Major tax fraud exposed

The National Police in collaboration with the Tributary Agency have ended a framework of massive fraud. Eight people have been detained for non payment of IBI tax amounting to 60million euros. They also stand accused of falsifying documents and money laundering.

The operation mainly centred around the sale of luxury cars. During the raid, the police confiscated 37 of these; including cars by Porsche, Mercedes, Lexus, Maseratti, Jaguar and BMW. The police also confiscated two yachts and luxury watches valued at 170,000 euros. The total worth of the operation is estimated at 365 million euros.

The detainees had 81 current accounts and 86 different addresses and operated from showrooms in San Juan, Onteniente, two in Madrid, Albalate de Zorita and Guadalajara.

The set up was obviously very clever but not clever enough.

PS I don't think they sold me my Skoda!

Moya's 25 years as mayor ends Thursday

The meeting to accept the resignation of José Joaquín Moya as mayor will take place at 1pm on Thursday. A letter from the Subdelegation received yesterday clarified the situation, correcting the mistake that Encarna Llinares had made on Friday when he suggested that, to keep within the law, the meeting would have to be convened yesterday.

The meeting to appoint the new mayor will be on the 24th or 25th of this month. From the socialist group there are two candidates, Inmaculada Martínez and Raúl Valero.

They have very different views on the policies of the party so it will be interesting to see who is chosen.

A quiet day

I can sense some of you yawning at today's posts.   Why on earth am I posting all this stuff about network speeds and digital noise? That is not the kind of thing  you want on this blog . What you want to read is some juicy gossip about the goings on in the Spanish equivalent of Peyton Place.

Well the fact of the matter is, at a local level,  today is relatively news free.

So until tomorrow Hasta luego.

Digital noise

My comment about digital cameras with high pixel counts was a little misleading.

Without becoming too technical; digital noise is more closely related to the ASA speed that you use to take pictures. For low light photography you would normally use a higher ASA rating than you would in good light.

To achieve that higher speed, the camera software amplifies the electrical signal from the photosites on the sensor. Along with the useful signal that you want, the background signal is also amplified. It is similar to increasing the volume on a cheap stereo - at high levels you start to hear the hiss.

Digital noise in photos is also related to longer exposure times and is a product of the heat that is generated on the sensor. This problem can also be caused by placing a large bright viewing screen just behind the sensor. The heat generated by the screen can increase the noise in the photos unless care is taken to isolate the two components. Leaving your camera in the glove compartment of a car on a hot day causes a similar problem.

The smaller sensors in compact cameras are more prone to noise. That is because the smaller photosites on a small sensor produce a lot less current than the correspondingly larger photosites on a big sensor. They therefore require a greater degree of amplification to produce an image.

Now to the issue of cramming more pixels onto a small sensor. Cramming more photosites onto a small sensor e.g on a high megapixel compact camera, not only increases the amplification required but also increases the contamination between neighbouring photosites which further adds to the digital noise.

So my explanation was only part of the picture - I apologise for that.

Consistency and security is more important than speed

I received this comment about the item I wrote about LANS, WANS and MANS

Networking's future appears to stay focused on achieving higher speeds, even though our data rates already do everything we want. The real goal is to get that speed to everyone, and do it in a secure environment.
---------
smithsan

I'm no expert on these matters but I know a man who is and I'm sure he would agree with you whole heartedly.

Since I upgraded to 10Mb (megabits not bytes) which effectively comes down to 8.5Mbs, I have only been aware of the full potential speed on a couple of occasions. For example, I recently downloaded an 86MB file in just under a minute and a half averaging just less than a megabyte per minute in the process.

On other occasions I might just as well have a 1Mb connection. Bottlenecks and contention ratios etc bring my speed down to the same as everyone else.

From what I understand, those who use wi-fi to connect a laptop to the inernet are "over egging the pudding" with a 54Mb connection to a 3Mb ADSL line.

There is a similar problem with digital cameras where the thrust is to pack more and more megapixels onto tiny sensors. The result is an increase in digital noise which kind of negates the increased resolution because the noise mars the detail in the pictures produced.

We still need more water

Following the recent torrential rain and floods when the fire service was called out numerous times to rescue people because of the adverse weather in the region we could be forgiven for thinking that we now have sufficient water. After all, over 60 litres of water per square metre, per hour, hit this part of Spain – three ferries carrying more than 400 people could not even dock at Valencia because of the conditions.

It rained hard but not for long. In the past the rains were not as heavy but were more prolonged. The heavy deluges we have experienced this year provide little benefit to the farmers in fact they have caused an incredible amount of erosion.

Set to get hotter and drier

Over the last hundred years the average temperature in Spain has risen by 1.5 degrees – compare that to the world average of just 0.6 degrees – and it is estimates that over the next 75 years the province of Alicante will lose at least 20% of its water resources. This could mean that as the southern Spanish population rises; the whole area will have a serious drinking water problem in just a few decades time.

Because of Spain’s location on the planet, it is more susceptible to climate change than many other countries. It is predicted that by 2020, the average temperature will have increased by 2.5 degrees C. By the end of the century, the prediction is that Spain will be 7 degrees hotter in the summer and 4 degrees in the winter. What this means is less rain and less often – in fact by 2050 it is estimated that there will be a quarter of the amount of rain that we have now - and, at present, there is not enough rain for the country.

The problems for this year began in the spring when Barcelona was so short of water that it had to import water, by tanker, from France while the Spanish regions argue with each other about supplies the politicians have their own ideas.

On the left, the Government (PSOE) believe the answer is to add to the 900 desalination plants that already exist – Spain has more of these than any other country outside of the Middle East.

On the right, the Popular Party, propose that water is diverted from ‘abundant’ areas, such as Aragon, where the River Ebro regularly floods its banks, to the areas in need which are mainly alongside the Mediterranean.

What it means to us

Nobody has a ‘solution’ as yet, if indeed there is one, but saving water is soon to be (if not already) incredibly important, and perhaps the one good thing to come out of the current state of the planet is that school children in Spain have become some of the most environmentally aware kids in Europe.

It isn't just the children though who need to show this level of awareness. We all need to be more conscious of the amount of water that we consume.

The cost of medical care

Foreigners made 29,000 visits to the medical centres in the Valencian Community. The total bill for the medical care they received comes to 10.2 million euros.

Not surprisingly Torrevieja was the hospital with the highest number of foreigners. The hospital recorded one in three consultations to foreigners. The patients they dealt with came from 78 different countries.

Interestingly though, 33% of the cases that were dealt with were for pregnancy and childbirth.

My new blog

I'm really enjoying writing my blog about what it was like being a teacher in Liverpool. As I put one article together it brings back memories of other events that happened. Thankfully, most of them so far have been good memories of happy times. It might be hard for teachers today to believe but we actually had a lot of fun in the early days of my career.

As those of you who have wandered over to the blog to read it will have gathered, I wasn't the sort of straight laced teacher that you may have encountered when you were at school. As I write more, you will realise that we sailed close to the wind a lot of the time.

I don't believe the children suffered as a result of the things we got up to though. In fact I'd like to think they benefited from being in a classroom with someone who was clearly barking mad. 

When things are bad - think big

The Mayor, Antonio Ángel Hurtado, revealed yesterday the most ambitious plan for a Commercial Park which he says will be located between the present sports zone and the Alicante-Cartagena motorway in Almoradi. In doing so he has stolen the march from towns like Algorfa and Dolores who had similar plans but have not made progress with them.

Hurtado explained that there are 300,000 people who live within a ten to fifteen minutes car journey of the proposed development which he says will palliate the effects of the economic crisis in both the Vega Baja and the regions as a whole.

The area allocated in the Plan General de Ordenación Urbana (PGOU), has a surface of 578,000 square metres in which the town plans to build a Commercial Park, a hotel zone, great public parks and the last phase of the Sport City.

Besides the stores, this ambitious infrastructure will have leisure zones, 3,500 parking places and a four star hotel with up to 90 rooms. The hotel will house a convention centre, banqueting halls with a capacity for up to 1,000 people, a spa, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and ample parking.

The Mayor anticipates that the project will create 1,300 jobs in its construction will then generate long term employment for 1,500 in the area.

The aim is to have the 120 million euro project completed by Christmas 2010.

Nobody could accuse this man of lacking ambition.

Change of plan

The assistant representative of the Government, Encarna Llinares has advised the City Council of Bigastro that they must summon a plenary session within ten days of receiving the resignation of the Mayor. Since Imaculada Martínez accepted and signed the letter from José Joaquín Moya on the 31st October that means that the meeting must be scheduled by this coming Monday, the 10th November.

Raúl Valerio reiterated yesterday the intention to summon a plenary session next week. His understanding was that the term for this will run out on the 13th of November. Valerio went on to say that it would be in this plenary session that they would receive the official resignation of the mayor. Ten working days later, they would convene a second plenary session to choose to a new mayor between proposals from the PSOE and the PP parties.

Although they had not been made aware of changes to the timescale by the Subdelegation , Valerio says that they will follow the instructions of the assistant representative and convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council for Monday.

22,000 more Russian tourists next year

The Tourism Council has initiated negotiations with several Russian airline companies to try and establish direct flights between el Altet and Saint Petersburg.

Russian tourism is at the moment one of the alternatives that is being explored to try and mitigate the effects of the economic crisis. The plan is to tap into the flow of high spending visitors from Moscow and Saint Petersburg who like to take an 11 days beach holiday each year. At the moment they are choosing Turkey and Egypt as their destinations. Those that come to Spain are visiting Catalonia, Madrid and Andalucia.

Russians wanting to visit he Costa Blanca previously have faced problems with tour companies coming and going and the lack of regular flights to Alicante. The 22 companies that participated in a recent tourism trade fair in Moscow have now secured deals with 100 Russian travel agencies to resolve those issues.

Out of the 46.9 million tourists that visited the Costa Blanca last year, 479,538 were Russian (19% more than in 2007).The Servigroup , Mágic group and the hotel Sidi San Juan have all successfully negotiated to increase that number in 2009.

Glued to their hands

Can anyone remember the time when nobody had a mobile phone?

Now it seems every adult along with a growing number of children has to have one and use it almost 24 hours a day. If the reported dangers of radiation from mobile phones are true, then the population is doomed.

In the Valencian Community, 65.8% of the 10 -15 year old children have a mobile phone, according to a survey of equipment and use of information technologies in the home.

Psychologist, Pedro Jiménez, says that “the abusive” use of this type of device can cause a “loss of the social abilities”. Children with mobile phones habitually text their friends rather than have a face to face conversations.

Vida Libre , the Alicante association for people affected by compulsive gambling and other addictions, urges parents to educate their children to make them aware of the dangers of over use of mobile phones. These children are not just making calls and sending texts; they are using their phones to connect to the Internet, to record videos, to play games etc. They are also receiving messages inviting them to participate in lotteries and other forms of gambling. Many spend all their savings on "top ups" just to keep their mobile phone going.

The Phone House says that 94.36% of mobile users in the Community choose a mobile phone with an integrated, 86.77% want a bluetooth connection and 72.23% demand an additional memory card .

I spy with my little eyes

British and Spanish security forces,  Crimesttoped  and the British Agency against  Organised Crime (Soca), are collaborating to find ten British criminals who they think might be hiding on the Costa Blanca. The nine men and one woman are wanted for a variety of offences including sex crimes, murder, drug trafficking, fiscal fraud and kidnapping.

There is no evidence to show that any of these have committed crimes here in Spain. In fact crimes among British nationals is low here on the Costa Blanca - 516 in total last year of which 471 were in Alicante province

In 2006, joint authorities conducted a similar operation on the Costa del Sol centred in Malaga.  With 134,000 Brits living in the Valencian Community - 58,000 in Alicante,  it seemed sensible to extend these operations to the Costa Blanca.

Anyone who has information about these people's whereabouts can call the free number 900 555 111 or go to www.crimesttoped-uk.org.

British TV back?

Clients of Telmicro were surprised this week to find that their screens, which have remained blank for months, now have a picture on them.

Twelve channels are available in the majority of areas, including ITV, ITV2, ITV3, BBC news and CBBC. There is also an information channel announcing, “Welcome to Simulsat TV - For information please wait for a few days.” The notice goes on to inform clients that viewing will be free of charge during the ‘Test Transmission’ period up until the 31st December, with normal programming commencing from this date.

Sadly, both the picture and sound quality are poor in the majority of areas

Speculation on local discussion forums suggests that this is merely an opportunist who has captured a crossover signal from another broadcaster as a short term money making scheme, which will be scrambled once again as soon as encryption is introduced.

This is not Telmicro back in business because their previous broadcasting outlets are still deserted, with no antennas or equipment to be seen. It would appear that Simulsat is a Spanish company which is based in Santa Pola, and is registered in the name of Gines Garcia Martinez of Santa Pola TV.

There is still confusion over the rebroadcasting of British channels. A section of registered Digital Television companies have warned that viewers should take advantage of the free viewing whilst it lasts. Authorities are still investigating the act of rebroadcasting.

The only reliable way to get British television in Spain is to install a satellite dish, either as a community or as an individual. Looking round Villas Andrea, this is the solution that many have now gone for.

The disappearing wife

Why is Pam missing from the photo on the blog?

Why is there a picture just of Keith in a suit?

I could say the answer is that I write the stuff on the blog and so it isn't fair to let Pam take the blame for any mistakes, missed punctuation or bad grammar but I would be lying.

The truth is that when I set up my new blog about teaching in Liverpool, it was under the same account.

You can only have one profile and one picture for your account on Blogger. A picture of the pair of us on a blog about my experiences as a teacher would have looked wrong.

So the glorious compromise I came to is a description that fits ¡Esto es jauja! and a photo for Teaching in Liverpool.

A very caring town

La Asociación de Familiares Enfermos de Alzheimer "Acuérdate de mí" in Bigastro has, for years, worked on and carried out many interesting projects for its members and partners.

Two of these projects

- AQUATIC GYMNASTICS AND THERAPEUTIC REHABILITATION PROJECT FOR PATIENTS OF ALZHEIMER AND OTHER DEMENTIAS .

Exercising in a pool is both preventive and therapeutic. Aqua gymnastics provides low impact exercise that people of all ages and disabilities can enjoy. Working in water reduces the stress on bones and joints. Regular sessions are held in the Municipal Pool at the Multi-Sports Centre.

- TRAINING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE FOR PATIENTS OF ALZHEIMER AND OTHER DEMENTIAS AT HOME.

The Foundation “la Caixa” along with the Association of Alzheimer of Bigastro represented by their president, Mrs Mª Angels Mateo Grau, signed an agreement of collaboration to the project "Entrenamiento de las Actividades de la vida diaria a enfermos de Alzheimer y otras demencias en domicilios" that the bigastrense association presented to the Convocatoria de Proyectos de Acción Social.

This project is based on the conviction that daily training of routine activities in the home (combing their own hair, getting dressed, walking…), the basic tasks that people peform, slows down the deterioration of Alzheimer suffers and gives them greater independence.

For more information please contact either the Council of Social Welfare or the Association which is based in the Centro Social Integrado, C/ Acequia, 8 or by phone at 96 535 00 00 Ext. 3.

A sea of happy faces

The four year infants from “La Paz”, went to the the Library yesterday to enjoy the story tellers “Daisy”.

This activity was planned as part of the celebration of the World-wide Day of the Library that took place last week.

The Council of Culture and the Municipal Library are trying to get children into the habit of reading from a very early age. This type of initiative encourages children to join in the fascinating world of reading, filled with adventures and histories to discover.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Allan White has run a book club at Villas Andrea for a couple of years now. In that time he has amassed over 300 titles; a wide choice which covers all tastes.

Each month, Allan sets the books out at the Albergue restaurant, Camping La Pedrera and waits for people to arrive and borrow books. Yesterday he was there for two hours and saw about seven people.

I must admit, I read very little fiction but Pamela does as I'm sure do many others. The Book Club was something that people asked for but sadly do not support. I thing we'd all agree that It isn't right for Allan to spend so much time and effort on this venture.

He is prepared to continue for one more month but if there is still no interest Allan will reluctantly call it a day. Just to remind you the next Book Club will be held on the first Wednesday in December bewteen 2 and 4pm.

This is unfair

Several of the proprietors of the beach houses alongside the playa  Babilonia that were demolished by the Servicio Provincial de Costas in Spring received bills for this year's  IBI  (council tax) from SUMA.

After several phone calls and letters to the Ayuntamiento in Guardamar, their only reply has been a second bill with a 20% surcharge added on. At the most, these people would have expected a bill for part of the year - two and a half months.

What is infuriating the ex homeowners most is that they had diligently paid their taxes along with their water and electricity bills. Ten years ago, they even paid 38,000 pesetas  each to have the obsolete lampposts replaced

In March they had to watch their houses torn to the ground as the town reclaimed the sea front for the benefit of the citizens.

To insist that they pay any tax seems unfair given the circumstances. It is like adding insult to injury.

The case continues

Monserrate Mula, the magistrate of the court of First Instance and Instruction number 3 of Orihuela, was the one who first ordered an in depth investigation into three denunciations that had been made against José Joaquín Moya, the mayor of Bigastro. From February 20th, the investigations in to these three crimes against the Patrimony of the Guardia Civil began in secret.

From the 18th of March, Moya was made aware that this investigation was taking place.

When he was taken into custody on the 21st of this month and subsequently placed in prison, Joaquina de la Peña, the magistrate who sentenced him decided that the investigations would still to continue in secret pending the possibility of formal charges being made.

Concern for his health

Whilst Moya was in gaol at Orihuela he was visited by a doctor and a social worker who agreed that he was suffering from hypertension - only to be expected given his situation. It was not thought necessary to transfer him to the infirmary where prisoners can spend up to weeks recuperating their health.

Moya is now at Fontcalent in Module 3, a unit assigned for first time prisoners.

My new blog

You'll find a new link on the left under Our Web Sites which takes yo to my blog, "Teaching in Liverpool".

As as I say on the new blog:

This isn't really a blog in the true sense i.e. it isn't a day by day diary.
I spent 34 years teaching in Liverpool. I had good times and bad times and some in between. These are some of my stories from those 34 years.
Those of you who are teachers (or ex-teachers like me) will identify with them. For those of you who aren't, they give you an insight into what life was like at the chalkface.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have writing them. It is good to get things off your chest.

So far there is only one item so far ( you have to start somewhere) but it will grow in time as I relate more stories of my life as a teacher in the north end of Liverpool.

I have to thank or blame my very good friends for the inspiration for this new blog - especially Pete. When I worked at Anfield with them, they always said I should write some of my stories about life in the school down.

Well Pete, as you can see, I've made a start. I hope you enjoy it.

PS Please bear in mind that you need to read the blog from the bottom up to make sense. Sorry about that.

How Obama used the Internet to win

The Democrat exploited networking websites and mobile phones to target voters, leaving John McCain struggling in his wake.

Obama raised £400million and got his supporters out to vote using the internet – and it cost him next to nothing. Websites such as MySpace and Facebook were perfect for reaching a young audience as they are trusted by users. Mr Obama could also hit older people and business workers using professional sites such as LinkedIn.

He raised a fortune by getting hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to donate small sums of £60 or even less. Many gave just £12 a month – but it meant Mr Obama had less need to target multi-millionaires for large cheques.

He also relied on thousands of “bundlers” – volunteers such as housewives or teachers – who set up websites to support him. Each site raised cash, which then went straight to Democrat HQ. And every time new donors pledged support, they would pass on an email to their friends.

Many were puzzled by Obama’s decision to turn up at dozens of low-key campaign events – but he was smartly rallying thousands of grassroots supporters.

Aides also used computer models to give millions of voters a rating based on how they were likely to behave in elections. Using huge questionnaires sent out earlier, programmes worked out who was likely to be a Democrat and where they could be found.

The sophisticated computer techniques were called “data mining”, “cluster analysis” and “statistical modelling” – all under the title “microtargeting”.

It made it impossible for a less sophisticated campaign to compete.

Third world existence

I've said before that Spain is a country of great contrasts.

Spain has some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The countryside is spectacular. However, you don't have to look too far to find abject poverty; people living in the most deprived situations in close proximity to wealth. It is there for you to see in many towns and cities, including Bigastro.

As bad as the conditions are for some in Bigastro, they don't come close to those in other nearby districts.

The spokesman for CLR, Joaquín Ezcurra, described the situation for the people living in Campaneta as "third world". From La Vereda La Fábrica to the end of the Camino Viejo de Almoradí there is no sewerage system.

The waste water from the houses flows into a back drain, El Azarbe de Las Barracas, causing bad smells attracting plagues of mosquitoes, rats and snakes. To make matters worse there is very little flow in the Azarbe so the human excrement remains at the back of the houses where it gradually seeps into the walls, permeating the interiors. Approximately 100 houses are affected.

For twenty years the people have complained but nothing has been done about it.

Appeal for mayor's release

Jose Joaquin Moya, the mayor of Bigastro, arrived at Fontcalent prison yesterday after spending four days in the Local Police gaols in Orihuela.

He is apparently in a delicate state of health and needed help getting to the van which took him to Fontcalent.

Apart from the state of his health, Moya's lawyer, José Sánchez Alarcos, will be requesting the release of his client based on three points:-

• Moya has not been convicted of any crime as yet.
• Moya has not shown any inclination to elude justice.
• And, most important, it is impossible to believe that giving him freedom would allow him to interrupt the enquiry when he has already had to attend two registries, one at his own address and the second in his office as Mayor.

Whether Moya is released from prison or not is up to the public prosecutor Felipe Briones.

The poisoned chalice

Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a white woman and a black man he barely knew, raised by his grandparents far outside the stream of American power and wealth, has been elected the 44th president of the United States by winning a decisive 349 to 144 electoral college votes.

First he had to defeat Hillary Clinton, who wanted to be president so badly that she lost her bearings, and then John McCain, who forsook his principles for a campaign built on anger and fear.

Mr. Obama inherits a terrible legacy. America is engaged in two wars — in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Mr. Obama’s challenge will be to manage an orderly withdrawal from Iraq and focus on the real front in the war on terror, Afghanistan.

By Election Day, Americans were deeply concerned about their futures and the government’s failure to prevent an economic collapse. Mr. Obama will have to move quickly to impose control, coherence, transparency and fairness on the Bush administration’s bailout plan.

Climate change is a global threat, and after years of denial and inaction, America must take the lead on addressing it. The nation must develop new, cleaner energy technologies, to reduce greenhouse gases and its dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. Obama also will have to rally sensible people to come up with immigration reform consistent with the values of a nation built by immigrants and refugees.

There are many other urgent problems that must be addressed. Tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance, including some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens — children of the working poor. Other Americans can barely pay for their insurance or are in danger of losing it along with their jobs. They must be protected.

In the next four years we will see if Obama was the right man for the job.

Record rainfall

You won't be surprised to learn that last month was the wettest October this century in the Valencian Community. The average of 180 litres per square metre was more than than the region has had in twelve months and 2 and half times the norm.

Pego and Adubia in the La Marina Alta had the most rain with 700 litres per square metre followed by Villalonga with 600 litres per square metre.

These precipitations mean that the dams of the Marina Baja de la Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar (CHJ) begin the winter with excellent reserves. The dam at Guadalest is at 71.22% of its capacity. The one of Amadorio is over half full and Beniarrés, is at 56% capacity. This is good news and ends the three year period of droughts ; 2004- 2006.

The other good news is that, unlike in 2007, this rain this year has produced minimal damage. Lat year the bridge at Beniarbeig on the Girona river was demolished by the floodwater.

The areas with least rain in the community were Alicante (25 litres per square metre), El Altet (35) and Orihuela (40).

Remember remember the 5th of November

The title will mean absolutely nothing to my Spanish readers.

Tomorrow night is bonfire night and although you may not get to see a bonfire here in Spain that shouldn't stop you enjoying some traditional Bonfire Night fare.

What would be more appropriate than Yorkshire Parkin

(I apologise that the quantities are in old money)

Ingredients (can be doubled for a large cake)
4oz self raising flour
4oz fine or medium oatmeal
4oz soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4oz black treacle
2oz margarine
About 5 tablespoons of milk
1 beaten egg
Grease a suitable square tin and put some greaseproof
paper at the bottom so that it is easier to remove.

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Warm the treacle in a pan with the butter and milk
Add to the dry ingredients when melted with the egg and beat very well.
Pour into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes in a preheated oven at Gas
Mark 3 (not at the top or it will burn on top). Cut into squares when cold
and store in a tin. Keeps well.

For my Spanish readers:

On November 5th, we celebrate the famous failure of Guy Fawkes to blowup the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes was of course a Yorkshireman.

Throughout England, people will build bonfires and set off fireworks. On top of the bonfire will be an effigy of Guy Fawkes which the children will have taken round the streets the week before asking people for "a penny for the guy".

Traditional fare for the night includes parkin and treacle toffee along with potatoes which are wrapped in foil and then baked in the bonfire.

Keeping it real

People often ask where I get my information from. It is important for me to have good sources otherwise I could end up writing a load of rubbish that isn't true. So I regularly scour the local Spanish press as well as the free papers in English for this area.

It is also important to stick to your roots, so I also read a few of the British papers. For the tykes who read my blog, here are the few which will keep you in touch with God's own country.

Barnsley Chronicle, Huddersfield Examiner, Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post and the Sheffield Star.

Caught red handed

Local police in Orihuela caught 14 youths of about 16 years of age early Saturday morning. They were spray painting in the Plaza de la Centuria Romana, next to the Segura river and in front of the Episcopal Palace

The police received a call at about 2:15am to the Plaza where they found the youths spray painting graffiti. Although most took flight, two were caught. It didn't take the police long long to find the others.

Technicians are now assessing the cost of the damage to the walls, the fencing and the old municipal clock caused by these youths.

Cultural programme

You can pick up a programme for forthcoming events at the Auditorium or consult it online here.

In the meantime, this is the concert planned for this next Sunday.

Following the correct procedure

Although there is no question as to the authenticity of the document that José Joaquín Moya signed, his resignation is not official and so he is still mayor of Bigastro. Inmaculada Martínez and Raúl Valerio Medina, lieutenants to the mayor, have both stated that the procedure to follow in a case such as this is not the one that Moya chose.

However, since Moya is in no position to act as mayor, the process of replacing him has begun. Martinez explains that she is working with her advisers and the Subdelegation of the Government to summon a short plenary session - probably within a week. At that meeting they will accept the resignation of José Joaquín Moya both as Mayor and as councilman.

There will then be a period of ten days to elect the new mayor followed by a second plenary session to approve that decision. Both Medina and Martinez are eligible but of course neither is looking forward to having to step into Moya's shoes in these circumstances.

Mateo Rodríguez Ortiz, first reserve on the list, will also join the Socialist group as councillor to replace Moya. .

Buenas vistas

One of the reasons we like living here.

View down to the town and the Sierra Callosa from Villas Andrea

View from the top of  the town to the Huerta and beyond

Final assault on the Arizona cactus

The councils of Environment and Promotion of the City council of Orihuela have agreed to eradicate the annoying “ Arizona Cactus ” that has been propagating itself for ten years on the mountain range of Orihuela.

They've already removed and incinerated 3,000 kilos of this weed. The works will continue to try to rid the area of this species which destroys the natural fauna and the vegetation.

400,000 Euros has been budgeted for a new program to completely eradicate this plague during 2009.

The workers will be divided into three groups of eight, one of which will be made up of climbing specialists to tackle the hard to reach locations and another one will be a team of municipal technicians.

El fin de semana

You might think that the whole week is like a weekend for us now that we are retired. That is only partially true. Of course we no longer suffer from that Monday morning feeling - the one you get when you have to wake up early to go to work. It wasn't so bad in the summer months but in the winter when it was dark it was horrible. We used to hate it.

Pam and I do have a schedule. Each day there are specific things which we need to do; washing, cleaning, going to the post office, shopping, Spanish classes etc etc. Nothing gets done first thing though and we never try to do too much in one day. As I said, we don't get up in the dark anymore and as Pam's friend Kay says, "one task per day is plenty".

On those occasions when we have to be out for say 10am to visit the dentist we are edgy and irritable. Noon is a much better time for us. That gives me ample opportunity to write a couple of items for my blog and Pam time to get herself together. It makes for a more relaxed sort of day.

On Fridays, when we do the weekly shop, we aim to be there about 2pm when everyone is at home eating lunch because the other thing we don't do is busy roads. The first thing we notice when we visit England is the amount of traffic and we don't like it.

So the weekends are a time to relax and maybe potter about a bit in the garden. Without the pressure to cram all the household chores and the shopping into two days, weekends are a real treat.

Those of you who are retired like us will probably identify with all this. Those of you who are still working now know that there is a better life to come.

Much tension

Understandably there is a lot of tension in Bigastro following the arrests and the subsequent jail sentence for the mayor. José Joaquín Moya  served as mayor  for 25 years and has a strong following of devoted supporters. He has been described as the "Caliph  of the Vega Baja". Following the incidents of the last week, the party faithful's feelings range from sorrow to anger - even rage.

Moya sent a message to Inmaculada Martínez, who will now take over as mayor, telling her that she and the other PSOE councillors must continue with the work of governing the town and follow the plans that had been set out for this term of office. Because voting here is by proportional representation there is no need for a by-election. Second in line steps in as mayor and one of the reserves on the PSOE list will step in as councillor.

Meanwhile, José Antonio Ricard, the spokesperson for PP says that members of his party have received indirect threats. Rather than risk confrontation, they are going to remain low key until the situation calms down. If the threats become real then they will have to review their position. 

The rain wouldn't stop them

The 1st of November is All Saints Day when people from the village visit the cemetery to remember their past friends and relatives.

November 2005 we went along to see the floral tributes that people had been taking the day before. Seventy percent of the flowers sold during the year are bought for this occasion. It was a warm sunny day so we were dressed in shorts and  T-shirts. When we arrived at the cemetery we wished the ground would have opened up and swallowed us. Everyone was in their Sunday best as we should have expected.

Yesterday morning was dry but by the afternoon it had started to rain. I'd emptied the shed out with the intention of doing some sorting out. I had to rapidly get everything back before it all got soaked.

We didn't make the mistake of going to the cemetery but I imagine that it was still packed with people offering flowers and lighting candles in spite of the rain. 

Resignation may not be valid

According to some sources, the document that the mayor Jose Joaquin Moya sent offering his  resignation may not be valid because it was delivered by a third party - José Pérez Grau, Secretary of the Subdelegación del Gobierno en Alicante.

Pérez Grau produced the resignation document and then took it to cell where Moya had been kept. The mayor then signed the document and added his DNI number to show that it was authentic. Pérez Grau then delivered the document to Inmaculada Martínez at the Ayuntamiento in Bigastro.

Trick or treat

When we heard the door buzzer last night, we wondered just who was visiting us at 10:30 on a Friday night. The voice on the intercom was familiar and the person knew our names. We had to go to the gate to find out. It never occurred to us that anybody would be out "trick or treating".

It turned out to be Susanna who was an avid reader of my blog and who we had met at the Fiesta in August. She had taken the trouble to bring a few of her friends up to our house to show us their costumes. They were very good.

They'd all made such a great effort that we gave them treats and wished them a Happy Halloween.

Later at 11pm we had a couple more visitors who had made a similar effort so they were rewarded as well.

Susanna is the sister of Evarista Moya Moya, a member of the Bigastro Golf Society. Susanna lost her job in August and has returned to her studies at University. Susanna is such a lovely girl, we hope she is successful and eventually finds the job she deserves.

The big clean up

The number of arrests of councillors and officials  in this area over the last few weeks is almost unbelievable, even for an area  blighted by fraudulent activity involving politicians and construction industry chiefs.

Those arrested join a long list of local politicians and company bosses who are being investigated for alleged corruption including; former Partido Popular (PP) mayor of Orihuela José Manuel Medina for allegedly taking favours from promoters, former Socialist (PSOE) party mayor of Catral José Manuel Rodríguez Leal for allowing 1,300 illegal homes to be built on rural land without planning permission and Benitachell mayor Juan Cardona and his deputy Hennelore Rheindorf for allegedly taking money to alter the town plan.

End of an era

José Joaquín Moya Esquiva resigned his position as mayor and councilman yesterday before making his declaration to the court in Orihuela . Following his declaration, Moya was committed to prison pending further investigations by the judge dean of Orihuela, Natividad Navarrese.

Moya was transferred handcuffed to the Plaza Santa Lucia at ten am yesterday morning. The case was then heard at 5pm and lasted 3 hours.

Moya was kept in gaol at the local police station in Orihuela last night and will be transferred to the gaol in Fontcalent today.

The other four that had been arrested were released but have to report each month to the court whilst the investigation proceeds.

Jose Joaquin Moya is accused of a city-planning operation that began with the exchange of premises measuring 150 square metres on Calle Purisima for 1,600 square metres of land in the green zone Apatel. It was also agreed that the council should pay 192,000€ in two payments (I hope my translation here is correct).

The green zone land would then be reclassified as industrial ground without modification to the General Plan of Urban Arrangement. The property on Calle Purisima would be auctioned off as a location for a restaurant.

The industrialist paid 30 euros per square mere for the land he acquired ( 48,080€ in total) and after constructing the four industrial units then sold them for 1 million euros.

Bad losers

The FIA, motor racing's governing body have condemned a Spanish website which contains abuse aimed at Lewis Hamilton. The website, pinchalaruedadeHamilton, features a graphic on its home page in which nails, tin-tacks and hedgehogs are strewn on the Interlagos circuit, where he will attempt to win the world championship in the Brazilian grand prix on Sunday.

The site claims to have had more than 21,000 visitors, and continues the vendetta begun 18 months ago by supporters of Fernando Alonso, who joined the McLaren team as reigning world champion at the start of the 2007 season but found himself in a battle against Hamilton - formula one's first mixed-race driver.

Alonso's departure at the end of the season enraged his Spanish fans, and when the formula one teams went to Spain for pre-season testing Hamilton was greeted by racist insults and the sight of a group of Spanish fans with blackened faces wearing Afro wigs. The FIA's response was to fine the circuit and to institute an anti-racism campaign.

"The FIA's position is very clear," the governing body said in a statement yesterday, reacting to the content of the website. "Discrimination and prejudice can have no place in sport or society. Everyone in our sport will join us in condemning these abusive and hateful comments."

The domain name is registered to a company called Tequila Spain and a note on the website says the owners are not responsible for the comments it contains.

The need to re-think

The economic crisis has hit the Vega Baja hard because between 40 and 60% of the work in the area is related to construction.

In the past construction brought an enormous amount of money to the area and kept unemployment low but those days are gone.

The Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at the Miguel Hernandez University has conducted a study into the socio-economic makeup of the region. As a result, the study proposes several possible solutions to the problem.

Firstly they suggest a strategic plan for a re-definition of the tourist model. The region needs to consider what type of tourist it wants to attract and what infrastructures are needed to sustain this type of development.

The report is very damming of the area. Beyond the beach, the report says there is very little. There are neither five star hotels nor five star restaurants. There are very few cultural, artistic or other major events that would attract tourists.

Although the Vega Baja occupies 4.1% of the land of the Valencian Community, it only has 2.2% of the natural parks, 3.1% of places of interest and 1.3% of the bird sanctuaries. All of which is difficult to understand when you consider the location of the area in the Segura river basin and its extensive coastline.

Furthermore the study goes on to point out that the Vega Baja has no technology park and therefore very few technology companies based in the area.

Even in commerce, the Vega Baja is poorly catered for. There are small developments in Torrevieja and Orihuela but for important purchases and a wider choice most people would have to travel to Murcia or Alicante.

The Northern Europeans retiring, buying a house, playing golf and lying in the sun model has run its course. The area needs to consider a different model to attract people into the Vega Baja.

As much as we love Bigastro and the people here, we wouldn't consider it a place for tourism. Where are the attractions to lure visitors to the town? In our opinion, the proposed aparthotel with its golf practice ranges would have been a white elephant; as empty as the houses and flats that are currently under construction.

Of course all the scandals involving implied corruption and deceit are currently detracting people's minds from the pressing problems that the Vega Baja faces.

Three of the six released

Three of the six people who were arrested in San Fulgencio have now been released; Trinidad Martinez (the mayoress) , Juan Antonio Guzman (councillor for security) and Ramos Calabria (the lawyer). They are bound over to appear on the 1st and 15th of each month whilst further investigations take place.

The other three will appear in court today; Juan Antonio González (socialist councillor) along with Mariano Martí and Fina Reme (PP councillors).

These six were accused of plotting against Manuel Barrera who had been accused of taking a bribe to allow land developments in the town. The three had been accused of paying the detective agency to produce the video of Barrera taking the bribe and of supplying the 5,000 bribe.

Is it worth having UK TV?

Many people ask us how we manage without UK television. Well, from what I read about some of the programmes recently, I'd say we were probably better off without it.

The scandal about Strictly Come Dancing and the accusation of racist voting was bad enough but the latest scandal involving Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand on Brands radio show makes that pale into insignificance.

Pam and I both like humour and enjoy a joke but not when it is blatantly at someone else's expense. Sad to say, it seems the vogue these days is for TV and radio personalities to specialise in this sort of humour. Chris Moyles, Ricky Gervais et al - to us they are just not funny.

Peter Kay - now he is funny. He might make jokes about his gran but they are light hearted. Kay proves that it is not necessary to be crude and offensive to make people laugh.

It seems we are not alone in our thinking; 27,000 members of the public have complained about the broadcasting of the phone conversations Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made to Andrew Sachs' answer phone.

I understand that Brand has resigned and that Ross' shows have been cancelled but that is only a partial resolution to the problem. Clearly the BBC regret allowing the programme to be broadcast and are considering what steps they should take to regain viewer confidence.

The trustees are convening an emergency meeting today to hear the results of a BBC investigation into how the calls came to be broadcast. Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, is also conducting a separate inquiry.

Let's hope that the result of their deliberations is a tightening up of regulations at the Corporation. In the meantime, Pam and I will continue to enjoy our Digital + free of this sort of vulgarity and cheap humour.

An all time high

On average, I have  about 70 visitors a day to my blog. Yesterday, the number of visitors hit an all time high of 122. I guess that was people seeking information about the goings on at the Town Hall.

Yesterday morning, my phone was hot with the number of people letting me know about the news they'd heard on REM about the mayor. Thank you to all those who called me. By the time you rang though I'd already posted information on my blog. You have to remember, I get up early to post this stuff!

You'll also notice that I now have three followers who will get regular updates of posts via email.  If you want to get updates sent to your email box please feel free to join these three. That way you won't have to keep coming back to find out if there is anything of interest to you.

It all started in February

Investigations into city planning irregularities in Bigastro started in February according to Raúl Valerio Medina, councillor for urbanism. Medina hasn't specified what information was requested from him but does say that Court No 3 in Orihuela has been in contact with him in person and by fax regularly since the investigation began.

It is now thought that the issue relates to 1,500 square metres  of land in  the Poligono Apatel  (industrial estate), at the exit of Bigastro to Jacarilla. 160,000€ was paid  to the Town Council  for the re-classification of the land from green zone to urban land for building.

It is also thought that there may be further arrests as the net widens to encompass others who may have been involved.

In the meantime, the Alcalde, José Joaquín Moya and the town clerk, Antonio Saseta spent another night in the Alicante gaol awaiting their court appearance which will probably take place tomorrow. 

And now for something different

Apart from his geography lesson, our Spanish teacher also explained some of the history of Bigastro.

The Vega Baja was part of the Kingdom of Murcia until it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Valencia by the Treaty of Torrijos.

Following the expulsion of the Moors in the 17th century, the area was repopulated by Murcians. By the 19th century it became part of Alicante.

Bigastro was the summer residence of the canons of Orihuela. It took the land owners in the town until the end of the 18th century to regain possession of their land from the church.

A lawsuit in the Real Audiencia de Valencia during the first quarter of the 19th century was intended to emancipate the town from the clergy. The decision was in favour of the clergy but gradually the land owners won out. The Town Hall in Orihuela demanded compensation for their loss but in the end the State denied them any.

Bigastro was by then a town in its own right.

Obviously there was scandal to report even then.

Update on the Moya case

Sources near to the  investigation into José Joaquin Moya, the socialist mayor of Bigastro, say that there has been an exhaustive investigation into the origin and volume of his personal patrimony, his current accounts and banking movements in Spain as well as  abroad with the help of  INTERPOL.

I'd guess that this business is going to get worse before it gets better. People have asked us, "what do you do to fill your time now that you are retired?"  There is your answer, we move from scandal to scandal.

In their press conference yesterday, Inmaculada Martínez, next in line to the mayor, and Raúl Valerio, councilman of Property, appealed for“tranquillity” and added “because really we do not know what is what is happening".

The governability of Bigastro is not in danger because at the moment the PSOE have  a comfortable absolute majority of 8 against against 5 for the PP.

Developments at San Fulgencio

The Mayor of Bigastro was taken into custody yesterday. In the meantime the lawyer for the City council of San Fulgencio has also been arrested making the total from the council six including the Mayoress Trinidad Martinez and four other councillors; Juan Antonio Gamuz, Juan Antonio González Palanco along with councillors for the Agrupación Popular San Fulgencio y Urbanizaciones (Apsfyu), Mariano Martí and Fina Reme.. The six are to appear in court on Friday.

So who is there left to run the town?

Addendum to the rumour mill

A well informed source now tells me that in fact it is dishes larger than 1.9m rather than 1.4 that are the concern. The same source tells me that, for a larger dish, you need a license from the town hall although I can't find official confirmation for that yet.

However,  with all the shenanigans that are going on at the Ayuntamiento at the moment, I'd guess that satellite dishes will be the least of their worries.

Mayor arrested in Bigastro

Yesterday, the Guardia Civil arrested José Joaquin Moya, the socialist mayor of Bigastro along with three others (the secretary of the town hall Antonio Saseta and two industrialists, Manuel Nortes and José Pérez Moya) for a possible city planning crime.

After a three hour meeting in the town hall, officers of the Guardia Civil escorted the mayor and the three others into a waiting car and took them to the office of the Guardia Civil in Jacarilla.

The Valencian Socialist Party have suspended Moya as a precaution. The secretary of the PSPV-PSOE, Elena Martin explains that this is necessary to protect the party where a case of corruption has been implied.

The local secretary of the PP of Bigastro, Jose Antonio Ricart, has explained that the arrest is the result of one of the six denunciations that his party have made for possible city-planning crimes. However, it is not known yet which of the six the mayor has been arrested for. The most likely are either; the auction of rural land to to build an aparthotel along with 200 houses and a golf course at the Pedrera without authorisation by the Council of Environment and Urbanism or the permission granted to Eurener to build an assembly plant in a green zone.

NB

Manuel Nortes Hernández is a small constructor who has about a dozen employees; brother of Francisca Nortes, ex- socialist councilman in the previous municipal corporation.

José Pérez Moya is also a constructor in Bigastro known to have links with the Eurener who assemble solar panels.

As two of the commentaries in the newspaper Laverdad put it:-

Esto que sirva para todos el que juega con fuego se quema.

El que robe que la pague.

Well worth a visit

Pepa Ferrando, the Councillor for Culture in Orihuela says that work will begin this morning on extensions to the House/Museum of the poet Miguel Hernandez.

Included in the plans is a cafeteria and a souvenir shop.

The work, which should be complete within six months, will cost 56,852 € and is the first of several activities which have been planned for 2010 to mark the centenary of the poet's birth.

As a commentator on one website says, "in comparison to the 700.000€ given to Oriheula football club this is cheap.

Something for the weekend

SATURDAY, 1st OF NOVEMBER at 7:30pm

A CONCERT BY THE TRIVIUM ENSEMBLE

This group presents “the colours of the senses” with works by Ravel, Roussel, Debussy and Menéndez.
Group formed by Germán Guillén (Clarinet), Ana Belén Sánchez (Flute) and Ramón López(Piano)

SUNDAY, 2nd OF NOVEMBER at 6:30pm

A CONCERT BY THE EUPHONIC BASS QUARTET

Their repertoire includes works by John Stevens and  Piazolla.

Formed by Javier Serrano, Adrián Albaladejo, Pedro Rodríguez (Bombardinos) and Álvaro González (Tuba).

NB bombardinos is the generic name for the brass wind instruments.

The rumour mill

I've heard rumours that people with satellite dishes larger than 1.4m in diameter are being told to take them down. I was even told by one person that the little plane that is buzzing round day after day is photographing dish installations so that local town halls can pinpoint houses to target.

As far as I can discover, the rumour seems to concern people in Rojales but could of course apply to other areas as well.

One web forum advises, "if you are planning to install a large dish make sure it is located in an area that wont upset your neighbours". If you live in Bigastro, you can read the regulations concerning installations of aerials and masts here.

Installing a huge dish falls into the same category as extending the height of your walls or any other alteration that will affect the appearance of your property.

I've also been told that local councils are targeting houses that have wooden garden sheds but I can't find any information about this.

The yellow route

For those who want to discover something of the past in Orihuela there is now a six kilometre path indicated by yellow markers which should take about a day to complete.

The route takes in; the Templete de la Cruz - the church built in 1788 where in January they used to celebrate San José blessing the animals, the old district of Los Rocamoras, the Torre Murada and views of the Pico del Agudo at 725 metres altitude, the Columna del Rey inaugurated in 1925 by Alfonso XIII to celebrate opening of floodgates which brought water to the Hondo. In addition the route takes in the district of Los Riquelmes. On the route will also find two ovens that were used to make pickle, the old Arab well and vault and visit the district of El Cabecico.

Black Ice

Not a dire weather warning, this is the latest album from Aussie rockers AC/DC.

It's currently topping the UK charts in spite of the fact that you can only buy it on CD or vinyl but why?

There is a theory that AC/DC are like a barometer for the economy. Their most successful albums are released at times of crisis.

1973: AC/DC form in Sydney, Australia.
Economy: Start of the oil crisis, which saw the price quadruple

1980: AC/DC release breakthrough album Back In Black
Economy: Inflation in UK reaches 20% and unemployment nears 2 million

1990: AC/DC score comeback with The Razor's Edge
Economy: Recession in UK imminent

2008: AC/DC top UK album charts
Economy: Biggest world recession in decades looms

The band, who  have been going for 35 years, have never changed their style. Guitarist  Angus Young still dresses like a naughty schoolboy; almost every song they write contains the lyric "rock 'n' roll" and there are lots of references to scrotums. It is, to say the least, unsophisticated stuff but when times are bad it is escapism into a world untroubled by sub-prime mortgages, record public finance deficits and the awful state of the FTSE 100. For a brief time you can forget about how few euros you are getting to the pound and just drown in heavy guitar riffs and the screaming vocals.

Pam hates them complaining that they are too noisy but when the mood is right, there is nothing better than cranking up the volume on tracks like "For those about to rock we salute you" .

Mary Poppins is back

It's hard to know what to make of this weather. The heavy rain of Friday and Saturday with minimum temperatures of 12 degrees gave way to warm sunshine and highs of 24 degrees yesterday. People were out on the beaches in Alicante province just like they were back in August.

Unfortunately the weathermen say that will not last.

This week we can expect the worst weather for this Autumn. A polar air mass is moving in which will interact with the warm air to produce snow. Strong winds will make it feel even colder - a bit like the middle of Winter.

So we'll have to keep Summer and Winter clothes out; shorts and T-shirt for one day, fleece and trousers for the next.

Qué interesante

Manuel Barrera, the councillor in San Fulgencio who is being investigated for corruption, says that he was "stitched up". He claims that the video which was used to incriminate him was a fake.

Barrera says that if you examine the video frame by frame you can see that the voices do not match up with the pictures. He says that the audio was taken from conversations that he has had over the last five moths. These have been patched over the video to implicate him. In Barrera's opinion, Trinidad Martínez and Mariano Martí were the ones who plotted against him to discredit his position.

Barrera goes on to say that he is going to fight to clear his name during next the three years and then win his seat again in the next elections.

Just who is telling the truth and who is lying will obviously take some sorting out. As my father used to say, "they all p*** in the same pot". Time will tell whether in this case he would have been right.

Disaster recovery plan

Don't worry, I'm not contemplating the end of the world; I'm simply preparing for the possibility of some major problem with my computer.

A couple of years ago, my previous Windows XP machine suddenly decided not to load Windows. It got so far and then stopped. No matter what I did - system restore etc etc I couldn't get Windows back. I couldn't even reinstall Windows over itself; so my only choice was to reformat the hard drive and start again. It took days to get back to where I was. Fortunately I had all my documents stored on DVDs and I had CDs for all the programs I used. What I didn't have were all the updates to Windows that had been applied since the original installation.

My current machine has two hard drives which work in what is called a Raid(0) array. A Raid(0) array shares data between the two discs. What it means is that everything should load faster as both drives run together. It also means that when one disc fails then I am b*******.

I say when because all hard drives are doomed to fail. Logic tells you that anything which spins at 7,200 rpm with a head microns away from the surface is not going to last forever. You don't always get any warning signs - just one day the disc crashes or seizes up. If you are lucky, then some geeky expert can recover the data; otherwise you've lost the lot.

I have a lot more stored on this computer than I had on the old one.; a lot more programs and a lot more data. For example, all my digital photos are stored on the drives. So sensibly I keep regular backups. Up to now I've used the built in Backup and Restore facility in Vista to make backups to an external hard drive. It is better than nothing but not a complete solution.

So recently, I've been investigating software that would do a much better job and came across Acronis True Image Home. The latest version is 2009 - obviously ahead of its time. You can't buy it in the shops yet - it's available online from Acronis. I've installed a demo version to try it out.

So far it seems to work very well. The program has some useful features. First off you can make a full shadow copy of your hard drive with the software. You can also make copies of just your data, your program settings, your emails and the state of your system in case it is just those that you need to restore.

The program allows you to make a startup CD which you'd use to reinstall a hard drive given that Windows won't load. There are other utilities included in the program e.g. the facility to erase information from a drive in such a way that it can not be recovered (Gary Glitter could have done with that) and a whole host of other stuff.

One particularly useful feature of the software is what Acronis call "Try and Decide". This creates an area on your hard drive (a partition) where you can load new software or updates to existing software. If you later decide not to keep the software or the update you can remove it without it effecting your computer. It is a more thorough than System Restore which just removes the changes to the registry leaving the installation intact.

So will I buy it once the 15 days is up - very likely. If I didn't I might end up regretting saving a few quid at some later date. Just don't tell Pam of my plans yet!

The true picture would be interesting

There is a myth being put about in certain quarters of the UK press that Brits. on the Costa Blanca all live in large urbanisations, shop in British shops, drink in British bars and eat in British restaurants. Whilst that may be true of some, it is a sweeping generalisation that surely does not apply to the majority. Even in areas that have large British communities it isn't true.

Here in Bigastro, as far as I am aware, there is only the Villas Andrea urbanisation which is largely British. The rest of the town is Spanish with British people living alongside other nationalities. There are no British shops nor are there British bars and restaurants. I'm sure the same applies to many other towns in the area.

In a recent survey by Round Town News ( a free newspaper in English) the question was asked, " RTN would like to know your opinion on foreigners integration into Spain."

Yes, I want to integrate into and be part of Spanish life

206
90.7%

No - I am happy living my UK lifestyle in the sun in Spain

21
9.3%

The number of people taking part is low so you can't really draw any definite conclusions from the survey. It would be interesting to know how people living here at Villas Andrea would vote.

Under the spotlight

Councillor Manuel Barrera and the chief of Local Police, Bernardo Cortijo, both of whom have been investigated for corruption, have now been released from prison without bail.

However, the current investigation into the bribery scandal in San Fulgencio is only the tip of the iceberg.

Apart from other town planning irregularities at San Fulgencio; in Benitachell the mayor and an expat councillor are pending trial after being arrested and released without bail following an alleged bribery case.

Serious doubts have also been cast on construction-related developments at Dénia town hall and this week, Alicante’s new mayoress and former mayor have also been implicated in alleged building-related deals.

You can't help but notice there is a clean up campaign underway which will unearth more causalities before it is concluded.

Day of the library

For the last nine years, the 24th of October has been designated Library Day in Spain.

There has been a library in Bigastro for over forty years.

Today, you are invited to visit the present library which is in the Municipal Auditorium to see the important changes that have been made to keep the library up-to-date.

Then at 9:30am on the 5th of November, children are invited to the library to listen to the story tellers "Daisy".

"ABRE LOS LIBROS y sumérgete en el agua de la vida que brota irreprimible desde sus páginas . Déjate arrastrar por el torbellino de voces, de lenguas, de olores, de paisajes. No olvides nunca la fascinación que experimentamos en los años de infancia , cuando se nos revela la dimensión mágica que tienen las palabras y descubrimos que las páginas de los libros pueden contener el mundo entero.

"Open the books and submerge yourself in the water of life that appears irrepressible from its pages......."

DONDE HAY UNA BIBLIOTECA HAY UNA LUZ que atraviesa todos los muros, una luz que se hace más intensa cuando crecen las personas que la incorporan a sus vidas. Las mismas personas que, mas tarde, al caminar por calles y plazas, llevarán con ellas el reflejo de esa luz, la semilla de ese mundo nuevo que algún día haremos crecer. Un mundo más solidario, más plural, más culto, más justo. Un mundo donde no se escuche la voz adormecedora de los poderosos, sino las palabras múltiples y diversas de todas las personas que habitamos esta casa común que es nuestro planeta."

"Where there is a library there is a light that crosses all the walls, a light that becomes more intense when the people incorporate it into their lives......"

Weather warning

The City council of Bigastro  have issued a weather warning for today and tomorrow. According to Grupo de Predicción y Vigilancia del Centro Meteorológico Territorial de Valencia  and the Centro de Coordinación de Emergencias de la Generalitat Valenciana the southern part of the province is on orange alert.

If you have any problems please contact the Local Police on 965350000 Ext. 1 or  607 154 447.

Full marks

Go again to the Ayuntamiento .

The presentation last night wasn't quite what we were expecting. We thought the topic was going to be security. Instead it was about the extension of Bigastel to include the Villas Andrea urbanisation.

The Ayuntamiento had gone to a lot of trouble though. We had two councillors there to explain what was involved along with technical people.

Mª Dolres Andreu Marcos, Concejal de Educación did the speaking. Her presentation was then translated into English for us.

Following the presentation, two British people were in attendance to answer any technical queries that we had.

Finally the Ayuntamiento had prepared letters in English explaining the costs etc. As the letters were given out, our names were checked off against a list. I assumes that was because the remaining letters will be posted out to people who weren't there.

So the Ayuntamiento had worked hard on our behalf. I've written to Germán Martín expressing our appreciation for their efforts.

PS I meant to ask the two guys if they could sort out José's radio mics which are a bit intermittent.

LANs WANs and MANs

Local and national governments face a problem in their bid to provide Internet access to as many people as possible. DSL and Cable modem services are expensive to install even in urban areas. The installation costs for rural areas is exorbitant . So it is necessary for governments and local councils to look for other solutions.

Here at Villas Andrea some of us subscribed to a satellite based system. For an individual to install such a system would be very expensive so what we had was one satellite installation which was then transmitted to individual homes by wi-fi. The limited range of existing wireless technology meant that we had three repeater stations to provide adequate coverage. To say that the system was problematical would be an understatement.

Whilst we were waiting for Telefónica to lay cable up to the estate, a company called Aeromax came and promised a solution to our problems using WiMAX technology. The technology uses microwaves to extend the wireless range outdoors. It is used throughout the world to set up MANs (metropolitan area networks).

For WiMAX to work though you need to have line of sight of the base station. Aeromax currently has base stations at Crevillent, Hurchillo and San Miguel de Salinas. Originally all users were pointed towards Hurchillo but now some users are directed to the other base stations to improve connectivity.

Within a short time of people signing up to the Aeromax system, Telefónica arrived with cables to provide us with landline phones and ADSL internet. However, the cost of a Telefónica package is high. For example; the Duo package which includes telephone line, 3Mb ADSL, cost of local and national calls and ADSL maintenance costs about 74€ per month.

For casual users of the Internet, this was far too expensive. Some people therefore opted for just a telephone line. They use dial up access for their Internet use.

Unfortunately, dial up connections are far too slow for many of today's applications on the Internet. As the speed of connections improves so the demand for speed increases. For some applications even a 1Mb connection, which would have been fine a couple of years ago, is inadequate today.

Whilst all this was taking place, the Ayuntamiento in Bigastro were rolling out a wi-fi system they called Bigastel to offer internet access to everyone in Bigastro.

Bigastel was to use existing 802.11bg wireless technology to provide a 1Mb connection. This type of connection will only work at short ranges and so was confined to an area in the centre of the town. In effect Bigastel is a higher powered version of the wireless access that you get from a wireless router.

To connect to Bigastel all you needed was a cheap and easy to install wireless bridge. After that you'd pay 120€ per year for your subscription.

Clearly, providing access to Villas Andrea via 802.11bg technology wasn't going to work so the Ayuntamiento have now decided upon a WiMAX system to provide us with broadband Internet. The advantages of their WiMAX system to Aeromax's is that this one will be local to Bigastro. The range of coverage and the number of subscribers will be much less thus ensuring a much better quality of service. Bigastel WiMAX will also run at broadband speeds of up to 2Mb in both directions.

The bad news is that the cost of setting up and the monthly subscription will both be higher than for existing clients of Bigastel in the middle of the town.

In their letter, the Ayuntamiento quote:

Broadband installation 98€; VoIP telephone installation 59€ and then a monthly subscription of 29€. Calls via the VoIP phone will then cost 2.9 cents per minute. They will even offer you a UK phone number for an additional 5€ per month.

Actually we use a VoIP phone via our ADSL connection by subscribing to VoIPtalk in the UK. We pay in sterling £4.99 per month for a package which includes a UK landline number and 1,000 minutes of call time to European landlines.

VoIPtalk also offer a free package i.e. with no monthly charges. The call rate for the free package is 1.4p (1.7 cents) per minute to European numbers. They also sell phones from £43.99 upwards and adapters to use with an existing analogue phone from £29 upwards.

PS having a UK number causes some confusion for people in England who can't understand how we can have a Manchester number here in Spain.

PPS For those of you who haven't worked out the acronymms; a LAN is a local area network, a WAN is a wide area network and a MAN is a metropolitan area nework.

A perfect solution

I can usually trust my friend Pete to come up with an answer to my problems.

Remember I told you about the difficulty in getting bayonet bulbs in Spain.

Well Pete has found the answer at Avenue Supplies.

BC to ES Light Fixture Adaptor Brown

£2.46 inc VAT

Bayonet (BC) to Edison Screw (ES) light fixture adapter.
This item will convert an existing BC bayonet type light fitting into a ES screw fitting. Simply plug into existing light fixture socket as if installing a conventional bulb.
As always ensure power is off before inserting fitting or changing the bulb.

PS It's just a pity nobody supplies these things locally.

Dirty business

The video, which was published in Laverdad , showing Manuel Barrera recieving a 5,000€ bribe has now been distributed on DVDs to some of the residents in La Marina. Selected individuals found the DVD in an envelope delivered with their post.

The video, which  is subtitled in English for the benefit of the foreign residents, has also been sent to the press. It is thought that the DVDS were sent out by the industrialists whom Barrera was trying to extort money from.

From the conversation in the video, it is apparent that the alleged deal was to continue with monthly payments to Manuel Barrera until May 2011 when the next municipal elections will take place. If this is true, then the total being paid over would amount to between €200000 and €240000.

As one of the  pre election promises, Manuel Barrera said that his party were totally against the construction of any more houses in the area. Barrera had promised that the area concerned would be a bird sanctuary and that only a golf course and the necessary buildings to go along with it would be constructed.

Barrera was out on a limb.

The mayoress, Trinidad Martinez, has defended the other two councillors of AIM, Mike Blake and Mark Lewis stating that they were completely in the dark about the whole affair.

The sun will be back

The meteorological authorities were right to declare the area back on orange alert. Last night we had torrential rain - what we would call a cloud burst. Thankfully, it  didn't last too long and this morning everywhere looks dried up.

Other parts of Spain were much worse off. Gale force winds,  hail and rain hit  Madrid, the Balearics and Girona.

We can expect this bad weather to continue for the next few days and then:-

the forecast is for sunshine to return to the whole peninsula.

More musical treats

This Saturday at 8pm there's  a concert by the bands from Bigastro and  Santa Pola scheduled.

and then on Sunday at 7pm, a choral group will be at the Auditorium to entertain us.

Making sense of it

At our Spanish class yesterday, our teacher explained to us the difference between the "huerta" to the east of Bigastro and the "campo" to the west.

The dictionary defines the huerta as a kitchen garden or orchard and the campo as countryside. However when you visit the campo to the west of Bigastro you find lemon and orange groves much the same as you do in the huerta.

Our teacher's explanation made sense of this. He told us that the huerta to the east of the town was irrigated by a system of canals which are fed from the River Seguro. This complex web of water channels dates back to Arabic times and is described in a leaflet published by the Ayuntamiento in Bigastro. From what I understand, there is one main channel which then feeds into smaller channels. The flow is regulated by gates which are used to direct water to higher land.

The campo, on the other hand, traditionally relied upon rain for irrigation. Agriculturalists on the campo use reservoirs to collect and store water for irrigation which is then fed via pipes to the groves of citrus trees.

Eduardo went on to explain that the Vega Baja was one of three fertile plains in the region. The other two are the Vega Media and the Vega Alta. The huerta is the kitchen garden of the Vega Baja. Apart from citrus fruits, all manner of vegetables and fruit being raised on the fertile land; artichokes, cabbages, lettuce, melons etc etc.

We concluded our geography lesson by listing the principle towns of he Vega Baja: Albatera, Algorfa, Almoradí, Benejúzar, Benferri, Benijófar, Bigastro, Callosa de Segura, Catral, Cox, Daya Nueva, Daya Vieja, Dolores, Formentera del Segura, Granja de Rocamora, Guardamar del Segura, Jacarilla, Los Montesinos, Orihuela, Pilar de la Horadada, Rafal, Redován, Rojales, San Fulgencio, San Isidro, San Miguel de Salinas and Torrevieja which you can see on this map with the names in Valenciano.

A can of worms

When Manuel Barrera was questioned on Monday about the 5,000€ bribe he'd supposedly accepted to favour certain constructors in the plans for La Cantera in San Fulgencio, the mayoress, Trinidad Martinez denied all knowledge of the golf course and other facilities included in the project.

It now appears that a video describing the plan in full had been distributed at tourism fairs in Madrid and London.

The mayoress claims that she had only seen parts of the video. She says it was solely the responsibility of Barrera who was acting without full authority of the city council.

The current Plan General de Ordenación Urbana (PGOU) for San Fulgencio, which was drawn up in 2006, includes 3.5 million square metres of land to be re-qualified as urbanizable for the construction of 15 - 20,000 houses. Among the projects included in the plan is the one for La Cantera.

Easy to be disillusioned

I don't know what others expected when they moved to Spain. It was easy to be swayed by the promises that the salespeople made on our inspection trips. They would have us believe that Spain was a form of paradise. In order to sell houses, salespeople propagated the myth that this is a land of plenty where the sun shines every day; a place where crime is so low, it is insignificant and that we will be eternally happy living here.

Of course the reality is somewhat different to that which the salespeople described. In truth, Spain is no different to any other country. It doesn't escape economic crisis, nor are its people blessed with a sanctity any different to that of other nationalities. Of course there is crime, the cost of living goes up and - yes it does rain.

Having been here for a few years, it is easy to understand why some people might feel that they were sold short. Take the example of our urbanisation. We were told that the builder finished his devel0pments to a high standard. The reality is that parts of the estate are still like a building site. We were told that we would have telephones - we waited three years for those. Some are still living with cracked walls, gates that won't close and terraces that look like skateboard parks.

Life at Villas Andrea isn't quite what we expected nor is it what we were sold. However, from what I read in the papers, we are a lot better off than other urbanisations that don't even have a proper supply of electricity and water. Perhaps we are being ungrateful. Perhaps we were expecting too much.

The cutting off of Telmicro hasn't helped. People feel that they were conned into paying for a system that was illegal and therefore was always under threat of closing down. Months later and many still have no television to watch.

Neither have the series of break-ins to people's houses helped. Naturally, we are all nervous now about leaving our properties for fear of what we might return to. When burglars start pulling your house to pieces to break in and then trash the place to steal a few euros and some jewellery, you despair. Just what steps do we need to take to secure our homes?

As hard as it may be, we need to try and put these negative aspects to one side and look to the positive benefits of our move to Spain and I don't just mean the sun. There are lots of things to celebrate about our new lives in Bigastro. We shouldn't loose sight of those and become so disillusioned that we begin to regret living here.

Corruption in San Fulgencio

Manuel Barrera, ex- councillor for Property and a member of the Agrupación Independiente del Mediterráneo (AIM) party in San Fulgencio was picked up by the National Police accompanied by the Anti-corruption public prosecutor, Felipe Briones, at 9:15 yesterday morning. At 11am he was taken to his office where officers continued their investigations until 1pm.

The councilman was then taken to his luxury villa in the La Marina urbanisation. There, agents of he National Police , confiscated documents and computer equipment.

At 3pm he was apparently taken under guard to Alicante.

It seems that Barrera is accused of accepting a 5,000€ bribe in exchange of allowing plans for “La Cantera" development to be passed in Council. In a video that was recorded in a restaurant in Valencia he was seen accepting "the sweetener".

Barrera has admitted accepting the money, part of a total of 240,000€ that was discussed, but said that he had been accepting ‘on behalf of his party (AIM). A spokesman for the party has denied any knowledge of both the incident and the money.

The “La Cantera" plan included 4,000 houses, a golf course, hotels, a casino and a marina.

The Mayoress, Trinidad Martínez of the PSOE party, points out that no other councillors are involved in this investigation. She has been praised by the Public Prosecutor for acting swiftly once the alleged corruption had been discovered.

This sort of scandal leads to mistrust of public administration. In this case it is mistrust of the AIM group who some locals feel are "quieren todas las perras para la urbanización". They say, "sólo hay dinero e intereses personales en la política municipal" and believe that the Council should be dissolved, as it was in Marbella where the council is run by an independant manager.

Fantastico

Last night, the Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Alicante played to a packed Auditorium. The area downstairs was reserved for invited guests so we had to fight for a seat on the balcony.

It was well worth it.

As you can see, the band played a varied programme with challenging pieces in the first half followed by the lighter compositions of Francisco Grau in the second.

Francisco Grau took the baton to conduct his two new compositions and then to conclude the concert, he conducted the audience singing the Himno de Bigastro.

It would be wrong to pick out any individual instrumentalist however, the solo clarinetist who featured in the African Dances was outstanding.

So many thanks to the Ayuntamiento de Bigastro, to José Espinosa, Concejal de Cultura, to all those who took part and especially to General Francisco Grau Vegara for a wonderful evening of music.

HOMENAJE FRANCISCO GRAU

PROGRAMA

PRIMERA PARTE

- VESUVIUS (Poema Sinfónico) ........................ Frank Ticheli

- AFRICAN DANCES........................................ Kit Turnbull
(Para clarinete e instrumentos de viento y percusi6n)

Clarinete: Gumersindo Berná

-LA BRUJA (Selección) ....................................... R. Chapi

SEGUNDA PARTE

- BIGASTRO (Pasodoble) ............................ Francisco Grau

- ESTAMPAS DE MI TIERRA......................... Francisco Grau

I. Fiestas en el pueblo

II. Navidad en la Vega

III. Auroros

** CONCIERTO PARA UNA REINA.............. Francisco Grau

I. Tiempo de Partida

II. Tiempo de Nostalgia

III. Tiempo de, Ilusi6n

IV. Tiempo de Fanfarria Real

- **RECUERDO Y GRATITUD (Marcha Solemne).... Francisco Grau

(** Estreno)

Director: Jose Vicente Diaz Alcaina

Light bulbs

The advice we were given before we moved to Spain was to get rid of any electrical equipment we had.

Obviously we had no intention of bringing large items like fridges, dishwashers etc but certainly there was no way we were going to part with any of the smaller items, some of which were nearly new.

All we had to do was either change the plugs or buy adapters to use them in our house here in Spain.

I had a cable extension reel with British flat pin sockets so I changed the plug on that so that I could use items like my drill and the outdoor vac.

Lights are different.

We brought a couple of table lamps with us. It was easy to change the plugs on these but the bulbs were going to be a problem. We had plenty of spares to keep us going but in time they have run out.

Local DIY shops etc only sell Edison screw bulbs. Our choices were to either bring bulbs back from one of our trips to the UK or scour the British shops to see if they could help.

I'm pleased to say that Johnson's on the Crevillente road (near to Reeves Butcher's) saved the day. The store has been taken over by a couple from Leeds - an excellent reason to shop there! They sell all sorts of goods from Britain including 40, 60 and 100 watt bayonet bulbs.

So the lamps are light again and will last a few more years.

PS This is yet another example of where Britain is out of sync with Europe. It isn't just the big things like the currency and driving on left, it is also the lesser issues like electrical sockets and light bulbs that cause immigrants to Spain irritation.

The Civil War revisited

Picasso's Guernica (1937) was created during Picasso's Surrealist period and captures the horror of the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

A Spanish judge has launched a criminal investigation into the fate of tens of thousands of people who vanished during the civil war and Franco dictatorship.

Spain's top investigating judge, Judge Baltasar Garzon, has also ordered several mass graves to be opened. One is believed to contain the remains of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who was murdered by fascist forces at the start of the war in the 1930s.

In his 68-page ruling, Judge Garzon says that Francoists carried out "illegal permanent detentions" which he says falls within the definition of crimes against humanity. He refers to 114,000 people who disappeared during a 15-year period after the outbreak of war in 1936.

The civil war was triggered by the military uprising of General Francisco Franco, whose supporters are said to have systematically eliminated left-wing opponents, even after the war was won in 1939.

Judge Garzon's document names Gen Franco and 34 of his senior aides as the instigators of the alleged crimes. He even asks that their death certificates be produced, to prove that they can no longer face prosecution.

The judge has also asked Spain's interior ministry to provide names of senior members of the fascist Falange Party, which supported Franco, with a view to possible prosecutions.

An estimated 500,000 people died in the civil war.