Graffiti - Art or Vandalism?

Graffiti. One word that is bound to provoke discussion no matter where one lives in the Western World.

To many people, Graffiti is not seen as vandalism any more, unless it is done on prohibited locations. One could say that Graffiti has evolved over the years and has taken the shape of an art form.

Torrevieja, with her many unused building plots that have walls and corrugated iron surrounding them, is a prime target for Graffiti Vandals, who do not practice an art form but delight in leaving their ugly moniker, their ‘tag’, all over the city centre and urbanizations. For the last decade, many residents have complained of a lack of commitment from Police to find and prosecute these individuals, even though the Police have had tip-offs from residents as they witness these acts taking place.

Graffiti is a major problem in Torrevieja. It costs taxpayers over 300,000 euros each year for removal and cleaning. Thus, as purse strings are drawn tighter, The Mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernandez Mateo has decided that enough is enough and has stated that delinquents and vandals will be caught and brought to court in a major measure to stamp out this malaise. The council has hired a Graphologist. His team are photographing and logging every location in Torrevieja that has examples of graffiti. They are producing a dossier so that those apprehended can be prosecuted to the highest degree.

A few weeks, Police apprehended one known graffiti vandal with over 20 aerosol paint cans in his possession and evidence that he had recently been using them to deface a building. It is estimated he has caused over 12,000 euros of damage to sites around the city and is awaiting trial.

On Tuesday morning, the BBC’s Breakfast TV program featured the city of Bristol where residents are voting on whether or not some examples of Graffiti Art should be saved and preserved. They concluded that if Graffiti artists where given walls to paint on, then they did not vandalise property around the city. For 2010, Torrevieja’s council are looking at holding workshops for young people about Graffiti and giving them the opportunity to learn more about it as an art form.

The council shall also be introducing a new denuncia (reporting) form to allow residents to notify the police and graphologist of where graffiti is located around the city. Graffiti vandals should be aware that they shall no longer be tolerated in Torrevieja and the law shall come down on you as hard as they are allowed to do so.

Pascual Flores, Torrevieja and Belfast's Tall Ships

For four-days, the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland were all but forgotten as one of the biggest and most spectacular events that the country has ever witnessed took place, the final if the Tall Ships. After 18-years in waiting and seven years in the planning, Belfast, Northern Ireland, once again became a home port for the final stage of the Tall Ships Race and with it, put the country back on the International scene once again.

Forty Tall Ships, of all shapes and sizes, two Navy Vessels, a cruise ship, stunt planes, an international market, fun fairs plus days and nights of entertainment for all the family attracted almost half a million people, a third of the population of Northern Ireland to come and experience it for themselves. It was a memorable experience for one and all.

But what’s the connection between Torrevieja and Belfast, you may be thinking? It’s nothing more than what shall become one of Torrevieja’s newest attractions, the Pascual Flores. At 34-meters in length, 8-meters wide, a depth of 3-meters and a total area of 415-square meters, the Pascual Flores may not be once of the biggest Tall Ships but she boasts an impressive history and has the required credentials to take part in future events, which are organised every eight to ten years. However, the global success of this year’s event already has the organisers looking to run it on a more regular basis, with Belfast already having applied to be one of the hosts for the next event.

The event is organised by Sail Training International, and this year started in May from the Spanish port of Vigo, finishing 7,000 nautical miles later in Belfast, having visited Tenerife, Bermuda, Charleston, Boston and Halifax. There are smaller events held each year which hopefully the Pascual Flores shall become involved with.

As Torrevieja’s unofficial Tall Ships’ ambassador, yours truly, EWN journalist and photographer Keith Nicol, both worked side by side with the BBC TV crew as the ships sailed away from Belfast and I was interviewed by BBC Radio Ulster about the Pascual Flories and her illustrious history as one of the star attractions on the BBC’s Onedin Line. The series ran for 91-episods from October 1971 to October 1980 and some of the other ships also featured in the series where on display in Belfast.

The doom slayers may wonder why the City bought the ship back in 1999! The Pascual Flores was built on the beaches of Torrevieja, in front of the Casino, back in 1917, so she is steeped in local history. She shall be spending part of her life as a museum ship in Torrevieja, part as a training ship for navel cadets with a third duty as a mobile promotional vessel for the City. If Torrevieja was to attract such an event to the city, such as the starting location for the event, one should note that over the course of four days, forty Tall ships attracted over 400,000 visitors, generating over €25,000,000 in revenue, put Belfast back onto the International Cultural and Maritime scene, gave the entire area a huge Tourism boost and captured the imagination of the nation. Remember the name; Pascual Flores.

Keith Nicol

Stricter non-smoking laws to be enforced in Spain.

One thing that many expats and Spanish adults have in common is their love for a cigarette with their cup of coffee or tipple of choice. But all that could be changing in early 2010 Health Minister Trinidad Jiménez said in an interview with Cadena Ser as the government is “assessing the law” which is laced with loopholes and a “certain lack of definition”

Back in January 2006 Spain joined the European non-smoking community by banning smoking in public places, offices, restaurants and pubs. Possibly the pub aspect may have escaped the notice of most as each pub and restaurant smaller than 100 square metres was allowed to choose whether to allow smoking or not. Not surprisingly, very few establishments decided to change their habits of a lifetime and so continued to allow smoking as if nothing had changed in the land of law making. Latest figures suggest that over 55,000 people die from smoking-related diseases in Spain every year and that the non-smoking laws have had very little impact on reducing this number.

However, according to the Spanish Press, Spain’s Health Minister now wants to include all pubs and restaurants in a blanket ban and 70% of the Spanish population are in favour of a total ban on smoking. El Mundo say that only 40,000 of more than 350,000 establishments are presently smoke-free.

Greece and Turkey recently joined the ranks of European nations that have introduced such a ban and if implemented the effects shall be felt deeper away from the Costa Blanca, Calida, del Sol areas. For those that still smoke, our mild weather allows for terrace smoking and drinking year round, while the colder, wetter winters suffered by Madrid, Barcelona and to the north will mean that the effects of such a ban will hit smokers there more than here on the Costas.

Keith Nicol

Afernando Alonso to race in Valencian Grand Prix

The last-minute rush to buy tickets for next weekend’s European Grand Prix in Valencia is on as Fernando Alonso and the Renault F1 Team will now be racing as their disqualification was overturned and they have instead been fined $50,000 by the FIA. Pressure had been put on FIA by both Renault and European Grand Prix organisers Valmor Sports who had complained that disqualifying two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso was “unfair on his fans” and stressed that the majority of Spanish people who have already bought tickets for the Formula 1 Grand Prix had only done so to see Alonso in action on home turf!

Ticket sales received a boost following the announcement that Michael Schumacher was coming out of retirement to race for Ferrari but stalled after he withdrew due to not having recovered from neck injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash earlier in the year. However, those thinking of going should note that the majority of the less expensive tickets have been sold with the least expensive admission to be had for around €500 with the average price double that!

Last year, many visitors complained of a lack of parking and transportation to the circuit, poor lines of sight, Big Screen Televisions that could hardly be described as ‘big’, beer selling at €9.00, unsanitary bathroom facilities and huge prices being asked for hotel rooms and apartments! On the plus side, many lessons were learnt from last year and so things should be smoother next weekend. My advice, go for the practice and qualifying sessions and enjoy Sunday’s race on your own big screen TV. The advantage for those of us on the Costa Blanca is that we can at least drive there and back on the day and if you’ve never experienced the noise of a F1 race, it’s a perfect opportunity to do so.

Keith Nicol

Top stars performing over the Bank Holiday Weekend

It’s not too often that Torrevieja and the Oriheula Costa offer big name attractions but as new owners and promoters come onto the scene, the area is beginning to bring in a few big names. In 2009 we’ve already had the likes of the Bachelors, Ray Lewis from the Drifters, El Canto del Loco, Monroe’s Rock Fest and other big names in the Spanish music scene. And, in case you haven’t heard, August’s traditional UK Bank Holiday weekend will offer up not one, but two, household names from the 80’s as Alexander O’Neil and Limahl fight it out. An embarrassment of riches possibly but great news for music lovers.

The Asturias Restaurant is hosting the third annual Party on the Park, with a variety of family entertainment, activities, fun, foam and dancing over the weekend. The headliner for the weekend is the one and only Limahl, best known for his ‘interesting’ spiky haircut and as vocalist for Kajagoogoo. He’s on for one night only, at 2000-hrs on Saturday as he’s jetting back to London on Sunday for a guest TV appearance to promote the new tour of the reformed Kajagoogoo.  He’ll be performing all of his old hit records including ‘Never Ending Story’. A good sing-a-long set for one and all. There are sure to be a few 40-something mums in the audience telling their daughters about Top of the Pops and the good old days and this promises to be a fun-filled weekend for all the family. Phone 636 120 179 for more information.

Just across the road, at the Oriheula Costa Resort one of the world’s top soul artists is appearing; Alexander O’Neil, who has been thrilling audiences with his powerful voice and stage presence for over 25-years. For those who can remember the name but not his records, they have included such hit singles as ‘Saturday Love’, ‘If you were here tonight’, ‘Saturday Love’ and ‘Never knew love like this’. He is appearing for two nights at the Oriheula Costa Resort, but be quick, as Saturday is almost sold out and tickets are going fast. For more information log onto www.heatwavepromotions.com, telephone 966 792 156 or visit the resort. You also have your chance of winning tickets to Sunday night’s show by listening to Robbie France’s show on TKO Gold or Costa Calida International, or logging onto www.CostaBlancaTV.com, for more information.

Keith Nicol

 

Torrevieja; first or last in league tables!

It’s not often that Torrevieja are ranked number one in Spain. However, when being number one relates to not being as Transparent in one’s public and financial dealings, that’s hardly a good sign. Thus was the finding this year from NGO Transparency International (España), who state that they are dedicated to fighting corruption at a national and international level.

And so, whichever way you look at it, Torrevieja came last (or top) in a league table of Spain’s 110 largest Towns from the survey. In much the same way that the late Mr. Blackwell’s list of the 10-worst dressed women was very much just a publicity stunt and had zero bearing on anything, this survey is not obligatory for Town councils to participate in. In fact, 18, or almost 20% of the towns sent the survey, chose not to participate. Thus, TI took it upon themselves to obtain as much information as possible through their own external assessment.

The survey (which one must remember Torrevieja Town Hall did not fill in) is based upon 80 different areas and including what information is available on the municipal website. Overall, the TI evaluation of Torrevieja put the town’s transparency rating at just 17.5%, with the average Town being 64%! Not a great result no matter which way one looks at it. 

Opposition Parties were quick to jump on the bandwagon and state that Torrevieja should make an effort to make all dealings relating to town planning, public works, urban development projects information on the Town Plan (PGOU), municipal work, investment, income and costs. Torrevieja, as the fifth largest City in the Valencian community may just not have the manpower to commit to such a survey, especially with so many public works underway at the moment. One of the Mayor’s policies is for the council to operate with much more transparency, so hopefully this shall result in a better league placing in 2010! 

Torrevieja too noisy for some

 

First we had the case of the Church bell in Almoradi that was to be silenced each night due to Acoustic Contamination laws and one resident complaint. Now the Torrevieja Town Hall will have to pay out 12,000 euros to a number of local residents who have been complaining about the noise levels from local restaurants, pubs and nightclubs, in the area around Avenida de las Habaneras. Some residents claimed to have suffered from many sleepless nights for almost 12-years.

It seems that some of the fault can clearly be laid at the door of the Town Council as they have failed to comply with anti-noise legislation. The Town Hall launched an appeal against an initial judgement by the Alicante Provincial Court but this was rejected by The Valencia High Court of Justice, TSJCV and so some local residents will now receive 12,000 € compensation plus the knowledge that anti-noise legislation will now be enforced.

Torrevieja Town Hall pointed out that the residents concerned live above bars and discos and that they should have been aware of the possibility of higher noise levels from tourist establishments before purchasing their properties. The area concerned is located in a tourist zone close to a couple of Torrevieja’s busiest beaches.

Confusion reigns over SIP and EHIC cards in the Valencian Community.

Some expats living on the Costa Blanca are in a state of perplexity as to what health coverage they shall be entitled to in 2010, to whom they should be applying to and what card they are entitled to carry.

As of March 1st 2010, new regulations shall come into place that may affect those who receive long-term incapacity benefits, a state pension or free healthcare under the present E121 system. At the moment the UK Government front all costs for health cover provided by the Spanish authorities however proposed changes to the system will mean that people who are in receipt of this service will now have to obtain their EHIC cards from the relevant UK authority.

Authorities in Newcastle have been telling Valencian Community SIP Card holders that they can apply for a replacement card in Spain. The information handed out in Spain would beg to differ. At present, Torrevieja residents cannot apply for an EHIC card locally, they have to travel to either Elche or Oriheula to submit their application.

The good news is that those who do not receive the above benefits from the UK and hold a current SIP Card can apply for their EHIC card in Spain upon presentation of their SIP plus proof of identity.

To add even more confusion, in early 2009 the Valencian Community stated that they would no longer be offering free healthcare for early retirees. Nothing seems to have been done to implement this scheme leaving many expats in a health cover no-man’s land.

I hope all of that makes perfect sense to you! One thing is certain, after March 1^st there is bound to be confusion and upset caused to some expats, who are unable to obtain a definitive answer to their questions and concerns over health cover.

TV Wars continue in Torrevieja

TV Wars continue in Torrevieja.

 

If the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Top Gear disappeared from TV screens across the Southern Costa Blanca tomorrow; what would your reaction be? Shock! Horror! Indignation! Maybe all of these but for most, not surprise.

 

Back in August 2008, Spain’s largest rebroadcasting company, Telmicro Levante was raided and closed down by officers of the Guardia Civil. Since then rumours and allegations have been rife about inside dealings, mafia connections, political pressure groups and conspiracy theories. With the court system in Alicante Province under extreme pressure, with no end in sight, the legal case against the owners and staff of Telmicro Levante has not been heard yet.

 

In the meantime, Telmicro have launched a counter case against rival Torresat. They have also been given permission to re-open the legal aspects of their business and to rebroadcast any ‘legal channels’. Telmicro have stated that during the run up to the last local election, Torresat tried to put pressure on Telmicro by asking them to add local programming and to run party political broadcasts, which they refused to do. The end result was that Telmicro was closed down and their equipment dismantled. In the meantime, competitors in the shape of Torresat, Superbeam, Simusat and others have benefited by increasing their client base. To further confuse the issue, Sumusat have started rebroadcasting to an estimated 15,000 clients from the old offices of Telmirco. It’s unclear and unsubstantiated if there is any connection between the ownership of Telmicro and this new start-up.

 

A year ago, it was estimated that Telmicro had between 50,000 to 70,000 subscribers. With a subscription rate of 20 euros per month, it is possible that earnings were in excess of a million euros per month, an attractive amount, for organised crime and political parties to take an interest in. There has been talk in the press indicating that the reason that Telmicro was closed down was because of inaccurate paperwork, dual book-keeping, tax dodging, missing signatures, lack of the correct licenses and even the illegal rebroadcasting of subscription TV services. Until the case reaches court, these facts shall probably not be officially revealed

 

The one common denominator of all these rebroadcasting companies is that they rebroadcast Free To Air (FTA) television signals however; none of them seem to be able to provide legal paperwork stating that they have paid for the rights from each and every one of the FTA channels to do so. BBC and ITV have stated that they do not have the rights to sell on their own channel rebroadcasting rights as they themselves negotiate rates with hundreds of individual production companies for the UK rights and these do not cover Europe. Confused? No wonder it’s taking so long to come to the Spanish Court system!

 

The case in point is that it’s not illegal to rebroadcast FTA channels. It’s perfectly legal to charge for the equipment, a maintenance contract and upgrades. As an individual or a community, many have installed large satellite dishes that can pick up the majority of English Language TV stations. Some individuals have installed small one-metre dishes which provide limited news, kids, sports and entertainment in English and other languages.

 

The problems stem from making a profit from charging monthly subscriptions for such a service. The grey area seem to be the understanding, or lack of it, as to what constitutes a ‘legal channel’. Ask those in the UK what a ‘legal’ channel is and they will mostly say “one that all rights or production has been paid for”.

 

The first nail in the rebroadcasting coffin may be that the Spanish Secretary of Telecommunications is now aware of the rebroadcasting of the Torresat Group amongst others and that the distributor Filmax is considering taking action against those using their content without the correct licences in place. 

 

Who needs boring old soap operas and reruns of classic British Telly when it all happens right here on our door step. In the meantime, don’t be surprised to learn that this is not the last you shall hear of ‘Torregate’ and that the only way that you can sure of not losing your English Language telly anytime in the future, is to obtain your signal through a satellite dish or a legal Internet service.

 

Keith Nicol

Torrevieja's desalination plant to suffer a further two year delay

Since it was first announced, Torrevieja’s desalination plant has been one of controversy. Not wanted and objected to by local and regional government, the plant was pushed forward by the newly elected PSOE government as a way to provide much needed water, strangely not so much to Torrevieja but primarily as drinking water and for agricultural land in Murcia and inland. 

 It now seems that the 250 million euro project may be delayed a further two years due to the lack of sufficient power to operate the plant! From the outset sceptics noted that for an estimated two-and-a-half-million euros per month (building the plant, removal of waste mater plus operational costs over a 17-year period), the money could have been put to better use diverting water from the Ebro Valley or even shipping in water by the tanker load, on a regular schedule, from as far away as Alaska!

 As with other similar plants, it has an estimated seventeen-year lifespan and environmental concerns have been raised due to the issue of building so close to the salt lakes and pumping waste into the Mediterranean! Whilst in power, the PP set their sights on diverting water from the Ebro to the Murcian region. To many this made sense as the Ebro Valley floods annually. However, a political deal was struck by President Zapatero ensuring those of the Ebro Valley that their water would not be diverted in order to obtain their votes. 

 Información newspaper reports that the plant requires its own electricity sub-station plus a high-tension line to be laid eight kilometres from San Miguel de Salinas to Torrevieja! It’s common knowledge that desalination plants around the world need a huge amount of power to operate, in fact, they require more power in than the City of Torrevieja uses itself! So it may come as a surprise to learn that apparently planning permission has not been sought for the new high tension lines to run across country, which shall not only take time to lay but have a disruptive effect on local transportation and the environment!

The new desalination plant will be largest in Europe (2^nd largest in the World) when it comes into operation. State company Acuamed recently announced that the plant would be operational before the end of 2009 but it now seems that 2010 or even 2011 may be a more realistic time scale.