Keeping the locals and tourists up to date on news, views and events around the Canary Islands If you have anything to say, write to us on info@ thecanarynews. com Pick up points from Las Palmas to Mogán Welcome Ambassador THE NEW British Ambassador’s first official visit to the Canary Islands took place between 2 and 4 November 2009 and The Canary News was there at the official reception in Las Pal- mas. Mr Chris Paxman has only recently taken up his post as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, having previously been Ambassador to Mexico. Amongst other events and meetings during his visit, Mr Paxman met members of the British community as well as dignitaries and local authority representatives but probably the most important task was to officially launch the new British Consul in the Canary Islands, Mat- thew Vickers. Having first stopped off in Tenerife, Mr Pax- man was keen to visit Gran Canaria and thank the authorities here for their continuing support shown towards the large British expatriate com- munity. In a chat with the Ambassador, we were keen to impress upon him the problems that the is- land faces in these hard economic times. We drew his attention particularly to the number of British who have returned to the UK due to the job situation and the failure of businesses which rely on the tourist trade. Continued on page 6 “To all our advertisers, Please take note that our last edition for 2009 of The Canary News will be published on the 18th December. Copy for Christ- mas and the New Year needs to be with us no later than Friday 11th December to ensure inclu- sion. Our following edition will be published on Friday 15th January 2010.” Left to right Matthew Vickers, British Consul, The Canary Islands, Genna D’Cruz, Managing Director, The Canary News, Chris Paxman, British Ambassador to Spain
Transcript
Keeping the locals and
tourists up to date on news,
views and events around the
Canary Islands
If you have anything to say, write to us on
info@thecanarynews.
comPick up points
from Las Palmas to Mogán
Welcome Ambassador
THE NEW British Ambassador’s first official visit to the Canary Islands took place between 2 and 4 November 2009 and The Canary News was there at the official reception in Las Pal-mas. Mr Chris Paxman has only recently taken up his post as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, having previously been Ambassador to Mexico. Amongst other events and meetings during his visit, Mr Paxman met members of the British community as well as dignitaries and local authority representatives but probably the most important task was to officially launch the new British Consul in the Canary Islands, Mat-thew Vickers.
Having first stopped off in Tenerife, Mr Pax-man was keen to visit Gran Canaria and thank the authorities here for their continuing support shown towards the large British expatriate com-munity.
In a chat with the Ambassador, we were keen to impress upon him the problems that the is-land faces in these hard economic times. We drew his attention particularly to the number of British who have returned to the UK due to the job situation and the failure of businesses which rely on the tourist trade.
Continued on page 6
“To all our advertisers, Please take note that our last edition for 2009 of The Canary News will be published on the 18th December. Copy for Christ-mas and the New Year needs to be with us no later than Friday 11th December to ensure inclu-sion. Our following edition will be published on Friday 15th January 2010.”
Left to right Matthew Vickers, British Consul, The Canary Islands, Genna D’Cruz, Managing Director, The Canary News, Chris Paxman, British Ambassador to Spain
2 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Island Information
Agüimes In front of the municipal swimming poolThursdays 09:00-14:00Arguineguín La Plaza Negra: Every Tuesday 08:00-14:00CC Ancora Every Thursday 08.00-14.00TARA Second Hand Market, Plaza de Pino Seco, ArguinegínEvery Saturday 9.00 onwardsArucas Calle Francisco Gourier: Every Saturday 08:00-14:00Gáldar General MarketPlaza de Santiago de Apostól: Every Thursday 08:00-14:00.Gáldar Collectors’ MarketGuaires, 26, Tel: 928.55.21.40IngenioEn el Ejido: First Sunday of every month 09.00-15.00Jinámar Ramblas de Jinámar (Telde): Sundays 9:00-15:00 Las Palmas RastroTerrace on top of the bus stationEvery Sunday 8.00-14.00Maspalomas Second Hand MarketCC Faro 2, Campo Internacional, MaspalomasSaturdays and Sundays 10.00 onwardsMaspalomas Artisans’ MarketNext to Global Bus StationMelonerasMercadillo en Meloneras: Every Thursday 10.00-17.00MendizábalCalle de Mendizábal, Vegueta, Las PalmasThird Saturday of every monthMoyaOn top of the bus station: Every Sunday 08:00-14:00Playa del Inglés Artesan market, at Parque Europeo, (next to the Minitren)Everyday except Sunday 19.30-23.30.Puerto de MogánTraditional craft marketPlaza del Parking, Puerto de Mogán: Every Monday 09.00-14.30Puerto de Mogán General MarketEl Muelle Deportivo: Every Friday 08:00-14:00 San FernandoSan Fernando Municipal Market, Maspalomas.Every Wednesday and Saturday: 08:00-14:00 San Fernando Municipal MarketSkating ring in San FernandoEvery second Sunday 09:00-14:00San Mateo Every Saturday: 08:00-20:00 and Sundays 08:00-15:00.Santa BrígidaUnderneath the municipal park in Villa de Santa Brígida.Every Saturday 08:00-20:00 and every Sunday from 08:00-14:00Santa Catalina Mercadillo in Las Palmas de G.C.Art Gallery of Parque de Santa Catalina Every Sunday between 08.00-14.00.
Santa LuciaMercadillo de Santa Lucia: Every Sunday 8.00-14.00Santa María de GuíaPlaza del Casco HistoricoEvery Tuesday and Sunday 10.00-14.00TeldePlaza de San Gregorio, by the bus stationEvery Saturday 08:00-14:00Teror Around the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del PinoEvery Sunday 08:00-14:00VallesecoMercado Municipal : Every Sunday 08.00-14.00Valsequillo Calle Isla de la Gomera : Every Sunday 08:00-14:00Vecindario Agricultural MarketRecinto FerialEvery Monday 08:00-14:00 onLa Karpa, Avda. de las TirajanasEvery second Saturday 08.00-14.00Vecindario General MarketRecinto FerialEvery Wednesday 08.00-14.00Vegueta, Cultural and Craftsmanship marketPlaza del Pilar Nuevo, Las Palmas de G.C.Every Sunday of every month(except July, August and Sept.) 10.00-14.00.
Emergency and Useful telephone numbers in Gran Canaria
Adverts, copy changes, classifieds, clubs and editorial copy:
Friday noon for the following Friday’s edition to air your views. Letters on any subject are welcomed by the Editor for publication and must arrive by 12 noon on Friday for consideration for the following Friday’s edition. Priority will be given to letters dealing with local issues. We reserve the right to amend or shorten letters.
The Canary News accepts no responsibility for readers´comments.
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service you can Call 928 774 818 or write to Rocas Rojas 124b, Calle Los Claveles SL, 35100, San Agustin To get your paper Looking for a copy of your FREE The Canary News then call Brian on 609 407 935 to find out where you can pick up your newspaper
Inside Edition 11
Canary News Contacts
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Page 12The Swedish School
of Gran Canaria
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Page 28Introducing
GolfCanarias.org
The Canary News does not accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers, either in advertisements or advertorials, nor can it be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors, or the non appearance of advertisements or advertorials. This publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors as a result of poor quality artwork or logos supplied by advertisers and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy or nonappearance of an advertisement or advertorial. Every effort will be made to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of articles and advertisements in this publication, however the publisher does not accept responsiblity for claims or opinions in the same. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper without the consent of the publisher is prohibited E & O E. Edita: JDC Canaries SLU, Imprime: Artes Graficas del Atlantico S/A. Deposito Legal GC - 747 2009 C/Los Dragos 19, Zona Ind. Arinaga, Fase IV 35188, Aguimes, Gran Canaria
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3www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
News
HERE WE give you some of the most relevant dates during which something of general interest is happening on the island. Don’t be afraid to visit these events or even to actively participate in them, most are open to everyone and anyone. If you wish to visit a fiesta, always remember that most activities take part during the morning and then restart from about six pm. We are in Spain and both lunch and siestas are almost religious customs which all Ca-narians take extremely seriously. Also take into account that the main days will inevitably be during the weekend. Be adventurous and enjoy the Island like one of the natives! NINCO world cup:20th & 21st November, Santa Brigida Sports Centre.International Slot car racing competition.49th International Sportsfestival BLUME GRAN CANARIA in Gran Canaria. 21st till 29th November. Gymnastics competition between 11 countries and over 750 sportsmen and women. Various sporting installations in Las Palmas and Maspalomas.Consult programme on www.blumegrancanaria.com.
VI Typical Canarian Reconstruction and Recuperation of Traditions.22nd November.Reconstruction and Recuperation of Canarian customs, artesanal, and traditions.El Ratiño, Villa de Ingenio..
Maspalomas Lan Party.20th, 21st and 22nd November.43 Hours of uninterrupted 100Mgb of internet broadline.La Ronda Comercial Centre, San Fernando, Maspalomas.
XXXVI rally maspalomas27th & 28th November.Starting Ceremony 27th Novembre at 20:00 hours, Plaza de Maspalomas.28th Novembre; Timed races, cercados de espino-soria, cueva de las niñas-el sequero, las vallas-los cuchillos. Watch out for closed roads between the above villages.EXPOSICION; Women and Immigration.23rd till 27th Novembre, 10:00-21:00 hours, Casa de Colón, Vegueta, Las Palmas.For more info: Tlf. 928 31 23 73Crib Figures and Complement Market.29th November, 10 till 14:00 hours.Vegueta, Las Palmas.7 Edicion Concert in Memory of Alfredo Kraus.26th November, 20:30 Hours.Concert in memory of internationally recognised tenor Alfredo Kraus.Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas G.C.
UPCOMING EVENTS
IN ThESE days of arranging your own flights and accommodation instead of booking a package, it is tempting to search for websites that can offer apart-ments, bungalows etc in the destination of your choice. Beware however as there are unscrupulous people out there who are only too eager to relieve you of your cash only for you then to find that the website is bogus and you will get nothing in return for your money.
Horror stories have recently come to light on a popu-lar Gran Canaria website telling of people turning up on the island at their chosen accommodation only to discover that no booking existed. They booked their accommodation through a website named grancanari-aholidays24h.com which, it transpires, was operated from Germany. The fraud originally came to light as a result of an eagle eyed, reputable accommodation agent discovering that the bogus site was offering rooms in properties for which he is the sole agent. The fraudsters had even copied the details directly from his own website. The agent im-mediately contacted the web hosting company which took steps to close down the fraudsters’ websites.
Further discussion in the web Fo-rum of www.gran-canaria-info.com revealed that the crooks were also operating a site named parquesan-tiago24.com offering accommoda-tion in Tenerife. Sadly, before the sites could be taken down, people had parted with money. This only came to light when a member of the Forum reported that he knew of people turning up at Villas Mirador del Mar and another apartment com-plex in Puerto Rico. Of course, no booking existed
and they were faced with the choice of paying again or returning home on the next flight. This is not the first time this has happened and it is doubtful that it will be the last. Only a few months ago, unwitting Dutch holidaymakers suffered from a similar scam. So what can you do to avoid being caught by schemes such as this?
· Try and ascertain how long a business has been trading. These schemes are simple but open to detection therefore they are not around for long. · Google the name of the business and see if anything adverse comes up. · If prices look too good to be true then they probably are. · Be sceptical. Give the business a call and question them. If you cannot make immediate direct contact then treat that as a warning sign.· Try contacting the accommodation direct to check whether the agent is bona fide.
These kind of crooks give the island a bad name even though they are not even based on Gran Canaria. BBC Radio 4’s con-sumer programme, “You and Yours” is showing an interest in these scams so it is to be hoped that more people will become aware of the risks they face when booking accommodation
independently. If you have been caught in this way, it is important that you contact your local Trading Standards (if you are in the UK) and/or the police. The sooner these scams are stopped the better for all.By: Bruce Sutherland
Unhappy holidays
4 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Local News
IT IS an ambitious project, but a group of Canarian residents from each and every one of the seven Islands have formed the Association “Canarias 2023 Islands of the World”, with plans to enter the candidature to host the World Expo in 2023.
The World Expo with its 150-year history is regarded as the Olympic Games for economy, sci-ence and technological development. In putting forward the islands, the Association believes that the Community of the Canary Islands is plural, open, modern and tolerant, and now more than ever it is ready and eager to undertake ambitious long term projects such as this. It is their intention to make this an event for the people of the Canaries.
On 3rd of November the project was presented in the Canarian Parliament to all political groups who, in a rare display of solidarity, voted unanimously to back the scheme. At the same time it was agreed that the
necessary procedures and administra-tive steps should be initiated in order for the Madrid government to put forward the candidature to the inter-national organisations responsible for the Expo.
As the president of the organisation points out, “this is not a political project although the politicians need to be involved, this is not a govern-ment project although they need to back it up, it’s an initiative for and by the Canarian people”.
They want to differentiate the candi-dature from previous or future ones by not limiting it to one city but hold the event in all seven islands at one time. Each one with its own exposi-tion building offering visitors a view of the island way of life all over the world; highlighting the difference in its inhabitants, their specific sin-gularities and the way they live and cohabit.
By Tito Cabral
ThE SMALL village of La Aldea de San Nicolas is located on the north west-ern coast of Gran Canaria. As a result of its geographical location, surrounded as it is by high and steep mountains, it has always been a very isolated settle-ment. For years its inhabitants have campaigned for a much needed main road which at last would properly con-nect this fishing village to the rest of the island. Work on extending the island’s main motorway from Puerto Rico has already begun and it will stretch as far as Mogán when complete but it seemed that La Aldea had been forgotten.
But, on the morning of the 2nd Novem-ber, excitement broke out in this other-wise peaceful community, when large construction lorries and tractors started to arrive. Using their mobiles, the neighbours started spreading the news and almost the whole population of La Aldea began to pour down in disbelief towards the trucks. Cheering and excite-ment spread contagiously through the crowd with neighbours gathering round the machines, some with tears of hap-piness pouring down their faces. The situation soon became a party, and the drivers were hugged and welcomed like
heroes. As one of them put it, “I have been in this profession for well over 30 years and I have never been welcomed to a site like I have today, it’s great!”
This ambitious project has been bud-geted at EUR 84m over the next three years but total construction time will be 6 years with a final cost of at least EUR 200m. The road will have a total length of 10 kms and will be composed of a to-tal of seven viaducts, a 2,339m double tunnel, two single tunnels containing 3 lane roads, and an 87m false tunnel. Two accesses will be added to this road, one to Anden Verde and the second to Güi-Güi, as well as an intersection in La Aldea. The journey time between La Al-dea and Agaete will be reduced from 45 to 20 mins.
Most ecologists are against the project, as they fear it will irreparably damage Tamadaba, a protected natural park. The people of La Aldea insist however that they have a right to faster access to hos-pitals, the opportunity to work outside their village and in general just a safer access road.
By Tito Cabral
A TOTAL of EUR 20m euros is to be invested in a joint public/private project to restore the seafront and shoreline between the areas of Anfi Del Mar and the beach of Las Marañuelas in Arguineguín. The scheme will see the creation of a sea side promenade, the building of a 5,500 square metre solarium and the building of three new beaches.
This initiative which is headed by the Tourist Consejal of the Ayuntamiento of Mogán, Tomas Lorenzo, is taking place in order to upgrade the existing facilities which will benefit both visitors and residents alike.
The length of coast it covers includes the beaches of La Lajilla, La Carrera and the area between the Sunwing and Green Beach hotels, together with the beach of Patalavaca and Aquamarina. It is planned to extract the sand from the sea bed at Pasito Blanco.
This significant initiative was announced just after the recent visit of Alicia Paz Antolin, General Director of the Sustainability of Coasts and Sea of the Ministry of the Environment, Rural Re-sources and Seas, and the Mayor of Mogan Francisco Gonzalez together with Tomas Morales.
By Tito Cabral
Canary Islands to host Expo 2023?
La Aldea Gets Its Road.
MOGáN GETS 3 NEW BEAChES
5www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Local News
Do YOU have a story to tell us about the Island? If so please call:
A TEAM of Spanish and Portuguese scientists has used DNA samples taken from ancient aboriginal den-tal remains to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. When the Spanish first arrived in the islands they found them to be populated by a race of tall, blonde haired, muscular people who have come to be known as the Guanches. It has always been a source of fas-cination as to who these people were and where they come from. Unfortunately, the Guanches did not sur-vive as a distinct population due to persecution by and inter breeding with the invaders.
The results conclusively confirm earlier theories that the Guanches came from North Africa. Further results provide some illumination on how the Guanches fared under Spanish rule. In the centuries after the invasion of the islands in the 1400s most relationships, involv-ing Guanches and Europeans, were between Spanish men and Guanche women, “due to the better social po-sition of the Spanish men compared to Guanche males.
In addition to this, there was a higher mortality rate among male Guanches, who were displaced and dis-criminated against by conquerors.
As a result of how Guanche men and women fared, the genetic make up of the Islands’ current inhabitants differs according to sex. The average Canary Islands’ male has genes made up of 83% Spanish/European and 17% Guanche. A female Canarian however has genes which are 55% European, 42% Guanche and 3% sub Saharan African as a result of the impact of the slave trade on the islands in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Despite these advances, there are still mysteries to solve, such as how to determine whether the first in-habitants of the Canary Islands arrived by their own means or whether they were brought by force. There are no signs to ascertain whether they were aware of navigation or if they came in one or several waves.
From an article kindly supplied by David Manley
Canarian Ancestry
SOME YEARS ago I heard about a small business producing olive oil in the Agüimes area. I am pas-sionate about food and cooking so this got my interest immediately. As I have mentioned on many occasions the island of Gran Canaria has a large variety of local products of a high quality which need to be brought to the attention of culinary fanatics such as myself. But it was not until I read about a recent olive oil conference, that I decided I had to find out more about the product on the island.
The growing of olive trees has been taking place on the island of Gran Canaria for several centuries during which time it has become a way of life for many agricultural producers and now represents an important part of the landscape on the south-eastern mountain sides of our island. Although open to dispute, the island claims its own variety of olive called “Verdial de Canarias”, The dispute arises because it was origi-nally imported from Andalusia, but has now evolved over the centuries, acclimatising itself to the volcanic soil and our unique climate This has happened to such an extent that the fruit of the tree is now very different from that of its ancestor. Other varieties also commonly grown are “Arbequina” and “Hojiblanca”, from which a less peppery but ex-tremely high quality oil is extracted.
Although the cultivation of olive trees is a growing industry on the island, only 20% of the olives are being harvested at present; the rest are being left to simply fall from the trees and rot. Further to this, the lack of training in cultivating this ancient tree properly has reduced production and increased the incidence of diseases and problems which affect this tree.
In view of this, 3 years ago a group of olive tree grow-ers formed “ACOLIVA”, an association/cooperative which not only believes in the sustainability of olive tree cultivation but believes in the importance of green credentials. Finally this year the association managed to produce its first ever Canarian Ecological Extra Vir-gin Olive Oil”. Whilst this is a pioneering local product it has also been awarded a very high quality standard by international oil experts.
Following this success the association managed for the 3rd year running to organise the “III Ecological
Olive Oil Conference in the Canaries”, bringing in experts from all over the world and offering lectures and courses and the ecological best farming best practice including irrigation, ecological composts, identifying plagues and illnesses and sustainability of the industry.
Further to this, workshops on the culinary advantages of olive oil were held as well as highlighting other less known uses such as in cosmetics and in the manufac-ture of bath salts, soaps and deodorants.
Next month the association will be pressing this year’s crop of olives in Santa Lucia and The Canary News will be there to report on this rare ritual on the island of Gran Canaria. In the mean time if you would like to know more about Canarian Extra Virgin Olive Oil or simply purchase some; contact ACOLIVA on 633 35 19 94 or on their web page www.acoliva.org. Their English is not perfect but remember, those who want to communicate will!
By Tito Cabral
Canarian Olive Oil
The annual Oakley Cup Quiz has been held at the British Club in Las Palmas, with the final taking place on Thursday 5th November. 8 teams took part repre-senting the English Speaking Schools and the British Community.
The Final comprised battled out between the Brit-ish Club Team who scored 58 points and the winners were the British School GC (Staff) who scored 88 points. Mr Alex Bramwell was quizmaster throughout the competition.
Oakley Cup Quiz
6 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Front Page Story
This was something that he appreciated and promised to do all he could to ensure that the Canarian and Spanish authori-ties appreciate our problems.The first few packed weeks following the new Ambassador’s appointment are see-ing Mr Paxman building relations with key members of the Spanish Govern-ment and civil society organisations, as the Embassy teams prepare for the Span-ish Presidency of the European Union, which starts in January 2010. Mr Pax-man has expressed his delight at return-
ing to Europe, and Spain in particular, at this important juncture. He has been keen to point out the growing economic relationship between the two coun-tries with companies such as Ferrovial, Iberdrola and Banco Santander now a prominent part of the British economic landscape, whilst Diageo, Vodafone and Barclays are helping to build the Span-ish economy. He believes that both countries have a busy agenda to pursue as both countries look to revitalise their recession hit economies.
The new British Consul in the Canary Is-lands joins the British Consular network in Spain after a successful career in in-dustry specialising in sales and market-ing consultancy. He is now responsible for the consular teams in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tener-ife as well as being the Honorary Consul in Lanzarote. In introducing the Consul, the Ambassador highlighted his man-agement skills and customer care expe-rience. It is hoped that these will contribute to the ongoing mod-ernisation of the Brit-ish Consular network in Spain with the aim of providing the best quality service to both residents and visitors.A measure of Mr Vickers’ task is the fact that the British consular operation in Spain is the largest in the world. An average of 17 million Britons visit Spain every year, with almost 4 million choosing the Canary Islands as their des-tination. The British population in Spain is estimated at 1 million including temporary residents. Over 80,000 of these long-term and temporary residents live in the Canary Is-lands.As part of the pro active approach fa-voured by Mr Vick-ers, an Open Day for British residents on Gran Canaria was re-cently held in Playa del Inglés. Attendees were informed of the position regarding UK pension, benefit and healthcare entitle-ments. Experts were on hand to answer questions in one to
one sessions following the main presen-tations. The Consular staff were joined by a representative from Age Concern España who explained what her organi-sation is hoping to achieve on the island. Some very useful information was im-parted all round and The Canary News will feature articles concerning this in future editions.
Continued from front page
Welcome Ambassador
7www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Feature
TRY GOOGLING “Gran Canaria” and the website www.Gran-Canaria-Info.com ranks first in the re-sults. With 6,000 unique visitors it’s doing much bet-ter than the island’s official tourism site on English Google versions. Gran Canaria Info has been up and running since 1998 and, Internet-wise, that’s a mighty long time!
It’s not for nothing that Google loves Gran Canaria Info. The site incorporates news, a guide to Gran Ca-naria with interactive maps, an extensive professional photo gallery, a lively Forum, an Events Calendar, a Directory which is like a deluxe Yellow Pages and free classified ads. A busy place to say the least.
“I still have a lot of plans for Gran Canaria Info” says Lex Thoonen, photographer and web builder who founded and continues to lead the volunteer team who help run www.Gran-Canaria-Info.com. “I’m adding an reservation system which apartment owners can use to advertise their accommodation. But right now, we’re working on the Directory part of the site. We are intend-ing to have all businesses, organizations and websites
that concern Gran Canaria tourists or residents listed on our website. Anyone, either with or without a website can add their listing to it. The Directory incorporates a system where people can review the services on offer and make their choice accordingly based on the experi-ences of previous customers.”
“What Gran Canaria Info needs now, is for anyone who has a Gran Canaria related website, or business or or-ganization, to add their details to the site. It’s free and apart from the ‘dry details’, you can pinpoint your lo-cation exactly on a Google Map and add lots of photos and your logo. Hence the description “Yellow Pages, de luxe style.” Only if you want to offer visitors to Gran Canaria Info some kind of discount, will you have to pay a small amount for your listing. Right now, that’s 390 Euro per year, or 39 Euro per month for people who sign up in 2009. If you want to know more, check the Help button on the site about the Offering Discount Programme.”
“I know these are hard times for quite a lot of busi-nesses on Gran Canaria, so I thought of a way to add
my little bit to promote tourism to Gran Canaria. I think the answer to our problems is ‘quality’. If you really do your best to please your customer, you are not only helping yourself but you are in fact helping Gran Ca-naria as a tourist destination. So we added a system to our Directory, and will add the same system to the booking system, where people can review your serv-ices. If you deliver as promised, people will be positive about you. And if a next potential client reads a positive review, they will tend to believe that a lot more than whatever you say on your own website for example. It’s just like when you buy at E-bay, first thing you do, is checking out the selling person or company. What do other clients say of them? I think this will be an extra push to make sure Gran Canaria becomes a ‘qual-ity destination’. I don’t mean ‘five star stuff’, just for people to be honest about their services and to live up to their promises.”
“Business owners don’t need to worry. If a nasty per-son writes an unfair review, others will pick it out soon enough and the system automatically hides reviews that are deemed unfair by a positive number of visitors of our site”, says Lex. “I’m tinkering with those set-tings right now.”
The Canary News, is happy to announce that apart from on our own website www.thecanarynews.com, the dig-ital version of the paper that you’re reading right now is available as well on www.Gran-Canaria-Info.com, under the ‘News’ button. This will mean that even more people will read the paper, so it’s a great way of working together to provide English speaking visitors and residents with more and better informa-tion about Gran Canaria.
If you want to find out more, check the website, read the Help pages or contact Lex via the con-tact form. If you’d like to give him a call, you can do so on 680 641368.
Gran Canaria Info, the number one English website for Gran Canaria
8 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Letters to the EditorPlease write to us and The Canary News will award the Letter of the Week a Free COMBO mealat Fusion Restaurant & Lounge Bar in Arguineguin (See advertisement below for address)The Canary News reserves the right to edit your letters and accepts no responsility for readers’ opinions.
Letter of the week
Copy of The Canary News on line.As a person who spends most of my time between the mainland and the island I am always seeking methods of “Keeping in Touch”. For some time now I have been a great admirer of Lex and the web site www.Gran-Canaria-Info.com. For me this has been a great way to find out what is going on, especially the Forum with all the ins and outs as they happen on a daily basis. As I was thinking about writing this, I was delighted to see his latest addition which is is a virtually copy of The Canary News on his web site, this saves me having to log out and log into the paper itself. Incidentally full
marks to the Editor of the paper as it has come on leaps and bounds over the last few editions.
So Lex, if you are reading this, just a thank you and keep up the good work the next time I am on the island we will have a Tinto Verano for giving me such plea-surable reading. “Drifter”
We’ve enjoyed working with Lex and his wife over the past few weeks. Take a look at the article on page ?? Ed
Doom and gloomWhat a brilliant article on page three in the last edition.Every time I visit the island, all you hear from certain people (mostly Brits I have to say) is doom and gloom. You know, the funny thing is normally THEY are doing nothing themselves to make things better but are quite happy to damage other people’s reputations, busi-nesses, families, livelihood and so on by gabbing about others-what a way to live!!
As they say if you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen, get out of people’s way and get a life. Well done to the person who wrote that article -brilliant -and -love the paper.“Happy Islander”
Well, I could have thought of a somewhat gentler way of putting this but my sentiments remain the same. Ed
Laptop hackI am currently here on holiday and staying near Aguila Playa. I was using my laptop in a public area when I was approached by two well dressed men who I took to be German. They told me that they were having prob-lems with their own connection and asked if they could have a look at my computer. I agreed, rather too will-ingly in retrospect, and they proceeded to do a couple of things using the keyboard and then left.
Later on I noticed that whilst I was using my laptop again, there were 3 or 4 other men around also using computers and I noticed a strange icon on my desktop which wasn’t there before. I am convinced that they were trying to ‘hack’ into my personal details etc. so I went and reported it to the tourist board who were very nice but suggested I go to the police but of course you need to speak Spanish, so I didn’t go. I am now unwilling to use my laptop until I am sure that my details are secure. I just want to warn other tourists of the dangers of letting strangers use your laptops.Name and address withheld
This sounds very suspicious so thank you for coming forward with the information. There are plenty of peo-ple on the island who can help you and I have already sent to you the details of one I have used in the past. Ed
I would like to congratulate you on your paper. It is informative and interesting. But especially I like to read Comfort Corner by Kay Owen which is in the Community Section. The articles are always excel-lent and something from the heart. In fact, this is the first thing that I look for when your paper comes out. Sometimes, the articles touch me so much that I want to cry. I just wanted you to know that this is my fa-vourite page. The other articles are good as well and it is good to have your paper on the island.Trudi Richardson, Playa del Cura
There is always room for improvement but your kind words are appreciated. Kay’s articles often draw ap-preciative comments. Ed
MARCEL VANDEzANDE is a Belgian who has been living in Gran Canaria for the last ten years. Earlier this year he was watching a television programme on Belgian TV and an advert appeared looking for contestants for a programme called “Expedi-tie Robinson”. The programme is a Dutch & Bel-gian collaboration and is similar to the programme “Survivor” which was shown on British TV.
Marcel applied and was asked to audition for the pro-gramme in Holland. Some of the tests involved in the audition difficult to say the least and included swim-ming the length of a pool while holding two heavy weights. Marcel is a keen Scuba Diver and feels this probably helped him pass some of the tests especially the pool based ones.
He was accepted for the programme and, in May this year, he flew to Holland and then Malaysia where the programme was to be recorded. In the past the format of the programme has been much like “Survivor” with the contestants being
left stranded on tropical islands, however, on this occasion there was a twist.
When selecting contestants, the television com-pany had pro-moted the pro-gramme as the first ever wom-an only version. 16 women were duly accepted and were split into two groups and then placed on separate islands. Unbeknowns to the women, there were also five male contestants who were dropped in the middle of the jungle which Marcel says was a surprise as the men had assumed they would also be left on an island, as in the previous series. The first episode of the series was aired at the beginning of September and it is being shown every Thursday eve-ning at 19.30.
If you are interested in seeing Marcel’s progress, a lo-cal Puerto Rico bar, Wig Wam, is showing it on a big screen every week for the duration of the 14 episodes. In reality, the series is recorded and Marcel is now back on Gran Canaria where I have been speaking to him about his experience. He says the experience was tough; especially the time spent in the jungle which has already featured in the episodes shown to date.
Marcel says he really enjoyed it and it was a unique experi-ence with all the wild ani-mals so close by. From what this reporter has seen it also in-volved eating a variety of weird and wonderful creatures that I would rather not be forced to try.
In a further twist they were given a large heavy chest and told they had to transport it through the jungle. This was not easy of course and it then turned out that it contained all the female contestants’ personal belongings !
It is not giving too much away to say that the men successfully make their way through the jungle to an island and, as the programme goes on, there are vari-ous challenges and competitions involving the contes-tants. Contestants are voted off every week and we are pleased to report that Marcel remains involved. Watch this space to see how he got on in the latter stages.
By: Nina Blaefell
Local resident is a TV star !
top right Marcel Vandezande
9www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Spanish Lessons
Lesson 7
with Theresa Coe
If you have any questions or comments relating to this column or the Spanish language in general: Please email [email protected]
To be or not to be?
Surprisingly, the Spanish often opt to have, rather than to be, when it comes to expressing themselves. This goes for age, hunger, fear – all sorts. First, let´s see how the indispensible verb TENER (to have) changes depending on who it refers to:
Yo tengo (I have), tú tienes (you have), él/ella tiene (he/she or it has – though there’s no word for ‘it’ in Spanish). Remember, while it´s not wrong to include the subject pronouns (yo, tú, él etc) they are often left out as the verb ending alone usually tells us every-thing we need to know.Understanding how to use tener not only allows you to ask questions like ¿tienes hijos? [tee-en-ess ee-hoss] – do you have children? but also to state your
age, or that you´re hungry, sleepy or hot/cold: tengo sesenta años (I´m 60), tengo hambre (I´m hungry - literally, I have hunger), tengo sueño (I´m sleepy) or tengo calor/frio (I´m hot/cold). You might want to ask ‘are you thirsty?’ (¿tienes sed?) or ‘how old are you?’ (¿cuántos años tienes? – literally ‘how many years have you?). Be careful not to mix up año [an-yo] and ano (anus). You don´t want to be asking people how many anuses they have!
The handy phrase to have to translates as tener que, followed by an infinitive, or unchanged original verb. So ‘I have to go home now’ would simply be ‘tengo que ir a casa ahora’.
Go, go, go!
Clearly, another handy verb is IR, to go. Infuriat-ingly, the most useful action words are often the most irregular. So while I go is voy, you go (using tú) is vas, and he/she/it/‘usted’ goes is va. The Canarians complicate matters further bay often dropping the ‘s’ off words even when they´re addressing you with the informal ‘tu’ rather than the formal ‘usted’.
Even so, if you board a guagua (the Canarian word for bus), you can tell the driver where you´re going by saying: voy a Playa del Inglés/Las Palmas… etc. Or you might want to ask: ¿Vas al bar luego? (are you going to the bar later?). IR is used in many com-mon phrases like to go shopping (ir de compras) or to go on holiday (ir de vacaciones). It even allows us to use the future tense if you stick
an infinitive verb (ending in -er, -ir, or -ar) after the ‘a’, as in voy a ir [eer] de compras (I´m going to go shopping) or John va a comer [com-air] luego (John´s going to eat later) maybe because (él) no tiene hambre [am-bray] ahora (he´s not hungry now).
¡Venga!
In joint first place for word of the week are vale (okay, as in: alright then, agreed) and bueno or pues [pw-ess] which both mean umm/well… and are a good way to buy time to think. However, if you really want to impress with your Spanish, drop in a ¡venga! from time to time, which serves as a commentary on just about everything, depending on your tone of voice: from ‘right then’, to ‘you´re on’, or ‘that´s surprising’ to ‘blimey!’.
Venga, hasta la próxima. ¡Qué tengas una buena semana! (Right, til next time – have a good week).
This Week´s Top Tip
The culture newspaper Público includes a free dvd every Friday, for only 1e50. Previous titles have included British films such as The Queen and Mrs Henderson Presents – watch with Spanish subtitles (or dubbed into castellano if you´re feeling really brave). Freebies on other days include interactive cd-roms with simple children´s stories in Spanish which can be read and listened to simultaneously, and classical music cds (www.publico.es).
A hAPPY St Andrew’s Day on 30 November not only to our Scottish readers but also those from Greece, Romania and Russia for which countries he is also the patron saint. Scotland has more rea-sons to celebrate now that the day is celebrated as a Bank holiday.
A wealth of traditions surround St Andrew’s Day around Europe. German folklore advises single wom-en who wish to marry to ask for St Andrew’s help. The night before the 30th, if they sleep naked, they will see their future husbands in their dreams. Young women should also note the location of barking dogs on St An-drew’s Eve, as their future husbands will come from that direction. St Andrew is also expected to look after gout, singers, sore throats, stiff necks, unmarried wom-en, women who wish to become mothers, fish dealers, fishmongers, fishermen, old maids – and more!
Closer to home, well the Canary Islands anyway, Tenerife shares the same flag as Scotland, otherwise known as the Saltire, or St Andrew’s Cross.
happy St Andrew’s DayAN AUDIENCE, on Saturday 14th Novem-ber, filled Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Las Palmas to capacity and many more standing in the Church Gardens, heard the ProDeum Choir Orchestra and band perform works by J.S.Bach, Martin Luther, G.F.Handel, and some modern music also.
The concert concluded with the Hallelujah Cho-rus from Handel’s Messiah. This was a fitting climax to a wonderful concert which was con-ducted by Voicu Burca. The Prodeum Association is a cultural, non-prof-it association peforming Christian Music.
ProDeum Concert
10 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Family Life
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells” – Dr Seuss
MY FRIEND Rita has to set an extra space at the table for dinner. This is not because of some poi-gnant memory of a lost loved one, but for her little girl’s imaginary friend, Bebo. Bebo is a small dragon who likes carrots and burps rudely at the table, which of course sends Sally into fits of giggles. He can be small enough to fit into Sally’s pocket, or when he is big turn invisible. He is also Sally’s best friend.
The creation for a child of an imaginary friend is perfectly nor-mal, and should be accepted into family life. From the age of 3 to 5, the line between reality and fantasy is a little fuzzy, so children of-ten create ‘friends’ to help them have conversations, work out problems, or even act out issues that worry them.
Parents are sometimes disconcerted by the thought of their child talking to someone who they have made up; however there is a great deal of re-search regarding imaginary compan-ions and how it can actually be ben-eficial to your child.
An imaginary companion is a won-derful way to help your child under-stand the adult world. They can use their imaginary friend to have con-trol in their lives, as most of the time their lives are controlled by us adults about what they can and can’t do and an imaginary friend can provide them with a great deal of comfort when feeling stressed or upset. Imaginary friends can also help with loneliness as most are created before children start to attend school and before they go on to make real friends. Most im-portantly an imaginary companion is someone to blame when a lamp gets broken in the living room!
Some children have many different imaginary friends, and some find that these friends are virtually indistin-
guishable to real people – while others say that they only exist in their minds eye.
This fantasy is an important part of child development, both cognitively and emotionally as imaginary com-panions are an extension to pretend play. There is noth-
ing to fear from your child having one or more friends; however if they do continually blame the friend for causing mischief of one kind, then this is something that needs to be addressed by you the parent.
There is also research that suggests that children who are considered ‘bright’ are more likely to produce an imaginary friend to play with, however this is not con-sistent to the point that every ‘bright’ child will pro-duce an imaginary companion.Furthermore, it has also been theorised that children
who have imaginary friends are more likely to develop their language skills quicker and retain knowledge faster than those who don’t. This may be because children have more practice while ‘chatting’ to their friend than their peers receive.
By the age of seven, children are more likely to move away from their imaginary friend, when realising more clearly the line between fantasy and reality. Much like an old toy that is no longer required, children move on to other things and can sometimes simply forget their old friend – how-ever at the age of seven over 65% of children report to having had at least one imaginary friend in their lives at some point.
A study completed in the US with 100 preschool children; 50 boys and 50 girls; also found that 27% of the chil-dren described an imaginary friend that their parents weren’t even aware of.
We as parents need to accept imagi-nary friends as part of our children’s lives, though not necessarily encour-age it. If your child asks for an extra seat at the table like Sally asks for Bebo, then this is acceptance of what your child needs at that time – but let your child give you the information and don’t pester them for what you want to know. Remember an imagi-nary friend is something that your child has control over, and he or she doesn’t want mummy or daddy inter-fering with something that is wholly theirs to control.
However don’t be afraid of it, your child is showing how their imagination works and how they want to work out the daily life issues that happen to them. Maybe we could all do with an imaginary friend once in a while?
Imaginary Friends
11www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Business Advice
In Search of the Elusive ProspectIT’S A fact … all businesses are suffering from the same problem … the disappearing customer! So where did they go? We asked our business advisor 121 Business Coach to inves-tigate.
‘What is evident is that people are still in the market place with money to spend, the amount of money may have changed, but they are still spending’, said Yvonne from 121 business coach. ‘The differ-ence is that customers are becoming far more discerning about where they spend their hard earned money. There are more factors coming into play in the decision making process such as who is offering the keenest prices, the biggest product choice, customer friendly open-ing hours, the best customer service.
Some or all of these reasons determine where we spend our money and it is not always the cheapest prices that win over customers – Opencor is not the cheapest place to buy anything, however they are always busy, why?... convenience, they are open 24/7.’
From a business point of view, there are two things that you should be con-cerned with:
Maintaining existing customers … never forget that regular customers are also prospects for new products or services…do your best to keep them.Prospecting for new customers on a regular and on-going basis. Prospecting is crucial to small business survival. In order to endure difficult economic times and grow under normal circumstances, your business will need to expand its customer base. But even loyal customers eventually use other suppliers, so you’ll have to acquire new business in order to maintain the status quo. That means ex-panding your sales prospects.
To get started, try these techniques:List the firms that compete with your customers. Each company on that list is a potential new customer.
Solicit referrals. Offer discounts, free-bies, or other incentives to customers who bring you new business. Try direct marketing. Direct marketing and mailing lists are a convenient way to identify and obtain lists of accurate, targeted sales leads for your business. Seek out similar partnerships. Prospect sharing with similar industries can provide benefits to both parties. Be-fore you enter into this type of alliance, make sure that you can vouch for the other company. Otherwise their mistakes could sully your good reputation. Look outside your niche. Think crea-tively about other markets that may want your product or service. Visit trade shows in crossover industries for ideas.Consider tweaking your product or service. One way to expand into new
markets is to appeal to a broader range of customers. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities that are related to your current business. Do good deeds. Environmental groups, for example, will provide your company with referrals if they know you provide environmentally friendly services? Advertise creatively. Consider special promotions, different media, or other new ways of getting your message out. If you aren’t advertising already, now may be the time to start.
As a business, you can do all or some of the above, what you can’t afford to do is NOTHING. Take the first step and contact 121 business coach for sound ideas on how to get started - contact (+34) 965 744 015 Or email: [email protected]
121 Business Coach offer The Canary News readers a freeassessment session to help you identify what course of
action would be right for you and your business or go towww.121businesscoach.com and download the free successwheel quiz which quickly identifies the area you will gain
the most from or email your questions [email protected] or call us on
Tel: 965 744 015
12 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Scandinavian Scene
ThE SWEDISh school here in Gran Canaria was started in 1965 in Las Palmas. At that time Las Pal-mas was the centre of tourism on the island and also where the majority of Swedes were located. However, as time passed more and more people were moving south and in 1991 the school re-located to Maspalo-mas. However, the premises in Maspalomas proved unsuitable so in 1994 the school moved again to San Agustín which is where the school is located today
The school offers pre-school from aged 3 and educa-tion right up to school leaving age. At the moment the school has around 40 pupils, making it very small and friendly. This is also evident when you meet the prin-cipal at the school, Lotta Olofsson. Not at all how I remember my principal !The Canary News visited the school on the 10th No-vember when they held a fair in the evening. The chil-dren provided entertainment with a music show while the parents and others attending could enjoy food and beverage. There was also a second hand market with a wide variety of goods on offer.
The school is trying to raise money towards new toys and activities for the playground which is what the money raised at the fair will be used for. To try to raise some more funds the school will be holding a Christ-mas Fair at the school on Sunday the 13th December to which all are welcome. The School is situated be-tween the Swedish Church and the Reception of the Rocas Rojas apartments, close to the Clinica Roca.
During the Christmas fair there will also be a tradi-tional Swedish Lucia procession. The Lucia celebra-tion is a traditional Swedish event which brings light in dark times with the girl chosen as Lucia wearing a crown of candles (electrical ones these days) followed by more girls with candles and boys with bright stars to light up the dark days. The school has also been asked to have a Lucia pro-cession at Ikea here in Gran Canaria which will take place at 18.00 on the 11th December and is of course open to everyone.
The Swedish School of Gran Canaria
with Nina Blaefell
13www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Feature
RIU hOTELS were recently presented with Gold Awards by TUI Travel UK and Ireland, parent com-pany of well-known British tour operators, Thom-son and First Choice, at a ceremony held at the RIU Palace Meloneras. The prestigious awards were awarded on behalf of TUI UK by Joe Jordan, Qual-ity Coordinator, and Katrina Passmore, Admin Team Manager, to hotel managers from the luxury hotel chain in recognition of customer satisfaction initiatives and the opinions expressed by guests staying in the RIU hotels throughout 2008.
Pilar Dominguez, who is joint director of Club Hotel RIU Gran Canaria along with Atanasio Benitez Gonzal-ez, explained that RIU hotels have two managers to support each other in their role and she believes that this is key to customer satisfaction. Working together as a team, the directors have more time to dedicate to customers staying in their hotel and this is clearly ap-preciated by their guests who have voted for the Club Hotel RIU Gran Canaria for the fifth year in a row. Pi-lar Dominguez proudly accepted the First Choice Sum-mer 4 Sun Accommodation award saying that she was “very proud to receive a thank you and to know that customer expectations are being satisfied.”
Marina Lopez and Manuel Navarro, the directors of RIU Palace Meloneras who hosted the celebratory breakfast and award ceremony, also received Gold Awards in the Thomson Summer A La Carte category. The Thomson Winter A la Carte award was accepted by Roberto Jimenez, director of Hotel RIU Palace Maspalomas.
Perhaps the greatest achievement was that of Javier Mantel and Oscar Casado, directors of Club Hotel RIU Vistamar, who managed to scoop an incredible three awards all voted for by guests saying in their hotel. Not only will the First Choice Summer 4 Sun Accommoda-tion award hang on the hotels wall but also Thomsons Summer and Winter 4T Accommodation awards. Javi-er Mantel, having already decided on the perfect place to display them, gave credit to the hotels employees, claiming that the awards were given in recognition of “the strength of the team at the hotel”. He explained that his hotel caters for a great many nationalities but finds the British and Irish guests especially friendly; “On behalf of the hotel, I am genuinely pleased to re-ceive this recognition of customer happiness and sat-isfaction.”
“RIU have a great product, which Thomson and First Choice customers new and old appreciate, hence all the awards they continually receive,” explained TUI UK’s Joe Jordan, who meets regularly with the directors in
their respective hotels. Katrina Passmore, the Admin team Manager who has been working in Gran Canaria since March this year, is responsible for ensuring that all customers have an amazing holiday experience be-fore, during and after their stay in resort, ironing out any challenges or giving helpful advice along the way.
“I have worked alongside the RIU hotel chain for almost 6 years in various locations including Lanzar-ote, Fuerteventura & Mainland Spain. It has been a pleasure today to be able to present these awards, rec-ognising the professionals at RIU, with whom we work in close collaboration with a view to providing the highest customer satisfaction”.
It is the very fact that these Gold awards are decided by Thomson and First Choice customers that give cre-dence to Maurice Damen’s assertion that RUI hotels on Gran Canaria are giving quality and a high stand-ard of service to its guests. As the Sales Manager for the Canary Island and Madeira he understands that the strength of the hotel chain is in its employees, led by the hotel managers, offering quality, service and a friendly face to its guests. He explained that the group have close working relationships with several tour op-erators, but of todays award ceremony he enthused, “It is good to have support from one of the biggest tour
operators. TUI UK is looking for good quality and serv-ice in their hotels and this is the same objective as RUI hotels. The fact that these awards have been presented today because of customer votes is proof of our success and of reaching our objective for customer satisfaction. I am very proud to be part of this team.”
The award ceremony was attended by the two manag-ing directors of RIU hotels on Gran Canaria, Luis Gar-cia and Manuel Jaile, who were also clearly proud of the teams achievements.
The awards in full:
RIU Palace Meloneras Resort presented with the Thomson Summer A la Carte awardClubhotel RIU Vistamar presented with the Thomson Summer 4T awardClubhotel RIU Vistamar presented with the First Choice Summer 4 Sun award Clubhotel RIU Vistamar presented with the Thomson Winter 4T awardhotel RIU Palace Maspalomas presented with the Thomson Winter A la Carte awardClubhotel RIU Gran Canaria presented with the First Choice Summer 4 Sun award
Thomson and First Choice present six Gold Awards to RIU hotels on Gran Canaria
14 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
IN 1980 Peter Gabriel and a group of colleagues had a vision and started planning a multicultural music festival which not only would give musicians from all over the world a chance to perform in front of a large crowd but would bring cultures and nationalities together with a message of peace and harmony amongst all.
With this in mind the first ever WOMAD festival was held in 1982 and since then it has travelled around the globe succeeding in introducing an interna-tional audience to many talented artists. This year WOMAD celebrated its fifteenth birthday in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, establish-ing itself as one of the most important
musical events in Spain, and offering Canarians and visitors a like a festival like no other.
“Equally important, the festivals have also allowed many different audiences to gain an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music. Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism.” Peter Gabriel
As always the Ayuntamiento of Las Palmas has set up three spectacular stages offering live concerts during every evening the festival took place and ensuring that the large range of artists both international and local could be enjoyed by all.
The attendance of well over 150,000 people during the four WOMAD days proves the success of this festival. People from all the islands, mainland Spain and foreign visitors from all cultures and backgrounds congregated to simply enjoy the atmosphere and mu-
sic on offer completely free of charge. The range of artists that participated included; Spiro, Manel, Vieux Farka Touré, Elíades, Black Swan Effect, Sr. Natilla, Siyaya, Najma Akthar & Gary Lucas, Márcio Local, Roy Ayers, Manao, Yone & Timplebanda, Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara, Melingo and Oumou Sangaré.
In addition the WOMAD Global Village of Shops was set up, congregating artisans from all over the world offering their hand made products, arts and crafts, food stalls offering world cuisine and participating ONG’s which facilitated information to all passers by.
The younger ones also had the chance to participate in workshops specially designed for their entertainment as well as the adults. With the collaboration of the Miller Building,
Las Palmas
WOMAD Las Palmas Celebrates 15th Birthday.
15www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Bank charges on a mortgage account My Bank is charging me a fee on an ac-count that simply exists to make regu-lar payments on my mortgage. Is this charge appropriate? It is wrong to charge such a fee because the account involved is for a specific pur-pose and had to be opened to facilitate mortgage payments. You should re-claim the charge in writing.
Dispute between ex partners over child’s out-of-school expenses My ex wife signed up our son for some out of school activities that we had not jointly previously agreed. Can I refuse to pay?Initially, you can refuse to pay. The cal-culation of the monthly alimony for the child must include this type of cost. Therefore, if your ex-wife has signed your son up for this activity, without it having been accounted for in the alimo-
ny calculation, she cannot now demand that you make a contribution towards it. Where extraordinary expenses arise, you must pay half of those expenses duly ac-credited and previously agreed. Where urgent expenses are concerned, there may be no time to agree properly but this is not the case where the cost of such out of school activities is involved.
Sexual harassment at work For some time now, I have been re-ceiving the unwanted attentions of a work colleague. he has been paying me more attention than I think ap-propriate, insists on bringing me cof-fee, sits too close to me to teach me my work, and rubs up against me, etc. This may all seem innocent, but I am uncomfortable and do not know how to solve this matter. Legally is this sexual harassment? Technically no. But if you tell him that
his actions are upsetting you, then, if he is reasonable, he should change his attitude. You can claim harassment however if you feel uncomfortable, threatened or humili-ated by unbearable and hostile treatment. I cannot pay the mortgage on my flat If I am unable to pay the mortgage on my flat for up to three months, can it be repossessed? Apart from the moratorium of two years that the Government has granted to peo-ple with mortgage loans who become un-employed, there is another procedure that is designed to avoid you being expelled from your property and it is useful for all kinds of people who fall into mortgage arrears. Previously, if one or more monthly instal-ments of the loan was unpaid or paid late, the lender could demand repayment of loan in full. The current law has changed that situation radically. Today, the bor-rower, under a process called “rehabilita-tion of the mortgage”, has the opportunity to bring the payment of the mortgage up to date in the case that one or more pay-ments have not been made. The debtor may rehabilitate the loan if he/she pays all the unpaid contributions together with
interest and judicial costs, and he/she pays the required amount before the auc-tion of the property takes place. Now, the law will protect a debtor from losing his/her property due to accumulated arrears but it should not be forgotten that missed payments generate very expensive costs and should be avoided if at all possible. This system of loan rehabilitation is a one off remedy, so defaulting repeatably will eventually lead to you losing your prop-erty.
Daughter taken into care I am a recovering drug addict and, because of this, my three year old daughter has been taken into care. Can I apply to have my daughter back until such time as a suitable family can be found for adoption purposes? You should apply immediately for the services of a lawyer or apply for one in officio to assist. At the moment, if the Court requires you to give your consent for your daughter to be taken away, you should declare that you refuse and, re-quest instead the reinstatement of paren-tal authority and custody of your daugh-ter by demonstrating that you are taking positive steps to rehabilitate yourself.
Q. I have problems in Windows af-ter installing new software.
A. After installing any type of utility, driver or other software program on a computer you can encounter an almost endless list of issues that can be caused by any of the below reasons.
1.Confliction with other software in-stalled on the computer.2.Issue with program.3.Improper installation or problems with installation.
If you’re encountering problems with your computer or other programs after installing new software on your com-puter attempt to uninstall the program and see if the issues persist. After the program has been uninstalled try
installing the program again.Note: If after installing a program you’re unable to boot into Windows, try boot-ing into Safe Mode.
If you continue to experience issues verify that the program, game, or util-ity you’re installing doesn’t have any updates by visiting the developer of the program website. If you’re installing a software program or drivers for a hard-ware device such as a printer, attempt to get the latest software and/or drivers from the manufacturer instead of using the included software.
Q. My computer is running slow what steps can I do to fix it?
This issue can be caused by any of the below possibilities.
1.Hard disk drive is short on available disk space.2.Several software programs have been installed/uninstalled leaving behind bad files and/or confusing the software.3.Data Corruption.4.Outdated drivers5.Computer is overheating.6.Corrupt OS.7.Bad Hardware.
Not enough hard disk drive space: Verify that there is at least 200-500MB
of free hard disk drive space. This avail-able space allows the computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size as well as room for temporary files.
hard drive corrupted or fragment-ed: Run Scandisk or something equiva-lent to help ensure that there is nothing physically wrong with the computer hard disk drive. Run Defrag to help ensure that data is arranged in the best possible order.
Background programs: Remove or disable any programs that automatically start each time the com-puter boots. If you want to see what pro-grams are running in the background, how much memory they’re using, and their CPU usage open Task Manager. If you’ve got an anti-virus scanner on the computer, spyware protection program, or other security utility make sure it’s not running in the background as you’re trying to work. Often when these programs begin to scan the computer it can decrease the overall performance of your computer.
Hardware conflicts: verify that the Device Manager has no conflicts. If any exist resolve these is-sues as they could be the cause of your problem.
Update your drivers: make sure you’ve got the lat-est drivers for your computer. Es-pecially the latest video drivers. Having out-of-date drivers can cause an assortment of issues.
Computer or processor is over-heating:make sure your computer and processor is not overheating, excessive heat can cause a significant decrease in compu-ter performance some processors will even lower the speed of the processor automatically to help compensate for the heat related issues.
Erase computer and start over: Finally, if none of the above solutions resolve your issues, it is recommended that you either reinstall Windows and/or erase everything and then start over. hardware issues: if your computer continues to be slow after going over each of the above recommendations it’s possible that your computer is experiencing a more serious hardware related issue such as a failing component in the computer. This could be a failing or bad CPU, RAM, Motherboard, or other component.
16 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
ThIS PICTURESQUE fishing port, although not very well known, is dedicated to tourism but in a different way than the other bustling beach resorts like Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas.
The waterfront, a purpose built holiday resort, has build-ings no higher than two to three floors and was expanded into a traffic-free village with colourful houses designed in Mediterranean style. These houses give way to narrow alleys, all of them prettily lined with small gardens and window boxes planted with flowers, mostly bougainvillea, in all colours. Puerto de Mogán also boasts a network of pretty sea-water channels – which gives this port its nickname, ‘Spanish little Venice’ – linking with promenades and small bridges, thus making a stroll around this port very pleasant. The attractive yacht marina with its neat and tidy restaurants, stylish cafés, restaurants, jazz and piano bars surrounding the local fishing fleet, which is still operat-ing, is the perfect location for an evening stroll and of course – a romantic sunset dinner.
Puerto de Mogán is ideal for a day out, especially on a Friday morning when a huge and very attractive market occupies the fishermen’s quay. At the eastern end of the port there is a small, well-protected sandy beach – ideal if you have children holidaying with you. Other attractions are a yellow submarine offering visitors trips to the underwater world offshore, small replicas of old sailing ships taking passengers to the beaches of Puerto Rico and Maspalomas and deep-sea fishing boats offering you the oppor-tunity of making the catch of your life with world record size tuna fish or marlins. This port is the venue for the renowned ‘Blue Marlin angling competition’ in July every year!
Mogan BeachThe small and sheltered beach of Mogán (playa) is of fine, clean, pale sand with stunning shallow blue water - a safe bathing haven for all the family. There are canoes and pedalos for hire on the beach along with sun beds and parasols. The promenade separates the beach from the recently built up area immediately behind the front line of souvenir shops, restaurants and bars.
ShoppingMogán has all the usual souvenir shops associated with a seaside town, a fabulous shoe and leather goods shop, and plenty of choices for cosmetics and perfume. There is a new shopping centre as you enter Mogan which is well equipped with new retail-ers and businesses.
Every Friday, Mogán port holds a massive market, where you can purchase pottery, clothes, leather goods, fruit and vegetables and a wide selection of African artifacts. The market can be reached by the ferry boat from Puerto Rico or by the number 1 bus, but please note, the bus ride is not for the faint-hearted - sheer drops on the winding coast road, usually at great speed - don’t look!!
Puerto de Mógan is definitely one of our favourites!
By Debbie Wenn
A Visit to Puerto Mogán
Feature
17www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Feature
IN ThESE times of recession it is heart-ening to see exciting new ventures start-ing up and this is exactly what happened a few days ago in Puerto de Mogán. The eagerly anticipated opening of Saffron Restaurant took place and The Canary News was at the exclusive launch party. The evening promised to be very special with a 5 course gour-met’s delight on offer, complimented by a good selection of drinks including top quality champagne.
The man responsible for this welcome addition to the restaurant scene in Mogán is Mohsen Al Hawary, who is originally from Egypt but has lived in London for the past 20 years. The inspiration behind the restaurant was a visit to the “Venice of Gran Canaria”. He wanted to offer a quality restaurant with reason-able prices. And this is what he achieves at Saffron! His passion for Mediter-ranean flavours has encouraged him to fuse them together in a menu which
reflects the exotic influences of Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and many more, all cooked over an open
barbecue which gives these dishes a flavour completely out of the ordinary. The use of high quality, fresh pro-duce, both local and imported, allows
the customers a chance to enjoy a dining experience that is difficult to beat. Added to this, is the uniqueness of the menu which includes the use of exotic meats and spices. All in all a totally dif-ferent eating experience.
The food, which is cooked in the open kitchen in full view of all the customers, is not completely finished as Mohsen has included a feature which not only keeps your food hot throughout the meal, but allows customers to extend the
cooking time themselves should they so wish. These small designer barbecues fit neatly on an extension of the tables thus adding to the dining experience. During the evening the diversity of the courses were consumed with gusto and towards the end, it really was a case of not being able to eat any more.
It is clear that Mohsen has invested heav-ily in his dream. The décor and the use of materials of the highest quality reflect the good taste and class of this restau-
rant. Comfort and design come together in harmony to add even more value to the customers’ enjoyment. One thing that should be highlighted is the use of cold water vapour sprinklers in the ter-race area.
This high-tech cooling system is the per-fect solution to those scorching summer days which can make it pretty uncom-fortable to sit outside, let alone eat and
it is a first for Gran Canaria.This small but charming restaurant is located on the beach promenade of Mogan Playa, and offers its guests a wonderful view of the bay and beach of this fishing village.
We especially recommend you pop down and witness the spectacular sunset which can be enjoyed from the sofas on the restaurant’s terrace whilst sipping your favourite drink or cocktail.
The spice Saffron is exclusive, delicate and seductive and this is exactly what Mohsen has achieved in this exciting new restaurant. Venture down to Mogan and let him pamper you, now that his dream has become a reality.
By Tito Cabral
Mediterranean Flavours In Mogán.
Puerto de Mogán by night
18 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Let’s not forget:
· It is soldiers, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the Press.· It is soldiers, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.· It is soldiers, not the politicians that grant our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.· It is the Military who salute the flag, who serve beneath the flag, whose coffins are often draped by the flag. If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for our troops, please pass these thoughts on and pray for the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacri-fice for freedom.
ThE FINAL INSPECTION The soldier stood and faced his God,Which must always come to pass.He hoped his shoes were shining,Just as brightly as his brass. ‘Step forward now, you soldier,How shall I deal with you ?Have you always turned the other cheek ?To My Church have you been true?’ The soldier squared his shoulders and said, ‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.Because those of us who carry guns,Can’t always be a saint. I’ve had to work most Sundays,And at times my talk was tough.And sometimes I’ve been violent,Because the world is awfully rough. But, I never took a penny,That wasn’t mine to keep...Though I worked a lot of overtime,When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,Though at times I shook with fear.And sometimes, God, forgive me,I’ve wept unmanly tears. I know I don’t deserve a place,Among the people here.They never wanted me around,Except to calm their fears. If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,It needn’t be so grand.I never expected or had too much,But if you don’t, I’ll understand. There was a silence all around the throne,Where the saints had often trod.As the soldier waited quietly,For the judgment of his God. ‘Step forward now, you soldier,You’ve borne your burdens well.Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,You’ve done your time in Hell.’ Author Unknown
Twitters from the Atlantic
WhO REMEMBERS the Reliant Robin? If you are of a certain age you will remember the Reliant three wheeler - the much loved (and toler-ated), ageing, battered transport of Del Boy and Rodney of TV’s ‘Only Fools and Horses’ fame. Apart from having only three wheels to worry about, this remnant of British motor-ing history’s main claim to notoriety was that it could be driven on just a provisional or motor cycle licence; it did not require the full driving test.
I remember only too well the fleeting temptation of getting such a vehicle shortly after obtaining my first provisional licence, but as a student I could afford neither motor cycle nor three wheeler at the time anyway and so the idea was quickly forgotten.
This brief recollection of the past brings me to the situa-tion regarding the little Axiam cars that are so often seen tootling along the roads between Las Palmas and Maspal-omas in Gran Canaria (and, I guess, much of Spain, France, Italy and Portugal). These irritating little cars are
usually very easy to spot as they rarely move faster than 30 mph and are often trailing behind on the verges of many roads, leading a parade of angry drivers with faster vehicles frantically tooting their horns.
These vehicles can be described as
‘micro-cars’ and the main reason for buying them appears to be that they can be driven without any licence at all over here. This seems to be an anomaly in the motoring laws and I understand that the police are anxious to review the qualifications for driving them - for obvious reasons!
I don’t think I have ever seen one in the UK, prob-ably because they are classified as a quad bike, in view of their weight and power output. This, very sensibly requires either a full driving licence or a full, unlimited
Some thoughts post Remembrance Day: Bahia Feliz, at only 5 minutes from Playa del Inglés! For info and tickets ask your rep, reception or call us directly: 928 15 70 60
with Barrie Mahoney
19www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Canarian Cookery
Do you have difficulty in knowing what fish is on offer in the island’s restaurants? This A-Z of fish found in Canary Island waters may help. This week: A-C
ABADE CERNIA GROUPER FAMILY ABADEJO COD FAMILYAGUJA GARFISHALACHA ROUND SARDINELLAALFONSIÑO CARDINAL FISHAMARILLO ANNULAR SEA BREAMANGELOTE ANGELSHARKANGUILA JARDINERA GARDEN CONGER EELANJOVA BLUEFISHARAÑAS WEEVERSATUN TUNABAQUETA CLINIESBARRIGUDA MORA REDLIP BLENNYBARRIGUDAS BLENNIESBESUGO AXILLARY SEA BREAMBICA COMMON PANDORABICUDA BARRACUDABOCINEGRO COMMON SEA BREAMBOGA BOGUEBOGAVANTE FANGTOOTH MORAYBONITO SKIPJACK TUNABRECA COMMON PANDORABRIOTA (LISA) FORKBEARDBROTA FORKBEARDBROTA DE TIERRA SHORE ROCKLINGBURRITO AFRICAN STRIPED GRUNTBURRITO LISTADO AFRICAN STRIPED GRUNTBURRO GRUNT (COD FAMILY)CABALLA ATLANTIC MACKERELCABALLITA DE MAR SEA-HORSECABOSIO GOBYCABOSO DE CUEVAS LEOPARD SPOTTED GOBYCABOSO GOBYCABRILLA COMBER (SEA BASS/GROUPER FAMILY)CABRILLA PINTADA PAINTED COMBERCABRILLA RUBIA COMBERCALAMAR SQUIDCANTARERO RED SCORPIONFISHCARAJILLO REAL RAINBOW WRASSECARMELITA LEOPARD EELCASTAÑETA DAMSEL FISHCATALINETA RED-BANDED SEA BREAMCATALUFA GLASS-EYECAZON SMOOTH-HOUNDCHERNE WRECKFISH (STONE BASS)CHICHARRO HORSE MACKERELCHIPRION BABY SQUIDCHOPA BLACK SEA BREAM (OLD WIFE)CHOPA PEREZOSA BERMUDA SEA CHUBCHOPON BERMUDA SEA CHUBCHUCHO COMMON STINGRAYCHUCHO NEGRO ROUND STINGRAYCONGRIO CONGER EELCORVINA CANARIA/NEGRA BROWN MEAGRECULEBRITA LEOPARD EELInformation kindly supplied by Peter J. Nevitt
KNOW YOUR SPANISh FIShChuletas de cerdo a la Madrilena, as the name implies is from Madrid, Spain. It is an easy and quick recipe, prepared in about 30 minutes. Paprika, onions and garlic smother pork chops. Served with mashed or roast potatoes, it is a delicious Spanish dish, especially in the colder weather.
Prep Time: 12 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutesIngredients:2 cloves garlic4 sprigs parsley1 medium onion1 tbsp Spanish sweet paprika5 tbsp olive oil4 pork loin chops (5 oz each)salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:This recipe serves 4.Note: Use either pork chops or boneless pork loin chops sliced about 1/3-1/2 inch thick.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Finely chop the garlic, parsley and onion. Mix together in a medium mixing bowl. Season with the paprika, pepper and salt. Moisten the mixture with 3 table-spoons of olive oil. Don’t add too much oil - it should be a fairly thick consistency.
Grease a roasting pan with oil or line it with aluminium foil. Season the chops, covering them with the mixture and place in roasting pan. Spoon any remaining onion mixture between the chops.
Roast in a hot oven at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Turn chops over, piling the onion mixture on top of the chops again and roast another 12-13 minutes. If pork is cooked, but onion mixture is not fully cooked, quickly saute onion mixture in a heavy-bottomed frying pan until cooked.
Serve chuletas de cerdo a la madrilena, spooning the herb sauce on top. Serve with mashed potatoes or roasted papri-ka potatoes on the side for a wonderful Spanish dinner.
Chuletas de cerdo a la Madrilena
20 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
health and Beauty
TAKE A trip down to Puerto Rico and you will discover a lot of changes at Lisa Selvester’s Martinica Salon.
hair Styling
Recently, the salon has extended a warm welcome to Emma, the new hair stylist and, to mark the occasion, Martinica is offering highlights with a cut and blow dry for EUR 55 or a cut and blow dry only for EUR 25.
Facial Treatments Special Introductory Offer – EUR 55
It does not end there because the range of beauty treat-ments has been extended. New treatments, all last-ing 90 minutes, include the Dermalogica Core Facial Treatment, including Galvanic and High Frequency. Why not also try the Dermalogica Medi-Bac Treat-ment? With this facial, it is the end of the line for adult acne as it will help jump start acne clearing and help prevent further breakouts. Another option is to try the Dermalogica Age Smart Facial which will give you firmer, smoother, revived skin. This treatment has been specially created for clients who are concerned about sun damaged, photo-aged skin.
Nail Treatments Special Introductory Offer – EUR 35
If you are looking for a long lasting French Polish then why not let Jo, the Creative Trained Nail Technician, apply a thin layer of French Acrylic on top of your own nails? It won’t chip or smudge and can be removed after 3-4 weeks leaving no damage behind. And don’t worry if you have a broken nail, as Jo can replace it. Furthermore this special deal includes a hand massage, treatment and eyelash tint.
Legs and Feet Treatment Special Introductory Offer – EUR 40
Indulge yourself with the Thermal Touch Therapy for legs and feet. It’s time to give them the attention they deserve. The 45 minute therapy will cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate and moisturise and leave you with revitalised skin and muscles that are ready to take on the day.
Eye RescueSpecial Introductory Offer – EUR 30
A soothing neck massage will relax you as your beauty consultant colours your lashes and tidies your brows. Give your tired eyes this little treat and enjoy the ben-efits of looking fresher and wide awake with Marti-nica’s 45 minute Eye Rescue Treatment.
So, you can expect not only a warm welcome from Lisa and her team but the opportunity to indulge your-self in the extensive range of treatments on offer. See the ad on this page for contact details. Call in or give Lisa a ‘phone to book your appointment.
Martinica Salon New Staff
New Treatments
“I was only going to place
my ad for a couple of times, but
the response has been so good
that I decided to leave it in.Thank you
TCN!”
Mobile Me-chanic Andy
21www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Canarian Character
YOU MAY think it strange that we are featuring a 12 year old boy as our ‘Canarian Character’ but, believe me, Louis represents everything most parents hope for in their young offspring.
Born Louis Stevens just 12 years ago, this bright young man attends the Motor Grande school in Puerto Rico and has been happily settled there for nearly two and a half years. He told me that he is very good at school but when questioned in depth, admitted freely that he loves physical education the most. He has learnt Spanish and speaks fluently with the many friends he has made, spending some time on a weekend ‘body boarding’ down on the beaches.
However, the main subject I came to discuss was his passion for golf. Louis started playing about two and a half years ago when his father Gary, a keen golfer himself, decided to give his son an insight into this very popular sport. Louis soon discovered he had a real passion for the game and the first time he played against his father at Meloneras, where the par was 71, he man-aged a very respectable 131.
Recognising his son’s talent, Gary paid for lessons which were given by Ian Bradshaw, and every Sat-urday found Louis on the Anfi Tauro Driving Range practising his newly acquired skill. He told me that Ian was like a ‘grandfather’ to him, and he thoroughly enjoyed these sessions. He still takes lessons, always wanting to perfect his ‘swing’ and ‘drive’, and tries to practice at least two hours a day.
Quite incredibly, Louis has won 10 out of the 11 com-petitions he has entered; playing against adults, and his trophies adorn the dining room of their spacious villa in Tauro. His idols, he tells me, are Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter and Javier Colomo. Louis had the privilege of ‘caddying’ for the latter when Javier asked father Gary if he knew anyone who could caddy for him in the Professional PGA tournament last year.
Gary promptly suggested his son, despite the fact that Louis was only 11 at the time. This didn’t seem to bother Javier, as long as he could pull the trolley. Javier went on to win the tournament and rewarded Louis with an
autographed shirt and a small financial reward. To date, this has been one of the highlights of Louis’ short golfing career.
I asked Louis about the new ‘PowerPlay’ golf format his father is about to launch and he told me that he couldn’t wait to play the newly format, also to try out for the Anfi Tauro golf team which he felt sure that he would be successful.
A dedicated, well mannered young man, it was a pleas-ure to meet Louis and I feel sure that with his grit and determination he will be one to watch out for in the future of golf.By Debbie Wenn
A BOY ON A MISSION
A LECTURER, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t mat-ter, it depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden be-comes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.” “As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.” “So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever bur-dens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.” So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while.
STRESS· Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.· Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.· Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.· Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.· If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.· If you lend someone EUR 20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.· It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.· Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.· Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.· Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.· The second mouse gets the cheese.· When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.· Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.· You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.· Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.· We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colours, but they all have to live in the same box.
Thoughts for the day
22 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
health and Wellbeing
IF YOU are reading this series, you are probably trying to lose weight. You have to ask yourself and try to understand why you got fat in the first place.
You got fat because your body is produc-ing excess insulin – simple! It is too much insulin that makes you fat, makes you hungry, makes you mentally grog-gy, decreases your physical perform-ance and increases the likelihood of chronic disease.
Blood Sugar Spikes!Every single time you eat anything that contains carbo-hydrates, your blood sugars will go up. It is all about “how much”! If you are eating things that continually “spike” your blood sugars, your pancreas will produce increasing amounts of insulin to bring your blood sugar down to a safe level. It does this by telling your body to store, rather than use, some of the glycogen that has been produced.
If the blood sugar goes up too much and too quickly, then your pancreas will kick in and drive it down in or-der to protect the brain! Oh yes, glucose is the food for our brain. Our brain consumes up to 60% of the glucose supplied by our blood stream, but it has to be a slow, con-stant and tightly regulated supply or it will do us harm.
The role of insulinInsulin is not a “bad” hormone (any more than LDL is “bad” cholesterol). You would be very ill and die with-out it. But in excess, it causes big problems.
· Insulin lowers high blood sugar. · Insulin puts the metabolism in storage mode. · Insulin converts protein and blood sugar to fat. · Insulin causes fat in the diet to be stored in fat cells. · Insulin increases the production of cholesterol by the body. · Insulin causes the kidneys to retain water in the body. · Insulin stimulates the growth of artery wall cells. · Insulin stimulates the use of blood sugar for energy. · Insulin Resistance
The problem is that eventually, if you have your body in a constant “spike” you become what is referred to as “insulin resistant”, which simply means that your body needs to produce more and more insulin to get the mes-sage through. That all sounds well and good – but as well as controlling blood sugar, insulin is the hormone that actually tells your cells to receive the nutrient. So the more insulin your body is producing, the more nutrient is being pushed into your cells and stored there!
Switch It Off!So the key to safe and effective weight loss is to SWITCH OFF the insulin signal. Stop spiking the blood sugars; learn to maintain them at a more constant level. To do this, you really need to start to understand what foods drive up the blood sugar levels up quickly resulting in spiking, and which foods do not.
Glycemic Loads!There has been a lot of research on this – especially over the past 5 – 10 years – and most of you will have heard the terms “Low GI” and “High GI”. GI refers to Glycemic Index and is a measure of how rapidly the glucose is released into the blood stream. So, carbohydrates with a High GI re-lease quickly, and carbohydrates with a Low GI release more slowly.
However, there is perhaps a much more important measure to consider and that is the Glycemic Load.
The Glycemic Load multiplies the GI by the typical portion size, or the density/quantity of the carbohydrate typically consumed. So, using the Glycemic Load, you can see that eating a large amount of Low Glycemic food could have the same effect on blood sugar as eat-ing a small amount of High Glycemic Food. A nutri-tion programme that manages the glycemic load aims to avoid sustained blood sugar spikes is now highly recommended to control spiking and avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes.
The very best website that I have found, which lists 2500 foods and food products, can be found on (www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm). Start to study it. You will be amazed at some of the findings. For example, a typical bowl of white rice will have the same impact on your blood sugar as eating a Mars Bar! Certain types of boiled potato are worse than eating a packet of nachos! Or a bowl of macaroni is worse than eating digestive biscuits. That healthy looking bowl of Special K may be worse than an apple muffin!
Simplee Carbs!In a previous article I referred to four groupings of car-bohydrates and have highlighted the typical glycemic load:
So it is interesting that in the typical food pyramid, and underpinning so many diet programs, the carbohy-drates that we are being told to the eat the most of are actually in the main the cause of obesity and probably the increase in type 2 diabetes as well as other related diseases. healthy eating……….See you next time.
Article provided by Ann MatherExecutive Editor/Nutrition AdvisorFamously Fit
Insulin – Friend or Foe?
Low Glycemic Load..........
Moderate Glycemic Load
high Glycemic Load.........
high Glycemic Load.........
Most fruits and vegetables
Whole grains and pulses/legumes
High sugar (sweets, choc-olate, icecream, etc)
High starch (potatoes, processed cereals, breads, pasta, rice, etc)
23www.thecanarynews.com Issue 10 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
Up until now, we have been concentrating on exercise that work and tighten muscles. This week, I am working alongside Future Fit Training to demonstrate a great stretch for the Hamstring. This stretch requires that you work with a partner and helps to reduce any tightness or over activity of the hamstrings. This will assist those of you who work in an office and may experience tightness in the back of your thighs. This will help to improve flexibility in this area.
PhysicaLee Fit! Get Fit, Lean and Toned
OK! MAGAZINE FULL OF FAMOUSLY FIT PEOPLE!
Partner A - lie face up on the ground Partner B - kneel by partner A and place one hand under their heel and the other hand behind the fold of the knee.
Set Up:
23Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009
Action - Passive Lift:
Lee Latchford Evanswith ex Steps Star turned Personal Trainer ....
L��
Partner A - push through your heel (use 30% max effort to push straight to the floor), until your leg is resting on the floorPartner B - resist as Partner A pushes heel into your hand – Adjust resistance to maintain around max 30% from Partner A.
Repeat ten times each leg: 10 lifts and 10 pushdowns
Partner A - to relax 100% and allow your leg to be lifted into positionPartner B - push into the knee with one hand while pushing the heel towards the ceiling (the knee will initially bend before straightening)
Good luck and hope to catch you againnext issue for another great workout routine.
Active Push Down:
Forward Fold (uttanasana)Step 1: Stand up, straighten the spine by engaging the abdominals and slightly lifting the rib cage. Bend the knees a little and then slowly roll down through your spine until you can get your hands on the floor.
Step 2: Keeping the hands on the floor, straighten up your legs and feel the spine stretching as you keep pulling your head down to your knees. Breath in and out, and hold for 8 breaths.
Step 3: To release, bend the knees, inhale, and gradually curl up through the spin into a standing position.
Repeat 4 - 6 times, each time trying a little harder to straighten the legs.
Seated Head to Knee (janu sirsasana)Step 1: Sit comfortably on the floor, with your legs stretched out in front of you. Straighten the spine by engaging the abdominal muscles and slightly lifting the ribs.
Step 2: Extend your right leg and foot straight in front of you, and place the bottom of your left foot on the right thigh, ensuring that the right legs remains extended in front of you.
Step 3: Inhale, and reach forward with your arms, extending out of the waist, bending forward and reaching toward the ankle or foot of the right leg. Try to press the head down toward the knee as you lengthen the right leg. Relax the shoulders and neck into the stretch, keeping the shoulders parallel to the floor. Breathe in and out 4-6 times as you hold the stretch.
Step 4: To release, inhale as you lift your arms over your head and then drop them to the floor beside you. Repeat with the other leg, then repeat the routine 4 times with each leg.
All of these stretching exercises take minimal time but have maximum effect at that crucial moment!
No time for Stress!
Let’s face it, there are not enough hours in the day - and us busy mums just don’t have the time to get stressed out! But it happens to us all from time to time.... After some research, we found lots of evidence that basic yoga and breathing techniques are perfect ‘of the moment’ ways to ease tension and release stress. These can be done anywhere, and any time and in just seconds….
‘Mums on the Run’ with TV Stars Sasha Parker & Korin Nolan
Make sure you eat breakfast
Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day
Don’t starve, eat smaller meals more frequently
Get enough aerobic exercise
Build muscle with weight training or resistance exercise
Water, water, water!!
Get enough B vitamins
Eat more protein
Laugh it off
Fidget
STOKE YOUR FIRE!
10 BEST WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISMSteve Holmes, Celebrity Personal Trainer
(Livingwell) gives the best tips ever!
Louise Cliffe’s Top Health & Beauty Tips
Our resident super swimwear model gives away some beauty
tips for looking younger!
• Stay hydrated - drink lots of water - and flush out all those toxins• Protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet rays - use min SPF15• Keep your skin clean - use a soft cloth and don’t scrub• Moisturise your skin everyday• Eat healthily - know what and how to eat - don’t eat more calories than you need• Keep active - don’t go for a single day without 30 minutes of physical activity• Do Yoga for the face - it’s great fun!• Be happy - laugh alot and think positively to trigger those endorphins• Go for a younger, carefree look - visit your hairdresser for a younger makeover• Try something new or wacky!• Wear colour to complement your skin• Keep those pearly whites white - everyone likes a brilliant smile• Say ‘No’ to facial hair (a man thing!) - takes years off you!• Lose the glasses - get contact lenses• Meditate for a few minutes a day every day - find time for you
Fountain of Youth!
24 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
WHEN MY lovely friend Jean was diag-nosed with terminal cancer she set her-self six “determined to stay alive until I’ve achieved them” goals. Five com-pleted, the sixth was a last visit to her fa-vourite island...Gran Canaria and a swim in the sea at Salinetas! Though very sick and in much pain this she accomplished. I took her picture as she came out of the water looking radiant, and as I helped her dress she suddenly said “ Kay, I have something to ask you...will you speak at my funeral?” I was speechless...my only reaction was to burst into tears. “Hey come on” said Jean, smiling she put an arm around me, ”Why so sad....anyone would think we were talking about YOUR funeral not mine!” What an amazing selfless attitude.
“I actually have one more aspiration which I’ve saved ‘til last, and will achieve in the very near future,” she confided. I was astonished. “Yes, goal number seven is to take my place in Heaven ---- and I’m ready,” she laughed, “because “though I’ve so enjoyed all six others I know for sure that the best is yet to come”. It came a few weeks later.
Recently I heard of another young woman diagnosed with a terminal ill-ness who had been given less than three months to live. Getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and invited him to the house to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like and the clothes she wanted to be buried in. Everything was attended to, and the Pas-tor was preparing for a sad exit, when the young woman, remembering something very special, asked him to stay a moment. “There’s one more thing” she said excit-edly. “What’s that?” he asked. “It’s very important,” she continued; “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The old priest looked quizzically at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked. “Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by your request”, he replied. The young woman explained. “My grandmother once told me this story and its true meaning, and I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love, and to those who are in need of assur-ance and encouragement”. She continued. “When I was a girl at-tending dinners and parties, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork”. It was my favourite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake, apple pie, or
sticky toffee pudding! Something sim-ply luscious and wonderful....out of this world -- yet with real substance! Well, I just want people to see me there in that open casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder “What’s with the fork?” Then I want you to tell them: “Keep your fork ...the best is yet to come”. The Pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman and said ‘Good-bye’. This could be the last time he would see her before her death. Did she even had a better grasp of heav-en than he did? She had a strong belief and a sure knowledge of what it would be like, more so than many people twice her age, with twice as much life experi-ence. She KNEW that something better lay ahead.
At the funeral, friends and family filed past the open coffin. They saw no sign of the young woman’s former suffering; just the whisper of a smile on her peace-ful countenance ... and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question whispered, “What’s with the fork?” And over and over he smiled too.In his message he told of the last conver-sation he had had with the young lady, and explained the promise to all believ-ers...that heaven is the place where there will be no more death or mourning no more tears or pain. Thus he revealed the message of the fork and what it sym-bolised .He told them he just could not stop thinking about that fork ...and that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.
As I ponder this message and the faith of these two dear departed, I am all the more valuing my remaining time here on earth...cherishing today’s joy... shar-ing lives together, and reliving pre-cious memories of family and friends – loved and held most dear ... ’til we meet again.
Maybe the next time you have finished your main course, the plates are being cleared, and the pudding is about to be served, you will be reminded, ever so gently, of these young women....of their courage, and calm assurance. And as you do so ... always remember ... “the best is yet to come”... so keep your fork. Kay Owen . November 2009.
“PS - As we go to print it is Children in Need Day in the UK so it is worth men-tioning that drives in aid of the appeal will be held at Faro Dos Car Boot Sale on 29th Nov and 13th Dec. Last chance to buy a good read for Christmas and to make Christmas brighter for someone somewhere.”
Community by Kay Owen
CROSSWORD
ThE BEST IS YET TO COME
Across3. Academic world (8) 9. Narrow street (5) 10. Acquire (3) 11. New Zealand parrot (3) 12. Defraud (5,6) 14. Meat (5) 16. Drama (4) 17. Summed (5) 19. God-like (6) 20. Drinking vessel (3) 22. Opera by Bizet (6) 23. Former Russian rulers (5) 25. Wind instrument (4) 26. Raw hides (5) 28. At once (11) 30. Storage container (3) 31. Ingot (3) 32. Eccentric (5) 33. Engrossed (8)
Down1. 24 hour periods (4) 2. Body of peers (7) 4. Universal in extent (8) 5. Of delicate beauty (6) 6. Temporary expedient (9) 7. Wide open (5) 8. Pile (5) 13. Made by hand (8) 15. Not normal (8) 18. Bandages (9) 21. Heaven (8) 24. Stopping place (7) 25. Tool used for driving nails (6) 26. Common people (5) 27. Seventh sign of the zodiac (5) 29. Spool-like toy (2-2)
Look for solution on page 30
25www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
horoscopes
ARIESMar 21 - April 20From the moment of your awakening, Lady Fortune has been smiling on you. This is your day. That chance you’ve been waiting to take? Now is the time. Get a running leap at it.
TAURUSApril 23 - May 21It’s no surprise that you are so well-liked. You know just the thing to say to someone to make him or her feel good. Your uncanny ability to sense what others want to hear will be demon-strated.
GEMINIMay 22 - June 21You’ll be running on all cylinders. Don’t forget that taking time out for yourself is part of moving forward. It’s likely that you’ll do your best thinking in the bathtub.
CANCERJune 22 - July 23You are experiencing a momentary sense of uncertainty about where you are headed and why. Pull over for a second and check in with your goals. Minor adjustments are all that’s neces-sary to get you back on track.
LEOJuly 24 - Aug 23You never thought you’d make it, but here you are. The trial is shrinking in the distance behind you, and that light you’ve been looking for is closer than ever. Just a little farther now.
VIRGOAug 24 - Sept 23You’ll be making plans to invest in your dreams. It will feel scary -- then again, you’ve done plenty of scary things in your life already. You’re getting used to housing butterflies in your stomach.
LIBRASept 24 - Oct 23You put out a healing vibration. Those who are in quiet pain, psychic or otherwise, will gravitate toward you. Although, it’s likely you won’t even realize when someone is made well by the energy you emit.
SCORPIOOct 24 - Nov 22Drink plenty of water -- you’ll be sweating a bit. The stress you feel is well-founded. You have a lot of responsibilities to meet and expecta-tions to live up to. But you won’t get overwhelmed, because you know how to prioritize.
SAGITTARIUSNov 23 - Dec 22You’re so gregarious. You’re likely to attract shy or silent types who need help expressing themselves. They will gravitate toward you because your way of dealing with things invites them to do the same.
CAPRICORNDec 23 - Jan 20Everyone is quirky and magical in some way, though this week your quirks are more obvious than other people’s. They act up, shout out, lean in -- and endear others to you in the process. You’ll gain a fan or two.
AQUARIUSJan 21 - Feb 19A challenge at home has you look-ing in an unusual place for answers. You were right to shift your approach. You’ll find what you seek, and after-ward, you’ll have another great tool in your problem-solving toolbox.
PISCESFeb 20 - Mar 20A growing sense of contentment has been creeping up on you. You will have a newfound awareness of the necessary order of things. This will bring a welcome peace to you and those around you.
We have had a good response to our Junior Golf offer so decided to take further advertising telling people about our Open Golf tournament in summer. The response was fantastic!- Sabrina, Meloneras Golf, the Lopesan Group
26 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Sport
NEWLY CROWNED British heavyweight champion of the world David Haye began his reign on a whistlestop media tour. In 36 hours like few others, the fast-talking south Londoner has gone from being a merely well-known British boxer to a genuine global celebrity. And he is not hanging around after his giant-killing defeat of towering Russian Nikolay Valuev to win the WBA title last week. The bout, where Haye - a fine muscle-bound specimen but ‘only’ 6ft 3in and under 16 stone - took on a man seven stone heavier and nine inches taller, and won, captured the world’s imagination. It literally was David v Goliath, and although some boxing experts predicted a Haye victory, much of the wider public thought it just could not happen. “I dreamed about all this when I was a toddler, it was just a case of what weight I would be,” says the 29-year-old from Bermondsey. “I started boxing when I was 10, and told everyone at school that when I was older, I would be world champion.”
Haye took the first steps on the journey to being a world champion at the Fitzroy Lodge Amateur Boxing Club in Lambeth. Six years later in 1996, he went with his mum to watch Valuev fight at Battersea Town Hall. The Russian inflicted a quick defeat on Neil Kirkwood. “I don’t remember a lot about it, except Valuev’s size,” says Haye. Thirteen years on, his mother is still involved, berating him with a text message amid Saturday’s big-fight hullabaloo, for calling his opponent “smelly”. Haye is a friendly, down-to-earth, family man with a mischievous sense of humour, according to friend Cathy Brown. Former female boxing champion Brown, 39,
worked with him most days for several years. She trained alongside Haye at the Thirdspace gym in London’s Soho as they were both managed by Adam Booth, who also sent them on gruelling sessions near his Kent home. “We used to train together five or six days a week, so I got to know him pretty well,” said Brown, who is 5ft 1in tall and weighed eight stone at the time. Brown said, “I was really worried about the decision on Saturday night - it was quite a close fight, and I thought they might have gone with Valuev bearing in mind what happened with my decisions”.
Haye’s next fight will be a mandatory defence of his WBA title against John Ruiz, which will probably take place in London in March or April 2010. Then there’s the enticing prospect of a summer showdown with one of the champion Klitschko brothers at a big venue such as Wembley Stadium.
INTRODUCING ThE NEW WORLD hEAVYWEIGhT BOXING ChAMPION
David Haye
27www.thecanarynews.com Issue 11 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
propulsion (unlike the cruisers), although use of autopilots is allowed. The current ARC course record is 11 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds, held by the Italian maxi yacht Capricorno (Rinaldo Del Bono), from ARC 2006. This year for the very first time, the yachts in the ARC Racing Divisions will carry Yellowbrick satellite tracking devices. This compact and powerful technology developed by Yellowbrick Adventure Tracking, will provide a significant benefit for participants with automatic position reports uploading to the WCC website every six hours via the Iridium Network. The ARC distinguishes itself by successfully combining racing and cruising yachts with a mix of older and younger participants, all of whom thoroughly enjoy the varied entertain-ment that is on offer for all ages at both the start and finish ports. From the outset in 1986 when the first ARC was run, this unique event has developed its own special character. Over the past 23 years many friendships have been forged in the relaxed atmosphere, and the pro-found sense of camaraderie has become the hallmark of this very special rally that entices people back year after year. ARC 2009 is sponsored by the Tourist Board of Gran Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the St Lucia Tourist Board, Rolnautic, and is run in association with Yachting World magazine.
Since January 2006, the ARC has been run by the Cowes-based independent event management company World Cruising Club Ltd, following a management buy out from the Challenge Business. WCC says that it has the best interests of the partici-pants in mind and will always try to incorporate the most popular ideas and propos-als put forward to improve the event.
This was the main reason for a switch in the ARC destination from Barbados to Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia back in 1990. The yachting facilities are superior to those available in Barbados and for the first time it was possible to have all the yachts in one marina at the end of the Rally, as they were before the start, thus providing a better atmosphere.
Sport
ThE 24Th edition of the world-famous annual transatlantic rally, the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) has defied the economic doom and gloom and 218 yachts will head off from Las Palmas on 22nd November 2009 en route to Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia. Not only is there a distinctly healthy entry number, but also a record 32 nations represented in this year’s event, underlining the fact that the ARC is now an international rally and the most popular way to sail across the Atlantic. The 2,700 nautical mile passage on the NE trade wind route takes the fleet, on average, between 14 and 21 days to reach its destina-tion and the finish line.
Whilst fundamentally a fun rally for cruising yachts, the ARC also of-fers more serious Racing Divisions, run under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). Yachts entered in the Racing Divisions are not permitted to use their engines for
EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR A GLORIOUS 24th ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS
Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia
28 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
Sport
GOLF IS one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Millions of enthousiastic golfplayers en-joy the game in their home countries and abroad. Today people in Northern Europe spend serious amounts of their leisure time on golf courses across the Continent. The major problem that golf players in Northern Europe face is the climate which limits the game to a short summer period in often poor weather conditions. In the Scandinavian countries the game can only be played during a five month period which is a serious limitation on the players. As a result of this,
many golfers have found their way to the southern part of Europe to play golf. Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands as whole can offer golf players the best climate and weather conditions in the whole world. With the
excellent golf courses that have been built, the Islands have become a true Mecca to golfers of all categories. This combined with the fact that the Islands offer great accommodation, good infrastructure and an absolutely astonishing natural backdrop gives the Canaries a great potential to attract golf players from Northern Europe.Another advantage is the increasing number of low cost air carriers that are making a holiday to the Islands af-fordable to a very broad public. GolfCanarias.org was formed to incorporate golf serv-ices, to promote golf tourism and to increase awareness of golf in the Canaries, where the pleasant 24-degree virtually season-free climate allows golf 365 days a year. GolfCanarias.org is an Official Event Organiser for PowerPlay Golf, and also runs the Multi Nations Challenge Cup, which involves 2,000 golfers from 8 nations competing for a € 5,000 team prize. Supported by Heineken and TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, the 2010 Multi Nations Challenge Cup will include a PowerPlay
Golf element. We at Golfcanarias.org add a personal touch to your golf experience. After arrival in Gran Canaria we meet you at the airport and escort you throughout your stay to make sure you will have a su-perb experience both on and off the golf course.
· We organize golf tournaments independently adjusted to the players demands.· We organize glow golf tournaments which is an unique experience to all golfers in Northern Europe.· We organize golf clinics for players of all levels of the game. Our target for our first operational season in 2010, is that we will offer our services to more than 5,000 golf players from the England, Ireland, Wales, the Nether-
lands and the Scandinavian countries. The founders of GolfCanarias.org are Gary Stevens, originally from England and Nils-Erik Nilsen, origi-nally from Norway. Gary Stevens has been organizing golf tournaments for many years in Gran Canaria and Nils-Erik Nilsen has been organizing corporate events for decades in the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands.
Introducing GolfCanarias.org
29www.thecanarynews.com Issue 10 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
PROPERTIES FORSALE - PRIVATE
LAS PALMAS(Escaleritas). 90mS
Three bedroomapartment for sale.
Close to CC La Bellenaand local amenities.
Ideal for families.111,000 EUR.Private sale662 345 910.
PUERTO RICOTwo bedroom apartmentfor sale in sought afterEl Valle complex. Well
maintained partiallyfurnished. Large terrace
and balcony.Parking space included.
218,000 EUR.
Private sale: 928 726 708
PROPERTIES FOR SALE - AGENTSA HOME IN THE SUN -GRAN CANARIA Sales andRentals wanted for waitingclients Tel:928 142 675 or605 421 213 Email:[email protected](JUL16)—---------------------------Puerto Rico, West Hill Puerto Sol - Studio, bed(s)67.000 Euros 20675-LM***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Puerto Rico, East Hill Corona Rosa Apartment, 1 bed(s)Good Opportunity62.000 Euros - 20712-LM***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Arguineguín, CenterFlat, 2 bed(s)New construction in the cen-tre, very close to the beach172.000 Euros - 21254-LE***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Arguineguín, CenterFlat, 1 bed(s)New construction in the cen-tre, very close to the beach136.000 Euros - 21290-LE***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Arguineguín, Patalavaca Vista CanariaStudio, 1 bed(s)Exellent location99.000 Euros21454-AK***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Puerto Rico, West Hill
Apartment, 1 bed(s)Great value!100.000 Euros21468-MV***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Arguineguín, Patalavaca Doñana Apartment, 1 bed(s)160.000 Euros - 21527-AK***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Puerto Rico, CenterApartment, 1 bed(s)Opportunity!!!79.900 Euros21540-LM***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***Maspalomas, El TableroFlat, 2 bed(s)Nice building175.000 Euros - 21548-RS***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***El Salobre GolfVilla, 4 bed(s)Close to the Golf Course510.000 Euros - 21573-LM***CARDENAS REAL ES-TATE, SINCE 1980******Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-granca-naria.com***—-----------------------------------Apartment at the street downto the beach! This apartmentis renovated and furnished.It consists of: One bed-room, bathroom, living-room, kitchen and large balcony. Very good location only a few footstepsto the beach. Price: 120.000 EurosEuropa Real Estate928 765 [email protected] DEL INGLÉS,OUTSTANDINGBUNGALOWWITH GARAGE AT THEBEACH PROMENADE. This unique dreamhouse with aprox. 100m2 living area and largeprivate garden consists of living-diningroom, kitchen,2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,large terrace and solariumwith spectacular view to thedunes of Maspalomas andocean. The bungalow isequipped with all luxury.Heated communityswimmingpool.PRICE:588.000, EurosEuropa RealEstate 928 765 [email protected] DEL INGLÉS,BEAUTIFUL AND QUIETTOPFLOOR-APARTMENTNEAR THE BEACH. Thistwo-room apartment issituated in a very central and quiet lacation in the
heart of Playa del Inglés. Completely renovated and furnished.Very well maintained buildingcomplex with large pools andtenniscourt. PRICE: 120.000 EurosEuropa Real Estate928 765 [email protected] DEL INGLÉS,TOPFLOOR APARTMENTWITH UNIQUE VIEWS.Breathtaking seaview to thedunes and lighthouse ofMaspalomas. Bedroom andlivingroom have access tothe exeptional large dobbleterrace with whole-day-sun.The beachpromenade is atone-minut-walking distanceand several shoppingcentres are nearby. Sufficientparkingfacilities available.PRICE: 126.000 Euros Europa Real Estate928 765 [email protected] DEL INGLÉS,BUNGALOW WITH GARAGEExcellent and quiet locatedbungalow on a closed plotthat offers perfect privacy.It exists of: 2 bedrooms,livingroom, full fitted kitchen,bathroom, 2 large terracesand private garage. Thisrespected bungalow complexis very quiet and centricalsituated and has a large pooland tenniscourt. Lowmonthly community costs.PRICE: 276.000. Euros Europa Real Estate 928 765 [email protected] AGUSTÍN, GROUNDFLOOR BUNGALOW WITH
LARGE TERRACE ANDSEAVIEW. This bungalowforms part of a small privatecomplex with pool. The beachof San Agustín is only 3minutes walk away and alsothe shopping center isnearby. The bungalow consists of: 1 bedroom, livingroom/kitchen, bathroom and a terrace of 24 m2 with sea view to the beach of Playa del Inglés. The monthly comunity costs are only 40 Euros. PRICE: 138.000 Euros Europa Real Estate: 928 765 [email protected], Duplexbun-galow, consisting of onebedroom, bathroom, built-inkitchen with separate stor-age- /washingroom, living-room with winterterrace andgarden terrace.Completely furnished and equiped with many extras(s.a.airconditioning, telephone etc.) Complex with community-pool and restaurant. PRICE:120.000 Euros Europa Real Estate 928 765813 [email protected], Family housewithout community fees.This wonderful townhouse issituated near the large andwell known shopping center“Atlantico”. With seperatestudy, guest room, barbecuespace and a fantastic sunterrace. Including all possibleluxury equipment.PRICE: 195.000 EurosEuropa Real Estate928 765 813
[email protected] AGUSTÍN, RARELYSALES AT FIRSTBEACHLINE.Chalet with 240m2 living area and 120 m2terrace. Completely ground-floor, luxurious. Furnished, Garage. Wonderful views directly on the ocean.PRICE: 1.700.000 EurosEuropa Real Estate928 765 [email protected], UNIQUEVILLA WITH GUESTHOUSEThis, with the latest moderntechnics, extraordinary wellequipped real estate, offersyou for example, a built-in-whirlpool in the swimmingpooland a private cinemaroom.Plot: 1.000 m2, livingarea:300 m2 PRICE: 1.800.000EurosEuropa Real Estate928 765 [email protected]—-------------------------------------Montaña la Data. Very largevilla situated on 800m2 of land, this villa has a largte terrace and BBQ area and a 50m2 private pool. There is also a project to build a guest house on the land. There are 4 double beds, one is a suite incl; dressign room & Bathroom. Ref: MF620. Price€ 685,000 Tel: 928141202Dream Homes www.dreamhomes-grancanaria.comMontaña la Data Duplex with3 Beds, two Baths and ircon.Panoramic views. WoodenPanelling, private garden withpool, Must be seen.€ 348,000Monte Leon Excellent Opportunity to buy in Monte Leon. This house is valued at €3,450,000 but is much less due to necessity. The poroperty isbuild on 8000m2 of land withfantastic views. There is a guesthouse with 2 beds and 2 baths.
Main house 3 double beds,games room & large kitchen.To place a classified advert, simply fill in the coupon on page 31 and drop it off at Properties Abroad,near Santander Bank, C.C. Puerto Rico. Email: [email protected] or Tel: 928 774 818Beautiful dining areaoverlooking mountains and pool.House 425m2. Luxury propertyin one of the best areas in theSouth. Ref: ML612Price €2,200,000www.dreamhomesgrancanaria.Playa del Inglés. Beautifulbungalow for sale in Playa delInglés. The bungalow has 2 bedrooms(one double and one singlebedroom), 1 bathroom andair conditioning. It has been fullyrefurbished (including electricsand plumbing) throughout. Thecomplex offers a very well main-tained communal swimmingpool and gardens. Ref. PI594.Price: €210,500. Tel.928141202Dream Homeswww.dreamhomesgrancanaia.comLas Palmas. Apartment for salein Playa de Las Canteras. It hastwo bedrooms, one bathroomand a terrace (70m2) with fantasticsea views. The price also includesone car parking space.Ref:LP569.Price:€399,950.Tel: 928141202.www.dreamhomesgrancanaia.com
To place a classified advert, simply fill in the coupon on page 31 and drop it off at Properties Abroad,near Santander Bank, C.C. Puerto Rico. Email: [email protected] or Tel: 928 774 818
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
CONTACT US TO ShARE YOUR NEWS AND CELEBRATE YOUR ANNIVERSARIES.SEE PAGE 31 FOR MORE INFORMATION
30 The Canary News - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Issue 11 www.thecanarynews.com
PROPERTIES TO LETSonnenland. 1 bedroom apart-ment. With terrace, pool and seaview. Includes, TV, washing machine. Fully furnished. EUR 450 pcm. all inclusive. Tel. 665 520 979.Maspalomas. BeautifulBungalow, 1 Bed, 2 terraces in acomplex with Communal Pool.Very Quiet and clean, onlyminutes from Faro 2. Monthlyrent includes Water, electricityand cleaning. Ref: MP603 Price€800 Month. el: DreamHomes: 928 141202.Maspalomas. Fabulous 1 BedApartment, refurbishedoverlooking Sand Dunes. Lightand Airy, Air Con.withdishwasher, Washing Machineetc. Marble floors, only stepsfrom the beach. Ref: MP546Price €1,000 month. Tel:928141202.www.dreamhomesgrancanaria..comTafira. Fantastic villa , 5 Bed, 4Bath. Chimney and PrivateGarden with huge terrace of219m2. Garage for 3 cars.Unfurnished and available forlong term rental. Ref: TA583.Price €1,600 Month.Playa del InglésLuxury 1 bed apartment nearPlaya Del Inglés. Luxury 1 Bedapartment nearYumbo. Fullyfurnished & equipped, 550€ permonth + electric. 646 096 917.(JUL02)3 bed Luxury VillaMeloneras Sleeps 6 luxuryvilla long term let 1200€ permonth Fab, safe complex withpool, onsite shop, restaurant(JUL02)3 bed Luxury VillaMeloneras Sleeps 6 luxuryvilla long term let 1200€ permonth Fab, safe complex withpool, onsite shop, restaurant andbar, near beach and Faroshopping Call: 687 152 470(JUL02)Guesthouse MelonerasRooms available in modernMeloneras guesthouse withSky and internet on greatcomplex with pool, shop,restaurant and bar near beach,shopping, nightlife 200€ perweek per room (2 can share 100€ each) 500€ per month long
term (2 can share 250€ each)Call: 687 152 470 (JUL02)Apartments & BungalowsTo Rent from 475€Contact: HOME IN THE SUNTel. 605 421 213www.homeinthesun.euPuerto Rico, spacious 1 bedroomapt for rent. Large bedroom withfitted wardrobes,livingroom/kitchen, bathroomwith washing machine, large ter-race. Close to CC europa. 480€per month, water and electricityincluded up to a limit. Available1st October. Tel:928756989 after 6pmAnfi Tauro, 3 Bed LuxuryDuplex, Golf Facing, FullyFurnished, Jaccuzzi, CommunityPool, 1200 pcm. Tel: 687153645
LEISURERoger’s Ramblers meetevery Tuesday from MidOctober to the end of April. On average walk is about 4 hours with areason-able amount of ascentand descent.All walks are free and at your own risk. If you areinterested contact Rambling Roger on928 798150 or 666 170 553,or by email [email protected]
FOR SALEZanussi ZD23 Fridge/Freezer(3.5) White New UnusedH168 W55. €225. Tel671192457Dishwasher CorberoSuprema New Unused White.€225. Tel 671192457Cot, Bedding, Mini, Bouncer,Changing Station, Library, Allfrom El Corte Inglés.Excellent Condition. StaceyWilliams. Tel 928 726 941Almost new SONY BRAVIAKDL 40V3000, 40inch,bought9 months ago €1200, inclpaperwork. Yours for ONLY€700 Call Tomas 666987495
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Everything Included: Boat,Client Contracts, etc. 10years of proven success fullydocumented put 23000€ in your pocket every month a lifetime opportunity 250.000€928 561 960 (JUL02)Seamstress Top Quality, Low Prices Covers for hot tubs,pools, cars, boats Awnings for homes, terraces, stores, boats Furniture reupholstered Violetta 660 061 179
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cARSWanted: Fiat Punto withMechanical problem - From01, or other small car, cleanbody, Reg in Gran Canaria.Tel: 629 645 591Toyota RAV4 1998,Automatic transmission, AC,like new tires,4x4, 2 door,good condition, dark green,ITV till SEP 2010 for only3500! Call Tomas 666987495
HEALTHGinseng on Gran Canary! Come and visit the only Ginseng Garden at Maspalomas, Monte Leon! Only one tour per month: Saturday, December 5th, 2009, 11am - 5 pm For more informa-tion call Joerg: 692 764349 or mailto: [email protected] www.florafarm.de
cHARITIESFree tandem bike rides for blind people or people with any other physical disability who are unable to ride a bike by themselves. Also free excursions into the mountains in my car for people in wheelchairs together with a com-panion. Minibus trips can also be arranged at an agreed reasonable cost. For more information call Franz at 699 124 985.WANTED. Second hand books, in good condition, to be sold in support of Registered Childrens’ Charities 1) RUBBISH DUMP CHILDREN in Cambodia 2) ORPHANS/ SCHOOLprojects in China. Please drop books off at Bar Wine and Marmalade, Arguineguin. dona-tions gratefully received. Contact [email protected] Together we can make a differenceWANTED Used tandem bike in good condition to take blind people on rides Please call Franz on 699 124 985Drinking Problem?International, Englishspeaking AA meetings everyFriday at the church in theKasbah (door on the lefthand side) Playa del Inglés,8.30pm. Monday 12pm inSan Fernando, behind Market Maspalomas and Tuesday 7pm at the Catholic Church (enter by the stairway on the right hind side),Behind the taxi rank next tothe police station.Do you believe that you havea problem with alcohol?Perhaps you are looking orsome help? AlcoholAnonymous meet in Telde onMondays and Thursdays from20.00 until 21.30.Call 928 202 638TARA CAR-BOOT SALEEVERY SATURDAY - 8 AMAT PARADISE LOSTFree Entrance for shoppersand registered charity car-bootsellers. Non-charity sellersDONATE only 5 Euros foreach stall. Please bring yourown display supports. Comeand enjoy the friendlyatmosphere at the TARACommunity Car-Boot Sale tofind the best purchasebargains in town and helpabandoned and abusedanimals to boot.To donateuseable toys, clothing,household items, furniture,books, sportingequipment...WHATEVER...tohelp our fund-raising effortsplease contact us. ContactSanna Tel: 620 978 709;Email: [email protected] to pick up yourdonated items if you cannotdeliver them to the car-bootsale. Volunteers always gladlywelcomed.TARA Animal Respect
Association, A registered,Non-profit Canarian AnimalCharity Tel: 607 671 617Email: [email protected]: www.tara-animales.orgPARADISE LOST - locatedbetween Arguineguín andPuerto Rico. Take the Balitoexit (#1 Bus) and continue tothe BIG CIRCUS TENTTARA Animal Charity Shop200 sq. mtrs. In Arquinequin67 Tanausu near Pino Secofamily park Monday thru Sat-urday 10am till 4+pm Donated items at great prices! 607 671 617 or www.tara-animales.orgTARA Charity Dog PensionHOME AWAY FROM HOMEBeautiful Location – YourPet Cared for By Dog LoversLow Prices – Great Care 607671 167Arguineguin CulturalSocietymeets everyThursday at Tío Pepe bar
- Qualified English mechanic- Quality car/boat repairs- Major repairs- Servicing- ITV- Inspection- Free Estimate
MeChANIC
Call Trevor671 050 135 or
671 714 356
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31www.thecanarynews.com Issue 10 - Friday 20th November - Thursday 3rd December 2009 - The Canary News
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PROPERTIES ABROAD LOCAL40B PhASE 3 C.C. PUERTO RICO NEAR SANTANDER BANK or ALADDINS CAVE LOCAL 82 C.C. ANCORA CENTRE ARGUINEGUIN. Private classified adverts must be pre-paid cashDEADLINE 12 NOON FRIDAY
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near Santander Bank, C.C. Puerto Rico. Email: [email protected] or Tel: 928 774 818
from 20.00 at the C.C. Ancorain Arguineguín. As mentionedpreviously in TCN, the groupwere looking for a place tobuild up our string puppetstage and to train people inthe making and operating ofstring puppets. The group hasnow found a suitable placein Arguineguín and if anyoneis interested in joining themplease call Peter on 639 229414 and go to the meetingson Thursdays.Grupo Montañero deMogan. Every Sunday allthrough the year this group ar-ranges guided walks inthe magnificent mountainsand beautiful valleys of GranCanaria. The walks areguided, and the memberscome from all over Europe,and also many Canarianmembers. Meeting place:Commercial Centre Ancora,Arguineguin. Time 08.00.Departure 08.15. Leavingfrom San Fernando (Viuda deFranco) 08.00 or 08.30. Formore information call before12.00 on Fridays 689 919 580Can you spare a few hourseach week to help feed strayand abandoned cats in SanAgustin? There are specialfeeding places, all the catsare sterilised, have namesand are very healthy. Of course, we will buy the cat food. We only want help to give the food to the cats.Please call Chris-tina on 928770 019 for more information.Join the library inMaspalomas with your NIEnumber and passport andpicture or residencia. Nocharge. English books andother European languagestoo. Also free internetaccess.!! The library hoursare 8.00 am till 2.30 pm and3.30 pm to 10 pm Monday toFriday. Biblioteca MunicipalMaspalomas, Casa delCultura Maspalomas, AvdaDe Tejeda 72Phone 928 720 035Amigos contra el Sida is acharity that provides supportfor people with HIV andAids and has informationabout sexually transmitted
diseases Amigos contra elSida - Friends against AidsAv. Alejandro del Castillo,Mercado Municipal, 2º floorSan Fernando MaspalomasContact: 695 578 004Timetable: Tuesday and Thurs-day - 9:00 to 15:00 hour.Amigos contra el Sida CalleEl Escorial nº 7, VecindarioTeléfono: 928 149 570Timetable: Monday to Friday- 9:00 to 14:00 hour. Website:www.amigoscontraelsida.orgSupport Maria Templeman’sDog Rescue. You can findMaria’s stall in Arguineguinmarket on Tuesdays and
Mogan market on Fridays.You can also find Maria inMaspalomas market next tothe big, main flood light onWednesdays and Saturdays.Money raised from Maria’sstall goes to funding dogrescue in Gran Canaria,including vet and kennel feesand re-homing dogs.
TALENT SEARcHIs your child talented? can heor she sing and dance?We are looking for children totake part in our ChristmasPantomime.Auditions will beheld locally,For moreinformation please contact
MISc.Bi-lingual lady seeks English na-tive tongue people to exchange Spanish classes/conversation for English conversation practice. Please call Gloria on 928 714 390 or 650 403 640.
