Informal English Speaking Group of Loja March 2010 - Newsletter
Group Reminder for March MeetingThe English Group will meet as usual at the Hotel Almazara, Rio Frio on Tuesday 2nd March between 12:00 and 1:30 pm. From 1:30 pm until approximately 2:30 pm Rob Westwater will be giving his second talk about the law in Spain. Further details can be found below. Please note that the Hotel main entrance is open and lift in operation.
Diary Dates for 20102 nd March 6 th April 4 th May Regular Meeting of the “Las Mujeres Sin Sus Maridos”This group continues to meet at the Café Continental every Friday morning at 11:00 am. Everyone welcome to join us.
English Film CycleOn 3rd March a short cycle of 3 films about life in the British Isles will begin. All 3 films are in English with Spanish subtitles and original soundtrack and will be shown in El Posito Cultural Centre. Please come along and give your support and enjoy the 3 excellent comedies. All films start at 8.30 and admission is free. Details are also in this month’s Artifice card: 1. There is only One Jimmy Grimble (Wed 3rd) 2. East is East (Wed. 10th) 3. Plots with a view. (Wed 17th) At the March meeting of the Informal English Group membership forms for Artifice will be available.
Café Continental St Patrick’s Day Party, Avda Los Angeles 37, Loja17th March, Wednesday – 8:00 pm Come and celebrate St Patrick’s Day at the Café Continental. Traditional Irish music and sing along with Shaun – Fancy dress optional (25 euros for best costume). Dance, sing along or just relax to the best of Irish songs. Irish Whisky, Irish Velvet Cocktails, Guinness, Irish Coffee and tapas. Traditional Irish pork in Guinness and Honey with Colcannon, available at 7 euros.
27th March, Saturday - 11.00 am Choral Eucharist with Procession of Palms & sung Passion (Plainsong - Tomás Luis de Victoria), Vva La Tapia
10th & 24th Match – 19:00 Royal British Legion, Loja Branch at Hotel Mirador
2010 Programme of Visits and Talks
March 2nd Second talk by Rob Westwater, De Cotta Law following normal meeting. 1:30pm free
March 23rd Afternoon visit to Science Park, with time afterwards in Granada. Leave Loja 3.30pm, Arrive Science Park 4.30 approx. and stay until 6.00pm Shopping time in Granada, leave Granada 8pm Cost of entry to Science Park 6 euros. Cost of coach approx. 10 euros April 27th 'A Stroll amongst the Wild Orchids' with Mick Richardson. See orchids, butterflies and birds with the expert to guide you. Take own car (max 5 cars) 24 euros per car See www.englishinloja.com for further details.
Further details of the full programme for the year, together with a form indicating interest, are on the web site
Please remember that your booking for the visit to the Science Park in Granada on 23rd March should be confirmed and paid for at the meeting on Tuesday, 2nd March.
Walking in Andalucia by David FosterOver the next few months we will be publishing a series of walks by David Foster who has covered every footstep of these walks. The walks range in difficulty from easy, suitable for anybody reasonable mobile, to more difficult walks for the serious walkers. I commend these walks to you, even for the less fit of us they can be ventured in small bites. Remember to take water, refreshments, a camera and field glasses with you. The first of the walks is from Bar Los Caminos (halfway between Kilometre 54 and Kilometre 55 on the A333 Iznájar /Salinas road signed to CO – 9200 Villanueva de Algaida) via El Adelantado and the Ridge returning to Bar Los Caminos. The walks are to be published on the English in Loja web site with brief details of each walk and a downloadable version of the walk with full details. Anyone who wishes is invited to join the Wednesday Walks group (3 to 5 hours) or the Saturday Strolls (a more gentle 1 to 2 hours) contact wednesdaywalk@hotmail.co.uk
Talks by the LawyerRob Westwater will be giving the second of his talks after the March meeting, it will last for approximately an hour. If you have any topics that you would like Rob to address please let us know as soon as possible by email to englishinloja@gmail.com and we will pass these on to him. Any requests should be of a general nature rather than a specific enquiry relating to your personal circumstances. New web siteThe Informal English Speaking Group’s web site has been re-launched and is being updated on a more regular basis. You will be able to access the web site at www.englishinloja.com. The usual contents will be there, as well as some new information and pages. Edited versions of the previous newsletters will be available with information that is still relevant retained. You will have received a separate email inviting you to click on the link to the web site and to put it in your bookmarks. If you have items that you would like to see included on the web site or in the monthly newsletter please contact the editor englishinloja@gmail.com
Email SecurityThere are a number of security issues that have arisen recently, for example one of our members has just had his large web site put out of action by various hackers. This has caused great inconvenience not to mention the loss of business. Despite appeals in the past to members of the group we are still receiving a number of items that could be a possible source of viruses and phishing expeditions. One such phishing email purported to come from the above member asking for funds to be transferred to him as he was overseas and in dire distress. The email was badly composed and was an obvious scam, it has been reported to the appropriate body! A major source of viruses etc comes in the form of round robins and chain letters appealing for help and asking for the email to be passed on to everybody in your mailing list. This often disguises the fact that your address book has been captured and an email purporting to come from you arrives at a recipients in-box which in turn captures their address book and sends a message to all of their contacts and so on and so on. Even if the messages are not malicious and do not contain a virus they do clog up and slow down the whole system. Another similar source are messages warning you of a new virus – these are usually spoof warnings and in themselves often contain a hidden virus. Some of the supposed viruses have been around for years and resurface ever now and then, usually quoting “I have been informed by Norton (or some other virus protection system) that …” Remember when you send emails to a large number of people to send them as ‘Blind Copies’ if you just use a long list of contacts everybody is able to see the addresses of your contacts – this is a serious breech of security of personal information. Because we have a large contact list and also maintain the web site, it is with regret that to protect our system we are going to have to be hard about this. If we receive regular emails of the above type we will block all emails from that source. Probably the best move to help avoid problems is to get reliable anti-virus software which will also protect against phishing, spamming and intrusions. One can’t avoid all of the perils of the internet, but at least one should try for your own sake and for the sake of all your contacts. For examples of phishing Microsoft has more information at: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/symptoms.aspx
Changes to EHIC Regulations Affecting British Pensioners in Spain
Traffic Fines on LineExpats that have a valid Spanish driving licence and those that have successfully transferred their overseas licence to comply with regulations here in Spain can now pay traffic fines at the touch of a button. Since May last year, the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has made it possible for nationals and foreigners alike to pay fines for their driving offences via the internet, wherever they may be 24/7. Although not in English, the DGT´s website found at www.dgt.es offers drivers the option to pay their penalties online with a credit or debit card in the comfort of their own homes, rather than via the traditional route of visiting a Banco Santander branch, the post office (Correos) or a local Jefatura de Tráfico office. What’s more – and provided that the driving licence has not been withdrawn for the infraction of a serious offence – a 30% discount is available for those that pay the penalty within 30 days of receiving the fine. If you wish to pay your fines online, here’s how to do it: 1. Access the DGT´s website at www.dgt.es and enter the ‘Trámites y Multas’ section located on the left hand menu. 2. Select the fourth option on the sub-menu (¿Alguna Multa?) and subsequently, “Pago de Multas”. 3. Select option A – this will allow you to pay the fine without a Digital Certificate or Electronic ID Number. 4. Now enter the following information in this exact order to receive a receipt of payment: document type, document number, first name, 1st surname, 2nd surname, record/file number and the total amount of the fine.
Olive Country LifeThe on-line version of Olive Country Life can be found by clicking on the following link: Or paste the following into the address bar of your browser: www.alcala-ife.com/EN2/index.php?option=com_rokdownloads&view=folder&Itemid=115&id=2:magazine
The current edition is there together with all the back issues. Newsletters On-lineIf you are having trouble downloading the newsletters because of a slow connection, please let us know and we will produce a cut down newsletter for you, Alternatively you can try the web site or even come to the meeting of the Informal English Speaking Group where there are always printed copies of the newsletter.
Peter & Patricia 28th March 2010
Disclaimer
Although we hope the information contained in the newsletters and on our web pages will be of interest the authors accept no liability and offer no warranties in relation to it and its content, to the fullest extent such liability can be excluded by law. The documents are not a substitute for legal advice, and are not intended or offered as such. Every case is different, and the only way to ensure that the advice is appropriate to your particular circumstances is to instruct a lawyer, who can take full instructions on all relevant issues. The author does not therefore accept any duty of care to anyone who makes use of, or seeks to rely on, material in the newsletters or on the web site.
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