A GREEK TRAGEDY

As long ago as 2,400 years approximately Plato refused to follow family political tradition, judging the then society and it’s ruling classes as weak, corrupt and decadent, he was also pissed off that his friend Socrates had been sentenced to death. He set himself the task of creating the perfect society (on paper at least) we know it as Utopia, but, like most ideologies do not take into consideration the essence of human nature, i.e., preservation and expansion of territory by force or cunningness in order to improve the quality of life of the few at the expense of the many.

Today the majority of Greek citizens are discovering once again the realities of what having a weak and corrupt government really means. They are staring at an uncertain future, full of hardship, misery and uncertainty some will actually die a violent death as they will try to ask questions of a government with no answers.

A Real Greek Tragedy with the only difference being that the script is written by men in grey suits operating from Wall Street.

Greece today is actually the Trojan horse of Europe; any attempt to bring it on line will cause disastrous economic consequences to the community as a whole.

CASSANDRA

The best golf experience at the Andalucian Open!

On Wednesday the 24th March I was lucky enough to be able to play in the Andalucian Open Pro-Am tournament. I was supposed to play with Miguel Angel Jimenez but when I arrived at the Parador, Miguel Angel told me that I would be playing with Darren Clarke instead. “Was I disappointed” he asked. You can imagine my answer! It turned out to be the best day’s golf of my life. Not so much because of how I played (I was so nervous my driver never came out of the bag until the 18th hole), but who I played with. Mr. Clarke is an absolute gentleman, gregarious, patient and inspirational.
The highlight of the course for me was sinking a 5 meter put on the eighteenth for a net birdie. This got our combined score down to 18 under par, but Darren’s caddie said it was not enough to win the competition. That evening I went to the prize presentation just to take a few photos and rub shoulders with my idols. When Darren Clarke saw me he beckoned me over to the bar and very seriously asked me if I remembered what I did on the eighteenth. A net birdie I replied nervously. He gave me a bear hug and told me that my put had won us the competition by one point. The rest of the evening I spent on cloud nine.

Requiem for Baltasar Garzón

Spanish Judiciary had been leading the way in years of prosecuting those who infringe human and civil rights anywhere. One magistrate (Juez) in particular Baltasar Garzón became world famous for pursuing and demanding extradition from great Britain of General Pinochet of Chile when he was visiting a private clinic in London.

Unfortunately for Mr. Garzón and international justice in general he is now finding out that whilst it was acceptable to chase cases of genocide abroad it was not kosher to investigate Franco’s period in office. During this time hundreds of thousands of citizens were executed just for being Republicans, gays or intellectuals…like the poet Lorca, who epitomized all three things at the one time.
Mr. Garzón is about to be tried by his peers for acting outside his allocated duties and very likely will lose his job and privileges. Someone once said that it takes 100 years to forget a civil war. How right he or she was! As soon as someone started to scratch the surface of this 30 year old Spanish democracy it reveals only hatred and animosity.
I feel sorry for you Baltasar but you should have left this matter alone for another seventy years at least.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltasar_Garz%C3%B3n

Juan Martin Seron-Mayor of Alhaurin el Grande.

I have lived, worked and done business in Alhaurin el Grande for over twenty years. During this time I have witnessed firsthand many cases of corruption amongst local politicians and civil servants. Needless to say none of these cases were ever brought in front of a judge. Eight years ago Don Juan Martin Seron came to power by ousting the then socialist mayor, via a vote of no confidence, and he went on to win two further elections. He was never forgiven by the socialists for having taken over a town which was traditionally theirs since democracy was restored to Spain.
Juan Martin Seron is a very difficult and complex person to describe. He is well educated, intelligent, pragmatic and very authoritarian. He does not suffer fools and is implacable against his enemy. He is convinced that he alone knows what is best for Alhaurin el Grande, modesty is definitely not his strong point and the word diplomacy does not appear in his dictionary.

Since coming into power he has worked incessantly to improve the infrastructure of the town which had been totally neglected by his predecessors. In order to do this badly needed work he devised a plan for raising money. The plan was simple and quasi legal. A building company would donate an amount of money to the council in exchange for increased edificablity. (Usually extra attics, on top of the ground plus two, allowed in most urban areas). Another fund raising activity was the ‘certificate of antiquity’ for a building more than four years old that originally had not been properly inscribed in the property registry, which present laws permit and admits. The problem as I see it is not whether these ‘donations’ to the council were legal or not. If we go down this road it will take lawyers and judges a hundred years to come to a decision, if ever.
The crux of the matter is whether the money paid to the council was employed in its totality to improve the town’s infrastructure or not (here one only has to look at what has been done in Alhaurin in the last eight years to realize that it has), or if the Mayor and Councilors actually pocketed these donations in part or all of it. I cannot put my hand on the fire for every member of the Council but I am convinced that Juan Martin Seron is not a crook. What he sees as his reward for having improved the infrastructure of his town beyond expectations comes in the form of street names, squares and public buildings being named after him and the thought of a nice monument at the entrance to the town is what motivates him. If he wanted money he would have stayed managing a bank and doing land deals on the side. Everyone knows he has got the brain and capabilities and ruthlessness to become the best business man this town has ever had, but instead he opted for immortality of a different kind.
For more information (in Spanish) check out these links and please don’t forget to comment and let me know your opinion too.

http://www.cope.es/hemeroteca/2010/03/29/malaga/22-03-10--martin-seron-estoy-seguro-absolutamente-mi-inocencia-porque-nunca-he-birlado-nada-151475-2
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/7796-la-fiscalia-pide-cuatro-anos-de-carcel-para-el-alcalde-de-alhaurin-el-grande
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/red/alcalde/Alhaurin/recibio/642000/euros/sobornos/elpepiesp/20090115elpepinac_16/Tes/

Fruit flies Dream and much about nothing!!

I read an article in a Spanish magazine about the power of the mind. I think it was an interview with Eduardo Punset—but I cannot be sure because the paper has been recycled. In the article there was a reference about scientists being able to determine conclusively that fruit flies dream. When I told my wife about this important discovery she started laughing and has not stopped since. Can someone out there help me corroborate this and wipe the smile of her face! In the same article there was also an anecdote about a neurologist’s conference where one speaker affirmed to the audience that if ears of baby rabbits were cut off at birth in x generations all rabbits would be born with no ears. A Russian scientist in the audience queried this statement by asking the speaker to explain why in Russia all baby girls were born virgins.

Celibacy and the Church

The old choir boys are singing again but this time they are not doing it in unison with their old teachers. They are vocalizing the abuses received by these eminent and learned lechers.
I read today that in Rome they are investigating 3000 cases of abuse by the clergy in Europe, Australia, the U.S.A. and Asia. The problem as I see it is not one of homosexuality which in itself is as old and well-established as Methusalem, practiced by adults of the same sex and tendencies all over the world with great enjoyment and satisfaction. Some of my homosexual friends are horrified reading about these clothed men torturing children in order to satisfy their libido. Who are these people? Certainly not just homosexuals!
I´ll tell you who they are; members of a religious order who, in order to follow their vocation have to take a vow of celibacy( as if legislating celibacy implies the same as removing the need).There are places such as prisons, convents, seminaries and single sex schools that normal sound minded people should avoid at all costs. It breeds unnatural situations, where physical sex manifests itself in the form of sadistic games, bringing out the worst in peoples subconscious.
If the Catholic Church genuinely wants to reduce the number of children abused it should do away with the vow of celibacy right away. The only other alternative is that it should chemically castrate every member of the clergy. The right way is to put it to the vote and accept for the first time in history a democratic decision. Whatever happens we have to stop calling the perpetrators of these terrible acts homosexual, because they are not. At least the vast majority of them are not gay but just perverted sick people who live from guilt to guilt teaching compassion in the name of a God never met nor ever will. The one who are genuinely homosexual usually join the Anglican faith!!

Long live the Costa del Sol

After the wettest winter in Andalucía in living memory the sun looks like it’s appeared again. I took a short walk in the garden admiring beautiful flowers being assailed by colourful butterflies. In the vegetable plot three different type of lettuce are thriving together with a half dozen cauliflower, four cabbages and a row of fennel.
Tomorrow I will play at Lauro Golf with a group called the Frogs. They are a great bunch of people, mainly British, living on the Costa del Sol. My wife is planning to take my seven year old skiing to the Sierra Nevada for the first time. What I am trying to say is that life is beautiful on the Costa del Sol. Despite experiencing the same economic problems as the rest of the world, we live in a privileged environment with wonderful facilities available allowing us to enjoy life to the full. I would not like to live anywhere else.
If anyone out there wants to join us and buy or rent a property in Alhaurin el Grande, Coin or anywhere on the Costa, why not check out our webpage www.propertysearchspain.com

We have lots of bargains at the moment so it is a great time to start looking.