The appalling Gran Scala casino development plan for the Monegros semi-desert in Aragón has "deflated," reports El País. The main reasons the Spanish newspaper cites are opposition from locals and ecological groups and, especially, the suspicion that the consortium behind Gran Scala is a sham. I am sure El País is right, but I have another reason to add: the bursting of the Spanish property bubble. It is too early to let our guards down altogether but, whatever the explanations, all right-thinking persons will rejoice that the wonderfully unspoilt Monegros are less likely to be desecrated by what was intended to be the second-largest casino complex in the world, the Las Vegas of Spain. More of this good news story.

Posted by : John Ross on Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 10:13 AM 150 reads

Former mayor of Benidorm Pedro Zaragoza died yesterday, aged 85. Zaragoza turned Benidorm from an impoverished fisihing village into the major resort it is today. He is most famous for allowing bikinis to be worn, in the face of opposition from Spanish conservatives including the Catholic Church, which threatened him with excommunication. However, his vision was broader and more far-reaching than that, for he was the first person to see the importance of vertical tourism, a concept which shaped the development of Benidorm (I have to point out here for the benefit of those who have never visited Benidorm that it is a fine town, with broad avenues and all its 330 skyscrapers facing the sea. In other words, it is a nice place). And you have only to look at the awful mess that the recent explosion of low-level development has created on both Spanish and Portuguese costas to see that he was right. If the tourism sector had heroes, Pedro Zaragoza would be a great name, an Alexander Fleming, a Marconi or a Descartes among resort planners. More of this story.

Posted by : John Ross on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 08:55 AM 385 reads

While the Socialist victory in last weekend's Spanish general elections is of considerable interest, it pales beside the real news: Rodolfo Chikilcuatre and his rap Baila El Chiki Chiki have improbably been chosen to represent Spain at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Now, while I abhor a spoiler as much as the next man, I do feel there is a serious danger of Chikilcuatre being misunderstood by non-Spaniards and Brits in particular, so allow me to point out that IT'S A JOKE! Do NOT take seriously! You can see the act with barely helpful subtitles clicking the "Play" button in the MySpace window on the next page, together with more of this story and a short Spanish lesson covering the essential vocabulary of Spanish humour: cachondeo, guasa, hortera and cutre. Oh, and perrear and chiki chiki itself (adults-only language lesson ahead).

Posted by : John Ross on Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 12:09 PM 978 reads

Ryanair actually announced the donation as RYANAIR HANDS OVER €70,000 TO ANGELS QUEST CHARITY (complete with capital letters), under the nose-thumbing headline "MUCHAS GRACIAS SPANISH PRUDES!!!" The latter is a reference to the Spanish consumer group FACUA which complained about the calendar which has raised the money. It contains pictures of alluringly and improbably undressed Ryanair stewardesses, and I am afraid I have to say I agree with all sides of the argument, here - yes, it is insulting to women, yes, the protests did give more publicity to the calendar, and, yes, if they want to take their clothes off, why not? Bless 'em. With any luck, there'll be another one next year. Read on for the full story.

Posted by : John Ross on Friday, January 25, 2008 - 11:05 AM 1904 reads

Businessman Tomas Delgado knocked 17-year-old Enaitz Iriondo off his bike and killed him in 2004. He is now suing the dead teenager's family for €20,000 for damage suffered by his Audi A8 and the inconvenience of having to rent a car, El País reports. Delgado was speeding and almost certainly over the alcohol limit at the time of the accident, which occurred outside a campsite in La Rioja. More of this story.

Posted by : John Ross on Friday, January 25, 2008 - 11:01 AM 562 reads