Find the cheapest gas stations in Spain.

A new website Gas.enCooche.com has been created in order to locate the cheapest gas stations in Spain and become a helpfull tool to tackle the economic crisis and rising fuel prices.

In the last year the price of gasoline has risen 30% and diesel has risen 20%.

The website notes that these large rises in the last year will result in an increse in the cost of filling a 40 litre tank with gasoline of 11 euros or 6 euros for diesel.

To find the cheapest service stations, enter the town you want to look in and the type of fuel for your vehicle in the search bowes and the site tell you where to find the cheapest gas station. Alternatively you can enter a route and search to see where the cheapest gas station in the journey.

Today I've asked for a search in Orihuela Costa for gasoline sin plomo 95 with the result  that the cheapest is Eroski in Punta Prima at 1.098€/ltr and in second place Carrefour at 1.112€/ltr. The most expensive, in 10th place is the Repsol service station in Los Balcones at 1.132€/ltr.

The site lists the service stations and shows their locations on a street map.

Try it and bookmark it  gas.encoche.com .

Police use Riot shield as a sledge!

Police Officers were recorded on video using a riot shield as a sledge.

The officers from the Thames Valley Police were on Boars Hill in Oxford where their exploits were recorded by Mr Rick Latham, who then posted it on to YouTube.

Supt Andrew Murray the local policing area commander said the snow had "a habit of bringing out the child in all of us". He added: "I have spoken to the officers concerned and reminded them in no uncertain terms that tobogganing on duty, on police equipment and at taxpayers' expense is a very bad idea should they wish to progress under my command".




It seems funny at first - but couldn't their time have been better spent helping the public (who pay their wages).

It is nice to know where the police are when they should be on the streets protecting the public from and investigating crimes that have been committed. It is nice to know that the the money of the police budget is being spent wisely.

Now a question that comes to mind is what if the officer had sustained an injury and been un-able to work? Would he be paid on full rate of pay? Would he have been able to claim compensation for injuries sustained whilst on duty? I suspect yes to both questions.

Still at least they are not carrying out illegal 'stopping and searching' of tourists who are taking photographs of ancient buildings, or professional photographers, or 11 year old twins.

Mr Latham commented "I thought they were going to tell us off at first, but they had a look at the hill and two of them went down on their shields."

BBC

Kent police admit unlawful stop and search of twins, 11

The stop and search of 11-year-old twins at the Kingsnorth Climate Camp was unlawful, Kent police have admitted at London's High Court.

The twins, referred to as E and T, were searched while at a demonstration against Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in August 2008.

Officers searched the twins on the grounds of "reasonable suspicion" they might be carrying prohibited articles.

The police admitted that officers at the scene had misapplied legislation.

BBC

UK Policy 'Stop & Search' is illegal!

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the police 'stop and search' powers in the UK, granted by the Terrorism Act of 2000 are illegal.

There are many reports of police officers being over zealous in their use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 where it has been used on anti-war protesters and even holidaymakers taking pictures of tourist attractions.

European court condemns police misuse of stop and search - Guardian

Stop-and-search powers ruled illegal by European court - BBC

Police stop and search powers ruled illegal - Independent

Stop-and-search terror powers declared illegal by human rights court - Mail Online

Men think about sex 13 times a day - It helps to prevent Heart Attacks!

It is good that men think about sex 13 times a day, nearly 5000 times a year, because it can reduce the chance of a Heart Attack by 50% if they have sex twice a week.

That is the conclusion that could be reached having read two articles that appear in the Telegraph today.

Men think about sex 5,000 times a year.

Having sex twice a week 'reduces chance of heart attack by half'


In this first article it says that "Men think about sex almost 5,000 times a year – but only get down to doing it 104 times, a new study has found" which is fine as it can be part of a preventive health campaign, because according to the second editorial "Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research".

There are other possible health benefits for men who have regular sex.

According to a study by researchers at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania sex once or twice a week in winter can boost the immune system and reduce the chances of catching colds and flu.

The National Cancer Institute in the US also carried out a study that showed that men who ejaculated through sex or masturbation at least five times a week were much less likely to get prostate cancer.

Now there is a problem "women think about sex just five times day – or 1,825 times a year" according to the editorial of the article. That is nearly 40% less than men!

So come on ladies help your man to maintain his good health!

The Saga Generation Manifesto - Six demands for a fairer society for the over 50s

The Saga organisation surveyed thousands of its customers through its Saga Magazine, Saga Zone online community, and the influential Saga Populus Panel – the largest monthly poll of over-50s opinion in the UK. The message received is clear and the group yesterday issued what it calls the;

'The Saga Generation Manifesto - Six demands for a fairer society for the over 50s'.

The point is made in the manifesto that the majority of voters at the forthcoming General Election are likely to be over 50, which makes it the first time that the Saga Generation, as they like to call the over 50s, will have such a decisive influence on the future direction of the country. Reference is made to a recent Populus poll for The Times which  found that 63 per cent of over-55s said they were certain to vote in the election compared with 21 per cent of those aged 18-24, 37 per cent aged 25-34 and 44 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds.

When referring to the recent German Federal Elections, and the way that they were strongly affected by grey power, Hans Rattinger, political scientist, commented: “No party can afford to conduct a campaign that fails to take into account the growing importance of pensioners”.

The major parties in the forthcoming UK General Election will do well to take this into account in their mainfestos and campaigning.

The six demands put forward are:

1. FAIRER FINANCES. - Older people need to know there is recognition of the contributions they have made throughout their lives both to society ingeneral and in taxation
   
2. ABOLISH AGEISM. -  Ageism is deep-seated in this country and should be tackled as a priority.
   
3. AGE BALANCE IN PARLIAMENT. - There should be a representative age balance of people entering Parliament: more older people with experience of business and life in general
   
4. SUPPORT FOR CARERS. -  The entire support structure for an ageing population must be tackled coherently and there must be clarity about what individuals can expect from the state.
   
5. INTELIGENT RETIREMENT. - We want to see an end to the compulsory retirement age and in its place a flexible, phased approach to retirement.
   
6. BETTER, SAFER STREETS. - Even though official crime statistics have improved, many older people feel less safe on the streets. More must be done to make them feel less fearful.

The full manifesto and supporting staistics can be read by clicking on the link above.

Britain has fallen to 25th Position in the Quality of Life Index

Several publictions have been reporting on the 'Quality of Life Index, produced by International Living Magazine' which shows that Britain has fallen to 25th position from 20th position last year. It is placed behind some of the old communist countries.

The index has been produced for 30 years in which 192 countries are surveyed on nine catagories; Cost of Living, Culture and Leisure, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Health, Infrastructure, Safety and Risk, and Climate.. Britain does not top a single category in the survey, which is compiled using official government statistics, including data from the World Health Organisation and the views of the magazine's editors around the globe.

France for the fourthyear is placed in 1st position. Spain is shown in 17th position 8 places ahead of Britain.

Britain's quality of life worse than former Communist countries - Telegraph.

Britain falls to 25th best place to live in the world... behind Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Hungary. - Mail.

Britain's quality of life is 25th in world - This is Money

Spain's property shame

An Interesting article by Anna Nicholas on her 'Majorcan Pearls' blog in the Telegraph.

Spain's property shame

Mr Bean replaces Spanish PM on EU presidency site

Some say that Mr Zapatero bears an uncanny resemblance....

Visitors to Spain's EU presidency website have been greeted by an image of hapless fictional character Mr Bean instead of Spain's Socialist leader.

An unidentified hacker briefly hijacked the site on Monday, replacing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero with that of a bumbling comedy buffoon.

An unidentified hacker briefly hijacked the site on Monday, replacing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero with that of a bumbling comedy buffoon.
In Spain, the similarity between Mr Zapatero and the Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson, is a long-standing joke.
The government said the site itself, www.eu2010.es, had not been attacked.

...to Mr Bean

In a statement, it said that a hacker had taken a screenshot of the homepage to make a photo montage.
"The alleged attack exploited a vulnerability called cross-site scripting," it said.
For most visitors, this meant that a smiling Mr Bean replaced Mr Zapatero, complete with a benign smile and the words "Hi there".
In a recent edition of El Pais, Mr Zapatero was depicted as Mr Bean in a cartoon above an article that was highly critical of his handling of the economy in Spain, where unemployment has reached almost 20%.

BBC

It Is Change

"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be..." --Isaac Asimov

My attention has been drawn to the above quote and it has set me thinking to a greater extent than I thought it could. Not because we have had a change of year, or because we are in a new decade. Not because I don't like change, or the thought of change, infact I believe the opposite as I look forward to, and probably need and thrive on, the possibility of change, for the better.

One initial thought I've had that needs expanding is that;

The society we have is the society we deserve. It is the society that we have created by our past decisions.

Did we properly take into account 'the world as it will be' when we made changes?