81-year-old "Dancing Queen" stuns Madrid residents [Video]

Age is only a mental state, as shown by this 81-year-old dancer in the heart of Madrid, Spain.

Photo: "Young since 1934" via YouTube

In the video we see what looks like a frail old lady, slowly making her way into the Puerta del Sol square in the centre of Madrid, where a dancing exhibition is in process. She tells people that she is old, that she has arthritis, all the while leaning heavily on her cane.

She stands there, watching a couple dancing, and then suddenly takes over. While she is dancing, at first we see her struggling a little, and almost falling to the floor, but then Sarah “Paddy” Jones shows her true light, thoroughly impressing onlookers as she athletically does all the fancy moves.



According to The Local, Paddy, 81, first shot to fame during a memorable performance on the talent show “Britain’s Got Talent” where she thoroughly impressed the judges with her unexpected and athletic dance routine with her Spanish partner, Nicolás "Nico" Espinosa, who is forty years her junior.

She has now become an internet sensation in Spain after the video of her latest dancing performance was aired on El Hormiguero, one of Spain’s most popular prime time shows.

The British pensioner lives in Gandía on Spain’s east coast and has become a viral YouTube star after the video first racked up almost 60 million views on Facebook.

According to El País, the video was made to "refute the idea that older people are always associated with frailty. Every older person has an enormous amount of potential and they should not be treated as if they were worth nothing."

Enjoy the 'off' season in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol

After a blazing hot and steamy summer, Fuengirola is now experiencing the most perfect warm and sunny weather.

 

Blue skies and warm sun are definitely the order of the day. 

In July 2015, southern Spain saw what was virtually one long, and extremely hot, record-breaking heatwave here on the Costa del Sol. August and September weren't that much cooler or less humid. Locals were dreading receiving their electricity bills after the summer heat, having lived in an almost constant air-conditioned state.

While in summer it was best to walk in the shade or sit almost on top of the air conditioning unit, now everyone can stroll or sit in the sun, enjoying the perfect temperatures, or reclining on an almost empty and beautifully clean sandy beach.

This is THE perfect time to visit the Spanish seaside resort and enjoy an out of season holiday in far quieter beachfront hotels, or if you prefer to be a little more independent on your holiday, to choose from the pick of the best holiday rental villas and apartments on offer in the town and surrounding areas.

What better time to visit Bioparc Fuengirola and meet its exotic residents while strolling the green and leafy interior - a virtual oasis in the centre of the Spanish seaside town. Meet the lemurs of Madagascar, laugh at the antics of the chimpanzees and watch the Borneo orangutans having fun.

Visit the magnificent Sumatran tigers or the gorillas, stroll around the aviaries and aquarium or gape at the Nile crocodiles.  All this and more is available in a much quieter environment now the main tourist season is over.

Close to the center of town, stroll on the endless sandy beaches, which stretch for seven kilometres down the coast. At one end, visit the Sohail Castle which stands guard over the coastline. At the other end enjoy the seaside suburb of Los Boliches, with great mountain views from all along the promenade.

Between October 6 and 12, have fun at Fuengirola's annual feria, with all the fun of the fair and other entertainment laid on over the week. Fun, food and fair combine for great entertainment.

You'll see lovely ladies, all dressed up in their beautiful flamenco dresses, strolling the streets and proud caballeros riding their horses or driving carriages between the town centre and the fairgrounds. Feria is always a colorful event and in the fairgrounds not only can you ride on the various exciting attractions, but also enjoy a meal, a glass of excellent Spanish wine or a cooling beer. On occasion, there is spirited dancing in the plazas of the town.

While the shops may close a little earlier than they do in summer, there are bargains to be had and attractive souvenirs to be bought. One recommended shop to visit is Etniart in Calle Francisco Cano, between the beach and the church in Los Boliches. The shop offers a perfect selection of small gifts to take home.

For your dining pleasure the restaurants in the center, including the popular "Fish Alley" offer a great range of both international and Spanish cuisine. Alternatively, the choice on the beachfront is endless, with many beachside restaurants and chiringuitos to choose from.

In closing, go on, spoil yourself! Come and enjoy the extended warm sunshine for a while down on the Costa del Sol.

Photos: All copyright Anne Sewell

Singing star Julio Iglesias dumps Donald Trump, says he's a 'clown'

Donald Trump's anti-immigrant remarks keep coming back to bite him in the rump. Now it's Spanish singing star Julio Iglesias that is upset with him.

 

Iglesias told La Vanguardia in an interview Wednesday that he will no longer perform in casinos belonging to the US presidential wannabe, Donald Trump, due to his anti-immigrant comments.

"I have sung many times in his casinos, but I won't do it again. He seems to be an asshole." 

He continued by saying that Trump thinks he can fix the world by forgetting what immigrants have done for his country. "He is a clown! And my apologies to clowns," he added.

The comments Iglesias refers to were made by Trump in a speech on June 16th where he said that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the United States, and some are rapists.  Trump also called for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and talked of building a wall between the US and Mexico.

Several organizations have also severed their ties with the presidential hopeful over the comments and Spanish-American celebrity chef  Jose Andres also cancelled plans to open a flagship restaurant in a new Trump hotel, currently under construction.

Julio Iglesias says will no longer perform in Trump casinos http://t.co/bf8ZnXC4d9 pic.twitter.com/Yoscp5d2wU

— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) October 7, 2015

Trump's recent remarks have also alienated Latino voters, with 82 percent of Hispanics looking unfavorably on the presidential candidate and only 15 percent in favor of him.

Meanwhile Julio Iglesias, 72, is world famous for his romantic ballads and has sold 300 million albums during his career. His latest album "Mexico" pays tribute to that country's great songwriters and features 12 songs, all with a Mexican flavor.

Enjoy a track from the album below.



Photos: Julio Iglesias CC.0 All4julio / Donald Trump CC BY-SA 3.0 Gage Skidmore

Lesbian Couple Win In IVF Case Against Spanish Hospital

After a hospital in Madrid refused artificial insemination to them due to their sexual orientation, a lesbian couple has now won a case against the hospital in a Spanish court.

 

The court ruled that the Madrid hospital had "infringed" on the couple's "fundamental right not to be discriminated (against) for their sexual orientation."  The hospital was then ordered to pay the lesbian couple almost €5,000 ($5,600) in damages.

According to The Local, one woman of the couple had started IVF treatment at the Madrid hospital in 2014, but on finding her sexual orientation, she was told she was excluded from the public program under a recent order from the health ministry. The hospital stated that under the ministry directive, the treatment can only be offered to couples who had for 12 months tried to have a child via sexual intercourse, and said that this obviously excluded a lesbian couple.

The couple then lodged the complaint against the health ministry in Spain, regional authorities and the hospital itself.

However, according to the court, since the woman was "in a romantic relationship with another woman this criteria is impossible to fulfill and she is therefore a victim of discrimination." The court further said that Spanish law on assisted reproduction, which effectively prohibits any form of discrimination, prevails over the directive of the health ministry.

Spanish lesbians win artificial insemination case http://t.co/MKvdx4OgPN

— BeautyCribTV (@beautycrib_tv) October 6, 2015

According to Glenys de Jesus, president of Women's Link Worldwide, the Spanish court's decision is "very valuable because it will set a precedent."

She added that their clients are very satisfied and that it is a "great victory for them, for LGBT groups and for all women in Spain."

Apparently before the court's decision was made, the hospital did tell the couple they they had reassessed the situation and that the woman could resume treatment. However, according to the group, the couple decided to push head with the lawsuit anyway.


[Image: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection artwork CC BY-NC-ND 2.0  Wellcome Images]

'Do it for Mom:' Danes Urged to Take Sexy Baby-Making Trips to Spain [Video]

Denmark just gave Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands a touristic boost by encouraging their citizens to come to Spain to make a baby. Better yet, they can get the future grandmothers to pay for the trip. Not a bad deal at all.

It seems there are not enough babies being born in Denmark at the moment, causing problems for the Danish welfare system and, of course, the potential grandmothers. A company called Spies Travel is trying to rectify the situation.

According to Spies, the fact that there are not enough babies being born concerns all Danes, but most of all people's mothers, the wannabe grandmothers who are currently losing out on the deal.

Back in 2014, Denmark launched a campaign called "Do it for Denmark" where they started encouraging Danes to have more babies. This apparently didn't work.

Now they have come up with the "Do it for Mom" campaign, which offers great holiday packages to the Canary and Balearic Islands, with the aim of helping Danish women conceive and, of course, giving grandmothers some grandchildren to spoil.

The video points out that people are more likely to relax, get sexy and then get pregnant in pleasant, sunny and warm surroundings. They refer to a poll run in 2014 which proved that Danes have around 51 percent more sex while away on a tropical holiday. They have now come up with a promotion which will encourage older parents to contribute to their adult children's sexy getaways, so they can produce a grandchild in return.

Spies Travel offers package holidays to luxury resorts on the islands of Spain, all of which include several kinds of physical activities, which they say will encourage sexual activities, such as running, yoga, golf, tennis and water aerobics. The best part is, if future granny pays the bill, they will receive a 134 euro discount on the price of the trip.

They tempt future granny to pay the bill by saying, "Send your child on an active holiday and get a grandchild within 9 months."

In closing, referring to the failed 2014 campaign they say, "In 2015, Danes will be having babies not just for their country, but also for the grandmothers. We think that it's going to work."

Spain is, of course, quite happy to accommodate the deal!  Enjoy the video below.



Images: Screengrab from YouTube video

Doggie honours: Black Lab graduates from University of Cádiz

A blind student at the University of Cádiz used to take his guide dog, Idena, with him to lectures. Now they've both graduated.

As students were studying social work and were accustomed to seeing the dog in the halls while studying for their degree, so they decided to include him in the class graduation photos, right alongside his owner, Arturo Diaz Benitez.

.@RoyalVetCollege, I thought you might like this. A guide dog included in the graduation photo of a university. http://t.co/22EsUfdaVD

— Pashi (@Er_Pashi) October 2, 2015

In another photograph, included top, the black Labrador can be seen, sporting a mortarboard just like the other graduating students.

According to The Local, the idea went down well on Twitter, with one person commenting, "I bet this dog attended more lectures than most students!"

Another tweeted: "Magnificent. Ten out of ten for the University of Cádiz."

The University of Cadiz @univcadiz Includes a Guide Dog in a Graduation Class Photo 👏 #WorldVegetarianDay pic.twitter.com/OJW9gT9WPk

— Elsa Negro Calduch (@ElsaCalduch) October 1, 2015

According to The Local this is not the first time a canine has appeared in a graduation photo in Spain. Apparently history graduates from the University of Santiago de Compostela, who studied there from 2007 to 2012, also posed alongside a dog friend in their graduation photograph.

Source: The Local

3 Syrian refugees discovered in refrigerated truck in the Basque region

Three Syrian men were found locked in a refrigerated food truck Tuesday, near the Basque town of Hernani. They were suffering from hypothermia and a lack of oxygen. 

 

The discovery was made at a gas station near the town of Hernani, where a driver pulled up next to the truck and heard banging and shouting coming from the back of the vehicle.

Reportedly the truck had originated in Poland but its last stop was in Belgium, where the truck was reloading fruit produce, bound for MercaMadrid in Spain's capital city.

The three refugees are all in their thirties and believed by Basque police to be Syrian nationals. On taking them out of the truck, the men were immediately hospitalized with hypothermia, but are believed to be doing well and are recovering.

The Basque regional police force have opened an investigation in an effort to determine whether the driver was aware that the Syrian refugees were in the back of his truck, where the temperature was reportedly only around 10 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile Spain has agreed to take on 14,900 Syrian refugees under an EU agreement, where the migrants will be relocated from Greece, Hungary and Italy. The first refugees are due to arrive early in October this year.

This quota was originally rejected by the Spanish government, but after citizens lobbied in protest, it was agreed to take them on. According to The Local, despite the economic crisis in the country, over 100 local councils across Spain have now declared themselves "refugee friendly" with thousands of people signing up to welcome them into their homes.

Source:  The Local / Telecinco

Photo: Basque police car CC BY 2.5 Javierme