Friday, May 19, 2006

The Week So Far in Tenerife

You'd be forgiven for thinking there is nothing else going on here, except the immigrant problem and Barcelona's win over Arsenal. Of course, people in Barcelona probably won't sleep in the next 24 hours, until the party is over, but that has repercussions in the Canary Islands too; with CD Tenerife not being the team they once were, supporters here are roughly divided between Barca and Real Madrid. The match even threatened to suspend the showing of last night's documentary film, when it was realized attendance was low because it coincided and, even though the showing went ahead, there were definitely very few men - not prepared to miss the national obsession - in the Cultural Center.

Nevertheless, there are one or two other things going on here, such as:

Tenerife launches a marketing campaign in the Spanish mainland, based on Tenerife being an "all in one" destination. Whilst I am in complete agreement that this little "continent in miniature" does offer a lot more than is generally perceived and, far be if for me to argue with the marketing gods, but it is also a fact that when you aim at "everyone", generally, you miss them all. :)

There could soon be an alcoholmeter in your favorite watering hole, after a proposal was approved by all parties to promote the apparatus to all establishments that serve alcoholic beverages, so that customers can test their state of inebriation, decide whether to drive, or not, to avoid accidents.

The 17 km footpath between Garachico and Erjos is being given a spruce up, between now and June. It will be the first hiking route on the island to get signs, recognized internationally by the European Ramblers Association.

More greening up, as a project for a 40,000 square meter Botanical Garden in Adeje is announced. The future attraction is planned for the Barranco de Las Torres, close to the new residential center at the entrance to the town.

The price of diesel was reduced by 0.015 Euros (in other words, one and a half cents) this week and petrol dropped by 0.001 Euros: an undiscernable one tenth of a cent. Oh well, at least it was in the right direction!

The Canary Islands pay homage to Tenerife born surrealist artist, Óscar Domínguez (La Laguna 1906-París, 1957), on the centenary of his birth, at the cemetery of Montparnasse in "a short, but emotional ceremony."

Workers of the threatened with closure TVE-Canarias come up with a creative plan to justify their existence: the idea of creating a Tourist TV channel, produced in the Canary Islands, for broadcast at national level.

Canarians call us Brits "Vacas Locas" (Mad Cows) because of disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE) in British livestock, not to mention the crazy behavior some of us display (who me?), but that may need a bit of a rethink now that a new case of Mad Cow disease has been confirmed in the islands, in a six year old cow in Gran Canaria. This is only the second case: the former was also detected in Gran Canaria, in 2003. Discovering it, say the authorities, is proof that systems for vigilance and control are working.

50 Scientists shut themselves away in the neighbouring island of La Palma, from May 16-19, to analyse a mysterious star, V838 Mon.

The windsurf Training Camp Only Girls Tenerife 2006 in El Médano, Tenerife found many activities to pass the time while they could not go sailing, due to a lack of wind on Monday and Tuesday. Obviously, not eating enough beans ...

And this has naff all (nada que ver) to do with the Canary Islands, but it made me laugh. Reporting on the story of the BBC interviewing the wrong Guy - on air - Malaprensa call the media entity the "Bean Boiling Corporation". :)