A 37-year-old man and two teenagers of 16 and 17 years of age have been arrested on suspicion of having burgled some 14 homes in Can Picafort last month, some of the burglaries having been committed while occupants were asleep.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Muro town hall arguments over councillors' expenses
An ongoing row about expenses incurred by councillors at Muro town hall, and in particular those for attending meetings of the council, has exploded once again, opposition spokesperson for the Convergència threatening the mayor Martí Fornes with legal action over his claim that the former administration (under what was then the Unió Mallorquina) incurred far greater expenses.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
MALLORCA TODAY - Graffiti on Sa Pobla mosque raises further tension
Already high because of the release of two Moroccan boys accused of rape, tensions in Sa Pobla involving the Muslim community have increased, graffiti having been daubed on the local mosque along with the word "bomb".
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
All The Fun Of The Travel Fair
When Carlos Delgado became tourism minister he took a good-sized hunting knife to the budget for travel trade fairs. So much did he hack off that in Berlin last time round the Balearics stand comprised no more than a flip-chart, a fold-down camping table as a reception desk and a sign saying Balearic Islands that had been scrawled with a marker pen on a sheet someone had nicked from the two-star hostel where the fair's contingent had been forced to slum it. Embarrassing, some said. And worse still was that Carlos had forbidden that there be any "fun" in the form of jolly displays of ball de bot and the handing around of free glasses of hierbas and plates of frito. Travel fairs are for working, not for having fun, he commanded.
In 2013 there is to be more working at travel fairs. More than ever, or so it would seem. The great annual tourism promotion plan has been unveiled and the Balearics will be attending 17 general travel fairs and 28 specialised fairs. 45 fairs in all. I trust that you are impressed. You certainly should be impressed by the fact that the overall number of promotional "actions" - 107, 45 of which are fairs - will cost on average 80% less than in 2009 but will represent an increase of 78% on that year. 80%, 78%, whatever, my how they love trotting out these percentages. They are designed to impress, and yes, we are impressed.
More with less, this is the great tourism promotional mantra at present. So 80% less but 78% more sounds very much like more with less. The only worry is that a different mantra could be used. New for old. New travel fairs, same old message.
Carlos has been at pains to point out that all this gadding around travel fairs will help to reinvigorate winter tourism (isn't the "re" part rather redundant?). He has also been pointing out that the lack of winter tourism isn't the current government's fault, which is fair enough I suppose but shouldn't be taken as singling out the last PSOE administration alone for winter promotional inertia. In fact, I don't know how much any government over the past 25 years can truly be blamed. Successive administrations have come out with their own winter tourism solution, and it has been the same as was first conceived under the Cladera tourism plan in the 1980s and bears an uncanny resemblance to what the current government is proposing. New for old.
Just look at what these additional travel fairs will be promoting. Golf, cycling, nature ... . Do any of you notice anything familiar with any of these? What's new is that there are more places to go and stage fairs, so having failed to attract Brits and Germans for the past however many years with the delights of trekking across the Tramuntana in a howling winter gale, Carlos will be despatching the tourism ministry's one-man-band promotional task force with his all-in-one promotional kit to Moscow in order to entice Russians away from the competing attraction of basking in 25 degrees or more of sun by the Red Sea in winter.
Always assuming that this more with less, new for old message has some effect, it won't be an effect that will be witnessed in the next one or two years. "I would be lying if I were to say this," Carlos has said. Not lying, so therefore being honest. Well, there's a thing. The government will be improving things progressively every winter, which means little tiny bits of improvement until the next governmental upheaval in three years, when everything will change again.
To be fair, the government is trying, or at least seems to be. But when Delgado says, as he has, that the current reduction in flights and hotels being open in winter is all the consequence of a lack of demand, will the creation of what he claims to be the first "planned" winter tourism product really solve anything? He needs to flesh out precisely what this planned product is, other than attending more travel fairs and shoving information up on the internet.
It isn't really true to say that there haven't been previous "plans". They may not have been good plans and they may not have worked, but the winter tourism message has remained unaltered for years, save for the occasional strange innovation, like Nordic walking. So what's to say this new one will make any real difference? I hope it does, but far better would be just to hand over the cash to Melià or other hotel groups and have them construct a few whacking great, all-weather, all-year theme, entertainment, sports, fun complexes. Go on, Carlos, you know it makes sense.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
In 2013 there is to be more working at travel fairs. More than ever, or so it would seem. The great annual tourism promotion plan has been unveiled and the Balearics will be attending 17 general travel fairs and 28 specialised fairs. 45 fairs in all. I trust that you are impressed. You certainly should be impressed by the fact that the overall number of promotional "actions" - 107, 45 of which are fairs - will cost on average 80% less than in 2009 but will represent an increase of 78% on that year. 80%, 78%, whatever, my how they love trotting out these percentages. They are designed to impress, and yes, we are impressed.
More with less, this is the great tourism promotional mantra at present. So 80% less but 78% more sounds very much like more with less. The only worry is that a different mantra could be used. New for old. New travel fairs, same old message.
Carlos has been at pains to point out that all this gadding around travel fairs will help to reinvigorate winter tourism (isn't the "re" part rather redundant?). He has also been pointing out that the lack of winter tourism isn't the current government's fault, which is fair enough I suppose but shouldn't be taken as singling out the last PSOE administration alone for winter promotional inertia. In fact, I don't know how much any government over the past 25 years can truly be blamed. Successive administrations have come out with their own winter tourism solution, and it has been the same as was first conceived under the Cladera tourism plan in the 1980s and bears an uncanny resemblance to what the current government is proposing. New for old.
Just look at what these additional travel fairs will be promoting. Golf, cycling, nature ... . Do any of you notice anything familiar with any of these? What's new is that there are more places to go and stage fairs, so having failed to attract Brits and Germans for the past however many years with the delights of trekking across the Tramuntana in a howling winter gale, Carlos will be despatching the tourism ministry's one-man-band promotional task force with his all-in-one promotional kit to Moscow in order to entice Russians away from the competing attraction of basking in 25 degrees or more of sun by the Red Sea in winter.
Always assuming that this more with less, new for old message has some effect, it won't be an effect that will be witnessed in the next one or two years. "I would be lying if I were to say this," Carlos has said. Not lying, so therefore being honest. Well, there's a thing. The government will be improving things progressively every winter, which means little tiny bits of improvement until the next governmental upheaval in three years, when everything will change again.
To be fair, the government is trying, or at least seems to be. But when Delgado says, as he has, that the current reduction in flights and hotels being open in winter is all the consequence of a lack of demand, will the creation of what he claims to be the first "planned" winter tourism product really solve anything? He needs to flesh out precisely what this planned product is, other than attending more travel fairs and shoving information up on the internet.
It isn't really true to say that there haven't been previous "plans". They may not have been good plans and they may not have worked, but the winter tourism message has remained unaltered for years, save for the occasional strange innovation, like Nordic walking. So what's to say this new one will make any real difference? I hope it does, but far better would be just to hand over the cash to Melià or other hotel groups and have them construct a few whacking great, all-weather, all-year theme, entertainment, sports, fun complexes. Go on, Carlos, you know it makes sense.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Monday, December 17, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 17 December 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.30am): 17C
Forecast high: 18C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): West 3 to 4 with 5 at intervals.
Grey and blowy but mild this morning. The prospect of sun later. The forecast through to the weekend is for mainly sun, wind strong on occasion but little chance of rain. Temperatures remaining in the high teens.
Evening update (18.30): A rather disappointing day. No real sun, plenty of breeze and a high of 17.3C.
MALLORCA TODAY - Concerns in Sa Pobla following release of boys accused of rape
The release from detention of two Moroccan 15-year-olds accused of raping a girl of the same age at Halloween has raised fears that the boys could be the targets of reprisals. The two have been staying off the streets since their release and if they return to school, parents are saying they will take their children out.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
In A Ditch: Driving in Mallorca
Ah, the joys of motoring in Mallorca during the winter. Empty roads, the sun shining, you can take your time and admire the view, untroubled by heavy traffic or by tourists wandering along the middle of roads, armed to the teeth with inflatable dinosaurs. Until, that is, some twat comes hammering along behind you.
The main road from Playa de Muro into Alcúdia is a 50kph zone. In summer, this speed limit is arguably too generous (all those rubbery reptiles threatening to lift off in the breezes demand a lower limit). In winter, it is almost certainly unnecessarily slow, unless you buy into the argument that speed limits are also imposed to keep noise pollution down.
I would buy into this argument myself, were it not for stuff that ventures onto roads that make a mockery of the wish to keep noise down, such as those souped-up quad things and any number of spluttering motos. It isn't much of an argument, in truth, but if speed limit there is, then speed limit there should be. Despite there at times being hardly any other vehicles around, I pretty much observe it. Firstly, because I am rarely in any hurry and secondly, because it isn't unknown for the odd mobile speed trap to be lurking.
I am unconcerned by the inevitable tailgater. Nor am I concerned by the tailgater who, unable to pass or unwilling to take the risk of overtaking along a stretch of road where it is forbidden (not that all are unwilling), takes to one of the parallel side roads and hares along those in order to get ahead. No, I find it amusing. But I do wonder quite why Trafico devotes so many resources to blokes standing about at roundabouts, generally adding to a sense of divisive us-and-them, rather than having spotters that would enable the state to coin in just as much, if not more, from speeding and dodgy driving.
But these speed limits can be curious affairs. Let's take what there now are on a part of the road between Alcúdia and Puerto Pollensa, just by the Club Pollentia Resort. As you come towards the hotel from Puerto Pollensa, there is a sign saying 70, a few metres after it is another sign saying 50. How is anyone meant to be able to slow between these two signs, especially if there is some berk right up your backside? And where does the 50 limit finish? There is no indication that it does, until you come to the bend just before the beach where the kitesurfers go and there are two more signs: one that says 60 and a bit further on, right on the bend, that says go faster - 70. Has no one from the Council of Mallorca or from the police or from whoever it is arranges for these signs ever noticed that these signs don't make any sense?
Knowing at what speed one should be driving is never totally clear, except on motorways. In urban areas, there is huge confusion. In Can Picafort, for example. There, so Santa Margalida town hall had announced in September, all roads apart from the main road through the resort were to be 30 kph (safety and alleged noise reduction being the justification). Yet, come into Can Pic from the Eroski roundabout and what do you see? 40kph. So, what is it? 40 or is it 30?
What one does tend to know, however, is that main roads, like for instance, that which passes the power station between Puerto Alcúdia/Playa de Muro and Sa Pobla do not have speed limits of upwards of 200kph. They don't need signs to tell you that anything much over 100 might be a tad on the excessive side. But if you happen to take a Ferrari out on this road earlyish one weekend morning when there are unlikely to be any police controls out or indeed many other road users, you might feel it is safe to go boy-racing. Except if you lose control, end up in a ditch and manage to write the Ferrari off that you have only just taken delivery of.
"El Mundo"* has named Toni Vanrell. Everyone knew who it was who put the Ferrari in the ditch, as the reports were transparent without actually naming him. Brother Damian explains that the Ferrari had been bought (for half the amount initially quoted) in order to exploit a niche in the market - renting out to filthy-rich Russians. He also explains that his brother is experienced at driving powerful cars. So experienced, he manages to end up in a ditch. Doing what speed?
And this is really the point. Speed. Hiring out a Ferrari to Russian tourists might be good business, but how many of these might be experienced with the ways of high-powered sports cars and at what speeds might they drive? There is no real point in a Ferrari, unless it can be driven at speed. The maximum limit on any Mallorcan road is 120, that for the motorways. Damian, it's not good business, as who else will end up in a ditch or in a worse condition?
* http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/12/15/baleares/1355599631.html
** The "Diario" reports that its story about the Ferrari incident has broken all records in terms of reads and social media pass-ons for any of its web stories.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
The main road from Playa de Muro into Alcúdia is a 50kph zone. In summer, this speed limit is arguably too generous (all those rubbery reptiles threatening to lift off in the breezes demand a lower limit). In winter, it is almost certainly unnecessarily slow, unless you buy into the argument that speed limits are also imposed to keep noise pollution down.
I would buy into this argument myself, were it not for stuff that ventures onto roads that make a mockery of the wish to keep noise down, such as those souped-up quad things and any number of spluttering motos. It isn't much of an argument, in truth, but if speed limit there is, then speed limit there should be. Despite there at times being hardly any other vehicles around, I pretty much observe it. Firstly, because I am rarely in any hurry and secondly, because it isn't unknown for the odd mobile speed trap to be lurking.
I am unconcerned by the inevitable tailgater. Nor am I concerned by the tailgater who, unable to pass or unwilling to take the risk of overtaking along a stretch of road where it is forbidden (not that all are unwilling), takes to one of the parallel side roads and hares along those in order to get ahead. No, I find it amusing. But I do wonder quite why Trafico devotes so many resources to blokes standing about at roundabouts, generally adding to a sense of divisive us-and-them, rather than having spotters that would enable the state to coin in just as much, if not more, from speeding and dodgy driving.
But these speed limits can be curious affairs. Let's take what there now are on a part of the road between Alcúdia and Puerto Pollensa, just by the Club Pollentia Resort. As you come towards the hotel from Puerto Pollensa, there is a sign saying 70, a few metres after it is another sign saying 50. How is anyone meant to be able to slow between these two signs, especially if there is some berk right up your backside? And where does the 50 limit finish? There is no indication that it does, until you come to the bend just before the beach where the kitesurfers go and there are two more signs: one that says 60 and a bit further on, right on the bend, that says go faster - 70. Has no one from the Council of Mallorca or from the police or from whoever it is arranges for these signs ever noticed that these signs don't make any sense?
Knowing at what speed one should be driving is never totally clear, except on motorways. In urban areas, there is huge confusion. In Can Picafort, for example. There, so Santa Margalida town hall had announced in September, all roads apart from the main road through the resort were to be 30 kph (safety and alleged noise reduction being the justification). Yet, come into Can Pic from the Eroski roundabout and what do you see? 40kph. So, what is it? 40 or is it 30?
What one does tend to know, however, is that main roads, like for instance, that which passes the power station between Puerto Alcúdia/Playa de Muro and Sa Pobla do not have speed limits of upwards of 200kph. They don't need signs to tell you that anything much over 100 might be a tad on the excessive side. But if you happen to take a Ferrari out on this road earlyish one weekend morning when there are unlikely to be any police controls out or indeed many other road users, you might feel it is safe to go boy-racing. Except if you lose control, end up in a ditch and manage to write the Ferrari off that you have only just taken delivery of.
"El Mundo"* has named Toni Vanrell. Everyone knew who it was who put the Ferrari in the ditch, as the reports were transparent without actually naming him. Brother Damian explains that the Ferrari had been bought (for half the amount initially quoted) in order to exploit a niche in the market - renting out to filthy-rich Russians. He also explains that his brother is experienced at driving powerful cars. So experienced, he manages to end up in a ditch. Doing what speed?
And this is really the point. Speed. Hiring out a Ferrari to Russian tourists might be good business, but how many of these might be experienced with the ways of high-powered sports cars and at what speeds might they drive? There is no real point in a Ferrari, unless it can be driven at speed. The maximum limit on any Mallorcan road is 120, that for the motorways. Damian, it's not good business, as who else will end up in a ditch or in a worse condition?
* http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/12/15/baleares/1355599631.html
** The "Diario" reports that its story about the Ferrari incident has broken all records in terms of reads and social media pass-ons for any of its web stories.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Basic electricity prices up by 4% in January
Electricity, already considered dear, will cost more from January, the lowest rate, which is charged to a majority of consumers, the so-called tariff of last resort rising by 4%. Because of a deficit in the cost of electricity, the TUR last resort tariff may still rise further - by 7%.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 16 December 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (9.00am): 15C
Forecast high: 18C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): West 4 with 5 at intervals around midday.
Quite high temperatures overnight in places, up to 18 degrees inland around Pollensa in the early morning for instance. The day's highs will match this and will probably exceed it. A splendidly bright morning, remaining mostly sunny. Staying settled if windy during the week, there still being a threat of rain by Friday, but the forecast heading towards Christmas looks reasonable.
Evening update (19.00): Super day. Warm sun, a high of 20C.
MALLORCA TODAY - Tramuntana refuges receive 18,000 guests
The five refuges (hostels) on the dry stone route through the Tramuntana mountains will have received just over 18,000 guests by the end of the year. The annual cost of maintenance of the refuges has climbed to over one million euros, this cost being a principal reason why the Council of Mallorca wants to privatise two of them (one being in Pollensa).
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
Culture Nights, Culture Years: The OCB
It may not have been 31 December on Friday, but this didn't stop there being an awards ceremony in honour of 31 December. And why would there be an awards ceremony to honour this date? Because 31 December, unofficially, is Mallorca day (note the lower-case "d" as a result of it being unofficial).
As anyone with a smattering of Mallorcan history can tell you, 31 December was the day in 1229 when King Jaume I invaded (didn't re-conquer; invaded and then occupied). The Jaume invasion introduced Catalan to the island of course, and the rest has been history; one very complicated history ever since.
733 years after Jaume invaded, on 31 December 1962, an organisation was formed. Oddly perhaps, given the times they lived in then, this was the Obra Cultural Balear, arch-defenders in Mallorca of all things Catalan. It is the OCB which was dishing out the awards on Friday. It does so every year, but this, being its 50th anniversary, meant there was more to make a song and dance about (a dance that was probably in good, traditional Mallorcan "ball de bot" style).
In fact, the 50th anniversary has been given special meaning, as 2012 has been a very good year for the OCB. Because there has been so much anti-Catalan stuff flying around, it has been able to assume new purpose, kicking up a fuss left, right and centre (mainly left though), the devil of the Partido Popular attempting to play havoc with the demons of tradition and the language and culture of the island.
For its ceremony, the OCB chose Manacor. And why Manacor? Ostensibly, because 2012 is also the 150th anniversary of the birth of a famous son of the town, Antoni Maria Alcover, man of words and ideas, man of story-telling (mostly in Catalan). The choice of Manacor was fortuitous, however, as the town is the centre of opposition to the PP that has come from within the PP, or rather from those now no longer members of the PP, as they have been expelled. And they include Manacor's mayor, Antoni Pastor.
The ceremony, also known as the night of culture, was, as the OCB spelled out, an occasion that demonstrated a "clamour for the rights and linguistic identities of Mallorcans". On 6 January, the whole thing will be broadcast by Catalonia Television, thus extending fraternal Catalan cultural greetings across the water to the mainland and reinforcing, the OCB would believe, as it believes also in the rights of the mythical Catalan Lands, the fraternity of Catalan culture. The gala was offered to the Mallorcan channel IB3, but it seems that the offer was turned down. From what I understand, groups like the OCB and its environmental chums, GOB, are pretty much verboten by IB3 (all to do with impartial editorial direction, determined by a PP plant).
But what of this grand gala, this night of culture? Who got the awards? Well, if I were to reel them off, you wouldn't have a clue who I was referring to, and to be honest, I hadn't heard of most of them myself. One whose name is familiar, and is familiar to this blog, was Francesc Vicens. You might recall that he is the musicologist who has written, among other things, a book about pop music in Mallorca. The book's title is "Paradise of Love", and I wrote about this recently (http://alcudiapollensa.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/los-kinks-mallorca-and-sixties-pop.html).
As for the others, there were groups who defend Catalan in education, one of which helped to organise a day of protest recently, an actor called Antoni Gomila (from Manacor) who referred to the theatre as being the "backbone" for the expression and consolidation of Catalan language and culture, and a band from Valencia called Obrint Pas that mixes punk, ska and rock, all with a clear Catalan flavour.
So, there you are. What an evening of culture it must have been. And onlooking was Pastor, there with other former PP members of the town hall who await any further childish reprisals from the PP for having had the temerity to disagree with the party line. The auditorium in Manacor was packed. Whether one can read much into the attendance is hard to say, but the night of culture, it could be argued, demonstrates the serious divisions in Mallorcan society, ones created by the assault on Catalan. But how serious really are they? It suits the OCB to emphasise them, but then the OCB has its belief in the Catalan Lands and so therefore, and ultimately, some sort of independent Greater Catalonia. This is not something that has wide support in Mallorca. Indeed, it has very little popular support, and among politicians formerly of the "popular" party, I very much doubt that Pastor supports the idea either.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
As anyone with a smattering of Mallorcan history can tell you, 31 December was the day in 1229 when King Jaume I invaded (didn't re-conquer; invaded and then occupied). The Jaume invasion introduced Catalan to the island of course, and the rest has been history; one very complicated history ever since.
733 years after Jaume invaded, on 31 December 1962, an organisation was formed. Oddly perhaps, given the times they lived in then, this was the Obra Cultural Balear, arch-defenders in Mallorca of all things Catalan. It is the OCB which was dishing out the awards on Friday. It does so every year, but this, being its 50th anniversary, meant there was more to make a song and dance about (a dance that was probably in good, traditional Mallorcan "ball de bot" style).
In fact, the 50th anniversary has been given special meaning, as 2012 has been a very good year for the OCB. Because there has been so much anti-Catalan stuff flying around, it has been able to assume new purpose, kicking up a fuss left, right and centre (mainly left though), the devil of the Partido Popular attempting to play havoc with the demons of tradition and the language and culture of the island.
For its ceremony, the OCB chose Manacor. And why Manacor? Ostensibly, because 2012 is also the 150th anniversary of the birth of a famous son of the town, Antoni Maria Alcover, man of words and ideas, man of story-telling (mostly in Catalan). The choice of Manacor was fortuitous, however, as the town is the centre of opposition to the PP that has come from within the PP, or rather from those now no longer members of the PP, as they have been expelled. And they include Manacor's mayor, Antoni Pastor.
The ceremony, also known as the night of culture, was, as the OCB spelled out, an occasion that demonstrated a "clamour for the rights and linguistic identities of Mallorcans". On 6 January, the whole thing will be broadcast by Catalonia Television, thus extending fraternal Catalan cultural greetings across the water to the mainland and reinforcing, the OCB would believe, as it believes also in the rights of the mythical Catalan Lands, the fraternity of Catalan culture. The gala was offered to the Mallorcan channel IB3, but it seems that the offer was turned down. From what I understand, groups like the OCB and its environmental chums, GOB, are pretty much verboten by IB3 (all to do with impartial editorial direction, determined by a PP plant).
But what of this grand gala, this night of culture? Who got the awards? Well, if I were to reel them off, you wouldn't have a clue who I was referring to, and to be honest, I hadn't heard of most of them myself. One whose name is familiar, and is familiar to this blog, was Francesc Vicens. You might recall that he is the musicologist who has written, among other things, a book about pop music in Mallorca. The book's title is "Paradise of Love", and I wrote about this recently (http://alcudiapollensa.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/los-kinks-mallorca-and-sixties-pop.html).
As for the others, there were groups who defend Catalan in education, one of which helped to organise a day of protest recently, an actor called Antoni Gomila (from Manacor) who referred to the theatre as being the "backbone" for the expression and consolidation of Catalan language and culture, and a band from Valencia called Obrint Pas that mixes punk, ska and rock, all with a clear Catalan flavour.
So, there you are. What an evening of culture it must have been. And onlooking was Pastor, there with other former PP members of the town hall who await any further childish reprisals from the PP for having had the temerity to disagree with the party line. The auditorium in Manacor was packed. Whether one can read much into the attendance is hard to say, but the night of culture, it could be argued, demonstrates the serious divisions in Mallorcan society, ones created by the assault on Catalan. But how serious really are they? It suits the OCB to emphasise them, but then the OCB has its belief in the Catalan Lands and so therefore, and ultimately, some sort of independent Greater Catalonia. This is not something that has wide support in Mallorca. Indeed, it has very little popular support, and among politicians formerly of the "popular" party, I very much doubt that Pastor supports the idea either.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Real Mallorca 0 : 1 Athletic Bilbao
With their most recent disasters fresh in the memory, Mallorca faced Bilbao in desperate need of turning their season around. Bilbao, not the force they were last season, had lost five out of seven league matches on the road this season. So could Mallorca overcome them?
The answer appeared to be no. Bilbao dominated the opening exchanges and after ten minutes Aduriz headed them into the lead. Mallorca picked it up without creating real chances, Hemed coming close with a header just after the half-hour mark, then Hemed again with a header and Victor drawing stops by Iraizoz. Straight after the break and Arizmendi's header was another close chance for Mallorca. Susaeta just missed from a direct free kick after 15 minutes of the second period, while Bilbao, more under the cosh, were still enjoying more possession than Mallorca and Muniain shot just wide and Aduriz had a header saved. Bilbao began to close up shop as full-time neared, Hemed heading wide for Mallorca, and that was that. Better from Mallorca, but another defeat, so where does it leave coach Caparrós with his team hovering above the relegation zone? High-flying Betis away next up for Mallorca.
Mallorca:
Aouate; Nsue, Nunes, Geromel, Bigas; Pina, Márquez (Martí 72); Arizmendi (Alfaro 85), Victor, Dos Santos (Brandon 73); Hemed
Yellows: Bigas (44), Geromel (57), Brandon (88)
Bilbao:
Iraizoz; Iraola, Laporte, Ekiza, Aurtenetxe; San José, Ander; Susaeta (Gómez 63), De Marcos (Gurpegi 80), Muniain (Toquero 88); Aduriz
Goal: Aduriz (10)
Yellows: San José (30), Laporte (33), Susaeta (60)
The answer appeared to be no. Bilbao dominated the opening exchanges and after ten minutes Aduriz headed them into the lead. Mallorca picked it up without creating real chances, Hemed coming close with a header just after the half-hour mark, then Hemed again with a header and Victor drawing stops by Iraizoz. Straight after the break and Arizmendi's header was another close chance for Mallorca. Susaeta just missed from a direct free kick after 15 minutes of the second period, while Bilbao, more under the cosh, were still enjoying more possession than Mallorca and Muniain shot just wide and Aduriz had a header saved. Bilbao began to close up shop as full-time neared, Hemed heading wide for Mallorca, and that was that. Better from Mallorca, but another defeat, so where does it leave coach Caparrós with his team hovering above the relegation zone? High-flying Betis away next up for Mallorca.
Mallorca:
Aouate; Nsue, Nunes, Geromel, Bigas; Pina, Márquez (Martí 72); Arizmendi (Alfaro 85), Victor, Dos Santos (Brandon 73); Hemed
Yellows: Bigas (44), Geromel (57), Brandon (88)
Bilbao:
Iraizoz; Iraola, Laporte, Ekiza, Aurtenetxe; San José, Ander; Susaeta (Gómez 63), De Marcos (Gurpegi 80), Muniain (Toquero 88); Aduriz
Goal: Aduriz (10)
Yellows: San José (30), Laporte (33), Susaeta (60)
MALLORCA TODAY - Pollensa opposition parties concerned by town hall administration
Opposition parties at Pollensa town hall are expressing their concern about the management of the council following the split between the three councillors from La Lliga, two of whom have become independent and one of whom has sided with the merged party, formed between La Lliga and the Convergència.
The division between the three is one aspect of the merger, another is the fact that the Convergència has, through the backdoor, gained influence in the administration that its councillors were not granted at the last election. There should be a new election, something that is difficult to call but not impossible.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
The division between the three is one aspect of the merger, another is the fact that the Convergència has, through the backdoor, gained influence in the administration that its councillors were not granted at the last election. There should be a new election, something that is difficult to call but not impossible.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 15 December 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.45am): 18.5C
Forecast high: 19C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): Southwest 6 easing during the morning to Southwest and West 4 to 5 and then 3.
Still quite blowy after a windy old night, the predominantly southerly wind bringing in warmish air. Due to be sunny today but not a great deal of sign of the sun early on. Tomorrow also set to be fine but getting increasingly windy again. Looking ahead and nearer to Christmas, rain is expected on Friday (21 December).
Afternoon update (17.30): Got sunnier during the day with a high of 20.9C.
Language And Nationalism
Ed Miliband would, under a future Labour government, make it a stipulation that every Briton would have to speak English. He also would appear to want to stipulate that anyone who goes to live in Britain would have to speak English and that, to have a job which requires interaction with the public, staff would need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language.
This may all seem like a sop to the right-wing, but it doesn't sound particularly unreasonable, especially where public-sector jobs are concerned. If you wish to create something of unified national identity, then language is as good a symbol as any for ensuring it.
Such language stipulation is not solely an issue for British politicians to have to consider. It is one, you may have noticed, that also taxes the minds of Spanish politicians. The Catalan-Castellano great bore aside, there have been thoughts about insisting that immigrants to Spain speak Spanish (as opposed to Catalan, though maybe they think differently on the matter in Catalan-speaking areas). The current prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, once said that he would make it a stipulation, much as Miliband appears to want to where English is concerned.
Rajoy was coming from the issue from a non-EU angle (and, one suspects, a non-EU angle that nevertheless placed certain EU nationals, the likes of the British, the Germans and the French, in a different category to, for example, Bulgarians). There has never been any enactment as such, but, and regardless of where an immigrant comes from, an inability to speak the language will be an obstacle. This much is inevitable. In Spain, in Britain, wherever you care to mention.
Requiring immigrants to speak the native-tongue takes on the not always healthy glow of nationalism and the somewhat specious concept of citizenship, whether a formal application for citizenship is made or not. Speaking the language (Spanish) demonstrates a willingness to be a good citizen. Or in theory, it does. But what is meant by this? For politicians, it means the same as embracing culture, given that language and culture are indivisible, but this is highly questionable; immigrants retain their old cultures, to greater or lesser degrees, even when able to speak a new language perfectly well, and indeed Miliband is not suggesting that immigrants should abandon the cultures of their birth, which is very noble of him.
By the same token, not being able to speak the new language does not automatically mean that someone is a bad citizen. There are plenty of British people in Mallorca who speak Spanish hardly at all or not very well but who are perfectly decent citizens (or rather members of local society).
A demand that language should be acquired also takes no notice of practicality. Again, in theory, it is possible for anyone of more or less any age to learn a new language, but any language teacher or linguistics expert will tell you that language acquisition becomes harder the older the person is. It isn't just age and linguistic conditioning that are drawbacks to learning, there are also linguistic rules. For the Briton in Mallorca (or Spain), one who has never really understood English grammar, coming to terms with what appears a far more rule-based language is a mammoth task. There is only so much language that can be acquired through conversation. It needs real teaching in order to explain why, for example, Spanish has two overtly past tenses, why the present perfect doesn't necessarily observe the same rules as in English or why the subjunctives are as they are. Put any of this grammatical stuff in front of your average English-speaker, and he or she wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about.
Language is one of the great bastions of nationalism. This much is evident in the Catalan argument, among those both for and against. It isn't unreasonable to expect or at least hope that immigrants can acquire proficiency. Not unreasonable but not easy. And the logic of this is that, because it isn't easy, the proficiency won't be attained, and so the immigrant should be shown the door. Hence, language becomes an arbiter of entitlement and an enforcement. It also becomes a mark of having obtained a state of those two cultural impostors, assimilation and integration; impostors because neither can be adequately or satisfactorily defined.
Purely personally, I believe that language should be acquired to at least a reasonable level, which means to a far higher level than being able to order "dos cervezas". I suspect that there will be those resident in Mallorca, British with negligible language ability, nodding in agreement with Miliband. They would be the ones, therefore, who have not only not acquired much Spanish (or maybe they have), they would also be the ones who are still firmly rooted in Britain. Language? Culture? So long as they are someone else's problem.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
This may all seem like a sop to the right-wing, but it doesn't sound particularly unreasonable, especially where public-sector jobs are concerned. If you wish to create something of unified national identity, then language is as good a symbol as any for ensuring it.
Such language stipulation is not solely an issue for British politicians to have to consider. It is one, you may have noticed, that also taxes the minds of Spanish politicians. The Catalan-Castellano great bore aside, there have been thoughts about insisting that immigrants to Spain speak Spanish (as opposed to Catalan, though maybe they think differently on the matter in Catalan-speaking areas). The current prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, once said that he would make it a stipulation, much as Miliband appears to want to where English is concerned.
Rajoy was coming from the issue from a non-EU angle (and, one suspects, a non-EU angle that nevertheless placed certain EU nationals, the likes of the British, the Germans and the French, in a different category to, for example, Bulgarians). There has never been any enactment as such, but, and regardless of where an immigrant comes from, an inability to speak the language will be an obstacle. This much is inevitable. In Spain, in Britain, wherever you care to mention.
Requiring immigrants to speak the native-tongue takes on the not always healthy glow of nationalism and the somewhat specious concept of citizenship, whether a formal application for citizenship is made or not. Speaking the language (Spanish) demonstrates a willingness to be a good citizen. Or in theory, it does. But what is meant by this? For politicians, it means the same as embracing culture, given that language and culture are indivisible, but this is highly questionable; immigrants retain their old cultures, to greater or lesser degrees, even when able to speak a new language perfectly well, and indeed Miliband is not suggesting that immigrants should abandon the cultures of their birth, which is very noble of him.
By the same token, not being able to speak the new language does not automatically mean that someone is a bad citizen. There are plenty of British people in Mallorca who speak Spanish hardly at all or not very well but who are perfectly decent citizens (or rather members of local society).
A demand that language should be acquired also takes no notice of practicality. Again, in theory, it is possible for anyone of more or less any age to learn a new language, but any language teacher or linguistics expert will tell you that language acquisition becomes harder the older the person is. It isn't just age and linguistic conditioning that are drawbacks to learning, there are also linguistic rules. For the Briton in Mallorca (or Spain), one who has never really understood English grammar, coming to terms with what appears a far more rule-based language is a mammoth task. There is only so much language that can be acquired through conversation. It needs real teaching in order to explain why, for example, Spanish has two overtly past tenses, why the present perfect doesn't necessarily observe the same rules as in English or why the subjunctives are as they are. Put any of this grammatical stuff in front of your average English-speaker, and he or she wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about.
Language is one of the great bastions of nationalism. This much is evident in the Catalan argument, among those both for and against. It isn't unreasonable to expect or at least hope that immigrants can acquire proficiency. Not unreasonable but not easy. And the logic of this is that, because it isn't easy, the proficiency won't be attained, and so the immigrant should be shown the door. Hence, language becomes an arbiter of entitlement and an enforcement. It also becomes a mark of having obtained a state of those two cultural impostors, assimilation and integration; impostors because neither can be adequately or satisfactorily defined.
Purely personally, I believe that language should be acquired to at least a reasonable level, which means to a far higher level than being able to order "dos cervezas". I suspect that there will be those resident in Mallorca, British with negligible language ability, nodding in agreement with Miliband. They would be the ones, therefore, who have not only not acquired much Spanish (or maybe they have), they would also be the ones who are still firmly rooted in Britain. Language? Culture? So long as they are someone else's problem.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Friday, December 14, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - 500 people in Pollensa protest against education policy
Some 500 people - teachers, pupils and parents - took part in a demonstration in Pollensa's Plaça Major last night, protesting against the education policies of both the regional and the national government.
(Photo courtesy of the Alternativa per Pollença.)
MALLORCA TODAY - Hotel Formentor work aided by Pollensa town hall decision
Pollensa town hall has dropped a so-called special plan for Formentor in order that work at the Hotel Formentor can be allowed to proceed. The work envisages an increase in the number of places at the hotel and it should start before the end of next year.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
MALLORCA TODAY - Estrany refuses to join El Pi party in Pollensa
The divisions between members of the La Lliga and Convergència parties in Pollensa have, as expected, led to deputy mayor Malena Estrany and others from La Lliga leaving the party and therefore refusing to join the merged El Pi party formed by La Lliga and the Convergència. Estrany will now be an independent, but the decision does cause issues for the town hall administration, as indeed does the very formation of El Pi, as the Convergència were not part of the administration.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 14 December 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.45am): 13C
Forecast high: 18C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): Southwest 4 to 5 reaching 6 during the morning and tonight occasionally 7.
A fine, sunny morning with a touch of mist. Should remain sunny and be breezy and a touch warmer than of late. Tomorrow should be a bit warmer still.
Evening update (18.00): Cloud came in this morning, but there was still a good deal of sun. A high of 17.2C, and getting distinctly blowy this afternoon.
Why Mallorca?: Business development
Why Tenerife? Without any explanation as to this question, an interpretation of it might be "what's the point of Tenerife?" On its own, it does sound odd, but the world (some of it) is going to get used to the question being posed. "Why Tenerife" is a slogan and it is intended to draw attention to what Tenerife has to offer for foreign investors, to its location as a hub for three continents (Europe, Africa and America) and to further develop international air and sea routes.
This initiative brings together various organisations on the island, such as the Tenerife Council and the Chamber of Commerce, who will share resources in advancing what they hope will be a new model of economic promotion for Tenerife. Key to the whole thing is a recognition that, or so says the vice-president of the Santa Cruz chamber, the only opportunity in current difficult economic times is to "look outside and to be attractive to businesses which might locate themselves (in Tenerife)".
Such an outward-looking attitude doesn't necessarily come easy to those with an insular mentality. Islands breed certain attitudes, and suspicion of outsiders, of whatever type, tends to be one. The presence of such an attitude might be denied by Mallorcans, but it prevails in Mallorca nevertheless, as no doubt it does in Tenerife, or has done.
There are similarities between Tenerife and Mallorca, other than attitudinal ones. The two islands' populations are virtually identical, Tenerife having fractionally more people than Mallorca, even if Tenerife is significantly smaller than Mallorca (roughly half the size). There is a similar reliance on tourism, but surprisingly perhaps, given that Tenerife is known for its greater level of all-year tourism, the annual volume of tourism is quite a bit lower than that in Mallorca (three to four million tourists lower).
Apart from tourism, Tenerife's economy has a similar mix to Mallorca's: agriculture, some industry, construction (not that there is much of this at present) and ambitions for further developments in the world of information and communications technology. One advantage that Tenerife enjoys over Mallorca is its status as a special tax zone, which means a considerably lower rate of corporation tax. This status is a recognition of a natural disadvantage, being stuck out in the Atlantic; Mallorca may suffer from being isolated but not as much as Tenerife does.
But this isolation, tax advantage or no tax advantage, is just one reason why attempts at attracting foreign investment might be difficult. And for Tenerife, read also Mallorca. If there were to be a similar campaign for Mallorca - a Why Mallorca? campaign - what would be the benefits? Any?
Economic diversification for Mallorca is essential, but there are several obstacles to inward investment or to that which might mean more than just small amounts of employment opportunities. One of them is the standard of education (in the public education sector at any rate), a problem shared with Tenerife. This might not matter if investment requires primarily manual skills, but information technology, if this is to be the key to diversification (and Mallorcan politicians keep insisting that it is), tends to demand rather more than the local education service can offer; the Balearics and the Canaries both underperform badly.
Other problems are ones that are all too familiar: political capriciousness, the result of government changes, trade-offs between coalitions and a general absence of any form of consensus across the political spectrum; political favouritism and suspicions or examples of corruption; environmental challenges and legal decisions that can take even businesses with the best due diligence by surprise.
A further problem, at least at present, is a structural one in government. It is one that is being highlighted by the planned introduction of the environmental tax for large retailers and the car-rental sector. The minister overseeing this tax, the vice-president, José Aguiló, is also meant to be the minister for business and employment. How on earth he reconciles these roles by going around looking to slap taxes on businesses I have no idea. It makes no sense to have one minister in charge of such potentially competing portfolios.
The fact that there is a minister with joint responsibility suggests that the government has not thought through what its commitment to business development might be. Indeed, does it actually have one? It would argue yes, but the evidence suggests no. This is a government interested in the short-term and the short-term alone. Its strategy for business is a shambles, which is a compliment in that it suggests that there might actually be one.
In Tenerife, they are at least trying. In Mallorca, they are not even doing that. Why Mallorca? Who knows.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
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