The Supplement #31

ISSUE 31Santa Cruz de TenerifeSaturday 31 March 2012

www.diariodeavisos.com/thesupplement

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead” Benjamin Franklin

STRIKE PROMPTSMANDATE QUESTIONS

!Thursday’s general strike has rekindled thedebate as to who is more entitled to dictateeconomic policy: voters who elect a govern-ment or the much smaller number of workerswho elect union representatives. Spain’smain unions united to convene this week’s

mass stoppage as a warning to the newgovernment, which holds an absolutemajorty in Parliament, that its economicreform programme, particularly the recentchanges to employment legislation, will notbe tolerated. Although publicly acknowled-

ging the right of people to strike, governmentsources have made it known that the votes ofalmost 11 million people in November are ‘amuch bigger mandate’ than that given bythousands of workers to union officials inelections with very low turn-outs.

War of words over which ‘voters’ are more legitimate

DROUGHT

!The Tenerife authorities saythey are working closely withlocal councils across the islandon a strategy to ensure water isguaranteed for agriculture tocombat the effects of the worstdrought in 68 years. SeniorCabildo officials met with repre-sentatives of the island’s 31town halls to coordinate a res-ponse to the growing crisis,which may necessitate restric-tions in order to save water foruse by farmers, who have war-ned that crop production thisyear will be very low.

Authoritiespromiseactionon water

CINEMA

!The sequel to Clash of theTitans has gone on generalrelease in Spain, following thesneak preview given in Tene-rife on Tuesday. Wrath of theTitans, directed by JonathanLiebesman and starring SamWorthington and Liam Nee-son, was partly shot in Tenerifelast year and represents one ofthe biggest successes of theisland’s Film Commission todate. The first film grossedsome $500 million worldwide.

Tenerifefilmedblockbusteron release

ECONOMY

!The feared increase in electricity pri-ces has been confirmed by Spain’senergy minister José Manuel Soria.Household bills are expected to rise bybetween 5-7% as of 1 April after powercompanies successfully applied to thecourts for bills to reflect actual costs.

Electricity billsset for increaseas of 1 April

EDUCATION

A group of language stu-dents from the Escuela Ofi-cial de Idiomas in Puerto deLa Cruz paid a visit to theDIARIO DE AVISOS recentlyto learn about the paper and

its production process. Thevisit included a glimpsebehind the scenes at TheSupplement and some unex-pected homework for thekeen students.

LANGUAGESTUDENTS VISITTHE SUPPLEMENT

The national strike was called by unions in protest at the new Spanish government’s economic policy decisions. / DA

The language students were shown how the paper is produced. / S. MÉNDEZ

ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD’SWORST AVIATION TRAGEDYDiario de AvisosSanta Cruz de Tenerife

The 35th anniversary of theworld’s worst aviation tragedywas marked in Tenerife thisweek. The island’s Los RodeosAirport, now known as TenerifeNorth, was catapulted to inter-national media fame for thewrong reasons on 27 March1977 when an accumulation offactors made it the scene for thehorrific collision between twojumbo jets, which would nothave been there had it not beenfor a terrorist incident at GranCanaria airport.

On the fateful day, a bombalert in Gran Canaria led severalplanes to be diverted to LosRodeos, where weather condi-tions were much poorer andworsened as the day progressed.By the time the Pan Am and KLM747s involved in the crash wereon the runway, a dense coveringof fog had enveloped the airport,which was not equipped withground radar and had to rely onradio communications for infor-mation.

Both airplanes were destroyedwhen the KLM plane tried totake off in low visibility, una-ware that the Pan Am jet was stillon the runway. All 234 passen-gers and 14 crew members onboard the KLM plane died, while326 passengers and 9 crewmembers on the Pan Am flightwere killed, primarily due to thefire and explosions resultingfrom the fuel that spilled and

ignited following the impact.The accident had major conse-

quences for the aviation industrydue to the evidence that avoida-ble communications misunders-tandings between the planesand the control tower had pla-yed a major part in the collision.Standardised phraseology wasquickly introduced in ATC com-munication by controllers andpilots to reduce the possibility of

mix-ups and loose terms such as‘OK’ were eliminated.

Back in 2007, the 30th anni-versary of the tragedy broughttogether for the first time Dutchand American next of kin, whojoined aid workers from Tenerifein an international commemora-tion service held at Santa Cruz’sAuditorium, which was followedby the inauguration of a 27March Memorial in honour of

the crash victims at the MesaMota outside La Laguna, a shortdistance fromTenerife North air-port.

The monument was designedby Dutch sculptor Rudi van deWint. A special 50-page bookletcommemorating the accident,including a DVD in English,Dutch and Spanish, was publis-hed a year later, on 27 March2008.

The collision of two 747s at Los Rodeos remains the worst tragedy in aviation history. / DA

DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Tenerife wing of a culinarymovement set up to counterthe impact of fast-food habitshas been created in La Orotava.The island now has its very ownchapter of Slow Food Interna-tional, a global, grassroots andnon-profit organisation withsupporters in 150 countriesaround the world who are link-ing the pleasure of good foodwith a commitment to theircommunity and the environ-ment.

Currently boasting over100,000 members, Slow Foodwas founded in 1989 as an anti-dote to the rise of fast food andfast life, the disappearance oflocal food traditions and peo-ple’s dwindling interest in thefood they eat, where it comesfrom, how it tastes and how ourfood choices affect the rest ofthe world.

The new chapter, which wasformally launched at the Hum-boldt Mirador on Monday, isheaded by wine-maker GabrielMorales and Dutch chef AdrianBruins. As a first step it is tocompile a database of ecologi-cal farmers to work with.

Slow FoodmovementreachesTenerife

DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

A political party here hascalled for urgent action by theauthorities to resolve the pro-blem of stray dogs roaming onMt Teide. The ANC party saysthe long-standing problem isworsening by the month andcan be expected to increasefurther in the Las Cañadasarea when hunters abandondogs, particularly pharaohhounds, that no longer servetheir purpose.

‘The huntsmen have beendoing this for years, leavingtheir unsuitable dogs behindafter hunting trips to Teide.Staff at the Parador Hotel andelsewhere feed and leavewater for them. We have askedthe Civil Guard to try andcatch the dogs but they cannotget close enough’ it added.

Foreign visitors to Teidehave regularly complaineddown the years of the distres-sing spectacle of the abando-ned and often starving dogsroaming in the area, alone orin small packs.

Plea foraction overabandonedTeide dogs

Diario de AvisosSanta Cruz de Tenerife

A homeopathy course in LaLaguna University during theweek triggered a furious rowbetween the organisers andinfluential members of the uni-versity community.

News of the 3-day course,which attracted many studentsbecause it enabled them to earncredits required for their phar-macy degree, prompted a formalnote from the university’s Asso-ciation for the Dissemination ofScience expressing outrage thatthe Faculty of Pharmacy shouldparticipate in the promotion of aform of medicine based onbeliefs rather than provenscience. In a statement issued tomedia, the association expres-

sed its opposition to the use ofuniversity premises for ‘a pseu-doscience which has the samescientific basis as tarot future-telling, feng shui or graphology:none’.

The academics added that itfailed to understand how aFaculty tasked with training stu-dents in health issues based onscientific knowledge could lendits support to the course. ‘It is notour intention to attack beliefsbut we insist that they shouldnot be confused with science,particularly in a universityFaculty’ the statement ended.

The criticism met with swiftreaction from supporters of thecourse, who called the associa-tion members ‘Talibans’ and‘blinkered’ for refusing to acceptother approaches to medicine.

Homeopathy coursecauses rift at La LagunaUniversity


Parents of pupils at a secondaryschool in south Tenerife refusedto allow their children back toclassrooms after a second eva-cuation in the space of a fewdays was ordered due to con-cerns at the possible collapse ofa building.

Over a hundred pupils wereevacuated from a wing of theSan Miguel school in Las Zocaslast week after a rumbling noisewas heard and cracks appearedin classroom walls. An imme-diate structural inspection bythe Department of Educationled to the all-clear being givensoon after but a second evacua-tion at the beginning of thisweek proved the last straw for

parents, who said the authori-ties were putting the teenagers’lives at risk by not closing theschool completely.

‘We are terrified that the landon which the school wing wasbuilt is unsafe and the groundmight give way, causing thewalls to collapse with the pupilsinside’ said parents. Educationsources confirmed that surve-yors had felt the tremors duringtheir visit but insisted initiallythat the building was safe.

A protest was staged on Tues-day to coincide with the arrivalof education officials to inspectthe latest damage. A short timelater, the authorities orderedthe closure of the wing pendingfurther investigation of the cau-ses of the cracks. Pupils havebeen rehoused elsewhere.

Parents protestat dangerous schoolwalls

2 Saturday31 March 2012The Supplement


The early success of new Tenerifemanager Andrés García Tébarseemed too good to be true formany and the reservations haveproven correct. Successive defe-ats by sides at the bottom of thetable have earned the club anunwanted reputation as a ‘resu-rrector’ of teams in trouble, a giftthat unfortunately plunges theside into its own serious trouble.

Having lost 0-2 in a midweekgame to Sanse, Tenerife had byfar their worst game of the sea-son against Leganés last Sunday,losing not just the game (by thesame score) but several key pla-yers for this week-end, includingLusmi Loro who was sent off foran infantile hand-ball havingbeen booked earlier. Also missingwill be Zazo and Kike López, whoare suspended after receivingtheir fifth yellow cards.

If the performance on the pitchwas shocking, even more shoc-king was the explosive post-match press conference by GarcíaTébar in which he slammed hisplayers for their lack of effort andurged the club ‘not to pay theirwages’ if they do not finish in thepromotion spots at the end of theseason. Coming just weeks after

an earlier attack on several pla-yers for their training performan-ces during Carnival, the recom-mendation lit a fuse that hadbeen smouldering for some timedue to the manager’s outspokenapproach.

However, this time the playerswere not prepared to bow theirheads and accept the rebuke.Several expressed their anger attheir manager for his outburstand ‘invited’ him to concentratehis efforts on the training groundand pitch rather than on trying torun the club’s finances. Angriestof all was Raul Llorente, who saidthat the players’ pay and con-

tracts were none of García Téba-r’s business. The tense situationprompted director of footballPedro Cordero to call an ‘All isWell’ press conference on the tea-m’s return to Tenerife after theLeganés disaster. Cordero stres-

sed that all clubs experience ‘upsand downs in player-managerrelations’ but ‘any difficultiesshould be resolved internally’. Hecalled on both to unite for the finalstraight of the league to keepTenerife on course for a play-off

place. ‘The last games of the sea-son always bring added tensionbut it is the time when we all needto remain calm’ said Cordero.Tenerife have taken just fourpoints from twelve of late and playToledo at home this week-end.

Tenerife’s troubles have been worsened by García Tébar’s outburst. / DA

The Tenerifemanager angeredplayers with his ‘nopay’ rebuke afterthe Leganés loss

something of a surprise becauseof its financial circumstances andthe decision to apply for a placeafter failing to win promotionfrom the EBA last year raised eye-brows.

With the exception of the Bar-celona game, attendances athome games have been poor andthe fan base is certainly not largeenough to sustain further partic-pation in an expensive leaguethat requires travel every otherweek to the Spanish mainlandfor away games.

Tenerife can only lookenviously up the motorway toneighbours Iberostar Canarias,who are having their best seasonever in the much tougher LEBOro division. With just a fewgames remaining they top theleague, having already won theCup. The recent home matchagainst second-placed Menorcadrew just under 5000 to the San-tiago Martín stadium, the club’sbiggest ever crowd. Promotion tothe elite ACB league would cap ahistoric season.

Morale-boosting win forTenerife but job not over


Tenerife’s ‘other’ senior basket-ball side notched up a rare andurgently-needed win againstBarcelona’s reserve team in frontof a sizeable crowd in Santa Cruzto give fans hope of a positive endto the season.

Under new coach Ruymán Del-gado, who replaced Jou Costa atthe end of January, the side haveslumped to the foot of the LEBPlata division. However, thingscame together last Saturdayagainst the young Catalans, withkey players such as Nacho Gui-gou, Javi Pérez and Sammy Mon-roe turning in their best perfor-mances for some time to helpTenerife to a hard-fought butdeserved 91-80 win. The resultlifted Tenerife off the bottom

and, with just a couple of gamesto go, the battle is truly on toavoid the drop into the EBA divi-sion. Even if relegation is avoi-ded, many question whether the

cub can afford to continue in theLEB league and it is by no meanscertain Tenerife will field a teamnext season. Indeed, its presencein the competition this year was

Tenerife basketball club have struggled all season in the league. / DA

Dressing roomstrife adds toTenerife woe

ATHLETICS

!La Laguna’s Jonay Jordánmade his international debutwith a deserved second placein the Under-23 triangular bet-ween Great Britain, Franceand Spain in Cardiff. Jordánfinished just behind Britain’sBen Gregory in the heptathlon,almost matching his personalbest for the event. Two poorscores on the second day depri-ved him of what looked to cer-tain victory after a good Day 1.

Jonay turnsin impressiveCardiff showing

EQUESTRIAN

!Tenerife’s first dressage com-petition of the new yearbrought a large turn-out of par-ticipants to the Atalaya Club inLa Laguna. More than 50 ridersand their horses from all overthe island competed in the dif-ferent categories, with a parti-cularly strong presence of novi-ces. The competition calendarcontinues this week-end withan event in the El Manchónclub.

Big turn-outfor dressageseason opener

CD TENERIFE

!The ongoing problems bet-wen players and manager atTenerife have served to publi-cise the financial difficulties atthe club, particularly delays inpayments to the squad. For-ward Jorge Perona has admit-ted that wages are being paid amonth late but he and hiscolleagues were confident thatthey would receive theirmoney. ‘Things are a lot worseelsewhere’ added Perona.

Pay delaysnot a problem,says Perona

BASKETBALL

!Clarification is being soughtfrom the basketball federationas to the situation of La Palma,who have confirmed that theywill not take up a place in theACB league if they win promo-tion. Should the islanders winthe LEB league but not go up,other clubs want to know forsure if the second-placed teamwill get the automatic spot.

La Palma promotionrejection leadsto consultation

BASKETBALL

3Saturday31 March 2012 The Supplement

SPORT

4 Saturday31 March 2012The Supplement

TENERIFE GASTRONOMYWith the 8th edition of the CanaryIsland’s Top Chef Contest taking pla-ces during the food and wine fairExpohostel from 16-18 April and theCanary Islands Ham Cutting Com-petition on 18 April, we spotlight theisland’s cuisine.

Tenerife offers authentic cuisine blessedwith an array of intoxicating flavours, var-ying from coriander-based sauces to redhot pepper-infused cheese.

The hallmarks of traditional dishes aresimplicity, quality and freshness of locally-produced ingredients such as potatoes,tomatoes or bananas.

Bananas in Tenerife are easily identifia-ble by their small size and speckled skin.The island’s ideal subtropical climateallows bananas to stay on the plant for lon-ger, resulting in an extraordinary, intenseflavour.

Potatoes are the star productand are often accompaniedby “mojo” sauce, whichcan also be partneredwith fresh fish ormeat. Varieties in-clude “papa bo-nita” meaning pre-tty potato, “papanegra”, “papa azu-cena”, “papa cara”and King Edward(pronounced “quin-e-gua” in the Canariandialect). Potatoes origi-nally arrived from Americaover four centuries ago and havesince played a significant role in everydaycuisine.

Cheese Approximately 24,000 tonnes ofcheese is consumed every year in theCanary Islands, being one of Spain’s lar-gest cheese consuming regions. Roughlyhalf of this amount is produced locally andaround 80% of these are artisan farm-house cheeses, generating an importantincome for the farming sector. Most chee-ses are made with indigenous goat’s milkor sheep’s milk.

One of the most unique products onTenerife is locally-produced honey, parti-cularly the flower-based honey preparedwith endemic floral species. Tenerife’sbeekeeping tradition dates back morethan 500 years and was once an impor-tant source of income on the island. Thedistinct variety of flowers has generated aspectrum of exquisite floral aromas, which

can only be produced with native flowerssuch as the “Tajinaste” or the Mount Teidebroom. Visitors can learn about the uni-que preparation of Tenerife honey and itsseal of approval at the Honey Museum inEl Sauzal.

Unknown by many, although praised byShakespeare, Tenerife’s award-winningwines are of great quality and were expor-ted to England for over three centuries.Brought by colonists in the 16th century,Tenerife’s wine production began in LosRealejos, and rapidly developed throug-hout the island resulting in over 100 ope-rational vineyards.

Tenerife’s wine-making tradition hasgenerated five Denominations of Origin(produced in five different wine regions),varying from fresh, aromatic whites, toroses, reds, as well as Malvasia-based

winesWine enthusiasts can disco-

ver the island’s wine treasu-res by following wine

trails, sampling diffe-rent varieties at ma-ny of the wineries orby paying a visit to“Casa del Vino LaBaranda” in ElSauzal, a true winehaven set in a resto-

red farmhouse fromthe 17th century. Its

facilities include a winecellar, a wine shop, a wine

tasting room, a restaurant,exhibitions and an old wine-press

located in a pleasant courtyard. Tenerifeboasts a wide selection of restaurants, var-ying from high-end outlets offering hautecuisine to rustic eateries, perfect for tradi-tional Canarian recipes. Fine dining hasgrown in Tenerife with the arrival of seve-ral renowned Spanish chefs, offering inno-vative and creative dishes.

Visitors can also discover the island’sdelicacies in markets such as “NuestraSeñora de Africa” in Santa Cruz, the capi-tal of Tenerife, or the different local far-mers’ markets called “Mercadillo del Agri-cultor”held at weekends. Edible souvenirsare available in various outlets across theisland, such as banana liquor and choco-late-coated almonds.

For a list of restaurants see:www.webtenerife.com/Actividades/

Comer-y-beber/?Lang=en

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