The Media Waves: 'Not to be published' photo of Princess Diana to g...

The Media Waves: 'Not to be published' photo of Princess Diana to g...: A photograph of Diana Spencer, relaxing with an unnamed young man just two days after the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charl...

Spain: Locksmiths in Pamplona boycott evictions

In 2012, more than 50,000 families were evicted from their homes in Spain for nonpayment of their rent or mortgage. Then the suicides began. Now locksmiths in Pamplona say, no more - they will not assist with evictions.

Evictions are becoming commonplace in crisis-torn Spain with so many people losing first their jobs, and then their homes.

When an eviction is made, the normal scheme of things is that locksmiths are employed to change the lock on the home, hand over the keys to the prosecutor, who then delivers them to the bank that is claiming the housing.

The locksmith is chosen on a random basis by the attorneys representing the financial institutions. 15 locksmith companies in the urban area of Pamplona have seen an increase from an eviction each month, up to an average of three per week.

However, now, according to Iker de Carlos, the Assembly Speaker of the Professional Locksmiths of Pamplona, in Spain's Navarre region, "they will have to call locksmiths outside Navarre."

De Carlos, who works in his family's locksmith business, said, "What you see on television is different from when you go there. You know you're helping to kick people out of their home, to stay on top of a perpetual debt that you will have to keep paying."

"We know that we will not start a revolution, but we want to serve as a example to Navarre society on how to fix an unfair situation," he added.

Referring to a suicide of an eviction victim, 53-year-old Amaia Egana, in autumn 2012 outside of Pamplona, de Carlos said, “We’re people, and as people we can’t continue carrying out evictions when people are killing themselves.”

The Union of Security Locksmiths has 300 member companies, with more than 2,000 professionals, who are now working against the evictions. Among the evictions they are boycotting, are situations where entire families, the elderly and children would be on the street once their home has been taken from them.

PRI reports that this is actually a very ingenuous plan, because if no one changes the locks on the apartment or house, the bank can’t repossess it, and the evictees can get back in. Apparently the legal proceedings to get them out again would take months, or even years.

The decision was taken three weeks ago at the first meeting of the Assembly of Professional Locksmiths of Pamplona. This was the only item on the agenda and it was approved unanimously.

The president of the federation, David Ormaechea said, "As professionals and people with a conscience, we cannot participate in these events."

Ormaechae went on to tell the experience of one of the locksmiths in the group, in Barcelona, who acted according to his conscience. The eviction involved a father with four children, one of whom is mentally ill. "It was a situation where he thought he should not act and he refused to change the locks." says Ormaechea.

Other evictions involved elderly people, struggling to get into their clothes as they are evicted, or a family crying on a bench outside what was once their home. There are also times when the locksmith's work goes beyond just changing the locks once the house has been vacated. On occasion, they are requested to open the doors, with the occupants still inside, to allow the eviction to take place.

According to de Carlos, most locksmith businesses in Pamplona are small and family-run, and they understand what is affecting the people around them. According to data provided by the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages in Navarre (PAHN), 2012 closed with over 700 evictions in the area. This means that in recent years, this type of work has become 10% of turnover for a locksmith.

While it is a fair percentage of their income, and is better paid than most jobs, the locksmiths have still made the decision to boycott the evictions. De Carlos says he is "curious to see how the banks react" to their decision. "Or will they have to call someone from outside Navarre," said one of the young locksmiths.

According to PAHN, with the public holidays over the festive season, there has been no opportunity as yet to test the reaction of banks. As it turns out there was an agreement between the banks to temporarily halt evictions during the holidays.

While Spain has passed a Royal decree to curb evictions in certain circumstances, this is not enough, and according to the locksmiths, the new decree does not help those that really need it, as the scheme would exclude retirees and single mothers with a child over 3 years old.

Guillermo Knob, another spokesman for the federation, reported that the step taken by the locksmiths in Navarre is "very noble" and he trusts that this will extend to the rest of Spain.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340401

Spanish mothers strip for calendar to save school bus (video)

A new measure introduced in July cut funding for the school bus running in the Monserrat district of Valencia in eastern Spain. A group of mums got together and posed for an erotic calendar to raise money for their children's transport.

The problem is that, according to Spanish law, the government only has to provide transport if students live more than 3km away from the school. However, this new austerity measure states that the distance has to be calculated in a straight line, and this meant that "Evaristo Calayatud" school in the Monserrat District of Valencia was no longer eligible for a school bus.

However, as Silvia Lucas, one of the mothers, points out, “We have to scale a mountain and climb down a cliff to get to the school. On foot, using the most direct route it’s 4.5km, if you walk on the road it’s six."

Some of the parents are unemployed and have problems paying for petrol to drive the children to school themselves. For this reason, and to try and raise 43,000 euros, the group of mothers got together, disrobed and posed for the erotic calendar.

To make their point, the mothers struck various poses, including scaling cliffs and pushing prams along dirt tracks, which clearly illustrate the 6km walk their children were being forced to endure every morning. They figured that not only could their calendar raise the necessary money, it could at the same time “give the politicians a slap in the face.”

It took just over a month after the launch of the calendar to raise enough money for the bus to run for three months for the 83 affected children.

There were difficulties along the way, when police ejected them from the town center for illegally selling the calendar. However, Silvia Lucas pointed out, “We were not selling them, we were collecting donations.”

She further said that while the calendar is not to everyone's taste in the neighborhood, there was little other choice.

“A lot of people tell us that we could have organized a community meal and not the calendar, but that would not have made nearly enough money. Our husbands are happy with the result and proud of our achievement” added Lucas, saying that she had done it for her children.

Read more and watch video: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340157

Photo essay: A little bit of life in the countryside of Spain

Even in winter, the countryside in southern Spain has something to offer. Warm sunshine, wildflowers blooming and farmers working the fields.

I had to babysit my son's dogs, yet again, as he and his girlfriend took a short trip to the Gibraltar area.

As always, things were very quiet, and of course, the Internet was deadly slow.

As is always the best option, I had the camera with me and got a few views, starting in the dewy, early morning, and concluding at sunset....

Read more and see more photos: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340135

A little bit of Christmas in Fuengirola, Spain - Photo essay.

While we bask in unseasonably warm sunshine, Fuengirola is getting ready for Christmas, with lights and decorations galore, and everyone is going shopping, shopping, shopping.

Just past the winter solstice, today is unbelievably warm. 21 degrees Celsius, with warm sunshine, clear blue skies and no wind at all. The tourists are in heaven, and we don't mind either!

In the run up to the Christmas festivities, the shops are busy and while people are probably buying less, and cheaper, business does seem to be booming. Supermarkets have many special offers going, which helps with preparations for the festivities.

© Anne Sewell

One thing that is always noticeable at this time of year is that people smile a bit more readily, and greet you as you walk along. Even the normally grouchy ones, who will no doubt be back to normal once 2013 is here!

© Anne Sewell

The Christmas lights here in Fuengirola, are, I think a bit boring this year. What happens is that the street lights, and the main Christmas tree in the plaza are shared with other surrounding pueblos, to keep them varied. This year, I think, Fuengirola pulled the short stick.

While some streets look colorful, for the most part it's a very monochromatic Christmas. Especially the main decor in front of the town hall, in the Plaza de España.

© Anne Sewell

And sometimes reflections of the lights can be better than the real thing:

© Anne Sewell

From different angles, with the lights on the olive trees in the plaza, it can make for an interesting view:

© Anne Sewell

Just for fun and comparison, I am including views of previous Christmases, which I think were better. Especially when taken in the rain.

© Anne Sewell

And in the early evening, with the children playing:

© Anne Sewell

The side streets have some more colorful decor, with the Camino de Coin displaying poinsettias:

© Anne Sewell

There were Christmas carols in the Plaza de España yesterday evening, and while the weekend will be relatively quiet, on Monday, Christmas Eve, the Spanish will be celebrating with their families and lots of good food and English and South African residents will be overeating on Christmas Day, as per usual.

And while those other than the Spanish will enjoy their gifts on the 25th, the Spanish children get to wait for January 6, when the Three Kings come to visit, with the festival of "Los Tres Reyes Magos."

The Plaza de la Constitución is always pretty - here is a view from a couple of years ago, with the church in the background, and an attractive deer in the foreground (which is lit at night).

© Anne Sewell

Let's take this opportunity of wishing everyone, everywhere in the world a wonderful Festive Season, whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, or other local festivities, from everyone here in Fuengirola, Spain.

© Anne Sewell

© Anne Sewell

And of course, a very happy and hopefully prosperous New Year in 2013:

© Anne Sewell

Other photo essays on Fuengirola, Spain:

Photo Essay: 'PictoParque' — Art in the park in Fuengirola, Spain

Photo Essay: Dog and cat friends in Fuengirola, Spain
Photo Essay: Changing moods of the Mediterranean

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339626

Art in the Park in Fuengirola Spain - PictoParque

The Councillor for Culture in Fuengirola, Rodrigo Romero, has come up with a great idea. Artists will be able to display their work and discuss art in the Parque de España every Sunday, at no charge.

Not only will artists display their work, the park will become a meeting place for artists and fans of the world of art. Discussions and exchanges of ideas will also take place. And also, not only is this great for local artists, they figure it also helps to make Fuengirola more interesting for tourists. 

For a rather nice change, there is absolutely no charge for the use of a section of the park to display your wares. The premiere of this cultural project was December 16.

Read more and see many more photos at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339172

Ecce Homo 'restorer' auctioning her artwork for charity on eBay

Cecilia Giménez, the Spanish artist who was responsible for the unfortunate 'restoration' of the Ecce Homo fresco in a small town church in Spain, is now auctioning one of her own paintings on eBay for charity.

Digital Journal reported in August on the attempts by Giménez to restore the fresco of Christ in the small church in Borja, Spain. The fresco, 'Ecce Homo', depicting Christ, was originally painted by Elías García Martínez.

Possibly in an effort to make up for this, Giménez is selling her own oil painting "Las Bodegas de Borja" (Borja's Wine Cellar), pictured below, and so far, the bidding is doing well, and has reached 710 euros ($929), more than twice the starting price. The bidding apparently ends on Monday. The canvas is 33 x 22 centimeters and is dated 2000, signed by Giménez in the lower right corner.

Giménez added to the description on eBay that proceeds from the sale of the painting will be for the benefit of the Catholic charity organization Caritas.

Cecilia Giménez

Work by Cecilia Giménez, "restorer" of Ecce Homo, on eBay

81-year-old Giménez became a media sensation in August after taking it upon herself to restore a fresco of Christ in a church in the northern Spanish agricultural town of Borja. She unfortunately ruined the original, as can be seen below.

Centro de Estudios Borjanos

'Ecce Homo' - botched restoration by Cecilia Giménez.

However, her attempts soon became notorious worldwide, with entrepreneurs launching sales of souvenirs and t-shirts with the images of Giménez’s work. While the original name of the fresco is "Ecco Homo" (behold the man), Twitter users redubbed it "Ecce Mono" ("Behold the Monkey").

The fresco itself became a popular tourist attraction prompting the use of the picture on t-shirts, wine labels and souvenirs.

In September, Giménez's lawyers stated that she has no interest in a share of the tourism windfall her work has brought to her northeastern Spanish town.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339031

Photo essay: Changing moods of the Mediterranean

Most people imagine the Mediterranean sea as a calm blue ocean and dream of warm, sunny beach holidays. But the Med is much more than a calm blue pond.

While in spring, summer and autumn, you can mostly count on relatively calm seas, warm temperatures and an endless stretch of sandy beach, winter brings some quite different moods to the Costa del Sol. In this article we are visiting Fuengirola, on the south coast of Spain, and exploring some changes which were made in the last couple of years to the fishing and leisure port in the seaside town...  Read more and see more photos

Photo essay: Gibraltar — Little England on the tip of Spain

 

Long an object of dispute between Spain and Great Britain, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar is a little enigma, tucked away at the very tip of Spain. It's a place where Spanish and English are intertwined...   Read more and view photos

The Media Waves: Torrential rains and flooding in Málaga city, Spai...

The Media Waves: Torrential rains and flooding in Málaga city, Spai...: Heavy rains for the last two days, together with waterspouts on Saturday morning, have caused flooding in Málaga province, with the worse ...

Review: Café Yanx — 'An American in Marbella', si...

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Protest in Barakaldo, Bilbao, Spain over suicide of evicte...

The Media Waves: Protest in Barakaldo, Spain over suicide of evicte...: Bilbao - 53-year-old Amaia Egaña was to be evicted from her home in Barakaldo, Bilbao, Spain. Rather than face homelessness, she ...

Transhumance — 2,000 sheep stop traffic in Madrid, Spain

The streets of Madrid saw an entirely different protest on Sunday, as thousands of sheep and other farm animals blocked traffic in the annual "trashumancia", or transhumance event.

While over the weekend, tens of thousands of people were out on the streets of Madrid, protesting against austerity measures and demanding the resignation of the Spanish government, and even the police were having a demonstration of their own, another more traditional protest happened on Sunday...  read more and watch video.

Autumn light in the southern Spanish countryside (video/photos)

While southern Spain doesn't experience the glorious splash of autumn colours experienced elsewhere in the world, there are some attractive sights to see in the countryside. This article shows some views near Coín in the province of Málaga, Spain.

The writer was recently stuck in the middle of nowhere, looking after her son's house and dogs while he visited Barcelona for a few days.

With a very slow Internet connection, and not much else happening, photography and videography called.  She even got up at dawn, which is a rare experience (even when dawn is at 8:00 am!). The colors in the sky were quite beautiful to view... read more, see photos and view video.

Photo essay: Before and after the fire in Málaga province

At the end of August, a raging brush fire spread through the Spanish countryside, just a few miles inland from Mijas on the Costa del Sol.

Comparisons can now be made with before and after photos.

Digital Journal reported on the fire, which sparked off in Cerro Alaminos in Coín and, due to a strong wind coming from the Sierra de Mijas, then affected Alhaurín el Grande, Coín and Mijas in Málaga province.

The fire then spread as far as Marbella and the Sierra de Ojén.

In total, around 20 linear kilometers and more than 600 hectares of land were affected by the blaze.

Thousands were affected by the fire, with two injured in hospital and regrettably one elderly person dead. Many homes were lost... read more and view photos/

Op-Ed: Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen: A special event in Fuengirola

Monday is a public holiday on the south coast of Spain, for a very good reason. The annual Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen is on the agenda.

The Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of fishermen.

On the evening of July 16, the fishing villages and towns up and down the southern coast of Spain, celebrate a special event, where the fishermen pay tribute to their saint, and also take her for a spin out to sea... read more and view photos.

Country boys meet city girls in dating match in Spain

Candeleda in Spain has a problem. The town is mainly inhabited by men, with a desperate shortage of brides. A dating agency decided to try to solve this problem.

Candeleda is a small town in Ávila province, in the autonomous region of Castile and León, Spain. The town has a population of 6,000 people and is nestled on the banks of the Lobera River.

A beautiful place, with one big problem. Most of the population is male. According to some ancient cave paintings, the town of Candeleda has been inhabited for around 5,000 years, but now the population is tending to shrink.

A Spanish dating association, Asocamu, which was set up in 1995, decided to try and resolve the situation. They have organised caravanas de mujeres (caravans of women)... read full article and view a tourism video of Candeleda.

Review: Hotel Los Castaños — Boutique hotel in Andalucía, Spain

Nestled among the rolling hills of the Serranía de Ronda, this charming Moroccan themed hotel is the perfect place to relax.

Hotel Los Castaños is located in Cartajima, a traditional white village (or "pueblo blanco"), just a short drive from the historic town of Ronda. Cartajima is also convenient for visits to the romantic cities of Andalucía - Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz and Jerez.

Located in the heart of the village next to the church and the Town Hall, the hotel is convenient to shops, restaurants and bars in the area.

The Moroccan theme of the hotel is charming and attractive, and all rooms are extremely comfortable. Owners Di and John are always unobtrusively on hand with tourism assistance... read full review.

Op-Ed: Sunday travel ― 'Life's a beach' in Fuengirola, Spain

Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol is famous for its 5 km stretch of sandy, well-kept beaches, running from the Sohail Castle all the way through to Torreblanca.

Relatively empty out of season but packed in summer, the beaches curve along the coastline with many restaurants, bars and chiringuitos (beach cafes) to choose from.

A beach promenade (Paseo Maritimo Rey de España) runs the full length, giving opportunities for strolling, jogging, power walking or just for simply walking the dogs in the fresh sea air... read full article.

Benalmádena cableway: sea views, mountain walks and eagles

When visiting the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, why not take a trip in a cable car to the top of a mountain, where you can enjoy mountain strolls, wonderful views and a visit to the eagles.

Just above Arroyo de la Miel (River of Honey) in the town of Benalmádena Costa you can take the ride of a lifetime.

A cable car runs to the summit of the 769-metre Calamorro mountain, providing panoramic views of the coast, the Sierra Nevada mountains, Gibraltar and on clear days, even the Moroccan coastline... read full article.