Don’t forget the clocks go forward on Sunday morning! Yes believe it or not it’s the start of British summertime. A few other dates for your diaries.

7 days till the Easter weekend starts (30/3/18)
57 days till Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married (19/5/18)        83 days till the World Cup in Russia starts (14/6/18)
277 sleeps till Christmas (25/12/18)
284 days till 2019 (1/1/19)
371 days till the UK is scheduled to leave the EU (29/3/19)

So 83 days until England go to the World Cup(that’s if they do). Since the first Panini World Cup album was launched in 1970, children and some adults for that matter have enjoyed collecting stickers of their favourite players. I remember my first sticker book in 1974 and trying to get hold of a Peter Lorimer was impossible. Walking around with a load of Joe Jordan’s and many others trying to get that elusive card. Got it, got it, got it, need it! Were common sounds around the school playground back in the day. Young football fans will have to pay an absolute fortune to get their hands on every sticker this summer, thanks to a hefty price hike. Once upon a time the stickers would set up back a few pence at a time, but just a packet of five will cost you a whopping 80p this time round. That’s a staggering 60% rise on the price from just two years ago, when a packet of five Euro 2016 stickers would set you back 50p. In total there are 682 individual stickers to collect this summer, meaning you have to buy at least 137 packets to have any chance of completing the book, setting you back £109.60. But this doesn’t take into account that it’s pretty much impossible to not get any duplicate players in the first 137 packets you buy, meaning you’re either going to be swapping cards for the rest of your life or splashing out a lot more cash. My youngest loves the albums so there goes the bank balance!

An amazing St Patrick’s Festival last Sunday started with a windy beach clean with Ondine. Over 180 people helped collect just under 4,500 objects ranging from cigarette buts, ear bud sticks, straws, bags and various other objects to a weight of 67kg. Well done to all involved a great job! Note for your diaries, April 22nd in Es Trenc is the next one. I was at the top of the beach road soundchecking for the stage as we had quite a few varying acts. When The Raggles turned up at 10.45 for theirs I offered them a coffee, which was met with total derision and they headed off to the bar for in their words “a proper drink!” These boys are so rock n roll and had been gigging for 2 nights at The Shamrock in Palma. So when I refused a beer you’d think I’d burned all their instruments! It was easier to say yes to a Guinness which to be honest was a slippery slope but we ended up having the best day full of great laughs and songs. Big thanks to the Ayuntamiento de Calvia, John Bruce, BIC, Talahm, Liam Live, Marianne Armstrong, Glenn King, Angel Flukes The Raggles, Dj Little Liam Tot Espectaculos and Bianca Hadley We had a great Craic!

Next Friday the 30th of March Pirates opens its doors for another season. As you know I’ve worked there since 1994 and it’s great to see everybody back working hard for the first show. There aren’t many productions in the World that can boast over 30 years of entertaining people of all ages and nationalities. This year we have lots of great things planned for our Adventure and Reloaded shows plus our Gringos show which we launched last year. Please check out all the social media pages for more information or call 0034 971 130411 for more details.

Working on the radio keeping a close eye on the chart every week is really important. We have a chart show every Sunday in the traditional 5pm to 7pm slot. This is done by a good friend of mine Gus who works on a radio station in Glasgow, Scotland. We learnt this week that The Killers‘ classic hit ‘Mr Brightside’ has celebrated its 200th week in the UK top 100  this past week, almost 14 years after it was originally released. The track, which featured on the Las Vegas band’s debut ‘Hot Fuss’, peaked at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in 2004, but has been an ever-present in the charts over the past few years due to its popularity on streaming services. Streaming data was first introduced to the UK charts in 2014. The Official Charts Company now reports that ‘Mr Brightside’ has been streamed 45 million times in the last year alone and has averaged 878,000 plays and 696 downloads per week in 2018 so far. According to the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), it’s also the most-streamed song of any track released before 2010. If you’re a fan The Killers upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates are:

June 23 – Swansea Liberty Stadium, Swansea                          June 24 – Isle of Wight Festival                                                      July 8 – TRNSMT 2018, Glasgow                                                           July 13 – Bolton Macron Stadium                                                          July 14 – Latitude Festival Suffolk

Next week I’m off to Menorca to see my oldest Son play in the MeCup. I told you a few weeks ago there’s around 3,500 people descending on the island and we’re really looking forward to it. Which brings me to another sporting Menorca story. Henry Blofeld or Blowers as he’s affectionately known recently retired from cricket commentating on Test Match Special. He said in a recent interview, “When I retired from Test Match Special, it did not take us long to decide we were going to live in Menorca, my loyalty to the island insists I must spell it as the Spanish do. There were many contributing factors to our decision but when the thermometer approached freezing point, my aching bones, a legacy of much wicket-keeping seemed to bring them all together. Menorca has a lovely climate, it is almost crime-free and it has only one golf course. It is less pretentious than its two better known Balearic companions with their “look at me” clientele. Last, but by no means least, it has probably the best small cricket club I have ever been to.” To which I can concur as I’ve been there a couple of times. Sad to hear this week that Mallorca Cricket Club won’t be able to go to the Balearic Championships in Ibiza this year. Hopefully one day they can return as i know a lot of people worked very hard at keeping the Club going. 

Another disappointing draw for Real Mallorca last Weekend at home to SD Formentera. I couldn’t go because of the St Patrick’s Festival but by all accounts they were lucky to get a draw. They are still 8 points clear at the top with 8 games to go, courtesy of their rivals not playing too well either. But 1 win in 5 isn’t exactly promotional form and they need to shake off this stuttering end to the season before they get to the play-offs. 

If you remember last week I was talking about Spain who were on the verge of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup having not qualified for the tournament since 1999, with the side only needing to beat Belgium ranked 25th in the world to join Georgia as qualifiers from the second tier of European rugby. By not winning the game they lost out to Romania who now go through. The controversy came as the game was refereed by a Romanian official that penalised them 28 times to Belgium’s 8. Surely they should have changed the referee to take away any possibility of bias? The defeat means that Spain miss out on automatic qualification for the World Cup next year, and must negotiate a series of play-offs against Portugal and, if they win, World Cup veterans Samoa in order to qualify.

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i may make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

Happy St Patrick’s Day! A busy weekend planned with today England v Ireland in the rugby which fittingly if Ireland win they’ll win the Grand Slam. Sunday morning at 11.00 is the beach clean with Ondine over in Santa Ponsa. I’ve said before these guys do a great job cleaning our beaches which they wouldn’t have to do if we were all a little more vigilant with our rubbish. Make sure you take reusable gloves and bags. Don’t forget from 11.00am on Sunday to 7pm the St Patrick’s Festival in Santa Ponsa offering free attractions for the kids, a craft market, food and drink and the bars selling copious amounts of Guinness. The stage line-up organised by Radio One Mallorca is as follows(note times could vary);

Hosts: Richie Prior and Liam Hadley

11.00-11.15 Batucada, Circo Stromboli

11.15-12.30 DJ

12.30 -12.40 John Bruce Bagpipes

12.45 -12.55 BIC choir

13.00 -13.10 Xaranga and Embruixart

13.10-13.55 Talahm

14.00 – 14.40 Liam Live

14.45- 15.00 Marianne Armstrong

15.00 – 15.40 Glenn King

15.45- 16.30 Angel Flukes

16.30 -17.15 Raggles

Break 15 minutes

17.30 – 18.15 Raggles

18.15 -19.00 Music Little Liam

Let’s hope the weather holds up and if you’re coming make sure you come and say hi as it’s always good to put a face to a name, oh and mine is a Guinness! After a few pints of Guinness most people enjoy a kebab and last Tuesday was the National Kebab Awards in the U.K. Hosted by one of my radio friends Lucy Horobin. The annual event is the only one to recognise the contribution made by the kebab industry to the British economy, worth more than £2.8billion a year, supporting around 200,000 jobs across restaurants, suppliers and the food industry.  This year’s awards raised money for the bone and soft tissue cancer charity Sarcoma UK. Every day, more than 1.3m kebabs are sold across Britain. The UK’s first kebab shop, Istanbul Restaurant in Soho, opened during the Second World War and pictures of it feature in the Imperial War Museum. However it was not until 1966 that the famous doner kebab, cooked on a vertical spit first appeared with the opening of the Hodja Nasreddin Kebab House by Çetin Bukey and Kojay Hüseyin in in North London’s Newington Green. There are now over 20,000 kebab outlets in the UK selling around 2,500 tonnes of lamb and chicken doner a week. There are also around 200 doner kebab manufacturers in the UK, with a turnover in excess of £750m.

Continuing the fast food theme did you see the story that this week Greggs the bakers have started to employ doormen particularly in their city center shops. Apparently things get a bit rowdy especially if they’re open in the evenings and also people are trying to steal the famous sausage rolls. We asked our listeners to come up with some headlines for this and as usual they didn’t disappoint.

“Greggs in move to keep doughnuts outside rather than inside.”

“If you’re pie eyed Greggs won’t Crust you!”

“You can’t come in ‘ere “half baked” son !”

“More beef on the doors than found in a steak bake!”

“Bakery chain employs bouncers to keep out unsavouries!”

Sad news this past week of the death of Harry Goodman, one of the most influential figures in the UK travel industry over the past 50 years. The founder of International Leisure Group, which featured well known travel brands such as Intasun, Lancaster and Global, Club 18-30 and the airline Air Europe. I arrived in Mallorca on an Air Europe flight in 1990 as a new Intasun Rep. my family thought I’d last a week and 27 years later I’m still here! I spoke to his Daughter Naomi as Jacques from Pirates and Harry were good mates. We agreed they’d probably be having another great party together.

Real Mallorca got a creditable draw despite being outplayed by second placed Villarreal B. They are now 8 points clear at the top with 9 games to go. Please checkout our Radio One Mallorca Facebook page for a link to a short film called Derby Days: Mallorca – The Once in a Lifetime Derby. It’s a look back at the derby match between Real Mallorca and Atlético Baleares which Mallorca won 3-2.

My eldest Son Jacob will be going to a football tournament in Menorca this Easter called the MeCup. There’s over 3,500 people descending on the island but they have a problem as not enough hotels are open. With Easter falling earlier this year a lot of the hotels don’t want to open for a week and then have people on contract for the whole of April with hardly any people arriving on holiday. We’ve only just been given our accommodation in a hotel which will open but we will have to walk to the hotel next door for breakfast and evening meal as they don’t want to staff the kitchen and dining room. You couldn’t make it up, it’s worth over 2 million euros to the island and they’re struggling to find both accommodation and staff. This outdated system of PARO(unemployment benefit)has to change and everyone in my opinion should be encouraged to work for 12 months, which happens in most other countries in the World.  We found out that his team San Francisco will play Español from the mainland, Atlético Villacarlos and CEE Sant Luis from Menorca, CD Cide from Mallorca and a select team from England called South West Select. I can’t tell you how excited I am that was until I found out that the first game was on Wednesday evening and we don’t arrive until Thursday morning. The team go Wednesday afternoon and I’ve tried to change our flights but to no avail. They play their next game at 09.30 on Thursday morning, our flight gets in at 08.55, so we’ll have to be pretty quick getting out of the airport. I checked with Iberia to see if there was an earlier flight either Wednesday afternoon or earlier Thursday morning. They offered me the 07.15 on Thursday which is an hour early, which sounded ok until they said we’d have to pay 212€ for the privilege! I politely told the guy to stick it in my bestest Spanish and said I’ll take my chances on the later one!

Here’s a headline you maybe never thought you’d see, “Spain one win away from rugby World Cup!” They head into the final round of the Rugby Europe Championship knowing victory over Belgium in Brussels this weekend, will secure automatic qualification in the Europe 1 slot in Pool A in 2019.

Enjoy your weekend.

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

The tourist resorts that have been sleeping in the winter are showing signs of life. I can see it as I visit many parts of the island. It’s 16 days to go until Summer time should officially start when the clocks go forward and 21 days until Easter. Where I work at Pirates which opens on Friday March 30th all the artists are back and are in the thick of rehearsals. Great to see some old faces but also plenty of new ones who will be bringing some exciting new elements to this years show. I will update you more the closer we get but notes for your diaries, Friday March 30th Adventure opens, Friday April 27th Reloaded opens and Saturday May 5th Gringos opens. All of which will be offering great entertainment throughout the Summer. 

Another date for your diary is Sunday March 18th for two reasons. Firstly our friends at Ondine are organising another one of their beach cleans in Santa Ponsa. These guys do an amazing job around our islands. Their team of experienced marine scientists and divers work closely with local authorities and stakeholders to create an effectively managed network of Marine Protected Areas around the Balearic Islands, allowing marine ecosystems to recover and thrive together with prospering local communities and industries. Their Dos Manos initiatives have been developed to tackle one of the biggest threats to our oceans and to ourselves: plastic pollution. Through their Dos Manos Beach Cleans, Schools Programme and Partners Programme they inspire and help local communities and companies to take action while raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and encouraging innovative solutions. Once you’ve helped clean the beach you can come and join the Radio One Mallorca crew and Calviá Town Hall on the roundabout by Ramon Moncada for a cracking day filled with music, market stalls, free kids attractions and street animation. On the main stage will be the BIC Choir, Marianne Armstrong, Talahm, Liam Live, Glenn King, Angel Flukes and the Raggles. We’re there from 11am to 7pm so come and join us for the Craic!

I mentioned above it’s three weeks until Easter and apparently there could be a shortage of hot cross buns this year. US raisin prices have increased by 50% since September due to crop shortages in California. The US shortages have sparked a price rise in sultanas from Turkey, a key supplier to the UK. Prices of Turkish sultanas have risen by 30%  since September. At the same time, currant prices are soaring in Greece. Production there is about a third down, and prices on the UK market are up 40% since September. So you can see there is a problem. However Lidl has just launched a new Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream that is infused with the flavour of the iconic seasonal favourite. The £1.99 480ml tubs are driving shoppers with a sweet tooth wild on social media, with one branding the ice cream a ‘game changer’. It’s made with British double cream and whole milk, so it’s not for those who are counting calories as a 100ml serving contains 129 kcal. 

I must give a big shoutout to my Nephew Will who is currently at the Royal Academy of Music. He like his Dad Don plays bass guitar and double bass. This week he was invited into the Radio 1 live lounge studios to play for Mabel. Mabel McVey (born February 19, 1996), mononymously known by her stage name Mabel, is a Spanish-born Swedish-British singer and songwriter based in London. Born in Málaga, Spain and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, she is the daughter of singer and songwriter Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack record producer Cameron McVey. Best known for her 2017 hit Finders Keepers which reached number 8 in the U.K. Charts she sang her new song Fine Line and a cover of Coldplays Fix You with my Nephew playing double bass. An amazing experience that he absolutely loved and I’ve no doubt he’ll get more in the future. 

Real Mallorca lost their second consecutive game with a 0-1 home defeat by CD Ebro.  It was a really disappointing game with most of the team under performing and they’ll need to get back to winning ways on Sunday when they face Villarreal B the team in second place. They are the team who in my opinion are the best Mallorca have faced all season. They are separated currently by 8 points so a win would see them go 11 points clear at the top with 9 games to go. A loss however and it could be squeaky bum time.

A story that brought a smile to my face this week, former Arsenal forward Sanchez Watt received the most bizarre red card of the season after a referee mistook the player saying his own name for dissent. Watt, playing for Hemel Hempstead in their National League South clash with East Thurrock on Tuesday night, was asked his name by ref Dean Hulme so that he could book him for kicking the ball away. But the official grew frustrated when the answer given was ‘Watt’, mistaking the reply as the player saying ‘What?’ and arguing against his decision. Hulme asked Watt three times for his name, receiving ‘Watt’ as the reply each time, before seeing red and giving Watt his marching orders. Hemel Hempstead captain Jordan Parkes rushed over to explain to the referee that the player’s name was actually Watt, and he had been clearly telling him so all along. A presumably embarrassed Hulme then reversed his decision to punish Watt with a second yellow card for dissent, and he stayed on the pitch. The Ref was probably worried about navigating the famous Hemel Hempstead roundabout system. For those that don’t know, it’s six small roundabouts surrounding one large one and it’s a nightmare to drive around. 

I found this list of the top 30 little victories that we celebrate regardless of its worth and I’m sure you’ll find some of your own in there.

1. Finding money in a coat pocket
2. Something you were planning on buying anyway being reduced in price
3. Getting an unexpected discount on an item when you reach the checkout
4. Finding money on the floor
5. Getting good weather for a special event
6. A delivery expected between 8-5pm comes at 8:01
7. Not needing any work done at the dentist
8. When you get an unexpected tax rebate
9. Turning up at a full car park for someone to leave so you get a space
10. Car passing MOT first time
11. Being upgraded to first class
12. Getting in a queue at the front just before loads of other people join the queue 

13. Someone leaving a table in a busy pub just as you arrive
14. Getting home just as the postman was about to leave a ‘Sorry we missed you’ card
15. Finding a parking space right outside the shop you want go in
16. It starting to rain just as you walk in the door / bring the washing in
17. Getting to the bus stop just as it arrives
18. A social event you really can’t be bothered with getting cancelled
19. When the vending machine gives you two chocolate bars instead of one
20. Hitting all the green lights on the way into work
21. Getting the last of something on offer in a supermarket
22. Waking up in the night and realising you still have hours left in bed before you have to get up
23. Parking perfectly first time
24. Getting a compliment from a stranger
25. Getting a whole aisle on a plane to yourself
26. Getting to the station just as the train pulls up
27. Finding the last dress or piece of clothing in your size on the rack
28. Waking up and realising it’s a Saturday and you don’t have to go to work
29. When a bet comes in
30. Having the exact change you need to pay for something 

And finally, Sunday is of course Mothers Day. Wishing all you beautiful Mums out there a fun filled Sunday with your loved ones. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i may make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

Being involved in radio I try to keep myself up to date with news, sport, showbiz and especially music as much as I can. One thing I haven’t done a lot of in my life is go to concerts or gigs. But in the last 8 months that’s certainly changed. I’ve seen Tom Jones, George Benson, The Stereophonics and have just booked to see Queen with Adam Lambert in Barcelona and Ed Sheeran at Wembley stadium. I’m not sure what’s brought this on but i actually wish I’d done it more often. Come to think of it I’ve seen more concerts than my team Arsenal this past year which to be honest the way they’re playing that’s not a bad thing! Yesterday tickets for The Rolling Stones in the U.K. went on sale and I was really tempted. They are such an iconic band, their music definitely stands the test of time and you have to think how much longer can they go on? 

Talking of doing more of what you enjoy I remember saying in my column at the beginning of the year to read more books and go to the cinema more often. The books will have to wait but we invited a guy called Michael Barnes to our radio studio this week. Michael runs a Facebook page called Mallorca Cinema Showings – English. Every week he lists what’s on at the cinemas in English which sometimes isn’t easy to find. We have turned it into a feature on the Breakfast Show, so every Monday we will give you Michaels Cinema Listings. He does this in his spare time and it’s a really useful page. It’s a closed group that has over 2000 members and if you ask to join Michael will add you. It’s important that we support the cinemas showing films in English as they will carry on if we do. Don’t forget that it’s the Oscars tomorrow night and at the time of writing 3 of 9 films nominated for best picture are currently on at one of our cinemas.

Interestingly enough a study was commissioned by Cineworld one of the big cinema owners in the UK ahead of the third IMAX Film Festival, which will give film fans across the country a second chance to see some of the top releases from last year in IMAX.

IMAX uses a cutting-edge projection system and delivers crystal-clear images, coupled with the customised theatre design and powerful digital sound system. IMAX creates a unique environment that makes audiences feel as if they are in the film.

The study threw up a lot of interesting facts;

Seventy-five per cent of the nation agreed a bigger screen is the best thing about a trip to the movies, with over half preferring the cinema experience for its enhanced sound and picture quality.

One in five said they enjoy watching the trailers and 13 per cent stated it’s the presence of others which adds to the experience.

The research confirmed the best seat in the picture house is, without a doubt, the middle centre followed by the centre back rows.

Two-thirds of adults are more likely to make a trip to the movies with their partner, and three in 10 will see the latest blockbuster with pals.

One in five would much rather a trip to the cinema over a meal out, but just under two in three wish they went to the movies more often.

The study also found three in five brits confessed there are films they wish they’d seen in the cinema.

The study also found a trip to the movies is enjoyed twice a month on average, with just under one in 10 going up to once a week.

A fizzy drink will never go a miss during a trip to the cinema for nearly one quarter of Brits, accompanied by a box of sweet popcorn and classic pick ‘n’ mix. 

They were also asked which film do you think should be seen on the big screen and not on TV. Here are the results;

1. Avatar
2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
3. Jurassic Park
4. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
5. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back 

6. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 

7. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
8. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
9. Jurassic World
10. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens 

11. Titanic
12. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 

13. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones 

14. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith 

15. Jaws
16. Dunkirk
17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 

18. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
19. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 

20. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

Another study conducted by Sky Cinema, found that overall one in two Brits thinks an Oscar-worthy actor would be required to play them in a movie of their own life. 

Researchers found that Tom Hanks the seasoned star of Forrest Gump, Big and Saving Private Ryan was the choice the male population would prefer to take on the role. 

And the late great screen siren Audrey Hepburn who starred in Roman Holiday and Breakfast At Tiffany’s came top of the ladies list. 

Thirty seven per cent of Brits believe their character would be the hero of their tale, while one in five would consider themselves an anti-hero figure. 

And one in ten pessimistically think they would ultimately become the villain in a cinematic retelling of their own life story. 

A quarter would describe their life story as a drama, while 22 per cent think the events of their life would work better as a light-hearted comedy. 

Forty one per cent reckon the film which tells their life story would be worthy of a nomination at the Oscars, yet 44 per cent admit the events would likely make for a boring watch once up on screen. 

TOP ACTORS BRITS WANT TO PLAY THEM 

1. Tom Hanks
2. Audrey Hepburn
3. Sandra Bullock
4. Helen Mirren
5. Emma Watson
6. Leonardo DiCaprio 

7. Clint Eastwood
8. Julia Roberts
9. Kate Winslet
10. Matt Damon 

Brits have spoken to declare their favourite films must have at least two car chases, three fight scenes and two twists, much like the format of 1972 film The Godfather. 

Movie fans are suckers for affairs of the heart too as the ultimate blockbuster would also include two romantic moments, a new survey has revealed. 

three fight scenes and two twists – much like the format of 1972 film The Godfather. 

Movie fans are suckers for affairs of the heart too as the ultimate blockbuster would also include two romantic moments, a new survey has revealed. 

The nation’s perfect movie would be directed by Steven Spielberg. 

Favourite actors for starring roles are Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, and Oprah Winfrey. Dame Judi Dench and Hollywood heart-throb Tom Hardy would be the ideal in the supporting roles. The nation’s ideal movie should have a soundtrack inspired by Pulp Fiction, according to the survey. 

Cineworld set out to do the study ahead of the Oscars this Sunday. Elements of the perfect award-winning film would be; 

• An engaging plot
• A drama
• Two villains
• Directed by Steven Spielberg
• Tom Hanks as the male lead
• Meryl Streep as the female lead
• Tom Hardy and Judi Dench as the supporting actors

 • Two plot twists 

• It should feature a hero AND a heroine

 • Two romantic moments
• Three fight scenes
• Two car chases 

• Two hours long
• A resolved ending where everything is concluded

 • A soundtrack inspired by Pulp Fiction 

Shape of water leads the Oscar nominations with 13 and is the bookies favourite to win best picture.

Real Mallorca suffered only their second defeat of the season away at 4th placed Cornelia last Sunday. They are now 9 points clear of 2nd placed Villarreal B with 11 games to go. Mallorca are at home to Ebro on Sunday, it’s 12 o’clock kick-off at the Son Moix Stadium. I must give  a shoutout to my eldest Son Jacob and his team San Francisco. Last Sunday they played Son Ferriol, a team they had lost 3-0 to earlier in the season. 2-1 down with 15 minutes to go it didn’t look like they were going to win. But they equalised and Jake popped up with the winner with 5 minutes to go! We celebrated at one of our favourite restaurants, Can Pedro in Genova. Which has to be said was bursting at the seams and there was still a queue for tables as we left! 

And finally this week a news story that brought a smile to my face. The Winter Olympics closed last weekend and a sporting body is campaigning so that snowball fighting becomes an Olympic sport, so get all your practice in now whilst we’re blessed with the Beast from the East! 

In the wake of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Japan’s 25-year-old snowball- fighting federation says the sport should feature at a future competition. 

The Japan Yukigassen Federation or JYF (Yukigassen means snowball fighting) devised a formal version of a team snowball fight and was recognised as a national administrative body for the sport in 1993. 

The game is played on a pitch 10 metres (33 feet) by 36 metres (118 feet) two teams of seven people, who can hide behind several on-court barriers. 

Both teams have a flag near the centre of the court. They can win by capturing the opposing side’s fag or by scoring a hit on all the other players. 

Being hit by a snowball eliminates a player from the game. 

The JYF says it has a “presence” in 11 countries and in five areas of Japan. On March 6 it is holding a snowball-fighting world championship at the Hakuba Ski-Jumping Stadium in Japan’s central Nagano Prefecture. 

Teams are expected from Hong Kong and China but it is not clear whether snowball battlers from anywhere else will show up. 

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i may make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

I spent a couple of days in a cold and wet U.K. at the beginning of the week. Mind you it hasn’t been much better here this week either! One thing I did notice is the huge increase in the use of contactless credit cards. I’m old school and much prefer the cash in my pocket, so how safe are they? Well after a bit of research I found out that two key protections with contactless cards are the £30-per-transaction spending limit and the need to enter a PIN after a certain number of transactions. However, there’s evidence that not all banks are upholding this safety check. Which? “stole” 12 contactless cards from volunteers in the autumn of 2016 and made repeated purchases on the high street until asked for a PIN. Three banks, Barclays, the Co-Operative Bank and TSB allowed the volunteers to spend more than £200 in 10 consecutive transactions in just a few hours without prompting them to enter a PIN. Of course, banks and building societies do refund fraudulent transactions; however, there have been occasions where victims of fraud have waited many weeks to have their money returned.  On a more positive note about this, a Big Issue vendor is selling 200 more copies a week since investing in a contactless card machine. Robin Fabian, 50, was struggling to offload the magazine, which supports homeless people, because so few potential customers had cash. So he bought a contactless bank card reader and it paid for itself on the first day. Robin said: “I’ve sold about 200 extra a week. I hold it on top of my Issues so people can see it. I think I’m the only one in the area with one, which gives me an edge.” I much prefer cash but it looks like that is on its way out. 

Talking of cash with less than a fortnight to go until they are no longer accepted in UK shops, more than £2 billion worth of old-style £10 notes remain in circulation. The Bank of England said the withdrawal rate is ‘broadly as expected’ ahead of the March 1st deadline, at which point the paper £10 note will cease to be legal tender replaced completely by the polymer version. Anyone with the old notes beyond this point will still be able to exchange them for the new equivalent at the Bank of England. According to the latest figures, the value of paper £10 notes in circulation is around £2.182 billion, the equivalent of around 218 million paper £10 notes. Currently, weekly returns of paper tenners are averaging a value £85 million. So have good look around especially down the back of the sofa! 

10 years ago I interviewed the actress Pauline Quirke on the radio. She started by telling me about her acting life. She discovered acting at the age of 9 when a couple of after-school clubs were formed by local teachers. One was Country Dancing, the other was a Drama club. Not fancying Country Dancing, Pauline joined the Drama Club and that’s where it all began. From this start, professional work followed almost by accident. In that year, still aged 9, she was cast in her first professional role as a child arsonist in ‘Dixon of Dock Green’, with her career evolving from there. Pauline appeared in numerous TV programmes including her own chat show at the age of 15 entitled ‘Pauline’s People’ and ‘Pauline’s Quirkes’. Subsequent productions included ‘The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist’, 1980’s hospital drama, ‘Angels’, and TV series ‘Shine on Harvey Moon’. Her many TV roles include ‘Our Boy’, ‘Last Christmas’ (with Ray Winstone), ‘Real Women’, ‘Maisie Raine’, ‘David Copperfield’ (with Daniel Radcliffe), ‘North & South’, ‘Emmerdale’, not forgetting her BAFTA-nominated performance in ‘The Sculptress’ and her portrayal of Susan Wright in ITV’s award-winning drama, ‘Broadchurch’ with David Tennant and Olivia Coleman. Pauline is most famous for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous in ‘Birds of a Feather’ running 127 episodes from 1986 to 2016. She has won the Royal Television Society’s Award for ‘Best Comedy Newcomer’, the coveted Fipa D’Or Biarritz Award at the Cannes Television Awards and a BAFTA nomination. She is an honorary member of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a patron of the Rennie Grove Hospice, a supporter of Children with Leukaemia, Children in Crisis, and Children’s Hospices UK and has just launched her own Charity ‘PQA Trust’ to help deprived children get performing arts training to build confidence and learn skills for life. At the time of the interview In 2007 Pauline had just opened her very first Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. She told me that she wanted to roll them out across the country. 10 years later there are now approximately 150 academies across the country, with more planned, teaching over 10,000 children aged between 4 and 18 the delights and disciplines of Comedy & Drama, Musical Theatre, and Film & Television. Also coming up in September they are launching a Full time Academy of performing Arts in London. After the interview I went home and told my Wife that I believed she could open the first overseas PQA here in Mallorca. Having come from a musical theatre and dance background and a former Captain Scarlett at Pirates it was perfect for her. After loads of meetings between us the first overseas PQ Academy opened here in January 2009 and is still going strong. Following up from that in October 2016 she expanded into Ibiza too. Last weekend they did their latest production of Annie Jr for al their families and friends to great acclaim. So congratulations to all the students and teachers who I know put a huge amount of work and effort into the production. If you’d like more information about the academy please go to www.pqacademy.com and search for Mallorca. 

A battling 1-0 home victory for Real Mallorca last weekend against Alcoyano to maintain their 10 point lead over Villarreal B. A testing away game on Sunday against 4th placed Cornelia awaits. As I left the ground last weekend I noticed a game of American Football taking place opposite the stadium. It was really weird to see but this was full on and there was a good crowd watching too. The game was between Mallorca Volters and Pioners de L’Hospitalet. The Volters won by 39 – 13. 

And finally a couple of news stories that brought a smile to my face this week. London chicken-lovers have been calling the police asking them to sort out the KFC closure crisis. So many people contacted The Met about the chicken shortage officers had to use Twitter to tell them their favourite restaurant closing is not an emergency. Frustrated police officers in Tower Hamlets tweeted: ‘Please do not contact us about the #KFCCrisis – it is not a police matter if your favourite eatery is not serving the menu that you desire.’ There’s been stories of chicken smuggling and someone even put a bargain bucket on EBay! Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has been stripped of his Winter Olympics bronze medal after being found guilty of doping. Now not a news story that should bring a smile to your face but this guy was competing in the mixed doubles curling competition! What help do they need? 

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

A week full of celebrations this week. Tuesday was Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday to give it its official name. Shrove Tuesday is the day in February or March immediately preceding Ash Wednesday which is celebrated in some countries by consuming pancakes. Why pancakes? Turns out there’s a pretty good reason. Eggs, flour and milk. Those three key ingredients were once very common things to give up for Lent, so it made sense to use them all up in one handy dish the day before Lent started. We asked our listeners their favourite pancake filling and the traditional lemon and sugar came out on top.

This was quickly followed by Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and 40 days of fasting. It’s a Christian festival and the roots come from people replicating the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ over the 40-day journey he made through the desert. A lot of people use Lent as a way of testing their willpower, often giving up things like chocolate or other sweet treats before Easter. Those of you who are quick with numbers might have figured out that there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. But many Christians believe there’s no obligation to fast on Sundays, which means it is actually only 40 days once you remove them. Love that little rule change!

If that wasn’t enough then Valentines fell on the same day as Ash Wednesday. Here’s a few interesting facts about a Valentines.

• Most women will not spend half the amount of money on men as they expect to get brought for them.
• There is an increase in the sales of pregnancy tests during the month of March, due to all those wonderful romantic interludes on Valentine’s Day!
• The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
• Women are more inclined to buy cards than men for this romantic day, men preferring to buy flowers and chocolates.
• For many who do not have a human loved one and a pet is their best friend, they will purchase a fun loving gift and chocolates for their animal friend.
• Around 110 million Valentine’s roses are sold 2-3 days leading up to February 14th, mostly red of course.   Out of those 110 million, 73% are purchased by men and only 27% are purchased by women.
• Valentine’s day is the second biggest “event” of the calendar year following Christmas.  It has been estimated that the UK will  spend around £880 million on valentine’s day.   Averaging that men will spend a staggering £611 million while women will spend around £269 on their partners!

Now if you stick to the traditional stuff like flowers or chocolates you probably won’t go wrong but if you tried something from the list below of the worst Valentines Day gifts then love definitely won’t be in the air!

1. A tin of baked beans
2. A live tarantula
3.  An ironing board cover
4. A plastic sheep
5. A desk tidy
6. A car frost cover
7. A tyre pump
8. A tea bag
9. Bathroom scales
10. A watering can fitting
11. A screwdriver set
12. A wheelbarrow
13. A bike pedal
14. A sausage roll
15. A pack of cigarettes
16. A toy snake
17. Shaving foam
18. Dead flowers
19. A colander
20. A torch

Thursday was the Valentines day of silence. Observed by Women whose partners forgot to book them a restaurant or do anything special on Valentine’s Day!

So what have we got to look forward to now?

4 days till The Brit Awards at The O2 (21/2/18)

12 days till the last day to use any old paper £10 notes (1/3/18)

36 days till British Summer Time begins (clocks go forward) (25/3/18)

41 days till the Easter weekend starts (30/3/18)

91 days till Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married (19/5/18) 118 days till the World Cup in Russia starts (14/6/18)

405 days till the UK is scheduled to leave the EU (29/3/19)

Are you like me watching the Winter Olympics? Just seeing the snow takes me back to Ski Sunday and its unforgettable theme tune. I try if I can to catch the highlights programme each evening. I was hooked on the snowboarding as some of the tricks they were doing were out of this World. Now I’m fascinated to know how you get Into some of these sports. Usually as a kid you go and try a few different things out to see what you like or you’re good at. So I’m interested to know with the luge or the skeleton which is hurtling down an icy track on basically a tea tray and ski jumping which is skiing down a man made ramp and flying off the end, at what point do you decide it’s not for you?

The list below is a survey of landmark moments that Brits would have loved to have witnessed. No Winter Olympic moments, is yours in there?

1. England winning the 1966 World Cup
2. Live Aid, 1985
3. The fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989
4. The launch of Apollo 11, 1969
5. Queen Elizabeth II Royal Coronation, 1953
6. The London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, 2012
7. The Beatles playing on the rooftop of Apple Offices, 1969
8. Usain Bolt 100m win, 2012
9. The construction of Stone Henge, 3100 BC
10. Andrew Murray wins Wimbledon, 2013

Our Government has certainly be getting lots of stick over the tourist tax so I was interested to read this story this week.  Oxford could become the first city in the country to charge visitors a £1-per-night tourist tax. The tourist bed levy could raise at least £5million a year to help improve the city, politicians claim. Liz Wade, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader on Oxford City Council, said residents feel “crowded out of Oxford’s streets by tourists and their coaches”. They “may end up marching” as they have done recently in Venice, Barcelona and Berlin unless changes are made soon, she added. Last year the party’s proposal for a ‘tourism tax’ to be explored by Oxford City Council received unanimous backing. Levies are currently being investigated by a number of UK councils, including Camden and Bath. Be interesting to see what happens. The Local Plan will be discussed later this year before it is adopted next year.

A good away point for Real Mallorca last weekend away at Llagostera. They were reduced to 10 men in the first half but hung on defensively in the second half. Helped by another defeat for Villarreal B, Mallorca are now 10 points clear at the top. Tomorrow they are at home to Alcoyano, kick-off at 12 midday.

And finally a news story that made me smile this week. Spectators fled a rehearsal for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang because it was too cold! A wind chill of -7 reportedly drove audiences out of the arena in the South Korean city. Reports in South Korea suggest up to 35,000 spectators will be given heating pads, blankets and raincoats at Friday’s opening ceremony as organisers seek to mitigate the sub-zero conditions.

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

Busy weekend for me last weekend. Friday my Wife and I flew to Barcelona to see the Stereophonics in concert. For those that don’t know, for us that’s getting on a plane and flying for 30 minutes across the water. We normally use one of the park & fly companies but this time decided to use Aena the airport company. If you become an Aena client before you make your booking you get a discount on the normal rate. You just drive into the multi storey car park opposite the terminal and walk straight through to security. We flew with the blue and yellow seats airline you know the one and got our residents discount but when I checked in I was asked if I wanted priority seating. I declined and was given seats 7B and 33B! Now they couldn’t have been less accommodating. Firstly not together and secondly both middle seats, so it asks would you like to change your seats? Yes of course I would, but I’m taken back to the pay for your seats page! Gits! So I left it. Sure enough when we got on the plane it wasn’t full so we sat next to each other. It follows on from my hand luggage story while trying to keep the price of the flight down they’re stinging you wherever else they can. 

Talking of which I know it’s old news but Thomas Cook charging for sun beds? I can’t wait to see what happens to that in the summer especially if you share your hotel with the Germans which is quite likely when two of their biggest markets are the Brits and Germans. Also they are giving you the chance reserve your room at a cost of course. Sounds similar to what I said above, they’re trying to keep the price of the holidays holidays down but looking to add as much as they can on the other end.

I watched The Hairy Bikers on BBC2 last week as they travelled around Menorca and Mallorca. I thought Mallorca looked absolutely stunning as they rode around on their bikes and sampled the local food. Great advertising for the island.

Instagram the photo sharing App is a great way to show off Mallorca but sometimes it’s not just about sunshine and beautiful beaches as this next top 10 will prove.

Big Ben clocked up 2.73 million photos on Instagram last year, making it the UK’s most popular sight on the photo sharing app.

A more surprising venue scored second place on the leader board, Liverpool’s Anfield football stadium, which racked up 490,116 Instagram snaps.

Standing the test of time, Britain’s most famous prehistoric structure, Stonehenge, was Instagrammed 454,861 times by awe inspired visitors.

THE MOST INSTAGRAMMED SIGHTS IN THE UK 

1. Big Ben
2. Anfield
3. Stonehenge
4. New Forest
5. Snowdonia
6. Windermere
7. Edinburgh Castle
8. Glencoe
9. Seven Sisters
10. Giant’s Causeway 

Surprised to see Anfield at number 2 but even more surprised to see Seven Sisters at number 9? It must be it’s close proximity to Arsenal, well it can’t be that it’s close to the other team from North London can it!

Instagram is a part of our new high tech lifestyle so have a look at the list below and see what tasks we now don’t do but miss doing.

1. Making mix-tapes
2. Put photos into albums
3. Recording films and TV shows using VHS
4. Having printed photos around the house
5. The excitement of having photographs developed before you can see them
6. Handwritten letters 

7. Sending love letters
8. Sending post-cards
9. Having pen friends
10. Buying CDs / having a CD collection 

11. Using public telephones 

12. Using a telephone directory
13. Carrying a portable CD player
14. Going into the travel agents to research a holiday 

15. Buying disposable cameras
16. Turning to a hard copy of the Yellow Pages
17. Playing traditional board games or cards
18. Owning an encyclopedia
19. Dialling directory enquiries
20. Visiting car boot sales to sell old stuff
21. Remembering phone numbers off by heart
22. Hand-writing essays /school work
23. Ringing the speaking clock
24. Trying on pairs of shoes on the high street
25. Dialling 1471 to see who called while you were out 

A good home win for Real Mallorca this week against a very defensive Ontinyent team. The new signings have given a lift to the team and we bumped into Lago Junior who is well on his way back from injury, which is good news. They are 9 points clear of Villarreal who surprisingly lost at home last week. Interesting that Mallorca took a player from Liverpool this week on loan. The Liverpool website read Liverpool FC can now confirm the completion of the signing of defender Anderson Arroyo, who has immediately moved to Real Mallorca on an 18-month loan deal.

The 18-year-old a Colombia U20 international has joined the Reds from Fortaleza CEIF in his home country, for whom he made 22 appearances during the past three seasons, after a deal was reached during the January transfer window.

Arroyo has departed for a temporary spell in Spain, where he will spend the remainder of this campaign and the whole of the next with Segunda B leaders Mallorca.

And finally this week a couple of news stories that brought a smile to my face.

CORONATION Street has announced that the cobbles will be getting both a Costa Coffee and a Co-Op as part of a new sponsorship deal.

Eagle-eyed viewers had spotted the coffee’s shops recognisable cups and Co-op bags during recent episodes, leading to speculation a deal was in the works, and now the partnership has been confirmed. Now I’m not sure who’s going to own the Costa Coffee franchise but the walk by trade isn’t huge on the Street and are they all going to abandon Roys Rolls? I’m sure Dev’s Corner shop and The Kabin with Rita and Norris aren’t going to be too happy with the arrival of the Co-Op! 

Remember I asked last week if the World has gone mad? Well Snack giant Doritos has been slammed after announcing plans for a “lady-friendly” version of the popular snack which is quieter to eat and less messy. 

Indra Nooyi, the Global Chief Executive of Doritos owner PepsiCo, announced the bizarre plan in a recent interview and claimed that recent research showed how women do not like to crunch loudly or lick their fingers while eating. 

“Although women would love to crunch crisps loudly, lick their fingers and pour crumbs from the bag into their mouth afterwards, they prefer not to do this in public”, she revealed in an interview with Freakonomics Radio. 

“You watch a lot of the young guys eat the chips, they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee, and when they reach the bottom of the bag they pour the little broken pieces into their mouth, because they don’t want to lose that taste of the flavour, and the broken chips in the bottom. 

“Women would love to do the same, but they don’t. They don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers.” 

“It’s not a male and female as much as ‘are there snacks for women that can be designed and packaged differently?’ And yes, we are looking at it, and we’re getting ready to launch a bunch of them soon.” 

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

Has the World gone mad? Well in quite a lot of cases yes. In the news last week the Organisers of Darts the PDC banned its walk on girls and this week Formula 1 has banned the grid girls. All this comes on the back of the awful stories about Harvey Weinstein and the goings on at the Presidents Club party. I personally don’t think you can put the two together as the awful stories we heard with Weinstein and at the Presidents Club were without consent. But the girls that work on these sporting events are doing so because they want to do the job. Lots of tv, radio and newspaper columns have been talking about this all week. Model Kelly Brook, who used to work as an F1 flag girl, told ITV’s Loose Women: ‘It’s a well-paid job. It’s one of the best jobs I ever had.. ‘You dress glamorously and obviously it’s about being presentable but I never felt I was taken advantage of.’                                                                                                                                    Jade Slusarczyk, a Sky Sports walk-on girl who often poses with snooker players, was accused by a feminist listener of BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show that she needed ‘education’ to understand why the job is offensive. But Ms Slusarczyk, from Blackpool, Lancashire, replied to the yoga instructor called Tilly: ‘I got A’s in school and would have become a doctor, but mum was in a car crash so I had to look after her.’                                One newspaper donated their whole front page with the headline Formula Dumb.              I was interested to see that one of the supporters of the ban was a female boxer Stacey Copeland she was interviewed on 5Live this week. She also wants a ban on ring girls in boxing and bringing in kids as mascots. She has the support of the Women’s Sports Trust and also many Women that work in sport including Gabby Logan, Natalie Pinkham and the Williams F1 test drive Susie Wolff who said “grid girls didn’t offend her but it was a step in the right direction.”                                                                                                                   I asked our listeners to comment on the subject, all the comments listed are from Women as other columnists have been accused of only sharing the views of Men.                “Just insane, the world has gone nuts. If the girls want to do it and get paid well, what’s the problem!”                                                                                                                            “Ridiculous / it’s all getting out of hand.”                                                                                      “As usual, men have made a decision affecting women without asking those women if they would like it made. That’s another swathe of opportunities for women neatly axed without affecting male opportunities whatsoever. If women don’t want to be thought of as sexy, it is very easy for them to dress and act in a manner which makes that clear. If they do want to be thought of as sexy, whether for financial gain, fame or for the purposes of attracting potential partners, why should they not be free to do so? Maybe women should ask their male partners to threaten a boycott of the F1, including watching on TV, unless the girls are reinstated. This sort of thing makes me and Robbie so cross. It deprives men of a bit of fun but it deprives women of so much more.”          I’ve also never seen my co-host Ayesha so angry about a subject. She thoroughly disagrees with the ban and believes Women should be making their own choices. So what’s next? UFC (Octagon girls), Boxing (Ring girls), Tour de France (Podium girls), Football (Team cheerleaders), Moto GP (Grid girls), NBA(Cheerleaders) and American Football (cheerleaders).

Which brings me nicely onto this weekends American Superbowl in Minnesota between last years Champions the New England Patriots v Philadelphia Eagles. Now this is a game that is scheduled for 1 hour yet it takes at least 3 hours to complete. Not of course forgetting the half-time show which this year is Justin Timberlake and the singing of the National Anthem which this year will be sung by Pink. So what do the Americans do while the games on well 3 things, eat, drink and watch some of the most expensive commercials in the World. The National Chicken council estimates fans will eat 1.35 billion wings over the course of the weekend. Which I’m reliably informed is enough to put 625 wings on every seat in all 32 NFL stadiums. They will also spend;

• Potato chips – $277 million
• Tortilla chips – $225 million
• Meat snacks – $99 million
• Popcorn – $89 million
• Deli salads – $80 million
• Cheese snacks – $71 million
• Deli sandwiches – $58 million
• Salty snack dips – $42 million
• Deli platters – $23 million
• Vegetable trays – $13 million

It is also estimated $1.2 billion would be spent on beer, $594 million on wine and $503 million on spirits. Between the coin toss and end of play, last year’s Super Bowl brought in an estimated $419 million from advertising for US broadcaster Fox. The staggering sum is greater than the GDP of small countries like Kiribati and Anguilla. Advertisers are paying broadcaster NBC a price tag “north of $5 million” for 30 seconds of ad time in the NFL championship game this year. That doesn’t even count the cost of production for the commercials, which often feature high-profile celebrities, or the cost of marketing the ads outside of the game. So why spend so much? Well it’s watched by over 100 million people in the US alone. The only one that comes remotely close are the Academy Awards which last year got 33 million viewers. I’ll be in bed by the time it comes on here, the perils of being a breakfast show presenter!

A great win last Weekend for Real Mallorca away at Atlético Saguntino in a very wet and windy Valencia. They are at home tomorrow against Otinyent at 12 Midday looking to consolidate their 6 point lead at the top. It looks like they’ve made some good signings in the transfer window to boost the squad in the second half of the season. It would be good to see a similar 11,500 crowd that came to the derby game against Atlético Baleares.

After last weeks column talking about Ondine and the great work they do here in Mallorca, it was a pleasure to interview Brad Robertson on the radio this week. He is one of the most passionate guys I know about preserving the beauty of Mallorca. We talked about the Balearic Governments intention to ban all single-use consumer plastics by 2020 and he said that it needs a lot more study and careful consideration before any decisions are made as the outcome if not managed properly could actually make the situation worse. We will get together again soon and update you once Brad finds out more information. Don’t forget their next beach clean in Pollensa on the 18th of February, details can be found on the Ondine Facebook page.

And finally a couple of news stories that brought a smile to my face. One in a funny way and the other that shows human kindness is still out there.

A plane had to turn back just 20 minutes into its flight due to an issue with the toilets, despite carrying 84 plumbers. The majority of the professionals on board Saturday’s Norwegian Airlines flight from Oslo to Munich work for plumbing company Rorkjop. Chief Executive Frank Olsen told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that his employees “would have liked to fix the restrooms”, but were unable to do so. The fault had to be fixed from the outside, so there was little the plumbers could do to help.

A student burst into tears after she woke from napping on a train to find a kind- hearted passenger had left her £100 under a napkin on her lap. Ella Johannessen, 23, had been speaking to her mum earlier in the journey about how “stressed and upset” she was about her finances. She then went for a nap and burst into tears when she woke up she found the gift. Ella said receiving the extra money now meant she wouldn’t go over her overdraft limit. She shared the heartwarming story on Facebook in the hope of finding the person who left the money for her on a Virgin Trains East Coast service on Saturday. Her post has been shared more than 3,000 times, but she is still yet to find the kind passenger.

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com

A subject that’s taken up a lot of debate is the Governments new tourism slogan “Better in Winter” that was unveiled at the Fitur Travel Fair in Madrid. Now I think we all understand the message but the question is, is it the right way to say it? “Better in Winter” does that mean we’re not so great in Summer? Just by adding one word like “Even better in Winter” would give out the same message but in a more positive way. 

I posted a picture of Magaluf beach last Monday on social Media. It was 21c warm and sunny but the beach was deserted. So I posed the question if the Government says it’s better in winter then somebody wants to tell the tourists! That led to over 150 likes, loads of comments and 100 shares which meant it was seen by over 25,000 people and that was just Facebook. Both Instagram and Twitter got good reactions too. Now I would imagine that the plan isn’t to revitalize beach holidays in January as it can be hit and miss. But there’s no doubt there are times that the temperatures are just as good as April and May sometimes. The focus I’m sure is on cyclists, walkers, City Breaks etc but I was here in 1990 when there was winter tourism and in some ares it was just as busy as in Summer. You only have to go across the water to Benidorm to see there is a market and it’s all winter long. Why should we only look to extend the season to 9 months? Why not 12 months? It seems that the airlines, hoteliers and their workers are only to pleased to have a break in the winter. It’s funny that some people actually love the down time as they say it gives the Island back to us the residents. But anyone in business would surely prefer to be busy for the full year and not just 6 months? There are signs that things are changing, Jet2 are a pioneer in adding more flights earlier and I hear that more hotels are opening earlier. That can only be good for the island and with Easter falling earlier this year maybe there’s a chance, we shall see.

Extending the season would mean a greater stress on the island and its infrastructure. Therefore we have to look at preserving the beauty of the island.  There’s a lot of talk about the banning of plastics around the World. Sky News launched “Ocean Rescue” a year ago this week to highlight the problem of waste in our oceans. The Balearic Islands are now moving to ban the sale of all single-use consumer plastics by 2020 in what could be the most far-reaching legislation in Europe against disposable products. In a radical response to plastic rubbish blighting its tourist beaches and beauty spots, the regional government has proposed prohibiting the sale of goods including everyday items like plastic cups, plates and cutlery, straws, disposable razors, lighters and coffee machine capsules.

Such items will have to become “easily recyclable” or convert to biodegradable alternatives, in what will pose a major challenge to manufacturers. Now while I might question the Governments new tourism slogan, I applaud their thinking on this. One of the reasons they say to bring the Tourist Tax is to help the environment and this is a definite step forward. I should also at this point applaud the work done by Brad Robertson and his Ondine team here on the island. I will be interviewing Brad on Tuesday on the radio and he will update on where all this is going. Ondine’s last beach clean was up in Soller on January 21st and produced some shocking results. Here’s what they put on Facebook.
“During our last beach clean we recovered 8215 plastic items measuring between 2,5-50cm from a beach area of ONLY 50m!

Based on calculations, the microplastic samples that we took indicate that there is an estimated 168.125 pieces of microplastics within that same 50m area! (Small pieces of broken down plastic measuring less than 5mm). 

These items don’t weigh much but their negative impact on the environment is huge! Birds, fish, turtles, filter feeders and even plankton (!) commonly mistake these tiny, toxic carrying pieces of plastic for food. By ingesting them they may suffer tissue contamination, growth disturbance and starvation due to a feeling of fullness, yet a belly filled with plastics. 

The only way to keep these tiny hazards from our sea and beaches is by reducing our plastic consumption, and with that our plastic pollution!”

 I’ve done a couple of these clean ups and they are not only hugely helpful to the environment but a great education for kids too. My two boys when we did our last one thoroughly enjoyed the day and learnt a great deal. If you go to their Facebook page you can see a list of beach clean ups for the year. If you’ve said to yourself I must go and do one of these clean ups and never got round to it then you might need to add it to the list below. 

TOP 30 THINGS PEOPLE WANT TO DO BUT DON’T GET AROUND TO:
1. Lose weight
2. Walk more
3. Eat better
4. Read more
5. Learn a language
6. Manage finances better
7. Drink less
8. Spend less
9. Go to bed an hour earlier
10. Eat less
11. Socialise more
12. Join a gym
13. Re-vamp the wardrobe by throwing out unworn clothes
14. Unsubscribe from emails
15. Eat your five-a-day
16. Actually stick to a fitness plan
17. Travel the world
18. Clear debt
19. Spend time or more time with family
20. Write a will
21. Help/volunteer with a charity
22. Wake up ten minutes earlier
23. Quit smoking
24. Write a book
25. Clean the house properly
26. Re-decorate the house
27. Actually go to the gym after joining one
28. Buy a home
29. Visit relatives who live far away
30. Learn/practise an instrument

I have to admit to at least half of these and I’m sure I’m not alone!

Real Mallorca v Atlético Baleares certainly lived up to the pre-match hype. A 3-2 win for Mallorca ensured they remain 4 points clear at the top of the league. 11,354 supporters were at the ground on Sunday and according to the Rcd Mallorca twitter account that was the 3rd highest attendance in tier 3 football last week behind Italian team Lecce on 16,838 and Plymouth Argyle on 11,942. Out of the 22 teams in the Spanish second division Mallorca rank in 11th place in highest attendances. They are away against Atlético Saguntino this Sunday at 12 midday. 

And finally this week I wanted to end on a couple of news stories I heard this week that made me smile. Firstly one serious but my smile came from the fact I would probably be the same. The governor of Hawaii couldn’t tell citizens that January’s missile alert was false because he forgot his Twitter login! 

Twelve camels were disqualified from a beauty contest after judges got the hump(sorry!) over them using botox. The animals were given jabs to make their pouts look more alluring for the annual event in Saudi Arabia!

Enjoy your weekend.

I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i’ll make an understudy appearance! 

Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com