Madrid Lions rugby club

Email: info@madridlionsrfc.com
Tel: 91 373 56 13
This social rugby group was formed in 1997 and accepts players on all levels from all nationalities. Since founded they have had over 400 members/guests, young and old(er), from a nationality base of 23 countries. Sign-up fee is EUR 65 for fees and jerseys. Training is at training at 1:30 pm on Saturdays at Complejo Deportivo Almudena, Calle Ramiro de Maeztu, Ciudad Universitaria ( Metro: Metropolitano). Visit for more details.

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Cricket (Madrid)

Email: david.leonida@cricketinmadrid.com
Tel: 659 630 327
Cricket is a favourite in England and the Madrid Cricket Club has been bringing cricket to Spain since 1975. They practise at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Alcorcón. Contact President David Leonida at david.leonida@cricketinmadrid.com for more information about joining.

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Famous Faces of the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War might be something that the Spanish have only recently begun to debate openly, but for foreign writers it has evolved as nothing less than a thriving cottage industry; nevertheless the appeal of any fraternal conflict, particular one with the international ramifications of the Spanish Civil War, is always compelling.

I have just read the most recent one, 'Famous Faces of the Spanish Civil War'
(Pen&Sword, UK,2009) by Steve Hurst. The book has an engaging style and is well illustrated with all the usual suspects, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Dalí, Federico Lorca, Arthur Koestler, Picasso, John Cornford, Martha Gellhorn et al. But what makes this book stand out is that Steve Hurst is not just another desk-bound writer, he is an artist-historian and, just like the artist-soldiers of the war itself, he has walked the walk; from the killing beaches of Málaga to the Republic's last breaths in the snows of the Pyrenees, researching, interviewing survivors and drafting the maps that richly illustrate the book. 5 stars

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Gumbo

Gumbo
Calle Pez 15
Tel: 91-532-6361
Metro: Noviciado
Opening times: 14.00-15.30 and 20.00 to 02.30. Closed on Sunday night and Mondays all day.
Menu at EUR 10.50

Forget the chain burger and rib joints, this is the real American meal deal with N’Awlins native Matthew Scott sporting his trademark bandana do-rag and turning out Big Easy eats like seafood gumbo, shrimp and grouper creole, and spicy, free-range chicken.

A recommended evening meal here might begin with one of the classic cocktails on offer, then fried green tomatoes, a stuffed pork chop with caramelised onions and bodelaise sauce as the main course and a big slice of pecan or peanut butter pie for dessert.

As they say in those parts: “Laissez les bon temps roulez!”


BASQUE
La Alacena de Serrano
Calle Infanta Maria Teresa 19
Tel: 912207009
www.laalacenadeserrano.com
Metro: Concha Espina or Colombia
Opening times: 13.30-16.00 and 20.30 to 24.00. Closed on Sunday night and Mondays all day.
Menu - Menu degustación at EUR 25
A nice elegant venue that has an air of distinction. It is highly-recommended for business meals due to its relaxed and quiet atmosphere. The eye for detail is what sets the décor of the restaurant apart from all others.

The high quality of food is also shown in presentation of the dishes and the food itself. Specialities are basque cuisine and Spanish alike, where you can try delicious callos, rabo de toro or cochinillo.

À la carte dishes are offered in full or half versions, medias raciones, allowing you to enjoy the same great taste for half the price.


CATALAN
Can Punyetes
Calle San Agustin 9
Tel: 91-429-94-83
www.canpunyetes.com
Metro: Anton Martin
Opening times: 13.00-16.00 and 20.00 to 24.00. Fridays and Saturdays opened till 01.00. Closed on Sundays.
Menu at EUR 11.50

Cheap and cheerful, this bistro boasts a barbeque pit in the main dining room where butifarra sausages, rabbit, chops and other prime meats are done to a turn over the open fire. It is also where they grill the chewy country bread for the extensive range of tostadas topped with pisto con ventresca, jamón serrano, patés and other goodies. There are seasonal specialities such as escudella (Catalonia’s version of minestrone soup) in the winter, grilled baby asparagus in the spring and grilled vegetables in the summer served with romescu and alioli (garlic) sauce. A crema catalana (a sweet creamy pudding) is the perfect finish.

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US actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz

US actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have arrived in Cadiz, southern Spain to film scenes for their latest movie "Knight and Day", Spanish media reported on Sunday.

Two hurt as bulls flee Tom Cruise film set
Cadiz - US actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have arrived in Cadiz, southern Spain to film scenes for their latest movie "Knight and Day", Spanish media reported on Sunday.

The two Hollywood stars have started shooting scenes that imitate the famous bull run held each year in Pamplona, northern Spain for the James Mangold-directed action comedy.

The Pamplona bull run is held in the city each July and was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises".

During the run, crowds race ahead of a herd of thundering bulls, which can weigh up to 700 kilogrammes (1,500 pounds) each, along an 825 metre (900 yard) course over cobbled streets.

Seven bulls escaped during the film's rehearsals earlier this month, slightly injuring two women.

"Knight and Day" is set to be released in the US in July 2010.

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Ronald Priestley, who was one of Britain's most wanted men, fled to Spain's "Costa del Crime"

Ronald Priestley, who was one of Britain's most wanted men, fled to Spain's "Costa del Crime" in 2005 after masterminding the £4.25million fake banknote fraud.The 69-year-old was sentenced to eight years in jail in his absence but was eventually arrested by Spanish police in Marbella.At Leeds Crown Court on Friday, Judge Peter Collier told Priestley: "Your sentence commences today." In 2006 a jury heard that after a surveillance operation on Priestley and his associates, a sophisticated printing operation which could turn out counterfeit £20 notes was uncovered in Birmingham.Priestley, of Leeds, West Yorks, will also face the judge of his original trial, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC, over charges relating to breach of bail.Michael Smith, representing him, asked for the case to be adjourned.Priestley had been previously jailed in April 2002 for conspiring to sell counterfeit perfume and champagne.

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Málaga province forced Chinese women into prostitution

Three people who forced Chinese women into prostitution, holding them for 24 hours a day in a property in Santa Pola which was used as the brothel, have been taken into custody by National Police. One woman who was found in the flat was freed by the officers who raided the property, which had been under surveillance for some time before police decided to make their move.The Interior Ministry said in a statement this week that the victims were ‘recruited’ through job offers on a web page, but then found themselves kept captive by their bosses, who also withheld their passports. The money they earned was paid into bank accounts opened in the women’s names – between 120 and 600 € a day - half of which was then transferred the following morning to a bank in China.Bank documents, computers and bank notes were seized during the search.The investigation began in March in Málaga province, leading detectives to the leaders of the organisation based in Santa Pola.

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British man, wanted in connection with causing the death of another driver

British man, wanted in connection with causing the death of another driver when he was drunk and driving against the traffic last June, has been arrested by the National Police in Alicante Airport. The arrest came as part of a joint operation with the SOCA, British Serious Organised Crime Agency. Named as P.L. he was born in Glasgow in 1981 and had been driving a van against the traffic on the motorway at Larkhall in Scotland when the accident happened, despite him being banned from driving at the time.

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Arrested two Britons and Irishman in connection with the theft of top of the range cars in the U.K.

National Police in Orihuela Costa, Alicante have arrested two Britons and Irishman in connection with the theft of top of the range cars in the U.K. which were then brought to Spain to be sold illegally, or to be used in the carrying out of other crimes.The first arrest came when one of those detained was driving a Mercedes ML 270 on false British plates, and checks established it had been stolen in the U.K. After he was arrested the other members of the group were identified and also detained when driving a stolen Audi A4 on false British plates.Two vehicles with false number plates were recovered in the operation, along with fake driving licences and I.D.Those arrested have been named as 28 year old L.S., 33 year old E.D.D. and 28year old A.L.S.

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77 year old Sheila Peterkin, originally from Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, and her husband, Jorge Pérez, a former philosophy professor, were found stabbed t

The couple's bodies being removed from the scene of the murder - EFE
Sheila Peterkin and her husband, Jorge Pérez, were stabbed to death by their mentally ill sonThe Glasgow Sunday Mail has revealed that the woman who, with her husband, was killed by her schizophrenic son at her Madrid home last weekend, was a Scottish woman who had moved to Spain in the 1950s.77 year old Sheila Peterkin, originally from Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, and her husband, Jorge Pérez, a former philosophy professor, were found stabbed to death at their home on Calle Fermín Caballero, in the Fuencarral district of the city, on Sunday 11th October. Their 47 year old son, Andrés Pérez Peterkin, still holding the murder weapon, admitted his guilt when officers arrived at the scene, and was taken to hospital after trying to take his life with the same knife he had used on his parents.His brother Miguel criticised in a letter published last week that the closure of psychiatric institutions has left many of the mentally ill out on the streets without the care and treatment that they need. ‘Schizophrenia’, he said, has caused my dear brother to commit an act that has filled his conscience with pain, remorse and guilt.’The newspaper said Andrés was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 16.

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