http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_Summary.html To keep informed with the latest news in regard to Spain, do not hesitate to read the press releases we have at your disposal. All of them provide you with relevant and recent information concerning Spain. en-us http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6016.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:54:46 CST Get Spain continues the roll out of its unique property brokerage service that is designed to benefit the buyer of property in Alhaurin el Grande and the surrounding areas. This service offers the highest level of customer service and can also save thousands of euros for buyers of property in Alhaurin el Grande. (PRWEB) January 13, 2005 -- Due to the success of the Get Spain concept across Spain, the property brokerage service that is designed to offer the highest level of customer service to property buyers has now launched in Alhaurin el Grande with getspain-alhaurinelgrande.com. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6040.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:48:32 CST (I-Newswire) - The Development Minister, Magdalena Álvarez, took advantage of a recent visit to Álora to announce that a new access route to the town is to be built, and will reduce traffic in the centre by 40. It will take the same route as an old road from the Venta de los Conejitos area.  The work will cost 2 million euros.  The Ayuntamiento will negotiate with the Junta the connection with the A-357.

Removal of Level Crossings

The minister of Development has put out to tender the study and works for the removal of level crossings on the railway line between Córdoba and Málaga, which will affect a total of six crossings between Pizarra and Álora.  The budget for the project is 521,415 € and the time scale for the works is 24 months.

The Guardia Civil of Álora Can Increase Their Team

At present, the Guardia Civil of Álora has twelve members plus a sergeant. In his recent visit to our locality the Socialist Deputy, Miguel Angel Heredia, announced that soon the number would increase to 19. However, in the Álora barracks they have not received any official notification in this respect, although the members of the Benemerita consulted confirmed that there has been political interest by the authorities responsible and that this increment to the team would be well received for increasing and guaranteeing the security of the citizens.Changes to the Álora Access Road Project http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6041.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:45:42 CST Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with considerable heritage of the artistic modernism movement. Pablo Picasso spend his youth in Barcelona and created his first masterpieces there. Nowadays tourists can see the outcomes of that period and later ones in the famous Picasso and they can even rent his first Studio in the Barri Gotic for a unique stay in Catalonia's capital.(I-Newswire) - Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with considerable heritage of the artistic modernism movement. Whereas Antoni Gaudi is considered to be the most famous representative of this period with regard to architectural outcomes, the works of the young Pablo Picasso is likely to be the counterpart for the art-scene. Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on the 25th October 1881 and spent his childhood in Malaga and Coruña before his family decided to move to Barcelona when he was 13. There he visited the La Llotja School of Fine Arts to further strengthen and develop his academic skills. Besides school he enjoyed painting urban scenes from his surrounding like from the sea, the beach of Barceloneta, and scenes from the park of Cituadella. By that time his father José Ruiz Picasso who was the indisputable promoter of Picasso's artistic career and the mentor of his early years encouraged him to take part in his first official competition. Hence in April 1896 he presented his first painting 'Primera comunión' at the Exhibition of Fine arts and Artistic Industries in Barcelona which shows the first communion of his younger sister Lola. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6017.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:44:35 CST This one off show is being held at the Ama Agua Hotel in Torremolinos, Spain TODAY Monday 10th January 2005, This special Extravganza features The whole Cast of the RAT PACK show from the Torrequebrada Hotel and Casino Complex,The Las Vegas Show Girls, Polly Perkins, Sian Hopkins, The Cast from Bunny´s night club Benalmadena,The Marbella Big Band, YAZ of the only way is up fame is performing a Solo special too. This promises to be a night to remember, produced by Steve Shappelle.(PRWEB) January 10, 2005 -- There is a minimum donation of 30 euros per person please call the booking line  for ticket availability.

Every penny goes to the fund, all the artists and the support staff are donating their services completely free.

The Booking line is open 10.00am to 6.00pm daily. 

Lisa McGee the Editor of the very popular Spanish Magazine has authoried 500 copies of their magazine to be flown over and given away to all guests, additionally 1Casa Real Estate of Alora and Goulbourn Associates of Benalmadena will donate several copies of the 3 CD boxed set of the original Rat Pack recordings. These Special Editions crosses the decades with Recordings by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin from the Golden Age of the nostalgic era, coupled with much more recent recordings from Sammy Davis Jr.
A TOTAL OF 48 FABULOUS TRACKS.

In addition to the Rat Pack show every Monday at the Torrequebrada Hotel,Steve Shappelle will perform a one off show " Alone with me and a grand piano"
at the Mijas Playa, Cala Mijas on Sunday 23rd Jan 2005.

Tickets are 100 euros each with every euro going direct to the Tsunami appeal.

This very special event includes Dinner, Wine and all drinks all to the superb standard of the Mijas Playa, do not miss this very special event! http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6015.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:44:06 CST (PRWEB) January 14, 2005 -- Increasing translators’ productivity is the goal of TransType2, an innovative computer-aided system that allows rapid and efficient high quality translations.

Due to end in February, the project has drawn on two of the most commonly used translation technologies developed to date: Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT), in which human translators work in unison with a computer; and Machine Translation (MT), in which the computer handles the entire process. While both techniques have advantages and drawbacks, TransType2 has “used the best of both worlds” says project manager José Esteban at Atos Origin in Spain.

The project partners ensured that TransType2 would place human translators at the heart of the translation process as a guarantee of quality, while providing them with a highly effective tool to increase productivity. According to Esteban, TransType2 is one of the most advanced computer-assisted translation systems developed to date, combining the quality-enhancing features of CAT with the productivity gains of MT.

The system works by providing translators with suggestions to complete sentences as they type which can be incorporated simply and rapidly, reducing the number of keystrokes needed to complete a translation. The suggestions are created based on statistical models of translated texts, used by the MT engines to predict the words and phrases that will come next.

“Most existing CAT systems, and the ones most widely commercialised today, are based on translation memories with the system recording previous sentences translated by the translator and offering them or similar combinations,” explains Esteban.

On the other hand, the automatic translations provided by MT systems have “generally not lived up to expectations,” the project manager notes. “Many translators find it harder and more time consuming to correct automatically translated text than to translate it manually from scratch,” he says.

TransType2 offers significant benefits over existing techniques. Trials currently underway with two translation agencies in Canada and Spain are showing results that could be better than the project partners first expected.

“We originally thought the system would increase productivity by between 15 or 20 per cent, but in some cases we’re seeing gains in excess of 20 per cent and as high as 25 or 30 per cent,” Esteban says. “Once translators have familiarised themselves with the system the productivity increases start to become noticeable almost immediately.”

Though often wary of computer-based translation methods, the translators involved in the trials have reacted “very positively” to TransType2 principally because they see that it speeds and eases their work while maintaining them as the core actor in the translation process. Human translators can either accept the suggestions of the system or ignore them by simply continuing to type, thereby ensuring that the system does not introduce additional complications to their work.

The TransType2 prototype is currently designed to assist translations from English to French, Spanish and German and vice versa, although additional languages can be incorporated relatively simply. “To add Chinese or Arabic, for example, would take more research but it is possible,” Esteban says.

TransType2 is adapted to the type of texts being translated, with the translation engines customisable to meet the needs of agencies that are dedicated to different types of translations, such as legal and political texts or scientific and technical ones.

“Literary documents are the most difficult to translate and where these systems have the greatest limitations given the wide range of variables in the language used in such texts,” Esteban says.

Even so, the need for scientific, technical, political and legal translations is vast, so much so that demand is outstripping the resources of translation agencies.

After the project ends, the seven partners are planning to continue to develop the system with a view to commercialising it either as an individual product or as a service. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6014.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:43:36 CST Leading accommodation only provider on Spain’s Costa del Sol, Marbella Options, is reporting very encouraging results during the World Travel Fair currently taking placing Shanghai, China.Marbella, Spain (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) January 21, 2005 -- Leading accommodation only provider on Spain’s Costa del Sol, Marbella Options is reporting very encouraging results during the World Travel Fair currently taking placing Shanghai, China.

Marbella Options has showed its innovation by being the sole independent Spanish company to have its own promotional stand. The company traveled to Shanghai with the medium to long term vision of bringing tourists from this emerging nation to the Costa del Sol. The company also represented members of the top end of the Marbella tourism industry, Vasari Vacation Resort, Gran Hotel Guadalpin, Lexland Abogados, Clinica Hector Valdés, the Marbella Town Hall and American Express.

Nicholas Rhodes, Director of Marbella Options, comments that, “We have completed the first phase of the show with the two trade days now finished. We have reached an agreement with several large travel agency chains who will be displaying our promotional materials in the windows of their establishments and will be actively promoting Marbella to their clients. Furthermore, we have appointed a local representative in Shanghai who will be servicing current agents and prospecting new ones.”

The last 2 days of the show are open to the public and tomorrow, Saturday 22nd of January at 14.30 local time Nicholas Rhodes will be presenting “Marbella has it all” to the Chinese public and media in a 30 minute presentation. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6007.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:42:39 CST “The Web will become more than what we see on our computer screens, it will become a place where computers interact with each other and where meaning is attached to information.” That is the vision behind a cutting-edge Semantic Web project.(PRWEB) February 17, 2005 -- For Richard Benjamins, coordinator of ESPERONTO, the Semantic Web’s future lies in it becoming “something akin to ambient intelligence” with the meaning of digital information understandable not only by humans but by any computer-embedded device.

“This will reduce information overload, and make information more easily accessible to more people at lower cost,” Dr Benjamins, Director of Randamp;D at ISOCO in Spain, notes.

ESPERONTO developed tools to allow anyone to upgrade normal Web content into Semantic content by making data machine-readable, while providing applications for end-users to be able to use this enhanced content.

“In essence we take non-structured digital information and turn it into structured information,” Benjamins says. “We developed a knowledge parser that reads texts and finds out what they mean. For example it can read an article, see a person’s name and then automatically link that name to information about the person, projects they have worked on, or articles they have published…”

At the infrastructure level, the project also developed a unified query interface that acts as an intermediate layer between different ontologies to ensure that content presented in any format can be interpreted and used, including multimedia and multilingual information. It also developed a tool to allow semantic data to be continuously and automatically updated – “one of only five or six such commercial systems in the world,” says Benjamins.

ESPERONTO also provided tools to use data effectively in a wide range of scenarios.

“From the user point of view one result is semantic search with a natural language interface that allows users to search for content based on meaning and not on keywords - it is a question and answer system that provides you with an answer rather than a list of documents,” Benjamins explains.

A similar technique has also been employed by the project to create a Semantic Web portal where the content is not just a group of interlinked Web pages but a structured collection of data that users can navigate semantically, something that is particularly useful in the case of large portals and databases with vast amounts of information.

The ESPERONTO tools were validated in three test cases, covering a broad sample of application areas, which the project partners see as key markets for Semantic Web technology.

“One involved deploying the system at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, a cultural institution with a lot of historical information dating from the time when artists and authors stayed there. Much of this content has not been available to the public and has only recently been digitalised,” Benjamins explains. “We created a 3D visualisation portal that allows users to navigate between the content based on the authors and artists’ relationships with each other. It lets users determine who wrote or painted what and when, and who inspired whom. The Residencia has included this technology in their three-year strategic plan and has committed itself to disclosing its cultural content through this method.”

The two other case studies focused on enhancing information about research funding opportunities available on a portal run by the Catalan regional government, and on providing information gathering services in the pharmaceutical industry to identify possible new applications of existing drugs and therapies as well as hypothesise about new treatments for unmet medical needs. In both cases the trials proved the advantages of using Semantic Web technology as a way to save time and money.

“By enriching existing content and keeping it updated automatically, we are providing a money saving solution because companies and institutes do not need to have employees working full time to search for information and keep content up to date,” the coordinator says.

For Benjamins this will be the major incentive for Semantic Web technology to be adopted on a broad scale, on a short to mid term.
   
“I believe it will evolve along the lines that the existing World Wide Web has,” the coordinator says. “First with researchers using and developing it; then early adopters being pioneers in employing the technology - I expect we may have at least one success story in that area within a year - and then, once they have proven its value, it will become mainstream.” http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6006.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:41:47 CST Instruction court No. 23 in Madrid has agreed to open preparatory investigations into a complaint presented against the former Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar, of the Partido Popular.

The complaint was presented by the Association against Injustice and Corruption in 2004. They allege that Aznar said during an interview with Radio Caracol in Colombia in July of 2004 that he had ‘all the reports of the Information Service. You understand that I have them because I was Prime Minister.’

Aznar was referring to Spain’s Intelligence Service, the CNI. The Association say in their complaint that Aznar ‘admits that he has all the CNI reports, and believes that his right to them was because he was Prime Minister, despite the fact that the reports were sent to the job position and not to the person.’
The complaint continued ‘no-one has a right to take them or to take copies once they are no longer in the job.’

Aznar was ousted as Prime Minister after the Socialist victory in the March 2004 general election. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6000.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:38:31 CST shuttleDirect expands its operations to Barcelona Girona airport servicing the Costa Brava resort holiday destinations for the independent traveller.(PRWEB) January 28 2004--Continuing the programmed expansion of independent airport transfers in Spain, shuttleDirect is now offering transfers to the main holiday destinations on the Costa Brava from Barcelona Girona airport (GRO).

Current destinations served by Girona airport are Barcelona, Blanes
Calella, Cambrils de Mar, L'Estartit, Lloret de Mar, Malgrat de Mar, Pineda de Mar, Platja D'Aro Roses, Salou, Santa Susanna, Tossa de Mar, Empuriabrava, L'Escala, Figueres, Calella de Palafrugell and Castelldefells.

Simple online booking for the independent traveller is available at shuttledirect.com allowing immediate booking and confirmation of airport transfers.

Transfers are serviced by taxis, microbuses and coaches. http://www.justtravelspain.com/articles/Spain-News_6011.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:37:28 CST Xerox held their FAST event in Barcelona and called upon the services of Corporate Spain, an event planning company specialising in Spain.(PRWEB) February 1, 2005 -- In January 2005 Corporate Spain were happy to help organise an event in Barcelona for Xerox. The headline is the quote send to Corporate Spain from their marketing executive who also added "The Fast event was a tremendous success, with all delegates giving very positive feedback. We would like to thank you for all of the support you provided with the organising of the venue, which wouldn't have been found without your help..The service offered was of a very high quality and the hotel and it's location were ideal for us."More and more companies are trusting Corporate Spain to organise their business meetings and company or group events in Spain. Clive Harris, Co-founder of Corporate Spain told us "We are seeing the benefits of our working practices. Our intentions were and still remain to provide a personal and refreshing events management service to our clients.