HealtH crisis respite

Doctors’ strike postponed

Page 3

love is in tHe air

Valentine specials

Pages 11, 18 & 19

Fiesta Focus

Carnival 2015

Pages 26 & 27

arona music Festival

FIMA underway

Page 8

739February 5 – February 18, 2015

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TiP-ToP Tourism

FITUR’s fabulous figuresThe annual International Tourism Fair, FITUR, opened its doors for companies and professionals in the travel sector for five days between January 28 and Febru-ary 1, announcing great results for Spain and the Canary Islands.FiTur 2015 was represented by 165 nations with over 9,000 companies present, and an estimated 200,000 peo-ple passing through the institución Ferial in madrid.According to the uN’s World Tourism organ-sation there were 1,138 million interna-tional tourists during 2014, with nearly 65 million of those choosing spain for their holiday – which is an increase of 7.1 per cent on the previous year. Around 13 mil-lion of those tourists visited the Canaries, with Tenerife accounting for 5,145,877 of them, which is a two per cent rise over the past 12 months. over four million stayed in resorts in south Tenerife; and 60.3 per cent of those had already vis-ited the island, which is a three per cent rise on returning holidaymakers. n

mArkeT orgANisers iN limbo

Anger at Pinolere closureThe suspension of the pop-ular ‘Pinolere se mueve’ Sunday market in Puerto de la Cruz has caused out-rage for many, with still no suitable explanations from the town hall about their drastic course of action.For more than two years the art and crafts market operated from the Plaza de europa, offering a variety of artisan products and serv-ices and fast becoming a local tourist attraction, but organisers and stallhold-ers were left stunned just before Christmas when it was suddenly suspended. The reason given was for a violation against town ordi-nance and a relating police report, dating back to Feb-ruary 2014, where the com-missioner asked local politi-cians for clarification about which markets are allowed to be held in which loca-tions. in the past there have

been many town markets, and some had permits while others were simply ‘toler-ated’. However, none of those markets were ever officially registered with the town ordinance. Among many, the Zech pub-lishing company, who had a stall on the Pinolere market, wants to fight back against the decision. “As local trad-ers we have made enormous

efforts to make this market one of the must-sees of Puerto de la Cruz.” Verena Zech explained in an open letter to town mayor, sandra rodríguez. “in contrast to the markets in front of the la Cúpula commercial cen-tre and bus-station – both of which disappeared months ago – our market has been well-organised by mercados del Atlántico sl; provid-

ing trained staff, excellent equipment, quality-con-trol, advertising and stable prices. All stands were well-presented and appealed to tourists and locals alike.” Almost 50 stallholders have also sent a petition to the mayor, but as yet there has been no reply.After a council meeting to discuss the matter in late January was cancelled at

short notice, market organ-isers were told that dis-cussions were in place on whether to allow a crafts market with 60 stalls for a duration of six months, but for many it’s still too vague and is now being unneces-sarily overcomplicated and drawn out, which is making life hard for the traders.specialising in crafts, books and typical foods, many of the stallholders financially rely upon the market – and since it opened in 2012 no one had ever objected to it being there. “my family depends on the Pinolere for income and it’s espe-cially frustrating that a police report filed in Feb-ruary led to a suspension right before Christmas – our most important time of the year!”, lidia said; detail-ing the difficulties many are now facing through loss of earnings. n

The Sunday market was a popular town attraction

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HeAlTH AuTHoriTies’ WArNiNg

Flu outbreak to worsenThe worst of the current outbreak of flu in the Canaries is still to come, the region’s health authorities have warned as cases continue to rise across the islands.With several weeks still to go before the ‘flu season’ ends, the number of cases reported is already higher than for last year and health centres and hospital emergency Depart-ments are being stretched to the limit as staff try and deal with the influx of patients. Health officials recently admit-ted that the peak in cases has still not arrived despite the surge experienced during the height of the cold weather in January. “We expect to reach 300 cases per 100,000 of the population in the near future, well above last year’s peak of 170, but it is hard to predict exactly when it will occur.” said a spokesman, adding that the situation would be even worse were it not for the success of the flu vacci-nation programme that commenced back in october. n

Fire HiTs ComPlex

Locked door probe

Residents of an apartment complex in Playa de Las Améri-cas say they, “feared for their lives” after an early-morn-ing fire broke out and led to the evacuation of almost one hundred people.one of the residents, Victoria Hernández, described how the emergency services had, “major problems” arranging the 7am evacuation given that several entrances to the san rafael Apartments next to las Verónicas had been sealed permanently by the administration a few days ear-lier. This was done in an attempt to stop vandalism and prevent squatters from occupying apartments.The blaze completely destroyed Apartment 37, which is owned by 40-year-old saharan, Daniel idaali, who was not at home at the time. in addition to the probe into the fire itself, which unconfirmed sources said may have been started deliberately, the complex may face an investigation into why firemen had to make a detour of some 300 metres to access the only usable entrance. “The delay could have resulted in a tragedy.” said Vic-toria, who had to be helped by san rafael security staff as she tried to get her family, including her 70-year-old partially disabled father and young daughter, away from the blaze near her home. n

lA lAguNA uNiVersiTy

Faculty move threat

The Canarian Parliament recently approved a law to guarantee dignity and choice for chronically and terminally ill patients. The Dignified Death Act, as it is known for short (or law for the rights and guarantees of dignity for people in the final process of their lives, to give it its full title) aims to ensure that a seriously ill or terminal patient has the right to choose which kind of care they wish

to undergo. This covers a wide range of options from the abil-ity to decide which sort of pal-liative support they want to benefit from, to the right to refuse treatment. Though the law was not with-out its opposition, particu-larly from the conservative PP party which abstained from the voting, the bill was passed smoothly. The decree also clearly defines the man-ner in which the health serv-

ice is responsible for ensur-ing that individuals’ wishes are concurred with, as well as providing protection for health workers in these dif-ficult situations. Despite reports from some areas, the law is not an explicit sanction of euthanasia.To clarify any doubts that have occurred, we shall be looking at the implications of the new directive in further depth in the next issue. n

Relations between La Laguna University and the city have reached a low point with a direct threat by the vice-chan-cellor to move the big Faculty of Education to Santa Cruz.The row began when city offi-cials apparently rejected plans by the university to extend the site of the faculty, which lies next to a popular park and a primary school, in order to reduce the current over-crowding.students and staff have complained for years at the cramped conditions of the old building, which is in need of extensive modernisation. The obstacles raised by officials to the extension have sparked a bitter conflict between the two sides, with local media reporting that the vice-chan-cellor has warned that he will listen to offers from la lagu-na’s arch-rival santa Cruz, a few kilometres down the road, to accommodate the faculty and its 2,600 students. sen-ior council officials are said

to be very unhappy at the threat and the vice-chancel-lor’s spokesman’s suggestion that they should, “check with shops and cafeterias in the

city.” to see if they are will-ing to lose the revenue gen-erated by the students. one official, who did not wish to be named, retorted that it was not

la laguna’s fault that the uni-versity adds to its overcrowd-ing problem by admitting stu-dents for courses offering few career prospects. n

Firefighters encountered “major problems” dealing with apartment complex blaze

PATieNT CAre

Dignified death

The Dignified Death Act was recently approved by the Canarian Parliament

Students have been complaining about cramped conditions for years

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 3CANARY ISLANDS

HeAlTH serViCe Crisis

Doctors’ strike avertedAn indefinite stoppage by thousands of doc-tors across the Canaries has been put on hold for the time being to give the Canarian Health Service (CHS) time to respond to demands for a review of working conditions.The strike action looked imminent as condi-tions at health centres and hospitals contin-ued to worsen due to the annual surge in flu cases, coupled with ever-longer waiting lists for operations. Doctors’ unions say the service has repeatedly broken promises to improve staff-ing levels and resolve other workplace issues in recent years and the only way to force the government to take the demands seriously was to refuse to work.However, an emergency meeting between union reps and senior CHs management produced an agreement to delay the strike until officials could prepare a report setting out which mea-sures were feasible and which were impossible due to central government orders, including the strict ceiling on replacing retiring staff. The doctors have been promised that 50 new beds would enter service at the end of Feb-ruary in the new Tenerife North Hospital to

alleviate demand on the island’s two main hospitals. n

50 new beds have been promised for the Tenerife North Hospital to help cope with demand

gesTure oF equAliTy

Party gives back passes’

The current attempts by political parties to present a squeaky-clean image in the run-up to the local and regional elections in May have seen some bizarre examples of honesty, including one by Sí Se Puede.The party is hoping to cap-italise on the growing sup-port for anti-systemic parties here and abroad, as reflected in the victory by the anti-aus-

terity champions, syriza, in greece. The party’s two coun-cillors in santa Cruz made a show of returning the free passes that they, like their council colleagues, receive for the major Carnival shows and events. “People queue for hours to buy tickets for these events and we should set an example. We should not be placed one step above those we represent, and freebies like

this should be banned as they create separate classes of cit-izens.” said one of the two councillors, Asunción Frías, as she handed back the passes to the Carnival organisers. The gesture has been wel-comed by some, who want all such privileges to be with-drawn from officials, but criti-cised by others, who see it as a publicity-seeking stunt by sí se Puede. n

Party members returned their free passes for major carnival events as a gesture of fairness

4 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006CANARY ISLANDS

TierrA blANCA FuNDrAiser

Hope for the futureTierra Blanca animal refuge is proudly hosting a free Valen-tine fundraiser at Picasso’s Bar in Island Village, San Eugenio, on February 14.The centre is looking to improve on last year’s total of €1,300 and hopes to raise in excess of the estimated €2,000 needed to buy the veterinary supplies and ultra-sound equipment required for the 500 dogs at the refuge, along with the many new arriv-als they receive, especially at this time of year. Tierra blanca also hopes to collect dog food and pet items from generous donators on the day, and is putting on quite an event to appeal to people’s kindness. A

barbecue will be on offer, along with a grand raffle with fan-tastic prizes. Tickets are only €1 each and are now available at island Village, with all pro-

ceeds going solely to the Tierra blanca animal shelter. Also, use of the swimming pool is available for guests and fami-lies attending the event; so if

you go along be sure to bring a towel and checkout the resort’s pool regulations.The fundraiser is hosted by one of the shelter’s former inhabitants, Diego, along with his loving owner, Dian edge, and Tierra blanca would like to thank Picasso’s bar for agreeing to stage the event and allow use of their bar and pool area; as well as pro-viding free entertainment for the occasion. While the fun-draiser is free to attend, the refuge hopes that visitors may donate an optional €5 to go towards their target, and bring along any items that could benefit the animals sheltered at Tierra blanca. n

Tierra Blanca hopes to raise money for the 500 plus animals sheltered there

sAN isiDro HousiNg HiTCH

Surge in squatters

Residents of the town of San Isidro in Granadilla have voiced concern that their area is gradually turning into a magnet for squatters.Numerous apartments, in blocks which have been left unsold or unfinished due to the economic crisis, seem-ingly now have non-paying guests. local media have car-ried various stories in recent weeks of the occupation of entire blocks in five san isidro streets by groups of south Americans and North Africans, who rig up their own water and electricity supplies. All 48 apartments in one large block in Calle la graci-osa are said to be filled by squatters and the local coun-cil appears unable to stem the tide of new arrivals, most of whom appear to be unemployed and live on handouts or by begging. The squatters defend their right to occupy the empty buildings and have offered to leave if the owners, banks in most cases, succeed in selling them; a prospect that seems highly remote at present. They add that they are, “doing the owners a favour” by being a permanent pres-ence that deters thieves from looting the premises and removing windows, doors and fittings, as has occurred elsewhere in the town. n

San Isidro is encountering an increase in squatters

russiAN Tourism uP

Online booking boomDespite reports of fresh prob-lems with the Russian rouble and the bankruptcies of some major tour operators, online bookings from Russia to the Canaries have actually dou-bled compared to this time last year, and numbers have risen in many other holiday destina-tions as well.The latest figures, posted by the russian non-governmental news agency, interfax, put into context the current negativity being expressed in some quar-ters, and gives renewed opti-mism that the russian online tourist market will continue to grow and may even dou-ble again next year. research

agency, Data insight, predicts that the market would carry on growing by as much as 40 to

50 per cent in 2016, even if the currency continues to depreciate.The trend towards online services has helped russian holidaymakers enormously, because although depreciation of the rouble has meant that the average cost per night in the Canaries has increased by the equivalent of just over €18, more visitors want to come any-way. With online sites offer-ing the flexibility, options and offers that established travel agencies cannot, the shift to these services has been hugely significant.meanwhile, following the col-lapse of several major travel

companies in russia, many others are seeing a decline in demand in all sectors, with some announcing a serious reduction in winter options. The rise in travellers ‘going it alone’ and booking through online operators is proving to be a massive competitive blow for them during this period of downturn. However, many experts believe that such com-petition is a good thing in the long-run, and holiday tourism in russia will improve and offer wider options as a result of these shifting trends. n

DomesTiC VioleNCe Probe

Suspicion of favouritismThe controversy over allegations of domestic violence against one of the Canaries’ best-known politi-cians shows little sign of going away even though a Gran Canaria judge has ordered no further action to be taken.senior Psoe party figure and euro mP, Juan Fernando lópez Aguilar, who ran for the regional presidency in 2007, was accused by his 30-year-old stepson gorka of abusing his wife – gorka’s mother – earlier in January.

However, the formal complaint made to police was withdrawn the following day and was attributed to a, “mis-reading” of an injury sustained by the woman in her las Palmas home. The high-profile politician warned media over the publication of the leaked police report and hinted at possible legal action for the dam-age caused to his reputation. it has

now emerged that an influential body which was set up to campaign for equal treatment of all people by the law is calling for an investigation into why lópez Aguilar, a former spanish justice minister, was not treated in the same way as other men reported for domestic violence. According to digital paper the Diario de Tenerife, which was first to report the case, the seville-based People’s Platform for equality, led by former judge Francisco serrano, is demanding

answers as to why the entire matter was dropped so quickly. “We would like to know, following the complaint to police, whether mr lópez Aguilar was taken into custody as thousands of men are in such cases, even if later found to be innocent. We also want to know why criminal proceed-ings have not been launched against the stepson for making the false accu-sation.” said a spokesman. n

Senior political figure accused of receiving preferential treatment

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5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 5PROMOTION

6 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

The Las Palmas Carnival, which this year began on Jan-uary 31, continues to be at the centre of a bitter war between a group of local residents and the city council over the noise generated by the three weeks of street partying every year. The din and general nuisance caused by the revelry, including binge drinking and loud music all night in the vicinity of the santa Catalina Park, prompted the residents to launch legal proceedings several

years ago. The dispute reached spain’s supreme Court, which ordered the authorities to move all but the big stage shows to other locations. After discover-ing that the council had gone back on instructions issued in 2012 to protect their right to peace and quiet, people living in an apartment block in one of the streets most affected by the noise secured an injunc-tion on January 23 banning the area from being used. The injunction was granted

after Carnival organisers were given time to submit their reasons for reoccupying the district. However the argu-ments were dismissed and the council’s legal team has been working hard to prepare a more comprehensive case proving that everything has

been done to take the rights of the complainants - includ-ing issues such as noise, extra traffic and the rubbish gener-ated - into account. At the time of going to press, the court’s decision on the council’s appeal was not avail-able. n

SPECIAL

CArlA FAlls AT FirsT HurDle

Star’s ups and downs

Gran Canaria tennis player Carla Suárez has had a reason-able start to 2015, although she was very disappointed not to make better progress in the Australian Open.The 26-year-old from las Palmas went into melbourne confident of repeating previous performances in the tour-nament, including her quarter final appearance in 2009, but was among the big names to fall at the first hurdle, losing to germany’s Carina Witthoeft 6-3, 6-1. The first-round exit - her first in six years in the Australian open -was a big blow to the Canarian, who was seeded 15th, par-ticularly in view of the January form which saw her reach the last eight in the brisbane and sydney tournaments, picking up 200 ranking points and around €35,300 in the process. To make matters worse, suárez and fellow-spaniard garbiñe muguruza, the 6th seed, crashed out of the women’s doubles in the second round. n

CArNiVAl DisTurbANCe

Row continues in courts

FesTiVAl’s Poor ATTeNDANCe

Ticket prices blamed

The end of the season is still a long way off but football fans in south Tenerife could well have something to cheer about come June as local side CD Marino continue their determined push for promotion to Division 2B.The los Cristianos team are currently locked in a fascinat-

ing battle with lanzarote at the top of the Canary islands’ Divi-sion 3 group.unbeaten after the first half of the season, marino would have been out of sight as pace-setters had it not been for the many draws recorded, includ-ing against theoretically weaker

opposition. Fans at the Anto-nio Domíngez stadium in Playa de las Américas are crossing their fingers that the table-topping form will continue in the second half of the season, and that marino will feature in the promotion play-offs against another regional group winner.

The club, founded in 1936, has spent a total of six sea-sons in Division 2b during its long history, the last being in 2012-13 when it coincided with its more illustrious rivals, Tenerife, who went on to win the league and promotion to Division 2. n

The Canaries’ Classical Music Festival, which started in mid-January, is under fire for ticket prices in its big venues fol-lowing media pictures of a semi-empty hall for one top concert.renowned conductor, krzyz-tof Penderecki, led the Ten-erife symphony orchestra at

the Alfredo kraus Auditorium in las Palmas on January 22 and was confronted with the sight of around half of the 1,600 seats lying empty for the performance. even taking into account that the orchestra was from the ‘enemy island’ and may not have captured the imagina-

tion of gran Canarian music lovers, the photographs of the big gaps in the hall will cer-tainly have given the festival organisers food for thought. The five week event includes a total of 10 concerts in the Alfredo kraus, with tickets for the entire programme costing up to €420, which the organ-

isers stress is a 40 per cent discount on the price of tickets purchased separately. Critics of the calls for a price review point out that the top-notch concerts are no more expensive than other popular spectator events, including home games of the las Pal-mas football side. n

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uNbeATeN AND HoPeFul

Marino look to the big time

Residents are upset by the ongoing carnival parties

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 7SPECIAL

AeNA ArgumeNT

Canaries to block privatisation

The Canarian government is leaving no stone unturned in its latest battle with cen-tral government in Madrid; this time over the latter’s plans to privatise the Span-ish Airports Authority (AENA), which controls all the islands’ airports.initial news of the plans a few months ago prompted the government to request that management responsi-

bility for Canarian airports, which are among the most profitable in the country and have posted record passenger numbers of late, should be handed over to the region to ensure that the island’s needs are not harmed by the sale of nearly half of AeNA to pri-vate hands. unsurprisingly, the request went unheeded and the government now plans to seek an injunction

from the supreme Court to prevent madrid from pro-ceeding. “madrid cannot sell what does not belong to it.” said a spokesman for the government, which believes that legislation governing the Canary islands’ autonomy as a self-governing region allows for the airports to be transferred to regional con-trol if not managed directly by the state. n

Tenerife’s international airports are caught in the row

Education minister in jobs promiseDetails of hundreds of new teaching posts to be opened up by the Canarian Department of Education have still to be finalised through negotiations with unions but the government has already made it known that it will “do everything possible” to avoid a flood of applicants from mainland Spain for the competitive exams due to be held to fill the jobs. At the last exams in 2013, 22% of the teaching posts on offer went to mainland can-didates. education minister José miguel Pérez defended the delay in confirming that nearly 350 permanent posts would be offered across all lev-els of non-university education this coming summer. Accord-ing to Pérez, his Department had to wait until 31 December for details of imminent teacher

retirements. “i would love to have been able to announce thousands of new posts but our hands are tied by madrid’s rules on the number of retire-ments we are allowed to replace with new blood. it is ludicrous but that is the situ-ation” said Pérez, who prom-

ised to time the examinations in such a way as to ensure they coincide with similar proce-dures elsewhere in spain, thus preventing too many mainland candidates from potentially taking a significant portion of the new jobs. n

8 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006CANARY ISLANDS

FuerTeVeNTurA ArTeFACT

Rains lead to find

The history of Fuerteventura has received a valuable con-tribution from an unlikely source.The rare heavy rain which fell on the island recently caused runoff erosion in Pájara that uncovered what local archae-ologists think could be the first of several significant finds in the area. Three large earthenware pots believed to date back to pre-Hispanic times, before the Canaries were con-quered in the late 15th century, were discovered by hik-ers in the area and the authorities are keeping the exact location under wraps for the moment to have a chance to investigate if more remains are buried nearby.“The pots are in great condition and have been fully pre-served under the surface. We will be examining them in great detail to see if there are any traces of the type of food they might have contained all those centuries ago.” said a spokesperson at the Cabildo’s heritage department, which has urged anyone making a similar find on the island to report it immediately and not to disturb the site so as not to damage the materials. n

Earthenware pots have been in use for thousands of years

remAiNs iDeNTiFieD

Mysterious death baffles police

Human remains found in woodland have been confirmed as those of missing Gran Canaria man.Human remains found on New year’s Day by a tourist cou-ple as they hiked in the hills in gran Canaria have been confirmed as those of a san mateo man who disappeared in November.Pedro Hernández, aged 53, went missing on November 15, sparking a major hunt in his home area and nearby towns in the north of the island. Parts of his body, believed to be a hand, arm and leg, were found by the two german tourists on the afternoon of January 1 half-buried at the side of a hiking trail in woodland outside gáldar. Although reporting restrictions were ordered by a local judge, it has now been revealed that an initial forensic examination revealed that the missing man had met a very violent death.Police have spent the intervening weeks since the maca-bre discovery searching for other parts at the site, while pathologists carried out DNA tests to establish the iden-tity of the victim, in hope that answers will surface as to what happened to the local man. n

The Pinos de Gáldar woodland

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AroNA musiC FesTiVAl

Fine times at FIMAArona town council’s Interna-tional Music Festival (FIMA) began at the Infanta Leonor Auditorium on January 31 and continues with its impressive programme of concerts and recitals until February 21.The opening show was a con-cert by Arona’s music band from the town council’s own music academy. on February 12 is a concert by the students of the Arona school of music and Dance, which takes place at 6.30pm in the Plaza de la Pescadora in los Cristianos. The next day at 8pm the group of musicians perform the con-cert at the commercial cen-tre City Center in Playa de las Américas.The following six concerts of the festival take place at the infanta leonor Auditorium in los Cristianos:on February 13 is the Asso-ciation of Pulso and Púa from the Arona school of music and Dance. This is a free event with limited seating, so be sure to arrive early. The per-formance begins at 8pm.A piano and flute recital by Christel rayneau and krisz-tina Fejes is the main event for February 17: a touching concert that begins at 8pm, entrance is €3.An impressive guitar recital by marco Tamayo is the highlight on February 18, providing a real treat for budding guitar-ists and lovers of the instru-

ment. marco takes to the stage at 8pm and admission for the show is €3.Fábio brum and krisztina Fejes entertain the audito-rium with a trumpet and piano recital on February 19. The event starts at 8pm and tick-ets are €3.A trombone and piano recital

follows on the festival pro-gramme on February 20. scott Hartman and krisz-tina Fejes take to the stage at 8pm and tickets for the concert are €3.The international music Fes-tival of Arona concludes on February 21, and the spe-cial closing concert will be a

trombone, trumpet, flute and guitar spectacular by all the featured musicians and per-formers of this year’s FimA. entrance for the final show is free, although arrive early to be sure of a seat. The start time is 8pm.Arona’s Culture Department, the Arona school of music and Dance, the Arona Tour-ist board, The youth organi-sation, and the Arona social-Cultural music Association hope visitors and residents go along to the events, enjoy the organised concerts and recit-als, and help support FimA 2015, which is now in its sixth edition.The main venue for the festi-val, the infanta leonor Audito-rium in los Cristianos, opened its doors in 2011, becom-ing a modern and culturally important venue for the area. it is well-equipped and able to accommodate most musi-cal, theatrical and cinematic performances, as well as host exhibitions, conferences and business events. it has a seat-ing capacity for 700 people, is fully air-conditioned and has excellent facilities. it also has a cafeteria with a large terrace overlooking the town centre which is open from 8am till midnight.For more information on FimA visit Arona borough council’s website: www.arona.org or phone on 922 761 600. n

Charter flight controversy

gAgAriN ANNiVersAry

Canarian airline Binter has stepped up its attempts to have the authorities in La Palma pay for a charter flight organised nearly four years ago as part of the commem-oration of the 50th anni-versary of the first manned space f l ight by Soviet cosmonaut,Yuri Gagarin.According to the El Día paper, the island Cabildo chartered a plane to fly illustrious guests, including astronaut Neil Arm-strong, the first man to walk on the moon, to take part in

a debate called 108 minutes at the observatory. However, despite promising to pay the

€9,200 cost for the 25 ViPs within 30 days, the corpora-tion has so far failed to come

up with the money, to the great annoyance of binter, who laid on the plane at cost price. The event was staged under the umbrella of the big starmus ‘50 years in space’ Festival in June 2011, which ran up significant debts due to the organisers’ failure to cover the running costs with spon-sorship. Despite the financial troubles, starmus organised a second Festival last septem-ber, with stephen Hawking as the star attraction. n

Binter is still chasing payment for costly VIP flight

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5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 9CANARY ISLANDS

The Dzamling Gar, which is the international centre for the Dzogchen Community based in Playa Paraíso, promoted a variety of activities of Tibetan culture and traditions during January as part of the Khaita Festival.members recently demon-strated Tibetan dance in Ade-je’s Plaza de españa to scores of spectactors who were later invited to participate in evening talks and activities that promoted cultural har-mony and the importance of living together peacefully. The aims of the annual festival are to preserve the country’s cul-ture, language and traditions, and bring joy to the heart and relaxation to the mind. budding buddhists and sup-porters of Tibetan culture will also be interested in the upcoming events held by the ghe Pel ling Centre for Tibetan buddhism in Torviscas, which was founded by the Dalai lama

in italy in the 1970s and only has four branches, one of which is here in Tenerife.The centre offers the teach-ings of mahayana buddhist philosophies and seeks to give answers to those seek-ing a higher spiritual dimen-sion and greater peace and harmony in their daily lives.The ghe Pel ling Centre also provides courses and teach-ings and group or individ-ual seminars by lama Ten-zin khenrab rinpoche who was born in india and was only four years old when the Dalai lama recognised him as the reincarnation of a former rinpoche.Throughout February the cen-tre is hosting a series of events which began on February 1 with a ceremony titled, ‘The offering of Tzog’, which is part of a traditional collective cer-emony known as lama Chopa. This is where practitioners look to accumulate virtuous energy

and purify previous negative actions through group medita-tion, chants and songs authen-tic to traditional practices.The key element to the cere-mony is the tantric Tzog ritual,

based on writings by gaden lha ghia ma and lama Tzong khapa. both texts are compre-hensive and follow the essence of the sutras and tantra. February 14 and 15 sees lama

Tenzin khenrab rinpoche’s teachings on ‘The wheel of sharp weaponry’. This video stream comes live from italy and is simultaneously trans-lated into spanish and italian.

The teachings show in detail how our desires affect our actions in negative ways. This starts at 1pm on both days.February 19 is the Tibetan New year and on February 22 is a ceremony to mark the event starting at 11am. lunch is included if you confirm in advance.February 28 is a session by lama Tenzin khenrab rinpoche streamed live from italy at 1pm which is based on the writings, ‘letter to a friend of Nagarjuna’ by Pandita Nagarjuna. it con-tains a detailed explanation of the buddhist path to enlight-enment.For anyone interested in more information the centre is located on Avenida ernesto sarti in Torviscas bajo, Costa Adeje; opposite exit 30 on the TF-1. Their telephone numbers are 636 997 960 and 666 546 300, and their website is: www.gplingcanarias.org. n

TibeTAN buDDHism

Centre yourself

Demonstration of a traditional Tibetan dance

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10 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

By Barbara Belt

La Gomera enjoys continuing success as a low key, ‘green’ alternative for northern sun-seekers who prefer to avoid the bucolic delights and concrete excesses of mass tourism.The Canaries have all done rel-atively well over the last couple of seasons. uncertainty over personal safety more or less wiped out growing competi-tion from North African and middle eastern winter sun destinations. recent events in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris will deliver the coup de grâce to tourism east of europe. so some europeans will holi-day further west than before; many choosing Central and south America. There is a similar increase in (predomi-nantly british) visitors to the usA, miami in particular, as a stroll along south beach past boozing brits confirms.Not everybody has the means, time, or inclination to travel so far for winter sun. Central and south America present their own challenges. The constant vigilance required to hang on to personal possessions is wear-ing, despite lots of stunning natural beauty and interesting local culture, while miami’s characterless malls and com-mercialism are not to every-one’s taste. in comparison, the Canaries are a good bet for a winter sun shot, being closer, far safer, politically stable -if not stagnant- and sufficiently diverse to offer something for nearly everyone.Within this framework, la gomera caters for the growing

‘green tourism’ niche market: nothing to do with the appear-ance of ferry passengers on bad sea days! green tourists like walking, relaxing, cycling, or just hanging out, in unspoilt, natural environments.The other smaller islands of the province, la Palma and el Hierro, are also green destina-tions, attracting nature lovers and walkers rather than sun and booze fans, but recent fig-ures on tourist occupation lev-els there are disappointing.in el Hierro’s case, this is easily explained by the longer journey required from Tenerife south reina sofia, the near-

est international airport, add-ing both travelling time and expense.la Palma, however, has its own international airport, with arriv-als direct from the uk, ger-many and other northern euro-pean countries, so there is no obvious explanation for the fact that whilst la gomera (with no direct international flights) enjoyed substantial rises in tourist occupation, la Palma logged only an overall seven per cent increase last year. The one million, two hundred thousand plus arrivals there in 2009 constituted an all-time, never-repeated high.

one important factor is that la gomera’s head of tourism, Fernando méndez, is consid-erably more able than is cus-tomary. Casting no doubts on the abilities of his counter-part in la Palma, raúl Cama-cho, there’s nevertheless no doubt that la gomera’s man is tireless and unstoppable in his quest to promote the island. He’s had considerable success to date, which is of course reflected in the number of bods in beds. Now there’s good news that rural tourism, a sector he is a particularly stal-wart supporter of, is enjoying steady growth, with more visi-tors than ever last year opting for country stays.Fernando’s background isn’t irrelevant. He grew up in las Hayas, a small mountain vil-lage in Valle gran rey. His mother efigenia realized the importance of education and foreign language learning as useful tools for the future and somehow managed to send her sons to england for summer courses, at a time when only a few ‘cacique’, elite families of the island, had the imagina-tion and funds to do so.His parents established bar/restaurante la montaña, gen-erally known as Casa efigenia, in the village, offering home grown and homemade food, wine and liqueurs and a wel-come for all visitors. No visit to the island is complete with-out a visit to Casa efigenia in las Hayas. over the years,

outbuildings and ruins close to the family home were care-fully renovated to operate as Casas rurales, (literally trans-lated as rural houses=country cottages).Fernando thus grew up in a family whose business revolved around foreign visitors to the island, providing perfect training for his present job as island head of tourism. He first became a teacher and was young head of the small school at Chipude for a while, coinciding with my one of my stints doing english workshops for school children and teach-ers all over the island. it was a pleasure to arrive at his school in the middle of nowhere, buf-feted by wind and inclement weather. No other school i vis-ited had kids who rushed out to greet me excitedly in english. it made it all seem worthwhile. This man knows his stuff, gets results and has somehow man-aged to maintain the energy for doing a job well despite an often fatal sideways step into politics.Proof is the twenty-six thou-sand, six hundred and four overnight stays in Casas rurales registered during the first eleven months of 2014, constituting a healthy twenty-four per cent increase over the previous year’s figures. Cabildo president Casimiro Curbelo attributes the increase to what’s on offer on the island, compared to other Canarian destinations:

“Tourists come to the island looking for a series of attrac-tions they are unable to find elsewhere. it’s precisely in these areas that we’re trying to maximise potential. All the island’s walking paths are in good condition and well sign-posted. We’re renovating exist-ing ‘miradores’ (viewing points) and building new ones. This demonstrates that we’re con-tinuing to offer quality as our trademark as a tourist destina-tion”, he intoned, perhaps dis-tracted by past misdemeanours now gathering as storm clouds. While the man responsible for the success story, Fernando mendez, says: “la gomera is establishing itself as an increasingly pop-ular destination, thanks not only to growing numbers of visiting cruise ship passen-gers and day trippers, but also to all those visitors who choose to spend their holi-days here in contact with the natural world. This is one of our principal strengths and is, in part, due to the extraordi-nary range of rural accommo-dation offered on the island. These country cottages are an integral, legal part, alongside hotel and self-catering accom-modation, of the island’s tour-ism infrastructure and offer a very high level of service and equipment”.indeed they do. Come and see! n

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lA gomerA’s suCCess

Fernando’s hideaway

The lady herself

Fernando Méndez is doing a wonderful job of promoting La Gomera

The ‘Casas rurales’ are hugely popular

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 11TENERIFE GENERAL

TENERIFE | AVDA. DE LAS AMÉRICAS | 38660 ARONA | HARDROCK.COM

be my valentine / sé mi valentín

WEDDING CHAPEL - WEDDING MASTER – PHOTOGRAPHER /CAPILLA – MAESTRO DE CEREMONIA – FOTÓGRAFO

Come celebrate Valentine´s Day with us /Celebra San Valentín con nosotros

sábado 14, 20hsaturday 14th, 8pm

#THISISHARDROCK

ROCK YOURWEDDINGTU BODA

MÁS ROCKERA

at hard rock cafe

en hard rock cafe

Lovers, couples and anyone with a gushingly romantic dis-position can take full advan-tage of Hard Rock Cafe’s spe-cial event for Saint Valentine’s Day on February 14 –and get married on the big stage!okay, before too many of you start to have a panic attack, the weddings are not real and you won’t leave Hard rock Cafe with a lifelong commitment. However, enormous effort has gone into making the event as authentic and touching as possible, and for the special evening the main stage will be transformed to accommo-date a las Vegas-style wed-ding chapel. The event will also include a master of cere-monies, a photographer – even an elvis impersonator – and clients and diners are encour-aged to profess their love and dedication to their beloved in the atmosphere of an actual

wedding ceremony. each serv-ice will last approximately 10 minutes per couple and will take place between 8pm and 10pm.Hard rock Cafe Tenerife is located in front of the safari Commercial Centre in Playa de las Américas in an enormous venue that is surrounded by good shopping, excellent res-taurants and varied leisure activities. Tenerife is currently the sixth Hard rock Cafe in spain, along with madrid, barcelona, mal-lorca, ibiza and marbella.Fitted with a modern, decora-tive flare, in keeping with the world-renowned Hard rock style, the cafe features two floors for dining and social-ising, two function rooms to cater for all group needs, and two terraces overlooking a beautiful area of the town. And, with more than 100 items

of memorabilia to gaze at as well, HrC Tenerife is a must visit – especially for couples on Valentine’s Night!The venue is part of a chain of themed restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans, isaac Tigrett and Peter morton. The first cafe opened in 1971 in Piccadilly, london. by 1979 the popular cafe had begun decorating its walls with famous rock and roll memo-rabilia, which became a tradi-tion that was carried on with the expansion of other chains. Currently there are nearly 200 Hard rock locations in over 60 countries, including almost 150 cafes. They also have a group of hotels and casinos.so if you’re feeling romanti-cally windswept approaching February 14, book yourself a table at Hard rock Cafe Ten-erife and give your partner a real surprise! n

There’s nowhere that does weddings quite like Vegas!

FuN FACTs

Las Vegas WeddingsTo coincide with Hard Rock Cafe’s mock-wedding promo-tion, which allows diners the opportunity to ‘tie the knot’ on-stage in a specially-con-structed Las Vegas chapel on February 14, we’ve compiled some fun facts on ‘Sin City’ and its notoriety for the nifty nuptials.las Vegas weddings are so com-mon that it’s almost become just another fun thing to do when in town. However, unlike Hard rock Cafe, the ceremo-nies that take place are very much legal and binding. one of the reasons so many people choose Vegas is because it’s so quick and simple; all you need is proof of age and a social security number – or for foreigners another form of iden-tification, such as passport. it’s such big business that almost every major resort and casino has its own chapel and wedding planners are available to take care of all the details. Drive-thru weddings are even avail-able! A special memory Wed-ding Chapel, located on 4th

street, is home to the famous drive-thru wedding window.To get married in Clark County costs only around €55! unsur-prisingly, the most popular days to get wed in las Vegas are Valentine’s Day and New year’s eve.The Chapel of Flowers is one of the oldest establishments for

quick weddings. it has been around for just over 50 years and seen several high-profile ceremonies take place there. many famous people have cho-sen las Vegas for their wed-ding, including elvis Presley, Frank sinatra, Johnny Depp, richard gere, and Demi moore and bruce Willis. n

HArD roCk WeDDiNgs

Saint Valentine special

1� FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

We at Island Connections are sure in the knowledge that one of the best ways to help your-self – and the economy – is to buy locally. Canarian farmers harvest an extensive range of crops, which can be seen growing in the typical stepped-terrain farms around the islands. Products range from tropical fruits, such as mangoes, to worldwide sta-ples like lentils, potatoes and onions.According to the agricultural group CoAg-Canarias, prices of fresh fruits and vegetables dif-fer greatly between the amount the farmers receive and the sale price in the supermarkets. For instance, towards the end of last

year, small marrows, which the farmers were paid just €0.07/kilo for, retailed at €0.84, and leeks sold at €0.36 were passed onto the consumer for around €2.23 a kilo. many of the prices don’t even seem to cover the cost of production - and this is when subsidies became necessary to keep farms from disappearing, which, like the hiked prices, also come out of our pockets.

enter the farmers markets, where the grower can sell directly to the customer with-out an intermediary. They are dotted all over the islands, with at least one in almost every town. They allow customers to purchase fresher, higher qual-ity produce at cheaper prices, and the farmers receive a fair payment for their efforts. This enables them to maintain or

raise the standard of their crops and uphold productiv-ity levels – it’s a win-win situ-ation.in these markets you will be sure to see a variety of seasonal products, as well as some local home-made delicacies such as preserves, honeys and Canar-ian goat’s cheese. A selection of meats and fish can also be found among the stalls,

along with an assortment of cakes, pastries and biscuits. buy locally, eat healthily, pay fairly – this is one way we can all help each other. so, to show our support of local farmers we are taking this timely opportunity to publish the details of the many farm-ers’ markets around the island of Tenerife. enjoy. n

TENERIFE GENERAL

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sANTA CruZ

Anger at market ban on local produce

A ban on the sale of local produce at Santa Cruz’s big daily market has triggered a political spat. The veto came to light when angry customers contacted media to report that several stalls on the ground floor of the Nuestra señora de Africa market, which is visited by tourists in large numbers every day and is a popular shop-ping venue for city residents, had apparently been ordered not to sell Canarian wines and cheeses. Customers had expressed concern that only cheese from Cadiz on the mainland and a well-known wine from gali-cia were being offered to tourists. market chiefs confirmed that an “internal decision” had been taken before Christmas to restrict the sale of local varieties, apparently in an effort to stop each stall from competing with others on prices and to vary the type of produce sold. A review of the policy was due to be implemented in early January due to the criticism but when the complaints con-tinued into the second half of the month, political party ANC took up the case and demanded the council order an immediate u-turn. “it is inconceivable that our traditional city market, one of the most important outlets for locally-produced food and drink, should act this way” said a spokesman. n

Visitors and stall holders at the Nuestra Señora de Africa market were outraged by the decision

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Island support!

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 13TENERIFE GENERAL

Go bananas! Turn to pages 16 & 17 to learn all about bananas – where they came from, what’s spe-cial about the Canarian variety and where you can go in the south of Tenerife to get a good look at these incredible plants first hand.

Farmer’s MarketsAdejeCalle Archajara, s/n, in front of makrosaturday/sunday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 775 200

AlcaláPlaza de llanomonday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 850 100

ArafoPlaza san Juan DegolladoThursday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 511 711

AricoPorís de Abonasunday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 676 159 034

AronaValle san lorenzo, Carretera general 122monday/Friday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 767 138

Buenavista del NortePlaza de san sebastiánopening times: saturday 8.30am – 2pmTelephone: 922 129 030

CandelariaWednesday 2pm - sell out. Next to council officessaturday 9am – 3pm. Plaza del Centro Commercial de Punta largaTelephone: 922 505 014

El MédanoPlaza PrincipalWednesday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 759 966/62

El Rosario Carretera general del Norte, la esperanzasaturday/sunday/festivals 8am – 4pmTelephone: 922 010 160

El SauzalHoya de la Vida, next to the church, ravelo

Friday/saturday/sunday 7.30am- 2pmTelephone: 922 584 657

GüímarPlaza del Ayuntamientosunday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 526 105

Guía de IsoraPlaza del Pueblo de garachicoFriday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 850 100

Icod de Los VinosCalle key muñoz 5monday/Friday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 815 700 / 922 447 938

La GuanchaCarretera general TFs km 49saturday/sunday 8am – 3pmTelephone: 922 360 788

La LagunaPlaza del CristoTuesday/Thursday/saturday 6am – 2pmTelephone: 922 601 100 / 922 253 903

La Matanza de AcentejoCtra. general del Nortesaturday 8am – 3pm, sunday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 577 120

La OrotavaCalle educadora lucía mesasaturday 8am – 1.30pmTelephone: 922 336 804 / 681 277 633

Los RealejosCamino Viejo de san benito, Finca el llano, realejo Altosaturday/sunday 9am – 2pmTelephone: 922 346 234

Los SilosPlaza de la luz, los silos

sunday 9am – 2pmTelephone: 922 840 004

Playa de San JuanPlaza de la iglesiaWednesday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 850 100

Puerto de la CruzAvenida blas Pérez gonzález, 4Wednesday to saturday 8am – 2pm Telephone: 922 386 158

San Isidromercado del Agricultor de granadillaoff the roundabout leading to el médanosaturday/sunday 8am – 2pmTelephone: 922 759 966

San Miguel de AbonaP.i. las Chafiras, san miguel de Abona, next to the fire stationsaturday/sunday 8am – 2pmWednesday 2pm – 7.30pmTelephone: 922 735 386

Santa Cruz de TenerifeAvenida José manuel guimerásunday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 606 000

Santa ÚrsulaCarretera general, near the town hallsaturday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 301 640

TeguesteCalle de Asuncionistas, 6saturday/sunday 8.00am – 2pmTelephone: 922 316 100

VilaflorPlaza de Vilaflormonday to Thursday 8am – 1pmTelephone: 922 709 002

14 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006SPECIAL FEATURE

By Donastar

It has recently been announced that Repsol have abandoned their search for oil offshore from the Canary Islands, after just two months of exploration and after finding oil and gas which they say was unviable for extraction. During their two months of drilling activity how many bores were completed? They did’t say and the time taken to drill is dependent on how deep the oil is beneath the sea bed. i would guess at one well, but no more than two or three. so, they managed to find oil and gas almost immediately! This is no excuse for abandon-ing exploration; in fact it’s a reason for redoubling efforts as it proves there is oil to be found. The percentage of successful bore holes is often quite small, as drilling areas are vast and many oil fields are quite small in surface area. many years ago bP spent around €230 million (much more today) exploring for oil in the south China sea and found none whatsoever. lack of results did not stop them from continuing to pour vast sums of money into their project. in my opinion, rep-sol’s decision to quit is based upon what has happened to current oil prices rather than their stated disappointment with their find. At the time of writing, oil is down from a high of $114 a barrel to below $50 and many

pundits predict it will go much lower still and remain there for a significant time. We’re reading reports of an increasing world oil glut, with cheap iraqi oil produc-tion at record levels and other cheap producers such as saudi Arabia with the intention of keeping pumping at current production levels in order to maintain their market share - just like in 1986 when they devastated the british North sea oil industry. High cost producers like the uk and the American shale oil industry are suffering badly and many thousands of job losses are being announced - 7,000 by baker Hughes recently, and schlumberger: 9,000. These are two big American companies active in the Amer-ican shale oil industry. one report says that the break even

cost for American shale oil var-ies across the industry from as low as $43.36 a barrel to as high as $111.45, so the whole of that industry is in big, big trouble. other reports state that up to $500 billion has been invested in the business, so this can only be described as a catastrophe. There are also reports of heavy job losses in the british North sea oil industry and requests for government help to reduce costs by reducing the Petro-leum revenue tax. The brit-ish North sea oil industry has been operating for many years with costs of exploration and infrastructure paid for many years ago - so if they are having problems with viability, then it’s easy to see why repsol are abandoning ship when faced with the future costs of explo-ration. They have of course

blamed poor drilling results, but as mandy rice- Davies once said “They would say that, wouldn’t they?” The facts remain: they have found oil at their first try off-shore the Canary islands and sometime in the future oil demand will revive the price of oil rebound and offshore oil become viable again. i am convinced that we have not heard the end of this saga and at some time in the fore-seeable future the Canary islands will benefit in terms of job creation and wealth crea-tion from offshore oil. n

Have something to say?Send in your letters and opinions – this could be your chance

Dear Ed,Around three years ago, when the main road past Chayofa was resurfaced, the centre of the road was re-lined. A solid line was painted at the two entrances to the old side of the village, which before was a broken centre line. A few days later hatch markings were painted in the side roads at the junctions to show it was not allowed to turn off the main road across the traffic into the village. Then bollards were installed at the bottom entrance.because of these restrictions, the only way of entering the old side of the village was to either:leave the main road at the Aguilas del Teide (majon hos-pital) turn, then pass through to the other side of the vil-lage via narrow roads, emerging below the Finca del Arte restaurant.Travel up to la Camella and return to Chayofa, a journey of some four-plus kilometres.And to travel from the village to la Camella was even more round-about.shortly afterwards, at the top road entrance, the main road centre line was made into a broken line; by use of black paint, the hatch markings were painted out and the centre line re-aligned in the side road to allow turning in from across the main road, and turning out in the direc-tion of la Camella.over time, the black paint has slowly worn away, but is still visible. A few weeks ago officers of the guardia Civil reported several motorists who turned into the junction from the direction of los Cristianos, informing them they had crossed a solid line in the centre of the road: a €200 fine.one of the motorists protested this fine at the Trafico office in santa Cruz. Within days, a ‘no left turn’ sign appeared at the junction. (No sign has been erected in the side road to prevent a turn left across the traffic to travel up the main road towards la Camella).We are now back to either travelling through narrow streets that, at times, are blocked by stationary traffic or going to la Camella to turn round.We are not aware of any new regulation coming into being to prevent this turn at the top road entrance. i would be extremely grateful if, as a respected newspaper on the island, enquiries could be made and this situation be reversed. our protestations seem to be falling on deaf ears.yours FaithfullyA ‘well-travelled’ Chayofa resident

ed’s note: We shall be looking into this incident and will let you know how it progresses. Have any readers out there had any similar experiences?

So there is oil and gas out there!

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5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 15SPECIAL FEATURE

A motorway bend described by drivers as the most dangerous on the island was once again the scene for several accidents at the end of January, leading to fresh calls for urgent action to change its shape or impose traffic-slowing measures.known as the ‘sauzal bend’, the section on the TF5 motor-way linking santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz has become one of the most notorious blackspots in Tenerife and can be relied upon to cause colli-sions in wet conditions. True to form, five major acci-dents on the sloping bend in a 40 hour period - including one that saw a car carrying a baby among its occupants over-turn completely and roll sev-eral times after the driver lost control - brought chaos to the motorway.

regular motorists know the dangers and tend to exercise greater caution when the sur-face is wet but those unfamil-iar with the stretch are often caught cold and by the time they realise they are in trou-ble it is too late. one of the

biggest design problems is the very short slip road used by drivers joining the motor-way at el sauzal, which often results in vehicles accessing the bend at very slow speeds, forcing others already in the inside lane to brake hard. n

CArNiVAl CoNTroVersy

Backstage blaze row continues

The big week of the Santa Cruz Carnival is just around the corner but echoes of a near-tragedy two years ago are still being heard.legal proceedings have still not ended over the dramatic back-stage blaze in which a Carnival queen contestant nearly died when her outfit caught fire due to an acci-dent with pyrotechnics on a colleague’s costume as they

waited to go on stage.saida Prieto was airlifted to the country’s biggest burns unit in seville to receive life-saving treatment after the mishap, which may well see the designer of the culprit dress and at least one senior council figure stand trial for negligence for allowing the firework-type devices to be fitted in breach of safety reg-ulations.

The trial is still a year away according to court sources and the formal indictment is expected to call for jail terms of between two and four years for the two defendants, not to mention a massive com-pensation award for saida to ensure she can live a comfort-able life despite her injuries. The incident has since led to a major review of safety pro-cedures at Carnival. n

Carnival Queen dresses haven’t always been fitted in accordance with safety regulations

sAuZAl beND

New calls for road review

Fresh calls for TF5 redevelopment

16 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

A fun day out and a great opportunity to learn about a fundamental aspect of Canar-ian life, culture, history and environment is to be had on a visit to the Finca Las Margari-tas near Las Galletas, Arona. The cultivation of bananas in Arona and san miguel has existed for decades in the area where now lie the Costa del silencio Tenbel resorts and the tourist attractions of Playa las Américas Costa Adeje, located just a few kilometers away; an area formerly a volcanic but fer-tile wasteland. until recently, tourism and agriculture were kept as separtate entities but the mutual benefits to be had from co-operation have now been realised. With the goal of uniting the two activities, the long established Finca las margaritas has been adapted into an environmen-tal education attraction, com-bined with a working finca of 800 hectares, and was opened to the public in 2012. A self-guided tour which is suitable for people with disabil-ities has been custom designed for your enjoyment, with num-bered routes and information plaques in spanish, english, French, russian and german displaying explanations about the cultural, economic, agricul-tural and landscaping aspect of this part of southern Ten-erife. The tour is soon to be augmented by an audioguide service.entry fee for the tour is €2.50 per person. Finca las margari-tas is open to the public from 10am to 1pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – you don’t need to make a res-ervation, simply turn up! The attaction can be found next to the TF-66 guaza to las gal-letas road near el Fraile and there is a bus stop within 50 metres of the entrance, serv-ing bus routes 467, 470 and 473. guided visits for groups from five to forty persons can also be arranged on applica-tion to the finca or through the website www.fincalasmargari-tas.canariasqr.com.

Brilliant bananas

Well known to all modern cul-tures, the banana is a tasty and nutritious fruit; surprisingly, a berry, botanically speaking. mankind has been cultivating

bananas for a very long time. Archaeological evidence sug-gests that the practice started in southeast Asia and Papua New guinea, the original native ranges of the ancestors of mod-ern edible bananas, around 5000 bC, perhaps as early as 8000 bC. spreading westwards through Asia and india, bananas were probably being cultivated in Africa by 600 bC and by the 6th century they were estab-lished along the mediterranean coastline; they were certainly grown in Cyprus by the late medieval period. it is thought that Portuguese sailors intro-duced bananas to the Canary islands from their West Afri-can colonies such as guinea, and spanish colonists took them thence to their central and south American territories: bananas are truly a worldwide food crop. The optimum temperature for growing bananas is around

25ºC, at an altitude below 300 metres; additionally, bananas need a good amount of light, quite a lot of humidity and

sandy based soil that is rich in minerals with good porosity and an acidic PH. such condi-tions can be readily found in

TENERIFE GENERAL

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Going bananas!Brilliant bananasBananas are incredibly good for you, not to mention extremely tasty. But did you know that just 100 grams of bananas (one medium/large banana) will provide you with the following:

Principle Nutrient Value

energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 kcalCarbohydrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.84 gProtein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.09gTotal Fat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.33 gCholesterol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 mgDietary Fibre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.60 g

Vitamins

Folates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 µgNiacin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.665 mgPantothenic acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.334 mgPyridoxine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.367 mgriboflavin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.073 mgThiamin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.031 mgVitamin A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 iuVitamin C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 mgVitamin e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.10 mgVitamin k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 µg

Electrolytes

sodium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 mgPotassium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358 mg

Minerals

Calcium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 mgCopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.078 mgiron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.26 mgmagnesium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 mgmanganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.270 mgPhosphorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 mgselenium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 µgZinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.15 mg

Phyto-nutrients

Carotene-α . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 µgCarotene-ß . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 µglutein-zeaxanthin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 µg

Large groups are catered for at Finca Las Margaritas as well

Finding Finca Las Margaritas is easy

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 17TENERIFE GENERAL

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the Canary islands. The banana is one of the most important products for the agricultural industry and economy of the Canary islands. The banana represents 33 per cent of the total production of agricul-tural products in the islands. each year 400 million kilos of banana are produced in the archipelago, with 9,000 hectares under cultivation, worked by more than 10,000 people. in total, working places related to the banana produc-tion are above 27,000, taking into account direct and indi-rect jobs. Around 80 per cent of the cul-tivated areas of bananas in the Canary islands are operated by small producers, who have each about one hectare culti-vated. of the seven islands, only five are banana produc-ers. The island with the biggest production is Tenerife, followed by la Palma, gran Canaria, la gomera and el Hierro. Due mainly to the nature of the terrain in the islands, banana cultivation is a labour inten-sive industry: for example, in la Palma which is inhabited by 80,000 people, it is of great importance due to the fact that 80 per cent of them depend on banana cultivation.The banana is a monocotyledon plant from the musa family. The main varieties that are grown in here are those of the musa Acuminata species. in span-ish the banana known as the plátano, smaller than banana varieties grown in the Amer-icas, those from the Canary islands are popular today and sold throughout spain.until 2012, the Canary island bananas were marketed solely in spain, but in that year an experimental restart in export-ing to germany was made with a first shipment of 80,000 kilos. Despite being a small export, AsProCAN (la Aso-ciación de organizaciones de Productores de Plátanos de Canarias) saw it as the begin-

ning of new export opportu-nities, not only to germany, but to other european and world markets: and in march 2013, uk supermarket giant AsDA announced the inten-tion to be the first in the uk to sell bananas from the Canary islands, in an attempt to reduce the fruit’s consider-able carbon footprint in terms of transport.

Why are the flavour and proper-ties of the Canarian banana so different to the banana com-monly grown in the tropics? Here are a few key factors.Amongst the main differences, the Canarian banana spends longer growing and ripening on the plant than tropical bananas because of the shorter distance between banana pro-duction and the consumer mar-

ket. Additionally, the Canarian banana has a higher moisture index, making it much tastier than its drier counterpart, the tropical banana. in the tropical banana, car-bohydrates, soluble sug-ars and sucrose values are slightly higher, lending it a more floury texture than the Canarian banana. The latter also has higher levels of potas-sium content. Finally, the weather in the Canary islands is more vari-able than in tropical coun-tries, which also results in

the banana spending longer on the tree (six months) com-pared to the tropical banana (three months). This provides it with a higher level of ripe-ness, flavour and aroma.simply peel back the skin and eat them. What better way than this to enjoy one of mother nature’s finest creations? most of us prefer the flesh of bananas to be soft but not yet

turning black, they quickly become overripe even when stored in the fridge. Do not waste them if this should hap-pen though: use them in cook-ing. When hosting a barbeque for friends, grill a few bananas in their skins; when they are uniformly black, peel back one segment of skin, drizzle with honey or gomeran palm syrup and rum then serve as a sim-ple dessert.mostly known for their use in sweet breads, cakes and des-serts such as banana flambé, all of which are delicious,

banana producing countries do have some inventive reci-pes which include this fruit. Pabellón criollo from Ven-ezuela is sometimes found here in Canarian restaurants called Pabellón Canario, a delicious meal consisting of rice, carne mechada (shredded beef), stewed black beans and a grilled banana – all topped off with a fried egg.

When bananas are used in the place of, or together with, other vegetables, they can be used in almost any way that potatoes can be used. This African recipe for banana and coconut soup highlights this and produces a very tasty, easily prepared soup: ingre-dients; 12 green bananas or plantains, two cups chicken stock, two cups coconut milk, one cup coconut cream, one small onion, half a hot pep-per. method: peel and grate the bananas or preferably puree in a blender, mix with the chicken stock and pass through a fine mesh sieve, peel the onion and chop finely, seed the pepper and chop finely, sauté the onion and pepper until the onion becomes trans-lucent. Add all the ingredients together and heat but do not allow to boil, decorate with fresh parsley and serve pip-ing hot with croutons.A search on the internet will produce dozens of delicious recipes from south east Asia, india, Africa and the Caribbean as well as many novel desserts, chutneys and sauces.locally produced banana liqueur points the way to homemade banana wine. As bananas ripen and go dark and spotty, they increase their sugar content and taste sweeter: perfect for winemak-ing and readily available here in the Canaries. so many bananas, so much fun! so why not try a visit to Finca las margaritas and see these fabulous plants for yourself. n

One of Finca Las Margaritas’ beautiful banana plants

There’s plenty of opportunity for exploring at Finca Las Margaritas With the beautiful mountains in the background

18 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

February 14 is celebrated as St. Valentine’s Day in many countries around the world. As well as its commemoration by various Christian denomina-tions, it is now a global-wide custom for friends and lovers to use February 14 as a day for demonstrating their affec-tion for each other. it is such a common practice that, and so hyped up, that many put its existence down to a relatively modern commercial ploy - but actually, this tradition has its roots in days far gone.There are many different ver-sions and beliefs of how Val-entine’s Day originated and, according to experts, there were in fact up to three dif-ferent saint Valentines who could be linked to the date, each one of them a martyr for their cause. According to the Catholic ency-clopedia, one of these saints is described as a bishop of interamna (modern Terni) and another as a priest in rome. These two seem to have both lived in the second half of the third century and to have been buried on the Flaminian Way, but at different distances from the city. The third saint Valen-tine remains an elusive char-acter. Though it is known that he was based in Africa with a number of companions, unfor-tunately no further details of his life are available. Astonish-ingly, all three Valentines were said to have been martyred on February 14.Valentine of rome is the hot-test contender for the Valen-tine’s Day link. A popular, but unproven, account of his life

states that he was imprisoned around the year 270 for per-forming weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry, as Claudius ii, emperor at the time, had prohibited this after deciding that married men made poor soldiers. Val-entine was also guilty of min-istering to Christians, who were persecuted under the roman empire. According to legend, during Valentine’s days in prison, he is said to have fallen in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. With his great love and faith for the girl, he is reputed to have healed her blindness and, before he was taken to his execution, is said to have requested a pen and paper

from his jailer to scribe a fare-well message to the young lady. His last words of love were said to have been signed, “From your Valentine”. The theory goes that an annual pagan roman celebration com-memorated young men’s rite of passage to the god lupercus.

Taking place in mid February, it involved a lottery where the names of teenage girls were placed in a box; the young men would then draw one out at random and the girl would be assigned to be the young man’s sexual partner for the duration of that year.

This custom continued for eight hundred years until, in an effort to do away with the festi-val, Pope gelasius ordered the lottery to be changed. instead of the names of young women being placed in the box, it would contain the names of saints. Then both the men and the women would have to draw a name and were expected to emulate the ways of that saint for the following year. Needless to say, this wasn’t something that went down too well with the young males!Though the lottery was banned, the festival of Valentine con-tinued. on February 14, young romans are said to have cel-ebrated the day by offering woman they admired a hand-written greeting of affection – hence st Valentine’s name being used and the custom of sending valentine’s cards spreading throughout the world as Christianity also spread. unfortunately, all of the above is only supposition as none of it can be proven, and scholars continue to argue each case.

We will never know the truth of it, though one thing we do know: the poet geoffrey Chau-cer is accredited with being the person who linked Valentine’s and love definitively.

The court of love

A poem by geoffrey Chaucer is the first written association of st Valentine’s Day with roman-tic love that is still in exist-ence. Dating back to the late 14th century, the ‘Parliament of Fowls’ was written to hon-

our the first anniversary of the engagement of king richard ii of england to Anne of bohe-mia, Chaucer wrote, “For this was on st. Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” by the 18th century, st Valentine’s Day had evolved in the uk into the occasion we would easily recognise today, with lovers expressing their affec-tion by presenting flowers and confectionery, and by sending greeting cards, and quickly spread to the usA. Whilst some eschew the celebration, it can be a great opportunity to spread a little love and kind-ness.

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Sweet love

A handwritten letter which describes your feelings will be especially appreciated by women

Roses are red, violets are blue, send wild flowers to say ‘I love you’

Jewellery has long been a traditional gift for Valentine’s Day

Here’s to love!

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 19LIVING & LIFESTYLE

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Residents choose

Check out our reviews on Tripadvisor

Villa de Tegueste council, and its Tourism Department led by

councillor Marcela del Castillo, have launched a series of guided tours for

2015 to introduce both residents and vistors to the beauties of the

borough.There will be various different

themes to suit every taste, from nature hikes to dramatised walks, and visits to small wineries and

vineyards etc.The programme will operate

throughout the year and take place on Saturdays. As places are limited, if you wish to participate you must register beforehand by calling the tourism office on 922 316 102

Those who enjoy tranquillity, nature, gastronomy, cultural richness and

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Inscriptions: 922 316 102 / turismo@tegueste.org

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Guided Tours through Tegueste

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Celebrate your love

you don’t have to spend a for-tune to treat your loved ones on st. Valentine’s Day. so if cash is tight or you just believe

in the ‘you can’t buy love’ maxim, here are a few ideas for presents that will definitely be appreciated. if you want to say it with flow-ers there is no need to invest

in an expensive bouquet – a pretty bunch of wild blooms, decorated with a bow or two, can be extremely attractive. of course, you must ensure you don’t pick flowers from pro-tected areas or anyone’s gar-

den, but there are plenty of places from which you gather flora safely. if it is music which is your loved one’s passion then why not make them a collection of

their favourite tunes. or how about filling a CD with love songs that express how you feel about them. it doesn’t come much more romantic than that and it won’t cost you more than the price of a CD – and a little of your time. Alternatively why not try your hand at some heart-shaped bis-cuits. There are plenty of reci-pes available on the internet and an endless list of really easy makes that even the least

kitchen-trained can concoct really simply. How about making up an album of favourite photos of your loved one and you? you can even add captions such as ‘you looked beautiful that evening’ or ‘i often think of you on that day when….’ or pick one special photo and have it framed. A heartfelt letter will always be popular. it can be much easier to express our true feelings in writing rather than face-to-face, so use this opportunity to be hon-est about your love – women especially will appreciate this one (though make sure you concentrate on the positive, no ‘i love this, this and this but aren’t so keen on…’!)or how about just making your loved one feel truly pam-pered. Take them breakfast in bed, run them a bath to give them a perfect end to their long day, cook their favourite meal, or give them a massage: whatever it is, help them see that you are prepared to put some effort into making them feel good. of course, many nowadays are using saint Valentine’s Day as an incentive to express other types of affection as well: Par-ents and best friends will also welcome a message saying they are appreciated, so don’t hold back, say ‘i love you’ as much as you can – and not just on Valentine’s Day. n

Love can be a wonderful thing

Love comes in all shapes and sizes

Valentine’s day is for friends as well

Give plenty of love and you shall receive

�0 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006SPOTLIGHT ON...

keNNy’s liFe iN musiC

Gee whizz

Visitors and residents of the island are sure to have seen one of Tenerife’s longest-stan-ding and much-loved perfor-mers in one of his many guises over the past thirty years.kenny gee was a member of the fondly-remembered Ala-bama soul band that played out of their own bar near grana-dilla during the 1990s, before joining The Platters & motown show – the first act to feature at the Pirámide de Arona venue in the mare Nostrum resort – and The Drifters show, a long-running feature at the Castillo de san miguel. Not one to take his foot off the pedal, he now dishes up a soulful cocktail of popular songs seven nights a week, often performing two or three shows in an evening, at several well-known venues in the south of Tenerife.As we met up with kenny he was listening to music on his iPod, “it’s Nat king Cole.” he announced in his infec-tiously bright manner. “Mona Lisa – great morning music!” like his set-lists, his musi-cal tastes and influences are very mixed, “i don’t just sing soul music, i sing music with soul!” he was very keen to point out. “last night i was asked to sing ACDC – and i’m happy to give people whate-ver they want if it helps make their night and builds a good energy. i don’t really consider

myself a singer, i see myself more as an entertainer.” and his dedication to crowd-please and impress anyone who comes to see him is an enormously admirable quality to his act. growing up in the us he inhe-rited many of his most-loved artists from his mother, such as Johnny mathis, “Her abso-lute favourite!”, The Tempta-tions and The Four Tops, as well as elton John, The bee gees and Country music, “Anything and everything!” so he is more than equipped to switch genres while main-taining his sweet soul edge. Having recorded backing vocals for artists as diverse as meat-loaf and Terence Trent D’Arby, kenny is an experienced and hardened vocalist and perfor-mer, and can cover songs from michael bublé to Al Jarreau – with whatever is requested in-between.He is a true showman who is equally well-known for his snazzy dress sense; “A lot of singers hide behind their clo-thes. They put on a smart suit and really they’re wearing it as a mask. i like to keep it real and natural; wear what i feel is appropriate for the night, make a statement, and people love it!”His journey from Virginia, usA, to Tenerife is equally as fasci-nating as his lively personality. He spent his formative years in

New york, performing in choirs and drama groups and even featured in several broadway shows, but he always felt a strong pull to be somewhere else, and he knew europe was it. like many young American men just after the Vietnam War, he decided to join the military for travel opportunities and fur-ther education and soon found himself stationed in germany.

“i loved it!” he said with a nos-talgic grin. “it was peacetime, i was young and in need of adventure, and i wanted to learn.” For four years he ser-ved, and during this time he grew enormously as a musi-cian; performing with military bands and forming a six-piece group, “in those days i was sharing vocal duties with gui-tar and keyboard roles, but at

the barracks it was non-stop singing; in the corridors, in the shower room, anywhere with good acoustics. That’s basica-lly how we started up.” During his four years service the band played many concerts, inclu-ding a prestigious event at the schlosstheater Celle, europe’s oldest baroque theatre, but it was soon time to go home.kenny instinctively knew that life in Ny was not what he wan-ted, especially after seeing so much of europe and falling in love with its diversity. Follo-wing a great deal of soul sear-ching and staring at the moun-ted photos of his time abroad that lined his walls, he talked with his family about his con-flicted state. They urged him to return and he used the last of his money to buy a one-way ticket back to germany – and with just $50 in his pocket he arrived at the barracks, this time as a civilian, and slept on friends’ floors until he found his feet.over the next period of his life kenny continued to gig regu-larly while studying hairdres-sing and he soon became a sought-after stylist and popu-lar character about town. After many successful years he used his savings to open a salon in Tenerife, a holiday destination he had visited many times, and soon met king James – somebody who would help

him make the transition to full-time musician following an amusing introduction. “it was 1984 and to see a black face on the island was a rare thing. i was out shopping in HiperDino one day and i saw king James strolling along with his trolley; i was like, “Damn! There’s a black dude on aisle six!” so i went over to say hello.” kenny was invited to Alabama’s bar near grana-dilla and he went on to form an integral part of the popu-lar soul band for more than 10 years until the bar even-tually closed down. “my best memories of that time were the annual concerts we played at the santa Cruz port to six or seven thousand people. man, we just kept playing till the sun came up!” long-running roles in The Platters & motown show and later, The Drifters show followed, until kenny decided to go it alone.if you want to catch kenny’s silky soul showmanship you can see him at bar unique in Torviscas on Tuesdays, Wed-nesdays, Fridays and saturdays from 8.30pm; on mondays he performs at the Divine bar in Torviscas from 8.30pm; Thur-sdays he is at The bar in golf del sur from 10pm; and his sunday night residence is at The Palms beach Club, also on the golf, from 8pm. n

The Platters & Motown Show – the first act to feature at the Pirámide de Arona

Kenny Gee performing at the Santa Cruz port with the Alabama Soul Band

Kenny belting out The Drifter’s hits at the Castle of San Miguel

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 �1BUSINESS

Pay less tax on your qrops pension plansimply put, a Qualifying Rec-ognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) will allow anyone with a uk registered pension, who is either currently living outside of the uk or is intending to doing so in the future, to transfer their pen-sion pot abroad – whilst ben-efitting from a raft of taxation benefits as a result.

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DisPoseD iNCome

Tenerife tourism spending on rise

Decaux ‘favouritism’The mayor of Las Palmas is reported to be under investi-gation for approving a mas-sive reduction in the fee pay-able by the world’s top outdoor advertising company to place its signs in the city.Newspaper Canarias Ahora says today that prosecutors are looking at the controver-sial decision adopted by the council a few months ago to offer a 95 per cent reduction in the annual fee payable for the exclusive right granted to JCDecaux to operate advertis-ing spaces on urban furniture throughout las Palmas.opposition parties have cal-culated that the gran Canaria capital will lose up to €2.5 million in revenue between

now and 2018 due to what they describe as the “over-generous treatment” shown by the mayor to Delcaux, who

have also reportedly had a €660,000 debt owed from previous years wiped clean as part of the new contract. n

The importance of the tourist industry to the Tenerife econ-omy has again been under-lined by the island authori-ties, who revealed recently that total spending by holi-daymakers reached nearly €4 billion last year.Cabildo chief Carlos Alonso outlined the findings of the comprehensive study con-ducted by the corporation which reveals that the fig-ure of €3.8 billion showed an overall increase in spend-ing of two per cent compared to 2013. Tenerife welcomed more than 5.1 million holidaymakers during 2014, a 3.5 per cent rise on the previous twelve months, although the aver-age length of stay fell slightly (to just under eight days in

2014), which explains why the spending increase was lower. by nationalities, britons con-tinue to lead the upturn in fortunes in the tourist sector here on Tenerife, with a total of 1.7 million visitors, up 6.7 per cent on 2013.

However, the number of rus-sians visitors failed to break the 200,000 target hoped for by the authorities, though con-tinues to be a steady market. The study shows also that a full 60 per cent of tour-ists who holiday in Tenerife are repeat visitors. n

It is calculated that Las Palmas will lose up to €2.5 million in revenue between now and 2018

Total spending by holidaymakers reached nearly €4 billion last year

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Step 1: obtaining a certificate of conformity

This is a statement by the car’s manu-facturer that it conforms to eu regula-

tions. you will need the car’s chassis number to complete this straightfor-ward process online at www.euro-coc.eu/en/certificate_of_conformity. The charges for this service will vary according to type of vehicle, make and country of 1st registration.

Step 2: current log book

The vehicle’s original log book showing your name as the owner, the vehicles age and a valid uk address. you will also need the bill of sale for the car.

Step 3: residency in Spain

The spanish residency certificate

(Certificado de empadronamiento) is your official proof of residency in spain. your local town hall can pro-vide you with this document. you will need to take your passport and proof of spanish address (rental con-tract, contract to purchase or prop-erty deeds).

Step 4: obtaining a Spanish MOT certificate

All vehicles over 4 years old must be roadworthy and clearly display a valid iTV sticker. The iTV (Vehicle Technical inspection) must be tested at an authorised centre, just as for an moT test. you can find out the

location of your nearest iTV centre on DgT website (equivalent to the DVlA). you can also call your local centre to make a booking. if the cen-tre is busy, especially pre-summer, this can save a lot of time. The cost can vary but generally is around €40 for petrol-engine cars and €56 for diesel-engine cars.

Step 5: obtaining a Spanish equivalent of a tax disc

The spanish Tax Agency can provide your vehicle with a valid “tax disc” for spain, which must be carried in the car when in use. you will need to complete the relevant form online

and pay the amount according to your car’s tax band.you can carry out all these proce-dures yourself or you can seek the assistance of an accountant to do this for you.We hope the information provided in this article is of interest.if you would like to contact linea Directa please call 902 123 151more information on linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com n

regisTeriNg your VeHiCle iN sPAiN

Spanish license plates and registration document

The Marina Shop is a bijou store in South Tenerife, spe-cialising in handmade jewellery made from natural materials.They stock a marvellous selec-tion of unique necklaces, brace-lets, earrings, anklets, rings and souvenirs created with natural, mainly semi-precious stones: olivine, natural pearls, lava, shells, mother of pearl, coral, coconut shell and wood.The owner, kamila, delights in showing her customers that handmade, unique jewellery and souvenirs do not need to

be expensive, but they can still be original and very special. in addition to the wide range on offer she will also create tailor-

made pieces to order.The idea for this special store

offering something different was born during a vacation in Fuerteventura nine years ago and the first store opened

in June 2009. it’s a collab-oration between various art-ists from around the islands, which means that they are able to offer some very unu-sual pieces. you can also order online, but of course if you are in Tenerife, browsing in person is much more enjoyable! The marina shop is in CC san blas, local 37, golf del sur, san miguel. opening times: monday to saturday 10am – 2pm 14 and 4pm – 8pm. For more information, please see their website at www.mari-nashop.es or at facebook.com / marina.shop. n

mAriNA sHoP

Beautiful handmade jewellery

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 �3BLEVINS FRANKS

There are a few tax changes in Spain for 2015, and you need to understand how they will affect you personally. My previous article covered income and wealth tax, this week I look at capital gains tax, succession tax and the new exit tax.

Capital gains tax

All capital gains are now taxed at the savings tax rates, even those arising on assets held for less than a year (previously taxed at the scale rates for gen-eral income).If you own assets (property or shares) acquired before Decem-ber 31, 1994, note that the time apportioned capital gains tax relief on such assets has been removed from January 2015. Instead, each taxpayer will be entitled to a cumulative life-time allowance of €400,000 to apply to the sales proceeds of pre-December 1994 assets.

Succession tax

Following the European Court of Justice ruling that Spanish succession tax was discrimina-tory, the Spanish tax author-ities have issued new regula-tions with changes to the way Spain’s autonomous commu-nity rules apply on inheritances and gifts.From January 2015, if you are resident in Spain when you die, beneficiaries resident in an EU or EEA state can apply the local regional rules of the regional community you live in. If you receive an inheritance of Span-ish assets from someone in an EU/EEA state outside Spain you have the right to apply the regional rules of the autono-mous community where the highest value of assets is located. If the assets are outside Spain you can apply the rules of your local community.British expatriates also need to consider UK inheritance tax.

Exit tax

A new ‘exit tax’ from Janu-ary 2015 applies to taxpayers

(residents of Spain for five of the last ten fiscal years) who leave Spain and hold shares or equity interests in any type of entity of a mutual invest-ment institution, whose mar-ket value exceeds €4,000,000 or €1,000,000 if the taxpayer holds a 25 per cent interest in the entity. This applies to unre-alised gains.

Payment may be deferred in cer-tain cases, such as if the transfer is to a jurisdiction with which Spain exchanges tax informa-tion. If the individual moves to another EU/EEA country, the gain need only be declared if they sell the shares within 10 years or move out of the area.If this would affect you, con-tact Blevins Franks for advice

on how to structure your invest-ments so they fall outside this exit tax regime. As always, you need to make sure that you correctly declare all your assets on your income and wealth tax returns and Form 720. With the new automatic exchange of information, the tax authorities will be able to spot any discrepancies or omis-

sions. Nonetheless, with special-ist advice you can often reduce tax on your savings, investments, pensions and assets. Blevins Franks have decades of expe-rience advising British expatri-ates and in-depth knowledge of Spanish taxation.

Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concern-ing taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are sub-ject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an indi-vidual is advised to seek person-alised advice.

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our websitewww.blevinsfranks.com

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Part 2

�4 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006SPIN NEWS

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retirement, John and his wife Sally, together with their beloved Jack Russell/Staffie cross, Freddie, embark on the journey of a lifetime and relocate to the island of Tenerife.

By John Searancke

Dog Days in The Fortunate IslandsA new life in hidden Tenerife

www.johnsearancke.com

sANTA CruZ

Military mustFor those interested in all things military, there is a wonderful permanent exhibi-tion at the Regional Military Museum in Santa Cruz. The museum is one of the most important investigation centres in historic cartogra-

phy in the Canary islands and the quality of the exhibitions reflects this perfectly. The resident show includes a fascinating array of arms and weaponry, amongst which is included the Tiger can-non fabled to have been used in the attack against lord Nelson in santa Cruz. you can also see a selection of the arms used during the conquest of Tenerife as well as many which are used for modern military activity from the islands. Find the museo militar regional at san isidro, number 1 (Castillo de Almeida). entry is free and the museum is open from Tuesday to sunday, 10am to 2pm. Call: 922 27 42 24 for more information. n

grAN CANAriA

Exhibiting organisation

AiDA

Love in Ancient Egypt

AroNA Tourism

Canarias Folk Fest

Whilst some groups are still struggling to organise the upcoming months’ activities, some have already published their calendar of events for the whole year. one of these is the la Calde-reta art gallery in Vega de san mateo, gran Canaria, which

will show an interesting mix of exhibitions. A collection entitled ‘el Cambio’ (The Change) by luci monzón will be on show until February 22, followed by another compi-lation of paintings from Febru-ary 27 to march 15, this time by Pilar rodiles.

From April 10 to April 26 there will be a collection of works under the heading ‘Copper to paper’, and from June 5 to June 21 Néstor Dámaso’s fabulous caricatures will be on display. The year’s exhibitions continue right up to December so there

is plenty to see. Why not give them a visit at the sala de exposiciones la Caldereta, Calle Dr. ramírez Cabrera, 9. or see: www.vegadesanmateo.es for more information. Alter-natively, call 928 661 350, ext 123. n

On March 3, 5 and 7 there are three great chances to see the fabulous Aida opera at the Adán Martín Auditorium in Santa Cruz.originally commissioned for the official opening of the Cairo opera House by ismail Pasha, khedive of egypt, Aida is one of giuseppe Verdi’s most

celebrated operas. Premiered on Christmas eve, 1871, the love story between an ethio-pian slave, Aida, and an egyp-tian warrior, radamès, is con-sidered the first masterpiece of Verdi’s later years. This grand rendering of the uni-versal tale of two devoted lov-ers is full of sublime subtleties

and conceals a charming sense of intimacy: well worth a visit to Tenerife’s capital.A favourite with audiences, the opera is brought to us in a production by the Fondazi-one Arturo Toscanini with the great film and stage director Franco Zeffirelli, whose tre-mendous dramatic capacity

has resulted in an exuberant recreation of the exoticism of Ancient egypt.All shows start at 8.30pm and tickets cost between €20 and €75. These can be bought from the auditorium’s ticket office or via: www.auditoriodetener-ife.com. n

Arona town council’s Canar-ias Folk Fest, which began in October last year, continues its weekly organised activities until the popular event draws to a close for another year on March 27.it is the sixth folk festival that Arona’s tourism department has staged, all featuring folk-loric music alongside typical foods, arts and craft stalls and workshops where visitors can learn some traditional tricks and interact with skilled arti-sans and local sellers.The event takes place every Thursday and Friday, and every second saturday of each month. Activities are staged at different locations, and on Thursday you can find the fes-tival at the Plaza de la Pesca-dora in los Cristianos. on Fri-day it is held at the City Center

commercial centre in Playa de las Américas; and every sec-ond saturday of the month you will find it in las galletas at the Avenida Dionisio gonzález Delgado, rambla.

like so much of Canarian culture, the influence of its music and folk traditions originate from europe, latin America, Africa and the native guanche people who inhabited

the islands before the span-ish conquest. in the world of Canarian folk music, the ‘isas’, ‘folías’ and ‘malagueñas’ are the most well known rhythms, and there is a large number of folk groups that perform at fiestas, romerias and fes-tivals, keeping the traditions very much alive. This is some-thing which is also respected socially, where locals often gather around a table for a good meal and improvise songs with simple instruments, usu-ally accompanied by a classical guitar or timple - a miniature version of a guitar and unique to the islands. it is similar in size to a ukulele, can be four or five stringed, and it produces a light, higher-pitched sound to a classical or acoustic guitar.For more information visit: www.arona.travel. n

bolD AND beAuTiFul

Painters’ praise

An exhibition by artist Pedro Paricio is currently on show at the Tenerife Espacio de Arte (TEA) in Santa Cruz until March 8. elogio de la pintura (Praise for painting) is a collection of over 100 of the artist’s different works, corresponding to various of his distinctive creative periods and including some of his most modern pieces.Pedro Paricio was born in Tenerife but now lives in lon-don in the uk. The young man has devoted his life to art. He has a distinctive style and a proven dedication to using pictorial expression in the same manner a writer will maintain a dairy: Paricio’s life journey can be clearly read via his paintings. The TeA is open from Tuesday to sunday, 10am to 8pm. see: www.teatenerife.es for a full list of their exciting exhi-bitions. n

A glimpse into one of Pedro Paricio’s distinctive styles

Phot

o: C

arlo

s Tei

xido

r

Arona’s Canarias Folk Fest is fast becoming a hugely-popular annual event

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 �5SPIN NEWS

Garachico is currently on the lookout for a poster to adver-tise the Feast of Mercy and Fiestas de San Roque 2015 which takes place in late July and early August. A competition offers the winning artist a prize of €600 and the deadline for submitting works is march 27. entries must be delivered to the registrar’s office in garachico town hall. information and an application form can be downloaded at: www.tenerinfo.com. Details are also posted on the bul-letin board in the town hall. This event takes place only once every five years, in com-memoration of the eruption of 1706. The town will be decorated, a parade of floats passes through the streets and the townspeople will dress up in costumes as they do during carnival time, and there will be events and attrac-tions yet to be announced. keep your eye on the website listed above. n

gArACHiCo

Love art

An exhibition of the work of Garachico artist, Mar Chueca, is currently on display in the town’s Casa de Piedra.in oils, on wood or canvas, the inspiration for his work has come from the beautiful area of garachico, clearlily show-ing Cheuca’s appreciation of the region. This splendid exhibition also includes pieces for other locations, and ties in the land and ocean with his ‘moti-vos marinos’. His canvases are on display until February 8. Don’t miss it. n

guíA De isorA

Troublesomely perfect

osCAr-WiNNiNg musiCiAN

Drexler in concert

DANCe exTrAorDiNAire

Flamenco fiesta

On February 6 the Antonia San Juan company presents their new show, The trouble with being perfect, at the Guía de Isora auditorium.The show stars Antonia san Juan, Félix Navarro and luis miguel segui: these three por-traying ten different characters on stage. ‘The trouble with being perfect’ is a sharp com-

edy that combines humour and crack-whip dialogues, full of irony and sarcasm, in a script full of surprises. All this com-bines to perfection with live songs from actor and singer Félix Navarro. Humourous and intelligent: these are the hallmarks of the work of actress and director Antonia san Juan, this being

the first play written and pro-duced entirely by herself.Antonia, is a Canarian actress, director and screenwriter born in las Palmas de gran Canaria. At 19 she moved to madrid, where she started working as a professional theatre actress and cabaret star in pubs and bars. she is well known in spain, not only because of

her film career, but also for her humorous monologues on tele-vision and in the theatre. since 2009 she has been acting in the popular spanish TV series La que se avecina, where her role of estela reynolds is one of the most acclaimed roles in the show. n

A concert by the successful Uruguayan musician and actor, Jorge Drexler, takes places at the Infanta Leonor Audito-rium, Los Cristianos, on Feb-ruary 27. on the back of two recent latin grammy Award wins following the release of his 2014 album, Bailar en la cueva, Drexler visits Tenerife as part of his 2015 world tour. His music is a combination of uruguayan

traditional music with bossa nova, pop, jazz and electronic music.Jorge showed surprising talent for music as a child and began playing the piano at five years of age. like most of his family, he went on to study medicine after school and became an ear, nose and throat specialist, while at the same time learning the guitar and studying music. Following medical school he

took a break from otolaryngol-ogy and decided to concentrate on his love for music.in 2005 Drexler received criti-cal acclaim for his song, Al otro lado del río; which was used in the film, The Motorcycle Diaries, and won the artist an oscar. it was the first song in spanish to win the Academy Award for best original song.Artists as diverse as shakira, Ana belén, Neneh Cherry,

miguel ríos and Ana Torroja have recorded versions of Jorge Drexler’s compositions.The concert starts at 9pm. For tickets visit the cultural centre in los Cristianos from January 21, monday to Friday 9am to 2pm. They are priced at €17. if available on the day, you can also buy tickets from the audi-torium ticket office two hours prior to the show. Call 922 761 600 for more information. n

Antonio de Verónica and Saray Cortés return to tour Tenerife with their spec-tacular new flamenco show.The sánchez Cortés Flamenco dance company, founded in 2005, returns to the island between February 4 and 14 with a new flamenco show, Por Derecho, in which a representation of the spirit of roma ancestry is portrayed.The south of Tenerife is fortunate to receive a double dose of this spectacular perfo-mance as it will be staged on February 6 at the Adeje Cultural Centre, at 8.30pm, entrance costing €8; and the final night of the tour is on February 14 in Arona, in the los Cristianos infanta leonor Audito-rium where it will also start at 8.30pm, with an entrance fee of €10.other performances will take place on Feb-

ruary 5 in the Timanfaya Theatre, Puerto de la Cruz, at 9pm, with €12 euros for entry; and on February 7 the show will be persented in the municipal Audito-rium of el sauzal, 9pm, entrance cost-ing €7 and €9.Antonio de Verónica was born in málaga in 1984 and began dancing at the age

of seven. He later began touring various theatres in málaga province and received dance tuition from established flamenco artists rafael Amargo, Antonio el Pipa, soraya Clavijo, marcos Flores, rafael de Carmen and Juana Amaya. Antonio also teaches flamenco.saray Cortés giménez was born in bar-celona in 1982 and began her dancing career at five years old, receiving the les-sons from her mother, la salinera, known for her artistic and tutoring achievements. she received excellent reviews after per-forming at the queen elizabeth The-atre, london, and was First Dancer for two years at the sala exit Palace, Tener-ife. she continues her training in seville with tuition from manolo betanzos and soraya Clavijo. n

PosTer ComPeTioN

Explosive art!

Antonio de Verónica and Saray Cortés

�6 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006FIESTA FOCUS

liFe is A CArNiVAl

The future or back to the 80s?

One of the world’s biggest carnivals started on January 21 and will take place for a whole month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.equally exciting celebrations and events also started in las Palmas de gran Canaria on January 31: the popular and culturally-significant carni-vals kicking off in the capi-tal cities with a mix of latin rhythms, parades, concerts and street parties that quite litera-lly absorb the islands’ popula-tions for several weeks. The main events of the fiesta include the choosing of the Carnival queen, the murga con-test, the burial of the sardine and, of course, the all-night dancing that many people are happy to do for days on end! insomniac revellers function on adrenalin-fuelled party vibes until the celebrations draw to a close and afford them the opportunity to rest – at least until next year.Following the commencement of the capitals’ carnivals, most local towns hold their own smaller-scale events, often at the same time or usually just afterwards, and with a different

theme to that of santa Cruz or las Palmas. many people time their holidays to coincide with the dates so you can expect the islands to be fairly busy at carnival time. Therefore, if you find the prospect of fighting through the busy streets of the islands’ two biggest cities a little daunting, or you prefer not to travel too far, then sma-ller celebrations in a nearby town may be an easier way of ingesting the fiesta-fever that grips the islands. For example, the parties in Puerto de la Cruz still manage to encompass many of the same events as the capital, and abound with the same enthusiastic energy. This

year it also began on January 31 and the chosen theme is ‘The 1980s’.every time each carnival, large or small, has a specific topic, and this year in santa Cruz it is ‘The Future’ while in las Pal-mas it is ‘one Thousand and one Nights’. events, activities and choice of fancy dress usua-lly mirror the theme for the year – though the dressing up is often free-style. so, if you’re out and about, don’t be alar-med to see throngs of martians, robots and star Wars charac-ters bleeping and whirring down the streets of Tenerife, while las Palmas will be awash with Aladdins and genies!

some towns such as las Pal-mas, Playa del inglés and Puerto de la Cruz also stage a series of events aimed at the gay community, including a drag queen contest.

History

The carnivals’ roots date back to the earliest european sett-lers, following the spanish

conquest, but made signifi-cant leaps during the mid-19th Century with the emergence of social groups, organisations and various events which began to include the first use of parades and decorative floats. During much of the last century the carnival and other street par-ties were prohibited by the dic-tatorships of miguel Primo de rivera and general Franco but carried on in secret under the ruse ‘Winter Celebration’, and

it was after Franco’s death in 1975 that the modern carnival took form. The ban on street events was lifted the following year and organised public para-des and activities returned. in 1980 it was officially declared a ‘Fiesta of interest for inter-national Tourism’, and fancy dress, concerts and bois-terous public parties again consumed the town centres

and public squares. in 1987 it was even registered in the guinness book of records for having the largest crowd attendance for a music event in a public place, with well over 200 thousand people present to see billo’s Cara-cas boys and famous Cuban singer, Celia Cruz, who was always a massive promoter of the event. Today the santa Cruz and las Palmas carnivals are attended by many hundreds of

thousands of people each year, have become enormous tourist attractions, and are conside-red among the best carnivals in the world. Tenerife’s is widely regarded as the second most popular international carnival after rio de Janeiro, although, in terms of attendance, it falls short of similar events such as london’s Notting Hill.The carnivals are a wonderful

The opening ‘cabalgata’ parade has a real jubilee feel to it

The costumes for the election of the Carnival Queen are truly spectacular

The Murgas are a much-loved feature of the Islands’ carnivals

Colour, dance and costume typify the festivities

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 �7

experience and, so you don’t miss out on the fun, here is a round-up of popular and tradi-tional events taking place for Carnival 2015.

The Carnival Queen

The gala to elect the Carnival queen for santa Cruz is always a highlight. This year’s crow-ning takes place at the Cen-tro internacional de Feria y Congresos on February 11 at 9.30pm.A Junior queen contest has been held since 1975, and since 1984 a senior version has also been included.in las Palmas the adult queen gala takes place on February 13 at 9pm in the escenario del Parque santa Catalina. Their popular Drag queen gala hap-pens on February 20 at 9pm in the same venue.

Murgas

The murga groups are a trea-sured feature of the carnival. For non-spanish speakers the spectacle may seem a little odd – consisting of a collec-tion of vocalists dressed in clown-like makeup with sim-ple musical accompaniment of drums, kazoos and other wind instruments – as the power of these groups has always been lyrical content. satirical state-ments, social comment, humo-rous wordplay and thick irony form the songs, and poking fun at authorities and rival carni-vals make up the majority of themes. murgas first appeared in Tenerife around the begin-ning of the 20th century, with female murga groups being

included from 1972, along with a junior event.

Rondallas

The rondallas are one of the oldest and most traditional ele-ments of the santa Cruz car-nival, first appearing in 1891. They are an ensemble of string instrument musicians who typi-cally play with a plectrum and sing light opera and romantic ballads in a choir whilst dres-sed in costume. A festival for the rondallas has been held since 1910, and this year is on February 19 at 8.30pm in the Teatro guimerá, santa Cruz.

The burial of the sardine

one of the concluding orga-nised carnival events is the ‘burial’ of the sardine. With a final weekend of street parties to come, the main events finish several days prior to that, on Ash Wednesday, with a popu-lar and light-hearted ceremony that parodies a funeral proces-sion. People play along and mourn for the symbolic sar-dine as it’s paraded through town and finally burned, sig-nifying the coming of lent and a time for religious or spiritual reflection. bizarrely, many of

the ‘mourners’ are men dressed in women’s clothing, wailing their sorrow in a most dramatic manner –quite a sight.This year in santa Cruz the burial takes place on February 18 at 9pm, starting from Calle Juan Pablo ii and finishing at the Plaza de españa. The bur-ning takes place on the Ave-nida maritima and is followed by a fireworks display, with con-certs also happening on the Plaza de Candelaria.

The opening parade and closing ‘coso’

The beginning of the carnival events is marked by an opening parade - known as a ‘cabal-gata’ - with scores of floats, processions, and samba bands that wind through the main streets to the cheers of thou-sands of spectators, usually dressed in costume and make-

up, who line the pavements and help create a real jubilee atmosphere. ‘Comparsas’ are groups that dance through the streets to Caribbean rhythms and ‘mogollón’ is an open-air

dance with local or internatio-nal music.The closing parade, or ‘coso’ as it’s termed, is the final pro-cession with an avalanche of colour, rhythm and celebration that lasts for hours, as the Car-nival queen and her entourage join the floats and bands in their parade along santa Cruz’s

seafront to bid farewell to the festivities for another year.

Useful tips

There is a special bus service

for key dates to help people get to and from the carnival, especially during the street parties, with local buses run-ning through the night.A word of warning: be careful with your purses or wallets and keep jewellery to a mini-mum. it is sometimes better not to take anything valua-

ble with you at all if you are partying. Comfortable shoes and clothes are a must, and if you go with others it’s a good idea to agree on a mee-ting point before the evening begins in case you become separated. And, last but not least, remember to pace your-self! you don’t want to miss half the fun because you’ve overdone it, or spend most of the evening searching for a toilet, so plan ahead, wear your best outfits, and party like it’s 1999!The most significant dates will be listed in our What’s on section on the back page of this edition. For a full progra-mme of activities and cele-brations, please visit the santa Cruz Carnival website: www.carnavaldetenerife.com and for las Palmas: www.lpa-carnaval.com. n

All photos: ©Gerard Zenou 634 173 766

FIESTA FOCUS

The burial of the sardine marks the end of the carnival Murgas are known for their satirical lyrics, social comment and humorous wordplay

The Junior Queen contest is a wonderfully heart-warming event

Some carnivals stage events aimed at the gay community including a drag queen contest

�8 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006KATY / PETS

Tierhotel Lilly

Tel: 697 826 738 (D/E),659 131 382 (SP, Trainer)

www.tierhotel-lilly.com

We look afteryour pet while you are away(short or long term)

Hi everyone,katykennedy@telefonica.net Tf: 616 110 930

By Katy

PeTs CHAriTy NeWs

Pets charities round upAcción del Sol

We have had a very busy week with a surprisingly high num-ber of adoptions for this time of year, including a gorgeous pit bull who looked destined to a life in the refuge but has gone on to join the spanish Army in the north of the island along with two previously adop-ted dogs. Protección Civil has still been arriving daily at the refuge with as many as 12 dogs a day in various condi-tions, like the scruffy dog in the photos. After a trip to the groomer and a clean bill of health he is now looking for a new home. We also have the usual influx of unwanted dogs and puppies given as Christ-mas presents so if you are thin-king of adopting a dog please come and visit us.our next fund raising event will be at the refuge on may 9 and the theme is spring flowers, pets and children. Please take a photo of your pet or child with flowers and submit it to teneri-ffa@aktiontier.org where they will be printed and displayed. you are welcome to submit as many pictures as you like.Please call 922 778 630 for more information or if you have some spare time and would like to walk some of the dogs at the refuge, that would be

much appreciated by our four legged friends. The refuge is situated at the Polígono indus-

trial estate; exit 51 on the TF1, directly next to the Par-que eolica where the windmi-lls are. We are open monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 2pm to 5pm; and saturdays, 1pm to 4pm.

Live Arico P.A.W.S.

our dog show was hit with administrative hassles and unfortunately had to be pos-tponed. We are very sorry but we need to reschedule the event and have decided to stage it on a weekend, star-ting at 3pm on march 7 with a basic obedience course along

with an ‘Ask the Vet’ session. This will be followed by the fun dog show, in collaboration with the san miguel town council on march 8 from 12pm. both events will be held next to the Cultural Centre in llano del Camello. it’s only €2 to enter your pooch, so come and have a great afternoon with us.on February 21 we have char-tered the mustCat catamaran and will be having a private party from 2:30pm, sailing from las galletas. We ask only €20 per ticket, which includes drinks for the three hour excur-sion and is less than half the normal price. A donation from

the proceeds will be made to sea shepherd in recognition of the outstanding work they do to preserve our oceans and marine life.For more information on either of the above events call sue on 629 388 102.if you have unwanted items, please contact siobhan on 630 857 626. We have shops in los Cristianos and san euge-nio which are open from 10am to 4pm, monday to Friday; and until 3pm on saturday and sunday. Come and have a browse and help the animals. Visit our website at: www.livea-rico.com. n

In need of a home

Looking for a small, flu-ffy handbag dog? Then Oscar is probably not for you. However, a true dog lover knows that looks are not important.oscar is six years old and needs a family who will love him forever. He is vaccinated, sterilised, and micro-chipped, and for all this we ask a one-off adop-tion fee of just €110. For more information call sue on 629 388 102.

I hope you’re all enjoying good health and that the dreaded cold and flu have finally left us.i’d first like to wish Aubrey Drage a very happy birth-day and thank, on behalf of his many friends, Aubrey, his wife gloria, and their daughter samantha for organising such a wonder-ful lunch in Adeje. The big-gest surprise and indeed the best present he could have been given was the arrival of his grandson.The best surprise for me came when the pudding of profiteroles with chocolate sauce came and i was ama-zed at two or three of the friends on my table who simply couldn’t manage a pudding after such a sump-

tuous meal. Well, Aubrey had ordered them and the chef had sent them out so it would have been so very rude to have sent them back, therefore i obliged. but you do understand - i was only being polite. And although i’m a diabetic i am allowed little treats like that, but only on the days of the week with a ‘y’ at the end. Actually, they and choco-late éclairs are two delig-hts that don’t send my levels rocketing, so take heart fellow sufferers, “a little bit of what you fancy does you good”. At least providing you don’t do it too often!i’d like to apologise to those of you who have

sent me emails. my com-puter has been hacked by a firm pretending to be firstly, Telefónica, then movistar. both of them demanded money to free my account. The surpri-sing thing is, i can receive emails fine but i cannot send. i reported this to movistar who told me they could do nothing and to contact a specialist!over a billion people in China and millions around the world will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New year on February 18-19, 2015. it’ll be February 18 according to u.s. calen-dars, and February 19 in Asia. it’s the most impor-tant of Chinese holidays, kicking off a celebration

that lasts for 15 days and culminates with the lan-tern Festival. each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2015, it’s the year of the sheep.There are several variations on the mythology behind Chinese New year cele-brations. most are based on a very ugly and bloo-dthirsty monster named Nian that would emerge on the last night of each year to destroy villages and eat people. A wise elder advised villagers to scare the monster away with loud noises. That night, they set fire to bamboo, lit fireworks, and banged their drums. The monster, afraid of the loud noises and lig-

hts, ran away to hide in its cave. in another version of the myth, an old man persuaded Nian to turn its wrath on other monsters, not the villagers. before he was seen riding away on Nian, the old man, who was actually a god, advi-sed the people to hang red paper decorations in their homes and set off firecrac-kers on the last night of the year to keep Nian away.on the first day of the New year the villagers celebrated, greeting each other with the words ‘guo Nian’, which means, ‘sur-vive the Nian’. That tradi-tion has continued to this day, with guo Nian now meaning, ‘Celebrate the new year’.

so guo Nian to you all, and take care of your-

selves. see you next issue. n

Nian, the Chinese New Year monster!

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As many as 12 dogs a day arrive in various conditions to Accion del Sol’s refuge Here’s the same dog following a trip to the groomer

Even pups as small as this one from Acción del Sol are being dumped at refuges at this time of year

Adopt don’t buy – every dog bred or bought takes away the chance of happiness from pets like Oscar.

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 �9FASHION

Flowers will also appear on handbags this sum-mer. By Debenhams

Extravagant: Ballerinas with floral pattern, combined with brown leather and a strap finish. By Moda in Pelle

Flowery patterns are one of the old-est cloth designs in the history of fashion. There has hardly been a century where women did not adorn them-selves with beautiful blooms. Flow-ery patterns were one of the most popular themes in fashion in the baroque and rococo styles. yet there is an enormous difference between the shapes of the blos-soms of those periods and the mod-ern flower patterns of today. While fashion in former times aimed at good looks – just as today´s fash-

ion does – comfort was not an issue. Nowadays designers try to use mate-rials that are comfortable to wear and designs that help its wearers feel good in them: it´s not just important to look good, but also to feel good. Flowery patterns will be all over the place this summer. Not just on dresses – also on suits, shorts and other items of clothes. Whether the flowers blossom as prints or adorn-ments, they will stress femininity in all sorts of clothes and accessories. How you apply this new trend into

your manner of clothing is up to one´s personal taste. Women who like to appear in a romantic, dreamy look, will be able to chose from an abundance of flowery dresses. if you prefer a more classical, pur-ist look you might want to com-bine a flower-patterned blazer with a unicoloured pair of trousers and a matching top. Women who tend to wear sportive clothes can also adopt the new trend – for exam-ple with flower patterned sneak-ers combined with blue jeans and a leather jacket. n

THe TreNDy PATTerN For A FemiNiNe APPeArANCe

Speak in flowers!

If you find flowers too romantic, just combine them with unicoloured items of clothes. By Marisota

This flower pat-terned suit has a feminine and extravagant touch. By Daxon

Catchy: Big blossoms on a background, with transparent cloth. By Lipsy

Refined: flower pattern combined with stripes. By Betty Barclay

Fancy fringes on a trendy leather jacket contrast well with feminine patterns. By Next

Lace and floral de-sign: You will come across this kind of combination many times this sum-mer. By Marks & Spencer

Flowers add a young touch to the design of sneakers. By Get the Label

30 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

At the moment Ebola seems to be the biggest medical spectre for people all over the world. But while we are well informed about the outbreak of this epi-demic, there are plenty of other killer diseases, claiming many more deaths than Ebola. Number one of the sad hit list of killers is tuberculosis, which is caused by bacteria. This most common disease-caus-ing bacteria is called mycobac-terium tuberculosis, which is transmitted through droplet infection. The disease does not necessarily break out imme-diately, once it is transmitted quite often it strikes when the

immune system is weak – for example after a long and seri-ous illness. The situation is especially severe in develop-ing countries, where more and more people are infected every day and so called multi-resist-ant bacterial strains spread quickly. many developing coun-tries cannot afford to treat the disease and prevent further spreading by buying medi-cine, which is why tuberculo-sis is still the foremost cause of death in those regions. every third human being has been infected with tubercu-loses, but when there are no symptoms, it is extremely hard to diagnose. usually, the dis-

ease first shows insignificant symptoms like coughing and a slight fever as well as sweat-ing while asleep. As the dis-ease develops, the symptoms worsen. TbC can also affect organs like the lungs, and if not treated in time can lead to irreparable damage or even death.Number two on the list is a respiratory disease: nosoco-mial pneumonia, which is the correct term for what we com-monly refer to as just pneu-monia. it often occurs during stays in hospitals and inten-sive care units. When infected within 48 hours of a hospital stay, it is called nosocomial

pneumonia. And the causing organisms of such a disease are referred to as nosocomial germs. They are different from the causing organisms of a kind of pneumonia that is transmit-ted without a previous hospi-tal stay. The most common disease-causing organisms are ente-rococci, pseudomonas aerugi-nosa and staphylococci. Those are germs that spread in hos-pitals and can form resistance against antibiotics. Those bac-teria can be disseminated when hospital staff do not practice careful hygiene, when patients are kept in overcrowded rooms and when antibiotics are used

too generously. many germs are multi-resist-ant, which means they are resistant against many kinds of antibiotics. And since infec-tions with those germs cannot be treated the usual way, noso-comial germs are especially dangerous. elderly patients, who have to stay in bed all day, are affected most. And if a patient needs artificial res-piration, the risk of suffering from nosocomial pneumonia is even higher as via the res-piratory device the germs can be transmitted deep into the lungs of the patient.basically we differentiate between pneumonia that occurs within 48 hours and pneumo-nia that starts to set in after the 5th day. This differentia-tion is important, because the two types need different treat-

ments since they are caused by different bacteria. The mor-tality rate within patients who suffer from nosocomial pneu-monia is high. Another still very dangerous and wide spread disease is the immune-deficiency dis-ease AiDs. Despite decades of research, still about three million people die from AiDs every year. To understand this condition better, we need to differentiate between AiDs and HiV. HiV is short for Human immunodeficiency Viruses; the HiV infection can – sometimes after many years - lead to a full blown outbreak of AiDs, the Acquired immune Deficiency syndrome. The HiV virus is transmitted by unprotected sexual intercourse as well as dirty needles and infected blood reserves. once a per-

son is infected with the virus, we call him or her HiV positive; later on this person may suf-fer from AiDs, but not always. The symptoms of an HiV infec-tion can show days, weeks or months after actually having been infected with the virus. symptoms similar to those of flu can appear, but after a few days or a week they usu-ally wear off again. Then the infected person can be with-out symptoms for years or even decades. many times patients lose a lot of weight; infections of all kinds occur and certain types of cancer are more likely to develop. Cholera, Typhoid Fever and Dysentery are the most com-mon diarrhoea causing pan-demics. Cholera is caused by bacteria called Vibriocholerae and leads to severe diarrhoea.

HEALTH

mosT DeADly DiseAses

Dangerous Killers

Even the smallest animals, like flies, can transmit dangerous diseases

Amongst the most dangerous diseases on the planet are two that affect the lungs

Patients who are recovering from surgery tend to become infected more easily with diseases that are caused be multi-resistant germs

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5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 31

These bacteria are mainly trans-mitted by drinking water con-taminated by faeces. When not treated, cholera can be deadly because the body loses a lot of liquid and is in danger of suf-fering from severe dehydration – which can be life-threaten-ing. The organisms causing the disease lead to massive loss of liquid in the colon – the body can lose up to 20 litres a day. Cholera usually starts with immediate diarrhoea, and not just water but also elec-trolytes are washed out of the system. This can lead to strong muscle cramps, an unbalanced metabolism and, finally, circu-

latory shock can occur: if not treated Cholera can lead to cir-culatory collapse, kidney fail-ure and eventually death. Typhoid Fever on the other hand is caused by salmo-nella which is predominately transmitted via contaminated drinking water and food. The diseases can also be trans-mitted by touching. Just like with Cholera, diarrhoea is the most severe symptom of Typhoid Fever. Dysentery was widely spread during the mid-dle Ages, and also appears in various forms. Apart from severe diarrhoea, patients suf-fer from cramps, fever and cir-

culatory problems. About two million people worldwide still day of Dysentery every year. most affected are children and elderly people. malaria is one of the biggest problems in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Via a sting from a mosquito, so called plas-modia (parasites) are injected into the human body. Typical symptoms are bouts of fever that alternate with fever-free intervals. When not treated, malaria can lead to death. measles has long been estab-lished as a typical childhood infection that seems to be

rather harmless. Therefore, many parents nowadays do not have their children vacci-nated against the disease. yet, in November 2014 little Alina from germany made sad head-lines: she died from meningi-tis after having been infected with measles. Tetanus is another disease that can end fatally, when there is no protection by vaccination. it is caused by a germ called clostridium tetani. it grows well without needing any oxygen and is very resistant against drying out. The germs can survive sev-eral months and can produce a strong poison which harms nerves and parts of the blood. Clostridium tetani can be found all over the globe, mainly in soil (especially earth that is ferti-lized with animal dung), in dust, rotten wood and in the excrements of humans and ani-mals. Tetanus mainly occurs in countries with low standards of hygiene and a humid climate. since the tetani bacteria can be found in all kinds of soil, a simple injury like a small cut can lead to an infection with Tetanus. First symptoms are similar to the ones of flu, plus pain around the original wound, until finally the whole body cramps. of course, we don’t mean to be alarmist. it’s more a case of getting things into perspec-tive. No one panics when they hear the words ‘measles’ or ‘pneumonia’ any more, after all. That doesn’t take away from the fact that they, and many other diseases, can be deadly under the right circum-stances but it does show how we are often only alarmed when headlines scream at us that we should be. one of the most infallible ways of avoiding contracting a trans-mittable disease is the sim-plest action possible: main-tain high levels of hygiene and, above all, wash your hands fre-quently. n

HEALTH

Even small wounds can lead to Tetanus. There is still no cure for the disease

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The tropics are still home to many dangerous diseases like Malaria

Children in developing countries are especially at risk

3� FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006WORK: OUT!

ACTiVATiNg ADeJe

Sport with a Smile

The eagerly awaited Activate Sports Club recently opened its doors in Costa Adeje, offering residents and guests of Bao-bab Suites the opportunity to experience Tenerife’s newest and most original and dynamic sports and leisure centre. As well as meaning that baobab suites visitors can enjoy even better facilities, the sports club is open to absolutely everyone, creating one more, quality lei-sure offering for the area. With its modern minimalist design and clearly defined philosophy, Activate sports Club provides the perfect combination of first-class facilities and highly professional instructors, in a warm and welcoming atmo-

sphere. each client, regard-less of level of physical ability, receives complete encourage-ment; to aid them in not only achieving their desired fitness goals, but also supporting and sustaining them in their search for personal growth. in stark contrast to the many cold, uninviting and imper-sonal training environments that can be found around the islands, Activate offers a dynamic social scene; a warm, relaxed and friendly vibe which invites and inspires people to really enjoy taking exercise and making the very best of them-selves on all levels. The centre is also most def-initely aimed at the whole

family, with a dedicated team which helps everyone to enjoy adopting a healthier lifestyle - and above all to socialise and have fun in the process. group classes such as Pilates, yoga, Zumba, Zumba kids, spinning, Pole Dancing and Cross Training promote physi-cal and mental development, as well as helping participants to achieve a healthy emotional balance and improve their over-all quality of life. And the latest activity on offer is belly Dance classes – fun, challenging and sure to trim a few centrimetres off the hips and waist!in addition to the information centre and sports store, Acti-vate offers four padel courts; a

sandy beach volleyball court; a heated pool for personal train-ing and hydrotherapy sessions; a fabulous children’s play area; boules; a large lawn for outdoor classes, many and varied train-ing sessions and events, a cardio training zone with state-of-the-art equipment and machines; and two multi-use rooms for group classes and informative, interactive workshops.The personal training studio, equipped with the very latest in fitness technology, offers expert sessions using the Functional Training method, a highly effec-tive approach that gains notice-able results. Private swimming lessons and coaching sessions are also available.

And that’s not all: you can even enjoy a wonderful range of deli-cious and nutritious organic food in the attractive bar/res-taurant and users also have the incredible advantage of being able to leave their children in baobab suites’ saplings indoor Play Area while they exercise, knowing they will be safe and well cared for.

sporting events, tournaments, master classes, workshops and social gatherings are just some of the many reasons why Acti-vate promises to become a hub of activity over the com-ing months. it’s not just about getting physically fit – Activate is a way of life. n

Work: Out!Work: out! is a new monthly after-work hangout event: it’s a pre-weekend warm-up to get you into a more relaxed, sociable mood for the days ahead. it’s the chance to catch up with friends, socialise with colleagues or take the oppor-tunity to meet equally cool professionals as you enjoy a cold beer and relax on the sand. The very first one takes place on February 5, 5pm till 10pm, so early bird read-ers will be just on time to catch it. if not, look out for the next one.For more information on all the activities, you can email the Activate sports Club at info@tenerifeactivate.com or call 0034 822 070 037. Alternatively, follow them on face-book.com/TenerifeActivate or via Twitter (@ActivateTF).

Relaxation and sport - the perfect mix at Activate

You can even enjoy a wonderful range of delicious and nutritious organic food in the attractive bar/restaurant

Activate’s fabulous sandy beach-in-the-hills

An ariel view of the Activate

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 33HEALTH

Therapies, Spiritual

hypnosis, Past life regression

Come, unleash your internal power and heal your mind, body and soul completely through energy healing, hypnosis and past life regression. Get Space Clearing carried out for

more positivity at home and in your work place

Call 619 519 858

Osteopath, Acupuncturist, Rehabilitation, Pain Management

Tel. 660 437 747 - Comercial Domasa, next to Lidl, Adeje

Lisa B. Harris

• Natural solutions to a balanced and pain free life. • UK qualified and Registered, with many years experience treating a wide variety of patient conditions.

Dear Dr. De La Flor

Dr. De la Flor, licensed g.P. (6089). in dealing with his patients he is highly influenced by Humanistic Psychology - an encom-passing way of approaching patients through the study of their strengths and virtues to enable them to thrive and lead fulfilling lives, accept the past, find happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Call him today at 00-34-697.888.666 or email him to regisTer. Call him today at 00-34-697.888.666 or email him to regisTer.

Dr. De La Flor Facts

Thumbs Upby Dr. De la Flor

For the next 2 weeks, let’s try to have the courage to help and pray for those ones around us that might be at risk of destro-ying their health and in the pro-cess their loved ones. Wishing you all a meaningful, compas-sion-filled winter. Talk to you in a couple of weeks. “Seize the moments of happi-ness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.” leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

Diagnostic Criteria for Alcohol Dependence - A maladaptive pattern of alcohol use, as mani-fested by 3 or more of the follo-wing: 1. Tolerance: A markedly dimi-nished effect with continued use of the same amount of alco-hol; 2. Withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, irritability, insom-nia, tremors, etc.); 3. larger amounts used, and over a lon-ger period than initially inten-ded; 4. unsuccessful efforts to cut it down; 5. great deal of time spent in activities neces-sary to obtain, use or recover from alcohol effects; 6. reduc-tion in social, occupational and recreational pursuit. 7. Alco-hol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persis-tent or recurrent alcohol-rela-ted problems.in my modest opinion, a vital criteria is absent. Family des-truction and its long-reaching consequences at the personal level: inner character devas-tation, self-esteem corrosion and an unbearable self-image annihilation.

At the heart of erectile dys-function (ed)men with eD are at higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke! Well-known perfor-mance killers are high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease and diabetes.

Soul workout basics: prayer + stillness“The soul, like the body, acqui-res vigor by the exercise of all its faculties. In the midst of the world, in overcoming difficul-ties, in conquering selfishness, indolence, and fear - in all the occasions of duty, it employs, and reveals by employing, ener-gies that render it efficient and robust - that broaden its scope, adjust its powers, and mature it with a rich experience.” edwin Chaplin

CoachingCornerby Dr. De la Flor

ReSOLUTIONby Dr. De la Flor

OUR EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SERVICEThe first centre for aesthetic surgery in the Canaries. 20 years of experience.

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES21st century Cosmetic Surgery as an out patient, no general anaesthtic, no prolonged post operative recovery or any other inconveniences.

30 MINUTES FOR A YOUNGER FACEEliminating facial wrinkles - in just 30 minutes you will see the extraordinary results without any signs of treatment.

Come and see us and we will put your fears at rest. Completely free consultation

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Please make appointmentsover Salón de Belleza

Sonja Cornelius. Carretera General (antigua)

99º Chayofa Tel.: 922 386 430 / 922 729 527

C/Virtud 3, 3°, Puerto de la Cruz, Tel/Fax: 922 386 430International Aesthetic Centre Puerto de la Cruz

Dear Dr. De La Flor, My spouse seems to go from unreasonable smoking to drin-king to even spending a great amount of money on the lottery. Are anxiety tablets appropriate? Thank you, Anne

Dear Anne,Temperance and self-control are fairly foreign / ajena to pills as well as customary pill-pop-ping frequent medical appro-aches. Tablets will, at most, alleviate certain symptoms associated with his impulsivity but could also mask character glitches and conceal deep-roo-ted issues. A thorough medical check-up AND a psychologi-cal assessment are essential first steps towards a long-term holistic efficacious strategy. best wishes.

“Happiness in the present moment consists of very different states, from happi-ness about the past and about the future, and itself embra-ces two very distinct kinds of things: pleasures and gratifica-tions. The pleasures are delig-hts that have clear sensory and strong emotional components, what philosophers call “raw feels”; ecstasy, thrills, orgasm, delight, mirth, exuberance, and comfort. They are evanes-cent, and they involve little, if any, thinking. Gratifications are activities we very much like doing, but they are not necessarily accompanied by any raw feelings at all. Rather, the gratifications engage us fully, we become immersed and absorbed in them, and we lose self-consciousness. Enjo-ying a great conversation, rock climbing, reading a good book, dancing, and making a slam dunk are all examples of acti-vities in which time stops for us, our skills match the cha-llenge, and we are in touch with our strengths. The grati-fications last longer than the pleasures, they involve quite a lot of thinking and interpre-tation, they do not habituate easily, and they are undergir-ded by our strengths and vir-

Fibromyalgia hollistic out-lookTreatment pillars for an effective approach include pain killers and/or muscle relaxants; physical therapy; massage; regular moderate exercise; behavioral/attitudi-nal training; suitable nutrition routines; and healthy sleep, rest and leisure habits.

Presidential ecuation: Vir-tue = Happiness“There is no truth more tho-roughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indis-soluble union between virtue and happiness.” george Was-hington

Diabetes warning infec-tionsin some cases, type 2 dia-betes is not discovered until it takes a noticeable toll on health. one red flag is troubling infections, such as cuts or sores that are slow to heal; frequent yeast and/or urinary tract infections. itchy skin, especially in the groin area, is another red flag. Marijuana, “the gateway drug”The mind and brain-alte-ring ingredient is called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocanna-binol). Addiction damage is likely both physical and psychological. memory and concentration impairment, difficulty solving problems, increased appetite, decrea-sed coordination, and airway damage (especially to the lungs) are just among the common side effects.

Healthy Living = Healthy Giving“The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is bare-foot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.” st. basil the great. let´s try to be kinder than only the necessary.

EM- TIERRASANAThe first specialised shop for Effective Microorganisms and ecological products from the Canary IslandsSales and consultations: Monday to Saturday 10 am -1 pm Afternoon by arrangement. Additionally, in January: Thursday 4 pm -7 pm.Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Center, Local 36Tel. 922 37 00 00 · www.em-tierrasana.comwww.facebook.com/em.tierrasana

Pedro Alegre Alonsoä Pilates trainerä Physiotherapist

Tel. 699 521 649pedroalegrealonso@hotmail.com

©20

14 F

LN

©20

14 F

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tues.” martin seligman, PhD - Authentic Happiness

Dear Dr. De La Flor,I have several employees under me and I´d like to know for how long someone who has flu can be contagious. Regards, Bryan

Dear bryan,When we have the flu (or a cold), we may remain conta-gious for as long as we have symptoms, often up to a long tedious week. simple tips can help you keep everyone reaso-nably safe at work: Avoid direct contact and be careful when shaking hands; practice res-piratory etiquette by covering your cough and sneezes; wash your hands often and/or use alcohol-based hand sanitisers; keep desks/bathroom surfaces as pristine as possible; avoid sharing office/kitchen uten-sils or drinking glasses. Wis-hing you a healthy and pro-ductive 2015“safety is as simple as AbC - Always be Careful.”

m_delaflor@hotmail.com

ISLAND CONNECTIONSPICKUP POINT

Clínica Dental FañabéC.C. Fañabé

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34 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

By John

A brand new restaurant to try!The old el Duende restaurant, patronised by no less a per-son than the previous king of spain, sadly closed its doors some three years ago. We had eaten wonderful food there. since then, nothing; a state of emptiness. but we had recen-tly spotted workmen toiling to paint and improve the place, bringing it right up to date.Three weeks after the opening, having judged sufficient time for it to get its act together (we have been caught like that before) we walk in on a Fri-day evening. most tables have been pre-booked, which is a good sign, but space is found for us.quite clearly a whole lot of money has been spent and it is now very modern and upmar-ket for a Tasca. The restau-rant area has been extended by bringing into use what must have been an old store room,

tastefully complementing the whole. There is now a bar, too, at the far end. Probably the smartest Tasca that we have been to.

Will the food live up to the hype?

This Tasca looks like a pro-per upmarket restaurant, but thankfully the prices reflect the Tasca name, with some dishes available as half portions. ser-vice is smart and a little for-mal, which suits us. Wine is properly described and served in good glassware. We chose a local Tajinaste, which recei-ved the nod.We start with a platter of ibe-rico ham and three different cheeses, one from far flung Cataluña. it is excellent, but not cheap at €12. A fillet steak (perfectly tender and cooked blue) with a sauce of fresh chanterelle mushro-oms is accompanied by really good chips and a pile of mixed

vegetables (of which more later) and was a very reaso-nable €10.50. my choice, the reason for which still escapes me, other than continuing my recent torture of always get-ting it wrong, was the chicken curry priced at €7.80. What i received was two pieces of

well fried chicken over which a rather bland curry sauce had been spread. The accompani-ment to this adventurous dish was half of a tinned peach and another pile of the aforesaid vegetables.by now the place was almost full and the glitterati of Puerto

had descended. everyone see-med to know everyone else (sel-ves excluded). People had dres-sed up for the occasion. i had to do a little tour on the pretext of a visit to the ‘rest rooms’ to check on the vegetables offe-red with other choices. The pile of overdone, pepper flavoured

mixed vegetables seemed to be almost standard issue. Note to chef: Can do better. go to a local market.We could have started with either gazpacho (€3) or Crema Parmentier (€3.50). The home made croquetas, priced at €0.70 each, were being deli-vered to a number of tables. mains of sirloin steak with rose-mary (€9.80) and hake on a bed of leeks (€12) also looked good. The rabbit in salmorejo sauce was available at either €7.80 or €5.50 for a small portion.And so to the highlight of the meal: gin & tonic tart. yes, gin & tonic tart! The speciality of the house, this was a triumph. A slice of light as a feather lemon tart topped with lemon jelly was surrounded by waves of palest blue sauce, emula-ting the colour of a bombay sapphire gin bottle. Visually and with tongue-tingling tas-tefulness a complete triumph. Worth going back just for that, and it was only €3!regardless of any above shor-tcomings, i am sure that this is one new kid on the block that is here to stay. go and give it a try. n

FOOD

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Rocket and RollBy Lee Bullen

Las Galletas isn’t just a pretty coastal town with splendid seafood restaurants and typi-cal tapas bars; tucked away in its centre is a unique and wonderfully-themed cafeteria that’s simply a must for all families.The 1950s American diner has been tried on the island before but not with the same dedi-cation that Pablo and Nata-lia bring to the theme. set in small premises opposite the post office in the pedestriani-sed part of town, it’s easy to mistake rocket Café as simply another local bar – but walk inside and you enter a delig-htful world of all things 1950s that will transport you back 60 years or leave you feeling like you’re on the set of Grease or Happy Days.i visited rocket Café with my eight year old daughter and six year old son, and as we entered i was struck by the sounds of gene Vincent’s Be-Bop-A-Lula and familiar diner layout with a pink and white colour scheme. bar stools lined the counter where Pablo was preparing a frothy milkshake and proudly sporting his long sideburns and elvis-quiff. i looked at the walls where pictures and posters of famous people, iconic adver-tisements, and memorabilia from the decade grabbed my attention. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck berry started from the sound system as we sat at our table and i noticed that all our feet were soon tapping along as we rubber-necked at all the wall-mounted images. “Who’s that?” my daughter asked me,

pointing to a striking black and white photo of marilyn mon-roe. “i’m going to enjoy this.” i thought to myself, and with her curiosity piqued i started to explain who the people on the walls were, and about the lively rock and roll music that they had already taken to. Despite being born in the seventies, i have a deep love for fifties and sixties pop culture and rocket Café was the perfect setting for explaining to a child who elvis Presley was and how the music

she knows and loves today was born from this era.Pablo came to take our order and i asked him if the music is always rock and roll or whe-ther we’d just come at a good moment. “Always!” he replied with a proud smile, making it known that the illusion of retro American culture doesn’t cease for a minute.We were getting into the role, bopping and jiving away at our table, and when it came to drinks it just had to be a

round of cherry cokes and those gorgeous frothy shakes with a maraschino cherry on top – anything else would have been against the grain and just too darn ‘un-American’!my daughter asked for a Peggy lee hot dog, my son wanted a New orleans burger, and i bravely requested the super rocket hamburger. “it’s very large.” Pablo checked with me. “That’s okay.” i said with a dismissive wave; i was fiercely hungry and i’ve never failed to

finish a burger yet. When it arri-ved i already knew it had me beaten! ‘super’ does not do the size justice, and nor the qua-lity. All their burgers are 100 per cent beef and homemade, as are their fantastic selection of cakes and puddings. They also use different breads for their burgers, hot dogs, sandwi-ches and baguettes, and serve fine italian coffee, “The best in the area – which is why so many people come back time and again.” Pablo proudly boa-sted. And it’s easy to see why – it’s this attention to detail that makes rocket a unique experience that you do genui-nely want to return to.originally from uruguay, Pablo and Natalia are a brother and sister-in-law who opened the diner two years ago. both unemployed at the time, but a qualified waiter and chef res-pectively, they took a chance on opening their own esta-blishment which would stay true to style and quality, and have seen it grow consistently ever since.Authenticity and customer service form their ethos, and clients are treated to fres-hly-prepared dishes, a wide

range of snacks and home-made treats, and an extensive list of milkshakes, juices and even typical cocktails should a piña colada or mojito be more on your agenda. Also available are vegetarian options, free Wi-Fi, and the largest selection of teas and herbal infusions in the area. All for the same price as you’d expect to pay in any local café.if you’re passing through las galletas and fancy a coffee one day, or you’re looking to do something different with the kids, you can do no better than take a pit stop at rocket. but be sure to grease your ducktail hairdo and don those drainpipe trousers. n

The small but stylish American diner

Rocket CaféAddress: Calle luis Álvarez, 5, las galletas (opposite Correos)Tel.: 922 731 847open: 9am to 9pm, monday to sundayFacebook: www.face-book.com/lasgalletas-rocketcafeloo score: 10/10 – faultless!

Rocket Café in the centre of Las Galletas

A to-die-for frothy shake The ‘Super Rocket’ burger – too big even for me!

Explaining to kids who the 1950s idols are turned out to be great fun

36 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006FOOD

By Francis W.

Whether you’re being roman-tic for St. Valentine’s day, get-ting into costume for carnival, or shopping for this season’s fabulous fashion trends: flow-ers are most definitely in. And you can even eat them. We’ve gathered together some fascinating and tasty flower facts you may not have known before – we hope they’re to your taste!

Bloomin’ lovely

some flowers we eat all the time, of course. most of us will have encounterd artichokes on the menu if not actually on our plate. Artichokes are a variety of thistle: the edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flow-ers come into bloom. Another flower that‘s regularly con-sumed is camomile, usually in the form of a herbal infu-sion, which has a number of well documented health ben-efits. And who hasn’t heard of saffron – which comes from the Crocus sativus flowers. There are, however, many oth-ers which can also be used in the kitchen, an uncommon practice nowadays, but many cultures have used flowers in their cooking for centuries: squash blossoms in italian food and rose petals in indian cui-sine, for example. The culinary use of flowers actually dates back thousands of years, with the first recorded men-tion available being from 140 b.C. The romans and ancient greeks were also known to lib-erally include flowers in their gastronomy.

Blossoming out…

A floral addition to our food can open up a whole new world of delights for our taste buds: some are spicy, and some herbaceous, while others are extravagant and fragrant.before we start throwing any old blossom into the stew pot, however, a little cau-tion and advance research is strongly advised: some might just taste nasty whilst others can be very toxic. A reason-able rule of thumb might be that if we can eat the plant, then we can eat the bloom but beware, we eat rhubarb

stems quite safely although the leaves contain poisonous chemicals: always consult a reference book or website ded-icated to edible flowers and plants. some flowers in partic-ular are to be avoided such as azalea, crocus (except saffron, of course), daffodil, foxglove, oleander, rhododendron, most lilies, and wisteria. That’s not a complete list, though, so you do need to check. so, which flowers can we use in our cooking? Those from plants used as herbs, such as basil, thyme, fennel, sage and rose-mary, are always good to use and their flavours are reminis-cent of the leaves. every part of the plant from the allium family (leeks, chives, garlic, garlic chives) is edible, including the blos-soms: flavours varying from that delicate leek to a most robust garlic. Another nice one for savoury dishes is carnation petals with their spicy, peppery, clove like flavour.larger flowers such as squash, pumpkin and courgette blos-soms can be chopped and sau-téed or added to soups or, in classic italian style, fried or stuffed with cheese and then fried.The most striking use of flow-ers in cooking is for garnishing and decoration: subtle blends of colours and shapes can be utilised to create an edible work of art. Nasturtiums are probably the best known and most widely available edible flower. They have a real pep-pery kick (as do the leaves from the plant, which make lovely salads all on their own). most

are yellow or orange, although red nasturtiums are often avail-able as well. For a unique hors d’oeuvre, surround a herb but-ter or pate centre with a variety of different coloured nastur-tium petals. The whole family of violas can be eaten, from large pansies to tiny johnny-jump-ups, and the colours of the petals can make a salad look simply sub-lime. They have a velvety feel and extremely mild taste that can best be described as a lit-tle like iceberg lettuce without the crunch. sometimes pan-sies have a slightly minty taste: there’s so many to try!And how about a nasturtium and caper tartare sauce? mix shallots, capers, egg and gher-kins in a bowl with mayonnaise. squeeze in a little lemon juice and mix in parsley and nastur-tium petals before seasoning to taste.The daisy-like petals of the humble marigold are easy to separate from the flower head and can be scattered over sal-ads. The petals can also be

used to colour and flavour but-ter, cheese and rice dishes, acting like saffron but with a lighter impact. Dried petals, used as a garnish for winter soups, make for an especially colourful addition to leek and potato or butternut squash soups. The petals from those beauti-ful, red valentine’s roses can be used in cocktails, make rose scented honey, rose petal cus-tard, rose petal jam: the list goes on. Crystallised flower petals are delicious and quite easy to pre-pare. line a baking sheet with wax paper. brush both sides of each petal with beaten egg white and dip in sugar. Allow to dry on the wax paper.Then of course there is gorse: readily available at higher alti-tudes on the islands, it is a cheerful, bright yellow flower with a deliciously sweet coco-nut flavour. Try gorse flower syrup, gorse flower jelly or gorse flower ice cream. Now, there’s saying it with flow-ers with a difference! n

For buDDiNg CHeFs!

Flower power

Only consume the petals of the flowers - always remove stamens and pistils before eating. Do not eat flowers col-lected from public areas or the roadside as they could be contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers, animal excrement and exhaust fumes. Flowers from the florist or nursery have probably been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. it is best to use flowers you have grown yourself, or from a known source. Those who suffer from allergies should introduce edible flowers in small quantities until it is appar-ent they will not cause adverse reactions. n

The beautiful hibiscus

Delicious rose petal nougat

Stuffed pumpkin flowers – what a treat!

Mashed potatoes and bean salad

Pretty borage is very tasty

Nasturtium petals are divine

Rose petals can be used in a variety dishes

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 37FOOTBALL NEWS

By Chris Todd

These are troubled times at our local football club, CD Tenerife. It is especially grating as our big rivals from across the water, UD Las Palmas, are enjoying a great season, sitting on top of the league. And there is the matter of the passionate Canar-ian derby around the corner which has been fixed for March 1 with a midday kick off.Anything can happen on derby day and hopefully the blanqui-azules will have their house in order before the big show-down.The breaking news is that man-ager Álvaro Cervera has been sacked after much speculation. results are what matter at the end of the day and it is clear that this Tenerife side need a kick start otherwise it will be too late to save the season. it is clearly disappointing for the club to unload Cervera at this time; he was supposed to be the ‘one’ for the long-term. yes, we have been unlucky with injuries and two forwards have left the club after not seeing eye-to-eye with the boss but there can be no excuses. of the 12 new players brought in only a couple have been wor-thy, so it is a case of, thank you Cervera but we need a change. Now!

24/01/2015CD Tenerife 0 Ponferradina 1With an air of tension hanging over the Heliodoro stadium it was always going to be a day to favour the opposition. The visiting outfit from the north of spain were no slouches and were sitting comfort-ably in the play-offs, a great achievement for a small town club. The blanquiazules were playing slightly better than the previous weekend´s 0-0 match but Ponferradina took the lead against the run of play on 15 minutes. on the half an hour mark the visitors were reduced to 10 men and you expected Tenerife to go on and win but it was not to be our day. soon after the expulsion luck was against us as an Aridane

header hit the post and can-noned directly into the arms of the Ponferradina keeper. The second half started with a ridiculous refereeing deci-sion as Tenerife right back Javi moyano was sent off. The teams’ efforts cannot be crit-icised but our lack of attack-ing options was all too clear to see. With 10 minutes remain-ing the fans patience ran out and the stadium handed out its verdict with chants aimed at the manager, the sporting director, the board, and pres-ident. Not many escaped the wrath, i think even maria the tea-lady got some stick at one point. This was only CD Tener-ife’s second home defeat of the season but it will be remem-bered for being the first time

the supporters finally turned on the board.

31/01/2015Albacete 3 CD Tenerife 2The blanquiazules did things in reverse in this crunch game for the future of boss Cer-vera. Normally they are tight at the back but cannot score, but against fellow strugglers Albacete they succumbed to three set piece goals. Again the refereeing decisions were against Tenerife and they had a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside which would have made the score 3-3 late on in the game. The plus points from this game must be the superbly taken goal by young substitute Cristo gonzález, who had just turned seven-

teen. His cheekiness in chip-ping the keeper for the second goal showed great vision and we could well have a player for the future - the new Ayoze Perez perhaps? After Albacete had missed an early penalty it was the blanquiazules who took the lead through rivero. it was short-lived however, as Albacete powered into a 3-1 advantage during the sec-ond half. The wonder goal by Cristo pulled Tenerife back into the game on 70 minutes and another disallowed goal should have counted soon after but it was not to be and the home side took all three points. Next up for CD Tenerife is another very tough match against sec-ond placed girona on February 8 at 6pm. n

THe Worries DeePeN

Tenerife sack manager

soCCer exPerieNCe TourNAmeNT

Youth players needed

Put simply, football is the most popular sport in Spain. Yes, they have a rugby team, they can sail, play tennis and basketball, but when it comes to crowd pleasing there is nothing more likely to attract thousands of men, women and children to a stadium than a round ball being chased around a pitch.Did you know that british football has a lot to do with the growth of spanish football? And no, we don’t mean since uk club players started to travel to play abroad. mod-ern football was introduced to spain by british emigrant workers in the main. And the next time you see the flag for FC barcelona, take note of the saint george crest as part of their logo.Today it is arguable where the best football is played, but certainly spain and the uk would be in the mix; so what better sport to get the kids involved in, and what bet-ter place? Add into the equation the amazing year-round weather in Tenerife which makes outdoor sports a pleasure and you’re already reaching for the kit and boots.For an international mix that children and adults will find fun, check out the soccer 6s league we host in los Cris-tianos. The youth section is growing every week – not sur-prising when the kids have the chance to travel and play in competitions abroad too. Participation in a sport like football at an early age really does bring so many advan-tages – fitness, friends, fun and a world of new ideas and chances.right now soccer experience FC is looking for two young players to join the new Alevin (under 12) team. Train-ing is on Wednesdays and Fridays with weekend games in the local spanish Alevin league. The team has started well and are presently top of their league; and they have kids from spain, sweden, Denmark, scotland, england, russia and iceland, so it’s a real fun international group of young footballers! This team will also be travelling to the end of season tournament in granada so that will be great experience for them. Are you already in a team but looking for new challenges? There’s a new team in the soccer experience 6s league and they are looking for friendly games, so why not get in touch and make some new friends at the same time.Check out the soccer experience website for more information www.socexp.com or call or text +34 654 200 470 or email: info@socexp.com. n

The Soccer Experience youth team playing against top Spanish side, Osasuna last season

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TAble PosiTioNs

Canarian footballClub league Position PointsuD las Palmas liga Adelante 1st 47CD Tenerife liga Adelante 19th 24CD marino Tercera 1st 51

Current leader of the Tercera Division Canarian group of 20 teams from all over the Islands is CD Marino with 51 points.

All change at the Heliodoro following Cervera’s sacking

38 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

Basketball fans are in for a treat as the island of Gran Canaria readies itself as imminent hosts of the 79th Copa del Rey tour-nament.it’s the most prestigious cup competition of spain’s top-tier ACb league - now known as the endesa league after its main sponsor - and features the best

teams in the league.The prominent annual event will be held over four days from Feb-ruary 19 to 22, and is the sec-ond time that gran Canaria have played host, after staging the competition at the Centro insu-lar de Deportes in 1990.The participating teams are made up of the top seven sides after the first half of the league season, along with the host team. As gran Canaria’s side, Herbalife gran Canaria, had made it into seventh position and therefore did not have to rely on their inclusion as home side, the eighth-positioned team in the league entered, which was CAi Zaragoza. The other six sides to feature in this year’s

cup, listed in league standing order after 17 games, are: uni-caja, real madrid, FiATC Joven-tut, FC barcelona, bilbao bas-ket and Valencia basket.The draw for the quarter and semi-finals was made on Jan-uary 19 and FC barcelona will play Valencia basket on Febru-ary 19, and unicaja meet bil-bao basket. on February 20, real madrid face CAi Zaragoza, and FiATC Joventut take on the hosts, Herbalife gran Canaria. The semi-finals will take place on February 21 and will be FC barcelona or Valencia basket facing unicaja or bilbao bas-ket; and real madrid or CAi Zaragoza will take on FiATC Joventut or Herbalife for their

place in the final. The show-case decider to see who will be crowned Copa del rey 2015 Champions will take place on February 22. All games will be played at the gran Canaria Arena in las Palmas. Just 10 minutes from the city centre, the multi-purpose stadium has capacity for up to 10 thousand spectators, as well as press stu-dios, dressing rooms, cafeterias, a gymnasium and even child-care facilities.The cup competition has been running since 1984 when it was first claimed by CAi Zaragoza. The 2013 Copa del rey basket-ball champions were FC barce-lona regal and the current hold-ers are real madrid. All three

teams are vying for the coveted crown again.Herbalife gran Canaria, per-haps better known as Cb gran Canaria, play in yellow and blue, and the gran Canaria Arena is their home stadium. Herbalife were founded in 1963, origi-nally playing under the name Colegio Claret, after the school from which they originated. They joined the league in 1985 as Claret gran Canaria, and then

three years later they changed their name to Cb gran Canaria. Herbalife have been the club’s sponsor since 2012.since winning the second-tier ebA league in the 1994-1995 season and promoted to the ACb league, they have man-aged to stay there ever since. impressively, this season rep-resents the twentieth anniver-sary of consecutive seasons in the ACb. n

POOL LEAGUE / SPORTS NEWS

DIVISION 1 PL W D L F A +/- PTS1 Phoenix 21 15 6 0 131 69 62 512 legends A 20 15 3 2 128 72 56 483 summerland elite 21 12 3 6 121 89 32 394 leones b 20 12 2 6 107 83 24 385 legendary Jokers 20 11 4 5 113 87 26 376 Hoops 19 9 4 6 102 78 24 317 Target old Timers 20 9 3 8 89 101 -12 308 Fosters 19 7 7 5 94 86 8 289 Toby Jug saints 20 7 6 7 100 100 0 2710 Zizzis legends 21 8 2 11 99 111 -12 2611 Clouseaus Diamonds 21 7 4 10 91 119 -28 2512 scruffys 21 6 5 10 94 106 -12 2313 bar 180 A 17 7 2 8 78 92 -14 2314 sloops 20 6 4 10 93 107 -14 2215 Penalty sharks 18 6 3 9 86 94 -8 2116 Dos Hermanos 20 6 1 13 78 122 -44 1917 bar Tasca A 19 4 6 9 87 103 -16 1818 scruffy macs 20 3 3 14 76 114 -38 1219 Polygon legends 19 3 2 14 73 107 -34 11

DIVISION 2 PL W D L F A +/- PTS1 bad bobs 19 15 3 1 120 60 60 482 britannia inn (P) 21 15 3 3 128 72 56 483 mad Hatters 21 12 6 3 126 84 42 424 bar 180 b 21 13 3 5 114 76 38 425 grandee o´Donnell 21 12 6 3 123 87 36 426 bar leones 21 9 8 4 121 89 32 357 Nauta 21 8 8 5 111 99 12 328 lupain Properties 21 9 3 9 100 110 -10 309 bamboo beach 21 8 5 8 94 96 -2 2910 bar 180 C 20 7 5 8 97 103 -6 2611 Target rangers 20 5 10 5 102 98 4 2512 The boothen squad 20 7 1 12 91 109 -18 2213 barracuda Hunters 20 5 5 10 90 110 -20 2014 mykonos 19 4 8 7 74 106 -32 2015 lowrys 15 5 2 8 66 84 -18 1716 britannia bar (s) 20 4 4 12 89 111 -22 1617 summerland shooters 21 4 2 15 80 130 -50 1418 TP at boothen 19 1 5 13 76 114 -38 819 Palms Pool bar 17 1 3 13 48 112 -64 6

Tables for 4 Plus Competition and Tenerife Pool Super-League as of January 27

Pool rouND-uP

Things are heating up

nAmerican Diner style cafen Homemade burgers 100% beefnHomemade cakesnBest coffees in the areanExquisite cocktailsnVegetarian menu

Calle Luis Alvarez Cruz 5 (opposite Correos)Las Galletas · Tel: 922 731 847

4 Plus Competition Points1 Phoenix 182 bar 180 b 153 bar 180 C 143 Nauta 145 Target rangers 136 bar leones 126 leones b 126 barracuda Hunters 129 boothen squad 119 Fosters 11

Division one

it’s beginning to look like a two horse race for the first division title, hotly contested between Phoenix and legends A.Phoenix could only draw away to bar Tasca A 5-5, whilst leg-ends A had a free week, so the gap between them is just three points but legends A still have a game in hand,scruffy macs had a great result against Zizzis legends, win-ning by 7-3; also their stable-mates recorded a 6-4 victory against relegation threatened Polygon legends. Clouse-aus Diamonds beat Toby Jug saints by the same score, 6-4. Dos Hermanos from Diaman-tes 3 pool bar whipped Target old Timers 8-2 to repeat the

score they inflicted on Fosters the previous week. it looks as though there has been some improvement in the team; we will know soon as their next match is against legends A. Could be an upset at the Pool Centre when Phoenix host Clouseaus Diamonds but that still remains to be seen. sum-merland elite won 6-4 against legendary Jokers. scruffys beat lowly Polygon legends 6-4 and sloops had a time win playing Hoops. Zizzies legends were spanked by scruffy macs 7-3.

Division two

much the same in the second division; a two-horse race with bad bobs and britannia inn (Paraiso) on the same number

of points, 48. The former has played two games less than their rival. There is also a great tussle to see who fin-ishes in third place with mad Hatters winning 7-3, grandee o’Donnell defeating Nauta 6-4 at home, and bar 180b joint third on 42 points. lupain have slumped recently, taking one point out of a possible twelve and they lost again to the boothen squad by 6-4. There were draws for summerland shooters against barracuda Hunters, and Target rangers playing at home to bar leo-nes, both finishing 5-5.

Here is the selected team to play against Scotland on Feb 10 to 13:bad bobs: Dean Adams and Dean bull.

bar 180: martin land, Dave lee and Chris Platt.bar leones b: Zac maughan and sam maughan.grandee o’Donnell’s: mark Donnelly, lee Paddison and ian maclagan.Hoops: Chris Collins and ste-vie muir.legends A: graham bollesty.legendary Jokers: ben bowen, matt law and John kidd.Nauta: ray Cocks.Pena l ty sharks : Har ry Nugent.Phoenix: Victor rodriguez, Valeri Dimitri and roger kamp.Polygon legends: steve Taylor and Paul ogden.summerland elite: shaun Wall.Target rangers: bob mayes (Tue/sun), Daine morris (Tue/sun) and Claire ling.Target old Timers: Dave ling and grant Craven.Tasca: Chris Harrison and Troy short.Toby Jug saints: gary Duffy, Jeff smurfit and Jimmy Forster.boothen: steve Harrison.Zizzis legends: marcus reese, Dave mcCready and Chris Furey.Ladies Challenge:Target rangers: Claire ling and ria Jones.summerland shooters: Helen mitchell and Pauline Agling-ton.Toby Jug saints: sally Duffy. n

ACb CoPA Del rey

The return of the king

Tenerife Pool Super LeaguePowered by exPress bAr DeliVeries s.l.

information supplied by Tenerife Pool super league www.tenerifepoolleague.com

The Gran Canaria Arena, venue for this year s Copa del Rey

Phot

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Sloops overcame Hoops

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 39BOXING / SPORTS NEWS

boxiNg

Boxing latestWhat next for ‘Money’ Mayweather?it’s been long overdue, yet a fight between Floyd may-weather and manny Pacquiao is still one the boxing world wants to see.A few years ago when both fighters were at their peak, mayweather refused a match with the Filipino due to a row over blood testing before the fight, but there’s no excuse now. Pacquiao has undergone drug testing for his last few fights, and i’m certain a deal can be done to suit both box-ers sharing a likely $200 million pot.i believe that mayweather has always been desperate to hold on to his record of never having lost a contest, and now at 47 straight wins i think his ambition is still to retire unbeaten. He’s probably the fastest, slickest 27 year old the boxing ring has ever witnessed, which is not surpris-ing seeing that he rarely has to take a solid punch. in his 18 years as a professional boxer, in a career that has seen the man from grand rapids, usA, involved in 21 world championship fights, he has been the victor on every occa-sion. He is as good as it gets in boxing today, and there is no dispute about him being hailed as the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter. However, he has never achieved the popularity of the likes of oscar De la Hoya despite his superior ability. The rea-son has everything to do with mayweather’s limitations in an earlier part of his career. His game has no holes, but in the past his image was in constant need of repair after a lot of controversies and spending time in jail only a few years ago for domestic abuse, and then there was all the other scrapes outside the ring. but when ‘Pretty boy’ mayweather – or rather ‘money’ as he’s nicknamed today – is on top form and his genius is on display, it’s best to just sit back and watch in wonder. such is his talent, the reigning welterweight champion has won title belts at five different weights, from super featherweight to light mid-dleweight, taking on champions and top contenders alike. in pure boxing terms that’s just about perfect as a mod-ern career can get. However, at a time when he should be erasing every last trace of doubt about how great a fighter he is, mayweather often chooses to put on a display off subdued sparklers, without showing off his repertoire of window-rattling fireworks. This is the reason why a lot of his fights have gone the distance. knowing that may-weather is a big-time gambler on sporting events, many in the fight game suspect that he may have taken it easy against some of his opponents in the past intentionally, content to win on a points decision. Why else would he choose to ease the accelerator when he’s had some oppo-nents in real trouble? is it possible he just didn’t want to punish them any more than was necessary? Well only Floyd would know the answer to that.once again the pressure is on mayweather to take on manny Pacquiao, as the fight is getting very close to the now-or-never stage – at the time of going to print they had just met in private to discuss a possible bout; which mayweather said he would personally announce in due course if terms could be agreed.However, there’s also good reason for him giving Amir khan a shot at his world title, which would be very interesting. We have seen recently that taller and stronger opponents are not the answer for beating Floyd, but possibly speed is; not forgetting that khan is also now skilful and excit-ing too – even if he sometimes makes fights too thrilling for his own good. However, at this stage of their careers i believe that the younger khan has faster hand speed than the champion, even though he has been vulnerable to a punch on the chin in the past. With a bit of luck he could go the distance and nick a points decision. i believe that he’s got better chance than any of the other welterweights to lift the world title.Now that would be a much-needed shot in the arm for british boxing. n

By George Reed

HoPe For ClAriNos

Ladies earn first win

iNDiFFereNT iberosTAr

Sekulic form concern

TrANsVulCANiA ulTrAmArATHoN

Superstar line-up

A massive sigh of relief could be heard at the Rios Tejera sta-dium when Tenerife’s most sen-ior women’s basketball team chalked up its first win of the season to spark hopes that rele-gation may not be inevitable.The Cb Clarinos club from la laguna plays in the spanish 2nd Division and has had a disastrous time in its first sea-son in the league, despite hav-ing some high-level names on

its books including Americans, britanny spears and Chenise miller. several other players have come and gone as the side has struggled to adapt to the rigours of the division and loyal fans continue to turn up to give their support despite the weekly defeats. The long-awaited miracle came against uCAm Jairis (66-53) and Clarinos, ably led by Clau-dia Aponte and laura bejarano,

secured their maiden win to instil fresh optimism that the season may end with a good twist after all.secretly, officials are hoping that even a bottom two finish will not necessarily mean rel-egation as the sides that win the division below must meet strict entry criteria to play in the professional game. n

This time last year his form brought him to the attention of one of Europe’s top clubs and led to a surprise Febru-ary transfer, but things are proving rather different for Monetegro’s Blagota Sekulic twelve months later.Having returned to iberostar Tenerife from Turkish side Fenerbahce in the summer, the veteran basketball player began the season where

he left off and topped the individual rankings during the early weeks. However, the post-Christmas period brought an alarming slump in form that was a major fac-tor in his team’s slide down the table, including a los-ing run of four defeats in a row. even in the recent home wins over murcia, seville and Zaragoza, sekulic was clearly not at his best, losing the ball

in easy situations and being out-muscled by opponents, to the obvious dismay of fans. With luke sikma also suf-fering a drop in his early-season showings, iberostar badly need sekulic back to top form as quickly as possi-ble to secure the wins needed to avoid a tense second half of the ACb season. n

There may be three months to go until La Palma’s gruel-ling Transvulcania mountain running race takes place, but excitement is mounting in anticipation of a keenly-con-tested event, particularly fol-lowing the confirmation that American trail running star Dakota Jones is returning.Jones won in 2012 and came tenth last year but hopes to improve on that showing in may. According to the organis-ers, he has been in touch to say that all his races between now and then will serve one purpose only, namely, to prepare him fully for the event which has become a must for endurance runners in the Canaries, spain and many other countries. Following the closing of entries in late January, the interna-tional skyrunning Federation announced that the la Palma race had attracted a, “super-star line-up” with a particularly

strong American contingent set to challenge last year’s winner kilian Jornet from spain.This year’s course for the ultra-marathon, the highlight of the Transvulcania programme, con-

sists of a daunting 8,525m ascent and descent over 83km, starting at sea level on the Atlantic coast and along the island’s backbone to the sum-mit of the volcano at 2,423m,

before descending again to the sea and finishing in the town of los llanos. The records to beat are 6h54’09” by kilian Jornet (2013) and 8h11’31” by Anna Frost (2012). n

Ultramarathons involve running and walking extremely long distances, often in difficult terrain

Blagota Sekulic has problems collecting the ball safely

CB Clarinos chalk up their first win of the season

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The all-new Hyundai i20 boasts a sophisticated new design, high specification, first-in-seg-ment features, class leading interior space and generous levels of equipment.since the car’s first public unveiling at the Paris motor show last year, the New gener-ation i20 has made waves, with strong interest from the public. industry experts and journalists have also handed out a great deal of praise, while residual value experts have awarded it one of the best residual values in its class.

And, ever moving forward, Hyundai motor is also currently offering smartphone users the

chance to experience the speed and excitement of being a part of Hyundai shell World rally

Team, thanks to a free virtual reality application, Hyundai Vr+.The app offers smartphone users an immersive insight into the world of the rally Team, including the opportunity to experience the thrill of being Dani sordo’s co-driver in the Hyundai i20 WrC. The Hyundai Vr+ applica-tion is available to download from the Apple App store (requires iPhone5 or higher) and google Play (Android v4.1 or higher). n

Jaguar Land Rover recently revealed its ‘Bike Sense’ pro-gramme - which will tap a driver on the shoulder and ring a bicycle bell inside the car to help prevent accidents involv-ing bicycles and motorbikes.The range of new technologies will use colours, sounds and touch to alert drivers to poten-tial hazards. sensors on the car will detect when another road user is approaching, and iden-tify it as a bicycle or motorbike: bike sense will then make the driver aware of the potential hazard. Cleverly, it uses lights and sounds that the driver will instinctively associate with the potential danger. For instance, to help the driver understand where the bike is in relation to their car, the audio system will make it sound as if a bicycle bell or motorbike horn is com-ing through the speaker nearest the bike, so the driver immedi-ately understands the direction the cyclist is coming from.However, that’s not all: if a bicycle or motorbike is com-ing up the road behind the car, bike sense will detect if it is overtaking or coming past the vehicle on the inside, and the top of the car seat will extend to ‘tap’ the driver on the left or right shoulder. The idea is that the driver will then instinctively look over that shoulder to iden-tify the potential hazard.As the cyclist gets closer to the car, a matrix of leD lights on the window sills, dashboard and windscreen pillars will glow amber and then red as the bike approaches. The move-ment of these red and amber lights across these surfaces will

also highlight the direction the bike is taking. Dr Wolfgang epple, Director of research and Technology, Jag-uar land rover, said: “Human beings have developed an instinctive awareness of dan-ger over thousands of years. Certain colours like red and yel-low will trigger an immediate response, while everyone rec-ognises the sound of a bicy-cle bell. “bike sense takes us beyond

the current technologies of hazard indicators and icons in wing mirrors, to optimising the location of light, sound and touch to enhance this intui-tion. This creates warnings that allow a faster cognitive reac-tion as they engage the brain’s instinctive responses. if you see the dashboard glowing red in your peripheral vision, you will be drawn to it and understand straight away that another road user is approaching that part

of your vehicle.”if a group of cyclists, motor-bikes or pedestrians were moving around the car on a busy urban street, the sys-tem would intelligently pri-oritise the nearest hazards so the driver would not be over-whelmed or distracted with light or sound. bike sense would also be able to identify hazards that the driver cannot see. if a pedestrian or cyclist is crossing the road, and they are

obscured by a stationary vehi-cle for example, the car’s sen-sors will detect this and draw the driver’s attention to the hazard using directional light and sound. if the driver ignores the warnings and presses the accelerator, bike sense will make the accelerator pedal vibrate or feel stiff, so the driver instinctively knows not to move the car forwards until the hazard has been avoided.bike sense will also help pre-vent vehicle doors being opened into the path of bikes when the vehicle is parked. bike sense would warn all passengers of an approaching cyclist, motor-

bike or car through sound and light inside the vehicle. if any passenger continues to open the door, the door handle will light up, vibrate and buzz to alert them to the danger.“by engaging the instincts, bike sense has the potential to bridge the gap between the safety and hazard detec-tion systems in the car and the driver and their passengers,” added Dr epple. “This could reduce the risk of accidents with all road users by increas-ing the speed of response and ensuring the correct action is taken to prevent an accident happening.” n

HoNDA suPerbike TeAm

Off pata

The Pata Honda World Superbike team recently concluded back-to-back preseason tests in Aragón, Spain, following a two-day test the previous week at Portimao in Portugal.unfortunately, the weather at both tests prevented riders sylvain guintoli and michael van der mark from com-pleting a full scheduled programme on the 2015 Honda Cbr1000rr Fireblade sP that they will campaign in this season’s World superbike championship.However, in spite of rain at Portimao and very low track temperatures at Aragón, both riders declared themselves happy with the progress that was made in developing this year’s Cbr alongside new technical regulations for the series.The two world champions then made their way to Verona in italy where the full 2015 Pata Honda rider line-up was presented to media and race fans at motor bike expo on January 24, followed by a return to spain for a further two-day test at Jerez. After that final european pre-season outing, the Pata Honda bikes and equipment headed north to the team’s works-hop in the Netherlands to be packed into flight cases for Australia, where round one of the 2015 champions-hip will take place on February 22. n

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Every one of the 106 models of the McLaren F1 built has a story to tell, with those wear-ing a ‘GTR’ badge boasting a lineage back to one of the most famous results in the history of the 24 Hours Le Mans. As the chequered flag fell at the end of the 1995 race, five mclaren F1 gTrs crossed the line to finish 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th. in honour of this achievement, five special editions of the mclaren F1, badged the mclaren F1 lm, were commissioned. Twenty years on, mclaren special operations (mso) has released the first details of a special edi-tion 650s, built to celebrate the anniversary. only 50 of

these mclaren 650s le mans will be available globally, with a design inspired by the race-winning #59 gTr. Devised in consultation with designer Peter stevens, the 650s will be offered as a coupé only.

He explains, “With a mix of subtle design traits, the 650s le mans adds a modern twist by blending the iconic lines of the mclaren F1, and her-itage features such as the wing louvres and the roof-mounted ‘snorkel’ air intake,

with groundbreaking technol-ogies. it is a fantastic hom-age to that original design, and to the incredible race result achieved by the team in 1995 at one of the most difficult, and most challenging races in the world.”Zero to 100 kmph in three seconds and a top speed of 333 mph., the mclaren 650s le mans will set you back, at least, a cool £317,750, but proud owners will receive an exclusive invitation for them-selves, plus a guest, to join mclaren at a 20th anniversary celebration of the famous vic-tory at the historic le mans circuit. n

seAT

Steaming ahead

At the Second Encuentros SEAT Forum held in Madrid recently, SEAT Executive Vice-President, Dr. Matthias Rabe, outlined the next few years’ challenges for the automo-tive industry.speaking to a group of business leaders, politicians and organisations, under the heading ‘seAT – vision of the future for the automotive industry’, Dr. rabe identified three of the major priorities currently being dealt with by carmakers, “car connectivity, enhanced active and passive safety measures, and reducing Co2 emissions.”Dr. rabe pointed out some of the achievements already made by seAT in these areas. For example, “between 2006 and 2014 seAT lowered Co2 emissions by 21 per cent, partly due to innovations such as engine optimi-sation, improved aerodynamics and by producing more lightweight vehicles”. He went on to say that the com-pany already sells vehicles fuelled by compressed natural gas, i.e. the leon Tgi and mii ecofuel, and that the entire range of seAT vehicles currently has a five-star euro NCAP rating. The technologies are being further developed at the seAT Technical Centre at the martorell factory site which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. At the forum, executive Committee President Jürgen stac-kmann highlighted last year’s performance by announ-cing that the martorell plant closed 2014 with a total of 442,677 vehicles produced, an increase of 13 per cent – an astonishing 52, 629 more than in 2013. This annual growth is the fifth in a row and the highest production volume in martorell since 2002. stackmann underlined that, “thanks to the increase in production, last year we hired more than 800 temporary workers and 350 of those have since signed permanent contracts”. We are looking forward to 2015 with optimism.”Also present at the round table was miguel sebastián, former spanish minister for industry, Tourism and Com-merce, who contributed by pointing out the need for colla-boration between the public and private sectors to ensure ongoing investments in innovation. n

Dr. Matthias Rabe, Jürgen Stackmann and Miguel Sebastián

WiNNers!

Mighty McLaren F1

The mighty McLaren 650S Le Mans

bikiNg legeND

Hero’s funeral for Nestor JorgeTenerife’s biking community turned out in force to bid farewell to racer Nestor Jorge Cabrera who died towards the end of January after a short illness.Cabrera, widely credited as being the best performer on two wheels to emerge from the Canaries, was a prolific racer, competing at european and World level. starting on a suzuki motocross at just eight years old, Nes-tor become one of the most recognised spanish riders in the National and internatio-nal supermoto and the only spanish rider who has won the supermotard World Champio-nship, something he did seve-ral times.unfortunately, he fell from his bike during a competion

in 2008 and a fellow compe-titor hit him, causing multiple injuries.Though Nestor recovered from the numerous fractures, he never quite woke up from a

coma, and his only communi-cation with the outside world was through blinking his eyes. Despite brave attempts from his loving family to seek advan-ced treatments, Nestor never

did improve enough to live a normal life. Nevertheless, he was never without friends and family and died in his home town when his frail condition meant he could not fight off a lung infection. He was just 39 years old.His death led bikers to post calls on social media for a large escort of motorcycles to accompany Cabrera on his final journey from the funeral par-lour, next to the old ikea on the north motorway, to the san luis graveyard in la laguna. Police had to direct traffic along the route due to the massive turn-out of bikers, who revved their engines and sounded their horns in tribute to their hero as the cortège left the funeral parlour. n

Nestor Jorge Cabrera in his racing days

4� FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006CLASSIFIEDS | CONTACTS | PASTIMES

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Across 7 - request (6) 8 - curved bone (6)10 - intensify (7)11 - onlooker (5)12 - nothing (4)13 - worth (anag) (5)17 - assertion (5)18 - extinct bird (4)

22 - expression (5)23 - shows up (7)24 - thirst; desire (6)25 - being nosey (6)

Down1 - incrementing (7)2 - twists (7)3 - distorts (5)4 - double-reed instrument (7)5 - path; route (5)6 - clever (5)9 - unfastened (9)

14 - locked down (7)15 - early Spring flower (7)16 - commit forever (7)19 - darkness (5)20 - very tall person (5)21 - tower (5)

Aries(March 21 – April 19)Don’t become so intent on your goals that you miss out on amazing experiences that are right in front of your eyes.

Taurus(April 20 – May 20)you are not one for the lime-light – you will find better success working behind the scenes.

Gemini(May 21 – June 21) look before you leap – don’t be hasty about any major decisions you have to make or you may live to regret it.

Cancer(June 22 – July 22)if you’re chasing an unreal-istic dream in a relationship, whatever the kind, it is time to be honest with yourself.

Leo(July 23 – August 22)To achieve what you are striv-ing for you will be required to make a change that feels uncomfortable.

Virgo(August 23 – Sep. 22)Home and family matters require your attention right now – try not to be distracted by outside influences.

Libra(Sep. 23 – October 22)you may be feeling let down by your partner, but you need to ask yourself what they are going through.

Scorpio(October 23 – Nov. 21)your domestic life will be the main issue for you these com-ing weeks - the effort will pay off in the end.

Sagittarius(Nov. 22 – Dec. 21)The greater your dreams, the more attention you will have to focus on the details. Have faith– you can do it.

Capricorn(Dec. 22 – January 19)even the best relationships hit tricky patches – you need to open up and discuss what is bothering you.

Aquarius(Jan. 20 – February 18)Take care of the cents and your larger finances will be all the healthier for it – time to curb your spending.

Pisces(Feb. 19 – March 20)your focus is now on get-ting ahead, but don’t forget to make some time for your-self too.

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For sale, Bungalow 160m2 - Costa Sauzal, situated front row with guaranteed specta-cular sea-views, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms , living room with panoramic windows, modern kitchen, dining room connected to the terrace, including a hea-ted 4 x 8 m pool, all on same level, garage and a marvellous tropical garden with 800m2 landscaped with various plants and lots of fruit-trees. Private sale contact: info@ simonsa-nanes.com. Tel.: 00 34 699 444 879

Los Silos, Tenerife North / West, private sale, quiet sunny apartment, 54 m2, fully equip-ped, three bedrooms, situated by the coast, spectacular views of the sea and Teno mountains. Price: €56,500. email: mar-lenemohr@gmx.de

For sale, 75 m2 premises, well positioned in santiago i shopping centre, los gigantes. €25,000. Tel. 609 53 11 78

Retired gentleman seeks long let in south Tenerife. studio or small apartment, €400 -500 pe r month i n c l u s i v e a l l b i l l s . must be very clean, to commence in February. email: colinfischer56@hotmail.com or call: 699 162 952

Office space for rent, furnis-hed or unfurnished. commu-nity, electric, and WiFi inclu-ded. special assistance for new start up businesses, no depo-sit or bank guarantees needed, contact Chris on 667 554 800 to arrange a viewing

Retired English couple with excellent references seeks a 2/3 bedroom apartment to rent for 3 months from 7/12/14, preferably central los Cristia-nos. Tel. 603 261 322

Winter letting north west Tene-rife old Canarian house in buenavista del Norte, three month minimum contract. Two bedrooms, tiny shower/toilet, lounge, small dining area, fit-ted kitchen, large garden. Very central for all services, very few stairs. From €400 per month. 669 652 149

Winter letting Puerto de la Cruz Studio apartment, 24 hour con-cierge, pool, sea views. minimum three month contract. €500 per month. 669 652 149

3 bedroom apartment in Vista Hermosa complex, los Cristianos, fully furnished, 2 bathrooms, €900 per month includes bills, first and last months rent plus one months damage deposit, e-mail bay-treejohn@aol.com or call 07518 035960

Los Cristianos, central apart-ments, 1 and 2 bedrooms, fur-nished, Tel: 649 142 612

Los Cristianos Cactus 2, for rent attractive two bedroom apartment, sea views, pool, satellite TV, large terrace, unsuitable for children, €650 per month + bills, minimum 3 months. Tel. 629 606 494

Two bedroom apartment with bathroom, kitchen, balcony, in very quiet area. For rent, €390 all included. Please call 659 098 653 (Juan) Valle san lorenzo

Los Cristianos nice apartment, bedroom, living room, American kitchen, bathroom, very near to the beach, lots of sun, sea view, quiet. €500 / month. Tel. 922 752 759 – 608 425 426

Rustic finca for long term let near Icod de los Vinos.

Fully equipped and furnis-hed, open fire, satellite TV and Wi-Fi available. Fantastic sea and mountain views, sun terrace and barbeque, €450 PCm. Tel. spain: 0034 922 865 776. uk mobile: 0044 (0) 7786 390541. spanish mobile: 0034 674 287 632. email: Philhirstconsultant@btinternet.com or P.D.Hirst@gmail.com

Property

property for rent

property for sale

Opportunity to purchase freehold,

a very popular Theme Bar, well established and

profitable, good loca-tion, near to beach in

Los Cristianos. Price: 265,000€.

Tel: 690 676 527

For Long Term Rent mature people preferred. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom,

big kitchen, 1 terrace, living room, garden with fruit trees, in quiet area. Tel. 609 531 178

or e-mail: melquiadesm@

hotmail.com

You are welcome to come to our offices in Las Chafiras to place small ads. Card payment facilities are available.

ClassiFieds deadline nexT ediTiOn

* LinEAgE cLAssiFiEds: From 16 €

* BoxEd Ads: Colour Module 47,25€

* Long TERm: Ask for long term advertising (3, 6, 12 months) and our special discounts.

For personal and professional help in placing your classified in Island Connections all you need to do is pop along to our new offices in Las Chafiras and speak to our Staff. Not only is Island Connections here to ensure that your advertise-ment reaches its target market, we will also advise on sizing require-ments for maximum exposure, with prices to suit your pocket.

Head Office Tenerife: Calle Francisco Feo Rodríguez 6º- first floor. Pol. Industrial Las Chafiras 38620 - San Miguel de Abona.Tel. 922 750 609Fax: 922 795 810OffICe HOurs:Mon-Frid 9am-5pm

island connections online:www.islandconnections.eu

Classifieds info:

Rates:

islAND CoNNeCTioNs meDiA grouP s.l.

www.islandconnections.eu

The deadline for edition 740, which is published on 19th Feb. 2015, is 17th Feb.No classifieds will be taken after this date.

TIBC Business CentreC/ Candida Peña 8 Las Galletas

ISLAND CONNECTIONSPICKUP POINT

44 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

One of the most beautiful fincas! Villa and Guesthouse. Pool, Sauna Whirpool, Tenniscourt, Bodega, Garage, Watertank.

Nice view to the sea and Teide, 8,500 sqm. P.o.r.

p.jaegertf@gmail.com or Tel. 922 850 685

Opportunity in Playa de Las AméricasApartment, 55m2, one bed, American kitchen, terrace. Excellent location, 2 minutes from the beach. Community pool, excellent investment opportunity.Price: €85,000Tel: 629 244 958

For Sale - Rural housein Aldea Blanca,San Miguel, Tenerife

Land 400 m2, built 230 m2,three bed, two bath, barbecue and wood burning stove, pool, garage for two cars, patio with planters, kitchen with pantry, fireplace, wood fitted ceilings, fitted wardrobes. €398,000.Contact José GuadalupeMobile 676 399 652 josejguadalupe@gmail.com

Wooden house for salein Arafo (La Hidalga)

Terrain 1520m, 2 floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one

with bath and one with shower), kitchen, living room, upper parquet floor with tiles, quiet location with fabulous sea-Mountain views. Good

connection south motorway. Negotiable price. 180.000€

Tel. 922 514 156

New 3 bedroom luxury villa650,000€

Urb. La Tagora • San Eugenio Alto

(0034) 634 072 328(0034) 922 72 44 16

Great OpportunitySan EugenioApartment 1 double bedroom, 55 m2,furnished large terrace with sea views. Community pool, bar, 24 hour reception, security, supermarket...

Price 69.000 euros.Tel: 629 244 958

Already sub-divided into three separate residences, all with

independent private entrances. Or retain as a 4 bed, 4 bath for

a growing family. Extensively refurbished and must be seen

to be appreciated.

San Miguel VillageGolf Del Sur

4 bed, 4 bath villa

€315,000Tel: 627 629 933

Opportunity in Playa de Las AméricasApartment, 55m2, one bed, American kitchen, terrace. Excellent location, 2 minutes from the beach. Community pool, excellent investment opportunity.Price: €85,000Tel: 629 244 958

ResidencialLa Duquesa

Playa Fañabé

3 Bedroom,2 Bathroom, front and back garden, community pool.

€455,000

Tel. 629 244 958

“moBiLE homE” in prime position. camping nautaPurpose built 2008. Double

glazed. Large Approx 65m2. 2 big bedrooms. Fully tiled bathroom. Fitted kitchen. Spacious Loung dinner. All electric. Laminate

floors. Air con. Garden. Car park-ing. Use of all site facilities.

€36.000 Phone: 693 760 769

ResidencialLa DuquesaPlaya Fañabé

3 Bedroom,2 Bathroom, front and back garden, community pool.

€455,000Tel. 629 244 958

chalet on camp site

guía de isora

Double bedroom, fitted wardrobes, shower, WC, hand basin, gas boiler, 4 gas rings, microwave, kitchen diner, TV, DVD,

Hi-Fi, CD system, patio, sea view, table and

chairs, swimming pool, security gate,parking,

rates paid till March 2015.

for sale furnished €25,000

UK Tel. 0044 (0) 1903690309. UK Mob. 07973349111.

Spain Tel. 0034 922 136 778. Spain Mob. 646 586 318

El Camisón247.56m2, very quiet, close to the park and Hospiten, triplex and private garage with

electric doors.Three bedroom

with three complete bathrooms. Independent

kitchen, dining room with air conditioning,

terrace with awning and BBQ. Independent water

tank (750 litres).New electrical system.

Own satellite system and community TV.

Tel: 639 515154

SAN EUGENIO ALTO DON’T MISS THIS EXCELLENTOPPORTUNITY

Apartments 58m2,1 double bedroom.

Renovated and furnished, living/dining room.

American kitchen and large terrace.

Price €56,000

Tel. 629 244 958

WINDSOR PARKSan Eugenio Alto

Exclusive!Fantastic Coastal and Pool Views from this 2 bed 2 bath Apartment,

with Large 30sm Terrace, Fully furnished. Walking distance to

shops and Puerto Colon.Well maintained complex with

2 pools.Priced at 139,000 Euros.

Great Value! Ring Alan: 667 513 689 for

appointment to view.

CLASSIFIEDS | PROPERTY

propertyfor sale

Laderas de Palm Mar

Nice one bedroom apartment situated in the idyllic area of Palm Mar.

This is on a modern complex with pools and

easy access to the sea front and restaurants. Residential complex, tranquil setting,

priced to sell!Price € 99,000Please call Alan

667 513 689

Foradvertising

that really worksCALL

922 750 609

243 m2, Garage for two cars. Hall with a little toilet, dining

room, living room, 2 bedrooms with 2 complete bathrooms, dress room, kitchen, service bedroom with bathroom, and terrace around the villa. The

garden: 750 m2.

VILLA FOR SALE

InformationTel. +34 659 928 805

Situated in theReal Golf Club Tenerife,

in Tacoronte.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Villa 160 m2 with marvellous garden 800 m2 with more

than hundred tropical and subtropical

plants. Well furnished bun-galow with 3 bed. and 3

bathrooms, living room with panoramic windows, heated

pool, garage situated in garden terrace overlooking fantastic landscape of Costa

Sauzal in front row. This offer isn’t common and the geographic position of the

property gives really a good chance of value increase in

the next years.Tel. 0034 699 444 879 or email: info@simon-

sananes.com

Garañaña - Exclusive!

Beautiful, Very Spacious, Refurbished 2 bed, 2 bath

apartment. With underground Garage Space and 32sm Store-

room, Separate Bodega/3rd bedroom. Ground level. New

bathrooms,New Furniture, Huge 80sm Terrace, Low community fee. Great tranquil location! Near Las Galletas. EEC Regis-tered. Priced 144,000 euros,

Negotiable.Call Alan:

(0034) 667 513 689

Poolbar for rent in mixed complex in Los cristianos. Experienced

person/couple sought, to work in conjunction with the complex management team to provide

great hospitality to international holidaymakers, with emphasis on UK guests. Bar, light meals

and snacks. Email :

carmelac@nexusleisure.com with CV and contact details.

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 45

Tenerife’s leading specialist in the manufacture, repair and installation of all types of awnings, canopies, interior and exterior blinds. Manual or electric.

Specialists in the manufacture, repair and installation of all types of industrial and

domestic shutters, security grilles, garage doors. Electric or manual. Remote

controlled systems.

PRESTIGE GARDENFURNITURE COMPANY

High quality garden and terracefurniture

C/ Agustín Millares 20 · Armeñime · 38678 Adeje

Tel/Fax: 922 74 08 88 · Mobile: 660 878 763Showroom open: Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00

www.theprestigegroup.es · info@theprestigegroup.es

Kitchen Co.Mark has a great team of professionals for your kitchen, bathroom, building work, plumbing, aluminium doors & windows, electrical work, painting & decorating, plastering, parquet flooring, etc.Plans & permits included. Long term guarantees on all work.Happily living & workingin Tenerife since 1987For general help & advice,please call Mark on 619 472 458or 922 362 834or email mark@kitchenco.es

Kitchen Bathroom & Building(+34) 922 178 091

or donaldsonjh@yahoo.co.uk

Edificio Simón, Los Cristianos.Meetings every fourth Tuesday starting in October 2014 (Installation) until the fourth Tuesday in April 2015

MASONIC MEETINGSLogia Ave Fenix Nº 73

All Visitors welcomeContact John Donaldson (Secretary):

Tel. 922 58 23 78

Items For SaleDouble bed sofa, blue

pattern, 205cm in lenght, good condition. €100

Approx. 1000 box videos, all original (offers invited).Approx. 1000 new books,

mainly fiction (offers invited).

Spanish and English Lawyers

Conveyancing • Inheritance & WillsFamily Law • Criminal Law

Civil Litigation & Personal InjuryTimeshare • Tax & Commercial law

T: 922 719 520 E: tenerife@decottalaw.net

Av. de Los Pueblos, Residencial Villaflor B-20, San Eugenio

www.decottalaw.net

www.blevinsfranks.com

Integrated Tax Planningand Wealth Management

since 1975

922 716 079

Learn how to speak Spanish with lessons, audio, video and games, including the alphabet, phrases, vocabulary, pronun-ciation, grammar and activi-ties. only with a native teacher. Puerto de la Cruz area, call saida. Tel: 630 574 073

Rocket Café - An American style diner selling 100 per

Lamp Factory

Buy during your holidaysWe deliver to your home country

Ctra. General C-820, Travesía la Panadería, 138440 Santo Domingo (La Guancha)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Tel / Fax: 922 130 301

OPENING HOURS:Monday to Saturday 9am to 2pm & 4pm to 9pm

CLASSIFIEDS | GENERAL SERVICES

Frutería ÁgavesEd. Ágaves, Av. Venezuela 6 Playa de Las Américas

ISLAND CONNECTIONSPICKUP POINT

English Library Opp. Yeoward SchoolPuerto de la Cruz

ISLAND CONNECTIONSPICKUP POINT

GeneralServices

Golfers – great opportunity

The santiago del Teide lion’s Club currently

has a number of secondhand sets of

clubs at very reasonable prices – don’t miss out,

be first off the tee!Visit their shop below the plaza in Puerto santiago (behind

Vigillia Park), Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

10am-1pm and Wednesdays 2pm to

8pm.

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www.tubo-control.euwww.tubo-control.eu

Pipe burst detectionPipe burst detection• Leackage detection Pressure pipe Pool Flat roofs• Pipe cleaning Television Pipe location

Mob. 649 956 898 629 637 026Tel. / Fax 922 772 000e-mail: tubo-control@web.de

GESTIÓN DE FUGAS

TENERIFE 2014 S.L.

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cent beef homemade burgers; homemade cakes; the best cof-fees; and exquisite cocktails.C/ luis Álvarez Cruz, 5 (oppo-site the post office), Las Gal-letas: 922 731 847

For sale. Home-produced eco-logical vegetables, Tenerife south. interested businesses, call 650 323 751 (spanish only), send WhatsApp or email to: michelteide@hotmail.com

After school classes, help or activities in English, German or Spanish, please contact mrs. garus. Tel. 602 506 793. We are 5 minutes away from Win-gate school in Cabo blanco.

www.mascuidados.com Web-site for our massages, dedi-cated to bringing the bene-fits of therapeutic massage to your home or hotel, no charge for travel. Do you want a mas-sage? www.mascuidados.com Tel. 663 190 727

Tenerife Hiking Guide by Marion Helbig, with 35 tours on 208 pages, with detailed information on hiking logis-tics, safety and locations, GPS mapped, tracks and waypoints for free download. isbN 9783899537475. Available in many book-shops and every sunday on the Handicraft-market in Puerto Cruz, Plaza europa from 9-15h or mail to our local distributor in Tenerife: i n f o@ed i t o r i a l - z e ch . e s Tlf. 922 302 596

Massage saloon Ilona. Offer: 60 minutes full body massage for €36. Couples, four hands, lava stones, massages, etc. Playa de las Americas, ernesto sarti no.18, across from ibero-star Hotel in Torviscas Playa. Tel. 602 608 626 or email: ilonarebisch@hotmail.com

46 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006

Regional distributor seeks commercial

staff for Gran Canaria and Lanzarote

English essential. Please send your CV to: comercialesgc@

gmail.com

Qualified and experienced native English, German, Rus-

sian and Spanish teach-ers wanted for new language school in

El Médano. Please send your CV to info@babelacademy.es

A new upcoming business is looking

for attractive, high class and opened minded women, to work in a different and

exciting profession. Call 669 977 993 for

more information.

1 ModuleONLY

€20*

* IGIC included

Sell your carhere!

2003, ITV 09.2012, blue metallic,CD radio, central locking systemwith remote key, electric windows,Tel. 690 229 216, € 4,900.00

OPEL COMB O-C VAN 1.6 L

The Canary Island’s biggest fortnightly English newspaper read by thousands of tourists & residents

Tel: 649 882 366

FRUSTRATED WITH THE LANGUAGE

BARRIER?I’m a Spanish translator and can help with the doctor’s, school, NIE’s, community

meetings etc. Letters & CV’s also translated

Car for saleMercedes Benz CLK

200, cabriolet, automatic, 1999, metallic-silver,

petrol, 92.000 km. 9.800€ Tel. 602 453 718

CLASSIFIEDS | MISC. SERVICES / SIT. VACANT

situationsVacant / wanted

Promotions company with more than 10 years experience in sell-ing attractive, high quality prod-ucts in Tenerife markets, 5 star hotels and superstores is looking for open minded full/part time promoters, who like to present and sell in live promotion. No selling experience is required. Contract + social security + fixed salary + commission is guaran-teed. Feel free to contact us for further information. Office: 922 781 548 Fax: 922 781 548 Mob: 629 493 799

vehiclesfor sale

SECRETARY OF MANAGEMENT

We are looking for:a person with full knowledge of

the general tasks of a management secretary

-Qualifications appropriate for the position.

-You must have at least 5 years of experience in a similar position

plus complete domination of spanish, english and german,

and also advanced knowledge of computer use.

C.V. to:personal@loroparque.com

smith & Hunterrequireadministration specialistRequirements:

• Bilingual English/Spanish

• University Degree• Experience in tourism

sector administration• Working knowledge of

Ofimatica

Reply to:employment@smith-hunter.com

Daily Cultural Guide updated every day in Englishat 07:45, 09:45, 11:45, 13:45, 15:45, 17:45 & 19:45.

And don’t miss Qfm’s famous Sunset Sessions, an exclusive chill-out mix every evening.

www.Qmusica.com

94.3 www(South Tenerife) (Worldwide)

Qfm, Spain’s only Cool Jazz Radio station

The Asociación Cultural para la Difusión de las Artes y las Músicas de Canarias, registered with the Gobierno de Canarias (G1/S1/16504-10/TF), operates and administers Qfm94.3 within Ley 7/2010 - Artículo 32.

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Seeking highly motivated distributors for a natural product. This is not only for Tenerife but also for the uk.Send CV to oroten10@gmail.com or call 0034 922 985 462

A real estate and investment consultancy currently an industry leader, seeks experienced sales and business development personnel due to expan-sion; a professional business profile, high self-motivation, good inter-personnal skills, integrity, the languages that are essential are spanish & english, other languages such as (Flemish, ital-ian, French, german, russian) are valued. A valid work permit, drivers license and own vehicle are also essential.excellent remuneration Potential and Advancement opportunities awaits the successful candidates.

For an appointment please forward your C.V. to: natalia@interventureproperty.com or call 619 985 939

Foradvertising

that really worksCALL

922 750 609

5.�.�015 – 18.�.�015 ISLAND CONNECTIONS 739 47GENERAL INFO

For daily news, updates and event information

visit

General InformationThe Canary islands are situated in the Atlantic ocean, southwest of spain and northwest of Africa, directly in front of the coast of morocco. because of this unique geographical situation, the Canaries have always been an important location for navigation between europe, Asia and America.

General Information

Time zone:The time zone is the same as in the uk and ireland.

Foreign exchange:The spanish currency is the euro. you can change currency in any bank by showing your passport (mon – Fri, 8am to 2pm), or in the many exchange agencies in tourist resorts.

Can I drink the water?you can drink the tap water in the Canaries, but the change may affect your stomach. if your visit is short, it’s perhaps best to stick to bottled.

Discountsstudents and senior citizens may receive dis-counts on ferries, tickets to concerts, muse-ums, etc., so always ask, as long as you can provide iD to prove it.

ShoppingNormal opening hours in the Canaries are from 10am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 8.30pm hours. However, in big tourist resorts and shopping centres the opening hours are longer, often from 10am until 10pm, sometimes even later. on sundays and bank Holidays only the shops in big tourist resorts open. There is a flea market in santa Cruz, Tenerife, every sunday morning

Duty FreeDespite popular belief, it is generally cheaper to buy alcohol and tobacco on the islands than on the plane or at the airport.

Duty Free Limits200 cigarettes/50 cigars/250grs rolling tobacco1l spirits over 22% or 2l spirits under 22%2l wine60ml perfume, 250 ml eau de toilette

British Consulate Tenerife: (0034) 922 286 653British Consulate Gran Canaria: (0034) 902 109 356Honorary British consulate Lanzarote: (0034) 928 262 508

Indian consulate: (0034) 922 241 416Irish Consulate: (0034) 922 245 671

Emergency number: (all Canaries) 112Guardia Civil (all Canaries): 062

Conversion Charts

Children’s clothes:

UK 43 48 55 58 60 62(height in inches)

SPAIN 109 122 140 147 152 157(height in cm)

European children’s shoe sizes are measured in cm; 1 size=1cm

Women’s dress sizes:

UK 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22

SPAIN 34 36 38 40 42 44 44 46 50

Women’s shoes:

UK 3 4 5 6 7 8

SPAIN 36 37 38 39 40 41

Men’s shirts:

UK 14 14’5 15 15’5 16 16’5 17 17’5

SPAIN 36 37 38 39 40/41 42 43 44/45

Men’s shoes:

UK 7 8 9 10 10’5 12 13

SPAIN 40/41 42 42/43 43/44 45 46/47 48

Length and distances: Multiply by:

Inches to centimetres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2’54Centimetres to inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0,39Feet to metres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’30Metres to feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3’28Yards to metres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’91Metres to yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1’09Miles to kilometres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1’61Kilometres to miles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’62

Weight: Multiply by:

Ounces to grams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28’35Grams to ounces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’035Pounds to kilos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’45Kilos to pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2’21British tons to kilos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10’16

Volume: Multiply by

Gallons to litres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4’55Litres to gallons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0’22

Useful Vocabulary

Hello Hola (all Hs are silent) Goodbye Adiós Good morning Buenos días Yes Sí No No Please Por favor Thank you Gracias How are you? ¿Cómo estás? Fine, thanks Bien, gracias Do you speak English? ¿Habla usted inglés? I don’t speak Spanish No hablo español I’m looking for Estoy buscando… I want to go to Quiero ir a… What time is it? ¿Qué hora es? Where are the toilets? ¿Dónde están los baños? How much is that, ¿Cuánto es, please? por favor? The bill, please La cuenta, por favor Where is the nearest ¿Dónde está la bus / taxi stop? parada de guaguas / taxis más cercana? Where is the nearest ¿Dónde está la chemist? farmacia más cercana? Where is the nearest ¿Dónde está el doctor? doctor más cercano? I have a head / Me duele la cabeza / stomach / el estómago / tooth ache las muelas I have diarrhoea Tengo diarrea I need an ambulance Necesito una ambulancia

Taxisbe aware that you will be charged from the taxi rank not from the pick-up point. This is more of a problem in the more remote areas where the nearest taxi station could be 20 kilome-tres away or more.

Vehicle HireA good way to get about is to hire a car, and all islands have numerous rental companies. your uk licence is valid here and you will need it to be able to hire a car or scooter. The use of seatbelts is obligatory in the front and back of the car and so is the use of crash helmets on scooters and motorbikes. The maximum speed limit on motorways is 120 km/hour. Children under 12 must sit in the back seat, and it is illegal to use your mobile phone whilst driv-ing. The police can also fine you for eating or drinking at the wheel.Park carefully; the municipal tow trucks are active. Don’t park in front of a ‘Vado’ sign. These usually refer to the entrance of a garage or driveway and you will be fined and your car towed away if you park there. if you prefer to go green and hire a bicycle all children under 16 must wear a bike helmet.

Carnival

All the islands celebrate carnival but the ones in santa Cruz de Tenerife and las Palmas de gran Canaria are particularly splendid, rivalling rio de Janeiro. everybody gets dressed up and there are 10 days of festivities, both night and day. late January, early February.

The British Consulate

Playa Las Vistas, Los Cristianos, Tenerife

The Tenerife Auditorium in Santa Cruz

48 FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 006WHATS ON 2015

February 6

8.30pm, Juanito Makandé (live music), €15, CiCCA, las Palmas 9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas 9pm, Arce (live music), €10, mojo Club, las Palmas9.30pm, Adult Costume competition and ‘Grand Lady’ selection, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas 10pm, Marwan (live music), €16, The Paper Club, las Palmas

February 7

12pm, Vegueta’s Carnival 2015 in Calle mendizábal, Calle Pelota y obispo Codina and Plaza mesa de león, Vegueta8pm, Murgas Contest Final Round, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas 8.30pm, Tribute to Metallica (live music), €10, Auditorio de Teror, Teror. www.unahoramenos.es9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

February 8

11am, Children’s Murgas Contest, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas8pm, Dance Troupe Contest, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas

February 13

9pm, Queen Gala 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

February 14

5pm, Huge Carnival Parade 2015, león y Castillo - Plaza de la Feria, las Palmas

9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

February 15

7pm, Junior Queen Gala 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas

February 16

7pm, Traditional Carnival 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas9pm, Drag Queen Pre-election 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

February 17

12pm, Carnival in the Sun, Playa de las Canteras, las Palmas 5pm, Children’s Parade 2015, Castillo de la luz, Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas 9.15pm, Body Painting Contest 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas

February 18

7pm, The Social Integration Gala 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas

February 20

9pm, Drag Queen Gala 2015, main stage at Parque santa Catalina, las Palmas9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

February 21

7pm, ‘Burial of the Sardine’ 2015, león y Castillo – Plaza de la Feria, Playa de las Canteras, las Palmas9pm, Carnival Night, Plaza de Canarias, las Palmas

EXHIBITIONS

Until May 31

‘Claves de un Hallazgo’ (exhibition about the ancient domestic contexts in the Canary islands), museo Canario, lPgC

Until April 19

Art: ‘Palimpsesto Caníbal’, Centro Atlántico de Arte moderno, lPgC

FebruAry / mArCH

Gran canariaFebruAry / mArCH

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February 5

9pm, Marwan (live music), €17, university of la laguna Auditorium, la laguna

February 7

8pm, Dance Troupe Contest, Centro internacional de Ferias y Congresos, santa Cruz

February 8

11am, Children’s and Adults’ Costume Contest, Centro internacional de Ferias y Congresos, santa Cruz5pm, Choreography Festival, Centro internacional de Ferias y Congresos, santa Cruz

February 10

8.30pm, Concert by ‘Agrupación Lírico Musical Los Fregolinos’, Teatro guimerá, santa Cruz. www.teatroguimera.es

February 11

9.30pm, Carnival Queen Gala 2015, Centro internacional de Ferias y Congresos, santa Cruz

February 13

8pm, Carnival Parade 2015, starting from Plaza de la república Dominicana, santa Cruz10.30pm, Carnival Orchestra Concerts, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza la Candelaria and Avenida Francisco la roche, santa Cruz

February 14

12pm, Carnival Running 2015 ‘The most outrageous race of the year’, Adán martín Auditorium, santa Cruz5pm, Rondallas (Serenade), Adán martín Auditorium, santa Cruz9pm, Dance Troupe Contest, Avenida de Francisco la roche, santa Cruz10.30pm, Carnival Orchestra Concerts, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza la Candelaria and Avenida Francisco la roche, santa Cruz

February 15

11am, Ni Fú Ni Fá (live carnival music), Plaza del Príncipe, santa Cruz12pm, Los Fregolinos (live carnival music), Plaza del Príncipe, santa Cruz1pm, Carnival Day, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza españa and Plaza de la Candelaria, santa Cruz

February 16

5.30pm, Carnival Acts, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza la Candelaria and Avenida Francisco la roche, santa Cruz 10.30pm, Carnival Orchestra Concerts, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza la Candelaria and Avenida Francisco la roche, santa Cruz

February 17

11am, Ni Fú Ni Fá (live carnival music), Plaza del Príncipe, santa Cruz12pm, Los Fregolinos (live carnival music), Plaza del Príncipe, santa Cruz8pm, Carnival Orchestra Concerts, at Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza la Candelaria and Avda. Francisco la roche, s. Cruz

February 18

9pm, Burial of the Carnival Sardine, starting at Calle Juan Pablo ii and finishing on the Avenida marítima, santa Cruz

Until February 13

31st Canarian Music Festival at Adán martín Auditorium (santa Cruz), Teatro leal (la laguna) and magma Arte & Congresos (Costa Adeje). www.festivaldecanarias.com

Until March 27

8.30pm, Canarian Folk Festival, Thursdays (beach front promenade los Cristianos), Fridays (C.C. City Center, las Américas), 2nd saturday of each month (11am – rambla de las galletas) www.arona.travel

EXHIBITIONS

Until February 6

Paintings by Paco Juan Déniz, mon - Fri: 9am – 2pm and 4pm – 9pm, Centro Cultural de guía de isora. www.guiadeisora.es

Until February 12

Art: ‘Impressions’ by Felipe Hodgson, 10am – 8pm, Tenerife espacio de las Artes (TeA), santa Cruz

For regular church, charity and recreational events, please see: www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000027/0/41004/living-lifestyle-article.html

DIARY DATES DIARY DATES