When we clearly understand that there is no superior sex or superior race, we will have opened the door of communication and laid the foundation for building winning relationships with all people in this global world of ours.
~Zig Ziglar.

————————————————————————

This blog is posted early for 20th June. There is another England result we can feel proud about. The England Rugby Union team beat Australia 21-20 in Australia and that’s no mean feat. Rooney has issued an apology to the fans although my guess is this was stage managed. If I’m honest I can understand his frustration as he was dreadful last night. Something was not right. He was not the only one. Strangely enough, the best of the bunch for me was probably David James. The displays of everyone else should give everyone the perspective that Robert Green’s error was not the only one to crow about. The ball control of practically the whole team left a lot to be desired.

Let’s get the weather forecast for Alicante Province…

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
27° C | 16° C	23° C | 16° C	25° C | 16° C	27° C | 17° C	30° C | 16° C
Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear

Invaded at the airport

Look, up in the sky — that’s your privacy taking off on the next flight.

I’ve warned you about the humbling new full-body scanners used in airports — the ones that reveal every intimate detail of your body to low-wage TSA workers. The feds claim that the images are viewed remotely, and no one can match your privates to your face.

Let’s call that what it is: Just one more lie from Uncle Sam.

A Miami airport worker made the mistake of walking through one of those things, and for a full year had to tolerate jokes about his penis size from a colleague.

Then, he did what any guy would do: Police say he finally beat the spit out of his co-worker. And can you really blame him? I’m just surprised he put up with it for a year before he cracked.

I wish I could say penis jokes are the worst part of this invasive new security system, but they’re not. These intimate images are created by radioactive blasts… and no matter what anyone tells you, there is NO safe level of exposure to radiation.

If you can afford the gas prices, do yourself and your pride a favor: drive.

Staying home,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

———————————————————–

Spain is taking the right measures for economic stability, the head of the International Monetary Fund has said.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he was “confident” Spain´s economy would recover and called on all Spaniards to back the government´s austerity work.

He was speaking after a meeting in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Mr Zapatero had earlier denied his government was seeking an IMF bailout, but markets have been nervous.

Mr Zapatero said on Thursday that Spain´s economy was solid and solvent, and the visit by Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a scheduled one.

Mr Strauss-Kahn said all the measures being put in place by the Spanish government were “clearly being done for the benefit of the economy”.

“I am really confident in the medium and long-term prospects for the Spanish economy, providing the efforts that have to be made will be made,” he added.

He specifically praised continuing efforts to liberalise the Spanish labour market, saying they went in “the right direction”.  Full Story

———————————————————————————-

Word of the Day

finalizar fee-nah-lee-sar’  (transitive verb)

to finish, to end, to complete, to wrap-up, to finalize, to conclude

EXAMPLES

Para finalizar, el ensayo es para mañana y tienen que escribirlo a máquina. – To conclude, the essay is due tomorrow and you need to type it.

Una vez finalizada la reunión, fuimos a cenar. – Once the meeting was over, we went out to dinner.

IDIOMS

Dar algo por finalizado – To consider something finished

Finalizar en tablas – To tie (a game)

———————————————–

June 20th: On this day

1948, Toast Of The Town, which would later be called The Ed Sullivan Show, premiered on CBS-TV.
1953, Eddie Fisher was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’m Walking Behind You’.
1963, Gerry And The Pacemakers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Like It’, the group’s second No.1.
1965, The Beatles begin a 14-day European tour with two performances at the Palais Des Sports in Paris
1969, David Bowie recorded ‘Space Oddity’ at Trident Studios London.
1969, the first of a three day Festival in Newport, California, featuring: Ike And Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, The Rascals, Steppenwolf, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and Love. A three day ticket cost £8.80.
1971, On this week’s UK singles chart, No.5, Tammi Lynn, ‘I’m Gonna Run Away From You’, No.4, Blue Mink, ‘The Banner Man’, No.3, Tony Christie, ‘I Did What I Did For Maria’, No.2, Dawn, ‘Knock Three Times’, and at No.1, Middle Of The Road ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’, the Scottish group’s only No.1 hit.
1973, Neil Diamond appeared on the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand.
1974, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tim Buckley, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Doobie Brothers all appeared at Knebworth Park, Stevenage, England. A special PA system was used for the event, claiming to be the best ever for an outside show, weighing 12 tons and needing five technicians.
1981, Stars on 45 went to No.1 on the US singles chart, a medley of Beatles songs set to a disco beat. I
1986, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Tina Turner and Elton John all appeared at the fourth annual ‘Prince’s Trust Rock Gala’ held in London.
1987, The Firm were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Star Trekkin’, a novelty song parodying the characters of Star Trek.
1997, Lawrence Payton of The Four Tops died from liver cancer aged 59.
1998, Baddiel, Skinner & Lightning Seeds went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Three Lions ’98′ released for the football World Cup 98.
1999, Dutch-based dance act The Vengaboys went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!’
2000, The Ronettes were awarded $2.6 million (£1.5 million) in “back earnings” from Phil Spector.
2004, Organisers at a Paul McCartney gig hired three jets to spray dry ice into the clouds so it wouldn’t rain during the concert.
2006, Claydes Charles Smith, co-founder and lead guitarist of Kool & the Gang died aged 57 after a long illness.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 20th:
1920, Danny Cedrone American guitarist and bandleader, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets. Cedrone played the lead guitar break on ‘Rock Around The Clock’ with Bill Haley and His Comets. He died on 17th June 1954, ten days after the session, of a broken neck after falling down a staircase.
1924, , Chet Atkins, guitarist,
1936, Billy Guy, The Coasters, (1958 US No.1 single ‘Yakety Yak’, 1959 UK No.6 single ‘Charlie Brown’).
1936, Mickie Most, record producer. Member of The Most Brothers during late 50′s. Produced hits for The Animals, Hermans Hermits, Lulu and Jeff Beck. Ran his own label, RAK during the 1970′s, hits with Hot Chocolate, Suzi Quatro and Mud.
1937, Jerry Keller, US singer, . A one-hit Wonder in UK.
1942, Brian Wilson, singer, songwriter, The Beach Boys,
1946, Anne Murray, singer, songwriter,
1949, Lionel Richie, vocals, keyboards, The Commodores,
1953, Alan Longmuir, Bay City Rollers,
Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

Being driven is not the same as being passionate. Passion is a love for the journey. Drive is a need to reach the destination.
————————————————————————————–

I feel as an England fan that I am being put through the mill. How can they play as badly as they did. They have the best food, the best hotels and they are pampered. Rooney has never played so badly and the rest of the team were inept. The public are disgusted and eventually others, too, will see how ridiculous it is to pay the manager about 10 times the salary of the Prime Minister. It makes absolutely no sense when they’re winning and even less when they play as badly as they did yesterday. If you are already earning a fortune does it really matter if you let others down. The bank balance will always soften the blow!

If we can’t get a team to beat Algeria ………….Let’s get the weather…..

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
27° C | 17° C	26° C | 15° C	23° C | 16° C	25° C | 16° C	27° C | 17° C
Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear

Word of the Day
mutuo moo’-twoh (adjective)

mutual, joint
EXAMPLES

Redunda en beneficio mutuo. – It is to our mutual benefit.

El sentimiento es mutuo. – The feeling is mutual.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for mutuo.
————————————————————————————-
There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.
One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.

The letter read:
Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment.

Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with, have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely, Edna

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.

By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman.

The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.

Christmas came and went.

A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God.
All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.
It read:

Dear God,

How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me?
Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends.
We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing.
I think it might have been those bastards at the post office.

Sincerely,
Edna

———————————————————————————–

Ian K is at it again………

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

“Por tres métodos podemos aprender la sabiduría: Primero, por la reflexión, que es noblest; Segundo, por la imitación, que es la más fácil; y el tercero por la experiencia, que es el bitterest.”
Confucius

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

The weather certainly was certainly better today let’s see what lies ahead………….

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
26° C | 18° C	26° C | 18° C	26° C | 17° C	25° C | 17° C	29° C | 16° C

The fooling has to stop and England must now get down to it. They will win tonight by 2-0 is my prediction if they play up to their abilities. Robert Green’s blunder would have had less impact had England scored another goal against the USA and it was fortuitous for inept attacking that Green made his mistake. France look to be on the plane back home and Argentina are looking good. We await tonight’s performance…..

Witching and moaning

The best treatments in alternative medicine are ones that cause the mainstream to scream the loudest — so judging by the cries from the U.K., homeopathy must be the bee’s knees.

Dr. Tom Dolphin of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors committee is urging the powers that run his nation’s socialized medical system to kill all funding for homeopathy.

“Homeopathy is witchcraft,” he said, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper. He also said it’s a “disgrace” that it receives funding, and his committee says there’s no scientific basis for homeopathy.

My first thought is: Who the heck is this guy? A junior doctor? Turns out he’s actually deputy chairman of the BMA’s junior doctors committee — so even among juniors, he’s a junior.

I wonder if he gets a little plastic badge.

Maybe Deputy Dolphin should wait for the training wheels to come off before he starts spewing ignorance — because clearly, he hasn’t been doing his homework. The idea that there’s no scientific evidence in favor of homeopathy is downright laughable.

I’ve seen plenty of studies that back homeopathic medicine, especially for acute conditions such as colds and allergies, and I’ve told you about some of them over the years.

Maybe Junior needs to start reading the medical journals, or at least the Daily Dose.

Personally, I’d trust the “witchcraft” of an experienced homeopath before I’d ever put my health in the hands of a British junior doctor.

If you want to try homeopathy, don’t let the baby doctors of Britain scare you away. But do yourself a favor: Skip the useless off-the-shelf homeopathic remedies you’ll find in the big box drug stores and visit a certified homeopath instead. The National Center for Homeopathy can help you find one near you.

And if you expect to meet someone with a pointy hat standing over a cauldron, you’ll be disappointed.

Looking for some eye of newt,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

——————————————————————————————-

Word of the Day

mutuo moo’-twoh  (adjective)

mutual, joint

EXAMPLES

Redunda en beneficio mutuo. – It is to our mutual benefit.

El sentimiento es mutuo. – The feeling is mutual.

————————————————————————————–

The law change will fill a legal black hole regarding detectors

The DGT traffic authority in Spain has announced that it is to ban all types of radar speed trap detector in cars.

Until now radar detectors have been allowed, while radar inhibitors which stop the devices from working and issuing speeding tickets were not, but now the head of the DGT, Pere Navarro, has said that all devices are to be banned despite the fact that new Traffic Law made no changes. Full Story

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Music Stuff June 18th
1948, Columbia Records started the first mass production of the 33-RPM long player. The new format could contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music per side versus the three minutes that could be squeezed on to a 78 RPM disc.
1955, Jimmy Young UK No.1 with his version of ‘Unchained Melody- went on to become one of UK’s favourite radio DJ’s
1966, This weeks Top 5 UK singles: No.5, Percy Sledge, ‘When A Man Love’s A Woman’, No.4, The Mersey’s, ‘Sorrow’, No.3, The Mamas and the Papas, ‘Monday Monday’, No.2, The Beatles, ‘Paperback Writer’, No.1, Frank Sinatra, ‘Strangers In The Night.’
1971, Fleetwood Mac appeared at Up The Junction in Crewe, England.
1974, Peter Hoorelbeke drummer with US band Rare Earth was arrested after a concert for throwing his drumsticks into the crowd.
1976, Abba gave a special live performance in Stockholm for Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding.
1977, Fleetwood Mac went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Dreams’, the group’s first and only US No.1, it made No.24 in the UK.
1988, ‘Doctorin’ The Tardis’ by The Timelords was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The Timelords were Scottish duo Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who formed KLF.
1988, Rick Astley US No.1- ‘Together Forever’, a No.2 hit in the UK.
1993, A&M Records chairman Jerry Moss and vice-chairman Herb Alpert announced they were leaving the company they founded more than 30 years earlier. They had sold A&M in 1990 to Polygram for $500 million. Moss and Alpert started the label in the garage of Alpert’s Los Angeles home in 1962. The label was the home to such acts as The Police, Bryan Adams, Joan Baez, Flying Burrito Brothers, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Supertramp and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.
2000, it was reported that sales of pirate music CDs had now exceeded more than 500 million a year and accounted for one in every five sold.
2003, Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller became the first British music manager since The Beatles’ Brian Epstein to hold the top three positions in the US singles chart.
2007, American singer and record producer Hank Medress died of lung cancer at 68. He was the vocalist on The Tokens 1961 US No.1 hit ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, Medress was also in the vocal quartet The Linc-Tones with Neil Sedaka and produced the hit single ‘He’s So Fine’ by The Chiffons, as well as Tony Orlando’s ‘Knock Three Times.’

Birthday Boys and Girls June 18th

1942, Paul McCartney, The most successful rock composer of all time. First met John Lennon on July 6th 1957 who was impressed that Paul could tune a guitar.
1953, Jerome Smith, guitarist, KC and the Sunshine Band, (1975 US No.1 single ‘Get Down Tonight’, 1983 UK No.1 single ‘Give It Up’).
1961, Alison Moyet, singer, Yazoo

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

Procrastination is the graveyard of Opportunity

“Un poco de conocimiento que los actos merecen infinitamente más que mucho conocimiento que es ocioso.”
“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.”
Kahlil Gibran

—————————————————————————————————————-

The weather is better again and people would benefit from it but for Spain losing their first game at the World Cup. Keep an eye on Uruguay and Chile is the message from yesterday’s games. Diego Forlan is showing himself to be the player Man United would like to have seen playing for them. He’ s already sorted out Liverpool and he paid his attentions to silencing the Sputh Africans yesterday.

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
25° C | 17° C	26° C | 18° C	26° C | 18° C	27° C | 19° C	28° C | 17° C

We have paella as the Valencian dish and rice is also needed. We have our own monsoons to grow the rice and Denia is in the rice growing community…………

Torrential rain in Denia this morning has forced the authorities to close schools in the area. Over the past few hours, 65 litres of rain per square metre has fallen in Denia, causing widespread flooding around the town. 25 litres of rain per square metre fell in just one hour, between 6.30am and 7.30am.  Full Story

——————————————————————————————————————————-

“I get it,” my friend Stacy told me.

She had just read the e-Alert that explained why red wine is healthier than grape juice. (It’s the “must”–that’s what winemakers call the skins, seeds, even the stems of red grapes used in the winemaking process. Meanwhile, yeasts used in the process actually feed on and eliminate the sugars in grape meat.)

So she gets it, but… “I just don’t like red wine. So if I can’t get those benefits from grape juice, what do I do?”

One word: and it’s not resveratrol.

It’s Powergrape.

As I’ve mentioned before, red grapes contain high levels of flavonoids, which are compounds with powerful antioxidant activity. Powergrape is a standardized grape extract designed to deliver a potent concentration of flavonoids with an important plus: high bioavailability. Which means your body eats it up like a sponge.

And then the benefits begin…

A 2008 study showed that flavonoids significantly reduce inflammation, which is a major factor in many chronic health problems. And research published the following year showed that Powergrape may actually protect cells from damage during exercise and help your muscles recover faster.

So if a Shiraz is not your cup of tea, Powergrape is a great way to get the benefits…without the hangover.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

———————————————————————————————————————————————

This is  pretty good info. Never even thought about key cards containing anything other than an access code for the room!

HOTEL  KEY CARDS

Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

Answer:
a.  Customer’s name
B.  Customer’s partial home address
c.  Hotel room number
d.  Check-in date and out dates
e. Customer’s  credit card number and expiration date!

When  you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for  any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner.. An  employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device,  access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your  expense.

Simply  put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee  reissues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest’s  information is electronically ‘overwritten’ on the card and the previous  guest’s information is erased in the overwriting  process.

But  until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a  drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!

The  bottom line is: Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.  NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them  into the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you  for the card (it’s illegal) and you’ll be sure you are not leaving a lot of  valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any  simple scanning device card reader.

For the  same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the  card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it  home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic  information strip!

If you  have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then  try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the  card.

Information  courtesy of:  Metropolitan Police Service.

>———————————————————————————————————————————————-

Word of the Day

el propósito proh-poh’-see-toh  (noun)

intention, purpose

EXAMPLES

Vino con el propósito de verla. – He came with the intention of seeing her.

Tiene el firme propósito de empezar de hacer ejercicio. – She’s determined to start exercising.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

(NaturalNews) Dioxins are a group of highly toxic compounds that are persistent environmental pollutants. People are exposed to dioxins through the environment and the food chain — the highest levels of these compounds are found in soils, sediments and food such as dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish. And, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), this exposure can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.

So you would never flush dioxins into your water supply, right? If you use antibacterial soaps and other antibacterial products, you could be doing the equivalent of just that.

In 2003 and 2009, University of Minnesota civil engineering professor William Arnold and his colleague Kristopher McNeill published their discovery that the antibacterial agent triclosan, when exposed to sunlight, generates a specific group of four dioxins.Full Story

——————————————————————————————————————–

Music Stuff June 17th
1954, The first edition of UK music paper Record Mirror was published.
1954, Guitarist Danny Cedrone died following a freak accident; 10 days after he had recorded the lead guitar break on ‘Rock Around The Clock’ with Bill Haley and His Comets.
1963, The Rolling Stones released their first UK single, ‘Come On’, it peaked at No.21 on the UK chart.
1965, Elvis Presley was at No.1 in the UK with ‘Crying In The Chapel’ his 15th UK No.1 single.
1965,  The Beatles completed  ‘Yesterday’ with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet.
1966, Guitarist Peter Green joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
1971, Carole King US No.1 album- ‘Tapestry’. The album contained ‘It’s Too Late’, ‘I Feel the Earth Move’, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow?’ and ‘You’ve Got a Friend’.
1972, Don McLean had his first UK No.1 single with ‘Vincent.’ The song was written about  artist Vincent Van Gogh.
1972, The Rolling Stones album ‘Exile On Main Street’ started a four-week run at the top of the US charts, (also No.1 in the UK).

1973, Dolly Parton recorded ‘I Will Always Love You’ in RCA’s Studio “B” in Nashville. Written for her one-time partner and mentor, Porter Wagoner (the two were splitting professionally at the time).

1977, After Jimmy Helms pulled out of a gig at Shoreditch College, the members of the social committee decided to call upon famous local, Elton John who lived up the road and ask if he would perform. Elton did the gig for two bottles of wine.
1978, Andy Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the US charts to have his first three releases reach No.1, when ‘Shadow Dancing’ hit the top of the chart.
1978, ‘You’re The One That I Want’ by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John UK No.1- The song was from the film Grease.
1979, Anita Ward was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Ring My Bell’.
1983, This week’s Top 5 UK singles: No.5, Bob Marley, ‘Buffalo Soldier’, No.4, Yazoo, ‘Nobody’s Diary’, No.3, David Bowie, ‘China Girl’, No.2, Wham! ‘Bad Boys’, No.1, The Police, ‘Every Breath You Take.’
1983, James Brown, UB40, Fun Boy Three, The Beat, Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Cliff, Marillion and Melanie all appeared at this years Glastonbury CND Festival, Shepton Mallet, England.
1985, The Crowd were at No.1 in the UK with a remake of the 1963 hit ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ The single was recorded to raise funds for The Bradford City Football disaster that killed over 50 people. The song featuring Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney and Rolf Harris, among others.
2001, Travis started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘The Invisible Band’.
2005, Pete Doherty was thrown off a yacht after being found smoking crack cocaine.
2007, The Traveling Wilburys went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Collection.’ The line of the Wilburys was: George Harrison, (Nelson Wilbury), Jeff Lynne, (Otis Wilbury), Roy Orbison, (Lefty Wilbury), Tom Petty, (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.) and Bob Dylan, (Lucky Wilbury).
2008, Welsh singer Duffy’s single Mercy was named song of the year at the Mojo magazine awards held in London-welcomed into the Mojo Hall of Fame and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, won the inspiration award for his contribution to rock music.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 17th
1930, Cliff Gallup, guitaist, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
1942,  Norman Kuhlke, The Swinging Blue Jeans
1944,  Chris Spedding, session guitarist. Worked with Donovan, David Essex, Lulu, Dusty Springfield, Jack Bruce, Eno, Bryan Ferry, The Wombles. Solo, (1975 UK No.14 single ‘Motor Biking’). Also a member of The Sharks.
1946,  Barry Manilow, (born Barry Alan Pincus) US singer, songwriter
1947,  Eric Lewis, Middle Of The Road
1957,  Philip Chevron, guitar, The Pogues
Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” John Wooden

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” Friedrich Nietzsche
“Change isn’t painful…the resistance to change is painful.” Mike Moore

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Can anybody really explain why this report has taken so long to exonerate those killed on Bloody Sunday? Can anybody really justify why certain lawyers have made millions of pounds from the proceedings? The only good thing to come out of this was the expression of acceptance by David Cameron. It is refreshing to hear any politician accepting blame. However, it is relatively easier to do when the whole world knows you cannot blame the person accepting the blame if you get my drift.

In the World Cup I saw a bit of Brazilain magic…..and Spain play at 4.30 today.

The weather was evil yesterday wth constant heavy rain. Today is very different. It is a lot warmer and the skies are blue. Everything is a lot fresher and we should have a few better days ahead. Let’s check the forecast for the province of Alicante.

Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
24° C | 16° C	25° C | 16° C	27° C | 18° C	27° C | 19° C	30° C | 19° C

Police have arrested 178 people in 12 countries in swoops on those suspected of forming part of an international crime gang with a large base in Spain, the Interior Ministry said today.

Co-ordinated raids took place in France, Italy, Germany, the United States, Ireland, Romania, Australia, Sweden, Greece, Finland and Hungary, as well as Spain, the ministry said in a statement.  Full Story

—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Thanks Mike Arras for the following…….

Queen Elizabeth and Dolly Parton die on the same day, both arrive before an Angel to find out if they will be admitted to Heaven. Unfortunately, there is only one space left that day, so the angel must decide which one of them gets in.

The Angel asks Dolly if there’s some particular reason why she should go to Heaven..Dolly takes off her top and says, ‘Look at these, they’re the most perfect breasts God ever created. It will please God to be able to see them every day for eternity.

The Angel thanks Dolly, and asks her Majesty the same question.

The Queen takes a bottle of Perrier out of her purse, drinks it, wees into a toilet and pulls the lever. The Angel says, ‘OK, your Majesty, you may go in.’

Dolly is outraged and asks,’What was that all about? I show you two of God’s own perfect creations and you turn me down,  she wees into a toilet and gets in.  How do you explain that?

‘Sorry Dolly’, the Angel says, ‘but even in Heaven, a Royal Flush beats a Pair, no matter how big they are’.

——————————————————————————-

(NaturalNews) It is likely a no-brainer to many in natural health world that processed, refined sweeteners like white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are unhealthy. Studies continue to show that these toxic sweeteners lead to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other serious illness. But in the mainstream world, these is still somehow a debate over whether or not these toxins are actually harmful, and over which one is preferable.

It should come as no surprise that the biggest defenders of processed sugar and HFCS are the industries that produce them. Of course the Corn Refiners Association is now spending big money marketing HFCS as safe – after all, it is one of their primary cash cows. Some of this group’s untruthful claims include alleging that HFCS is natural – because it comes from corn – and that it is safe in moderation.  Full Story

————————————————————————————–

Word of the Day

natural nah-too-rahl’  (adjective)

natural; fresh; normal; native, to come from

EXAMPLES

Murió por causas naturales. – He died of natural causes.

Soy natural de Andalucía. – I come from Andalucía.

IDIOMS

Tiene talento natural – He’s a natural; he has natural talent.

A tamaño natural – Life-sized

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for natural.

Music Stuff June 16th
1959, Russ Conway was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Roulette’.
1964, The Rolling Stones paid £1,500 in return air fares from America back to the UK to honour a booking made a year earlier for £100 at Magdalen College Oxford.
1965, Bob Dylan recorded ‘Like A Rolling Stone’
1966, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (featuring guitarist Eric Clapton), appeared at The Marquee Club, London, England.
1966, Cliff Richard joined evangelist Billy Graham on stage at Earls Court London and talked about his discovery of the Christian faith.
1966, The Beatles made a surprise live appearance on Top of the Pops, performing ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’. It became The Beatles’ last live musical television appearance, with the sole exception of the June 1967 worldwide transmission of ‘All You Need Is Love’.
1967, The three day Monterey Pop Festival in California began. On the bill-The Who, Jimi Hendrix Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Grateful Dead, Otis Redding, Simon & Garfunkel, The Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, The Mamas And The Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and The Electric Flag. Tickets cost $3.50–6.50 (£2–3.80). John Phillips, of The Mamas and The Papas would later write, ‘San Francisco’ (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) about the festiva.
1970, Mungo Jerry were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘In The Summertime’. It went on to become the best selling UK single of 1970
1973, Suzi Quatro had her first UK No.1 single with the Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman song ‘Can The Can’.
1977, Kenny Rogers was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Lucille’.
1979, UK TV re-launched the music show ‘Juke Box Jury’ hosted by Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmunds.
1979, The Electric Light Orchestra No.1 UK album with ‘Discovery’ their first No.1 LP, featuring the tracks ‘Shine A Little Love’, ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ and ‘The Diary Of Horace Wimp’.
1980, The Blues Brothers film starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd premiered in Chicago. The film also featured Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Ray Charles
1982, Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died following sustained cocaine and heroin addiction.
1984, Frankie Goes To Hollywood had their second UK No.1 single with ‘Two Tribes.’ It stayed at No.1 for nine weeks making Frankie Goes To Hollywood the first band to have their first two singles go to the top of the UK chart.
1989, the first day of the Glastonbury Festival took place featuring Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, The Waterboys, Suzanne Vega and Fairground Attraction. Tickets cost £28
1990, Roxette started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘It Must Have Been Love’. The song, taken from the film ‘Pretty Woman’ became the duo’s third US No.1 and a No.3 hit in the UK.
1999, Screaming Lord Sutch was found dead after hanging himself. The singer turned politician was 58. He was the first long-haired pop star-boasting hair over 18 inches long and the self-styled lord (real name David Sutch), was Britain’s longest-serving political leader, standing in nearly 40 elections.
2002, 46 years after his first hit, Elvis Presley started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘A Little Less Conversation’, (Elvis vs. JXL
2007, Rod Stewart married model girlfriend Penny Lancaster on the Italian Riviera just outside the resort of Portofino.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 16th
1941, Lamont Dozier, (Holland/Dozier/Holland), producer, songwriter, wrote many hits for Motown records
1942, Edward Levert, The O’Jays,
1946,  Ian Matthews, singer, Fairport Convention, Matthews Southern Comfort,
1950, James Smith, vocals, The Stylistics,
1953,  Ian Mosley, drums, Marillion,

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
- Mark Twain

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

———————————————————————————————————————————————-

We’ve got thunder and lightning at this very moment in time and I hope this is a small window of opportunity to get this blog published. In case you’re coming this way let’s get the forecast for the Alicante Province…….

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
22° C | 15° C	26° C | 16° C	25° C | 16° C	27° C | 17° C	27° C | 18° C

The weather systems around us show me we are fortunate even if the rain has been heavy. At least it freshens everything and it is looking good for tomorrow. Spain are playing at 4.30 and I hope to watch the game supporting my adopted country. Germany looked well-organised yesterday, Japan worked hard, Holland had the rub of the green with two Liverpool goals from Agger and Kuyt and Italy were lucky to get a draw. England’s walking wounded play on Friday and I, for one, am sick and tired of England bringing casualties to the World Cup. We just never seem to learn from our mistakes and pay through the nose for new gurus.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The next item is a subject that very few men realise can also affect our gender. It is also a very personal matter and I wish to merely offer the information preferring not to express an opinion………

(NaturalNews) One in three breast cancers detected by mammograms would never have posed a threat to the patient’s life, making all the treatments that follow unnecessary, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, and published in the British Medical Journal.

“The question is no longer whether overdiagnosis occurs, but how should we react to it,” said H. Gilbert Welch of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, author of an accompanying editorial. “It’s not an imperative to be screened; in fact, it’s a close call.”    Full Story

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

(NaturalNews) To hear Big Pharma tell it, statin drugs are “miracle” medicines that have prevented millions of heart attacks and strokes. But a recent study published in the British Medical Journal tells a completely different story: For every heart attack prevented by the drug, two or more people suffered liver damage, kidney failure, cataracts or extreme muscle weakness as a result of taking the drug.

Statin drugs, in other words, harm far more people than they help.

Julia Hippisley-Cox and Carol Coupland led the study which examined data from over two million patients, including over 225,000 patients who were new statin drug users.

They found that for every 10,000 women being treated with statins, there were only 271 fewer cases of heart disease.

And yet, at the same time, the statin drugs caused 74 cases of liver damage, 23 cases of acute kidney failure, 39 cases of extreme muscle weakness and 307 cases of cataracts.

Statin drugs, in other words, helped 271 people but harmed 443 people. This demonstrates how they are wreaking havoc with the health of those who take them, causing damage that far outweighs any benefit they might offer.  Full Story

More reasons to avoid cholesterol meds

Statins have side effects? You don’t say!

In one of the slowest reversals in history, the mainstream is finally ready to acknowledge that there are some real problems with cholesterol meds.

Researchers looked at data on more than 2 million Brits, and found that statin users faced higher levels of liver dysfunction, kidney failure, cataracts and that most famous side effect, debilitating muscle weakness.

They could have saved themselves a lot of time and trouble if they had read the Daily Dose!

But hold on a second, because this is about to get crazy. Despite all those side effects reported in the new study, the commentary published with it in the British Medical Journal says you should go ahead and keep taking your statins anyway.

I’m guessing they didn’t even bother to read this study, which found that for every 10,000 women treated with these meds, there are 74 cases of liver dysfunction, 23 patients who suffer acute kidney failure, 307 cases of cataracts and 39 cases of myopathy — better known as severe, debilitating and often irreversible muscle pain.

The Nottingham University researchers found similar rates in men in nearly all those categories except for the muscle problems — men get twice as many of those. More muscles, more problems.

The researchers say the risks tend to be higher in the first year, but you don’t have to wait that long to see if this drug is going to ruin your life — because you don’t need it in the first place.

Most people don’t have a cholesterol problem, just a doctor who thinks cholesterol is a problem. Then it’s off to the races, chasing after a meaningless number — an endless run through a maze with no cheese at the center.

Even worse, these drugs can bring your cholesterol down to dangerously LOW levels.

Understanding cholesterol is pretty simple: If you’re eating a low-carb diet and your total cholesterol is between 200 and 300, you’ve got nothing to worry about beyond choosing tonight’s prime cut.

And if it’s lower than that, get some fats into your system… because you’re in dangerous territory.

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

—————————————————————————————————————-

The following is sent by Sheenagh

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for
Blood plasma.
********************************* ******************************************
No piece of paper can be folded in half
more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead…I’ll wait…
****************************************************************************
Donkeys kill more people annually
than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass )
************************************************************************
You burn more calories sleeping
than you do watching television.
**************************************************************************
Oak trees do not produce acorns
until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
****************************************************************************
The first product to have a bar code
was Wrigley ‘s gum.
*************************************************************************
The King of Hearts is the only king
WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
***************************************************************************
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!)
(That women are going the ‘right’ direction…?)
*********************************************************************
Apples, not caffeine,
are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
************************************ ***********************************
Most dust particles in your house are made from
DEAD SKIN!
************************************************************************ ****
The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
So did the first ‘Marlboro Man’.
***************************************************************************
Walt Disney was afraid
OF MICE!
**************************************************************************
PEARLS MELT
IN VINEGAR!
*********************************************************************
The three most valuable brand names on earth:
Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
**********************************************************************
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs…
but, not downstairs
************************************************************************
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo,
and no one knows why.
************************************************************************
Word of the Day

solamente soh-lah-men’-teh  (adverb)

only, solely

EXAMPLES

Vino solamente seis personas a mi fiesta. – Only six people came to my party.

Esta semana, solamente tengo que trabajar tres días. – This week, I only have to work three days.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Music Stuff June 15th

1958,  ‘Oh Boy’, was broadcast for the first time in the UK.
1961, This weeks UK singles chart: No.5, Clarence Frogman Henry, ‘But I Do’, No.4, Ricky Nelson, ‘Hello Marylou’, No.3, The Shadows, ‘The Frightened City’, No.2, Del Shannon, ‘Runaway’, No.1, Elvis Presley, ‘Surrender.’
1963, Kyu Sakamoto US No.1 on the US – ‘Sukiyaki’, the first-ever Japanese song to do so. UK No.6
1967, Guitarist Peter Green quit the John Mayall Band. Green went on to form Fleetwood Mac.
1974, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods US No.1 – ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’, The song was a UK No.1 for Paper Lace.
1985, Bryan Ferry went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Boys And Girls’ his first solo No.1 LP.

1985, Dire Straits No.1 on the US album chart with, ‘Brothers In Arms’
1986, U2 and Sting headlined a concert in New Jersey celebrating 25 years of Amnesty International.
1989, Pink Floyd appeared in Canal di San Marco, Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy on a floating stage. Over 200,000 people attended the gig causing damage to buildings and bridges
1991, Paula Abdul US No.1- ‘Rush Rush’, a No.6 hit in the UK.
1996, US jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, California, aged 79. Already blinded by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993.
2002, a rare autographed copy of The Beatles’ album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold at auction for £34,000
2005, Coldplay went straight to No.1 on US album chart with their third album ‘X&Y’, having already entered at number one in the UK. The last time a British artist had a simultaneous US and UK number one was in November 2000 with ’1′, a compilation of hits by The Beatles.
2008, Liverpool was voted England’s most musical city in a national campaign set up by the Arts Council. The home of The Beatles, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, OMD and The Zutons took 49% of the vote in an online poll set up by the funding body.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 15th

1933, Waylon Jennings, US country singer.
1941, Harry Nilsson, US singer, songwriter
1943, Johnny Halliday, ‘the French Elvis’, major star in Europe
1943, Muff Winwood, The Spencer Davis Group
1946, Noddy Holder, guitar, vocals, Slade,
1947, Demis Roussos,

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

The best vitamin for making friends is B1

If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”
—————————————————

We came to Spain without knowing anybody here and with no ideas written in stone. Like anyone in this situation we needed the help of good friends and we got it in abundance. It is with great sadness that I am now having to pay tribute to a wonderful friend who helped us in our first years here. Big Ron and Elouise Ibbs were amongst the first few good friends we made and often made us feel really welcome when we visited their tent at their campsite. Big Ron used to organise entertainment for the Brits at Escalibur and was a very popular man. He then came on my show at OCI as my racing pundit and gave us Ron´s Runners and Riders. Ron then went on a trip around Australia and linked up with me to give a travelogue of his wonderful travels.

Ron returned to England for treatment and Elouise has contacted me to say Ron died last friday. Thank you both for your friendship.  Our lives were enriched by knowing Big Ron and Elouise.

Well done Hamilton and Button after an interesting Formula 1 in Canada plus a bonus with Fernando Alonso coming in third. In the World Cup, the Germans are coming so lock up your goalkeepers. Australia were well and truly thumped although the Aussies were down to ten men. Everton have now had two influential players in the tournament with Tim Cahill and Tim Howard. The tennis world is in a topsy turvy state with all the seeds crashing in the Queen’s Tournament.If you, like me, find the noise at the world cup games slightly deafening then the following might prove interesting……….South Africa ponders vuvuzela ban

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Here’s the Alicante weather forecast

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
25° C | 17° C	23° C | 16° C	26° C | 17° C	25° C | 17° C	26° C | 18° C

Recognizing a stroke

In most cases, the best way to stay healthy is to avoid your doctor — but don’t be stupid about it, either: When you need help, get it.

It’s simple common sense — but it’s not common enough, because a new study shows how too many people won’t seek help after a stroke.

Researchers asked 4,814 people what they would do in certain situations, and found that only 14 percent of them would call 911 after experiencing one of three common stroke symptoms… and 37 percent wouldn’t make that call no matter what stroke symptom they were experiencing.

Look, I know you didn’t make it this far by being a big wimp — but there’s a difference between overreacting and saving your own life. Getting help after a stroke isn’t a sign of weakness… but refusing it is a sure sign of bull-headed stupidity.

So here’s what you need to look for:

• Slurred speech
• Numbness on one side or in the face
• Blurry vision
• Trouble walking
• Sudden severe headache
• Confusion

You feel any of that, don’t waste time — call 112. Every moment counts when it comes to stroke.

Helping you get help,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Computer Warning

In the coming days, DO NOT open any message with an attachment called: Black in the White House, regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus that opens an Olympics torch that burns the whole hard disk C of your computer. This virus comes from a known person who you have in your list.
Directions: You should send this message to all of your contacts. It is better to receive this e-mail 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a message called Black in the White House even if sent by a friend, do not open, and shut down your machine immediately. It is the worst virus announced by CNN. This new virus has been discovered recently it has been classified by Microsoft as the virus most destructive ever.
This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee. There is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the hard disk, where vital information function is stored.
————————————————————————————————————————-

Word of the Day

el vicio vee’-syoh  (noun)

vice, bad habit, addiction; defect, imperfection

EXAMPLES

Come la comida basura de vicio. – She eats junk food out of bad habit.

El juego se convirtió en vicio para mi padre. – Gambling became and addiction for my father.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for el vicio.

—————————————————————————————————————————————
We are priviliged to work in the spoken media and here is a letter to prove my point…..

From the Heart

The following letter was forwarded by someone who teaches at
a junior high school in Memphis, Tennessee; the letter was
sent to the principal’s office after the school had
sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. This story is a credit
to all humankind. Read it, soak it in, and bask in the warm
feeling that it leaves you with.

Dear Reyer School:

God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent
senior citizen’s luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at the
county home for the aged. All my people are gone. It’s nice
to know that someone thinks of me. God bless you for your
kindness to an old forgotten lady.

My roommate is 95 and always had her own radio, but would
never let me listen to it, no matter how often or politely I
asked. The other day her radio fell and broke into a lot of
pieces. It was awful. She was very upset. She then asked if
she could listen to mine, and I told her to buzz off.

Sincerely,

Edna Johnston
————————————————————————————————————–
The Drunk

A drunk had been at a pub all night. At last call, he stood
up to leave and fell flat on his face. He tried to stand one
more time, to the same result.

He figured he’d crawl outside to get some fresh air, since
maybe that would sober him up. Once outside, he stood up and
fell flat on his face. So he decided to crawl the four
blocks to his house.

When he arrived at the door, he stood up and again fell flat
on his face.

He crawled through the door and into his bedroom. When he
reached his bed, he tried one more time to stand up.

This time he managed to pull himself upright, but he quickly
fell right into bed and was sound asleep the second his head
hit the pillow.

He was awakened the next morning by his wife shouting, “So
you’ve been out drinking again, have you?!”

“No! What makes you say that?” he asked, putting on his best
innocent expression.

“The pub called… you forgot your wheelchair again.”

——————————————————————————————————————

Music Stuff June 14th:

1953, Elvis Presley graduated from IC Hulmes High School in Memphis; his graduation photo shows him to have a split curl in the middle of his forehead, later to become his trademark.

1961, Country singer Patsy Cline was involved in a near fatal car crash in Nashville; she sustained head injuries after being thrown through the windscreen.
1963, during a UK tour The Beatles played at New Brighton Tower supported by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
1964, 12-year-old Carol Dryden was discovered by railway workers packed in a tea chest on a station platform addressed to The Beatles.

1964, The Manish Boys, (featuring David Bowie) auditioned for the UK television talent show Opportunity Knocks.

1974, Ray Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Streak’ a song about the latest British craze of streaking, (running naked in a public place).

1984, a model of Boy George from Culture Club was unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks in London on his 23rd birthday.

1986, Bob Geldof was named in HRH The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, receiving an honorary Knighthood in recognition of his humanitarian activities.

1987, Madonna played the first date on her Who’s That Girl World Tour at the Osaka Stadium, Osaka, Japan.

1989, Pete De Freitas drummer with Echo And The Bunnymen was killed at the age of 27, when his motorbike collided with a car.

1994, Composer Henry Mancini died aged 70. Wrote the music to ‘Moon River, which was originally sung in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Audrey Hepburn, was also the theme song for the Andy Williams television show.

1997, The Wu-Tang Clan went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Wu- Tang Forever’.

2000, Noel Gallagher from Oasis was voted into first place in Melody Maker’s annual ‘Un-coolest People in Rock’ survey.
2002, during an UK visit Michael Jackson made a tour of Parliament and was shown the monarch’s throne in the House of Lords. Whenever Jackson went outside he called for an umbrella to shield his face from the sun.

2002, Mick Jagger became a Sir when he was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

2003, Bryan Adams, Iggy Pop and Paul Weller all appeared at a weekend festival at The Isle Of Wight.
2006, Shakira kicked off her 99 date Oral Fixation world tour in Zaragoza, Spain.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 14th

1945,  Rod Argent, keyboards, The Zombies

1949,  Jim Lea, bass, piano, violin, Slade,

1961, George O’Dowd, (Boy George), singer, DJ. Culture Club

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

——————————————————

Change is inevitable, look for it and embrace it.

If you can dream it,you can do it. Walt Disney

“Hay gente en el mundo tan hambriento, que Dios no puede aparecerles excepto en la forma del pan.”

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”
Mahatma G.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Well, the fun has now begun and England must work even harder if they are to win the world cup. Johnson was good, Gerrard was good, Lampard and Terry were good otherwise mediocrity could be a good adjective to use. However, it is only the first round. It’s Algeria on Friday. Spain play at 4.30 on Wednesday. Let’s see how are weather looks for the week ahead…………

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
24° C | 17° C	24° C | 15° C	23° C | 16° C	26° C | 17° C	25° C | 17° C

Granada’s International Festival of Music and Dance takes place in June every year in the grounds of the Alhambra Palace. There’s a wide variety of performances including some superb Spanish guitar music which is performed in the beautiful Generalife Gardens. Although the main events are held in the Alhambra grounds, there are more shows taking place in churches and clubs throughout the city including jazz shows, classical performances and an interesting variety of other world musical styles. Tickets are sold in advance and are best acquired through the online ballot of the official event website.

See Granada International Festival of Music & Dance

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

(NaturalNews) Summertime means time for those pesky, disease-bearing mosquitoes and a fresh approach to getting a handle on natural mosquito control systems. Yes, systems, because it takes more than one earth-friendly method to manage mosquitoes and keep them from consuming people and pets.

Some people prefer hiring an exterminator, but they can be expensive and they use toxic chemicals on lawns and flowers which may harm pets and people alike. Do-it-yourself mosquito exterminating with natural products will rid the garden of these pests and provide healthful mosquito control throughout the summer. Mosquitoes are hosts to diseases affecting people like West Nile Virus and parasites that kill pets like heartworm. Protect adults, children and pets from being bitten by making mosquitoes a thing of the past with some of the best mosquito control systems and tricks.

-Place yellow light bulbs in patio lamps for use during evenings and at night during summertime. Orangey-yellow lights do not attract mosquitoes and other flying insects as readily as white bulbs.

-Wear dark colored clothes when working in the yard. Mosquitoes don’t seem as attracted to them as to lighter colors. Full Story

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spain have became the last of the 32 teams to arrive in South Africa for the World Cup after a 10-hour flight from Madrid.

The European champions arrived in Johannesburg on Friday morning before making their way to their base in Potchefstroom, where Vicente Del Bosque´s side will undergo their first training session.

Full Story

—————————————————-

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for la telenovela.

Word of the Day

la telenovela teh-leh-noh-veh’-lah  (noun)

soap opera

EXAMPLES

Veo las telenovelas de México para practicar mi español. – I watch Mexican soap operas to practice my Spanish.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

“What’s a kidney to do?”

Dr. Allan Spreen poses that question in a Healthier Talk article that could be a lifesaver for many diabetics.

Dr. Spreen: “Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that sit just above your waist toward the back of your abdomen. Basically, these tiny organs help filter out all the junk that passes through your body.

“But over time, diabetes can mess with a good thing. Instead of flushing out just the bad stuff, your kidneys start to flush out a lot of the good stuff as well, like protein. In fact, if you notice your urine looks frothy in the toilet, it means it’s filled with protein and it’s probably a good idea to have your kidneys checked.

“To check kidney function, most doctors will order a test to measure how much creatinine is in your blood. Creatinine is a waste product generated by your muscles, and your kidneys are supposed to filter out most of it. If your creatinine level is normal, it means your kidneys are doing their job. If it’s too high, however, it means your kidneys aren’t keeping pace.

“So what’s that mean for you?

“Well, if you’re diabetic with high creatinine, most conventional doctors will start you on an ACE inhibitor (a drug typically used to treat high blood pressure). Unfortunately, these drugs often come with a slew of harmful and serious side effects. And in some cases, instead of preventing kidney failure, these drugs can actually cause it — especially in older patients!

“But even if you’ve got diabetes with high creatinine, here’s some good news: New research shows you may be able to protect your kidneys without having to resort to drugs.”

You can read all of Dr. Spreen’s article titled “Diabetics can protect their kidneys–without drugs” on the Healthier Talk website where you’ll find a wide range of insightful commentary from the most respected doctors and researchers in the field of alternative health care. In addition, you’re invited to join in by posting your own comments following any individual article or video.

Link

————————————————————————————————————————

Music Stuff June 13th
1964, Louis Armstrong started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Hello Dolly!1964, The Beatles performed another two shows at Centennial Hall, Adelaide, South Australia. For the four shows that The Beatles performed in Adelaide there were 12,000 tickets, for which 50,000 requests had been placed. The two shows on this day were drummer’s Jimmy Nicol’s last as a “temporary Beatle”. Ringo Starr (who had been ill), re-joined The Beatles in Melbourne the next day.
1967, The Bee Gees appeared live on the UK TV show ‘As You Like It’. The group were promoting their debut single ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941.’
1969, The Rolling Stones held a photo call in Hyde Park to introduce new guitarist Mick Taylor.1970, The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Long And Winding Road’,
1972, Clyde McPhatter, original lead vocalist with The Drifters, died of a heart attack in New York.
1975, John Lennon made his last ever TV appearance when he appeared on ‘Salute To Sir Lew Grade’, performing ‘Slippin And Slidin’, and ‘Imagine’.
1981, Smokey Robinson was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with a song he wrote in the late 60′s. ‘Being With You’, the American singers first solo No.1.
1987, Whitney Houston started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her second LP ‘Whitney’.
1988, The biggest charity Rock concert since Live Aid three years earlier took place at London’s Wembley Stadium, to denounce South African apartheid. Among the performers were Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, George Michael, Whitney Houston and Dire Straits. Half the money raised went towards anti-apartheid activities in Britain, the rest was donated to children’s charities in southern Africa.
1995, Alanis Morissette released ‘Jagged Little Pill’. The album went on to sell over 30 million copies world-wide making Morissette the first female Canadian to score a US No.1 album.

1999, S Club 7 went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Bring It All Back’, the group’s first chart topper.
2000, a roadie who worked for The Spice Girls, Oasis, Elton John and Whitney Houston was arrested and charged with smuggling millions of pounds worth of Ecstasy into the UK.
2003, The elder statesman of music were rewarded in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list for their services to music. Sting was awarded a CBE, Gerry Marsden an MBE, Errol Brown an MBE and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour a CBE.

2005, Michael Jackson was cleared of all charges of child abuse by a jury of eight women and four men at the end of a 16-week hearing in Santa Maria, California. Jackson was found not guilty of all 10 charges including abusing a 13-year-old boy, conspiracy to kidnap and supplying alcohol to a minor to assist with a felony.
2008, A Chicago jury acquitted R. Kelly of all 14 charges of child pornography against him.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 13th
934, Uriel Jones, session drummer for Motown Records’ in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s.
1943, Esther Ofarim, singer, (1968 UK No.1 single ‘Cinderella Rockerfella’).

1949, Dennis Locorriere, guitar, Dr Hook
1968, David Gray, UK singer, songwriter.

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.
Zig Ziglar

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
John Wooden – FYI.

Well it’s up and running. The opening ceremony did South Africa proud and the nation is certainly in the groove. They scored a cracking first goal of the tournament with a scorcher hit by a lad from just down the road in Soweto. Whilst enjoying thart moment, spare a thought for the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela. She died in a road traffic accident and she looked a lovely girl. What a sad loss on this special day. We also had the first sending off as one of the Uruguayan players booted a French player who, as you’d expect, was left writhing in agony.

The weather is good again but will it last?

Sábado	Domingo	Lunes	Martes	Miércoles
25° C | 18° C	24° C | 17° C	24° C | 15° C	24° C | 16° C

NaturalNews) U.S. ideas of mental illness are spreading around the world, leading to an actual change in the kinds of mental disorders experienced in other cultures.

In contrast to the view held by modern psychiatry, the forms of madness have varied widely throughout space and time — including such unique phenomena as “amok,” in which men from certain Southeast Asian cultures would go into a murderous rage then forget about it; zar, in which Middle Easterners would experience dissociative episodes marked by laughing, shouting and singing; and a wave of leg paralysis that struck European women in the late 1800s.

“We might think of the culture as possessing a ‘symptom repertoire’ — a range of physical symptoms available to the unconscious mind for the physical expression of psychological conflict,” wrote Edward Shorter of the University of Toronto in his book Paralysis: The Rise and Fall of a ‘Hysterical’ Symptom.
Full Story

——————————————————
Get your D daily — not annually

You wouldn’t eat a year’s worth of meals in one day (although I’ve seen people try), so don’t attempt to load up on all your vitamins in a single sitting, either.

This nuts-o concept is at the heart of a new study out of Australia, where researchers gave a group of senior women massive doses of vitamin D… but only once a year.

Turns out it doesn’t help.

No kidding! I could have saved them the time and trouble — but they didn’t ask me. Instead, these researchers gave 2,256 women 70 years old or older either a single 500,000 IU dose of D in one day, or a placebo.

That’s it — nice seeing you, stop by again in a year.

After tracking these women for between three and five years, the researchers found that those who got the megadoses of D actually had a slightly higher risk of falls and fractures, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

And that means… absolutely nothing. You sure can’t blame anything on the vitamin D — because these women hardly had any! Outside of that one day a year when they received that megadose, these old gals were every bit as deficient as you are right now.

And yes — unless you’ve been taking my advice, you ARE deficient. Some of you are so badly lacking in D that you might actually need a megadose yourself — talk to a doctor who knows how to handle his nutrients to find out if this approach is right for you.

But whatever you do, don’t stop there — because daily D should be part of everyone’s routine. You’ll need a quality vitamin D3 supplement, and a good pair of earplugs.

Then, skip the sunscreen and head outside, because the best source of D is natural sunlight. And if anyone tries feeding you the same old lies about sun exposure and cancer, just put in those earplugs.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Word of the Day

el programa proh-grah’mah  (noun)

program; schedule, syllabus; cycle

EXAMPLES

¿A qué hora sale ese programa? – What time is that (tv) program on?

El programa espacial en los EEUU ha sufrido de recortes de fondos otra vez. – The US space program has suffered funding cuts again.

Notes

even though “programa” ends in an A, it is a masculine noun and uses the masculine definite articles

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Music Stuff June 12th
1964, The Beatles arrived in Adelaide, Australia and were greeted by an estimated 250,000 fans.Temporary member Jimmy Nicol was standing in for Ringo on drums who was recovering from having his tonsils removed.

1965, The Beatles were included in the Queen’s birthday honours list to each receive the MBE. Protests poured into Buckingham Palace, MP Hector Dupuis said ‘British Royalty has put me on the same level as a bunch of vulgar numbskulls’.

1965, The Supremes  US No.1 – ‘Back In My Arms Again

1972, The Sound Broadcasting Act was passed in the UK, providing for 21 new commercial radio stations.

1976, The Wurzels scored their only UK No.1 hit with ‘Combine Harvester’

1979, The Police appeared at The Locarno, Bristol, England

1982, Adam Ant UK No.1-Goody Two Shoes’,

1993 Dutch duo 2 Unlimited UK No.1 album
1993, UB40 had their third UK No.1 single with (‘I Can’t Help), Falling In Love With You’

1999, it was reported that Oasis had paid Gary Glitter £200,000 ($340,000) as an out-of-court settlement after being accused of using the Gary Glitter lyric, ‘Hello, hello, it’s good to be back’ in the song ‘Hello’.
2000, Sinead O’Connor announced that she was a lesbian.
2002, Clive Calder  sold his record company Zomba to BMG Music for $2 billion. Calder had hits with Billy Ocean, Sam Fox and Tight Fit.

2005, Pink Floyd announced they would reunite with former bassist Roger Waters, who left the band in 1985, on July 2 for the Live 8 London concert.

2006, Prince received a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his “visionary” use of the Internet

2008, Amy Winehouse performed an exclusive gig at a Moscow art gallery for Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and his girlfriend Daria Zhukova. It was reported that the singer was paid £1m for the gig at the launch of The Garage gallery, which has been set up by Ms Zhukova.

Birthday Boys and Girls June 12th

1928,  Vic Damone, US singer,

1941,Chick Corea, jazz musician. Worked with Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke, Bobby McFerrin.

1941,Roy Harper, UK folk singer, songwriter

1943, Reg Presley, singer, The Troggs

Music Source 1 music source 2 music source 3 music source 4

“La rueda de cambio circula, y aquellos que estaban abajo suben y aquellos que se levantaron bajan.”

“The wheel of change moves on, and those who were down go up and those who were up go down.”
Jawaharlal Nehru

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”

“Si no te gusta algo lo cambias; si no puedes cambiarlo, cambiar el modo que piensas en ello.”

———————————————————————————————————————————

The weather has changed yet again. I don’t mind cooling down and getting a bit of rain but the mosquitoes seem to love the change and get stuck in to us. We had rain yesterday and we have had rain again during the night. Let’s see where we go next with the Alicante weather forecast…..

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
25° C | 18° C	26° C | 18° C	23° C | 15° C	25° C | 19° C	26° C | 18° C

No wonder more folks are dying from cancer than ever before.  We wonder where this stuff comes from but here is an example that explains a lot of the cancer causing incidents.  Hmmm.  Many people are in their cars first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, 7 days a week.   As I read this, it makes me feel guilty and ill.  Please pass this on to as many people as possible. Guess its not too late to make some changes

Car A/C (Air Conditioning) MUST READ!!!
Please do NOT turn on A/C as soon as you enter the car.

Open the windows after you enter your car and turn ON the AC after a couple of minutes.

Here’s why: According to research, the car dashboard, seats, air freshener emit Benzene, a Cancer causing toxin (carcinogen – take time to observe the smell of heated plastic in your car).

In addition to causing cancer, Benzene poisons your bones, causes anemia and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer. Can also cause miscarriage.

Acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50mg per sq.ft. A car parked indoors with windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene.

If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level.

People who get into the car, keeping windows closed will inevitably inhale, in quick succession, excessive amounts of the toxin.

Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidney and liver.. What’s worse, it is extremely difficult for your body to expel this toxic stuff.

So friends, please open the windows and door of your car – give time for interior to air out -dispel the deadly stuff – before you enter.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

The economic crisis in Spain has triggered the demand for used cars.

The current economic uncertainty is causing an increase in demand for used cars in recent months, to the detriment of the new car market which has been reduced by 40% compared with “the high points of the sector”, according to the webpage `coches.com`.

The platform car sales indicated that the Spanish market was in an era of “splendour” in recent years, which ended in 2007.

Full Story

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Energy prices look set to rise for the second time this year in Spain as the Ministry of Industry proposed an increase in the price of electricity.

The ministry has proposed a 10-percent price hike for small businesses and a 5-percent rise for medium- and large-sized companies as of July 1.

Meanwhile, Spain´s 26.8 million homes would face price rise of around 4 percent. These figures would be further raised by a 2-percent increase in VAT (from 16 to 18 percent), which will also take place in July. Full Story

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Upbeat Country Rock Americana song thanking the men and women of the US Military, Police , Fire and all uniform services. It is so important to show them our appreciation for all they sacrifice on our behalf.

———————————————————————————————————————————

Music Stuff  11th June
1949, Hank Williams made his debut at the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ in Nashville
1962, The Beatles recorded a BBC radio program, “Here We Go”, at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, in front of a studio audience composed largely of loyal Cavern fans. This was the last recording on which Pete Best played drums.
1966, The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Paint It Black’- a No.1 in the UK.
1966, European radio stations mistakenly report that The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey is dead.
1969, The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Ballad Of John and Yoko’ the group’s 17th UK No.1. Only  John Lennon and Paul McCartney played on the track,
1977, The Sex Pistols reached No. 2 in the singles chart with ‘God Save The Queen’.
1988, Nelson Mandellas 70th birthday tribute took place at Wembley Stadium, London, featuring Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, George Michael, Eric Clapton, UB40, The Eurythmics and Simple Minds. The event was broadcast live on BBC 2 to 40 different countries with an estimated audience of 1 billion.
1997, Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall received a Master of Science Degree at UMIST, Manchester for his fund-raising work following an IRA bombing in the city the previous year.
2001, Sir Paul McCartney married Heather Mills at St Salvator Church, Ireland. Guests included Ringo Starr, David Gilmour, Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde. Heather walked down the aisle clutching a bouquet of 11 ‘McCartney’ roses.
2003, Adam Ant was arrested after going berserk and stripping off in a London cafe.
2005, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin founding member and guitarist, was awarded an OBE in the Queen of England’s Birthday Honours list and Queen guitarist and founding member Brian May was awarded a CBE.
2006, Nelly Furtado was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Maneater’, the Canadian’s first No.1 hit five years after her first hit ‘I’m Like A Bird’.
2009, Peter Doherty was released on £50,000 bail to await trial accused of driving dangerously after a gig.
Birthday Boys and Girls June 11
1946, Born on this day, John Lawton, Uriah Heep
1947, Glenn Leonard, vocals, The Temptations
1948, Alan Skipper, drums, The Pretty Things, (1964 UK No.10 single ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’).
1922, Judy Garland, singer, actress.
1941, Shirley Owens, The Shirelles,