Sheepish
A 23-year-old man from Navalvillar Pela (Badajoz), failed to pull the wool over the eyes of police officers when he was arrested for sheep stealing.
Despite bleating on about how he had been fitted up and fleeced, the fact that there were five sheep sitting on the back seat of his car was more than enough evidence for even the slowest of Guardia Civil officers, and he was arrested, presumably to also prevent any chance of a ram raid.
It probably took at least ten police officers to count the sheep, as every time one of them got to three or four they would fall asleep. The sheep themselves remained tight lipped about the incident and just wanted everyone to just flock off and leave them alone.
Retirement Rise
Prime Minister Mr. Zapatero has indicated that he will raise the retirement age from 65 to 67, with or without the support of other political forces. Initial indications are that the change will be a gradual one and that there will be exceptions, possibly depending on type of work and contributions previously made.
This measure is part of the Central Government’s new reforms to inject a small dose of confidence into the economy and maintain the commitment to reduce the deficit and curb debt, Mr. Zapatero explained.
There has been a parliamentary sub-committee report into pension reform, whose report decided not to specify the proposed age of retirement because at that stage of their enquiry the groups involved could not come to an agreement of the exact age.
The Zapatero argument is that this action is necessary to guarantee the pensions of those in Spanish society aged between 40 and 50, born during the so-called ‘baby boom,’ and also the influx of immigrants, who have made their contributions and will require pensions as well.
He also warns that this reform needs to be adopted as soon as possible, because the problem will only escalate with time, bringing about the need for even more radical changes in the future, which is why is says he is willing to pass the amendment even without allies. “The pension reform is key to fiscal stability,” he explained.
To give an idea of how gradual this will be, the initial idea is that things would get underway in 2013, and workers that year who reach 65 years of age would be required to work an extra two months, then in 2014 anyone reaching 65 would need to work an extra four months, six months in 2015, eight in 2016 and so on until 2025, which would be the year that the legal age of retirement would officially be 67.
If none of that makes any sense at all, ask the Ed for an explanation… but make it quick, as he’s pretty close to that retirement age already and he may well lose his marbles before you get to him! (Where the devil are my marbles! – Ed)
Electricity Hike?
The cost of electricity is likely to rise in 2011, that’s according to the Iberian Market Operator of Energy (OMEL).
We could bore you to tears of despair with all the figures of how much a megawatt hour (MWh) costs at present and the ‘peak-end’ price etc. etc. However, after reading all that stuff myself, I was actually preparing a noose and slinging it over a nearby beam.
The important bit you need to know about is that some sources are predicting a rise of around 10% in electricity bills from January.
Angel of Death
Described as a shy and quiet man, Joan Vila appeared to enjoy his work in Olot nursing home, helping the elderly residents to walk and eat and then apparently killing eleven of them.
Vila was arrested in October after the deaths of three people and the discovery of burns to the mouth and throat of one 85-year old. Vila admitted to forcing his victims to drink bleach, and then became outraged in the courtroom when the judge asked if he had stolen from his victims, whilst at the same time advising the court that he had in fact killed a further eight elderly residents, taking the total so far to eleven, making him the fourth largest mass murderer in Spanish history.
Vila changed his killing style from using a lethal cocktail of crushed pills to using syringes with bleach and forcing it down the throats of his victims causing severe internal burns and collapsed lungs.
Mr. Vila worked weekends at the care home and said he was acting out of “compassion… because they were suffering and he wanted to give them some peace.” Most of the residents at the home were suffering from terminal illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s.
Vila is currently being held in the psychiatric ward of a prison and the case continues.
Wikileaks ETA Warning
In 2006, just a day after Prime Minister Zapatero had told the nation how much better off everyone in Spain was in the fight against terrorism, and then explained to everyone his ‘conviction’ that Spain was ‘better today than a year ago,’ along came ETA and exploded a bomb at Madrid’s Barajas airport, killing two Ecuadorians.
The question now arises, due to the Wikileaks saga, is why Mr. Zapataro was saying how good things were, when he was being warned by the French and Americans that ETA had become ‘increasingly active’ in the run-up to the attack. Nine days prior to the attack the Spanish embassy in Paris was informed of the increased activity which was contained in a cable sent by the United States, which had a section entitled: “ETA activity intensifies in France.”
According to the American version of events, the French head of counter terrorism, Christophe Chaboud, explained that ETA “has become more active in France in recent months,” and according the Wikileaks cable, “Chaboud said he is convinced that ETA is buying time negotiating over a political truce while replenishing its arsenal of weapons, vehicles and false travel documents.”
The problem, of course, with any Wikileaks information is that they are only correspondence between diplomats, with all the personal bias and opinions of a single person, as opposed to a report, drawn up by some sort of committee. The one thing that 9/11, 7/7, Madrid and all the other terrorist atrocities throughout the world have shown us is that no matter how much intelligence and information you gather, the world is an easy target for a fanatic. (Drat! Missed – Ed)
Alicante or Bust
The facilities at the Spanish film studios in Alicante are described as unparalleled in Europe, with over 50 films already made there, it is undoubtedly a major force in the film-making world, but the City of Light appears to be dimming somewhat.
As with any other industry in these difficult times, it appears to be a huge cash-flow problem, with reports of unpaid hotel bills and production fees also awaiting payment.
The money owed to one hotel, the Meliá, amounts to around 233,900 euros, which a spokesman explained was for the cast and crew of the film Manolete, which is about a famous Spanish bullfighter who died at the age of just 30. The guests took up an entire floor of 134 rooms, all on a half-day rate. The other hotel involved is the Sidi, which had several stars staying in suites. Both debts are now in the hands of the courts.
The facilities were erected at a cost of 300 million euros (all public money), and in 2009 it made a loss of 24 million euros, the company that runs the complex, Aguamarga, has now come under scrutiny for ‘serious deficiencies’ in the operation of the site, and are being asked to answer question about managerial issues, such as the use of 500,000 euros to pay for an hour-long conference with Francis Ford Coppola. The head of the regional government, Francisco Camps, who seems to have more court appearances than even our own Benny, has also come under fire with the PSPV-PSOE spokesman saying that what has happened was “a predictable failure; another dream of Camps.”
Rock Death
Authorities in Gibraltar have started an investigation into the death in prison of a Spanish woman.
It is believed that the 39-year-old woman committed suicide whilst she was being held on remand at Windmill Hill Prison on the ‘rock’ for minor offences. She had been remanded in custody and not given bail, as she had no local connections in Gibraltar.
The PP national deputy, José Ignacio Landaluce, has called on the Spanish Foreign Ministry to look into the circumstances of the death as he feels there may well have been some failures in procedure. He also wants assurances that the family have been offered assistance to repatriate the woman’s remains.
In Gibraltar, the Justice Minister Daniel Feetham has ordered a full internal investigation into the death, and has ordered that it assesses all actions taken by prison staff from the moment the woman entered into their custody until the exact moment her body was discovered.
There will also be a Coroner’s investigation into the death, but in the meantime an autopsy has been carried out, although no results have yet been released.
Miscarriage Man
The terrible miscarriage of justice that saw Rafael Ricardi given a 36-year prison sentence for two counts of rape, was brought to light in his recent court appearance in which he was awarded 555,000 euros as compensation for the 13 years he had spent in jail.
Ricardi was an easy target for the justice system, as at the time of his conviction he was a drug addict with ‘special needs.’ But we can only imagine the thoughts that went through his mind at the time of sentencing, when he just could not make himself heard.
His lawyer claims the award is ‘an insult,’ pointing out that not just the amount of time behind bars should be considered, but that none of us can imagine the type of ‘hard time’ this man would have done for this sort of crime, and that the Rafael has lived in poverty since his release.
On the other hand, the voice that previously went unheard is incredibly conciliatory, saying that the only true difficulty he has are the nightmares, which despite ‘very strong’ treatment, just will not abate, but he does ask that in future, “people are not convicted of serious crimes without sufficient or correct evidence.”
As for the money, he seems to be the only one who doesn’t deem it and insult, saying he was satisfied, “it seems a lot when you have nothing else. Besides, no amount will give me back the time.”
How did they know he was innocent? Well, after about twelve years, campaigners managed to get all the samples on the girls clothing checked with modern science for DNA, and, of course, it turned out that Rafael was not the one responsible for either attack.
No Refuge
This strange case was reported in El Mundo newspaper and concerns the arrest of a 38-year-old man, Alberto H.P., who was the manager of a women’s refuge in Palma de Mallorca. Strange, because he has been arrested for allegedly psychologically abusing the women in his care.
The ‘safe house’ is governed by the Federation of Gays, Lesbians, Transsexuals and Bisexuals Association (that’s a bit of a mouthful), and the accused is said to be the secretary of the Federation.
He has been accused by the women in the house of only allowing them just one glass of water per day, keeping all the food under lock and key and subjecting them to verbal abuse. One of his alleged choice comments was, “You are bad mothers, and I’m not surprised that your husbands beat you. You should be thankful that we have taken you in here, you have no right to anything.”
Sounds quite reasonable compared to living in my house!
The women have all been re-housed in other refuges and ‘Abusive’ Alberto has been released from custody after being charged.