Spains Under 25's unemployment in March increases to 41.2%

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union has published the unemployment figures for March 2010.

Spain remains the European Country with the second highest unemployment figure of 19.1%, an increase of .1% from February and 1.7% from march 2009 when the figure was 17.4%.

The overall percentage for the 27 EU countries is 9.6%, the same as February 2010, but an increase on March 2009 from 8.5%. For the Euro Area the corresponding figures are 10% for 2010 and 9.1% for 2009.

For the Under 25's the unemployed percentage is an amazing 41.2 %, a 0.6% increase from Feb. and a 4.9% from the previous year.

I cannot compare these figures with those for the UK as there are no figures available for Feb. & Mar. as they are not available to Eurostat. As a help to compare the total unemployed in the UK for January 2010 is shown as 7.8%, and for the Under 25's 19.7%.

Source: Eurostat

Los Verdes Orihuela blame CLARO for Cala Mosca Destruction.

Los Verdes have said on their new blog they believe that the CLARO political party is also to blame for the destruction of Cala Mosca!

That should please Bob Houliston, President of CLARO.

Read the blog article here:
Los Verdes Orihuela Costa: Cala Mosca

Terry Venables in row over Spanish sports complex

The Daily Telegraph reports that Terry Venables, the former England football manager has announced proposals for a luxury resort including 13 football pitches, 12 tennis courts, a golf course, horse-riding and sports facilities, a 95-room hotel and 300 housing units to be built in the mountain town of Penaguila.

Local critics claim the construction will destroy a picturesque, beautiful and peaceful part of southern Spain for the benefit of wealthy foreigners.

Mr Venables is reported as saying "It is ironic that it is being criticised by green campaigners when it is going to eco-friendly and sustainable".

Well that's alright then to destroy the natural environment in an eco-friendly way purely for money. Too much of Spain has already been destroyed by greedy developers with projects that the majority of people didn't and don't want or need.

It wouldn't surprise me if the rightwing Partido Popular control the town council of Penaguila as they just love destroying the environment for money.

Full article here: Terry Venables in row over Spanish sports complex - Telegraph

Education: Ending religious privilege

Naomi Phillips, head of public affairs at the British Humanist Association, puts forward the case to end religious involvement in education.

 Education: Ending religious privilege: ePolitix.com

Spain's most celebrated bullfighter (torturer) being in intensive care

Many papers are today carrying the story about Torero José Tomás, Spain's most celebrated bullfighter being in intensive care after very bad gored by a fighting bull in the town of Aguascalientes, in Mexico. He was given eight-litres of blood by transfusion after sustaining a life-threatening thigh wound.

He is known for a daring bullfighting style in which he gets particularly close to the bull. He got it wrong this time!

In 2002, at the peak of his career, he suddenly retired without saying why. In 2007 he returned to the bull ring, and told one interviewer 'living without bullfighting is not living'.

I wonder about the mentality of a person who feels his life must evolve around the torturing of an animal.

Whilst I would not wish him to loose his life, (the bulls that he enjoys torturing and killing are not offered such a wish) he only has himself to blame for the injury . How does the saying go 'what goes around comes around' or is it 'Reap what you sow'.

Perhaps this latest incident could make him rethink his attitude to 'Bull Tortuing' but I doubt it!

Here are a couple of the articles:
Spain's most celebrated bullfighter in intensive care after very bad goring - Guardian

Bullfight audience asked to give blood to gored Spanish matador... who needed 17-pint transfusion - Mail

Charismatic judge who pursued Spain's fascist assassins finds himself on trial

Powerful enemies are attempting to unseat the 'superjudge' who tried to bring the death squads of Franco's dictatorship to book.

The Partido Popular, the national opposition party, the governing party in the Valencia region, the Alicante province and in our Orihuela Town council backs the campaign against Garzón. The party was vocal in its criticism of the Franco case. "It is outlandish," said Manuel Fraga, a former Francoist minister who is the party's founding president. The party had also lashed out at Garzón for his recent investigation into a PP corruption scandal known as the Gürtel case. Party leader Mariano Rajoy has called the wave of pro-Garzón demonstrations "anti-democratic". Coming from the PP that takes the biscuit as I know from experience of local government.

Giles Tremlett of the Guardian has written an informative article:

Charismatic judge who pursued Spain's fascist assassins finds himself on trial | World news | The Observer

Why did I let this happen to me?

I was feeling a little bit down today until I read Melanie Reid's, The Times columnist, article entitled Why did I let this happen to me? . She broke her neck and back earlier this month and wrote the article from her hospital bed as she confronts her future.

A moving piece of prose which brought reality back to me as to how lucky I am with what I have. The blues have gone.

SAVE ME 2010

Use your vote to ensure that the present laws protecting animals from cruelty are kept in place, more carefully monitored, legally tightened up, and fully enforced.

Save Me 2010 is a group, founded by Brian May, who believe that every creature deserves a decent life and a decent death. They are not a charity, and are not affiliated to any political party. The group is therefore free in the coming weeks to support any political candidate we choose – any politician who serves the needs of animals.

Take a few minutes to look at the websie. SAVE ME 2010 - How will you vote?

The Pope Should Be Questioned in Sex-Abuse Cases

Detain or subpoena the pope for questioning in the child-rape scandal? You must be joking! All right then, try the only alternative formulation: declare the pope to be above and beyond all local and international laws, and immune when it comes to his personal and institutional responsibility for sheltering criminals. The joke there would be on us.

says Christopher Hitchens in the opening paragraph of his article entitled 'Bring the Pope to Justice' in the Newsweek magazine 3rd May edition.

I found it an interesting and thought provoking read.

See what you think; The Pope Should Be Questioned in Sex-Abuse Cases - Newsweek.com

Los Verdes have the gall.

On the Los Verdes party's new Weblog for the Orihuela Costa area (although there was no need to creat a new one as one already existed but that's probably another story) they have posted an article entitled Trees is Pau 26, march 2010. I could not let this go without posting the following comment on the article.

I am really surprised that Los Verdes have the gall to make this comment as if the proposal made by the party in April 2009 had gone ahead, "Los Verdes request the Council that an exchange is made between the use of the two plots of land, in that the PAU-26 area is used for the Eco-park" (against the wishes of, and without consultation with, the residents of the area) the plot of land would have been covered with concrete.

Without the help of Los Verdes the residents saved PAU 26 .

I would remind you of the wording in my letter of resignation from Los Verdes "I do not agree with the alternative location proposal for the recycling depot put forward to the Ayuntamiento by Los Verdes, without I would point out any prior consultation with the residents that will be directly affected, for the recycling depot. The proposal fails to protect either the quality of life of the residents or the environment of the area. It is an unacceptable compromise of principles".

You might find my article "Euro Weekly News article 'Orihuela school children do their bit for the environment' is a load of 'Utter Tosh'" about the tree planting of interest.

I hope they will have the courage to leave my comment attached to their article.