Objective Proficiency p 26. Euro Weekly News. Extra Reading

Barber clipped over ‘sexist’ ad

A Dutch barber who placed a poster outside his Palma establishment welcoming men and dogs but no women will be prosecuted by city authorities for unlawful advertising.
Bob van den Hoek has lived in Spain for more than a decade and run the Syndicate Barbers in Mallorca since 2013, catering exclusively to men. His poster made headlines in September, prompting outrage from different sectors, including the Balearic Women’s Institute, who demanded he take it down.
Van den Hoek relented, for a few days before audaciously sticking the poster back up, posing proudly for photos beside it and telling press it would remain standing until someone found a law that explicitly forbade it.
He has been adamant that it is ‘his house, his rules’ and that he refuses to let woman and children ‘spoil the ambiance’ for his customers, who are treated to an old-school vibe with jazz music and drinks while they have their hair cut.
But now it appears someone has found a law, specifically the General Law on Advertising, which prohibits advertising that violates the dignity, values or rights enshrined in the constitution, a broad scope that will surely invite vigorous legal debate.
The government also argues Barber Bob is in breach of protection measures against Gender Violence by promoting stereotypes.
For his part van den Hoek claims that his customers haven’t complained and that most people see the funny side. He argues that there are areas exclusively reserved for women, such as saunas, and he just wants to create an environment that suits him and his clientele.

clip somebody’s wings: to restrict a person’s freedom or power. E.g. Having a new baby to take care of has clipped her wings.

Clip: to cut something in order to make it shorter or neater. E.g. The shepherd clipped the sheep. The hedge was clipped.

Relent: to finally agree to something after refusing. E.g. ‘Well, just for a little while then,’ she said, finally relenting. The government has relented on this issue.

Adamant /ˈædəmənt/ determined not to change your mind or to be persuaded about something. E.g. Eva was adamant that she would not come. The government remained adamant that there was no more money available.

Old-school: old-fashioned or traditional. E.g. an old-school vibe. Old-school ideas/traditions. He was very old-school in his approach to management.

Vibe: a mood or an atmosphere produced by a particular person, thing or place. E.g. good/bad vibes. The vibes weren't right. I’ve had bad vibes about her lately.

Enshrine: /ɪnˈʃraɪn/ enshrine something (in something) (formal) to make a law, right, etc. respected or official, especially by stating it in an important written document. Sp. Consagrar. E.g. These rights are enshrined in the country's constitution. November 4, 2008 is already enshrined as a key date in American history.

breach of something a failure to do something that must be done by law. Sp. Infracción, incumplimiento, violación. E.g. a breach of contract/copyright/warranty. They are in breach of Article 119.

Cocaine pizzas
THE owner of an Italian fast food restaurant in Magaluf has been jailed for going full Mrs Doyle and serving his pizzas with a topping of cocaine. He was arrested in 2015 after selling a British tourist the drug, with Guardia Civil agents then finding 12 bags stashed among the mozzarella.

going full Mrs Doyle

The expression refers to the behaviour of a character in the "Father Ted" sitcom on television.

The housekeeper in the sitcom was named Mrs Doyle and she would "go over the top" when offering a cup of tea. If the offer was refused she would just keep on insisting saying, "Ah go on, go on, go on, go on, ah you will have a cup, go on, go on" etc.. until the person took the cup even though it wasn´t wanted.

So, "going the full Mrs Doyle" means behaving like her,  going "over the top", with excessive action that is not needed, in pushing something at someone.

Stash sth: to store something in a safe or secret place. E.g. She has a fortune stashed away in various bank accounts. The gun was stashed under the bed.

New lights, new leaf 

SQUABBLES, quarrels and controversy over the curious timing of Palma’s Christmas lights were put to one side when the city finally embraced the Christmas season over the weekend.
Mayor Jose Hila braved the seasonal wrath of local retailers to personally flick the switch and a magical ceremony saw the city festooned with Christmas spirit amid dozens of stalls, live music, parades and good tidings.
The lights will stay on until Three Kings Day on January 6, with the Kings themselves appearing at the Casal Solleric rather than the Placa Cort due to construction works, as is tradition in Spain.
Local business owners had been furious with the mayor over the decision to postpone the Christmas lights for one week in a dastardly attempt to separate the event from last weekend’s Black Friday shopping frenzy and lure more people into the city, despite most people doing their shopping online.

 

Festoon: /feˈstuːn/ festoon somebody/something (with something) to decorate somebody/something with flowers, coloured paper, etc., often as part of a celebration. E.g. The streets were festooned with banners and lights.

Squabble: /ˈskwɒbl/ a noisy argument about something that is not very important. E.g. family squabbles. The party is split by internal squabbles. squabble (with somebody) (about/over something) There were endless squabbles over who should sit where.

Dastardly: /ˈdæstədli/ evil and cruel. E.g. a dastardly plot to assassinate the king. My first part was Captain O'Hagarty, a dastardly villain in a children's play.

Held in sexual slavery 

A ROMANIAN man has been arrested and charged with holding a woman in horrific conditions akin to sexual slavery, pimping her out for more than eight years while maintaining a twisted psychological stranglehold over her.
This week the woman, also Romanian, finally worked up the courage to contact National Police and tell them that the 41-year-old suspect had forced her to work in brothels in Ibiza and Girona by threatening her and the daughter they shared.
She had fallen for his pretence that he loved her and cared for the child they had shortly after they met in 2008, but he quickly jettisoned the charade, revealing himself to be a malevolent force determined to live the high life at the expense of her body.
Police found the man with €20,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle despite having no job and are investigating claims that he held another woman in similar circumstances. The 30-year-old victim and her daughter are in care and receiving counselling.

 

akin to something (formal) similar to. E.g. What he felt was more akin to pity than love. She was wearing something akin to a pineapple on her head. This game is closely akin to hockey.

Pimp: to get customers for a prostitute.

Pimp somebody out: exploit, prostitute. E.g. He has been pimping her out for over 8 years.

Stranglehold: /ˈstræŋɡlhəʊld/

·  a strong hold around somebody’s neck that makes it difficult for them to breathe. E.g. Both arms were around his neck in a stranglehold.

·  stranglehold (on something) complete control over something that makes it impossible for it to grow or develop well. E.g. The company now had a stranglehold on the market. Attempts to break the US stranglehold on the industry.

work something up to develop or improve something with some effort. E.g. I can't work up any enthusiasm for his idea. She went for a long walk to work up an appetite. She finally worked up the courage to call the police.

Fall for something: to be tricked into believing something that is not true. E.g.  I'm surprised you fell for that trick.

jettison something/somebody to get rid of something/somebody that you no longer need or want. Discard. E.g.He was jettisoned as team coach after the defeat.

Charade: /ʃəˈrɑːd/ /ʃəˈreɪd/ a situation in which people pretend that something is true when it clearly is not. Pretence. E.g. Their whole marriage had been a charade—they had never loved each other.

Malevolent: /məˈlevələnt/ having or showing a desire to harm other people. Malicious. E.g. malevolent intentions/thoughts.

the high life a way of life that involves going to parties and spending a lot of money on food, clothes, etc. E.g. He was determined to live the high life.

 Workforce exploitation

A LOCAL businessman has been arrested and charged with seriously exploiting and abusing his workforce. The owner of the construction business in Marratxi, allegedly refused to pay overtime, made employees work 64 hours a week and used extortion tactics to force them to comply. He also stands accused of defrauding the social security office of up to €500,000 by concealing the business’ true income and even pretending a Romanian man was the real boss in order to throw investigators off his scent. The exploitation was discovered when immigration and counterfeiting agents inspected the company and seized a large number of documents. They interviewed staff and took action when their stories corroborated with the evidence at hand. Workers unanimously claimed to have been forced to work while injured and sick, with no compensation for extra shifts put in. They accused the owner of threatening to fire them if they complained to the law, taking advantage of their poverty and need to feed their families. He has been released on bail while investigators go through evidence and compose a prosecution case that will almost certainly result in jail.

put/throw somebody off the scent to do something to stop somebody from finding you or discovering something. E.g.  She changed taxis to throw her pursuers off the scent.

Counterfeiting /ˈkaʊntəfɪtɪŋ/ the crime of making an exact copy of something in order to trick people into thinking that it is the real thing. E.g. allegations of counterfeiting and money laundering. The growing problem of counterfeiting and piracy.

seize something to take illegal or stolen goods away from somebody. E.g. A large quantity of drugs was seized during the raid.

Corroborate: /kəˈrɒbəreɪt/ to provide evidence or information that supports a statement, theory, etc. Confirm. E.g. The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses.

Sexual Predator
 A TWISTED old man has been arrested and charged   with   plying youngsters with drugs and money in return for sexual favours.The 72-year-old is accused of scouring parks and playgrounds looking for vulnerable minors,aged under 18, whom he would offer €50 notes and  marihuana  in  ex-change for sex. Prosecutors claim that he used a sports car while cruising different Palma neighbourhoods in order to attract the children. He also set up different social media profiles where he would   interact   with youngsters online, corrupting them before arranging to meet. Detectives raided his home  and  seized  his computer  where  they found 600 images of illegal porn, usually centred on young Asians.

twisted: (of a person’s mind or behaviour) not normal; strange in an unpleasant way. E.g. Her experiences had left her bitter and twisted.

ply somebody with something

1. to keep giving somebody large amounts of something, especially food and/or drink. E.g. She plied us with tea and cake.
2. to keep asking somebody questions. E.g. He plied me with questions from the moment he arrived.

scour something (for somebody/something): /ˈskaʊə(r)/ to search a place or thing thoroughly in order to find somebody/something. Sp. Rastrear. E.g. We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. He had been scouring the papers for weeks, looking for a job.

Crazy crime of passion

A MAN who threatened to jump from a sixth floor window with his ex-girlfriend in tow has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a Mallorca court.The couple had been together for just two months when,  in  the  summer  of 2013, she tried to break it off. The defendant was having none of it and began stalking her, even stealing her bike at one point to limit her escape options. 
She had already filed numerous complaints with Local Police over his harassment,    but    no    serious measures were taken to defend her. Later that summer, in a fit of jealousy, the defendant broke into her apartment building, forced her roommate outside and launched a frenzied attack on the victim. He held her by the neck and forced her head out of the window, threatening to jump and take her with him. Fortunately the alarm had been  raised  and  officers were  quick  to  the  scene, eventually   managing   to force the man away from the window without further incident. At the trial he claimed to have been sick with his obsession and consumed with drink and drugs at the time of the assault, but the judge had little sympathy for his defence. 

fit: a short period of very strong feeling. Sp. arrebato. E.g. to act in a fit of anger/ rage/ temper/ pique (resentment).


frenzied: involving a lot of activity and strong emotions in a way that is often violent or frightening and not under control. E.g. a frenzied attack. Frenzied activity.


Claveleras sisters are sneak thieves
ONE of a trio of women who ply their trade on the streets of Palma alleviating unsuspecting tourists of large sums of money was arrested.The woman is suspected of distracting a Swiss tourist meandering through the old town by offering him carnations, while two others lifted more than €1,000 from his pockets. It is a common scam run by a group of lawless women known as Claveleras who approach tourists with gifts and flowers while rifling through their pockets and purses. Police are at something of a loss as to what to do with the women who consider arrest a minor part of the job description. They are often let back on to the streets with a trial date pending and get straight back to work. Different groups are run with precisely the same modus operandi, and co-ordinate their efforts to extract as much as possible from unwitting travellers around the city. 

Carnations: Sp. claveles

ply your trade to do your work or business. E.g. This is the restaurant where he plied his trade as a cook. Drug dealers openly plied their trade in front of children. 

rifle (through) something to search quickly through something in order to find or steal something. E.g. She rifled through her clothes for something suitable to wear.

at a loss not knowing what to say or do. E.g. His comments left me at a loss for words. I'm at a loss what to do next. 

modus operandi: /ˌməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː/ a particular method of working. E.g. The police gave a full description of the thief’s modus operandi.

More:
http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/images/e-papers/1640-mallorca.pdf