It is easy to do bad science. There's a lot of it around. Many of the so-called science stories we read  in the press are based on bad science (or no science at all). They catch the eye because they often claim startling breakthroughs and discoveries, usually about cancer, or ageing, or pain relief, or weight control.

XabiaViva talks to Culture Councillor about Old Town Cinema
March 10th
Last Saturday the XabiaViva association had a meeting with Quica Gil, culture councillor, on the possibility of re-opening the old Central Cinema in the Old Town.

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Internet "Citizen's Mailbox" for Xàbia residents
March 5th
Xàbia is to set up a web based "Citizen's mailbox" so that residents can make their suggestions directly to the town hall. This is an initiative from the Valencia Conselleria de Solidaridad y Ciudadanía (Ministry of solidarity and citizenship). Technical staff from the Ministry will help the Town hall implement the idea. 

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We encounter simple tipping points in our daily lives. Every cook knows not to whip cream for too long, or it will suddenly and irreversibly turn into butter. Every sailor knows not to sail too close to the wind, or the smooth flow of air will suddenly break, the sail will flap, and its power will be lost.

Classical science is all about hard facts. The speed of sound is 340.29 m/s; the formula for water is H₂O; the Latin name for a tiger is Panthera tigris; water circulates through the environment via the hydrological cycle, and carbon circulates via the carbon cycle. Classical science is optimistic and has a confidence that with technological progress we will eventually come to understand the truth about nature. There is predictability in ecological cycles; they seem to rotate endlessly, just as do the seasons.

Agenda 21 convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the proposal by the Ministry to expand Xàbia Port. The Forum as a whole rejected this and any other project which would affect the landscape of Xàbia; its biggest tourist asset.

A socioeconomic study by Imedes reveals the urgent necessity to change

The Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development (IMEDES) presented the conclusions of its socioeconomic analysis of Xàbia in an intensive day seminar which took place in the Parador. This study, which identifies trends of local economic development, was instigated by the Town Hall at the request of Agenda21Local and the Sectoral Round Table responsible for the writing of the PGOU.

Xàbia faces a very serious challenge for the coming years. That is, to define a model for the future of the town, and it is the people themselves, the real protagonists, who are responsible for this future evolution. A project of a town that can only be understood with citizen participation, pluralistic debate and which takes sustainability into account.

An urban legend has it that Xàbia does not recycle, but that the garbage is mixed up in a non-ecological way. Xàbia's  Agenda21 has responded to this concern and has decided to find out what the truth actually is.

Is urban mobility in Xàbia sustainable? Circle the option you judge appropriate.

1. “The pedestrian has the right to live in a healthy environment and freely to enjoy public space in adequate safety conditions for his/her physical and psychological well-being.” Is it safe, both for adults and for children, to cycle or walk along the streets?
YES NO

In view of the forthcoming review of the General Town Plan not much is known of the terms and phrases of which we hear much in the coming months. Here are some definitions:

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder and can be defined as a difficulty in getting to sleep or in staying asleep, or sleep that is disturbed, restless or otherwise of poor quality.

After a week of bad weather which restricted training to only one session, Javea played hosts to Torrevieja at their temporary "home" pitch in Gandia. During the week up to the game no less than six first team players were unable to play, so it was the turn of the combined 1stXV and 2ndXV players to step up and face the opposition.

After their convincing win against Elche, Javea Bulls was hoping to have a 2ndXV match against Denia last Saturday but, due to a first team away game, Denia didn't have enough players which was disappointing after they have had so many new registrations this season.

When people from all nationalities, speaking many different languages, work together for a common cause there is no limit to their possibilities for successful action.

On a glorious Saturday afternoon, it was the return match against Elche which Javea knew was going to be even harder than the first game which ended in a slim 24-22 victory to Javea. However this time, an interesting twist to the league when Elche's A team in the league above resigned in December which meant that all the A team players were now playing for the B team, so the Bulls knew they were in for a hard afternoon.

The Javea U3A has over 1,000 members, the majority of whom are retired foreigners, mostly English, who meet together to form learning groups in over 50 subjects.  This year at their last monthly meeting at the Javea Parador, they decided to collect money by holding a raffle, in order to buy Christmas presents for 20 residents of the Xabia Bella home for mentally impaired adults.

In the October 6th meeting of the A21 Forum the Consultant Idom presented the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for Xàbia.

A dramatized Tourist Route called The Treasure of Xabiaproduced by  theatre group Amanida Projects, offers  residents and visitors an original and amusing opportunity to understand the history of particular places of interest in the town of Javea through the dramatisation of the search for  Iberian treasure(found in 1.904) throughout  the diferent centuries.

Until recently, modern travellers on the road from Gandía to Albaida would pass by a magnificent building set back a little north of the road and wonder what it could be, and what secrets it held.

The Plataforma Nacional de Afectados por la Ley de Costas (National Platform of People Affected by the Coastal Act) has reported the Spanish Governemnt to the EU Committee on Petitions for improperly applying the Law of Coasts. Also they have complained in Alicante about officials who refused to show the relevant documents to owners affected by the most recent boundary delineation exercise in Xàbia.

"We must guarantee the flow of stable and sustainable energies. We now know that energy resources are limited and that we have to think of the future". With these words, the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, synthesized the conclusions of the intense work sessions carried out during the "II Euro-Mediterranean Encounter: Energy supplies and regional development: a necessary debate" that was held in Jávea this weekend.

Human beings seem to have an innate fear of invisible forces. We read our horoscopes, wear good-luck charms, touch wood and cross our fingers.  A popular souvenir bought by tourists in Turkey is a glass eye, or "nazar", which is a talisman to ward off the evil eye.

Jávea artists Colin Tofts and Maggie Morgan will inaugurate a joint exhibition of their latest work in the Café d'Art exhibition space in Javea Port at 19.30 on Friday 15 January.  The exhibition will run until February 14th.

The Jávea U3A, an organisation which offers social, cultural and educational activities to retired and semi-retired English-speaking members of the local community and surrounding areas, will be holding their St. Valentine's Ball on the 12th February 2010, at Salones Carrasco. 

Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to go beyond the "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation. It originated from Vedic Hinduism, which is the oldest religion that professes meditation as a spiritual and religious practice, and it has been practiced for thousands of years. 

Nearly every day of our life we have to deal with difficult people. It is very important to understand the reality behind difficult behaviour so that it doesn't have a too big effect on our mental balance.

It is usually cakes that are used to describe great sales but in the case of the "Xabia ecologica" jute bag campaign the number of bags already sold speak for themselves. Since the bags arrived in the town at the end of June 1500 have been distributed and a second order is already on its way.

When I watch old science fiction movies from the nineteen sixties - Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favourites - I am struck by two things. The first is that people in those days had never imagined the communication tools that we take for granted today, such as the Internet, multi task mobile phones, and satellite navigation to name the most obvious.

The Environment Group of Agenda 21 has created  an awareness campaign which aims to reduce the consumption of plastic bags through the introduction of attractive jute bags which will be provided to local businesses.

"By launching www.mabscancersupport.org, we aim to attract more support, more volunteers and, most importantly, more of those who need our help" announced Nik Nickerson of MABS Cancer Support Group. "The new web site has opened in English but soon will be available in Spanish.

Is an English will valid in Spain? What should I do if my husband dies and he didn't leave a will? Do heirs living abroad need a NIE to claim their assets? These and many other questions were answered in the conference given by the Town Hall and sponsored by Caja Murcia last Wednesday, where the local Notario, Antonio Jiménez Clar, answered many questions to the varied European audience that attended.

MABS, an international association which is dedicated to providing support to people suffering from cancer and their families opened a centre on June 2nd where people in need can be attended to and cared for. This is thanks to support from the company TELITEC, which has offered to cover part of the rental of the premises.