Hola from Spain

The End is Nigh

2011-01-04T16:49:00.001+01:00

As I posted yesterday this blog has been going for a year.

The Lady and the Villa and I are off on a 34 day cruise that we have been planning for 6 months now.
I will contemplate continuing the blog on my return.

Its this Blogs 1st Birthday

2011-01-03T13:00:00.000+01:00

This blog started a year ago today.

I hope all the regulars have enjoyed it as well as the casual visitors.

Books read in December 2010

2011-01-02T03:55:00.000+01:00

Resurrection Men. Ian Rankin. This is without doubt his best book. I was never entirely sure of the outcome, until the very end. I was enthralled by the twists, by the wide range of new characters. Siobahn gets a much greater billing (including the concluding chapter, a sign of things to come?) and you really feel what Rebus would be feeling, at each twist and turn. I loved it. No weak parts, well done Ian Rankin. I for one don’t want the series to conclude. 5 Stars.

A Question of Blood. Ian Rankin. A shooting at a private school and two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex SAS man. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. His hands are heavily bandaged, and he won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke? Rebus's bosses seem to think so. It is spoilt by the ending that clears everything up in not more than a sentence. Brilliantly written but poor plot ending. 3 stars.

The Stand. Stephen King. This is a long book, nearly 1200 pages and shows Stephen King at the peak of his powers. The basic plot is that a super-virus is accidentally unleashed on the public. 99.9% of the population is wiped out, and the few remaining survivors are drawn to two people they dream about. Flagg is one. Mother Abigail is the other. The story shows how people survived the outbreak, then begin to reform society and then decide how to fight against the evil Flagg. That is it in a nutshell - without spoiling anything too much. The way King writes about the books characters is excellent - you have to know what is going to happen to them. The plot is excellent, and moves well. It does lull in the middle a bit, but this is the lull before the storm, as the final section of the book moves on at a rip-roaring pace. Considering the length of the book it is amazing how it holds your attention all the way to the last page. 4.5 Stars.

A Short History of Nearly Everything. Bill Bryson. My eldest daughter bought me a Bill Bryson book many years ago and now I have revisited the author with this book. Bill brings science to the masses in an entertaining and easy understandable manner. If you've ever wondered for example, what the theory of relativity actually means, get this book. The size of the volume belies the breadth of topics covered. Alongside the huge amount of science contained in this book, he takes a look at the bickering, back-stabbing and fallings-out of history's great scientists and revolutionaries and you have to wonder how scientific knowledge managed to advance in light of this. 3 Stars.

A Happy New Year

2011-01-01T16:54:00.000+01:00

RBS Share Price 31/12/2010

2010-12-31T05:40:00.000+01:00

The British Government and therefore the British taxpayer own around 86% of RBS shares having put in over £20Bn to save the Bank in 2009.

The average price, per share, paid is 50.53 pence.

The price today is 40.68 pence showing an overall loss.

Oh dear!

This is not a Moan but…..

2010-12-30T05:00:00.001+01:00

On the fridge in our villa, attached by a magnet, is a score sheet, a golf score sheet. The card shows a score of 26 –16 (its a Stableford score). I am not the 26.
The lady of the Villa is!
This score sheet to my knowledge has been in its location ever since the day she beat me, which, was at least 5 months ago. No matter the hint given it is still there. She has not won since!

Off to watch the Reds tonight

2010-12-29T02:00:00.000+01:00

Back from Spain and off to watch the The Reds tonight with the Lady of the Villa.

Looks cold so will be well dressed for a winters night. Looking forward to seeing the group of season ticket holders we sit next to. Especially Mike the taxi driver who will be dressed as Santa and does not need a false beard to look like him (honest).

Hangover Cures that I have Tried

2010-12-28T03:59:00.000+01:00

This is a list of hangover “cures” I have tried and I think work – well for me!

Pour Yourself Some Fruit Juice

Drinking fruit juice which naturally contains fructose, will help you burn the alcohol out of your system faster. Whether it be orange, tomato, grapefruit or your favourite fruit juice, the fructose is the key to the cure!

Eggs Are Not Just For Chickens!

Did you know that eating eggs can help cure a hangover? This is because eggs have a natural protein called albumin in them. Albumin has an osmotic effect that helps to rehydrate your cells after the dehydrating effects of the alcohol. Eat them any way you want, fried, scrambled, poached or better yet, raw! The effect is marvellous.

Crackers and honey

Eating crackers with honey on them is yet another way to flush the alcohol out of your system. Honey contains a very concentrated amount of fructose in it, that again, rids the body of alcohol faster.

Water

Drink plenty of water to replenish your dehydrated cells. Do so on the night that you drink, before you go to bed and immediately when you rise in the morning to relieve the effects of the hangover.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz Oh What a Relief It Is!

Just from my own experience, taking an Alka Seltzer when you rise in the morning after the fact will help heal your throbbing head. Add 2 aspirin with the Alka Seltzer and the combined effect will prove itself a worthy cure.

Have a Nice Cup of Coffee

Try drinking a few cups of coffee with your hangover. The caffeine in the coffee acts as a vasoconstrictor that helps to shrink dilated blood vessels that are causing your headache.

Cup of Tea and Honey

Better yet have a cup of hot tea with honey in it and kill two birds with one stone!

Sometimes I try them all at breakfast!

Weather in Spain 20th December – 26th December 2010

2010-12-27T04:51:00.000+01:00

Monday: Lovely Sunny day with a temp of 13C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 9C.
Tuesday: Overcast and rain showers with a temp of 10C. Overnight temp of 5C.
Wednesday: A mostly sunny with lots of high cloud. Temp of 13C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 8C.
Thursday: Bright and sunny day. Temp of 12C. Cool overnight with a temp of 9C.
Friday: Sunny day with a strong cold wind kept temp to 9C. Overnight temp of 6C.
Saturday: Sunny spells with a temp to 13C. Overnight temp of 9C.
Sunday: A very sunny day. Temp of 15C. Overnight temp of 10C.

Boxing Day

2010-12-26T01:24:00.001+01:00

I have always wondered why the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day, so i Googled it, here is the result (well one of them).
The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions.
The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.
In the United Kingdom, it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth-century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their "Christmas boxes" or gifts on the day after Christmas in return for good and reliable service throughout the year.
Another possibility is that the name derives from an old English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses (and sometimes leftover food).
In addition, around the 1800s, churches opened their alms boxes (boxes where people place monetary donations) and distributed the contents to the poor. However, the exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear and for which there are several competing theories, none of which is definitive.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T01:46:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas to all my Readers

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T02:28:00.000+01:00

Twas the Night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Inventions from Space Exploration

2010-12-23T03:26:00.022+01:00

I had an argument recently in a bar. I was asked when Teflon was invented in the Space program. Being a bit of a quiz man and knowing something about NASA. I replied that Teflon was invented in the 1930’s and not in the space program.
However, it got me thinking about what has come from the Space Program and I did some research. All of the following technologies or materials were originally developed for the space program.

The one I like is the pen. The Russians used a pencil! Simpler.

TV Satellite Dish
NASA developed ways to correct errors in the signals coming from the spacecraft. This technology is used to reduce noise (that is, messed up picture or sound) in TV signals coming from satellites.

Medical Imaging
NASA developed ways to process signals from spacecraft to produce clearer images. This technology also makes possible these photo-like images of our insides.

Vision Screening System
Uses techniques developed for processing space pictures to examine eyes of children and find out quickly if they have any vision problems. The child doesn't have to say a word!

Ear Thermometer
Instead of measuring temperature using a column of mercury (which expands as it heats up), this thermometer has a lens like a camera and detects infrared energy, which we feel as heat. The warmer something is (like your body), the more infrared energy it puts out. This technology was originally developed to detect the birth of stars.

Fire Fighter Equipment
Fire fighters wear suits made of fire resistant fabric developed for use in space suits.

Smoke Detector
First used in the Earth orbiting space station called Skylab (launched back in 1973) to help detect any toxic vapors. Now used in most homes and other buildings to warn people of fire.

Sun Tiger Glasses
From research done on materials to protect the eyes of welders working on spacecraft, protective lenses were developed that block almost all the wavelengths of radiation that might harm the eyes, while letting through all the useful wavelengths that let us see.

Automobile Design Tools
A computer program developed by NASA to analyze a spacecraft or airplane design and predict how parts will perform is now used to help design automobiles. This kind of software can save car makers a lot of money by letting them see how well a design will work even before they build a prototype.

Cordless Tools
Portable, self-contained power tools were originally developed to help Apollo astronauts drill for moon samples. This technology has lead to development of such tools as the cordless vacuum cleaner, power drill, shrub trimmers, and grass shears.

Aerodynamic Bicycle Wheel
A special bike wheel uses NASA research in airfoils (wings) and design software developed for the space program. The three spokes on the wheel act like wings, making the bicycle very efficient for racing.

Thermal Gloves and Boots
These gloves and boots have heating elements that run on rechargeable batteries worn on the inside wrist of the gloves or embedded in the sole of the ski boot. This technology was adapted from a spacesuit design for the Apollo astronauts.

Space Pens
The Fisher Space Pen was developed for use in space. Most pens depend on gravity to make the ink flow into the ball point. For this space pen, the ink cartridge contains pressured gas to push the ink toward the ball point. That means, you can lie in bed and write upside down with this pen! Also, it uses a special ink that works in very hot and very cold environments.

Shock Absorbing Helmets
These special football helmets use a padding of Temper Foam, a shock absorbing material first developed for use in aircraft seats. These helmets have three times the shock absorbing ability of previous types.

Ski Boots
These ski boots use accordion-like folds, similar to the design of space suits, to allow the boot to flex without distortion, yet still give support and control for precision skiing.

Failsafe Flashlight
This flashlight uses NASA's concept of system redundancy, which is always having a backup for the parts of the spacecraft with the most important jobs. This flashlight has an extra-bright primary bulb and an independent backup system that has its own separate lithium battery (also a NASA developed technology) and its own bulb.

Invisible Braces
These teeth-straightening braces use brackets that are made of a nearly invisible translucent (almost see-through) ceramic material. This material is a spinoff of NASA's advanced ceramic research to develop new, tough materials for spacecraft and aircraft.

Edible Toothpaste
This is a special foamless toothpaste developed for the astronauts to use in space (where spitting is not a very good idea!) Although this would be a great first toothpaste for small children, it is no longer available.

Joystick Controllers
Joystick controllers are used for lots of things now, including computer games and vehicles for people with disabilities. These devices evolved from research to develop a controller for the Apollo Lunar Rover, and from other NASA research into how humans actually operate (called "human factors").

Advanced Plastics
Spacecraft and other electronics need very special, low-cost materials as the base for printed circuits (like those inside your computer). Some of these "liquid crystal polymers" have turned out to be very good, low-cost materials for making containers for foods and beverages.

Heart Attack

2010-12-22T04:42:00.000+01:00

Until now, no blood test has been able to give an indication of a person's risk of heart failure. However, a team in America have adapted a test normally used to establish if someone is having a heart attack to predict one years in advance.
The more sensitive test identified proteins in the blood that signal heart cells have been dying in seemingly healthy people with no outward signs of heart disease.
The development could allow those at high risk to take action such as adopting a healthier lifestyle and taking drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Now this affects me, as a diabetic I am advised to take medicine to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol levels low. I will be speaking to my doctor soon!

Scouse and a recipe

2010-12-21T12:14:00.000+01:00

Being a bloke from Liverpool, I am called a scouser. Why? Well here goes…

Scouse was brought to Liverpool by Northern European sailors, it was originally called Labskause. This was finally shortened to Skause and over time the spelling changed to the more Anglicised version we have today, Scouse.
The people who ate Scouse were all generally sailors and their families and eventually all sailors within Liverpool were referred to as Scousers. Time has now taken its turn and everyone from the region of Liverpool is known as a Scouser.
Scouse holds a place in the heart of most Liverpudlian's as the taste of their hometown and is still regularly eaten today by a great number of families, including my own.
There are records showing that it was also served to the inmates of the Birkenhead workshouse way back in 1864. The recipe was much simpler then than today's refined version but was predominantly the same staple ingredients - meat, vegetables and potatoes.
Scouse can be ready made and kept for up to 2 days. Keep it covered in a refrigerator and reheat in a saucepan. Most people prefer the added depth of flavour that reheating adds.
Blind scouse was a variation on the above recipe and was eaten by the poorer people as it was cheaper to make because it did not contain meat.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4-6 people
Half a Pound of Stewing Steak
Half a Pound of Lambs Breast
A Large Onion
1lb of Carrots
5lb of Potatoes
2 Oxo Cubes
2 Teaspoons of Vegetable Oil
Worcester Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Water

HOW TO COOK
Takes 4 hours of slow cooking
Cut the meat into large cubes and fry in the vegetable oil until lightly browned all over. You may wish to add some Worcester Sauce at this point for added flavour.
Transfer the meat to a large saucepan and add the onion that should have been chopped into large chunks. Follow this by chopping the carrot into medallions and place this on the meat. Peel and then Finely dice 1lb of the potatoes and place on top of the carrots.
Fill the pan with cold water until it is half full. Break up the Oxo cubes and sprinkle into the water. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Let the pan simmer gently, stirring occasionally. The large pieces of onion will start to break up and the potato will become soft and will make the final sauce thick.
Simmer for a total of two hours, then add the remaining potatoes that should have been peeled and roughly chopped, along with a few splashes of Worcester Sauce. Then simmer for another two hours.
Serve piping hot with red cabbage, beetroot, pickled onions and crusty bread. You may add Ketchup and HP for flavouring.

Weather in Spain 13th December – 19th December 2010

2010-12-20T04:49:00.000+01:00

Monday: Overcast day with a little sunshine, temp of 13C. Cooler overnight with a rain showers temp of 9C.

Tuesday: early rain giving way to a sunny day with a temp of 14C. Overnight temp of 8C.

Wednesday: Sunny but cold day. Wind from North kept temp to 8C. Cold overnight with a temp of 4C.

Thursday: Bright and sunny day. Temp of 9C. Cool overnight with a temp of 7C.

Friday: Sunny all day. Temp of 10C. Overnight cooler due to rain showers with a temp of 5C.

Saturday: Overcast day with a temp to 9C. Heavy rain overnight with a temp of 6C.

Sunday: Rain off and on all day. Temp of 10C. Overnight temp of 6C.

American Football on TVu

2010-12-19T05:34:00.000+01:00

The Lady of the Villa is a sports fan of sorts. She has a season ticket with me at Liverpool FC (even though we live in Spain) and will watch some sports on TV.

I, on the other hand, will watch almost anything (not horse racing, no WWW (which is not a sport but Theatre) and no Sumo). So apart from that anything.

Being in Spain and not able to get Sky, I have been missing some of my favourite sports including American Football. Now the Lady of the Villa hates American Football but now I have found an Internet TV site, TVu, which not only shows American Football but a lot of other sports, world news and movies.

A Sunday night has me glued to our large computer screen with head phones on while she watches the TV.

Peace in our time!

Tetris eases your stress says report

2010-12-18T04:17:00.000+01:00

I must admit that one of the few games I play on a computer is Tetris. I find it soothing. OK it is a bit childish but what the hell.

Now I find that a report from the BBC suggests that playing puzzle games like Tetris is good for your mental health. A study discovered that the simple puzzle building block game aided people suffering from stress.

So its a win – win. I like the game and it keeps m y stress level down.

LOL. I just like the game!

The Telegraph

2010-12-17T04:10:00.000+01:00

I was you may remember a reader of The Times and I had been for years and years. Having moved to Spain and being an IT geek I followed The Times on the Internet.
Early this year The Times required a payment to follow the paper on the Internet. After much turmoil in my mind I left The Times and followed the Telegraph on the Internet, although I still bought The Sunday Times in paper format at 5 euros for a cut down International edition.
Now The Telegraph are hinting at a charge for reading it on the Internet. Gulp where too next?

Apple iPad wins 'best gadget' award

2010-12-16T05:47:00.000+01:00

Apple has trumped Amazon and Sky to win a prestigious best gadget accolade with its iPad.
The iPad beat the Amazon Kindle and Sky 3D to win both the gadget of the year and readers' gadget of the year gongs in the 2010 Stuff Gadget Awards.
I think that it is the best gadget this year, but, it's expensive and functionally limited. I will wait until the next version appears before deciding to buy one.

Spanish 3rd popular internet language

2010-12-15T05:32:00.000+01:00

According to a report prepared by the Fundacion Telefonica, an institution created by Spain's Grupo Telefonica Spanish is the Third most popular language on the Internet after English and Chinese.

Spanish-speakers are the third-largest language group among Internet users, with eight per cent of the total, after English users (38 per cent) and Chinese users (22 per cent). English is the language with the greatest online presence, with about one billion pages, followed by Chinese, with more than 800 million pages.

Argentina, Chile and Spain are the Spanish-speaking countries where more than 50 per cent of the public have online connections, with the proportion reaching 70 per cent in the European nation, according to the study.

Spanish occupies the No.3 position worldwide on the internet both in number of users (136 million) as well as in web pages (675 million), according to the study.

Cheats never prosper

2010-12-14T12:56:00.000+01:00

Sean Grahame, 45, claimed he was unemployed and a single parent in order to receive thousands of pounds in income support, job seekers' allowance, housing benefit and council tax rebates.
In fact, he was starring in shows like Grease on a cross-Channel cruise ship, entertaining the audience with his comedy routines and vocal performances. Despite his entertainment commitments on board Brittany Ferries, Grahame would return to his home to sign on and attend job seekers' appointments.
But he was collared after an employee at his local job centre recognised him as she sat in the crowd at one of his performances aboard a cruise ship earlier this year.
The member of staff immediately alerted the authorities and a subsequent investigation revealed he had been illegally claiming benefits for over seven years from April 2003 to March 2010.
Grahame admitted four counts of benefit fraud last month and was sentenced to a 12 month sentence suspended for one year at Torquay Magistrates' Court.
A Department of Work and Pensions investigations revealed Grahame claimed a total of £40,642.57.

Weather in Spain 6th December – 12th December 2010

2010-12-13T04:15:00.000+01:00

Monday: Lovely Sunny day with a temp of 17C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 12C.

Tuesday: Another brilliant sunny day with a temp of 20C. Overnight temp of 14C.

Wednesday: For the Third day running we have had sun and a high temp of 21C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 13C.

Thursday: Again a bright and sunny day. Temp of 19C. Overnight temp of 14C.

Friday: Overcast day with showers and sunny intervals. Temp of 16C. Overnight temp of 10C.

Saturday: Sunny with a temp to 18C. Overnight temp of 12C.

Sunday: Overcast start with a sunny day later. Temp of 17C. Overnight temp of 13C.

Ten most Useless Iphone Apps

2010-12-12T06:21:00.000+01:00

The Lady of the Villa is interested in getting an iphone 4 to help her in her business. Iphones have the option to use Apps. Apps can be purchased from Apple, some are free, the rest cost from pennies to many pounds. Some are helpful, others totally frivolous. Here are the top ten most pointless apps, as voted by iphone users.
The thing is, for every app purchased, the programmer gets a fee. Where are my programming books?
TOP 10 TIME WASTING APPS
1. Talking Tom (Cartoon cat repeating what you say and pulling faces)
2. iBeer (Simulates drinking beer)
3. Fat Booth (Morph pictures of yourself in to a much larger body)
4. Cat Piano (Cat playing the piano)
5. Zippo Lighter (Virtual lighter)
6. Cow Toss (You drag a cow and toss it)
7. Colour Tilt (You tilt your phone and the colours change)
8. Hold On! (You press and hold a button for as long as you can)
9. Woohoo (Press a button and it yells woohoo)
10. Rate a fart (Will rate the sound of your fart)

Apollo 17 The Last Trip to the Moon – 11th December 1972

2010-12-11T07:38:00.000+01:00

Apollo 17 was the last manned flight to the moon and it took place 38 years ago today. Since then no human has placed afoot on the moon.
The successful Apollo 17 manned lunar landing mission was the last in a series of three J-type missions which used the battery powered Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). As a result of these additions, the Apollo 17 mission had a duration of 12.5 days, and a time on the lunar surface of 75 hr with a total distance covered on the moon of approximately 35 km.

Crew

Eugene Cernan Commander
Last man to walk on the Moon.
Ronald B. Evans Module Pilot
Harrison H. Schmitt Lunar Module Pilot First trained scientist (geologist) to set foot on the moon.

Home Prices in Spain to Collapse

2010-12-10T08:39:00.000+01:00

Banks in Spain now recognise that they have no alternative but to reduce Spain property prices further if they are going to have any chance of attracting more buyers.
In the past, Spain property firms and banks have generally refrained from slashing property prices during a market downturn. But the current collapse in the Spanish housing market has prompted greater action, in a bid to avoid the existing slump continuing for many more years.
The Spain property market has endured a torrid time over the past three years. Residential prices have plummeted, as a consequence of a chronic oversupply of homes in Spain.
The Spanish banks now own tens of thousands of homes in Spain, after accepting properties from struggling Spanish property developers who would have otherwise faced bankruptcy.
But in an attempt to reduce their property assets, many banks reportedly plan to lower home values further in the hope of increasing sells and avoiding a Japanese-style slump that continues for years. More banks may also start to offer up to 100 per cent loan-to-value mortgages.
Bargain basement Spain property prices are attracting more buyers, but not yet enough to clear the current backlog of unsold, empty, homes in Spain.

Last word (from me) on the World Cup 2010

2010-12-09T03:21:00.000+01:00

SEVEN FIFA fatcats who are accused of destroying England's World Cup bid are named and shamed by The Sun.

The executive committee members are said to have indicated to our bid team they could be relied on to pick England to host the 2018 championship just hours before the crucial vote.

The fatcats are:

Vice president Jack Warner
America's Chuck Blazer
Guatemala's Rafael Salguero
Korea's Chung Mong-Joon
Cyprus's Marios Lefkaritis
Turkey's Senes Erzik and
Ivory Coast's Jacques Anouma

Each of the seven is said to have indicated their vote was in the bag. It is claimed Warner even put his arm around Wills and told him: "You can rely on me." But in the early hours of Thursday a team of FIFA delegates met with Russia's campaign team at a Zurich hotel.

And in a secret ballot at FIFA's Zurich HQ hours later, England got just two of the 22 votes - neither of which came from the seven. After a second round of voting, FIFA chief Sepp Blatter announced the 2018 World Cup would go to Russia.

The person I admire most in this whole fiasco is the acting head of English football Roger Burden who announced he is QUITTING because he refuses to deal with the stitch-up merchants of FIFA.

Glass of red wine a day.

2010-12-08T11:48:00.001+01:00

The Good News
A small glass of red wine every day could keep adult diabetes under control. A new study found that the drink contains high concentrations of chemicals that help the body regulate levels of sugar in the blood.
Just a small glass of red contained as many of these active ingredients as a daily dose of an anti-diabetic drug, the researchers found. Although the study didn't look at the effects of wine on people, its authors believe moderate drinking as part of a calorie controlled diet could protect against type 2 diabetes.
Past studies have shown that natural chemicals found grape skin and wine called polyphenols can help the body control glucose levels, and prevent potentially dangerous spikes or dips in blood sugar.
The Bad News
Previous studies have demonstrated potential health benefits from chemicals isolated from red wine. However the alcohol in wine is high in calories and can lead to weight gain, which can outweigh the benefits of these chemicals.

Let’s copy the Swiss!

2010-12-07T02:36:00.000+01:00

The Swiss know how to stand up for themselves. In a referendum in November, they voted in favour of the automatic deportation of foreigners who commit serious crimes. Needless to say, the latte liberals at Amnesty International are appalled and – revealing their utter contempt for democracy – are calling on Swiss politicians to ignore the will of the people.

Amnesty’s reasoning is that deportations could cause convicts to be sent back to countries where they could face persecution. But this is a ridiculous argument: no one is forcing visitors to Switzerland to commit offences. If people don’t want to be sent back home, why don’t they just desist from rape, robbery, murder and fraud?

The new Swiss policy is so obviously a sensible idea that the UK ought to copy it. Having very high levels of immigration, and having allied with America in the fight against terrorism, the UK has an even bigger problem with foreign criminals.

I commend the idea to the people of the UK.

Weather in Spain 29th November – 5th December 2010

2010-12-06T07:56:00.000+01:00

Monday: Light rain all day. Temp of 9C. Cool overnight with a temp of 6C.
Tuesday: Overcast day with no sun at all and drizzle all day. Temp of 11C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 8C.
Wednesday: High clouds giving a bright day with sunny periods. Hotter with a temp of 18C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 13C.
Thursday: Bright and sunny day. Temp of 16C. Cool overnight with rain, temp of 10C.
Friday: Overcast start to what turns out to be a sunny day. However the cold north wind gave a temp of 8C, coldest this year. Overnight with a temp of 5C.
Saturday: Sunny day with a temp of 15C. Overnight temp of 10C.
Sunday: Overcast start with a sunny day later. Temp of 14C. Overnight temp of 9C.

Mosa Trajectum Golf Course

2010-12-05T04:33:00.000+01:00

It is belive it or not the high season for golf here in Spain. This is the latest course to be tested by the team (me and the Lady of the Viulla). I won.

Located 13 km from Murcia, Mosa Trajectum has 3 ( hole golf courses giving a 27 hole championship course (Stone, Pine & Olive Courses). The championship course runs through the resort, through a spectacular and challenging landscape with a variety of plants and trees, cacti, open rock faces and a multitude of water features.

Stone, Gents 3174 m, Ladies 2455 m, par 36.
Olive, Gents 2819 m, Ladies 2194 m, par 36.
Pine, Gents 2951 m, Ladies 2283 m, par 36.

Stone and Olive Course
18 holes
g White Par 72, 6436 m, VC 74.6, Slope 147
g Yellow Par 72, 5993 m, VC 72.5, Slope 134
g Blue Par 72, 5509 m , VC 75.4, Slope 148
g Red Par 72, 4649 m , VC 71.3, Slope 119
Pine and Olive Course
18 holes
g White Par 72, 6242 m, VC 72.7, Slope 136
g Yellow Par 72, 5770 m, VC 70.4, Slope 126
g Blue Par 72, 5234 m , VC 72.8, Slope 132
g Red Par 72, 4477 m , VC 68.9, Slope 114
Pine and Stone Course
18 holes
g White Par 72, 6554 m, VC 75.1, Slope 142
g Yellow Par 72, 6125 m, VC 72.6, Slope 135
g Blue Par 72, 5619 m , VC 76, Slope 140
g Red Par 72, 4738 m , VC 68.6, Slope 117
Driving range, pitching and putting green, restaurant, lessons
Buggy hire, electric trolley hire, club hire
Handicap: 36, Gents and Ladies.
Soft spikes are compulsory.

World Cup Bid

2010-12-04T05:36:00.001+01:00

We lost the World Cup bid to Russia, seems to me we did not pay enough in ‘behind the scenes’ costs. However, some councils have paid up front to be part of the Bid.
In total the cost of the bid, £15 million, paid by the English FA. Here is the councils involved and what they paid

Sunderland: £421,584.80
Bristol: £363,000
Birmingham: £353,048
Leeds: £272,829.92
Newcastle: £208,990.90
Manchester: £144,750
Plymouth: £136,000
Milton Keynes: £130,000
Liverpool: £94,662
London: £60,000

Total spend: £2,184,865.62
Sheffield, Nottingham and N.I. did not give details of what they paid. The taxpayers alliance said ‘it was a waste of taxpayers money’. I would have move sympathy with their cause if they had said it before we lost!
In a way I agree with FIFA giving it to new countries. However, that should have been part of the criteria and not wasted other countries money in the bidding process.

Spanish Air traffic Controllers

2010-12-03T05:46:00.000+01:00

The Spanish government are trying to reorganise and therefore reduce costs in the Spanish Airports Authority.
Recently they advertised for 48 new controllers to be trained up. The wages were 45,000 euros. They received 2,00 applications. 900 of which came in the first five minutes of the phone line opening.

Will the next Contestant please Stand Up

2010-12-02T09:59:00.000+01:00

Spain can’t really be the next-but-one euro-zone sovereign financial disaster.
Can it?
After all, its public finances are much healthier than Ireland’s, or Greece’s, or Portugal’s. And its banking sector has been a rare beacon of probity in amongst a global financial mess.
Right?
I think not. Get ready to rumble!

Books read in November 2010

2010-12-01T01:42:00.001+01:00

Under the Dome. Stephen King. This is a classic King, a richly rewarding story in which SK does what few others can do with such mastery - write utterly believable characters that you get to know and love and loathe in equal measure. I won't re-hash the plot but it's what King does with the plot that makes it special. This is the best that King has produced in a long time, and that makes it excellent by anyone's reckoning. Don't be put off by the plethora of people introduced at the very beginning, stick with it and it gets better and better as the story unfolds. "Under the Dome" is vintage old-school King, and for this reader that's something very special. Highly recommended and no hesitation in giving 5 Stars.
Suite Française is the title of a planned sequence of five novels by Irene Nemirovsky, a French writer of Ukrainian Jewish origin. In July 1942, having just completed the first two of the series, Némirovsky was arrested as a Jew and detained at Auschwitz, where she was sent to the gas chambers by the Nazi regime. The notebook containing the two novels was preserved by her daughters but not examined until 1998. They were published in a single volume in 2004. The first book ‘The Storm’ follows several groups of characters who flee from Paris in advance of the German entry into the city. As transport and distribution collapse under German bombardment, all have to change their plans and nearly all lose their veneer of civilization. The second book, Dolce, the storyline concerns Lucile Angellier, whose husband is a prisoner of war. She lives, uneasily, with her mother-in-law in the best house in the village, where the German commander is billeted. Unwillingly Lucile finds herself falling in love with him. 3 Stars.
The Falls. Ian Rankin. A complex mystery Rebus novel, as you would expect from Rankin. A student has gone missing in Edinburgh and there's very little for Rebus to go on apart from his gut feeling that there's more to this case than a runaway. Two leads emerge: a carved wooden doll in a tiny coffin and an Internet role-playing game. Rebus concentrates on the coffin, reminiscent of sixteen similar relics found around Scotland in 1836, leaving his protégé DC Siobhan Clarke to deal with the cyberspace role playing game. Great stuff. 4 Stars.
Whiteout. Ken Follett. As a Christmas Eve blizzard whips out of the north, several people converge on a remote family house. Stanley Oxenford, the research company’s director, has everything riding on the drug he is developing to fight the virus. Toni Gallo, forced to resign from the police department in disgrace, is betting her career on keeping the drug safe; a local television reporter, determined to move up, has sniffed the story and a violent trio of thugs is on its way to steal it for a client already waiting – though what the client really has in mind is something that will shock them all. Desperate secrets are revealed; hidden traitors and unexpected heroes emerge. A good Yarn but not one of his best 2.5 Stars.
Beggars Banquet. Ian Rankin. Perhaps the problem I had with this collection of short stories, is that the Rebus novels are so outstanding. The novel format allows Rankin space for his excellent exploration of character (particularly the flawed but resilient Rebus himself), the teasing out of often complex plots and the superb sense of place, with the old city of Edinburgh an uncredited character. There are eight Rebus short stories amongst the 22 in this book all of which I enjoyed, however, the others were a mixed bunch. 2.5 Stars.

RBS Share Price 30/11/2010

2010-11-30T03:23:00.002+01:00

The British Government and therefore the British taxpayer own around 86% of RBS shares having put in over £20Bn to save the Bank in 2009.
The average price, per share, paid is 50.53 pence.
The price today is 38,69 pence showing an overall loss.
Oh dear!
I will keep you informed.

Weather in Spain 22nd November – 28th November 2010

2010-11-29T06:35:00.000+01:00

Monday: Sunny day with a cool breeze, giving a temp of 17C. Cool overnight with a cold wind giving a temp of 12C.

Tuesday: Very warm and sunny. Temp of 19C. Cooler overnight with rain showers and a temp of 15C.

Wednesday: Overcast day with bright intervals later. Temp of 17C. Rain overnight giving a temp of 13C.

Thursday: Rain showers during an overcast day. Temp of 17C. Cool overnight with a temp of 14C.

Friday: Overcast day with no sun. Temp of 13C. Overnight cold with a temp of 10C.

Saturday: Another overcast day with showers and a temp to 11C. Overnight again cold with rain and a temp of 9C.

Sunday: Sunny day with a temp of 15C. Overnight temp of 12C.

Spain in money trouble?

2010-11-28T03:24:00.000+01:00

After Ireland was finally forced this week to ask for financial help from the European Union and International Monetary Fund it is possible that a similar fate could await Spain.
In the first four months of 2011, the Spanish government and the country's banks must raise about €70bn (£59.2bn) in the bond market, which would be a "big test for investor appetite".
So the challenges facing Spain remain substantial – with the likelihood of a positive outcome poor until at least the sovereign and the banks have successfully navigated their way over the funding hump facing them both in Spring 2011.
The situation facing Spain is in some respects similar to that which led to the implosion of the Irish banking system, with international investors reluctant to buy the country's bonds as fears remain over the risks contained within the financial system.
While the Irish government repeatedly insisted it was fully-funded for the next year, the funding position of the Irish banks made the bail-out inevitable as they faced redemptions of €25bn in government-guaranteed debt they had issued.
Simply put, the Irish sovereign has been dismembered by its banking system.
The Spanish government has set up an €99bn fund to help its banks, however only €12bn of this is pre-funded and €11bn has already been drawn down, meaning the country will have to borrow more from the bond market to fund the rest. Spanish pensions funds could be leaned on to buy some of the bonds, but not enough to cover the entire amount the government will need to raise.

Recession hits Construction in Spain

2010-11-27T03:59:00.001+01:00

I spent just an hour going around the area I live in and took some photographs of some areas that should have been developed but has now stopped.
This is a group of houses, the six on the left have been sold and are occupied either full time or as holiday homes. The two on the left have been abandoned by the builders. Just left to go to seed as you can see from the bush in the garden of the uncompleted house second left.
This area, below, the builders started at the bottom of the hill and worked up. In this case they at least finished the homes in progress. However, the land up to the sign, 50 metres by 100 metres has been left, again to go to seed.
The next construction site, because that’s what it is, nowhere near completion, shows 4 apartment blocks. The two in front obscure the two behind (i could not get closer!).They have been left like this for 3 years. Notice the cranes, they have been left there as there is nowhere for them to go, so they sit there unused and getting unsafe. The area used to be an orchard (i only wish it still was!), you can see nature trying to reclaim it back.
These half finished buildings blight the areas. The Town Halls it seems don’t care.

Spain 'orgasm' video criticised by politicians

2010-11-26T06:04:00.000+01:00

I saw this advert on one of the Spanish TV channels. However so did some of Spain’s ‘finest’. Here is their view…..

Spanish politicians have criticised a video by the Young Socialists in Catalonia in which a woman simulates an orgasm while casting her vote. Both Socialist and opposition politicians have attacked the campaign video.

In the video the young woman gets increasingly excited as she votes for the Socialist Party in this month's regional elections in Catalonia. It concludes with the phrase, "Voting is a pleasure", after she puts her voting slip in the ballot box.

I thought it was funny!

The Red Houses

2010-11-25T03:30:00.000+01:00

We were at our Bank branch recently and while the lady of the villa did her banking business, I looked at the local properties for sale. The bank have a list of repossessed properties in the Branch.
Lo and behold, what did I see? But the houses in the next urbanisation for sale, not one house but up to a dozen.
It seems the Bank, imprudently, gave a loan of about 1.2 million euros to an ‘entrepreneur’ so that he could buy the properties off plan. The recession came and the entrepreneur walked away leaving the bank holding the properties.
180,000 euros is the asking price per villa, it is a no goer. 100,00 euros is more like it. Someone, presumably the bank, will take a hit.

Spain's unemployment increased for third consecutive month in October

2010-11-24T06:10:00.000+01:00

Spain's Labour Ministry says the number of people filing claims for unemployment benefits rose for a third straight month in October, by about 68,000.
The rise pushed the total number of people claiming unemployment benefits to 4,085,976.
The overall number of jobless in Spain, which includes those whose benefits have run out, is published separately and stood at 19.8 per cent in the third quarter, downs slightly from the second quarter but still the worst rate in the euro zone.

Vatican to issue guidelines on sex abuse

2010-11-23T05:38:00.000+01:00

The Vatican has said it will issue guidelines on how to combat sexual abuse, which will be circulated to bishops around the world.
How about.
Rule 1. Do not do it
Rule 2. See Rule 1
Rule 4. No Rule 3.
Rule 5. Enforce Rule 1

Weather in Spain 15th November – 21st November 2010

2010-11-22T04:28:00.000+01:00

Monday: Sunny and warm day. Temp of 20C. Cool overnight with a cold wind giving a temp of 14C.
Tuesday: A cooler day than yesterday, still warm and sunny but a bit a a bit in the wind. Temp of 18C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 12C.
Wednesday: Overcast day with a few rain showers. Temp of 18C. Cool overnight with a temp of 13C.
Thursday: Back to a warm and sunny day after yesterday. Temp of 20C. Overnight temp of 15C.
Friday: Overcast start with a sunny periods later. Temp of 19C. Overnight temp of 12C.
Saturday: Sunny day with a temp to 20C. Overnight cold with a temp of 15C.
Sunday: Sunny day with a cold wind. Temp of 17C. Overnight temp of 12C.

The End of the Euro?

2010-11-21T06:29:00.000+01:00

Portugal became the latest European nation to suggest it was on the brink of seeking help from Brussels after Ireland confirmed it had begun preliminary talks over its debt problems.
Greece recently disclosed that its economic problems are even worse than previously thought.
Monday, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the spectre of the euro collapsing as she warned: “If the euro fails, then Europe fails.”

Truth and Greek facts?

2010-11-20T10:38:00.000+01:00

I have previously posted about the PIIGS in Europe and their possible effects on the Euro. Greece has been under constant observation by Eurocrats.
It has now come about that Greece's 2009 budget deficit was worse than previously calculated (by the Greeks), making it the largest in the eurozone.
The country's deficit last year stood at 15.4% of its annual economic output, said Eurocrats. This is higher than the 13.6% figure that was reported, by the Greeks, in April 2010.
Due to the revision, Greece said its 2010 deficit would only be cut to 9.4%, not its earlier target of 7.8%.
If you can believe their figures.

Oh Dear

2010-11-19T07:43:00.000+01:00

I thought that blatant use of public funds had gone deep underground after the MP’s housing and expense scandal.
But no.
David Cameron has ordered that the newly installed photographer Andrew Parsons and camerawoman Nicky Woodhouse be removed from the public payroll after intense criticism about the appointment of his so-called "vanity staff" to the civil service. i.e. He has been found out!
Sources in Downing Street said that they stood by the logic of the appointments (they can but I can’t can you?) but that they now acknowledged that the move "sent out the wrong message" when the rest of the public sector was being asked to make savings.
It seems that the Conservative party will now pay their salaries – that is until they can be dropped in a couple of months.

Take That

2010-11-18T06:37:00.000+01:00

I must admit I am not a big fan of Take That or any current boy band. my boy ban era was The Beatles, The Stones, The Who etc. However, I came across this review of Take That’s new CD, Progress.
I quote : “”Out go the Coldplay-style ballads. In come sci-fi Europop techno stomps with cut-up lyrics and visions of dystopian social apocalypse.”
Pretentious? Moi?

A true tale? I do hope so!

2010-11-17T05:21:00.000+01:00

I have just read more detail of the British team that sent send homemade aircraft to the edge of space before flying it back to Earth.

Pictured here initial launch of the plane before its 17 miles trip into the atmosphere where it captured images of the curvature of the globe using a miniature camera. The plane, which has a 3ft wing span and is made from paper straws covered in paper, was launched using nothing more powerful than a large helium balloon.

Notice it box shaped wings.

Here is a picture of the plane as it was found 100 miles from the launch site. Notice the wings are no longer box shaped,

I hope this is no hoax story!

The Hajj Terminal

2010-11-16T03:01:00.000+01:00

The annual Haj haj pilgrimage in Mecca Saudia Arabia started on Sunday.

During the 1980’s I was in Saudi working as the Software Support Manager at the International Airport in Jedda. We looked after the processing of the 1million pilgrims entering the rather closed country of Saudia Arabia.

The most startling building in the airport was the Hajj Terminal. It houses, for a short time, the one million or more pilgrims who make their way to Mecca each year. The capacity of the terminal at any one time is estimated at 50'000 for a period of up to 18 hours during arrival and 80,000 for periods of up to 36 hours during departure. Roofed by a fabric tension structure that covers more area (40.5 hectares) than any roof in the world, the terminal provides toilets, shops, benches and banking facilities for the pilgrims. Twenty-one tent units, each 45 metres square, form a single module. The terminal is comprised of 10 such modules: two identical five-module sections separated by a landscaped mall.

Thus, the two large terminal units each comprise a total of 105 tents. The tents are hooked to steel rings hung from suspension cables which are draped from single pylons in the interior of the module, from ladder-like double pylons at the module edges and from four-pylon towers at the corners. The enclosed and air conditioned arrival buildings are located under the tents along the outside edge of the terminal units parallel to the aircraft aprons.

It is the brilliant structure I have ever seen.

Weather in Spain 8th November–14th November 2010

2010-11-15T09:16:00.000+01:00

Monday: Overcast at the start of the day giving way to a sunny afternoon. Cool wind kept the temp down to 18C. Cool overnight with a temp of 14C.
Tuesday: A warmer and sunnier day than yesterday. Temp of 21C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 17C.
Wednesday: Very warm and sunny. Temp of 21C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 16C.
Thursday: Another glorious warm and sunny day with a temp of 25C. Much colder overnight with a temp of 15C.
Friday: Warm and sunny with a temp of 26C. Overnight with a temp of 23C.
Saturday: Sunny with a temp to 22C. Overnight temp of 16C.
Sunday: What a week! Another sunny day. Temp of 22C. Overnight temp of 15C.

World Diabetes Day

2010-11-14T12:28:00.000+01:00

World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes mellitus world and is held on November 14 of each year. It was introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to the alarming rise of diabetes around the world. World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the campaigns last the whole year, the day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.
As a diabetic with type 1 having to inject insulin each day I thank the discoverers for my health.

Southern England hit hardest by recession

2010-11-13T04:27:00.000+01:00

This does not surprise me at all. After all the south has more people and have a more affluent life style. While in the North they have had it harder no matter what state the country is in. Always with the highest unemployment, always with poorer standard of life. So no surprise to me.
So the details.
A total of 2.9 million people in the North had more than £30,000 in liquid assets in 2007, falling to 2.5 million by the end of 2008, and recovering slightly to 2.7 million by the end of 2009, according to figures recently published.
It compares with five million people in the South with more than £30,000 in liquid assets in 2007, which dropped to 4.1 million by the end of 2008, before recovering to 4.5 million by the end of 2009.
So the south is “richer” in terms of the relative size of its affluent population compared with the north, this population has taken more of a beating during the economic downturn, contracting more sharply than the affluent population in the north.
It comes as separate research suggested hairdressers, gardeners and taxi drivers are the professions worst hit by the recession. Workers who provide these services - which people are likely to cut back on during a recession are the hardest hit.

The Quid

2010-11-12T02:38:00.000+01:00

I came across an article about the pound note recently.

The pound note, The familiar green £1 note was replaced on the 12th November 1984 (how time flies 26 years ago!) and replaced by the coins we see today.

I can remember the old £1 note as can my children but none could remember the 10 shilling (Ten bob note) a rusty red colour.

Smoking Ban in the home

2010-11-11T11:33:00.000+01:00

The chief medical officer said children should be protected from second-hand smoke in cars and that the smoking ban should be extended to the home to protect children from second-hand smoke.
Oh I can just see the Wayne’s and Waynette’s of the UK sink estates standing outside their homes smoking.
I’d laugh out loud.
And who is to enforce this?

Urbanisation Debt

2010-11-10T08:46:00.000+01:00

Our Urbanisation, like all those in Spain have to have by law a Committee. One of their tasks is to set a local tax to pay for urbanisation services, electricity, maintenance, community pool etc.
Our urbanisation has set a levy of 300 Eros a year, this has not changed for the 5 years the urbanisation has been in existence. However, villa owners are failing to pay, for whatever reason and their debt to the community is now 16,500 euros.
Time for the Bailiffs me thinks!

Adios Spain

2010-11-09T02:30:00.001+01:00

A friend of mine who I first met on my first day in Spain is leaving and going back to the UK after 5 years in Spain. He has worked hard but has, eventually, had to succumb to the economic realities of Spanish life.
It is hard enough trying to make a living being Spanish at the moment never mind an ex-pat. You need deep pockets and patience to succeed, or to duck and dive and avoid taxes.
KL was legit, but, could not survive. He is off to start a new job in the UK and taking his family with him.
Adios KM, I will miss you.

Weather in Spain 1st November–7th November 2010

2010-11-08T05:23:00.000+01:00

Monday: Overcast day with sunny spells. Strong wind kept the temp down to 20C. Cool overnight with a temp of 15C.
Tuesday: A warm and sunny day . Temp of 21C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 17C.
Wednesday: Very warm and sunny. Temp of 26C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 18C.
Thursday: A warm and sunny day with a temp of 21C. Colder overnight with a temp of 14C.
Friday: Overcast day with sunny intervals. Temp of 19C. Overnight temp of 15C.
Saturday: Sunny and warm with a temp to 23C. Overnight temp of 18C.
Sunday: Overcast start with a sunny day later. Temp of 20C. Overnight temp of 16C.

Gold in them there seas!

2010-11-07T03:00:00.001+01:00

Spain has decided to send an armada into the waters around its coasts to seek out hundreds of shipwrecks in an attempt to head off a US marine exploration firm accused of plundering Spanish property from the seabed.
More than 100 suspected shipwrecks have been located by the Spanish navy in the Gulf of Cádiz, considered one of the world's richest hunting grounds for underwater treasure. Most are Spanish galleons returning from the colonies in South America believed to have sunk in waters around Cádiz.
Three Spanish navy vessels are devoting two months to the project, which will end in mid-November. Spain's navy said it had recovered evidence from potential wreck sites which was being analysed by archaeologists.
Spain wants to avoid a repeat of the saga that began in 2007 when the US firm salvaged an estimated $500m (£314m) in silver coins and artefacts from what Spain claims was a Spanish galleon. The treasure was landed at Gibraltar and then flown out to the USA. A US court ruled last year that the find belongs to Spain, but the firm appealed and still has the treasure.

LFC BOY

2010-11-06T01:57:00.001+01:00

How did the Lady of the Villa miss this as a Christmas present for me!
This football-themed licence plate sold at a recent auction for £2,606. It's a great plate. Having it would have been a real bit of fun. For any Liverpool FC supporter.
But then I could only use it, legally, for a maximum of 6 months in Spain.

Scally done Good

2010-11-05T04:54:00.000+01:00

Ricky Tomlinson donated £1m to a Liverpool charity 2 years ago and its just come out.

Ricky Tomlinson has said he will not be commenting publicly about the donation

The children's charity provides overnight accommodation for families of patients staying at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. The donation has helped fund a new £1.5m unit for 15 families who need to stay for more than six months.The charity currently provides accommodation for 69 parents and families.

A true Socialist, a true Scouser and a funny guy. Defo a scally done good!

I Love a curry

2010-11-04T00:24:00.001+01:00

I love a good curry, as does the Lady of the villa, and I am always trying out variations of my recipes. That is until recently.
I stumbled across, what I feel, is the best curry recipe sit on the Internet. A boast, I know, but, I have been using this site for a year now and I have yet to have a failure.
It cost a small, it is small, registration fee for all the recipes, but has a few taster recipes to try for free.
Can’t fault it. Cant recommend it more.
The site is www.curryhouse.co.uk

What are Banks for?

2010-11-03T00:14:00.001+01:00

I think that the Banks have learnt a valuable lesson in the last Banking crisis; that imprudent lending does not pay.
The banks lent to Companies and individuals almost on demand. Granting loans for property development as if property always goes up. They gave mortgages to a multiple of several times applicants' income, and to a value greater than that of the home they sought to buy.
The credit crunch is some two years behind us and the danger is that the banks are too cautious. Banks need to be less exploitative with would-be borrowers. Of cause lending must be to creditworthy individuals and businesses, it must be prudent and it must not expose borrowers to unsustainable levels of debt. At one time, this would have been self-evident.
There is a different kind of pressure on the banks now to offer loans to more small businesses and individuals including first-time home buyers, otherwise what are banks for?

Foreclosures in Spain

2010-11-02T02:41:00.001+01:00

As a member of our Urbanisation committee, we have just been informed that two more owners of properties on the Urbanisation are having the properties siezed by the banks for non payment of mortgages.This takes the total to 5. It made me look into this a little bit more.
An estimated 1.4 million people in Spain are facing potential foreclosure proceedings, according to Spain’s consumer protection association, known as the Adicae.
Recent figures from the courts show that the numbers are rising fast. In 2007, there were just 26,000 foreclosures. Last year, there were more than 93,000. Early indications suggest that they will be higher again in 2010.
A recent Standard & Poor’s report found that 8 per cent of Spain’s housing is now worth less than the value of the mortgage, and with prices continuing to fall, experts believe, that figure could rise to 20 per cent.

Books Read in October 2010

2010-11-01T01:38:00.001+01:00

Dark Fire. C J Sansom. Having a passing interest in historical fiction and I enjoy a gripping mystery replete with twists and turns so I really enjoyed this book. C.J. Sansom's Shardlake is my sort of character, a little on the obvious side, with his pure heart and indefatigability overcoming the constraints of his flawed physical being (he's a hunchback lawyer). Still, it's impossible not to become enthralled by this tale of political intrigue and murder with its adroit descriptions of the machinations of the nobility, corrupt lawyers and officials, and vivid portrayal of the sights and sounds of Tudor London. I can’t wait for the next one. 4 Stars.

Dead Souls. Ian Rankin. Another in the Rebus series, not as good as previous ones, but still thrilling. Multiple stories all coming together around Inspector Rebus a Paedophile ring, a murderer deported from the USA, a policeman’s suicide, and a missing person. All take up Rebus’s skills as a detective to solve, with more glimpses of Rebus’s past life. The hard drinking detective moves through Edinburgh slowly pulling all the threads together and getting knifed for his troubles. 3.5 Stars.

The Associate. John Grisham. I do like the way John Grisham tells a story. This one has Kyle McAvoy, top law student at Harvard being blackmailed to join a top New York Law firm and steal papers on a case between two American firms building the next B Bomber for the US government. Espionage, Law, murder, and a rape case all intermingle in this finely told story. 4 Stars.
Set in Darkness. Ian Rankin. Next book in the Rebus series. Rankin loves these multiple crimes intermingling and sometimes confusing the story. This has rape, murder, old and a new crimes, corruption in the Edinburgh council and a peeping tom. This together with gangster rivalry and the sudden release of Big Ger gave the novel a racy pace. Loved it and could not put it down. 4.5 Stars.

Weather in Spain 25th October - 31st October 2010

2010-11-01T00:32:00.000+01:00

Monday: Cloudy day with sunny spells. Strong wind kept the temp down to 20C. Cool overnight with a temp of 17C.
Tuesday: A warm and sunny day . Temp of 23C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 19C.
Wednesday: Very warm and sunny. Temp of 26C. Overnight temp of 20C.
Thursday: Overcast day with sunny spells. Temp of 21C. Cool overnight with a temp of 17C.
Friday: Warm and sunny with a temp of 22C. cold overnight with a temp of 15C.
Saturday: Overcast with a temp to 19C. Overnight rain brought temp down to 12C.
Sunday: Early rain gave way to an overcast start with a sunny day later. Temp of 20C. Overnight temp of 15C.

Fondant Potatoes

2010-10-31T05:02:00.001+01:00

I am always on the lookout for new ways (well to me) of cooking potatoes. This is a brilliant recipe.

Ingredients

4 good potatoes
2 cloves garlic, just a bit smashed
2 or 3 of sprigs of thyme
150g (5oz) butter
75ml (3fl oz) chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian)
Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Method

Peel the potatoes, cut a flat top and bottom on your spud. Cut out a round of potato with a pastry cutter. Cut off the sharp corners to make a nice barrel shape.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to foam. Place the potatoes in the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes until golden on the bottom. When done turn over the potato and cook for the same time again.
Add the stock. Put in the crushed garlic clove and thyme sprigs, watch out for this exploding everywhere. Season well.
Cover and simmer gently until the potato is cooked. Keep warm.

Best European Country to Live in

2010-10-30T05:25:00.001+02:00

I. from time to time look at a web site called International Living. Each year it produces a league table of the best countries to live in throughout the World. Here is an edited version (It only contains European countries). Spain is 12th with the UK 20th. The last country in the whole world – Somalia!

Country	Score
France	82
Switzerland	81
Germany	81
Luxembourg	78
Belgium	78
Italy	77
Netherlands	77
Austria	77
Liechtenstein	76
Malta	76
Denmark	76
Spain	76
Finland	75
Hungary	74
Portugal	73
Lithuania	73
Andorra	73
Czech Republic	73
United Kingdom	73

The Euro? A good idea?

2010-10-29T03:25:00.001+02:00

It seemed strange to me when I first heard the idea that there would be a universal currency in Europe. I knew that there were weak currencies (the Lira) and strong currencies in Europe (the Deutschmark), and that the weaker ones, were having a difficult time in competing in the global marketplace.

In that sense, the Euro would give those countries a more viable currency with which to do business. That said, I was always suspicious that in times of trouble, like right now, for example, that those weaker economies would drag on the common currency and that the cracks in Europe's economic unity would begin to show.

In my opinion, the Euro was always intended to boost the weaker economies in Europe by giving them the same currency as the stronger ones. However, I see the opposite as happening right now, that the weak European economies are sending ripples through the stronger EU members and that both are now hamstrung by the currency that they share.
It worked out well enough when times are good. It allowed a much easier sale of goods across borders and probably helped smooth some inflation for weaker countries. However, now the economies of Europe are slow each country has its own separate needs, the Euro is an anchor around all their necks.
The individual nations are now unable to fix their own problems with currency manipulations to ease interest rates and adjust deflation/inflation. Maybe that is why the UK decided to keep the pound.

I believe the Euro can't last. There are too many interests to maintain a uniform currency.

Double-Dip Recession

2010-10-28T03:25:00.001+02:00

I hear and read the phrase Double Dip recession, yet no one has ever explained what it it means. So I looked it up. Its simple.
When gross domestic product (GDP) growth slides back to negative after a quarter or two of positive growth. A double-dip recession refers to a recession followed by a short-lived recovery, followed by another recession.
The causes for a double-dip recession vary but often include a slowdown in the demand for goods and services because of layoffs and spending cutbacks from the previous downturn.

Spain getting ‘over’ debt problems?

2010-10-27T03:20:00.002+02:00

European Central Bank Governing Council said recently that Spain seems to be on track to meet its 2010 budget deficit reduction targets, but highlighted some risks he sees for its 2011 spending plans.Recent budget data point to the achievement of objectives for 2010, at least for the central government.
Spain is under intense pressure from the European Union and financial markets to slash a budget deficit that breached 11% of gross domestic product in 2009. It has pledged to reduce it to 9.3% of GDP in 2010. The 2011 budget the government sent to parliament last week calls for a 7.9% cut in spending, to cut the deficit next year to the target of 6% of GDP.
However, the cost in unemployment has been high. The number of unemployed people in Spain reached over four million in September. There were 48,102 more 'newly unemployed' compared to August, out of a total of 4.17 million.
The plan may be working, but, to coin a phrase, the Labour isn’t.

Most Expensive Barbie

2010-10-26T05:50:00.001+02:00

My daughters played with Barbie dolls, but, never could we have afforded this on!

A custom-designed Barbie wearing a necklace featuring a one-carat pink diamond, made the doll the world's most expensive Barbie when it went on the auction block last week.
Christie's in New York sold the Barbie, created by international fine jewellery designer, Stefano Canturi, for $200,000. All proceeds will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Weather in Spain 18th October – 24th October 2010

2010-10-25T08:11:00.000+02:00

Monday: Sunny but the cold wind kept temperatures down. Temp of 20C. Cool overnight with a temp of 14C.
Tuesday: Again sunny but a cold wind giving a temp of 19C. Overnight temp of 12C.
Wednesday: Warm and Sunny as the cool wind has gone. Temp of 22C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 18C.
Thursday: Warm and Sunny. Temp of 21C. Cool overnight with a temp of 15C.
Friday: Cloudy with Sunny Intervals. Temp of 20C. Overnight a temp of 16C.
Saturday: Overcast all day with a temp to 19C. Overnight temp of 15C.
Sunday: A warm and sunny day . Temp of 23C. Overnight temp of 19C.

PIGS keep gobbling Euros

2010-10-24T06:38:00.000+02:00

Two little PIGS went (back) to market (partly) last month, but the other two stayed firmly at home.

According to central bank data, the four countries whose banks have been most dependent on the ECB for liquidity–Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain–still accounted for over 60% of all the ECB funding still in the market in September.

Spanish and Portugese banks cut their dependence by 14% and 20%, respectively. Meanwhile, Greek banks stayed on the drip feed, and Ireland’s, beset by balance sheet problems and ratings downgrades, positively grasped for the bottle. Irish banks now borrow more from the ECB than French, Italian and Austrian banks combined.

That’s bad news for central bankers who are sounding increasingly impatient to have the region’s banks back on a sound footing, so that they can start to raise interest rates if they need to. The ECB has to run a monetary policy for 16 countries, most of which are emerging from recession and starting to look reasonably healthy again.

At the very least, some at the ECB would like to return to their old practice of rationing liquidity and letting banks bid competitively for it, but the data suggests there are still too many banks who would collapse under that kind of pressure.

The ECB had opened the liquidity taps as wide as they would go to keep Europe’s banking sector afloat and off the rocks in 2009. In theory, that could have risked inflation. As it turned out, it has managed to take back all but €40 billion of the excess without causing a panic, and without causing inflation. Inflation may have hit its highest level in nearly two years in September, but at 1.8%, it is still below the ECB’s 2% pain threshold–and it’s expected to fall again next year.

Polaris World

2010-10-23T06:34:00.000+02:00

Prices of repossessed apartments in Polaris World have been slashed by as much as 50 percent as banks try to sell assets acquired during the property market collapse.

Polaris World handed over 1,500 properties and land to lenders in May 2009 to cancel 970 million euros of debt. Now the banks, are using hefty discounts and 100 percent mortgage deals to help clear the backlog and get some money back. Spain’s real-estate and construction slump left thousands of vacation properties unsold and their builders facing bankruptcy. The number of homes purchased in Spain by foreigners dropped 78 percent from 2006 through 2009.

The problem with Polaris World Resorts (we did look at them) is as beautiful as the resorts are, they are in the middle of nowhere, they are still in a bit of a wilderness.

Existing home prices in Spain have fallen 22.5 percent since peaking in April 2007. The country now has about 1.4 million unsold homes. The Spanish banks took about 60 billion euros of real estate onto their books as a result of the country’s worst recession in 60 years.

Starting Sept. 30, the central bank enforced tighter rules on how much lenders have to set aside in provisions for the assets, making it more expensive to hold on to them. Hence the sale!

Preferential Voting

2010-10-21T00:36:00.000+02:00

I see that the Labour Party used Preferential Voting in their quest to select a New Party Leader.
Preferential Voting method a.ka. as the instant-runoff voting (IRV), or the "alternative vote" which uses voters' preferences to simulate an elimination runoff election without multiple voting events.
As the votes are tallied, the option with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. In successive rounds of counting, the next preferred choice still available from each eliminated ballot is transferred to candidates not yet eliminated.
The least preferred option is eliminated in each round of counting until there is a majority winner, with all ballots being considered in every round of counting.
Why then do they then insist upon a First Past The Post voting System in a General Election?

Ig Nobel Prize Winners for 2010

2010-10-20T06:18:00.000+02:00

The tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel awards for "improbable research" have become almost as famous as the real Nobels. The awards are run by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research. They are supposed to "first make people laugh, and then make them think". Here is a picture of the prize, no money is won (unlike the Nobel Prizes).
All the research, bar some special prizes, is real and published in bona fide academic journals. As part of the fun, the prizes are also handed over by genuine Nobel Laureates.
The full list of winners:
Engineering Prize: Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse (UK) and colleagues for perfecting a method to collect whale snot, using a remote-control helicopter.
Medicine Prize: Simon Rietveld (Netherlands) and colleagues for discovering that symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride.
Transportation Planning Prize: Toshiyuki Nakagaki (Japan) and colleagues for using slime mould to determine the optimal routes for railroad tracks.
Physics Prize: Lianne Parkin (New Zealand) and colleagues for demonstrating that, on icy footpaths in wintertime, people slip and fall less often if they wear socks on the outside of their shoes.
Peace Prize: Richard Stephens (UK) and colleagues for confirming the widely held belief that swearing relieves pain.
Public health Prize: Manuel Barbeito (US) and colleagues for determining by experiment that microbes cling to bearded scientists.
Economics Prize: Awarded to the executives and directors of Goldman Sachs, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Magnetar for creating and promoting new ways to invest money — ways that maximize financial gain and minimize financial risk for the world economy, or for a portion thereof.
Chemistry Prize: Eric Adams (US) and colleagues for disproving the old belief that oil and water don't mix. The research, supported by BP, was published under the title: "Review of Deep Oil Spill Modeling Activity Supported by the Deep Spill JIP and Offshore Operator's Committee".
Management Prize: Alessandro Pluchino (Italy) and colleagues for demonstrating mathematically that organisations would become more efficient if they promoted people at random.
Biology Prize: Libiao Zhang (China) and colleagues for scientifically documenting fellatio in fruit bats.

New Trident? But you have not used the last one we bought you!

2010-10-19T10:27:00.000+02:00

The current defence review has come about because of the Austerity measures needed to cut the Sovereign debt of the country. Cause and effect.
One of the decisions to be made is about Trident. Do we extend its lifespan or replace it? Those seem to be the options, but what about keep them as they are. Why replace or upgrade them? They have not been used. They are not out of date (no star wars system has yet been developed that can stop them!). The replacement costs will go to America not the UK and they are still good until 2024 (that is 14 years away).
To me this is a no brainer.
We have no enemies that we can use these missiles on. Russia is our friend, China may become a threat but the current Tridents are more than enough to hold the status quo.
Each Trident missile has a range of up to 7,500 miles (12,000km) and is accurate to within a few feet. Their destructive power is estimated as the equivalent of eight Hiroshimas.
The UK deploys 16 Trident missiles on each of its four Vanguard-class submarines, of which one is on patrol at all times. The fleet is based at Faslane in Scotland.
More than enough fire power!
In my opinion we don’t need another.This ones still ok! 20 billion saved!

Not the performance I wanted!

2010-10-18T09:51:00.001+02:00

I am sure as sure can be that nobody from Liverpool FC management or players follows this blog. More is the pity as yesterday I requested a ‘good shift’ and a ‘performance’. What did I and the rest of the fans get…. Sweet FA!
There are in my mind players yesterday who should never put on a Liverpool shirt:

Kyrgiakos – always looking to foul, out of position most of the time and slow.
Konchesky – journeyman player. Only there cos he has a left foot. Can’t cross the ball.
Lucas – Can’t pass, can’t shoot, can’t defend
Maxi – mini effort, mini involvement, just a mini player
Babel – jury is in. Can’t play to the required standard.
Ngog – see Babel

Other players need to boost their play

Meireles – lightweight in the tackle
Cole – needs to step up. Maybe only good in a good team. no fight
Aurelio – needs to be fit

As for the Manager, saying that we had a good game is a blatant lie! Liverpool fans know a performance when they see one! Looked out of his depth on the line. Has a plan A, no plan B. Jury is out, but, it don’t look good!
What can we do before January transfer window? Play the youngsters (not all at the same time). Spearing, Kelly, Shelvey, Ince, Wilson and others cannot be worse and may be better. At least we will know!

Weather

2010-10-18T06:22:00.001+02:00

Weather in Spain 11th October – 17th October 2010

2010-10-18T05:45:00.000+02:00

Monday: Sunny with a few clouds around. Coldish wind kept temp down to 23C. Cool overnight with light showers and a temp of 17C.

Tuesday: A warm and sunny day becoming overcast in late afternoon. Daily temp of 26C. Overnight rain with a temp of 18C.

Wednesday: Overcast start but sunny later in the afternoon. Temp of 22C. Cool overnight with a temp of 18C.

Thursday: Warm and Sunny day. Temp of 25C. Overnight temp of 22C.

Friday: Overcast start with sunny periods later. Cool wind keeping the temp down to 21C. Overnight temp of 18C.

Saturday: Sunny and warm with a temp to 25C. Overnight temp of 20C.

Sunday: Warm and sunny. Temp down to 22C. Overnight temp of 17C.

A good shift and a good win required.

2010-10-17T06:17:00.001+02:00

In the last two weeks, since Black(pool) Sunday, we have had a good rest, we have had the new owners legal saga and now its time to play again.

What we need from the players is a good shift, a good work rate and a passing game with no, repeat no, mistakes.

The players are ‘supposed’ to be affected by the ownership issues and its affecting their playing. I don’t go for this. The club is solvent, the support is still massive and behind the team, the players are still being paid each week, they are still being fed, watered and closeted. Nothing should be affecting them. Nothing.

Lets see a good performance and a win. For two reasons. It’s a local derby, so local pride is at stake. And if we are to get out of the relegation zone we must beat the others that are there. And Everton are one of them.
The players should remember, that They Never Walk Alone, we the supporters walk with them. Win, Lose or draw. Performance good or bad!

Cheats never prosper

2010-10-16T04:36:00.000+02:00

I wrote in this blog on the 25th July 2010 of my admiration of the riders of the Tour de France. Now nearly 3 months later my admiration and love for he Tour is waning fast.

In this year's Tour, in which the Spanish rider Contador finished just 39 seconds ahead of Andy Schleck, the Spaniard broke a sacred tradition in professional cycling when he took advantage of the Luxembourger's chain derailment to attack him on a crucial climb. Contador eventually apologized, but the nasty tactic deepened suspicions that the Spaniard would stoop to nothing to wear the yellow jersey.

Now we find that he has failed a drug test taken during the Tour. The test proved positive for the banned drug Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol acts like an amphetamine - raising heart rate, temperature and blood pressure. Bodybuilders use clenbuterol to burn fat.

Contador is maintaining that his food was spiked, that he ingested the drug accidentally on July 21, 2010, the second rest day of the 2010 Tour.

I rest my case.

Shares in Liverpool?

2010-10-15T10:42:00.000+02:00

I have written much about Liverpool ownership in the past weeks and I apologise to an extent. It means a lot to me and it sooths my spirit to write my thoughts in this blog. My only hope of any kind of ownership is through ShareLiverpoolFC.

Here is there latest update (via an email) on progress to date….

Spirit of Shankly-ShareLiverpoolFC welcomes the likely end of Hicks and Gillett’s ownership of LFC, regardless of the current attempts to prolong this process.
At this stage we remain open minded about any new ownership regime.
However our long held view that supporter ownership is right for Liverpool Football Club remains unaltered. The aspiration amongst supporters to become part of the ownership of LFC by investing our own money and to have our interests represented in the running of the club, still very much exists.
Recent experience has demonstrated that meaningful fan representation through democratic supporter ownership is the only fail-safe way that we can ensure that a reoccurrence of recent events never happens again. This requires supporter ownership through a direct equity shareholding in LFC, in partnership with new owners, giving the supporters real and meaningful representation. This is also the best way that the club can rebuild its relationship with tens of thousands of disenfranchised fans who want the opportunity to invest in their club’s future.
We will all be delighted to see the back of Hicks & Gillett, but at one level we are back where we were in 2007. At that time, supporters welcomed the new owners with open arms. This time, we are better informed and this time, tens of thousands of Liverpool’s supporters have demonstrated their willingness and ability to invest their own money in the Club. This time, there is an opportunity to create a unique partnership between supporters and new owners to everyone’s benefit.
We continue to pursue these goals and look forward to engaging with new owners to ensure that they fully understand the benefits of supporter ownership to the club, the wider community and themselves as owners.

Irish Banking Crisis

2010-10-15T05:55:00.000+02:00

The one thing to be said for the Irish Banking crisis is that it puts our troubles into perspective. The Irish taxpayer support for the banks in Ireland amounts to a staggering 30 per cent of GDP; The UK’s is 6 per cent of GDP. (Can’t find out what Spain’s is : which is a bit worrying!)

The low interest rates, set by the European central bank and designed for the needs of the big European economies (i.e Germany), provided the funds for the Irish property market, which has since collapsed.

Granted, Britain is outside the euro, and we can set interest rates for the needs of our own economy. It will be some time before we join the Euro, providing the Euro survives.

Quietly into the Night

2010-10-14T08:23:00.003+02:00

And so the media show goes on. Hicks (and Gillett), but mostly Hicks, continue the game in the law courts.
An injunction gained in Texas (the home of Hicks) has stopped any sale of LFC.
Not only have they stopped any sale, claiming that the club is worth many hundred of millions more than is being offered (which planet are they on?), but claiming a billion pounds (!!!!) in damages.
I said earlier in this blog that they wont go quietly. I was, so unfortunately, correct. The next time they can go is 25th October when the court case in Texas is heard.

In the meantime I can see RBS calling in the loan and LFC will be deducted 9 points. Maybe its a small price to pay for Hicks and Gillett to go – screaming out the door.

The Stig

2010-10-14T08:13:00.000+02:00

Now that the hoot and the holler about the unmasking of the StIg, I thought that I would put my two pennies worth in.
The presenters, The producer and even the BBC have made a lot of money from Top Gear and the ‘invention’ of the Stig. So why can’t the man who plays the Stig get his ‘pay day’?
The acrimony surrounding the naming of the Stig has done nobody any favours and the vitriol from Jeremy Clarkson in any column he wrote was totally unwarranted.
Get another Stig and get over it. all of you!

Chancers and Charlatans

2010-10-13T09:02:00.001+02:00

Not so long ago we had Kenny Huang ‘taking over Liverpool FC’ now we have a Peter Lim wanting to own my Club.

Huang was supposed to own all kinds of sporting teams, basketball, baseball etc., as well as being on the board of The Bank of China. None of which proved true, he was always not quite there. In more cases than one. But got his moment in the spotlight and lots of hits on the Internet!

Now Lim has come onto the stage under the super trooper (its a big spotlight). He claims his bid was best, it was, but a week late – no coincidence that it was on the morning of the court case (maximum publicity!). At the selection time, whether we like it or not, the LFC management team selected more Yanks.

Now Lim is in the spotlight claiming all sorts of things. Will he be another Huang, I think so. He will disappear when its time to put money on the table.

At least the new Yanks are quieter!

Liverpool FC Sponsers: A good deal?

2010-10-13T07:16:00.002+02:00

Pity poor Standard Chartered the investment bank that sponsors Liverpool FC. At the time, the deal set a new benchmark for top-flight football sponsorships and success seemed assured.
A year later, and the deal is looking like a disaster: The club is engaged in a civil war with American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett; the team crashed out of the League Cup to lowly Northampton Town and have struggled in the Premiership this season. Technically, Standard Chartered have hitched their flag to a club that’s fighting relegation to the second rung of English professional football (although that fate remains unlikely).
Worse, fans have started selling protest shirts with “Standards Corrupted” on the chest and the bank’s logo — two intertwined ropes — represented as snakes.

None of this is Standard Chartered’s fault, of course; it’s merely the sponsor.

Archery

2010-10-12T06:37:00.000+02:00

There I was watching the Commonwealth games when the archery came on.

This is a picture of the type of bows used in the Archery contest.
It bears no resemblance to any bow I have ever seen and absolutely no resemblance to the bows used by English Archers.

This is a bow used by the Archers at Agincourt. Its more like the one I imagined Olympic archers used, How wrong was !?
In the Olympics you get 4 minutes to shoot 6 arrows. At Agincourt you would have to put in more effort unless you wanted a French sword where the sun don’t shine!

Take Care – We bite

2010-10-11T07:04:00.001+02:00

Uncle Sam's interest in Liverpool is no surprise. John W Henry can smell profit. It's all about the brand, all about the potential profitability of the badge.
The Premier League, at the moment, allows anybody to ‘buy in’ and Liverpool are definitely worth the entry fee. It obvious what Henry is at Anfield for. No way did he have pictures of Ian St John or (Sir) Roger Hunt on his wall. No way did he stand in the boys pen. He knows little of Merseyside life and being a Liverpool supporter. He smells a profit.
He must remember that any promises he makes must be swiftly met, no ‘spades in the ground’ its a stadium we want. He must distance himself from Hicks and Gillett. He needs a PR campaign to win the hearts, minds and money of Liverpool supporters.
I personally know many supporters, who for them Liverpool is their life. Following Liverpool is a religion, a reason for living. The Kop will see through any sycophancy. However, Liverpool fans will never greet any new owner with open arms because they have been badly burned once and will will see through any false prophets.
How can they win us over, well, the £300 million valuation is a pointer. It means that £50m would buy just under 20 per cent. If Share Liverpool can get 100,000 Liverpool fans to write out cheques for £500 each they can guarantee they won't be shafted again. And Henry has some money for a transfer kitty.
Those sums may seem ambitious, but I doubt it (I have my £500 ready). But inviting fans to have some financial input, echoing their emotional investment, would get them ‘on side’.
Henry is not buying Liverpool with the same motives as Roman Abramovich at Chelsea or Sheik Mansour at Manchester City. These billionaires have used their clubs as hugely expensive vanity projects. For Henry it is just another commodity deal. The Premier League or better still RBS (before they exit stage left and don’t ever forget they have made a profit!) must get some guarantees from this American that he has the cash for the takeover, the stadium and squad improvement.
John Henry is buying into an iconic name in Football. But f**k us, the supporters, up and we will bite. Defo!

Weather in Spain 4th October 2010 – 10th October 2010

2010-10-11T04:43:00.000+02:00

Monday: Overcast start to the day with sun eventually breaking through. Temp of 27C. Cool overnight with a temp of 19C.

Tuesday: Warm and Sunny. Temp of 28C. Cooler overnight with a temp of 22C.

Wednesday: Warm and Sunny. Temp of 26C. Cool overnight with a temp of 19C.

Thursday: Overcast start but sunny late with a temp of 24C. Cool overnight with a temp of 18C.

Friday: Warm and sunny with a temp of 24C. Overnight with a temp of 20C.

Saturday: Sunny start but overcast later. Temp high of 26C with rain overnight with a temp of 18C.

Sunday: Overcast start with a sunny day later. Temp of 26C. Overnight temp of 21C.

World Space Week Day 7 - Future Spaceflight

2010-10-10T05:16:00.000+02:00

Voyager 1 is our most travelled spacecraft to date, clocking up a mammoth 12 billion km during its incredible journey to the edge of our solar system.

However, this long-haul trip has taken over 30 years to complete. What's more, even at speeds of over 35,000 mph, Voyager will take a further 20,000 years to reach the middle of the Oort Cloud, the hazy swarm of comets that surrounds the solar system.

Proxima Centauri, our nearest star, is twice this distance again. Clearly, if we want to explore further than our celestial doorstep, we must find new modes of space travel. From the feasible to the fantastic, here is a run-down of top transport options...

Future Options

Solar Sails
Made from flimsy, fragile material, they could be the next big thing in space travel. Rather than using the wind to push them along, solar sails are propelled by sunlight. A solar sail is a lightweight panel made from reflective material that acts like the sails of a boat. Rather than using wind, however, the sails are actually propelled by light. Unbelievable as it may seem, the stream of light particles (called photons) emitted from the Sun is strong enough to push a mini-spacecraft right out of the Solar System and beyond into interstellar space.

Ion Engines
Instead of burning chemical fuels, ion engines are electrically charged and work by ejecting positive ions from the back of the rocket, propelling the spacecraft forward. Though the thrust is tiny, the ion engine is extremely efficient, allowing the fuel to last far longer than in conventional rockets. Ion powered spacecraft gradually accelerate to extremely high speeds of 35,000 km per hour or more.

Nuclear Power.
One of the most feasible, yet controversial, methods of space transport. Our current chemical rocket engines produce relatively little power. They have to make use of planetary alignments, or 'launch windows', and use the gravity of other planets to catapult them further into space. Nuclear rockets would be more powerful and wouldn't need to take advantage of these chance planetary pattern. There are two types of possible nuclear rocket which rely on different types of nuclear reactions:

fission, when atoms are split apart
and fusion, when they join together.

Antimatter Spacecraft.
Antimatter, the alter-ego of matter, is the most efficient fuel possible, converting 100% of its mass into energy. There is a big problem with using antimatter. It takes more energy to make antiparticles than antiparticles produce when they are destroyed. Because of this, only 10 billionths of a gram is produced globally per year. This paltry amount isn't even enough to heat a cup of coffee, let alone travel to another planet. In addition to this, there's also the tricky problem of storage. How do you contain antimatter when it explodes as soon as it comes in contact with matter?

These technical difficulties mean that we won't be jetting off in antimatter rockets in the foreseeable future. Researchers at NASA's Marshall Flight Centre are hoping that the technology will be ready in 30-40 years time.

World Space Week Day 6 - The ISS International Space Station

2010-10-09T02:27:00.002+02:00

The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility. In-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by late 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020. The ISS can be seen from Earth with the naked eye and is by far the largest artificial satellite that has ever orbited Earth.
The ISS serves as a research laboratory in which crews conduct experiments in biology, chemistry, medicine, physiology and physics. The station provides a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by crews of six, with the station programme maintaining an uninterrupted human presence in space since the first launch of on 31 October 2000.
The programme is thus approaching the current record for uninterrupted human presence on a space station.
The ISS is a synthesis of several space station projects from America, Russia, Europe and Japan. Budget constraints led to the merger of these projects into a single multi-national programme. The ISS project began in 1994when the first module of the station, was launched in 1998 by Russia. Assembly continues, as pressurised modules, external trusses, and other components are launched by American and Russian launch vehicles.
As of May 2010, the station consists of fourteen pressurised modules and an extensive integrated truss structures (ITS). Power comes from sixteen solar arrays mounted on the external truss, in addition to four smaller arrays on the Russian modules. The station has an orbit between 278 km (173 mi) and 460 km (286 mi) altitude, and travels at an average speed of 27,743.8 km/h (17,239.2 mph), completing 15.7 orbits per day.
Operated as a joint project between the five participant space agencies, the station's sections are controlled by mission control centres on the ground operated by the NASA, the ESA, the RKA, the JAXA and the CSA.
The ownership and use of the space station is established in intergovernmental treaties and agreements that allow the Russian Federation to retain full ownership of its own modules in the Russian Orbital Segment, with the remainder of the station, allocated between the other international partners.
The cost of the station has been estimated by ESA as €100 billion over 30 years, and, although estimates range from 35 billion dollars to 160 billion dollars, the ISS is believed to be the most expensive object ever constructed.

The Liverpool deal

2010-10-08T07:29:00.002+02:00

So what is the deal for Liverpool FC from the Owners of the Boston Red Sox?
According to rampant rumour the deal is valued at £300m which incorporates

£200m to repay debt owed to the Royal Bank of Scotland
£40m to cover non-banking liabilities
£60m in debts relating to the planned development of the proposed new Anfield stadium in Stanley Park.

This leaves no room for the repayment of the loans which Hicks and Gillett made to Liverpool, which stood at £144m on 31 July 2009, the date of the club's last published accounts.

What I can't underrstand is what did this £144m get spent on?

So with Hicks and Gillett keen to turn a profit from any sale of their shares in Liverpool, the reality is that they are now set to make a huge loss, making it clear why the Americans are so resistant to the deal and are going to court to stop it!

World Space Week Day 5 - Crawler Transporter

2010-10-08T05:07:00.000+02:00

These vehicle (there are two) has been used for all the Apollo launches as well as all the shuttle launches and each has covered ‘only’ 1,500 miles in the process.

Transporter Statistics

Weight: 2,721 metric tons (6 million pounds)
Length: 40 meters (131 ft) wide, 35 meters (114ft) long
Miles: 2,526 miles (1,243 miles since 1977)

NASA has 2 crawler-transporters. Each vehicle consists of four double-tracked crawlers, each 3 meters (10 ft) high and 12 meters (41 ft) long. Each of the 8 tracks on a vehicle contains 57 shoes per track and each tread shoe weighs about .9 metric tons (one ton).

The Crawler/Transporter is powered by 16 traction motors powered by four 1,000 kw generators, driven by two 2,750hp diesel engines. Two 750 kw generators, driven by two 1,065 hp diesel engines are used for jacking, steering, lighting, and ventilating.

When they were built, the crawlers were the largest tracked vehicles ever made. (now suppassed by the Bagger 288 excavator). They move the Mobile Launcher Platform into the Vehicle Assembly Building and then to the Launch Pad with the assembled space vehicle. Maximum speed is 1.6km (one mile) per hour loaded, about 3.2 km (2 miles) per hour unloaded. The trip time fully loaded is about 5 hours. The crawler burns 568 liters (150 gallons) of diesel oil per mile.

The top of the orbiter is kept vertical within plus or minus 10 minutes of arc, about the diameter of a basketball during the journey. Leveling systems within the crawler keeps the platform level while negotiating the 5% ramp leading up to the pad surface.

The height of the crawler is 6 meters (20ft) to 8 meters (26 feet) adjustable. The top deck is flat and square, about the size of a baseball infield, 27 meters (90 feet) on a side. Two operator control cabs, one at each end of the chassis, are used to control all crawler systems.

Hungary Toxic spill – The road to Hell

2010-10-07T04:55:00.000+02:00

As emergency crews in Hungary work to clean toxic sludge from streets and houses affected by a spill from an alumina plant that killed four people.

The priorities were to seal the breach through which the sludge was leaking, and to protect the waterways. There are concerns that once the sludge dries, there will be a risk of the resulting dust causing lung cancer.

Reminds me of the Chris Rea Song

Well I'm standing by a river
But the water doesn't flow
It boils with every poison you can think of
And I'm underneath the streetlight
But the light of joy I know
Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows
And the perverted fear of violence
Chokes the smile on every face
And common sense is ringing out the bell
This ain't no technological breakdown
Oh no, this is the road to hell

World Space Week Day 4 – The Space Shuttle

2010-10-07T03:51:00.000+02:00

The Space Shuttle, part of the Space Transportation System (STS), is an American spacecraft operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for orbital human spaceflight missions, operational flights began in 1982. The system is scheduled to be retired from service in 2011 after 134 launches. Major missions have included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes, conducting space science experiments, and servicing and construction of space stations.

At launch, the Space Shuttle consists of the shuttle stack which includes a dark orange-colored external tank, two white, slender Solid Rocket Boosters and the Orbiter Vehicle which contains the crew and payload. The Space Shuttle is "stacked" in the Vehicle Assembly Building and the stack mounted on a mobile launch platform held down by four explosive bolts on each SRB which are detonated at launch.

The shuttle stack launches vertically, like a conventional rocket, from a mobile launch platform. It lifts off under the power of its two SRBs and the three main engines which are fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen from the external tank. The Space Shuttle has a two stage ascent. The SRBs provide additional thrust during liftoff and first stage flight. About two minutes after liftoff explosive bolts are fired releasing the SRBs which parachute into the ocean to be retrieved for reuse. The shuttle orbiter and external tank continue to ascend on an increasingly horizontal flight path under power from the three main engines. Upon reaching 17,500 mph, necessary for low Earth orbit, the main engines are shut down. The external tank is then jettisoned downward to burn up in the atmosphere.

The orbiter carries a crew of 5 to 7 astronauts and payload. Two crew members, the Commander and Pilot, are sufficient for a minimal flight. A typical payload capacity is about 22,700 kilograms (50,000 lb), but can be raised depending on the choice of launch configuration. The orbiter carries the payload in a large cargo bay with doors that open along the length of its top, a feature which makes the Space Shuttle unique among present spacecraft. This feature made possible the deployment of large satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope, and also to capture and return large payloads back to Earth.

When the orbiter's space mission is complete it fires its OMS thrusters to drop out of orbit and re-enter the lower atmosphere. In the lower atmosphere and landing phase, it acts as a glider. It then makes a landing on a long runway. The aerodynamic shape is a compromise between the demands of radically different speeds and air pressures during re-entry, subsonic atmospheric flight, and hypersonic flight.

With more than 2.5 million parts, the Space Shuttle has been called the most complex machine yet created by humanity.

Liverpool FC Update

2010-10-06T09:27:00.001+02:00

As I predicated on the 4th October the legal wars have started. The LFC board have selected the new owners, but the current owners Hicks and Gillet are going to court as they think the price is too low. They wa\nt £600 million, a extortionate price!

When can we have our club back?

World Space Week Day 3 – Moon Walkers

2010-10-06T03:58:00.000+02:00

Twelve people have walked on the Moon. All human landings took place between July 1969 and December 1972, as part of the Apollo program.
Here is the list

Name	Born	Died	Lunar dates
Neil Armstrong	August 5, 1930		July 21, 1969
Buzz Aldrin	January 20, 1930
Pete Conrad	June 2, 1930	July 8, 1999	November 19–20, 1969
Alan Bean	March 15, 1932
Alan Shepard	November 18, 1923	July 21, 1998	February 5–6, 1971
Edgar Mitchell	September 17, 1930
David Scott	June 6, 1932		July 31 – August 2, 1971
James Irwin	March 17, 1930	August 8, 1991
John W. Young	September 24, 1930		April 21–23, 1972
Charles Duke	October 3, 1935
Eugene Cernan	March 14, 1934		December 11–14, 1972
Harrison Schmitt	July 3, 1935