Monday, March 18, 2024

Jack Gaioni: Jack's Corner

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: The controversy in a small Valencian village over plans for a massive solar...

IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was...

Better luck this time! Spain’s chequered history in the FIFA World Cup

TODAY - November 20 - marks the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. While rightly surrounded in controversy for many reasons, Spain will...

Life is Easy with Eyes Closed… (But opened for John Lennon in Spain’s Cabo de Gata!)

A little-known fact: John Lennon had terrible eyesight. By today’s standards he would have been considered legally blind without his glasses. He was severely myopic,...

THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF SPAIN’S COUNTRYSIDE: CONCERN AS COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS TURN MEGA

IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was...

James Bond inspired by iconic expat and British spy Alan Hillgarth who lived in Mallorca

The author confessed ‘the Bond character is a compound of all the secret agents I knew'

What do King Solomon, Andalucia’s Rio Tinto mines, NASA and Mars have in common?

One of the most common reactions to visiting the Rio Tinto mining complex is a comparison to a Martian landscape - and that’s not so far-fetched for a number of reasons

Beer today, gone tomorrow?: The history of cerveza in Spain

‘I drink beer when I have occasion …and sometimes when I have no occasion’ - Jack Gaioni agrees with Miguel de Cervantes

SEEDS OF HISTORY: SCIENTISTS USING OLIVE SEEDS TO PROVE BIBLE STORIES

OLIVES and Spain! Spain and olives! It’s no surprise to those of us who live here that the two are virtually synonymous. Chances are...

Meet the last shepherds eeking out a living on Spain’s ancient pastoral routes

MEET Valentin, his dog Hooky, and Alberto. We occasionally see each other on my walks near Requena, a rural area in Valencia province. Full...

How scientists in Valencia are pinning hopes on protecting the oldest living species on earth

WITH three eyes, hundreds of legs, and elongated antennae, these critters are not going to win any beauty contests. Yet they are fascinating organisms....

Wind of change: Two sides of the ecologist movement clash as Spain debates renewable energy

OUCH! Another electric bill arrived today as more evidence of the skyrocketing price of energy.  Electricity costs have quadrupled - yes quadrupled! - from February...

World Water Day: What you should know about the rain in Spain

IT is painfully obvious that, in spite of some recent rainfall Spain is experiencing a prolonged drought. Average rainfall this winter is 33% of normal...

Given the bird: How falcons are used to protect Spain’s airports from the dangers of bird strikes

BIRD strikes, (airplane engines and/or landing gear colliding with birds), are a growing problem as they have become frequent, very expensive and sometimes fatal. In...

SPANISH AUTHOR CARLOS ZAFON: The pen is mightier than the camera…

CARLOS Ruiz Zafon needs no introduction. Arguably the most recognised contemporary writer in Spain, he has an equally successful international reputation.  Translated into over 50...

Dredging up history: Galicia clean-up project could shed light on mysteries of Spanish Armada

The true aftermath of the Spanish Armada has been buried by the sands of time … until now, writes Jack Gaioni

Basque magic: How Spanish children ended up playing in English teams before ‘foreign players’ became a thing

WAS it a cultural thing? Nature vs.Nurture? Was there something in the water? Their DNA? What follows traces the plight of six Basque adolescents,...

She’s Dynamite! (literally): Civil War heroine who took the fight to Spain’s men

Dynamite! It’s a form of slang that refers to the essence of something rather than the explosive device. For example, we might say: “Penelope Cruz...

Jack Gaioni explores the horrors of a Civil War concentration camp and Franco’s grip on the Spanish press

 IF you were hoping for a ‘feel good’ article, read no further. If you were hoping for some logical, ‘moral-to-the story account’ - again, read...

Anarchy, Andalucia and free women: How women in Spain plotted to bring down the patriarchy

Women in Andalucia were some of the first in Spain to join the fight against General Franco, writes Jack Gaioni

Give war a chance – a Spanish village at war with France

How a 100-year ‘war’ between an Andalucian village and France forged lifelong friendships

The ‘Battle’ of Parsley Island is much more Comedy than tragedy, writes Jack Giaoni

WITH a good pair of binoculars on a clear day, from just about anywhere along the Costa del Sol, you can make out the...

Shedding some light on Spanish secret societies

Secret societies work covertly to achieve a hidden agenda where secrecy is a sanctuary and a source of power, writes Jack Gaioni

Fake news: How a lost suitcase changed photojournalism

Although the terms are contemporary, the role of journalism in ‘manufacturing opinion’ has been a human activity as far back as reliable evidence suggests, writes Jack Gaioni

The papal effect: What does a deceased, oversexed Spanish pope have to do with climate change?

Jack Gaioni examines Pope Alexander VI's life, role and global influence.

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