Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Canary Islands MP demands same statute as Cataluña
Anyone who has read any Spanish news or watched any Spanish TV in the last few weeks will have heard the word "statut" (statute) over and over and ... It is a serious issue, but it has got to the point of being either a) boring or b) a farce.
The statute in question, in case you are unfamiliar, aims to grant even more autonomy to the regional government. Spain already operates on this basis, where individual regions, for ease of comparison, because, obviously, it not exactly the same, are somewhat like the various States of America, each with their own governments, as well as a national government.
Those who are against granting further independence to these regions, fear that it is the end of Spain as we know it.
Those who are for these statute changes, generally cite more relevant governance locally, which is in tune with the specific needs, culture, people, economy, conditions, etc.
There can be no doubt that the Canary Islands condition as islands does suppose a very particular set of circumstances.
There's also the "if you give it one, they'll all want it" issue.
So it occurred to me that, any minute now, someone will want the same treatment for the Canary Islands ...
Think Spain are reporting that Paulino Rivero, the President of the Canary Islands Coalition, and a member of the Madrid Parliament stated that he expected the same treatment for the Canary Islands as that afforded Cataluña in the reform of the local Statutes of Autonomy. He added that he would be asking the Socialist Government for the same powers for the Canary Islands as have been granted to Cataluña.
Canary Islands MP demands same statute as Cataluña
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Sunday, January 29, 2006
New wave Canaries
Harbour Breakwater At Sunset., Puerto De La Cruz, Isla De La Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Buy this Print
Los Angeles Times reporter, Susan Spano, visited Tenerife in mid-January and got surprised by the "little island, with many climates". Having been unable to reach the Parador in the Teide National Park, because of nieve - snow, she talks of walking among the 16th and 17th Century palaces of La Laguna.
Ms Spano's account is, thus, likely to be one of the last to describe the latticework and wood balconies that hung over the streets and the blissfully peaceful and green interior courtyards of the sadly now gutted Bishop's Palace, Casa Salazar.
It also meant that she stayed, accidentally, in La Laguna, at the Hotel Nivaria, a building from the seventeenth century, which originally hosted aristocratic families and was then the starting point for those who went to discover the New World.
It is nice to read this excellent account of the better attractions of Tenerife, written by an American and which puts the island into a context that prospective US visitors will understand, by making comparisons to places they will know.
And note that she considered prices "surprisingly reasonable", even at Santa Cruz' top hotel, the Sheraton Mencey.
Read the article: New wave Canaries
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Saturday, January 28, 2006
Tenerife's North South Divide
My mother was concerned on her last visit that the floor inside my car was wet after it had rained, you know, like there is something wrong with that which needed fixing. This mystified me. After all, it has leaked ever since it was brand new. I mentioned this at the garage once, but they responded with the usual, unconcerned shrug. Well, if they - the experts - don't think this is a problem, then I can't see how I can, do you?
Leslie at Scribbles from Tenerife seems to confirm that the above is, indeed, normal behaviour for vehicles here, both old and new. Leslie is also correct in saying that rain is more frequent on the north of the island. As you can see, it is wet - and thus green - enough in this valley to nearly confuse it with green and pleasant Ireland.
But are we more prepared up here in the north?
Well, not so as I'd noticed. In fact, quite the converse.
England has it's north south divide demarcated by the Watford Gap. Also as Leslie points out, Tenerife has it's own version, a humping great backbone of over two mile high mountains. For sure, there are big differences, but not in human nature.
In middle England, we'd get this horrible grey slushy stuff every winter that someone dared to claim was snow. And, every year, it arrived completely out of the blue and was treated as if it was a great big surprise. Town halls would have forgotten to get salt in - or they'd blame the previous party for not leaving a budget for it - and everything would come to a standstill.
Similarly, it comes as a great surprise to everyone when it rains heavily in Tenerife. And for much the same selection of financial and political reasons, nothing anywhere is ready to deal with it.
Actually, 15 years ago on the south of the island, you would get your two days of rain, some time between November and March. The road surfaces would wash away (by surprise), but once the sun came out again, you KNEW that was your lot for at least another six months. Now that really has changed in the last few years, so you can, just, understand why buildings in the south were never designed to cope with torrential rain. Over here in the north, that excuse wears mighty thin.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that some climatic difference was acknowledged way back in history. Yet the only real architectural difference is that the shutters are normally on the inside rather than the outside of windows, but that's probably only so you don't lose them in the high winds.
As for waterproofing anything, ha!
No, we too have inadequate roofs that leak every time.
I suppose I should count my blessings that after seven years of seriously nagging my landlords, it is only one bit of roof that now regularly leaks great lakes of water into the house. Looking on the bright side, after all the floods and damp, at least there is nothing much left of my possessions to damage any more.
Sensible people do have dehumidifiers going 24/7 over here.
Our dried up riverbeds tend to be a lot steeper over this side, but that is probably the only reason that they haven't all been developed yet. Roads still turn into rivers of rapids carrying mud, rocks and assorted rubbish. Much steeper, deeper and faster than it appears too. They regularly become impassable.
We also have less investment in roads and other facilities in these rural areas. Narrow mountain roads quickly become dangerous with both flooding and falling rocks. Light drizzle is enough to make electricity into an optional extra.
There are compensations, of course. (When I discover what they are, I'll let you know!) No, that's not true. This type of rain only happens once or twice a year, it does provide the fertile environment for agriculture, wonderful displays of year-round spring flowers, constantly twittering birdies, butterflies and more that you would not see on the south of the island. The people and their way of life over here, is far more real.
We get a different type of tourist over here too. They are more likely to be walking somewhere, so their footwear will be more suitable to cope with most weathers and they may be more adequately dressed, but they still greatly underestimate.
And where does a soggy camper, whose tent slid down a muddy hillside get help if busses finish for the day and Antonio the only local taximan retires for the night by early evening? Answers on a postcard, please. Considering that rain is expected here, I think the north is even more ill prepared than the south. Inexcusably so.
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Stop Press: The World is Round!
The Canary Islands have played their part in so many important voyages of discovery, perhaps most famously when Columbus, stopped off in the neighbouring islands of Gran Canaria and La Gomera in 1492. He also visited El Hierro on later voyages.
Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese maritime explorer who led the first successful attempt to circumnavigate the earth, is said to have visited Tenerife, arriving on September 26, 1519, near the start of that particular important three year voyage of discovery.
In those days, legend had it that it never rained here - my how things have changed - and there were no rivers nor springs. There was also talk of a tree whose leaves distilled drops of water, which served to supply both humans and animals.
That tree, the Garoé, thought to have been an "Ocotea Foetens", a type of laurel endemic to Madeira and the Canary Islands, existed on the island of El Hierro. One example, commemorated with a plaza and six wells that collected the water, existed at about 1,000 meters above sea level near Tiñor. It's existence appeared to be mythical, because it was uprooted in a hurricane in 1610 and it's disappearance coincides with the extinction of the indigenous culture, who had dedicated a cult to the tree, from the island.
However, Antonio Pigafetta apparently added a note to his account for that day of the voyage to the effect that after not encountering a single drop of water to replenish their supplies, "at midday a cloud came down over the sky, surrounding an enormous tree that there was on that island, distilling water from it's leaves and branches." This would seem to suggest that they were, in fact, in El Hierro, not Tenerife.
The ships left the Canary Islands on October 3rd, 1519. 
Map tracing Magellan's world voyage, once owned by Charles V, 1545 Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com
Magellan himself did not complete the circumnavigation; he was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines.
Juan Sebastian Elcano, took over command of the expedition after Magellan's death - one of only 18 to return, of the 250 or so men who started the voyage - and became the first man to complete the circumnavigation of the - clearly circular - world.
Among the curiosities of their discoveries, was the need for an International date line. Of course, they were the first to notice that going round the earth westward resulted in winning one day: upon their return they observed a mismatch of one day between their calendars and those who did not travel.
That made El Hierro, also known as The Meridian island, once the western-most point of the known world and used as the reference on maps, the ideal jumping off point for this voyage.
The Juan Sebastián Elcano is the training ship of the Spanish Navy, launched on March 5, 1927. The ship has certainly visited Tenerife, in 2003 during her eighth circumnavigation of the world and again in March 2006, after a major refit.
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Friday, January 27, 2006
Tenerife Auditorium by Night
This photo of Santiago Calatrava's Auditorio de Tenerife, available here at Wikipedia, comes in a high resolution version at 1024 x 768 pixels, so would also make an excellent wallpaper.
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Thursday, January 26, 2006
Carnaval is Illegal?
THE most emblematic and important date on Tenerife's fiesta calendar, no, in the world (after Rio) - Santa Cruz Carnaval - is illegal, according to residents of eight neighborhoods of the island's capital, who, through their lawyer, have presented a claim in the courts aiming to prevent the carnaval from being celebrated in the zones in which they reside.
Reporter, Bernardo Sagastume at ABC has the details.
The matter also made the TV news today and, I have to say, that I just HOPE it is some kind of sick joke or a publicity stunt to create interest in the Carnaval itself. Well, that is more comfortable to contemplate than that it may be serious.
Goodness, this is not the fun-loving image of Canarians that we have come to expect, is it? What a bunch of party poopers!
Now, I will be the first to admit that when there is a fiesta going on in your village and the salsa music is still making the legs of your bed dance in rhythm at 5 a.m., night after night, but you work in a job that doesn't respect the local holidays, then it can be a tad inconvenient, but you live with it.
Sure, the celebrations can be moved to another location, but there is always going to be someone within earshot ready to be disturbed, unless you move the party to mars!
Besides, it was my impression that most employers on the island understand that people will be late and not a lot gets done during Carnaval. Or is the island becoming more "efficient" and that such relaxed attitudes have become a thing of the past?
It is a VERY sad day, if that is the case.
A culture that knows how to enjoy itself is much healthier, both physically and mentally and, for that reason alone, I think it is extremely important to preserve these customs.
I wonder if the residents of Santa Cruz would prefer a Carnival on the London model, where there is (or at least there was) a 7 p.m. curfew? On the surface, that may sound great to sleep-deprived residents, until you look at the balance.
Curfews and prohibitions - that require a large police presence to enforce - lead to just the sort of tensions between party-goers and the authorities that have been known to end in riots in the British capital, but that so far, have been avoided in Tenerife, despite the large numbers who attend each year.
It may be a case of "be careful what you ask for", because the solution may be more disruptive than the original problem.
Since I am no lawyer, I cannot say whether the legislation they are quoting applies to this particular event, however, my guess would be that Carnaval is too important from the economic point of view for the action to succeed.
From what I understand of Carnaval's history, the tradition originally came to the islands with the conquistadores 500 years ago, although it is true that neither the authorities nor the church approved and dances in the streets were prohibited.
But, such was the strength of the public desire to celebrate the fiestas, that even after the Civil War (1936-1939) and the prohibition in the time of Franco, people continued to celebrate Carnival in their homes, until the 1960's when the party returned to the streets under the disguise of "Winter Festival".
It wasn't until 1976 that, finally, without the censorship that characterized the dictatorship that it was actually able to be called Carnaval and the event reached it's zenith.
Surely, no one wants to turn back the clock?
Labels: Carnaval
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Yellow Window Garachico
This delightful image by Ralf Ramge shows one of Garachico's most characteristic carved wooden windows and is available as Windows wallpaper. After you go to this page, click on the image itself. The full size version will pop up for you to download and set as your wallpaper. Yellow Window Garachico
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Wet, wet, wet in Tenerife
January 24 2006 will be remembered in Tenerife as the day that the rains came down – really down. It was the rainiest January day on record with the torrential rains particularly heavy in the early hours of the morning and affecting most especially the southern part of the island where an amazing 145 litres per square metre fell in Güímar, and 124 in Caletillas. Also torrentially noteworthy were Arona which recorded 95 litres per square metre and San Miguel de Abona with 80.
Wet, wet, wet in Tenerife
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Tapas : A Taste of Spain in America
OK, so there is nothing specifically Canarian about Tapas (UK visitors click here), except that the Spanish eating phenomenon is just as popular here as it is in all other parts of Spain.
But, provided one remembers to tune in an hour earlier than TVE's published time of 19:20 CET (i.e. 18:20 WET in the Canaries), one can watch Jose Andres each weekday evening.
Jose Andres inspires, surprises and delights with his passion and a sense of a living culinary tradition. He's a joy to watch and I love his explanations of the origins of food, which culture brought the influence or ingredient to Spain, how to select the best, etc. He also typifies today's Spain: absolutely steeped in tradition and avant garde in the same breath.
He clearly enjoys his work too and that rubs off.
Whilst watching, the thought crossed my mind, "Oh, I wonder if he has a book?", thinking only of myself and that it would be in Spanish. Well, heck, I hardly ever leave a remote valley - how was I to know that he's also a Washington restauranteur?
Since he is available in English, I thought you might like to be introduced to Jose Andres and his mouthwatering Tapas too.
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Above Me Only Sky
"Living on the north west coast of Tenerife, it’s impossible to ignore Mount Teide.", says the author of this article in Living Tenerife Magazine. Like the author, I live in north west Tenerife and agree that the mountain's mere presence cannot be ignored, even if you can't see if from where I am.
Unlike the author though, I took the cable car on the only occasion I went up to the top of the volcano. Personally - since I had my eyes closed and my hand held all the way - this alone takes some courage, but the experience just has to be that much more authentic if you climb up on foot.
Above Me Only Sky
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Residents want cables buried
Visitors to the Canary Islands can hardly miss these ugly sights that mar the landscape: the proliferation of overhead electrical cables, strung up like the islands' dirty laundry everywhere.
Well, those that are still standing after Tropical Storm Delta. For a few brief moments, when they said that the fallen lines would be put underground temporarily while the network was rebuilt, I hoped that the powers that be would "see the light".
The cables had already proven to be a danger. This was most dramatically demonstrated when a rescue helicopter became entangled, killing all five occupants, while trying to take injured away from a bus accident in Gran Canaria in March 2004.
It is also highly likely that the cables have been cause of more than one near miss, especially as helicopters are much needed for rescues, air lifts and firefighting around our rugged terrain.
What the health implications of such high tension wires are, depends on which expert you talk to. On islands that rely heavily on tourism and aesthetics of the landscape for their livelihood, then this OUGHT to also be taken into consideration, but I have never heard it being mentioned in that light.
My late father had been an electrical engineer. Not just any old "spark" mind you, he'd been responsible, during a large and fairly distinguished career in which he met with, legend, Red Adair, for designing humongous transformers and for supplying electrical equipment for the Iranian oil fields (pre-Revolution).
Therefore, I have no trouble in accepting his estimation that these hanging disasters waiting to happen are all wrong.
The fact that the cables are strung up in the manner they are, he explained, is the very cause of the disruptions to supply that we get every time there is a bit of bad weather. It only takes a strong wind - something so common in the Canaries that he was frankly exasperated by the ill considered methods - to bring cables too close together and some rain to cause a short.
Indeed, I've watched horrified as cables attached to the roof of my house created veritable firework displays with white hot sparks flying everywhere, in only a minor storm.
Not only does this cause unnecessary interruptions in the electrical supply, with all its accompanying inconveniences; inability to work, negative effects on health through lack of facilities, loss of frozen food, etc., but as all Canary Island residents will confirm, inevitably causes surges that damage appliances that then have to be replaced. I've never bothered to claim against Unelco, because I am sure it would only waste even more of my time, but I have lost count of the cost of these additional expenses and losses over the years.
Oh, I accept that once upon a time there was probably neither the money nor the capability to bury cables, given the hard, volcanic rock that makes up a goodly part of the islands' surfaces, but that was then. This is the 21st Century.
And if, as the experts predict from the warming of the oceans, that the Canary Islands are likely to see more of the weather phenomenon like Tropical Storm Delta that visited us last November, then I think we all, residents and authorities alike, really NEED to see this as the wake up call.
Recently in Madrid, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, José Montilla, promised better stability for the Canarian electrical system and, indeed, an investment of 5.5 million Euros has already been approved for the archipelago.
However, in the same discussion, Montilla explained that on many occasions projects for the improvement of the electrical system in the islands have been paralysed by "society's rejection". The minister appears to blame the poor situation in the electrical network as being the responsibility of residents' opposition to the hanging cables and sought to remind citizens that energy is transported through cables and not waves through the air. If I am reading the report correctly and I am sure I am, the minister has insulted a lot of people.
Of course we know that electricity comes through cables. All residents want, for the sake of our health, safety and that promised stability, is for those cables to be buried.
And it very much depends on how you define the word "improvement" really. Residents' definition would be focussed on stability, not just in the provision of more wires, temporarily, until the next disaster hits and brings them back down again.
For what it's worth, my judgement is that residents are not asking for these lines to be placed underground because they want to be awkward and belligerent, they are doing so because that is what NEEDS to be done. For good reasons.
Montilla also spoke of demonstrations by residents the lack of decision on the part of authorities, but was optimistic for the future. And one of the first chapters in that future promptly arrived, in the shape of around 100 residents of El Rosario in Tenerife who demonstrated, asking that the high tension cables that pass through the district be put underground.
ABC goes on to report, "What is curious is that this petition is nothing new, not just in El Rosario, but also in other districts of the archipelago."
El Rosario has 12,000 inhabitants, more than half of whom were left without electricity, water, telephones or mobiles for several days after the passing of Tropical Storm Delta in November. This event placed both the electrical system itself and the policies of Endesa Unelco firmly back into the limelight.
Plackards said "Don't play with our health", but this was not just a residents' initiative, the town hall also backed it. Indeed, all political flavours had voted for them to do so and mayor, Macario Benítez, indicated that they had been asking Unelco since 2004 for them to put the lines underground, to coincide with the widening of the motorway. The town hall says it intends to continue backing the residents of Tabaiba y Radazul in this and hope to obtain a satisfactory response.
But common sense, it seems, can be buried. Just not cables.
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New look for Las Galletas
The seaside town of Las Galletas is to have a brand new Paseo Maritimo seafront walkway beginning at the fishing port and continuing until the beach of La Ballena. The Spanish Ministry of the Environment will invest three million euros in the project as well as another two million euros to compensate land owners for the loss of their properties.
New look for Las Galletas
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Bustards make a comeback
There was a good news wildlife story from the Canaries this week when the region’s environment minister announced that an indigenous bird that was on the downward path to extinction has now recovered in sufficient numbers it that is now not considered to be eligible for the critically endangered list. The Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulate fueteventurae), found only in the eastern Canary Islands, is a distinctive, sand-loving subspecies similar to the better-known and slightly larger Great Bustard.
Bustards make a comeback
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Bishop's Palace destroyed by fire in La Laguna, Tenerife
The Bishop's Palace on the island Tenerife has been completely destroyed by fire. The fire began on the second floor of the seventeenth century Casa de Salazar on Calle San Agustín in La Laguna, and quickly spread through the rest of the building, before it was brought under control five hours later.
Casa de Salazar used to be the palace and residence of the Counts del Valle de Salazar, who commissioned the building in 1664. The facade is the work of Juan González de Castro Illada, built in 1681 by Canary Island stone masons Juan Lizcano and Andrés Rodríguez Bello. The sober and balanced Baroque design makes this facade, in the opinion of many people, the finest example of civil architecture in the Canary Islands.
The title of Conde del Valle de Salazar was conceded by Royal Decree of Charles II of Spain on January 21, 1686 to Cristóbal Lázaro Salazar de Frías Espinosa Abarca del Hoyo y Alzola, who was born in La Laguna on March 31, 1645. The first Conde del Valle de Salazar, married María de Ayala y Rojas, sister of the VIII Count of La Gomera. Both were decendents of the merchant family of Ponte, founders of Garachico.
The Count died in Milan in 1716, without issue.
Before the palace was acquired in the 19th century as the seat of the Bishops of Nivaria and Offices of the Curia, it housed the El Porvenir Casino. The piano was used by Teobaldo Power to compose most of his Cantos Canarios. The interior, mostly of wood, was laid out around a patio with pillars that supported galleries and contained important works of art. [image]
Bishop's Palace destroyed by fire in La Laguna, Tenerife
Fire consumes Bishop's Palace in Tenerife
La Laguna: World Heritage Site
Los Titulos Nobilarios de Castilla
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Sunday, January 22, 2006
Fiesta of San Antonio Abad
The Fiesta of San Antonio Abad is held in January - Saint Anthony's Day is the 17th - each year and the fiesta can be found in various small towns in Tenerife, such Arona, Los Silos, La Florida in La Orotava and here in Buenavista del Norte.
Even though the actual Saints Day is only on one day, the fiesta is celebrated over the entire week. San Antonio Abad is the patron Saint of a diverse selection of subjects which range from animals all the way through to various skin diseases. It's the animal part that provides the focus of the fiesta.
People bring their animals, mostly livestock, but also a goodly number of pet dogs these days, down from the villages in order to have them blessed. Hundreds of them first gather on open ground, then parade down the main streets of the town.
I have it on authority that if one registers one's animal(s) in advance with the Town Hall, then they get a number and after the parade, some sort of gift, such as a trophy or even money.
The most striking result of this event is that by mid-afternoon the streets are literally carpeted, wall to wall and knee deep in something that would probably be very good for the roses! 
The Icon of San Antonio Abad heads the parade.
Not surprisingly, this horse won 1st prize for its hairdo.
What a load of bull ...
There should have been many arrests for drunk in charge of a horse. This guy didn't even bother to dismount to buy his beer and is seen here accepting his change! 
The Three Amigos, Buenavista stylee ...
You can lead a horse ... always provided it wants to go! 
Then sometimes, belligerent ones head straight for the camera.
A shy little kid isn't quite sure about posing.
Prize winning burros.
Amazingly, each herd stuck close together and no one went out of line, even when making turns around the busy streets.
There were humans too dancing all through the parade.
Ride a white horse ...
A large number of horses gather before the start of the parade.
Goats packed like sardines into a pen.
This handsome black goat sports the very latest in bleached hairstyles.
We're OK, what about those people behind the barrier?
An ox cart full of kids - the human type.
Hand cart and man in typical Canarian costume.
The various folk groups walk with the parade.
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Saturday, January 21, 2006
Travellers Chronicles Reveal Invisible History of Canary Islands Women
The chronicles of the travellers who visited the Canary Islands in the centuries XVIII and XIX have been helping investigators to uncover details of the daily life the women of the archipelago, who had surprised the foreigners with their beauty, but also by their ignorance, poverty and superstitions.
University professor and investigator in History of Education at the University of La Laguna, Teresa González, has investigated texts written by Elizabeth Murray, Piazzi Smyth, Olivia Stone, Verneau, Berthelot, Humboldt and others, to publish a book, "Las mujeres canarias en las crónicas de viajeros" (Canary Islands women in chronicles of travellers).
Outsiders' accounts have been an essential source of information about Canary Islands women in centuries past, about whom there are scarcely any historical accounts, because the past of the women of the islands is invisible: hidden.
González says it was interesting to observe how the travellers analysed Canarians from their European viewpoint. They value but also underestimate and, in some cases, ridicule the behavior of the islanders. (Something we are still guilty of today.)
These travellers were mostly British, German and French and were of a "cultured class", with money, which made them look from a "position of superiority", analysing the island population as living in extreme poverty and intellectual misery.
The chroniclers described people who were rough, but because they had been kept far away from knowledge. They particularly noticed that better off women were kept inside, infrequently going out into the street, unless accompanied.
Many of the travellers visiting La Laguna, La Orotava and Garachico in Tenerife, as well as Gran Canaria and Lanzaorte, spoke of empty streets and silence.
They also described scenes with peasant women laden with fruit and milk who went to market in groups, engaged in animated conversations, accompanied by children.
English chronicler, Whitford's attention was drawn by the belief in witches, ghosts, apparitions and even curses, superstitions, which until recently pervaded among country women.
(From my personal experience, I'd counter that these beliefs and rituals still exist in various, mostly, rural pockets.)
Many also spoke of the moral order and in this respect, Brown confirmed that the morality of Canarian women was quite elevated, for instance if they were married they were almost always faithful, even when their husbands emigrated and they were left alone for a number of years. Single girls rarely had more than one boyfriend. (Now there's something that has changed drastically in the last generation!)
For Pegot-Ogier, the women of the Canary Islands were "uncultured, ignorant, had much less knowledge of the outside world than the men and were incapable of being the center of attention, despite their beauty".
Some travellers also spoke of how misery drove many island women to prostitute themselves in exchange for a few coins, mainly those who did not have a man to look after them. And there are stories of how women offered themselves to sailors or a group of thirty girls, accompanied by their old mothers, who begged insistently for "the favour of an intimate conversation".
La belleza y la miseria de las canarias sorprendía a los viajeros del siglo XVIII y XIX
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Crisis? What Crisis?
The idea of natural gas, as opposed to humping those butane gas bombonas around, might seem a very tempting proposition. Of course, there are always two sides to every story and the installation of gas tanks on the island is generating plenty of opposition - as this cartoon shows with "Do you know they want to put a bomb next to your house?". While the tourist on the beach, unaware, is saying "Crisis? What Crisis?"
Prensa Alternativa suggest this is the Canary Islands poster at the International Tourism Fair, FITUR, in Madrid.
Meanwhile, it doesn't help that the price of butane gas bombonas has risen yet again. On January 1 the price already leapt by a whopping 10.2% and this hike was just the latest in a series of price rises which has seen the cost of a domestic gas cylinder increase by exactly 31.2% over the past two months.
Bombonas head for 12 euro watershed
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Interview with Don Ricardo Melchior, President of the Cabildo of Tenerife
In this, the first of a two-part conversation between Ricardo Melchior, and David Gilroy-Jones, executive editor of Tenerife News, Sr. Melchior - who likens his role to that of a member of a football team - explains why there are two governments in the Community (The Presidency and the Cabildos), their functions, responsibilities and degree of authority each has.
Interview with Don Ricardo Melchior, President of the Cabildo of Tenerife
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Friday, January 20, 2006
Number of Foreign Residents in the Canary Islands Tripples in Five years
Two districts in Tenerife, Santiago del Teide and Adeje, are amongst the top 10 in Spain with the largest foreign populations. In the last year alone in the Canary Islands, the foreign population increased by 37,000 - some 20 percent - to 222,260 bringing it to 11.3 percent of the population.
The Canary Islands occupy seventh place among Spanish communities with the largest proportions of foreign population. Though the increase in the Canaries was of 20 percent in the last year, the average rise nationally was 23 percent.
Nevertheless, the Canary Islands have always traditionally been amongst those regions with the highest foreign populations (You could say right from the days of the Spanish conquest in the 15th Century) and even at the moment are still overtaken by various communities such as the Balaeric Islands, Murcia, Valencia, Madrid and Cataluña.
The increase in the foreign population continues to be the principal characteristic of the demographic evolution of the Canary Islands, especially in some areas of the south of Tenerife, where, for the first time in the district of Santiago de Teide, the number of registered foreigners (51.5 percent) is greater than the number of Spanish. Not far behind is Adeje where foreign residents make up 46.1 percent of the population.
The progression though, in the last few years, has been continuous. In 2000, a total of 77,193 foreigners were registered in the islands, which number rose to 107,930 in 2001, 143,138 in 2002, 179,493 in 2003 and 185,781 in 2004, to the total in 2005 of 222,260.
In the province of Santa Cruz there are more foreigners registered (113,469) than there are in Las Palmas. In total, there are eight districts - four per province - where the number of foreign residents is greater than 25 percent.
Santiago de Teide has a population of just 11,212 people, of whom, 5,786 are foreign residents. However, 32.8 percent of the foreign residents of Santiago de Teide and 27.6 percent of those in Puerto de la Cruz are over 65 years of age. There are no Canarian districts among those with a high proportion of foreigners, where those residents are of working age.
Adeje increased its population by 3,300 in the last year, of whom 3,000 were foreigners. There are a total of 33,722 inhabitants, 15,556 of whom are foreign residents.
Arona had the largest increase in absolute numbers of population in the last year, with almost 6,000 additional inhabitants, of whom 5,300 are foreigners and now represent 41 percent of the total of 65,550 inhabitants.
Meanwhile, at national level the largest numbers of foreign residents are from Morocco, followed by those from Equador, Rumania and Columbia, in the the Canary Islands, the greatest number are German, followed by English, Columbians, Argentinians, Moroccans and Venezuelans. Also, the number of Bolivians in the islands has duplicated in the last year to 2,000.
Of the total of 1,968,280 people registered in the Canary Islands on January 1, 2005, 1,689,700 were born in Spain. Of those, 1,512,752 in the Canary Islands themselves - 1,481,519 of whom were born in the same province where they currently reside. Only 278,580 were born outside the country.
Canarias triplica la cifra de extranjeros en 5 años y en Santiago del Teide son ya el 51,6%
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Canary Islands and Domestic Violence
Another social disgrace is that violence against women continues unabated in the Canary Islands, which, as in previous years lead the national statistics in the percentage of cases reported in relation to the population figures. The islands come second in the number of cases and would probably come top in this too, but we know that not all cases are reported.
In the Canary Islands, 5.58 cases per 1000 women were reported in 2005. The Balearics are already far from this figure, with 3.47 reports per thousand inhabitants and the lowest, Aragon with 1.22 cases per thousand.
The situation was addressed by the government with the new law against Violencia de Género, which left nobody indifferent to the problem and gave special protection to women victims. Nevertheless, around seven cases of domestic violence are reported every hour and more than five women are assassinated on average each month.
Maybe the Canarian population in particular should be reminded of their Guanche roots, under whose political system, "... women appear to have been respected, an insult offered any woman by an armed man being a capital offence."
Malos tratos: el año más duro
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Canary Islands head the list for Unwanted Pregnancies
Political party Alternativa Popular Canaria is asking the Canarian Government to put a plan into action for the prevention of unwanted teenage pregnancies.
The Canary Islands head the list of statistics in on underage pregnancies, with more than 10 percent of all cases in the whole of Spain. According to official figures, around 1200 girls under the age of nineteen give birth each year.
This already alarming statistic is worsened by facts revealed in recent studies - that those numbers literally explode in certain neighborhoods at the margin of both capitals and in pockets of poverty in various parts of the Canary Islands.
The Canaries also head the list in numbers of premature births (7.8 per thousand in 2003) and more than 400 abortions yearly.
Alternativa Popular Canaria consider it a priority for the Canarian Government and Town Halls to invest in the prevention of unwanted, underage pregnancies and, in specific campaigns in the areas where there are the largest incidences, including giving access to free contraception.
Embarazos no deseados
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EU says Granadilla port should go ahead
After much controversy surrounding the proposal to build a new port in Granadilla de Abona - and many protestations from citizens and Green Groups - EU Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, pointing out the necessity of the port for future development of the Island, concluded that there were no viable alternatives that would adequately fulfil the requirements.
EU says Granadilla port should go ahead
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Olives, the new Tenerife farming alternative?
It was a red letter day for the Cumbres de Abona bodega in Arico with the first pressing of locally grown olives. Although the bodega won’t be geared up for commercial production until the next harvest, there are already some 2,000 olive trees planted out and flourishing in the island. And for producers in south Tenerife, hit hard by labour costs, storms and pests, the olive represents a good bet for the future.
Olives, the new Tenerife farming alternative?
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The ongoing crisis of illegal immigration for the Canaries
While the numbers of rickety boats making life-or-death dashes across the narrowest strip of sea between Africa and the Canary Islands in 2005 were dramatically down, by some 44%, on 2004 with just under 5,000 boat people apprehended, more islands are now being affected by the phenomenon as people traffickers change tactics and targets and become ever more sophisticated in their methods in order to keep their profitable trade ticking over.
Steady as they tow
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What Wine Goes With Grilled Grasshopper Salad?
As tapas they were certainly different, but it’s hard to believe roast grasshoppers or grilled scorpions will catch on in the Canaries – even when served up by two leading Spanish chefs fast gaining a reputation in the circles of insect haute cuisine.
What’s shiny, crunchy and tastes a bit like – er - wood?
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Tenerife South Second Runway to Wait Untill 2014
A total of 191.5 million euros is to be spent on updating Tenerife South's Reina Sofia airport in order to respond to the ever-changing and growing demands of the new tourist market. However, conclusions from a recent study indicate that the second runway should not be a necessity before 2010 and for that reason work on a new terminal will take priority. Over 74 million euros has been budgeted for the terminal.
No second runway for Tenerife’s Reina Sofia Airport until 2014
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Police arrest 33 in operation against internet child porn
Police carried out raids across Spain on Wednesday to smash a gang which was organised from Florida in the US and Belarus.
Ten people were arrested in Barcelona, five in Madrid, two in Asturias and Tarragona and one each in Seville, Cádiz, Huelva, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Girona, Lugo, Pontevedra, Baleares, Navarra, Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, Palencia, Alicante and Castellón.
Police arrest 33 in operation against internet child porn
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Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Terrific Tenerife
An article in the Hornsey and Crouch End Journal espouses the delights of Terrific Tenerife, setting out to prove that there can be more to a Canaries holiday than the popular image of just lying on a sun bed as you slowly do an impression of a ripe tomato!
The writer headed north to the capital of Santa Cruz to the five-star Sheraton Mencey Hotel - also visited by Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and a host of European "nobility".
Then, after taking in the breath-taking Atlantic views from Mount Teide and some fine food in the restaurants of El Monasterio, Los Realejos, they headed south to experience a walk through architectural history at the hotel Gran Tacande on the Costa Adeje.
Terrific Tenerife
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Tuesday, January 17, 2006
On The Busses: Strike Looms
Residents and tourists alike who use th