Today is Remembrance Sunday and I have been sent a really nice poem which puts a nice perspective on the day…….
THE FINAL INSPECTION
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
‘Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?’
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can’t always be a saint.
I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I’ve been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny,
That wasn’t mine to keep…
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.
I know I don’t deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
‘Step forward now, you soldier,
You’ve borne your burdens well..
Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in Hell.’
Author Unknown~
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Benidorm has been packed out over the past few days and we have fiestas in both Benidorm and Alfaz del Pi. To some the fiestas can be inconvenient to say the least.For example, physiotherapy is put on hold for those in the middle of remedial attention. I really don´t understand that a system of cover for emergencies could not be put in place. However, it could well be that Spain has got it right and I´ve been brainwashed to believe work is important!
We’ve had another fine day and there’s been plenty of sunshine. Tonight, however, it’s blowing a gale so we need to check the week ahead….
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
 20° C | 10° C
|
19° C | 11° C
|
 18° C | 9° C
|
24° C | 11° C
|
| Partly Cloudy | Partly Cloudy | Scattered Clouds | Scattered Clouds |
Here´s a rather nice arrival notice………
A capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) was born in the Terra Natura natural park in Benidorm, under the conservation effort plan to protect this endangered species. This is the fourth birth in the park since the captive breeding program for this species was launched, threatened by the Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The park is situated up in the mountains overlooking Benidorm and within a ten minute drive from the centre of town.
“Deforestation of the Amazon forests has declined, which is why this birth is important for the conservation of the species,” said park sources, who said that the birth took place “without complications”. The baby born at Terra Natura was “only 250 grams,” according to the sources.
“Within hours of life, the baby began to be breastfed, which will continue for almost a year,” and began to cling to the back of his mother, where it remains until it completes its first phase of development and begins to explore the environment on his own. Capuchin monkeys are “very sociable, and feed mainly on fruit, vegetables, seeds and insects” extended family members became curious to get to know the baby. This species can live to 45 years. While females reach sexual maturity at four years, males do so at seven years, just the age when they are expelled from the clan, according to Terra Natura.
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I love to see the rebel doctor writing what I have thought for years. Here´s his latest missive…….
New prostate surgery isn’t better
Hospitals and surgeons love new procedures with high-tech names — not because they’re better, but because they can charge bigger bucks for them.
The latest technique for prostate cancer is called laparoscopic surgery, but it’s often marketed as robot-assisted “keyhole” surgery.
All I can say is keep your robot out of my keyhole, because the latest research finds that this new and not-so-improved technique has a higher risk of side effects than traditional prostate surgeries.
And remember, in most cases you don’t need surgery at all — whether it’s performed by a man or machine, through a keyhole or by bashing open the whole door. Prostate cancer is an over-diagnosed disease that won’t kill most of the people who get it, but treating it comes with the risk of conditions like incontinence and impotence.
A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that patients who undergo the robo-surgery are more than twice as likely to experience those side effects.
It also found that patients who undergo the surgery are out of the hospital a day earlier and have a lower risk of needing a blood transfusion — but I’d rather have my sex life and control of my bladder, thank you very much.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want anyone practicing new techniques on me or my prostate. Even if you are in the small minority of patients who absolutely need surgery for prostate cancer, insist on only the most tried-and-true technique and the most experienced surgeon… not a brand-new procedure where the doc may need to stop and check the instruction manual halfway through.
But before you even consider that, insist on knowing the absolute truth about your condition — and whether or not you really need to face the risk of surgery in the first place.
You probably don’t.
Speaking of unproven high-tech treatments — you’ll be stunned to find out just how little they know about laser-eye surgery.
Keep reading… what you learn might just save your eyes!
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The owners of Spanish soccer teams backtracked Friday on their threat to halt the country’s most prominent league, deciding instead to open negotiations with the government over a fiscal reform plan that will almost double the tax burden on foreign players.
The reform included in the government’s budget proposal would raise income tax for foreigners earning more than €600,000, or $890,000, a year to 43 percent from 24 percent. That would mirror similar levies in the rest of Europe, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, although the average is 34 percent, according to the club owners’ association.
The tax break was introduced in 2004 to lure top-notch foreign expertise, but it has mostly benefited football clubs, to the point it was dubbed the “Beckham law” after David Beckham, the British soccer star who was among the first to profit from the measure when he signed for Real Madrid.
Now the Spanish government, faced with a soaring deficit in 2010 it forecasted at 8.1 percent, needs all the cash it can get. Local media have dubbed the planned tax increase the “Ronaldo law” after Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese player who signed for Real Madrid for a salary of around €13 million annually.
Spanish players, or foreign players who have resided here for more than five years, already pay the 43 percent tax, including the Argentine Lionel Messi, arguably the world’s best soccer player who earns around €10 million.
The planned tax reform though is not retroactive and will only come into effect January 1. It was a the ruling Socialist Party’s concession to several minority left-leaning parties in order to secure their support for the larger budget proposal which has been rejected by the largest opposition groups in Spain. Parliament has until the end of the year to approve the budget law.
Spain’s Professional Football League, known as La Liga, which groups the 42 teams of the first and second divisions, initially threatened to halt both competitions after the government announced the reform Tuesday. Since, most Spaniards have sided with the government though, increasingly isolating team owners.
The outcry grew quickly across the board. The government initially recriminated club owners for lack of solidarity with the rest of Spaniards who are suffering from the worst recession in decades and from an unemployment rate that is expected to reach 19 percent next year.
Criticism against La Liga mounted as journalists, players and most of the public joined the chorus.
Club owners have signaled they intend to barter for other benefits, especially those involving television rights, to compensate for lost revenue. The owners’ association called for another meeting Nov. 19 to assess the outcome of talks with the government and didn’t rule out halting La Liga.
In a press conference following the extraordinary assembly, the president of La Liga, José Luis Astiazarán, defended his organization. “I respect all those opinions, but as an association we don’t agree.”
“We had to rebel because they suddenly want to break the system that has allowed Spanish teams to become so successful,” Mr. Astiazarán said later on the sidelines of the meeting. He echoed the complaints coming from the best known teams in Spain, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, that say they won’t be able to attract the best players.
The claim is not completely unfounded, said Francesc Pujol, deputy dean of the economy department in Universidad de Navarra and an expert in sports economy. “From next year on, Spain will have to compete on equal grounds with other European teams. They lose their fiscal advantage, their unfair advantage.”
The government is unlikely to raise a lot more taxes from its fiscal reform. “This is clearly a political decision, with limited direct fiscal impact in terms of players’ salaries,” Mr. Pujol said. “But it sends the right message to contributors that everybody tightens their belt in this crisis, which will have the indirect impact of lowering tax evasions.”
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Word of the Day
La fuerza fwer’-sah (noun)
strength; loudness; intensity; force
EXAMPLES
Tuve que llevarle mi hijo al colegio por fuerza. – I had to drag my son to school by force.
Tiene mucha fuerza en los brazos. – He has very strong arms.
IDIOMS
a la fuerza – out of necessity
por la fuerza – by force
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Break In
A man went to the police station wishing to speak with the burglar who had broken into his house the night before.
“You’ll get your chance in court,” said the desk sergeant.
“No, no, no!” said the man. “I want to know how he got into the house without waking my wife. I’ve been trying to do that for years!”
Rough Country Road
I was driving my father and grandfather down a rough country road. My inexperience in handling Grandpa’s four-wheel-drive
vehicle made for a particularly bouncy ride. Embarrassed, I offered a lame excuse, “The sun shadows through the trees
make it hard for me to see all the potholes.”
“Don’t worry, Matt,” Grandpa said. “You’re gettin’ most of ‘em.”
Chemist Memory
A chemist walks into a pharmacy and asks the pharmacist, “Do you have any acetylsalicylic acid?”
“You mean aspirin?” asked the pharmacist.
“That’s it; I can never remember that word.”
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Army Training
Our army physical-training program requires us to run two miles every other day in platoon formation. Being somewhat older than the other soldiers, I have trouble running faster than a ten-minute mile. During a recent run, I was finding it difficult to complete the two miles without stopping, so I raised my hands high above my head to expand my diaphragm and gain my second wind. Suddenly I heard a voice from behind me say, “Forget it, sergeant, we don’t take prisoners.”
8th November and Vince is joined by Bjorn Heidenstrom cycling to South Africa, Rue Slater, Iris the Silver
Surfer and Rob Daniells on the day when in 1952, The first ever UK pop chart was published by the New Musical Express. 1963, Dusty
Springfield set out on her first UK solo tour1965, The Beatles worked on a new George Harrison song ‘Think For Yourself’ at Abbey Road
for their forthcoming Rubber Soul album. and in 1969, ‘Something’ the first Beatles A-side composed by George Harrison entered the UK
singles chart. In 1975, Elton John was named Godfather to John and Yoko Lennon’s son Sean. In 2000 Spice Girl Mel C made a foul-mouthed
attack on Westlife, calling them ‘a useless bunch of talentless tossers’ and ‘ in 2007, four men were arrested on suspicion of perverting
the course of justice after Police raided a house in Camden, London belonging to singer Amy Winehouse.
