WANTED – Dastardly and Mutley with own Mean Machine

    After the success of last year's event Taberna Cristina in Villaricos is set to put the wheels in motion for the second Whacky Races to be held in November in support of ASPRODALBA in Vera.

    ASPRODALBA is a non profit making organisation which works to help mentally or physically disadvantaged people achieve economic, social and personal independence by giving them support and assistance in finding work and homes suitable for their needs and capabilities.

    The Whacky Races event has been described as the Villaricos Grand Prix where there are no restrictions on construction except for a minimum of three wheels and no motor. The event's organisers, Ross and Cristina, are organising a brain storming meeting on Wednesday, August 6^th in Taberna Cristina and would like all drivers, constructors and volunteers to attend to help put together a strategy that will ensure an even bigger success than last year.

    In addition they would like to throw open the invitation to potential sponsors to have an opportunity to see their company names or logos emblazoned on key sections of the circuit.
In order to make it a truly fantastic village occasion that will provide activities for everybody, Ross and Cristina would be delighted to speak to any organisations, Dance Academies, Local Bands, entertainers , stall holders who would like to contribute their time to this wonderful cause and make this a day we will always remember.

    The meeting, which will be the first of many leading up to the Great Race itself, will start at 7.30p.m. and everyone is welcome. Please come, packed with ideas and suggestions and of course any questions you may have regarding the construction and submission of the Karts, the circuit and race regulations.

For further details, please contact Ross or Cristina on 618609981 or call in to the bar.

‘Owl’ night bus great success

    The Buho bus, a night bus run by the Key Mare Foundation, has been an enormous success in the two months it has been operating so far this year. The bus, which provides an alternative form of transport for those who want a night out without the car, has carried 1,744 people since the beginning of June, 30 per cent more than the same period last year.

    The bus follows a route from Vera Pueblo, past Vera Hotel, Puerto Rey, El Playazo, Hotel Zimbali, Hotel Reina (Club de Playa Valle del Este), Pueblo Laguna, Garrucha, Cruce de Mojacar and on to the Hotel Indalo where it turns around. The first bus leaves Vera Pueblo at 11 p.m. and the return from the Hotel Indalo starts at midnight. The last bus to leave Vera is at 3 a.m. and the last to leave Mojacar at 4 a.m.

    The president of the Key Mare Foundation, Antonio Lopez, has said that next year the bus will cover more towns in the area at the petition of local ayuntamientos.

Torrecardenas Hospital participates in national cancer therapy research

    Almeria's provincial hospital, Hospital de Torrecardenas, is participating in a three year research project being run by the Spanish Lung Cancer Group. The objective of the research is to demonstrate that the type of chemotherapy that metastatic lung cancer responds best to can be predicted by levels of a specific gene in the patients. Torrecardenas hospital is one of 40 hospitals taking part in the project which is studying 770 patients with metastatic lung cancer. The patients involved in the research all have an advanced form of cancer and the study aims to find ways to prolong life expectancy in these type of terminally ill people. The group hopes to extend the average life expectancy in these cases from four and a half months to seven months. At the moment there is no way to know what type of chemotherapy each individual case will respond best to and in some cases the wrong type of chemotherapy can actually be counterproductive, shortening life expectancy rather than prolonging it.

    In Spain 20,000 new cases of lung cancer are detected each year, more than three quarters of which are in men. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the proportion of women in Spain who smoke has only risen significantly in recent years. Only twelve and a half per cent of those diagnosed with lung cancer here in Spain survive more than five years and this form of cancer is responsible for 18,000 deaths in Spain and 1,200,000 worldwide each year. The incidence of lung cancer worldwide varies in direct correlation with the number of smokers.

Garrucha’s new beach goes to Palomares

    The works on enlarging the port in Garrucha have meant the loss of some three hundred metres of beach for the town. Among the objectives in the original plan for the port's amplification was the creation of a new beach between the castle in Garrucha and the Repsol petrol station on the Garrucha Mojacar road, with the construction of breakwaters parallel to the coast and sand being transported in to build up the beach.

    Now however Alejandra Rueda, the provincial delegate for Public Works, has said that the original plan has been modified. She explained that the regeneration of the beach does not come under the jurisdiction of Public Works but is the responsibility of Direccion General de Costas, the provincial organisation which manages Almeria's beaches. Costas made the decision that the Quitapellejos beach in Palomares (the continuation of Vera's El Playazo beach) was of a higher priority for regeneration and as at the moment only one beach is to be built Garrucha loses out.

    The mayor of Garrucha, Francisco Fernandez, said that the ayuntamiento had always been told that the Castillo beach was to be regenerated and that the Junta had a commitment to carry out the works.

Outstanding results for local dance academy

    Pupils of the Julie Bruce dancing academy in Mojacar have achieved excellent results in their dance/musical theatre examinations which they took at the beginning of summer. An examiner travelled from England to test the pupils in ballet, tap, disco, cheerleading, street dance and musical theatre at various levels.

    The highest mark of the session went to Taylor Dodd who achieved an 87 per cent honours for her tap examination. The two youngest pupils, Lillie Mae Stewart and Rubin Moras-spencer, both three years old, passed their pre-juvenile ballet exam and Angela Brown, aged 42, passed her street dance exam with a highly commended.

    A total of 80 tests were taken with 59 achieving the top marks of honours, 15 achieving highly commended, two commended and four passing a pass/fail exam.

Almerian brandy in the shops for Christmas

     A bodega in Adra called 'Brandy de Almeria', founded 18 months ago, has announced that its first bottles of brandy should be in the shops in time for the Christmas celebrations. The business was started by three women, one from Adra, one from Almeria and another from Albox, after they visited several bodegas in Jerez, the traditional home of Spanish brandy, and realised that there existed a gap in the market for this new product.

    The new Almerian brandy has been produced with the support of some of the best wine experts in Jerez and with the intention of using its quality as its major selling point. It is produced by first distilling wine with the resulting aguardientes being aged in barrels made from American oak which have previously been used to store sherry. There are three different classifications depending on the aging time; Solera – aged on average for one year, Solera Reserva – an average three years in the barrel and Solera Gran Reserva, aged for ten years.

    Eduardo Granados, expert on brandy, doctor of medicine and spokesman for Brandy de Almeria, said that the brandy should be allowed five minutes to air in the appropriate glass and should be taken after dinner with relaxed conversation.

Huercal Overa swimming pool to be open in November

    Luis Garcia Collado, the town's mayor, has announced that the new indoor swimming pool currently under construction in Huercal Overa will be inaugurated after the town's fair in October. The swimming pool project includes the first public spa centre in Andalucia.

    The mayor expressed his satisfaction with the project adding that it was not only a municipal pool but four pools plus the spa area with hot baths, Turkish baths and sauna. The four pools will include one 25m by 12.5m pool and one 7.75m. by 12.5m. The total cost should be around 7.6 million euros.

New school in Turre ready for September

    The school which will replace The Maria Cacho Castril school in the Calle Rosaleda. Work has been completed on the two buildings which will make up the new school, located in the Barranco Negro to the south of the town, with only the access roads needing completion now. The new installations are much needed in the town as many of the town's children have been receiving classes in portacabins.

    The school has taken two years since its approval by the Junta and has cost more than three million euros. It consists of two buildings, one for children up to the age of six and the other is the site of both the primary and secondary schools, and has a capacity of about 580 children almost double the capacity of the previous school.

    The facilities that the children of Turre will be using when they go back to school after the summer holidays include; a multi-use workshop, a music room, a library, a gymnasium and changing rooms, a laboratory workshop and a computer room. The teaching facilities have a total area of more than 2,000 square metres. The school also boasts over 8,500 square metres of grounds, including playgrounds, sporting facilities and green areas.

Mayoress of Mojacar discusses POTALA with residents

    Rosa Mari Cano, the mayoress of Mojacar, along with Angel Medina and Diego Garcia, both councillors on the Mojacar Ayuntamiento, attended a meeting with the Parata Owners Association to discuss the POTALA; Plan de Ordenacion del Territorio del Area de Levante Almeriense (Territorial Planning for the Almerian Levante Area). The POTALA is basically the plan for urban, industrial and infrastructure development in the Levante area for the next ten years, organising a projected investment of some 1,000 million euros.

    Mojacar was the only of the eleven ayuntamientos affected by the plan to vote against the it when it was recently approved by a majority vote by the local town halls, with Antas abstaining. The mayoress explained to the meeting that the Mojacar ayuntamiento's principal objection was the haste and authoritarian attitude with which the plan has been pushed through. The ayuntamiento is also unhappy with the restrictions on areas that can be built on, one example is the increase of the marine protection zone to 200 metres, which will restrict Mojacar's growth, although not everyone at the meeting was unhappy with seeing more of Mojacar protected against construction. There were also proposals from the ayuntamiento that have not been accepted in the plan such as a congress hall in the municipality, this is now going to be built in Garrucha, or a marina near the Macenas beach.

    One opinion aired in the meeting was the fact that Mojacar have been trying to draw up a development plan for the town for the last ten years but with no positive results, it being no surprise then that the regional government should take matters into their hands as the towns in the area seem incapable of doing the planning they should have taken responsibility for.

Wind energy soars in Spain

    The results of a study by business analists DBK which have just been released show that the use of renewable energy resources is increasing rapidly here in Spain. The energy generated from wind in 2007 rose to 13.8 Megawatts, with a projected increase to15.9 MW by the end of the year. The power generated from solar energy in 2007 totalled 623 MW, with a projection of 1,200 MW, an almost 100 per cent increase, by the end of this year. A town of ten thousand people needs around 6.5 MW.

     At the end of 2007 there were 574 wind farms in Spain and the number of solar generation installations has risen form just five at the end of the last decade to 19 thousand at the end of last year meaning the governments objectives for power generated from the sun by 2010 have already been reached.

    Power generation from renewable sources formed a little over ten per cent of the electricity sold in Spain in 2007. Wind generated electricity sales were worth 2.100 million euros and those from solar energy came to 209 million euros, four times the amount made the previous year and the projection for 2008 rises to 470 million euros.

Aguilon Golf has green light

    The Aguilon golf course near San Juan de los Terreros is open and operating with all necessary permissions and licences. This new attraction in the municipality of Pulpi has been created with its integration into the surrounding landscape as one of its primary goals.

    This unique golf course nestles in the foothills of the Aguilon Mountains and the course actually incorporates a couple of little peaks into its design. It is a spectacular setting with the mountainous backdrop and views down to the Pulpi bay. The course is a par 70 and has more than a hundred bunkers, six big lakes and a number of natural ravines that make playing there an unforgettable experience. It can be reached off the AP- 7 toll road or from the Garrucha – Villaricos – San Juan coast road.

    In July two green fees and a buggy will cost you only 80 euros or 90 euros with paella in the clubhouse, there is also a twilight special from 12 to 4 which includes two green fees, a buggy and two drinks for 70 euros. Two green fees and a buggy will cost 85 euros in August, membership is also currently available. Aguilon Golf is part of the Aymerich group of golf clubs which has over twenty golf clubs all over Spain

Guinness book coming to see World’s biggest gazpacho

    To celebrate its fiestas Campohermoso and the Nijar ayuntamiento have organised the making of the world's largest gazpacho on Saturday August 2. The current record stands at 3,000 litres but Campohermoso is planning to make 5,000 litres. The recipe is simple

 

3,600 kg of tomatoes

700 kg of cucumber

400 kg of onion

400 kg of red pepper

400 kg of green pepper

50 kg of garlic

25 kg of salt

200 litres of oil

70 litres of vinegar

 

The record attempt takes place in the Plaza de Andalucia in Campohermoso, Nijar. One hundred women in the town have volunteered to make the gazpacho although the organisers say they hope that more people will lend a hand. Fifteen industrial blenders will be set up in the plaza along with a glass tank to hold the gazpacho when it's made.

    The event is an opportunity for local producers to promote their organic production as all of the ingredients supplied from the Nijar area are organic, produced following strict guidelines on pesticide and fertiliser use, the majority cultivated for export to the UK and Northern Europe.

    The event starts early Saturday morning and the Guiness book of records representatives will be declaring the record accomplished or not at 2.25 that afternoon. All are invited to come and try the gazpacho and there is live music from 4p.m. on.

More buses in Mojacar during summer

    The Mojacar bus service which goes from the Hotel Indalo, along the beach road, up to the Pueblo and back down and along the beach to Marina de la Torre has an extended timetable for summer. The buses will now run every half hour except at siesta time when they will still be every hour. Generally the times are; Hotel Indalo: 25 past and five to the hour, Parque Comercial: 10 past and 25 to the hour, Pueblo: quarter past and quarter to the hour, Marina Torre Playa: on the hour and half past.

Couple convicted for extorting Arboleas Brits

    A married couple has been convicted to four years in prison by the Almeria provincial court for extorting money and the ownership of a car from a British man living in Arboleas. The couple, aged 41 and 46, are members of a gypsy clan known as 'Los Pertolos' which according to the court is well known for its violence.

    The couple threatened the British man, who ran an estate agent's in the Arboleas area, showing him a pistol they told him had "already been used to kill a person" and telling him at the same time that they could "become enemies". Later they then went on to the man's home where other unidentified members of the clan surrounded him and forced him to sign a contract giving work to the accused. He was also forced to give them a document which they used to transfer ownership of his son's car to the accused. The car was later returned to the victim by the guardia civil.

Arrests in Huercal Overa for selling fake designer clothes

    Four men were arrested in Huercal Overa after the weekly Monday market for selling counterfeit designer products. Their stalls caught the attention of plain clothes guardia civil officers patrolling the market because of the number of people congregating around them and on closer inspection the officers saw that the two stalls were selling clothes and accessories with well known designer labels. The products being sold were identical to well known designer products with the design and patterns, the exterior and interior labels and the logotypes all being identical to famous brands, although on close inspection the quality could be seen to be inferior.

    Due to the number of people around the stalls the guardia civil decided to wait until the market finished before proceeding to arrest the four men, identified as Malick D. N. aged 42, Abdou C., aged 30, Mbaye D., aged 45 and Moth L. aged 43, when they were loading their vehicles. A total of 1,500 fake items were confiscated, including jeans, polo shirts, football shirts, sunglasses and purses. The guardia civil estimated the value of the confiscated merchandise to come to almost 120,000 euros.