.

Chardonnay sang Lollipop, Once Upon a Time. They were joined by the singing class for renditions of La Bamba, and some of the works from the day. The quartets were great, very professional and when joined by the chorus, given that they had just been together for the day, very impressive. The audience really enjoyed the show. If you are

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interested in singing, and improving your voice then get in touch! Don’t miss the next one!

Rod Sawyer

The house prices fell by 7.2% in the Murcia region in 2012 The report released today by the appraisal company believes that the cheapening will continue during 2013 02.01.2013 | 11:02 EFE / LAOPINIONDEMURCIA.ES The new housing prices in Spain fell by 6.9% in 2012, while in the region of Murcia this decline stood at 7.2 percent, according to the report released today by the Society of Valuation, which considers the cheaper houses will continue during 2013.

The report indicates that home prices have declined 33.5% from its peak, although this rate is equivalent to half of the observed asset revaluation, which puts the price of housing in levels early 2003.

The price of new housing in the provincial capitals reached 2,212 euros per square meter, representing an average building of 90 square meters worth 199,100 euros.

In the second half of the year, the price of houses has reduced by 3.2%.

In 2012, house prices fell in all regions, with the largest falls occurring in Navarra (12.6%), La Rioja (11.6%), Castilla-La Mancha (10.2%), Cantabria (8.8%), Valencia (8.7%), Aragon (8.6%), Extremadura (7.3%), Ontario (7.2%), Murcia (7.2%) and Castilla y Leon (7%).

Below the national average, the price dropped in Catalonia (6.6%), Madrid (6.5%), Ireland (6.5%), Asturias (5.7%), Galicia (5.6%) , Canary Islands (5.2%) and Basque Country (4.1%).

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Who Was the Man Behind St. Patrick’s Day? For starters, the real St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390 to an aristocratic Christian family with a townhouse, a country villa, and plenty of slaves.

What’s more, Patrick professed no interest in Christianity as a young boy, Freeman noted.

At 16, Patrick’s world turned: He was kidnapped and sent overseas to tend sheep as a slave in the chilly, mountainous countryside of Ireland for seven years.

"It was just horrible for him," Freeman said. "But he got a religious conversion while he was there and became a very deeply believing Christian."

On St. Patrick’s Day—Sunday, March 17—millions of people will don green and celebrate the Irish with parades, good cheer, and perhaps a pint of beer.

But few St. Patrick’s Day revelers have a clue about St. Patrick, the historical figure, according to the author of St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography.

"The modern celebration of St. Patrick’s Day really has almost nothing to do with the real man," said classics professor Philip Freeman of Luther College .

page 10

St. Patrick’s Disembodied Voices According to folklore, a voice came to Patrick in his dreams, telling him to escape. He found passage on a pirate ship back to Britain, where he was reunited with his family.

The voice then told him to go back to Ireland.

"He gets ordained as a priest from a bishop, and goes back and spends the rest of his life trying to convert the Irish to Christianity," Freeman said.

Patrick’s work in Ireland was tough—he was constantly beaten by thugs, harassed

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by the Irish royalty, and admonished by his British superiors. After he died on March 17, 461, Patrick was largely forgotten.

But slowly, mythology grew around Patrick, and centuries later he was honored as the patron saint of Ireland, Freeman noted.

Is Your Shamrock Real or Bogus?

According to St. Patrick’s Day lore, Patrick used the three leaves of a shamrock to explain the Christian holy trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day revelers wear a shamrock. Trifolium dubium, the wildgrowing, three-leaf clover that some botanists consider the official shamrock, is an annual plant that germinates in the spring.

Other three-leaf clovers, such as the perennials Trifolium repens and Medicago lupulina, are "bogus shamrocks," according to the Irish Times.

John Parnell, a botanist at Trinity College Dublin, said that Trifolium dubium is the most commonly used shamrock today, which lends credence to the claims of authenticity.

However, he added, the custom of wearing a shamrock dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and "I know of

2013

no evidence to say what people then used.

I think the argument on authenticity is purely academic—basically I’d guess they used anything cloverlike then."

What’s more, botanists say there’s nothing uniquely Irish about shamrocks. Most clover species can be found throughout Europe.

No Snakes in Ireland Another St. Patrick myth is the claim that he banished snakes from Ireland. It’s true no snakes exist on the island today, Luther College’s Freeman said—but they never did.

Ireland, after all, is surrounded by icy waters—much too cold to allow snakes to migrate from Britain or anywhere else.

Since snakes often represent evil in literature, "when Patrick drives the snakes out of Ireland, it is symbolically saying he drove the old, evil, pagan ways out of Ireland [and] brought in a new age," Freeman said.

The snake myth, the shamrock story, and other tales were likely spread by well-meaning monks centuries after St. Patrick’s death, Freeman said.

St. Patrick’s Day: Made in America?

Until the 1970s, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was a minor religious holiday. A priest would acknowledge the feast day, and families would celebrate with a big meal, but that was about it.

"St. Patrick’s Day was basically invented in America by Irish-Americans," Freeman said.

Irish-American history expert Timothy Meagher said Irish charitable organizations originally celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with banquets in places such as Boston, Massachusetts; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Eighteenth-century Irish soldiers fighting with the British in the U.S. Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick’s Day parades. Some soldiers, for example, marched through New York City in 1762 to reconnect with their Irish roots.

Other parades followed in the years and decades after, including well-known celebrations in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, primarily in flourishing Irish immigrant communities.

"It becomes a way to honor the saint but also to confirm ethnic identity and to

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create bonds of solidarity," said Meagher, of Catholic University in Washington, D.C..

Dyeing the River Green for St. Patrick’s Day Sometime in the 19th century, as St. Patrick’s Day parades were flourishing, wearing the color green became a show of commitment to Ireland, Meagher said.

In 1962 the show of solidarity took a spectacular turn in Chicago when the city decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green.

The tradition started when parade organizer Steve Bailey, head of a plumbers’ union, noticed how a dye used to trace possible sources of river pollution had stained a colleague’s overalls a brilliant green, according to greenchicagoriver.com.

Why not use the dye to turn the whole river green on St. Patrick’s Day, Bailey thought. So began the tradition.

The environmental impact of the dye is minimal compared with pollution such as bacteria from sewage-treatment plants, said Margaret Frisbie, the executive director of the advocacy group Friends of the Chicago River.

Rather than advising against the dye, her group focuses on turning the Chicago River into a welcoming habitat full of fish, herons, turtles, and beavers. If the river becomes a wildlife haven, the thinking goes, Chicagoans won’t want to dye their river green.

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But more than doubles to 13 million pints, said Beth Davies Ryan, global corporaterelations director of Guinness.

"Historically speaking, a lot of Irish immigrants came to the United States and brought with them lots of customs and traditions, one of them being Guinness," she said.

Today, the U.S. tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades, packed pubs, and green silliness has invaded Ireland with full force, said Freeman, the classics professor.

The country, he noted, figured out that the popularity of St. Patrick’s Day was a good way to boost spring tourism.

"Like anybody else," he said, "they can take advantage of a good opportunity."

"Our hope is that, as the river continues to improve, ultimately people can get excited about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day different ways," she said.

Pint of Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guinness, the famous Irish stout brand, are consumed around the world.

When you call an advertiser please mention you saw their advert here

page 11

CLOUD NINE DRAMA

We were thrilled to see so many people in the audiences at our production of “Dick Whittington” at La Molata.

A Panto isn’t the same without a responsive audience and at each performance the spectators joined in the songs and repartee with gusto. Thank you for your wonderful support which has enabled us to donate 100€ to The Palm House Orphanage in Cambodia..

Our next production will be two short

page 12

comedies to be performed in May – watch this space for further details.

In the meantime, we have been invited to participate in the Semana Cultural in Puerto de Mazarrón in April and we are at present having talks with the Education Department as to the details of our involvement.

We plan to perform a short comedy to students of English with some level of audience participation and an opportunity for them to have a chat with the cast afterwards.

For more information contact: Pat Hunt 644 400 123 /patsy.hunt@gmail.com wwwcloudninedramagroupmurcia.com

www.thecamposoljournal.com

The lighter side of the horse meat scandal

Horse walks into a bar. Barman says ‘sorry mate, we don’t serve food in here’ Findus lasagne contains horse meat. I’d check the spaghetti bologneighs as well.

Food scandal for vegetarians: radish found to be up to 100% horseradish BREAKING NEWS: Findus fish fingers test positive for 60% seahorse.

They’ve only just discovered the horsemeat in lasagnes because the cheese on top was mascarpone.

2013

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Jim and Margaret are now trading under the Country Kitchen and Pie Factory brands, Quality home made food, fresh, chilled or frozen, delivered to your door as and when you require. Watch out for out Detox and Healthy Living Range coming soon!

For full details check out our website www.countrykitchenspain.com and place your order either by phone or email, we cater for single meals, weeks worth, month worth or whatever suits you, also the pie factory which is available both wholesale and retail.

Catering for individuals. Families, parties or functions of any kind, we can provide the full service, supplying the food, waiting staff and even someone to do the dishes either at your venue or cooked fresh in our new kitchen and delivered to you !

Tel 603 135 387 or 868 082 067 email info@countrykitchenspain.com

@ Home There is no place like home

The Journal, has kindly allowed me to have a small writing section each month to allow me to bring what I hope will be inspirational and informative ideas to help with the interior design of your home and garden. So here goes…….

Perfect Arrangement Over the years I have experienced many challenges when it comes to furnishing a living room. Many of these challenges have derived from the builder placing the TV points in not the most logical of positions, structural pillars that break up

the run of a wall, doors or windows not always being in the ideal place.

But it has been with these challenges that has helped me to understand the properties within the area and to discover how to overcome these little ‘hiccups’ and get around them to help design a living room that functionally works well, but retains that homely feel that we so crave.

A unique room shape can make arranging furniture tricky. But learning some tricks has ensured that I have been able to keep furnishing homes for many a year. For example, if you have a narrow space, try placing a couch along the back wall. Flank the right and left sides with love seats or chairs, whilst keeping accessories simple and create symmetry and balance by placing end tables on both sides of the sofa.

If you have a smaller living room, to help prevent it from looking cramped, carefully choose your furniture.

Having exposed chair

legs or coffee table legs, makes even the smallest spaces look larger with an airey, open feel.

When dealing with open floor plans - it always presents a decorating challenge, balancing the need to unite spaces, whilst giving each zone a distinct vibe.

Spaces can be brought together with a soft accent colour. For example, by using the colour of cushions from the living area, and adding this colour to the flowers or the vase on the kitchen breakfast bar, ties in the two areas, but still keeps them individual.

Traditional and classic style furniture is making a come back in a big way. By placing classic furniture and accessories within a space that is inheritably casual creates a unique look that will serve both formal gatherings and day to day relaxing, mixing it up with a contemporary style of sofa brings the room right up to date, without being sent back in time by the use of traditional furniture.

I hope my little comments give you some of your own ideas and hopefully you will share them with me by visiting our showroom in Mazarron town, which I am hoping will become your furnishing centre when required!

Yours truly, Janice

@Home There’s No Place Like Home.

located in Mazarrón town find us in front of the bus terminal for friendly and professional advice on furnishing your home

sofas - mattresses - furniture - kitchens Avd. La Constitucion, No 140, Mazarrón, Murcia, 30870, Spain www.homefurniturespain.com info@homefurniturespain.com

Tel: 868 088 118 2013

When you call an advertiser please mention you saw their advert here

page 15

a photo frame in the GOmaD shop, he wanted it for a copy of the photo – we gladly gave it for free.

It has recently been reported, Unemployment in Spain exceeds 6million (26%) –whilst the region of Murcia has 29.59% unemployed & the Youth now reaching 60% - that is a staggering & alarming figure especially the Youth for they are the future of Spain!

GOmaD has numerous clients who have been out of work for as long as 3 years, another staggering figure.

And on a lighter note, another staggering figure as ´Lidls´ recently gave us 7 Legs of Serrano Ham, priced at around 40.00e that were headed for the bin – we Blessed 7 families in return. We never know what delights await us & our clients at Lidls – we can have boxes & boxes of chocolates, a mountain of bananas or cat litter - Not to be eaten even by the hungry!

A story; Ahmed has been a GOmaD client for a couple of years & lives in his stationery car (as unable to insure/tax) in Mazarron. He regularly visits Cartagena Hospital for tests for a head injury & suffers severe headaches, GOmaD assists by driving him or providing the bus fare for which he always produces receipts. GOmaD also pays for his medicine again he produces receipts.

Due to Ahmed´s living arrangements he calls in regularly to the GOmaD Shop for food/toiletries & He recently showed his appreciation by presenting Amanda with a present, a ´Tire Clock´ . GOmaD recently Blessed Ahmed with a bicycle that had been donated, so he could get around town.

the most in 2012. From 18% to 21%.

Rodriguez Zapatero in 2011, his final year as president, had also raised IVA by two points, so we are now five points higher than before the crisis began. Does austerity work? Despite Spain’s current IVA rate of 21%, the average for the European Union is a touch higher, at 21.13%.

Employment Unemployment rose in February, once again, to 4,980,778 people seeking work.

This is A HOME, located in a rambla in Mazarron. The approach is a rocky path with a slope needing to be negotiated, definitely no girlie heels can be worn!

Due to the conditions & circumstances of the occupant, he also regularly visits the GOmaD shop to receive food/ toiletries. These stories & more remind us of how truly fortunate we are & how many live around us in conditions we find hard to comprehend!

GOmaD wishes to announce its Second AGM is to be held on Monday 11th March at Cultural Social Centre, Camposol B for 3pm – ALL are welcome.

And Volunteers Meeting - Monday 15th April at 3.30pm Cultural Social Centre. If you are interested in knowing more about GOmaD, please take this opportunity to come & join us.

Fashion Show – Monday 8th April 3pm ´Mariano´s Restaurant´, Camposol A. Call Brenda on 634 348 653 for further information Mazarron Shop 634 321 161 (Open: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 2pm) Outreach/Enquiries 634 357 137 Email: madmazarron@live.com Face Book: mad mazarron

It’s known that 55% of Spain’s youth are unemployed and some of them have left to seek their chances in Germany (thus, incidentally, removing themselves from the percentage figure). What isn’t so well known is that around half of them fail to find a job in Germany and are obliged to return home. Many reasons abound to show why the young people can’t fit in or take the first job on offer - including the climate, the customs and the lack of spoken German. ‘I wouldn’t advise anyone to just drop everything and come here’, says José Ramón Álvarez, who works in Germany helping Spanish immigrants acclimatise there, ‘first of all, take a language course!’

Libyan involved in airport crisis A much-hyped Hispano-Libyan fund which was interested in buying the absurd Castellón airport from the Valencian Government for 200 million euros (an airport built in happier times, which has cost a fortune estimated at around 200 million and which has never seen an aeroplane) turns out to be the brainchild of a deranged, and penniless, Libyan journalist. Back, as they say, to Square One!

Finance

The inscription on the Clock reads “ The Best Wish for my Good Friend” . Ahmed was seen taking & clutching

page 16

The ‘Troika’ or ‘Men in Black’ – inspectors from the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund – have described themselves as cautiously happy about the ongoing bank reforms here after their inspection visit to Spain last week.

A recent study shows that Spain led the world in raising its sales taxes

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Casa Pepelino Last month we introduced you to Brico Pepelino (part of the Cadena 88 chain)

the most extensive hardware store in the area based on the high street of the picturesque village of Isla Plana, 5 minutes from Puerto de Mazarrón. There you can buy anything from fishing and camping equipment right through the spectrum to DIY and electrical goods.

This month, we would like to introduce you to its ‘sister’ store, just 2 minutes away: CASA PEPELINO was first established in 1969 and is based on the main road which runs through Isla Plana. In Casa Pepelino you will find a GRAND VARIETY of articles which could

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compete with some department stores!! (once fondly referred to in a newspaper article as the “Corte Ingles” of Isla Plana). Some of the items you will find are : • Scuba diving equipment • Perfumes • Clothes. (Surkana & Tonalá brands etc) • Footwear • Pet Accessories & Food • Toys • Gift items • Beachware & Accessories • Haberdashery • Newspapers & Magazines

• •

Phone cards and Mobile telephone top-ups Unlocking and recycling of Mobiles

Don’t worry if what you are looking for doesn’t appear on the above list…..these are just examples of our huge range.

Come along and see for yourselves...

Winter opening hours: Mon - Sat 8.30am -2pm & 4.30pm8.30pm Sun 8.30am-2pm C/Mayor 83, Isla Plana (pepelinoislaplana@hotmail.com) Telephone: 968 152 022

EA RE SF TU FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T F E A U FE ES UR AT EAT RES S FE TUR FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T FEA URES F ATURE FEATU E S T F E A E R F ES U EAT TUR FEA URES F T FEA

The Santa Lucia Hospital, Cartagena

Many of you, I am sure, will be experts at visiting the Santa Lucia hospital in Cartagena (full name being Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucia…. important when putting it in your sat nav. I am told).

We, until recently, had the good fortune of being complete novices with regards this hospital. Until my mother in law, who was staying with us for Christmas fell and unfortunately, and very painfully for her, broke her hip.

She is still recovering nicely with us as I write, but I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of our experiences, in the hope that it may come in useful to some of you, should you need to visit the hospital yourselves….

Firstly, we needed an ambulance to get her there as she wasn’t able to move, and they came very promptly. Some people have told me that you can get someone

page 18

to speak in English when you dial 112, but I wouldn’t advise that you rely on this to give directions to your home (the couple of times I have had to call the emergency services since living here, I have had to speak Spanish).

If you don’t speak Spanish, try and practice now to prepare yourself, so that you can at least pronounce your address. I am sure that a Spanish friend or neighbour will be willing to help you with this. I find a good landmark always helps (like a shop or restaurant nearby).

This may all sound like good common sense, but don’t forget when we are in an emergency situation, we don’t always think straight, so have it written down and keep it near your telephone.

Another thing to have written down is any medication that your guests are taking, how often they take it and the whereabouts of their European medical cards/passports. Whilst we have many visitors staying with us, this is something that had never really crossed my mind.

But when the ambulance arrived, they wanted all of these details…..so again, just be prepared especially if your guests are elderly or poorly.

You will not be able to travel with the patient in the ambulance (there may be exceptions to this which I am unaware of) and will therefore need to make your own way to the hospital.On arrival at the hospital, you can park initially in the ‘Urgencias’ area if you want to be as close as possible to the emergencies department.

However, the parking here is particularly expensive and therefore only recommended for a very short stay. From

www.thecamposoljournal.com

memory I paid about 7 euros for 2 and a bit hours.

There is a huge general car park which is much more economical. If the person who you are with is eventually admitted into hospital, then it will be a good idea to find out which ‘block’ they are in before arriving, so that you can park as near as possible to the entrance to that block of wards. The layout of the hospital is shown on the plan below:

PLAN OF HOSPITAL There is an area of unmade road, just off the main entrance roundabout that people use to park for free, but due to the unsavoury characters that hang around there day and night asking for money for helping you park, I wouldn’t recommend that you be tempted by this, especially if you are alone or it is late at night.

Once you are in the hospital system, it is difficult for me to give any other advice as each person’s needs/treatment will be different. But I hope this has been helpful.

So all that is left to say is a big thank you from us and on behalf of my mother in law,to all the staff there who do such a fantastic job !!!!!!!!!!!

Diane, ‘The Journal’ reader

2013

March 10th, Special Mothers day Sunday lunch, 4 courses and only a few tables left so be quick!! 18 pp and worth every cent!

March 23rd, The incredible Martin Ross.

La Mariposa

968 631 008

Easter Deal...

Saturday 30th March, 2 nights accommodation, evening meal and entertainment (Nigel Birchill asElvis Presley the King of Rock), Easter Sunday breakfast, Special Easter Sunday Roast, evening snacks with quiz (free guided walk for those that want to take part on Sunday morning) Monday breakfast. (Wine and beer on the table at all meal times) 69 per person.(based on 2 sharing a room) only one room left!

20th April BARRINGTON Saturday 27thApril Lenny Mitchell

Our famous guided walks 3 hour walks on March 11th, 25th, April 8th, 22nd.

5 hour walks on MAR 18th, APRIL 15th followed by 4 course lunch all for only 12 euros per person, booking essential, see website walking page for details.

Mountain bike days with virtually no pedalling!!!

Quad biking and Kayaking tours resume Easter see website for details.

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La Pasteleria’s 1st birthday

We take you to the top of the Espuna in a mini bus (1550Mtres) and guide you down through the forest tracks and trails, all done very gently which is a superb way to see the Espuna´s, we supply the bikes, the guide, safety equipment, support vehicle and lunch.

All day event for only 35â‚Ź per person. see

www.espuna-adventure.com/cycling-mountain-biking/ for further details. contact us for future dates

VVV DROTM@ @CUDMSTQD BNL )MEN DROTM@ @CUDMSTQD BNL

Hello we are Geert-Jan and Helma van der Sandt and we are from Arnhem, Holland.

A year ago we opened La Pasteleria. La Pasteleria is a pastry & cake shop, we make all our products fresh everyday, we produce cakes, savouries, and sweets. We also supply large and small breads.

We also make lovely homemade chocolate bonbons.

Are you looking for a nice present? We have wines and Cava as well.

During the year we produce gifts for Valantines day, Christmas, Fathers day & Mothers day etc.

Do you like a cup of coffee or tea with a fresh pastry? Â You can by a pastry at our shop and have a coffee with the pastry next door in the cafĂŠ.

So if you need a cake for a special occasion (birthday, wedding, engagement, graduation etc) you just pop into the shop or give us a ring.

Everything is possible (except miracles) even with just an hours notice. We also stock Dutch products, you can order famous Dutch products which are delivered every week.

You find us near the Upper home at the Mercadonna shopping centre We hope to see you soon in our Shop!

CUT & DRIED

QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL MOBILE HAIRDRESSER IN YOUR OWN HOME LADIES: Cut - 9 Euros, Cut & Dried - 13 Euros Perming - 21 Euros, Colouring - Full Head - 18 Euros Highlights/Lowlites (with cap) - 20 Euros GENTS: Cut - 8 Euros, CHILDREN: Cut - 5 Euros STRESS RELIEVER: Head Massage - 3 Euros, Deep Conditioning Head Massage - 5 Euros For an appointment, call Ann on 628 149 840

2013

When you call an advertiser please mention you saw their advert here

page 19

EA RE SF TU FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T F E A U FE ES UR AT EAT RES S FE TUR FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T FEA URES F ATURE FEATU E S T F E A E R F ES U EAT TUR FEA URES F T A has the 7th highest consumption TheFEUK

On average, each person in Britain eats approx. 10.2kg of chocolate per year.

The largest chocolate rabbit was created in South Africa in 2010 by artist Harry Johnson. The rabbit was over 12 feet tall and weighed 3 tons. After being exhibited in a specially constructed chilled Perspex box it was eaten by 250 disadvantaged children.

In 2011 the confectionery industry in the UK was worth £5.41biliion with chocolate making up £4 billion. Easter chocolate sales are worth bout £500m a year.

One of the largest Easter eggs ever made was on display in 2011 in Ian Italian shopping centre. It was 10.39 m tall had a circumference of 19.6m and weighed 7,200kg.

There were 45% more new Easter chocolate products in 2012 than there had been in 2011.

EASTER EGG FACTS

CHOCOLATE FACTS

of chocolate in the world.

The first chocolate factory in Britain opened in 1657.

J.S. Fry and Sons developed the first solid chocolate bar and it went on sale in 1847. Cadbury Brothers produced their first bar of chocolate in 1849.

Both bars would have been made from dark chocolate as milk chocolate was not available until after 1875 when Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter developed the process for making the sweeter lighter version of chocolate.

The Ivory Coast in West Africa is the world’s leading producer of cocoa supplying 43%.

A report published by the US government in 2011 said there were 1.8 million children in West Africa involved in growing cocoa.

Fairtrade Chocolate sales now make up almost 10% of UK chocolate confectionary sales worth £343 million.

Novelty chocolate products e.g. lambs, chicks, and bunnies are a big growth market for the UK chocolate companies as sales grew by 25% in 2011.

page 20

Eggs were traditionally used in preChristian festivals as the symbol of new life, purity or fertility. Later customs concerning eggs were linked with Easter because the egg provided a fresh and powerful symbol of the Resurrection and the transformation of death into life.

The Real Easter Egg, an Easter egg that explains the Christian meaning of Easter is on sale again for Easter 2013.

The eggs are available in independent retailers, Christian bookshops, and major supermarkets as well as via mail order for churches etc. in 2012 90,000 eggs were sold via mail order to churches.

Decorating and colouring Hen, Duck or Goose eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the Middle Ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pennies for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and coloured for Easter gifts.

Papier-mache Easter eggs started being produced in England in the 18th century and then the first chocolate eggs appeared in the 19th century with the earliest ones being completely solid The first chocolate Easter egg was produced in 1873 by Fry’s.

The most famous decorated Easter eggs are those designed by Peter Carl Faberge. In 1885 the Russian Tsar, Alexander III, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.This first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of gold and enamelled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jewelled replica of the Imperial crown.

The Tsar and Tsarina were so impressed

www.thecamposoljournal.com

with their gold that they ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander’s son, continued the custom.

The auctioneers Christie’s sold a diamond encrusted Faberge egg in November 2007 for £9m.

Approximately 90 million chocolate eggs are sold annually in the UK. The most popular chocolate egg worldwide is Cadbury’s Creme Egg, they first went on sale in 1971. The brand has now expanded into ice cream market with Cadbury Crème Egg cones, large tubs of ice cream, ice cream sticks and individual ice cream cups available for 2013.

Easter chocolate sales make up 10% of Britain’s annual spending on chocolate.

The 2012 survey Easter Egg Packaging

by Jo Swinson MP found that only 38% of the average Easter egg box is actually Easter egg. The rest is paper and plastic.

Commercial Easter eggs are responsible for up to 3,000 tonnes of waste. Nestle however announced in 2012 that they have become the first major confectioner to achieve 100% recyclability in its entire Easter egg packaging range across the UK and Ireland.

Dietitians are warning that eating five Easter eggs (the average given to most children) plus the bars included with them, could see youngsters doubling their recommended calorie intake for a week, risking becoming hooked on chocolate, plus seeing their weight increase by several pounds within days. The recommended daily amounts are around 2,000 calories a day for an average 11-year-old boy and 1,500 for a girl, but many could be eating up to 10,000 calories over the Easter period.

One of the largest Easter eggs ever made was on display in 2011 in an Italian shopping centre. It was 10.39m tall had a circumference of 19.6m at it’s widest part. It weighed 7,200kg.

One of the most expensive eggs on offer in 2006 was the unique Diamond Stella Egg - a chocolate egg laden with diamonds - which came with a £50,000 price tag.

Easter eggs for 2013 went on sale in

2013

some Tesco stores on Christmas Eve 2012.

63% of Christians think that Easter egg hunts or egg painting and similar activities are a good way of engaging children with the Easter story.

DECLINING RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE OF EASTER

BELIEF IN RESURRECTION

A ComRes cpanel survey carried out in 2012 found that the majority of Christians feel there is a disassociation between the religious traditions of festivals and the way they are perceived today.

Some other findings from the survey were:

Nearly half of the population believes that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to a survey commissioned in Wales Theos the public theology think tank. The findings challenge the widespread view that Easter is seen as little more than an opportunity to indulge a taste for chocolate.

90% of Christians think Children today know less about the crucifixion and resurrection than they did 30 years ago.

60% of the people questioned believed that the resurrection at the heart of the Easter story is true with 35% believing Jesus rose physically from the dead and 24% said they believed it was a “spiritual resurrection”

95% of Christians believe that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.

77% of practising Christians believe Easter is a more important festival than Christmas.

EA RE SF TU FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T F E A U E R S F E U AT EAT RES S FE TUR FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T FEA URES F ATURE FEATU E S T F E A E R S F E U EAT TUR FEA URES F T FEA

CHURCH GOING AT EASTER

In 2010 Yougov conducted an online poll in which 13% of respondents said they intended to attend a “religious service” over Easter. If 13% of the UK population attended Easter services that would equate to 6,000,000 going to church in one weekend! We can only get comprehensive headcounts for the number of people attending Church of England churches during Easter but sadly 6,000,000 does seem like a realistic figure.

The most recent statistics from the Church of England (2010 provisional figures published January 2012) gives the attendance figure of 1,394,700 for Easter Sunday.

44% said that Jesus died for the sins of the world.

26% the Easter story had no meaning today.

POLIGONO SURVEILLANCE

Improved villa inspection to check that your house is in good order for your peace of mind At least one, or more, inspections of your villa every night Key hold & custody of your villa when you are away for a period of time

Emergency response service included If you feel threatened or intimidated when in your villa, call our special emergency number for assistance. We will initiate the necessary measures and actions in co-operation with the Police/Guardia Civil. (Available during our normal surveillance periods) Discounted cost for specialist support if police station visit needed (Available for reporting break-in or theft from your villa) Three month / Six month / Annual contracts available

10€ per month Published and printed by Luis Canovas & Global de Servicios, Seguridad, Guarda Rural y Control, S.L. Camposol Business Center Tel: 968 103 008 Please Note: This special offer is available to ALL Poligonos on Camposol Its availability is subject to a large majority of the villas on the Poligono signing up for the service Further reduction in the monthly fee possible, depending on the size and take-up of the Poligono It is intended that this service will be available from 1st January 2012 Further details available from Luis Cánovas or Conchi at theCamposol Business Centre Telephone: or email

968 103 008

2013

info@camposolbusiness.com

When you call an advertiser please mention you saw their advert here

page 21

Linda Biggs letter to Masa FROM THE GRUPO MASA WEBSITE 40 ANIVERSARIO GRUPO MASA En Grupo MASA comenzamos este año con muchas fuerzas y energías y sobretodo alegría, ya que estamos de celebración: nuestro 40 aniversario.

Cuatro décadas dedicadas al mundo de la construcción, creando, adaptando y mejorando nuestras viviendas día a día para ofreceros los mejores hogares del mercado. Durante toda esta trayectoria, hemos construido grandes proyectos entre los que destacan los 18 residenciales de los que disfrutan en la actualidad más de 40.000 familias, y es que, Grupo MASA es precisamente eso, una gran familia con los mejores deseos y expectativas de seguir creciendo junto a todos vosotros.

Feliz aniversario.

VER TODAS LAS NOTICIAS Translation :MASA Group began this year with much strength and energies and above all, joy as we celebrate: our 40th anniversary.

Four decades dedicated to the world of building, creating, adapting and improving our homes every day to offer the best homes on the market.

Throughout this experience, we have built major projects among which the are 18 residentials which more than 40,000

families currently enjoy and , the MASA Group is just that, a large family with best wishes and expectations of further growth with you all. Happy Anniversary.

MY REPLY WHICH I E-MAILED (IN SPANISH) BOTH TO THEIR HEAD OFFICE IN MADRID AND THE ALICANTE OFFICE Congratulations on your 40th Anniversary in the construction industry. It is indeed a remarkable achievement to have survived all these years, especially the recent years of Economic Crisis.

Your Group of Companies, run by the Quesada family constructed a villa at Pueblo Bravo, Ciudad Quesada for my parents in 1990 and they spent 6 very happy years there – also my Cousin Percy purchased two properties from you at La Siesta. Their happiness and successful purchases are what encouraged my husband and me to purchase our Villa at Camposol.

Your success in the Construction industry and this 40th Anniversary, is very remarkable to the people of Camposol and such an achievement could surely not have been attained if all your Clients had received the same standard of service as that afforded to those of Camposol where you constructed around 5,000 houses.

We are left with an un-finished urbanization – the majority of the infrastructure either sub-standard or nonexistent. Hundreds of houses are still without escrituras 7 years after the owners paid you in full for their properties and what is worse the Poligonos concerned, Sector D32, D23 and RE on Sector A all have numerous embargoes set against the land still described as “Solar” WE ARE A MOBILE COMPANY, WE in respect of huge COME TO YOU debts of Justo y Manoli SL. These owners now face the prospect of losing everything if these poligonos are sold by the Creditors to pay Alan Hogg Masa’s debts with T: 968 979 260 r a what in fact is these c r e p From 60€ M: 634 355 709 owners money.

Murcia

cycle From 40€ per motor

page 22

e: puncturesafemurcia@runbox.com www.puncturesafemurcia.com

Hindsight is a

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wonderful thing; we all know now where we went wrong in not employing highly qualified Lawyers to act on our behalf with our purchases. Our biggest mistake was to put our trust in your Company believing you were a reputable firm who would keep their part of the bargain.

Many of us do not have all our documents for our houses, such as Certificates of Habitation, and in the case where Deeds were erroneously drawn up to state the house as being “under construction”, the Fin de Obra certificates were available from you at a cost of thousands of Euros or not at all.

In short Camposol is a mess in every respect – esthetically, poor or no infrastructure, problems with the Local Planning Authority and the Confederation of Hydrographic with subsequently hundreds of properties without Deeds.

Poligono RE on Sector A 28 illegal houses after more than 6 years, are still on temporary supplies for water and electricity. Embargoes on D32, D23 and RE3 possibly more, Nota Simples being obtained to ascertain if more.

I IMPLORE YOU - MAKE THIS A YEAR WE CAN ALL CELEBRATE WITH YOU – HELP CAMPOSOL TO BECOME ONE OF YOUR MANY SUCCESSES AND RESTORE THE FAITH IN YOU OF THE ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, DUTCH AND BELGIAN PEOPLE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN GRUPO MASA. 22 JAN 2013 REPLY FROM DANIEL SEGARRA - MASA ALICANTE Dear Mrs Biggs, As reported to the lawyers and administrative agencies that usually operate in Camposol, and as was reported yesterday to Don José Navarro, a member of the Association of Residents of Camposol, identified the following, JUSTO y MANOLI SL is trying to solve all these problems and asked for certain documentation to begin the process with the Agencia Tributaria and the Region of Murcia to present “Tercerias de Dominio Administrativas” in these polygons in order to lift liens/embargoes placed.

To date we have not received any documentation from private buyers which surprised us as we thought that those equally interested should be you in that we cancel these charges on these “Solar” plots on which their homes have been built on.

2013

Perhaps we have erred in using the commercial agents, lawyers and administrative agencies to collect this documentation at the same time reporting our intentions, in which we are working on, and through this partnership we should have achieved bigger and better results.

As you know, we recently won several Court Proceedings against the municipality of Mazarrón, for sanctions imposed for the unlicensed construction of dwellings in Polygonos c-14, c-15, c-16, d-23 and d -32. These judgements are considered proof that the dwellings were built years ago (2005-2006) and therefore the infringements are deemed permitted as there is no penalty or demolition of any of the works, and what is more they are also works that can be legalized. The Town Hall never issued the Licenses despite us having paid the municipal taxes, nor have they ever said anything about any deficiencies or inadequacies that the presented Works Projects might have.

We want to organize a system to collect the following documents from the Clients: Original contracts of sale Original proof of payment (not the receipts from Justo y Manoli SL, but the bank statements or income transfers, or copies of cheques) Certificates of being registered on the Padron Water and electricity bills of previous dates to the first embargo on your poligono Any invoices for works done or installations of equipment for your house – this is to prove the previous possession of the first embargo. Even envelopes of letters received showing your address and post marks.

With this documentation we will get the embargoes lifted on these polygons, as the Agencia Tributaria will mortgage other land to guarantee the debt.

As for the development works, as well known for years we have run into a wall for years whenever we want to advance solutions negotiating with the Town Hall of Mazarrón, who constantly threaten us with executing the guarantees of the urbanization. Regarding phase A, we signed an agreement in 2012 to correct some deficiencies and so we would then have the guarantees returned, we spent 300,000 euros and this has not been accomplished, so we are not willing to

2013

spend what we do not have.

If the Camposol Residents Association offer us their help to lift the embargoes it would be very good for everyone. The lawyer hired would be free for customers via the Administrativa, but if we have go to Contencioso-Administrativo (Judicial) yes then that would mean they have to pay the cost of the Solicitor and around 200 euros per household for legal fees.

I look forward to your comments Yours sincerely Daniel Segarra Escandell Legal Department Good morning, I answer your questions: 1.Will this action, Tecerias de Dominio Administrativas lift all embargoes, i.e. not only those in favour of the State but also the embargoes in favor of private individuals who have won cases against Justo y Manoli SL and the embargoes relating to Adminstrative Charges. These are all clearly listed on the Nota Simple.

1. Regarding administrative embargoes these will be third party via administrative On the individuals these have to be done in court or done at the same time as the administrative, or when we have the administrative decision, to be presented in Court as evidence. It would be enough that a few customers initiate joint action.

In the Court action they would have to pay the costs of the Attorney, but this is usually not very expensive.

3.I have advised many owners to write to you “certificado” at Alicante asking what can be done, but their letters are returned un-opened – why is this please?

3. If addressed to me personally I do not receive them. They should not be refused by any administration in charge of the company. I do not know where they are directed but my usual place of work is in my office.

4.I know that these Clients will be very nervous about parting with their original documents, particularly their Contracts as this is their main proof of ownership – will a copy certified by a Notary be OK ?

4. If they get all the copies of original documents witnessed in the notary that would be much better.

5. In the case of the illegal houses on RE (RE3) Sector A, there are no utility bills as they are still on temporary supplies for water and electricity, so their proof will be a little limited.

5. For RE(3) they will have to provide all the evidence they have of living there. As the untility supplies are in our name, we will try to obtain some sort of certificate from the Companies. What is more I believe there is a Report from the Town Hall regarding these dwellings. our name any companies certificate.

2.You mention that you have asked for co-operation of the Clients via the local Agents, solicitors and Accountants with a view to collecting the Contracts and other documents. How long ago exactly? We have heard nothing from them.

2.They were informed during the month of December so that they could bring them before January 17, the date when we would meet to take the next step..

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page 23

What’s going on...

Sunday Lunches & Sundays Elliots in Bolnuevo from 6.50€ . Canadas del Romero Social Centre 6E booking advised, The Trevi Sunday Carvery 12.30 till 3pm 9.95 And night time! Bar Vista 1,2 or 3 courses from 6.50, La Vida in El Pareton booking advised. Cats Bar 12noon till 3pm from 5.50€ booking advisable..Sunday night Fun quiz at Cats Bar, from 9pm.

Mondays. Trevi’s menu del dia, 7.95E,. Slimming Club at Cats Bar 11am. Bar Vista New Music Quiz from 8.30pm with a prize for name that tune!

Mondays and all week! Elliots Menu Del Dia 9.50 for 3 courses and coffee.

Menu del noche 16.50€, great tapas at Trevi & 3 euro breakfast, Trevi Special Evening Menu 9.95€ Bar Vista has a 3.50 breakfast Afternoon Meal Deal 1- 5pm for 6.50.

reserve.

Tuesdays Karaoke with Byron Canadas Social Centre 9pm. Food always available. Cats Bar- Knitting club every fortnight at 11am and Friends and Buddies group weekly at 8pm.

Thursdays Tel’s quiz & football card at 9PM. Free line dancing at Canadas, 7.30pm followed by actual dancing, evening menu. Early doors quiz at the Vista on A 5.30 start followed by play your cards right!

Wednesdays The Trevi Quiz from 8.30pm, Cats Bar Fish and Chip night, 6 till 9pm followed by fun quiz. Cats Bar- “The New Wednesday Club”fish and chip night 6-9pm followed by fun quiz with Eddie B. Bar Vista- Pool League. La Vida Bistro and Bar in Pareton Steak night 25€ per couple including half a bottle of wine or Cava call 625 917 425 to

www.catsbar.es Sara & Sean welcome you Happy hour 5 until 7, Friday & Saturday homemade Sunday lunch, from 5.50 (Booking advised) Special Fish & Chips, Wednesday Night All sports covered, especially football Snacks, breakfasts, meals!

Sunday Night, fun quiz & play your cards right Thursday night, karaoke with Berni Mac Friday Night is bingo night.

Our new menu has arrived, come and try our breakfast special 2 of everything only 3.50 euros All time pub favourites only 5 euros

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La V da “Formerly known as Scotties”

Bistro & Bar

Wednesday and Saturday Steak deal (2 persons, 3 courses, including wine or Cava and coffee) 25€ per couple Thursday night is Pie Night 6€ Come and try our delicious home-made pies and hancut chips or creamy mash and peas and gravy.

Friday night is Fish and Chip night: Enjoy our Beer Battered Cod and Homemade chips 7.50€ and later join us for our famous Fun Quiz with prizes!

Evening Menu available Tuesday to Saturday 6 till 9pm Our Meat raffle is drawn every Friday night! Be sure to drop in during the week to buy your ticket!

Sunday Lunch from €7.50 available from 12 till 3pm, Booking Advised.

All Major Sporting Events Shown!

“Gourmet Cuisine in a candlelit ambiance”

For reservations and more info call us on our new number: 625 917 425

Bernie Mac at Cats Bar 9pm till late!

Pie night at La Vida in Pareton with a choice of homemade pies served with chips or mash.

couple. Cats Bar Happy Hour 4-6pm.

Cats Bar- Disco on the Terrace with Byron from 8.30pm till late.

Fridays At the Trevi, bridge daytime starting at 9.45am. Fish and Chip night with free quiz and meat raffle at La Vida Bistro and Bar. Happy Hour 5-7pm and Bingo night from 9pm at Cats Bar.

Saturdays Trevi karaoke Bernie Mac, Steak night at La Vida from 6pm- Booking Essential, 3 courses including an 8oz Rump and your choice of wines or Cava only 25€ per

Bingo - Tel’s Sunday 7.30PM & Wednesday 1.30PM, Cats Bar Friday night Bingo from 9pm, Sunday Bar Trevi 7pm.

Quiz - The Vista Bar early doors at 6.30pm, followed by play your cards right. Scotties Friday night quiz and meat raffle.

Cats bar fish and chip night and quiz every Wednesday.

Karaoke Trevi Bernie Mac Sunday’s, Tuesdays Canadas Social Centre from 9pm, Saturdays Byron at Cats Bar 8.30pm till late.

Local Markets! Canadas Del Romero: Sunday mornings, Mazarron Town Saturday morning.

Puerto de Mazarron Sunday Camposol Thursday morning on Sector A

La V da Bistro & Bar

Sunday March 10th

Mothers Day Sunday Lunch with a gift of chocolates for the ladies!

Spaces limited, call to make your reservation on 625 917 425

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Harlequin Rock Choir are looking for male Base singers and a sound technician.

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Happy Hour 5 till 7 daily All live sports shown on 3 screens Monday evening Fun Music Quiz Thursday Happy Hour Fun Quiz Friday and Saturday live entertainment Sunday karaoke from 7pm Full English breakfast from 3€ Afternoon meal deal 2 courses 5.50€ Sunday lunch 3 courses 9.95€ or main course only 6.50€ For more information call 648 731 309

Bar Open 7 Days A Week (Restuarant Closed Monday Evenings)

3 course Menu Del Noche for 9.95 with a choice of 10 till 4 7 Days week Starters, Mains andaDesserts All day Breakfast from only 3euros WEDNESDAY NIGHT DARTS AND DOMINOS FROM 8PM. Sunday Karaoke 8.30pm AT 8.30PM SUNDAY BINGO AT 7PM AND KARAOKE

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Technology sponsored by Unbelievable Mobile Phone Deal Continues!

The Most Sadistic Apps That Force You to Get Stuff Done

The Phone House based at Best Wishes on Camposol and next to Mercadonna in Puerto de Mazarron, would like to announce that their unbeatable 19€ mobile is now back in stock. Last month we reported that they were offering a Pay As You Go Mobile complete with Camera, MP3 Player and 5€ of calling credit for the unbelievable price of just 19€. Not only is that a great deal but the phone allows you to make calls to the uk for only 1cent an minute using the Orange network! Such was the demand from the public that the phones quickly sold out. The good news is that the special offer is continuing for a limited time, and the phones are now back in stock.

If you missed out last time then hurry to The Phone House at Best Wishes to take advantage of this special offer- available while stocks last!

Sometimes willpower is hard to muster up without a little poking from exterior sources. Thankfully, if you prefer a little masochism or negative reinforcement from your apps, you have plenty of options for getting into shape, waking up, and breaking bad habits.

While we certainly prefer a more nonsadistic approach to getting things done, that doesn’t work for everyone.

Sometimes, the best way to get yourself into a good habit it is to do it publicly, with a little shame on top. If you prefer a slap on the wrist to a high-five, here are the apps that’ll give it to you.

Alarm Clocks That Shame You Into Getting Out of Bed Getting out of bed is incredibly hard for many of us, and when a loud alarm clock (and a good night’s rest) don’t do the trick, it’s time to dig into more extreme measures. Here are a few of our favorites.

BetterMe BetterMe (free) is incredibly simple

iPhone app, but it’s based entirely in public humiliation. Can’t get up in the morning? Every time you hit snooze, BetterMe post a message to your Facebook timeline telling your friends you were too weak to get out of bed.

BetterMe doesn’t even disguise itself inside a game structure—it’s entire purpose is to shame you into getting up, and it does it amazingly well. If you’re more of a Twitter-user, Okite (iPhone, free), might be more up your alley.

Wake N Shake Wake N Shake ($1.99) bills itself quite literally as an “evil alarm clock” for a reason: it forces you awake by making you shake your phone to shut off the alarm. If that wasn’t enough, a recent update also adds a competitive layer to challenge your friends to get up earlier, earn achievements, and includes a leaderboard. It might not sound that evil to have to shake your alarm clock in the morning, but once you try it you’ll realize how annoying (and effective) it actually is.

Morning Routine Morning Routine (free) for Android might

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be the most sadistic alarm clock we’ve seen. While Wake N Shake requires a little effort, Morning Routine doesn’t turn off its alarm until you actually get out of bed and scan the barcode of items around your house. That means you have to get up, grab your phone, and walk to the kitchen (or wherever) to scan that carton of milk to turn off the alarm. It’s almost as sadistic as when your parents would flip on the light, tear back the covers, and yell at you to get up for school. If scanning barcodes is too boring for you, Sleep If U Can forces you to take pictures.

Fitness Apps That Guilt (or Threaten) You Into Getting Into Shape Getting into shape is hard, and motivating yourself to do it is tough. You have plenty of non-sadistic options out there to help you get into shape, but if you need an evil kick in the pants, here are your best bets.

Zombies, Run! On the surface, Zombies, Run!(iPhone/ Android/Windows Phone, $7.99) is just a fun game that turns a jogging routine into a game of survival. By itself, it’s mildly sadistic, but it has a trick up its sleeve for the truly masochistic: interval mode. We’ve mentioned interval training before, but Zombies, Run! has a twist.

Out of nowhere, the app will inform you of a zombie chase, and you have to run as fast as you can to get out alive. If you don’t make it, it’s game over, and you lose the supplies you’ve gathered. Combine this with a nighttime run in an empty park (if it’s safe, of course) and you have a terrifying (but amazing) experience.

Gym Pact and Fitsby Gym-Pact (iPhone/Android, free) and Fitsby(Android, free) might be the most sadistic apps on this list.

Gym-Pact is pretty straightforward: attach your bank account to Gym-Pact, and when you don’t go to the gym (and check in), Gym-Pact takes money out of your account. The money it collects is then redistributed to other users who actually went to the gym.

Fitsby works in a similar way, but instead of giving the money to complete strangers, it gives the bulk of it to your friends who are also on the service.

Yes, what we’re saying is that both of these apps will take real money from your bank account and give it away when you don’t go to the gym. No, that doesn’t sound like fun, but it certainly is bigger motivator than a wasted gym membership. If that’s all a little too

2013

extreme for you, GymShamer connects to your Foursquare account and sends out a tweet every time you skip the gym.

The Sadistic Apps that Force You to Change Behaviors (or Get Things Done) Motivating yourself to get your to-do list done or change your behavior (for the better, hopefully) is never easy. For those amongst us who like a punch in the gut every morning, here are some of the apps that shame you into getting everything else in your life done.

CARROT CARROT (iPhone, 99¢) is pretty much the only sadistic to-do list out there.

While it won’t shame you publicly for not mowing the lawn, it will sound very disappointed in you. CARROT is a todo app with the personality of a crazed computer. When you don’t do the tasks you’re supposed to, CARROT gets upset.

When you fail to do anything, CARROT gets even more upset. It’s a minimalist experience, but it’s pretty much the only to-do list out there that’s willing to call you out for being the slacker that you are.

probably enough to make most people actually show up.

Aherk!

Aherk doesn’t have a mobile app, but it’s easily one of the more sadistic ways to reach your goals. Aherk is designed to help you blackmail yourself. You provide Aherk with embarrassing pictures of yourself, and then a goal (say lose 10 pounds) you want to meet. If you don’t meet it by the deadline, that embarrassing photo is released onto your social networks. Self-blackmail is a little tough, but once you set Aherk up, you can’t back out, so you’d better accomplish those goals.

Getupp If you want to really make your commitments public, and force yourself to actually complete them, Getupp is one way to do it. Make a commitment in the app (or webapp) of a place you need to be at a certain time. Check in there, or else Getupp shows your friends when you didn’t make it. This can include anything from the gym to church to the dance club.

While it’s not openly shaming you, Getupp still broadcasts your failures to the world. It’s

When you call an advertiser please mention you saw their advert here

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EA RE SF TU FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T F E A U FE ES UR AT EAT RES S FE TUR FEA URES F ATURE FEATU ES E R S T FEA URES F ATURE FEATU E S T F E A E R F ES U EAT TUR FEA URES F T FEA

or any bit of old wall that looks like it’s about to fall down.

I’m a sucker for old ruins, with the exception of Mick Jagger.

Dawn Llewellyn-Price Beware the Ides of March, they say. Or in my case, beware the Dragons. Wales is full of them, great fire breathing monsters atop castle walls, hidden on flagpoles watching from above, waiting to belch their fiery fury on unwitting passers-by. They lurk in supermarkets, department stores, sneakily hiding on the front of t-shirts, on cheese packets, and curry containers. They are everywhere. Especially this time of year when the six nations’ rugby is in full flow, and Y ddraig goch (The red dragon) is spotted almost everywhere.

March 1st is Saint David’s Day, of course. There’s usually a dragon or two spotted playing with the school kids dressed in their Welsh costumes, sometimes lurking behind a harp as it’s twanged on this most Welsh of days.

It’s a constant fear in Wales, being scorched by a dragon. But throw a Welshcake to distract it and they normally let you pass un-singed.

Spain is also full of foes and windmills hiding giants. And fables, and legends, and tall tales, no doubt.

A friend once said to me ‘I can see why you love Spain so much, it’s all the history.’

Then she boarded a plane and flounced off to Australia to live amongst the newness, re-appearing annually (a bit like the dragons) for a few weeks in Wales and a couple more in Spain. I suppose it’s in the blood.

There’s something therapeutic about aimless wandering amidst architecture, where you can feel the spirits of those gone before etched in the stonework and at least get a feel for how they lived.

Lorca castle is really quite magical, and if you’ve travelled to the top and back on the little tourist train, quite miraculous too. (It means you’re still alive and reading this.)

Burgos, near the north of Spain, is really one of my favourite Spanish cities. Once you’ve popped in the Cathedral to say ‘Hola’ to El Cid in his tomb, the little tourist train there will take you around the old city,-but beware women with ample bosoms or needing dental work….trains and cobbled streets are not good for either.

Our last stay at Burgos found us amidst their first El Cid fiesta, where men on horseback slid down cobbled inclines with a couple of disinterested policemen and some fluttering tape the only barrier between flailing hooves and Joe Public.

Very authentic, very Spanish.

It’s impossible to live without history.

How can we appreciate our lives now, if we can’t appreciate those of our ancestors; without medicine, without literacy, without the basics of living?

We are safe in the knowledge our minor ailments shouldn’t be life threatening.

Not so those who went before us. I’m thankful to have been born in the right century, at least.

Stars over Camposol with Keith Jackson How time flies, it’s almost a year since my first article and, as Leo starts to appear again in the southern sky, we have come full circle and the cycle of the constellations we have looked at over the months begins again. So I’m afraid this will be the last in the current series.

To close I thought it might be an idea to show a diagram of the Circumpolar constellations that we can see all year round from our latitude. Circumpolar meaning that the constellations which seem to circle around Polaris (the North Star) and never set below the horizon.

If you would like to continue star hopping a planisphere is a good way to find your way around the night skies.

For Southern Europe a 42 degrees North Planisphere is available and a 51 ½ degrees North for use in the UK. (In reality either one would be OK as stars close to the horizon are difficult to see in most locations) If you have a computer you might like Stellarium which is a planetarium software that shows in real time exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. It’s very easy to use, and best of all it´s free. To download visit; www.stellarium.org I hope you have enjoyed the articles and have managed to spot a few, if not all, of the major constellations along the way.

Except for those damn dragons...

Well yes, I must admit I do love a castle

page 28

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2013

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Jose Navarro, our new District Mayor.

Members of the CRA committee, friends and family gathered in the Old Town Hall to witness the swearing in ceremony on Thursday 7th February.

The ceremony of the oath started with the Mayor reading the decree in which José Navarro is appointed as District Mayor of El Saladillo. Then José Navarro put his right hand on the Spanish Constitution and said: "I swear on my conscience and honour to faithfully comply with the

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A round of applause followed.

The Mayor, José Navarro and the Secretary of the Town Hall signed the minutes of the event and finally the Mayor gave José the staff of the District Mayoralty of El Saladillo and a badge with the coat of arms of Mazarrón.

The event was covered by T.V News, the Spanish press and local radio station and Zoe from Murcia today.

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2013

To celebrate St Patrick’s day we have some Irish recipes

Irish Stew

INGREDIENTS 3 middle necks of lamb (about 1.8kg/4lb), filleted and boned - you need to end up with about 950g/2lb 2oz pure meat 650g floury potatoes , such as King Edward 650g waxy potatoes , such as Desirée or Pentland Javelin 1kg carrots 2 onions ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped fresh chives and parsley, to garnish

Recipes

FOR THE STOCK bones from the lamb 1 large carrot , quartered 1 onion , quartered ½ celery stick, quartered 1 bay leaf 2 large sprigs of thyme a generous sprig of parsley 6 black peppercorns , lightly crushed

METHOD Make the stock. Put the lamb bones in a large heavy-based saucepan with the carrot, onion, celery, herbs, peppercorns and 1 tsp salt. Pour in 3 litres/5 1⁄4 pints water. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve to remove bones and vegetables, then return to the pan. Boil until reduced to about 1.3 litres/21⁄4 pints. (You can make the stock the day before - keep it in a covered container in the fridge, or freeze it for up to 3 months.)

Make the stew. Cut the lamb into large chunks. Peel the potatoes (keeping both types separate) and cut into pieces of similar size to the meat. Put the two different types in separate bowls of water to keep them white. Peel the carrots and cut into slightly smaller pieces. Slice the onions into thick rings.

Put the lamb in a large, clean saucepan.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, skimming off all the impurities from the surface. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the floury potatoes, carrots and onions. Season

generously and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the waxy potatoes and thyme.

Simmer until the lamb is tender (15-20 minutes). Take off the heat, cover (don’t stir) and leave for 15 minutes. (You can make this up to 2 days ahead and keep in the fridge). Garnish and serve.

Beef in Guinness

The Guinness in this recipe has the same function as the wine in Coq Au Vin - the acid and moisture combined with the long, slow cooking help tenderise the tough but flavoursome meat.

INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 lb/ 1 kg shin of beef 2 large onions 6 medium carrots 2 tbsp seasoned flour a little fat or beef dripping 1/2 cup dry cider 1/2 pt/ 250 ml/ 1 cup Guinness with water sprig of parsley (serves four)

Cut the beef into chunks and peel and slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Remove the beef and fry the onions gently until transparent. Return the beef and add the carrots and the liquid. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, cover closely and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Check that the dish does not dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with plainly boiled potatoes.

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LOS PALACIOS GARDEN MEETING

Here we are will into 2013 , on the 4th February, we held our first meeting of the year, of the LOS PALACIOS GARDEN GROUP, It was good and encouraging to see so many people there. The new chairman Edward Roberts, conveyed his and the groups thanks and appreciation to the outgoing chairman, David Peak, for all the good work he has done. When the meeting then got off to a start, the discussion opened with the suggestion that a LOS PALACIOS, sign should be placed at each end of current sector A entrances and this should be a key target for 2013, It was then pointed out that the bench at the entrance of LOS PALACIOS, had gone walkies.The feeling of the meeting was that the bus company should be contacted, and a request for a bus shelter to be erected. It was then inevitable the two subjects that concern most voluntary groups that of Money and Helpers on the first subject it was pointed out that we have book shop, that is open every Friday morning, and has an excellent selection , of hard and soft backs, DVD,s and box puzzles.

At the moment this is the main source of our income and the people of LOS PALACIOS, and the surrounding areas

should be encouraged to use it.

Then another source put forward, was possibly of dances, diners, etc, with this in mind a small entertainment committee was formed. Most people make new years resolutions. Get fitter, go out more, meet new people, what could be more perfect, than to join the garden group, you don’t have to be an Alan Titchmarsh, and you meet people who just want to do something to improve the environment they live in “ every little bit helps “ Let me leave you with this thought, “Because MASA, left us in a mess, does not mean that we have to live in a mess”.

The date, time and location of the next meeting: 4th March, 2013 11.00am The Vista Bar Los palacios.

All are welcome, come along see what’s happening.

Camposol ‘C’ Green Fingers Gardening and Social Group A huge thank you to all our volunteers who have been out during very cold winds this month; the breakfasts and refreshments provided hopefully warmed them a little while repairing the pavements and building new kerbs after several water burst repairs completed

by Aqualia. Also, many thanks go to

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Compusurf for donating four Christmas pine trees which were provided outside their premises by Mazarron Council; these have been planted by the ‘Welcome to C’ wall near the Rambla.

As the new mature trees throughout ‘C’ have suffered in the bitter January winds, new and stronger stakes have been provided to support them until they are completely established. 48 new Oleanders have been planted around the corner from the Welcome garden, and keeping the newly planted areas watered is an ongoing task, even in the colder weather so if you would like to help with this, or join out team of volunteers, please get in touch!

The street sweeping and weed spraying programme continues to make our sector a clean, tidy and lovely place to either visit or live in and we are always looking for new volunteers! On Wednesday mornings we meet at 9am outside the Sensol Villa Office, and even if you can only offer limited time or ability, your efforts are really appreciated by all the temporary and permanent residents: Each season the planted areas really improve the look of our area, all due to our Maintenance team and volunteers led by a committee, all of whom have become friends, so if you’d like to increase your social circle, as well as enjoying the fresh air (very fresh at the moment!) and making your area a beautiful one, just contact us!

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Please check our chalkboards, website and Facebook for full details of forthcoming social events and for any further information.

634 325 427, or visit Facebook or our website: http:// www.greenfingersgardenandsocialgroup. com/

John, our chairman, can be contacted on

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direction but using less effort. This can be achieved by approaching the game with more equanimity and not trying too hard ¨to hit the skin of the ball¨.

We view Golf as much a test of mental power as of physical capability, yoga shows you how to focus and connect controlling the mind and nerves particularly during putting.

On the putting green your opponents and playing partners are in close proximity when you play a shot and pressure can

Local Yoga teacher Lisa has a studio in Isla Plana and has classes for all abilities.

Firstly in response to a few emails I have received in relation to my first two articles I can confirm that yes Yoga is a way of Living …. If you want it to be.

It is now such a vast and constantly expanding knowledge that many take from it exactly what they want and leave the rest, or others completely immerse themselves.

I have many different types of students, some arrive in order to release tensions and stresses with gentle stretches and movements aligned with the breath and so recharging their emotional batteries, others arrive to find that spiritual connection and re connect to the faith they feel they have lost.

Some prefer to work dynamically opening the body and releasing tensions with flowing movements connecting mind and breath. Others enjoy the social aspect coming to class having a chat after and meeting new faces. Some are looking to gain strength and focus in life; others are looking for flexibility to body and mind. The individual requirements are vast however all is possible within the spectrum of yoga.

Obviously there are guidelines but that is for a later date!!!

The other email I wanted to answer is what yoga can do for Golfers...

Golf is not only a physical game but also a test of mental power. Yoga connects here, as it is as much about the mind as body.

Yoga can help with the physical need for suppleness and the strength required in the legs and mid section for balance and steadiness. Once you can secure a greater degree of rotation in the upper body and hips, with strong legs and a firm stance of feet you can release with a fluid twist focusing on generating power through the hips and then transmit this from the core to the upper body, shoulders arms and hands.

Thus allowing you to start hitting the ball more freely with a result of gaining significant yardage with more consistent

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rotation of upper body and hips coiled against a firm stance of feet, and then releasing the twist in a controlled fluid movement. Focusing on generating power through the hips first of all and transmitting this through the core to the upper body shoulders, arms and hands.

The majority of sporting activities shorten the thighs, hamstrings and calf muscles in particular. In golf overtraining and repetitive movements manifest large muscles on one side of the golfers body specifically the shoulders, biceps, forearms and upper back. The stronger muscles on the dominant side are also tight, while the weaker muscle is more flexible. The tight muscles in turn will restrict the free movement of the surrounding muscle ultimately leading to a limited range of motion. A symmetrical golf stroke will not only be more accurate and go further it will also produce less strain to the body.

We depend on a strong stable body, which is fluid, and flexible, however flexibility and fluidity are a little more difficult to achieve over strength and stability. With commitment and an enthusiastic mental attitude you can overcome tight bodily limitations.

be felt whether imagined or real. Deep breathing in the lower abdomen and consciously finding tense areas and relaxing them once the line of shot has been decided works well.

Beneficial points: Being conscious of the whole body at one moment and focusing on breathing and posture.

Power, balance and weight transfer depends on the fluidity of the body also, working towards symmetry and balance is the essence of the practice of yoga … breaking down tensions that the body has learned to work around. It takes discipline and practice to develop much like a good game of golf.

A balanced body is a flexible body and flexibility remains the cornerstone of a good golf game.

Remaining Calm in preparation for a shot and consciously relaxing parts of the body that would normally be tense i.e. Relaxed hands and grip, relaxed and dropped shoulders, relaxed neck muscles straight spine and firm controlled stomach.

Visualisation of the co-ordinated movement of the whole body and club in back swing, releasing and hitting through the ball and follow through.

Visualisation of the ball in flight and on the ground.

Harnessing the greater degree of

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2013

As Earl Woods tells his son ¨What you are looking for is a soft, flexible, fluid swing – that’s power¨.

Lisa lisa@yogawithlisa.es (0034) 626 960 354 www.yogawithlisa.es

Staying Active in later life If you’re over 65 and exercising regularly, give yourself a pat on the back.

Being active is one of the best ways to boost your odds of ageing well, by keeping you mentally healthy and free of disease and disability. And it helps even if you start late in life.

But many older exercisers do only one activity and risk missing out on some important health benefits.

That’s a key finding of a recent study, published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, which looks at the leisure time physical activity of more than 10,000 older Brits.

The study, which focused specifically on those over 65, shows around two thirds of older people are exercising, with most of them favouring aerobic activity – usually walking.

Just over 45 per cent reported walking, with more than half of these people reporting walking as their sole activity.

Only 2.6 per cent of people in the study reported a combination of balance, strength and aerobic (heart and lung fitness) activities.

Walking for your health Walking is great for conditioning our heart and lungs, but as we get older we need to protect more than just our cardiovascular system, says Associate Professor Donna

2013

Merril, lead author of the study.

“I don’t want to suggest walking is not good; it is excellent exercise,” Merril says.

Walking regularly at a pace brisk enough that you can just hold a conversation cuts your risk of a range of chronic health conditions.

If you walk for: 30 minutes (you can even break these down into 10-minute sessions) five days a week, you reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 40 per cent and your risk of type 2 diabetes.

60 minutes a day, you reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 50 per cent and help protect against bowel cancer, plus breast cancer if you are a woman or prostate cancer if you are a man.

When walking is not enough But walking “may not provide optimal protection for other age-related health conditions such as falls and injuries,” says Merril, from Loughborough University Falls are a significant cause of disability – and sometimes death – in older people.

To protect against falls, you need to challenge your sense of balance with activities such as dance and tai chi.

Unfortunately, the study found in the previous 12 months only 2.1 per cent of older people danced and only 1.4 per cent did tai chi.

“We only have proof [of a protective effect against falls] for tai chi,” Merril says.

“We know, however, that dance has great potential and we are doing the study now.

Walking has not yet been shown to have a proven benefit for preventing falls.”

Interestingly, research has shown dance and tai chi may be better than traditional Western exercise or walking for maintaining cognitive function (the thought processes in our brains), Merril says.

Walking also provides little protection against the weakening of bones in postmenopausal women, she says. “Walking is a low impact exercise so it’s not optimal for strengthening bones.”

While older people’s participation in more than one activity increased in the period covered by the study, between 2001 and 2009, it seems that as individuals get older, they become less likely to do (or keep doing) multiple activities.

“We don’t know why, but it is important to find it out,” Merril says.

She says there needs

to be more research to figure out which single activities older people can do that will help to improve different aspects of fitness at the same time.

The bottom line for those over 65 is: If you’re not doing any activity, try to take up at least one.

Not being active is a large part of why our health deteriorates after 65.

Walking is great exercise, but if it’s your only activity, think about another more complex activity, such as dance or tai chi, that will help protect your balance, coordination, concentration and attention as well as being good for your heart. Engaging your brain at the same time as you exercise seems to be the key. For instance, “cyber cycling” – cycling on a stationary bike while looking at a display of a virtual environment has been shown to better improve cognitive (thinking) performance than simply cycling on a stationary bike.

Activities such as yoga (or just stretching exercises) can build flexibility (to help with everyday activities like cleaning and getting dressed), and weight training can build muscle strength (necessary for most everyday activities, even getting in and out of a chair).

If you haven’t been active for a while, you might need to start with less than 30 minutes a day and build up from there.

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Sports Season starter at Aquilón Golf The Straight Down The Middle Golf Society followed up the January AGM, held on the 7th, when a new committee was elected, with the first competition, at the splendid Aquilón Golf Course.

On arrival at the course we were met with blue skies, a light breeze, and a warm smile from the staff, Nikane Galíndez, Denaida Santana, & Belen Parra – all of which heralded a good day’s golf.

The competition was based on Stapleford rules and getting a good score around a fair but challenging course proved quite difficult.

At the end of the day two players returned a score of 30 points, Geoff Perry and Tom Percy.

PETANCA Now that the spring months are upon us, it’s time to start enjoying the wonderful

outdoor life that attracted us to move here in the first place. Petanca is a game that not only keeps you active, but is great fun and can be highly competitive.

If you have never played before then what are you waiting for? There is no time like the present!

History: The Ancient Greeks are recorded to have played a game of tossing coins, then flat stones, and later stone balls, called spheristics, trying to have them go as far as possible, as early as the 6th century B.C. The Ancient Romans

modified the game by adding a target that had to be approached as closely as possible. This Roman variation was brought to Provence by Roman soldiers and sailors. A Roman sepulchre in Florence shows people playing this game, stooping down to measure the points.

After the Romans, the stone balls were replaced by wooden balls, with nails to give them greater weight. In the Middle Ages Erasmus referred to the game as globurum, but it became commonly known as ‘boules,’ or balls, and it was played throughout Europe. King Henry III of England banned the playing of the game by his archers, and in the 14th century, Charles IV and Charles V of France also forbade the sport to commoners. Only in the 17th century was the ban lifted.

It is believed that the first places where

Winner - Geoff Perry On a count back over the inward nine, Geoff’s score bettered Tom, and so he was declared the winner. – Well done Geoff, and commiserations to Tom. The next meeting of the society will be at Lorca Resort Golf Club on Wednesday 20th February when all members, guests, and any new members are welcome.

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2013

Playing the game In this game red’s boule is closest to the jack, followed by blue. Red scores one point, blue scores nothing Here

people in two teams, or players can compete as individuals in casual play.

In the singles and doubles games each player has three boules; in triples they have only two. A coin is tossed to decide which side goes first. The starting team draws a circle on the ground which is 3550 centimetres in diameter: all players must throw their boules from within this circle, with both feet remaining on the ground. The first player throws the jack 6–10 metres away; it must be at least one metre from the boundary.

Order of play The player who threw the jack then throws their first boule.

A player from the opposing team then makes a throw. Play continues with the team that is not closest to the jack

red has two boules closer, and scores two points Petanca is played by two, four or six

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Rules You can play Petanca in different ways: Individually: One player against another one, with three boules (balls) per player.

“Dupleta”: Two against other two, with three boules per player.

“Tripleat”: Three against other three, with two boules per player.

In Primary children play with plastic boules with sand inside.

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having to continue throwing until they either land a boule closer to the jack than their opponents or run out of boules.

If the closest boules from each team are an equal distance from the jack, then the team that played last plays again.

If the boules are still equidistant then the teams play alternately until the position changes.

If the boules are still equidistant at the end of the game then no points are scored by either team.

The game continues with a player from the team that won the previous end drawing a new circle around where the jack finished and throwing the jack for a new end.

when the jack is knocked out of play.

The winning team receives one point for each boule that it has closer to the jack than the best-placed boule of the opposition.

If the jack is knocked out of play, no team scores unless only one team has boules left to play. In this case the team with boules receives one point for each that they have to play.

The first team to reach 13 points wins.

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people played Petanca in Spain where Gerona and Albacete Nowadays Petanca is a popular game all around the world with not only its own federations but even world championship.

Scoring Play ends, and points may be scored when both teams have no more boules, or

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Nissan are to build a rival to the Golf in Spain Nissan will invest €130m in its Barcelona plant to build its new Golf rival Nissan has announced that it will build its new C-segment rival to the Volkswagen Golf at its plant in Barcelona, Spain.

The new car, which is due to begin production in July 2014, was to be built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory. However, Nissan has invested £250million in the Sunderland facility to build a new Infiniti small car from 2015 instead.

The Barcelona factory currently produces commercial vehicles like the NV200 in both conventional and eNV200 electric powered forms, and the Pathfinder SUV and Navara pick-up models.

The new passenger car will add 80,000 extra units of annual capacity to the plant, taking total production at the Barcelona factory to more than 200,000 vehicles. It represents a €110million investment and Nissan claims that 1,000 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs will be created.

As well as its new Golf rival, Nissan will add 24,000 units of additional annual capacity for building the Navara, which represents an

additional €14million investment.

The plant will also be responsible for building the gearbox for the Nissan Leaf and eNV200, which represents a further €6million investment.

Are you making enough use of your car?

The total investment of €130million will be used to renovate and modernise the Barcelona plant’s production lines in readiness for the start of the new passenger car and electric gearbox production.

However, while Nissan has announced where its new Golf and Ford Focus rival will be built, it stopped short of confirming the new car’s name. Nissan’s executive vice president of product planning, Andy Palmer, said “There is a gap in our range and the idea of the new car is to keep our customers within the brand.

“This will catch buyers moving up from a Juke, who can then buy a Qashqai if they need more space. Eventually, the idea is to get them into an Infiniti.”

“The name is yet to be revealed, but Palmer dropped a series of hints. “It won’t use the Almera name, you can be sure of that,” he said. “But it will be familiar.”

Eddie was driving down the road and met a car coming the other way.

Although there was room to pass easily, Eddie forced the oncoming car to slow down and wound down his window and shouted ‘Pig’.

Astonished, the other driver looked in his rear view mirror and swore at Eddie.

Then his car hit the pig.

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Property, Financial and Legal SHIRLEY’S ARTICLE PRESS RELEASE FROM EXPAT PENSION PROVIDERS LIMITED NEW SPANISH TAX SET TO HIT UNPREPARED EXPATS!!

A specialist financial adviser is reassuring expats in Spain that the Spanish government’s crackdown on overseas assets only affects those who have opted to become tax-resident in the country.

Angela South, Managing Director of Expat Pensions, said her office has received a number of calls from clients concerned they could be hit by large penalties.

The new rules came into effect on January 1, 2013, and mean that by March 31, 2013, expats who are tax-resident in Spain must report any overseas assets they hold worth more than 50,000E. Assets over 50,000E will be taxed at 52 per cent, but if tax-resident expats fail to report these assets by March 31, then they face a potential fine of 150 per cent of the 52 per cent they could have paid.

Angela South said: “Expats and their advisers have had little time to prepare as the new rules were only published at the end of October 2012”.

The new rules came into effect just one month after a tax amnesty ended under which individuals could report their assets and pay a flat ten per cent rate.

Ms South said: “Very few of our clients are tax-resident in Spain as we mainly

deal with UK expats who have elected to live in Spain but may not pay their tax there”.

“However, if you are not sure of your status, you should urgently seek professional advice from a tax specialist with knowledge of the Spanish system.

“The factors to be taken into account when considering whether someone is resident in Spain include spending more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, Spain must be the centre of their economic activity, and whether their spouse and dependant children live there – which is a factor regardless of how many days the individual spends in Spain.”

“Clearly this is not a straightforward situation for some expats who are still working, or in some way economically active, and are paying tax in Spain,” she said.

Ms South said: “By the very nature of the work we do, we work closely with other professionals with specialist expertise in all areas of Spanish finances and tax, so we are in a position to help expats structure their finances, savings and investments regardless of the jurisdiction they come under.”

For further information on your financial options if considering retiring or moving to Spain, email angela@expatpensions. info or call 0044 1789 490363, or her contact in the Mazarron area – Shirley Ann Fisher, UK

Lawyer & Commissioner of Oaths at Camposol Business Centre, Calle Madrid 19, Sector A, Camposol, Mazarron – Tel. 968 103 008 or mobile 634 053 976 – email shirleyfisherlegalservices@gmail. com

IS IT TIME TO SPRING CLEAN POLITICS?

Figures collated at the end of 2012 reveal that there are more than 300 Spanish politicians who have been accused of being involved in cases of corruption, spread throughout the entire country, but with an apparent increase in the eastern areas of the country, especially along the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands and Valencia, but closely followed by other regions such as Catalonia or Galicia.

Many of the cases are ongoing, and it should be made clear that for many these allegations are currently still being investigated by the courts, to which innocence should be assumed, but they also don´t include other investigations which are underway relating to the management of various financial institutions, such as Bankia or the Mediterranean Savings Bank, CAM,

Shirley Fisher

Legal & Financial Services

The ONLY qualified and experienced UK Lawyer in this area providing a comprehensive range of services covering English and Spanish matters including QROPS Pension transfers to unlock your UK private pension For an initial discussion please telephone 634 053 976 or email:shirleyfisherlegalservices@gmail.com Camposol Business Centre Calle Madrid 19, Sector A Camposol, Mazarron MURCIA 30875 FOR AN APPOINTMENT Tel: 968 103 008 FAX: 968 199 664

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2013

whose boards were formed by a variety of politicians prior to the financial collapse.

The corruption cases involve all levels of government, both centrally and locally, such as the former Mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernández Mateo, who was sentenced to prison for one case and is still under investigation for others, and senior politicians such as the former Minister José Blanco, associated with the “operación Campeón”, a judicial investigation in Spain over the alleged irregular awarding of grants in exchange for commissions for public office.

The former President of the Balearic Islands, Jaume Matas, is charged with about a dozen cases involving corruption and illegal financing during his tenure,

in a case that involves nearly a hundred suspects, most of whom held public office or employment.

Other notable investigations on the Balearic Islands include cases such as those investigating the alleged irregular activities committed through the Instituto Noós, a private group chaired by dignitaries including Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert, the Duke Consort of Palma de Mallorca, husband of the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, HRH Cristina de Borbón, where evidence suggested large amounts of public money had been diverted.

At the regional level, there are still numerous cases open on Valencia, with nine members of the Partido Popular alone facing formal complaint cases related to corruption offenses.

Around the same time of the announcement that the former mayor of Torrevieja had been given a prison sentence, the minister of finance in Valencia, José Manuel Vela,

also resigned from his post, following the alleged leak of a document requested by the court.

Several former officials of the administration of Francisco Camps are still involved in the many open cases in the community, among those being one of the most important cases in recent history, that of the Gürtel case, an investigation launched in February 2009 dedicated to an alleged network of political corruption linked to the Partido Popular. The plot would be headed by businessman Francisco Correa, whose name in German is “Gürtel”, a case initially instructed by the High Court Judge, Baltasar Garzón, who was separated from the case and sentenced in February 2012 to 11 years of professional disqualification. The Gürtel case was uncovered by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, whose researchers were awarded the Ortega y Gasset Prize for Journalism, at its twenty-seventh edition of 2010.

One of the most widespread cases centres on more than 8,000 municipalities, where there are nearly fifty former

Property, Financial and Legal mayors and thirty senior councillors facing investigation, including cases in cities such as Murcia, Alicante, Lugo, Valladolid and Sabadell. Most councillors are charged with breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, fraud and influence peddling, whereas the mayors face charges of crimes of corruption, embezzlement of public funds, fraud, influential peddling, almost all from causes related to urban planning and the award of public works.

In Galicia, there are numerous court cases involving several municipalities that have led to charges for about a dozen councillors. As well as forcing the resignation of the mayor of Santiago de Compostela, Gerardo Roa, who left the office after failing to declare 291,000 euro in VAT from the sale of a property.

Corruption scandals also affect numerous places like Camas in Sevilla, where the former mayor and two councillors have been sentenced to 14 months in prison.

In the Cantabrian town of Las Rozas de Valdearroyo in 2006, the former

environmental councillor, Juan Carlos Lantarón Pérez, found himself sentenced to six months in prison and payment of a fine after pleading guilty to a crime of starting a wildfire.

In Burgos one councillor resigned after spending 207,000 euro in two months with a municipal mobile phone, which almost dwarfs the recent scandals in Torevieja surrounding the use of mobile phones for calling prostitutes, subscribing to pornographic entertainment and making unjust personal calls, a case which led to the resignation of one councillor, Spanish Olympic gold medallist Daniel Plaza Montero, plus an almost complete council reshuffle, except the councillor who enjoys using public money to spend on adult films, who remained in his position.

Of course, these are just a few samples of the many cases being investigated, and we ought to consider that as Spain has so many politicians across the government structure they may not be as proportionally bad as it might seem, there are still many public servants who aim to

serve their constituents with a passion, not just for personal gain, we are sure.

But what the future holds will no doubt cloud the waters even more, with ongoing investigations into financial institutions such as Bankia and CAM, for which a number of politicians are accused of holding seats on their boards of directors whilst in public office prior to the collapse, including former ministers Ángel Acebes and Rodrigo Rato, and we still have the National Court investigations into Banco de Valencia and other financial institutions, which may yet bring even more crawling out of the woodwork to face charges of how they let down the country for their own financial and political gain.

Eurovegas. A gamble worth taking?

Sheldon Adelson and his Las Vegas Sand Corporation appear to have decided on Alcorcón, a town outside Madrid, as the preferred location for Eurovegas, a giant gaming centre which – luckily for them – would be legally able to flout many labour and health laws thanks to agreements with the Community of Madrid regional government. A huge

have just completed their 4th very successful year in the Parque Comercial, Mojácar

NON-DISCLOSURE OF OVERSEAS ASSETS THE potential cost of non-disclosure of overseas assets by expats who assets themselves. New rules from the 1st January 2013, any assets held overseas with a value of €50,000 or more need to be declared by April For example, an undisclosed investment of €250,000 would be taxed at 52%. Any income amount which you will have to pay in addition to the tax that’s due.

number of jobs (261,000 initially and an eventual permanent staff of 164,000) plus a vast investment have helped seal the project which includes twelve resorts, 36,000 hotel rooms, six casinos and a number of golf courses. ‘...The problem is (says Paloma Corredor, a Spanish journalist writing in an American website) that Adelson has promised to take over just one third (almost $8 billion) in funding.

He will only participate in the second development phase if he can get a return on his initial investment of 20 percent or higher. If not, he is free to leave. Were that to happen, the catastrophe would be epic, since the launch of Eurovegas requires the government to invest $2.5 billion in infrastructure, which would be obsolete if the project is ultimately abandoned. In that case, only investors and builders would benefit, while Spanish citizens would have to absorb the cost of public waste… again’.

THESE ASSETS INCORPORATE: Bank accounts w Properties and rights over properties Shares w Loans w Annuities All types of investment assets and products course, you will need to declare these on an annual basis. Remember new rules apply to whether you are an individual or a company.

WILL THESE CHANGES AFFECT YOU? to discuss your options. Don’t let tax become an issue.

TAXATION & ACCOUNTANCY Complete registration into the Spanish Tax System including de-registration from the UK. Annual Resident & Non Resident Tax Returns Full UK and Spain tax reviews w UK Tax advice and service existing sterling and euro savings.

Capital protected funds with return in sterling or euros Retirement planning w Inheritance estate planning Monthly savings plans w Life Insurance

2nd Floor, Parque Comercial, Mojácar Playa

Tel: 950 478 617

Camposol Business Center Camposol

Tel: 968 103 008

Carol: 670 816 012 (including evenings) w Elena: 699 836 992

E-mail: carol@danniellsfox.com Website: www.danniellsfox.com

Useful Numbers Bar, restaurants & cafes Amapola 660 32 80 92- 968 15 65 03 Bar Trevi 669 026 544 Cat’s Bar 666 188 353 Elliots 968 158 499 Mariposa 968 631 008 Scotties 625 917 425 Seventh Heaven 968 332 088 Tel’s Bar 634 143 088 Vista Bar 648 731 309 Bathrooms Beautiful Bathrooms 968 974 038/663617 563 Beauty Care & Health Heather mobile 636 657 481 Freedom Mobility 968 153 620 Builders CM Constructions 659 159 948 Car Hire & SERVICES F&C Rental 968 199 156 Puncturesafe 968 979 260/634 355 709 Car mechanics & car sales Ken Sherwood mechanics 679 646 859 Carpentry Dave Davidson 634 330 706 Camposol Business Centre District Journal, Security, Dentist, Chiropodists, Another World Properties 968 103 008 Central Heathing & Plumbing Calida Gas & Oil 659 761 771 Charities PALS 968 422 228 / 626460 465 Andreas animal rescue 690 906 565 JJPuppies 618 934 921 Making a Difference 634 357 137 Mabs 639 665 370 Lions 682 104 635 Chimney Sweep Tony 646 438 694 Chiropodists Nathalia 968 103 008 Computer design services Daniel White www.danielwhitedesign.com Dentists Camposol Business Centre 968 103 008 Ear Candling Heather mobile 636 657 481 Electricians Andy 617 644 339 Funerals and funeral plans Tony Smith, Funeral director 650 631 719 Fish & Chips Elliots Bolnuevo 968 158 499 Gardening Evergreen 679 582 410 Hairdressers Carols 968 974 989 Cut & Dried 628 149 840 Home Furnishings & furniture @HOME 868 088 118 Furniture Plus 968 153 907/678 083 491 Yorkshire Linen 968 595 946/650 857 619 Insurance & Asesoria Nash Warren, Bolnuevo 968 156 583 R&L Seguros 968 138 516 / 620 277 690 ASSA 968 453 386 El Pilar 968 425 210 Ibex Insurance 968 595 945

Law services MMB 968 332 068 Shirley Ann Fisher 968 103 008 Metalwork Eriks 636 050 008 Mobility, aids & equipment Freedom & mobility 968 153 620 Properrty services Camposol Properties 968 592 679 Kevins Fly Screens 650 662 579/616 984 652 Pool cleaning, maintenance & repair Tony, the pool diver 646 438 694 Kohn pool Services 968 138 638/626 684 979 Printing & Design Insignia Graphics, 618 615 903 Mister print 638 893 357 SALES AND RENTAL AGENTS Mercers 968 199 188 UK 08450 177 805 2let2buy2sell 968 979 876 UK 00 44 1223 968 199 Sensol Golf Villa Rentals 968 970 614/608 631 700 Costa Calida Property Services 968 199 251 Villa Quest 968 974 918 Spanish Resort Rentals, 0034 669 19 01 13 Spanish interpreters and courses Debbies translations & interpreting, 677 353 136 Pilar Garcia 630 21 99 82 Totana English Academy 968 422 013/620 230 775 Television Services Rainbow, 686 358 475 Window cleaning services AYS 619 877 303 Water, purification services The H20zone 619877303

Getting in touch with the committees and organisations

CRA Camposol Residents Association.

Main base is the wooden hut on the car park on Sector B Commercial Centre. It is open Mon, Wed & Fri mornings.email them on info@cracamposol.com.

Chairman is Bob Owen available on Tel :(0034) 634 364 738 Secretary is Sandy Allison Their web site which is interactive and very informative is www.cracamposol.com Sector A committee. Have their own web site at www.a-camposol.com They can be emailed at info@a-camposol.com. They publish minutes and notes in the window of the office at far end of shops bottom Sector A Commercial centre, behind the post boxes.

The telephone contact number for the committee is 603109974 This number is manned every morning Monday thru Friday 10am / 12noon Sector A gardening group is run by David Senior Peake who can be contacted by email dseniorpeake@hotmail.co.uk. They also run a bookstall Friday morning outside the post room on A. The team leaders meet monthly in Tels first Monday in moth 11AM visitors welcome.

Sector B & B-clean (their gardening group) NB B sector community group is newly formed.

Helen White 968 199 506 is the pro tem organisor.

Sector C Greenfingers gardening group, Chairman, John Osborne- Tel 634 325 427 email: johnos1943@gmail.com.

Camposol Community Group D Sector The group meets monthly on the first Tuesday at 4PM in the Trevi Chairman Mick Drummond 968131971or 660038015 Secretary Les Crook 968979831or 606874193 Ents and Tickets Linda Crook 968979831or 606874193 Trailer Bookings John Hannah 634341427 Compost Site Supervisor 651119145 Camposol Fiesta: Michelle Moston michelle.moston@gmail.com Age Concern Meets every Wednesday morning in the Cultural Centre everyone welcome Their chair is Anne Lambert 968 970 687

TANIA’S CLEANING All types of cleaning, domestic and commercial. Fantastic rates, call for a quote

Jacuzzis & hot tubs bought , sold and repaired 650 722 905 www.eurospas1.com

In the event of a medical emergency call 112 and then phone F.A.S.T on 968 970 626 (Camposol Only)

Camposolers The registered group site for residents of Camposol, the proprietor is Reg Rogers who can be contacted by e-mailing reg rogers@hotmail.com. Apply to Reg for membership. NB there is an underline dash between reg and rogers!!!!!!

Town Hall can now be contacted through an office in the Cultural Centre Sector B, by the roundabout down from the roundabout by the filling station. Tatiana Andres is there to help you every weekday morning. Phone 968 131 717, email oficinacamposol@mazarron.es MABS now have an office in the old MASA office on the main dual carriage way on Sector C LIONS, Secretary Lion Mike Coombs 968 429 129 Membership Lion Mervyn Booth 968 163 082 ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome book club every second and fourth Tuesday in the underbuild at the former medical centre on Sector B.

If your committee would like your details here then please contact Rod Sawyer at rodsawyer41@hotmail.com

PALS EVENTS 2013 Welcome, to new readers and our regulars of course. This month we rescued a small Jack Russell type boy, well I tell a lie, WE were rescued by the small boy. It was during the high winds and we had our trailer parked in the rambla covered by a tarpaulin. So first thing in the morning Kevin went to check all was well with it and laid beneath the trailer was the little lad. Scared and cold he jumped into Kevin´s arms and was brought in for breakfast. Needless to say he´s still hear with us. We wanted to know what to call him and his picture with Kevin was put on our web site.

Names for the lad came in but the one that has stuck is Grommet. This came about as Kevin’s ¨T¨ shirt has a picture of Wallace and Grommet with words Hold on tight Grommet, and as the boy was holding on tight to him the name came about. He is about 4 months old and is now fully vaccinated and ready for his forever home, That´s the dog not Kevin; he still needs lots of training yet, Ha Ha Our collections on Camposol are still doing well, and we would like to thank everyone that has donated items to us.

However we still need your old bric-a-brac clothes and furniture to sell on. I will be on the car park of B sector each Monday morning. Just call for a chat when passing even if you have nothing to donate. I look forward to seeing you there.

To remind you we are at SaraLaras on a Wednesday afternoon 1 till 3 or Saturday morning at the Trevi from 11 till 1.30 or call me on 626 460 465.

MABS EVENTS IN MAZARRÓN March 2013 Tuesday 5th March - MABS COFFEE MORNING - MABS CENTRE - 396 Avda de los Covachos Camposol Sector B4 – 11.00 am Cake stalls, books, come along meet some of our volunteers have a chat, a cup of coffee or snack. For further information please ring Diane on 689 052 123.

Friday 29th March 2013 - JIGSAW BEREAVEMENT GROUP Cats Bar Sector A Camposol 12.00 pm The MABS Mazarrón Bereavement group meets on the last Friday of the month at Cats bar, Sector A, Camposol. Call 620 582 418 for further details.

Every 2nd and 3rd Friday – BOOK SALE – Camposol Sector B Commercial Centre Event tickets on sale at the book stall Between 9.30 am and 1.00 pm, from the MABS Information Centre on Sector B Camposol, or by calling 620 582 418 FORTHCOMING EVENTS Race Night Camposol Golf Club – 2nd April – 8.00 pm La Vida Bar El Pareton - 23rd April, St George’s Day Spring Fayre - 25th May - Camposol B Summer Dance - 8th August - Mazarrón Country Club with meal & entertainment

Keep watching the press or visit our website www.mabsmurcia.com for more events For further details, please call 620 582 418

FUTURE EVENTS

In conclusion, we have homed Buddy this month, he will be living it up in France soon, if the adoption is a success but we still have other dogs needing new and loving homes. You can follow us on our website, and our facebook pages, we also have a twitter account!!!!

Till next time, take care Andrea

page 45

Tickets and information/ advice now available from The Cultural Centre, Wednesday and Thursday 10AM/1PM Fridays 12.30/3.30PM. Tickets Friday AM, 10/1PM Outside Salud Bar. Advice/info line, 634 310216: events, port 634310215 Mazarron & Camposol, 634310215

2013

thelastlaugh20@gmail.com If you have a favourite joke that is suitable for a family magazine and not too long why not send it to

Mick, from Dublin , appeared on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ and towards the end of the program had already won 500,000 pounds.

We will publish it and give you a credit

‘but for a million pounds you’ve only got one lifeline left – phone a friend. Everything is riding on this question……will you go for it?’

thelastlaugh20@gmail.com

Paddy and Mick were both made redundant, so they went to the unemployment office.When asked his occupation, Paddy answered, "Knicker Stitcher: I sews de elastic onto ladies’ knickers and thongs."

The clerk looked up Knicker Stitcher on his computer and, finding it classified as unskilled labour, he gave him £80 a week unemployment pay.

Mick was next in and when asked his occupation replied, "Diesel Fitter." Since a diesel fitter was a skilled job, the clerk gave Mick £160 a week.

When Paddy found out he was furious. He stormed back into the office to find out why his friend and coworker was collecting double his pay.

The clerk explained, "Knicker Stitchers are unskilled labour and Diesel Fitters are skilled labour."

You’ve done very well so far,’ said, Chris Tarrant,

‘Sure,’ said Mick. ’I’ll have a go!’ ‘Which of the following birds does NOT build its own nest?

A: Sparrow B: Thrush C: Magpie D: Cuckoo I haven’t got a clue,’ said Mick, ‘so I’ll use me last lifeline and phone me friend Paddy back home in Dublin ’. Mick called up his mate, and told him the circumstances and repeated the question to him.

‘Mick!’ cried Paddy. ’Dat’s simple……it’s a cuckoo.’ ‘Are you sure?’’I’m sure.’ Mick hung up the phone and told Chris, ’I’ll go wit Cuckoo as me answer.’

‘Is that your final answer?’ aske d Chris ‘Dat it is, Sir.’ There was a long – long pause, and then the presenter screamed, ‘Cuckoo is the correct answer! Mick, you’ve won 1 million pounds!’

The next night, Mick invited Paddy to their local pub to buy him a drink.

‘Tell me, Paddy? How in Heaven’s name did you know it was da Cuckoo that doesn’t build its own nest? ‘Because he lives in a bloddy clock!’

A Texan walks into a pub in Galway, Ireland and raises his voice to the crowd of drinkers.

He shouts, "I hear you Irish are a bunch of drinkin' fools. I'll give $500 American dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10 pints of Guinness back to back."

The room is quiet and no one takes of the Texan's offer.

"What feckin’ skill?" yelled Paddy. "I sews de elastic on de knickers and thongs, den Mick puts dem over his head and says,

Paddy Murphy gets up and leaves the bar.

Thirty minutes later, he shows back up and taps the Texan on the shoulder. "Is your bet still good?" asks Paddy.

‘Yep, diesel fitter...’

The Texan answers, "Yes," and he orders the barman to line up 10 pints of Guinness.

Paddy goes into a John Lewis department store and asks the shopkeeper, "Excuse me sir, but do you sell potato clocks?"

The shopkeeper looks at him and says, "Are you taking the mickey? We sell cuckoo clocks, carriage clocks, grandfather clocks, alarm clocks... what the hell is a potato clock?"

Immediately, Paddy downs all 10 pints of beer, drinking them all back to back. The other pub patrons cheer and the Texan sits down in amazement. The Texan gives the Irishman the $500 and asks, "If ya don't mind me askin', where did you go for that 30 minutes you were gone?"

A man orders a Guinness in a Melbourne bar ‘Excuse me,’ said the only other drinker. ‘Is that an Irish accent I detect?’

‘It is, sir. Dublin to be exact.’

‘Bless my soul,’ said the first. ‘I’m a Dublin man meself. Ballymun to be precise.’

‘Bedad, aren’t I from Ballymun meself - Carberry Street in actual fact,’ remarked the second.

‘Carberry Street is where I was born and raised meself, and St Joseph’s was me parish church, Father Dunne the parish priest.’

‘Didn’t I go to nine o’clock mass every Sunday at St Joseph’s.

What an amazingly small world.

Did you go to St Joseph’s And Paddy says, "I don’t know, but I start my new School?’ job at nine tomorrow, and the wife said ‘You’d better Paddy Murphy replies, "Oh... I had get a potato clock.’" to go to the pub down the street ‘I did. I was in Miss Slattery’s to see if I could do it first." class.’

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman were reading ‘Anyone who can guess how ‘God in heaven. So was I.’ a newspaper article about which nationalities’ brains many ducks I have in this were for sale for transplant purposes. An Irishman’s sack can have both of them,’ Just then the phone rang and or a Scotsman’s brain could be bought for £500 but an said Murphy. the Aussie barman said, ‘Not Englishman’s brain cost £10,000. too busy at the moment. In fact there’s just the Murphy twins ‘Three,’ said Ranagan.

"That proves," said The Englishman, "that Englishmen are and their drunk again’ much cleverer than Irishmen or Scotsmen."

"No it doesn’t," said The Irishman, "it just means that an Englishman’s brain has never been used."

‘That’s near enough,’ said Murphy.

-R

estaurant -

s s i Pat

eri

Bar

“Your meeting place in the Port”

e

Restaurante Region de Murcia www.murciaturistica.es

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