The rain´s back and it is a grey day of Cornish haar. However, we´re British and we´re used to the rain. Not too much mind. Have you seen what the Canaries have been suffering this week. They are part of Spain and the islands have been badly hit. This is quite poignant for me as I was over in Tenerife with Rockin Rupert some years ago when the rain hit like this. I was due to appear at the bar next to the Toucan, Miranda´s, in Torviscas Playa. We had been up to the Lorro Park in Las Christianas and were on the way back to do the gig. The rains came slowly at first and then in torrents. By the time we got back to Torviscas the roads had become rivers and had to be seen to be believed.
Let´s check our weather…..
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday |
 16° C | 8° C
|
 19° C | 7° C
|
 20° C | 7° C
|
20° C | 10° C
|
21° C | 9° C
|
| Chance of Rain
30% chance of precipitation
|
Scattered Clouds | Clear | Scattered Clouds | Scattered Clouds |
The weather in Spain is pretty bad today with rain almost everywhere. Last night, however, was pretty good as we attended the inauguration of the La Nucia Guide. It is written in several language and has been produced by Bart, a Dutchman, who gave the presentation from the lecturn at the Auditori. He spoke in five languages and various dignataries were in evidence representing the various communities. Of the 18, 000 residents some 7,000 are not Spanish. The British are the biggest group but were not well represented at the packed forum. I would say we had no more than 20 Brits at the event which was most congenial with food and drinks offered to everyone present. I have put a link to La Nucia´s official website on the index of my website if you´d like an idea of where we live. We have 65 different nationalities living here!
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Of all the crazy Spanish fiestas that take place throughout the year, there is nothing wilder than the Carnival celebrations in late February. The week leading up to Lent is a time for wild partying in some parts of Spain when the country plays host to Europe’s biggest and best Carnival festivals. The most famous destinations for the wildest Carnival festivals are Tenerife, Cadiz and Sitges though there are plenty more places to enjoy the party. http://www.spanish-fiestas.com
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Airports to begin strip-searching passengers
You might want to take a minute to say goodbye to your personal liberties. They’re flying right out the window — and, as usual, it’s all in the name of “protecting the public.”
You knew this was coming…After the failed terror attempt on Christmas day, the federal Transportation Security Agency (TSA) has decided to step up its security screenings. Their solution? Strip-search every passenger. It’s not by hand, mind you, but it may as well be.
The TSA plans to begin using full-body X-ray scanners that would essentially strip passengers of their clothing — and their dignity. With these new scanners, no details would be left to the imagination — which is just how the feds like it.
Yup, Big Brother is a big perv.
But I’m not sure which is worse: The threat to your privacy or the threat to your health.
Like X-rays, the new machines use radiation to create these indecent exposures. The experts claim that the low dose of radiation is perfectly safe — even for children and pregnant women.
Baloney.
Exposing pregnant women to radiation can lead to grossly disfigured babies or can even cause women to miscarry. It’s no coincidence that five female security guards had miscarriages after working with these supposedly safe machines.
And it’s not much safer for adults. Radiation can damage DNA and cause structural damage to your cells — both of which can lead to cancer. In fact, Dr. John Gofman, Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, believes that 50 percent of all cancers are caused by the radiation from medical tests — the same ones meant to “protect” you by detecting cancer early!
Bottom line: If you don’t want to be fried with ionizing radiation every time you fly — and if you’d rather not have airport workers paid to be peeping toms…you won’t stand for this outright invasion of your rights.
When it comes to these full-body X-rays, I don’t care how low the dose is. There is no safe level of ionizing radiation. Period.
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Word of the Day
ventoso vehn-toh’-soh (adjective)
windy, breezy, gusty; flatulent; vain, inflated
EXAMPLES
No pudimos ir de pesca en la barca porque estaba demasiado ventoso. – We could not go fishing in the boat because it was too windy.
La playa cerca de mi casa siempre está muy ventoso. – The beach by my house is very windy.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for ventoso.
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CURTAIN RODS — PRICELESS
On the first day, she sadly packed her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day,she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; she put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar,and a bottle of spring-water.
When she’d finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow centre of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
On the fourth day, the husband came back with his new girlfriend, and at first all was bliss.
Then, slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place.
Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time
the two had to move out for afew days, and in the end they even paid to replac e the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked!
People stopped coming over to visit.
Repairmen refused to work in the house..
The maid quit.
Finally, they couldn’t take the stench any longer, and decided they had to move, but a month later – even though they’d cut their price in half – they couldn’t find a buyer for such a stinky house.
Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.
Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
Then the ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for having the house.
Knowing she could have no idea how bad the smell really was,he agreed on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house had been worth … but only if she would sign the papers that very day.
She agreed, and within two hours his lawyers delivered the completed paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home …..
… and to spite the ex-wife, they even took the the curtain rods!
I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON’T YOU?
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One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, ‘My dear child, why are you crying?’ The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family. The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires.
‘Is this your thimble?’ the Lord asked . The seamstress replied, ‘No.’
The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a golden thimble studded with rubies.
‘Is this your thimble?’ t he Lord asked. Again, the seamstress replied, ‘No.’
The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble .
‘Is this your thimble ?’ the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, ‘Yes.’ The Lord was pleased with the woman’s honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.
Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, ‘Why are you crying?’ ‘Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!’
The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney ‘Is this your husband?’ the Lord asked.
‘Yes,’ cried the seamstress. The Lord was furious. ‘You lied! That is an untruth!’ The seamstress replied, ‘Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said ‘no’ to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt.
Then if I said ‘no’ to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said ‘yes,’ you would have given me all three. Lord, I’m not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT’S why I said ‘yes’ to George Clooney.
And so the Lord let her keep him.
The moral of this story is: Whenever a woman lies, it’s for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.
Signed,
All Us Women
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1965, The Righteous Brothers were at No.1 UK and US singles chart with the Phil Spector song ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. It was the most played song of the 20th Century.
1967, The Monkees self-titled debut album started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK chart.
1975, American jazz, blues, songwriter and saxophonist Louis Jordon died aged 66. Known as The King of the Jukebox
.1978, Abba started a seven week run at No.1 on the UK chart with ‘The Album’ their third No.1 LP.
1978, The Bee Gees started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Staying Alive’. From the film soundtrack Saturday Night Fever, also No.1 in the UK.
1978, ‘Up Town Ranking’ by Althia and Donna was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. It was the Jamaican duo’s only hit making the teenagers One-hit Wonders.
1982, Scottish singer Alex Harvey died of a heart attack while waiting to take a ferry back to shore after performing a concert with his new band, the Electric Cowboys.
1983, Karen Carpenter died aged 32 of a cardiac arrest at her parent’s house at her parents’ home in Downey, California; The coroner’s report gave the cause of death of imbalances associated with anorexia nervosa.
1984, Paul Gardiner bass player with Gary Numan’s Tubeway Army died of a heroin overdose.
1984, Culture Club at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Karma Chameleon’
1984, Eurythmics first UK No.1 album with their second release ‘Touch’,
1995, Celine Dion No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Think Twice’. Ivor Novello Award for the Song of the Year in 1995.
1999, American soul singer Gwen Guthrie died of cancer aged 48. Sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Madonna and wrote songs for Sister Sledge and Roberta Flack. Had the 1986 R&B No.1 Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ on But the Rent
.2001, Atomic Kitten No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Whole Again’,written by Andy McCluskey from OMD.
2008, Leona Lewis No.1 on the Australian album charts with her debut release
February 4th: Born on this day
1941,John Steel, drums, The Animals,
1947, Margie and Mary Ann Ganser, The Shangri-Las,
1948, Alice Cooper, (Vincent Furnier),
1950, James Dunn, vocals, The Stylistics
1975, Natalie Imbruglia, actress, singer
