Edition 25

New corporate identity
in Asistencia
Interview with
Rafael Senén, CEO
MAPFRE modifies
its corporate structure
Advertisement for the MAPFRE ASISTENCIA corporate campaign in the United Kingdom
SISTEMA MAPFRE
MAPFRE becomes a public limited
company with a view to being a world leader
The activities and companies of the Group, which will be restructured throughout 2006,
will form part of CORPORACIÓN MAPFRE (the future MAPFRE S.A.), which will continue
to be quoted on the Stock Exchange.
FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE will hold the controlling stake in the Group.
which it operates, to achieve an effective presence in
Europe, the U.S.A. and the Far East.
fter authorisation was received from the MAPFRE MUTUALIDAD Shareholders Meeting, the
SISTEMA MAPFRE Board of Dire c to rs has
commenced the process towards ceasing to be a
mutual company and creating a new co r p o ra te
structure as a public limited company. The aim is to
make MAPFRE one of the major European and world
insurance companies as well as one of the ten leading Spanish companies in terms of market capitalisation. The process will be completed in 2006.
A
The new business model authorised involves joining
together all the Group’s activities in the quoted
finance company CORPORACIÓN MAPFRE (which
will be called MAPFRE S.A.). The controlling stake in
this quoted company will be held by FUNDACIÓN
The new structure will also mean a clear separation,
both in terms of finance and management, between
actions for the good of society, which will be managed by FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, and business activities, which will be managed by MAPFRE, S.A. This
meets the increasing demands of the markets and
eliminates conflicts of interest, allowing a clearer
and more transparent perception of the activities of
the Group as a whole. FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE will
become larger, its activities for the good of society
will increase and it will play a central role in SISTEMA MAPFRE, guaranteeing its institutional principles and independence.
In his speech at the MAPFRE MUTUALIDAD
Shareholders Meeting on 15 June, the Chairman,
José Manuel Martínez, stated that the new structu-
Among the main objectives of this change are
international expansion, especially in China,
and a world leadership position for MAPFRE ASISTENCIA
MAPFRE, with no special benefits for any of those
who work for MAPFRE (board members, directors
and employees), as the Company Statutes have stipulated for fifty years.
Combining all the MAPFRE activities and companies
in CORPORACIÓN MAPFRE (the future MAPFRE S.A.)
increases the Group’s financial capacity. This will
open up new possibilities for business development,
speed up the company’s growth and enable it to take
on new projects and acquisitions with a view to
increasing in size in Europe and other markets in
pag 6 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
re, strictly in line with the provisions of the MAPFRE
Statutes, “is the culmination of the process commenced in 1970, for making MAPFRE MUTUALIDAD
a powerful insurance group with an international
presence”.
He highlighted the large, ambitious projects of all
the MAPFRE units, emphasising that the new structure, as well as increasing the number of shareholders (the current mutualists will become sharehold e rs at no co st), “will substantially incre a s e
MAPFRE’s market capitalisation and provide it with
a significant capacity to seek new funds”, financing
its development in coming years in accordance with
its new size. He underlined the “brilliant and ahead
of its time” creation of MAPFRE as a public service
institution, which will be favoured by the new corporate structure. He also pointed out that this new
structure will benefit not only the company as a
whole through the general interest activities of the
great FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, but also all the mutual i sts, employees, clients, dele g a tes, agents and
collaborators who will benefit from the larger size
and greater efficiency of the company.
He also said that we should all feel proud that an
operation “of such a significant financial scope has
been carried out in an exemplary manner with no
MAPFRE board member, dire c tor, employee or
co l l a b o ra tor obtaining any adva n tage or benefit
other than those shared by the other mutualists.”
“Things have been done” Martínez said, “transparently, ethically, generously and in an exemplary
manner.”
New corporate structure of the MAPFRE Group
Spanish insurer of the 21st century, highlighted
MAPFRE’s enormous asset strength and announced
that the results to May (revenues of over 6 billion
euros, an increase of 12 percent, and pre-tax and
minority interest profits of 455 million euros, a
growth of 15 percent) will make 2006 another excellent year for the Group.
Finally, José Manuel Martínez, who welcomed the
birth of the new MAPFRE as the great multinational
FIVE-YEAR OBJECTIVES
With this change, MAPFRE aims to achieve the following objectives within a five-year period:
- Position it amongst the ten leading Spanish
companies in terms of market capitalisation,
significantly increasing the circulation of its shares.
- Become one of the five largest European Non-Life
insurance companies.
- Confirm its leadership position in Spain and in
Latin America in all insurance classes and achieve a significant presence in other EU countries.
- Introduce its management model abroad, particularly in vehicle insurance, and become a provider
of high quality services, increasing its market
share in Life, Savings and Pensions products.
- Speed up MAPFRE’s projects for expansion in
the United States and the Far East, especially in
China.
- Enhance the growth of reinsurance transactions
to place MAPFRE RE amongst the world’s ten
leading reinsura n ce companies. Further the
g rowth of corpora te insura n ce, offering its
clients global cover of their risks in the countries in which they operate. And promote the
expansion of MAPFRE ASISTENCIA, which aims
to become the world leader in this activity.
- For FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, which inherits and
guarantees the MAPFRE principles and culture,
to significantly develop and enhance the Group’s
social actions and become a landmark institution through its educational and cultural activities.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 7
NEWS
New corporate identity in the
subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, Africa,
United States and Canada
APFRE ASISTENCIA has adapted and introduced the Unit’s new corporate identity to its
subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, Africa, United
States and Canada. The process is the result of the
change in image carried out for the MAPFRE Group
in 2004 and developed in 2005, which is the reference for the project. The process was carried out
during the first half of the year and its main elements include: the design of each of the subsidiaries’ new logos and the application manual called
“Corporate identity manual and style book” and the
creation of the “Advertising” and “Trade fairs and
special events” manuals.
M
The aim of this project, which will be carried out
in the companies in Latin America at the end of
the year, is the
international renewal of MAPFRE
A S I S T E N C I A’ s
graphic identity,
which will merge
the company values (globality, innovation, quality
and excellent service) shared by employees, clients
and providers. This new identity will be applied
coherently worldwide and in all the MAPFRE ASISTENCIA companies.
• Inclusion of a new pictogram which represents the company’s international identity
and new activities. The road and the telephone, which are only associated with assistance, have disappeared.
• Creation of the claim “a MAPFRE company”.
This will accompany the logo, forming a single block, in those subsidiaries located in
countries in which the MAPFRE Group does
not carry out direct insurance. These are:
I reland, United Kingdom, Germany,
Belgium, Fra n ce, Luxe m b o u rg, Russ i a ,
Hungary, Tu r key, Greece, Italy, Tunisia,
Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Bolivia, Bahrain, Panama and
China.
The new logo replaces the
one introduced in 1986
NEW LOGOS
In this area, the Unit has created the new logos that
will identify its subsidiaries. The main new elements
are:
Two versions, a horizontal version and a vertical
version, have been designed for each co m p a n y.
This allows greater flexibility in applying the brand
name, depending on the space where it is to be placed.
The first subsidiaries involved in the project have
had their new logos since June. After a six-month
period of adaptation, the remaining subsidiaries will
do so by the end of the year by which this new identity should be totally introduced and operational in
each company
Example of the new logo.
• Use of the new corporate colours (red and
grey), which replace blue, and the central
separating bar. All the companies keep their
historical name.
pag 12 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
This is the logo for the Turkish Asistencia company
NEWS
X Anniversary of TURASSIST
n 4 April 1996 MAPFRE ASISTENCIA commenced operations in Turkey with its subsidiary
TURASSIST. At that time, this small company
was composed of 12 people and only operated in the
roadside assistance business. Ten years later the
company is a leader in, amongst other activities, all
the assistance areas (home, vehicle and travel) and
looks set towards achieving the same position in the
warranty market.
O
Güven also summarised the company’s progress,
the new products created and the goals for the
coming years. These are: to enhance special risks,
offer the local market new products and services
and “come close to a hundred percent client satisfaction rate”. The company is currently close to 99
percent in the quality of service rating.
Before handing over to Rafael Senén, the General
Manager ended his speech by thanking the provider
companies, TURASSIST staff and operators and the
managers of the companies that use their services
for the tremendous support they have given the
company in its first decade.
R a fael Senén highlighted the importa n ce of
TURASSIST within MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s group of
companies and thanked the Turkish managers for
how well the Asistencia company has been received
in its ten years of existence.
The TURASSIST management team.
On 25 May TURASSIST celebrated its tenth anniversary in style in the Bosphorus. With the presence of
the management teams of its over sixty client companies, mainly in the Turkish insurance and automobile sectors, as well as Rafael Senén, Pablo Alvert
Sanz and Natalia Jorquera, all the company’s managers were invited to the celebration which consisted
of a dinner and show.
During his speech, Güven Aykac, General Manager
of TURASSIST, spoke of how the creation of the company had enabled assistance products adapted to
meet the needs of the country and the Turkish people to be extended and diversified. He highlighted
the great effort made, from the year before the company was set up, to create a provider network able to
provide a high quality of service. He also mentioned
TURASSIST’s tremendous work to raise awareness
on ass i sta n ce services amongst secto rs in the
country that might include them in their products as
an added value for their clients.
pag 20 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
After the speeches, all employees who have been
with the company for ten years were given a commemorative plaque in recognition of their dedication
to the company. The most moving moment came
when, after being presented by Güven Aykac as “the
real heroes of TURASSIST, our boys and girls”, the
company’s operators came into the room carrying
flags with the names of the subsidiary’s client companies.
Throughout the evening a Turkish orchestra played a
wide range of local music, from classical pieces to
more popular modern music, and a performance
was given by the Turkish singers Faith Erkoc, Sibel
Ersoy and Sibel Kose.
EL SALVADOR ASISTENCIA,
satisfaction with the Tarjeta
n its 23rd issue, SIAM
NEWS reported on the
Tarjeta Naranja project,
a medical programme in
which EL SALVADOR
ASISTENCIA participates
and which aims to offer
medical ass i stance to
people in El Salvador with
less re s o u rces. After a
year in operation, the
results
and pro j e c t s
designed for 2006 indicate
that this activity is both
beneficial to its public and
of great satisfaction and
interest to its creators. In
addition
to
MAPFRE
ASISTENCIA’s subsidiary
in El Salvador, these are Banco Uno, Grupo Roble
and Laboratorios López.
Naranja Project
With regards to innovations
in 2006, the company has
created a plan of medica l
conferences given by specialists in cardiovascular medicine, gynaecology, dentistry,
diabetes and paediatrics.
These talks will be held at
the programme’s three clinics – Santa Ana, San Miguel
and San Salvador – throughout the ye a r. The last of
these clinics has also introduced dentistry services.
I
In 2005, EL SALVADOR ASISTENCIA carried out over
1,500 assistances at the clinics, including medical
a d v i ce, ambulance dispatch and home medical
visits. In the first months of 2006 it has already
carried out over 500 assistance services.
SOLIDARITY
This year the subsidiary also
took part in the Te le t h o n
television marathon held on
27 and 28 January. Funds raised in this charity event go to
Salvadorian children with
physical handicaps.
Last October EL SALVADOR ASISTENCIA also made
a donation of 70 books by Salvadorian writers to the
Escuela Centro América, a public school sponsored
by MAPFRE AMÉRICA which had no library.
PRIZE
The campaign “Conduce libre… de alcohol” (“Drive
free… of alcohol”) (SIAM NEWS 23), which EL SALVADOR ASISTENCIA took part in together with other
companies at the end of 2004, was awarded first
prize in the Institutional Communication Campaign
ca tegory at the 30th edition of the FIDES
Hemispheric Insurance Conference, held at the end
of 2005 in Caracas (Venezuela).
With this prize, FIDES recognises the excellent awareness work of “Conduce libre…de alcohol”, which
fights against the consumption of alcohol and the
consequences of drunk driving.
Donation at the Escuela Centro América.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 23
NEWS
ANDIASISTENCIA promotes Segurviaje
Since April El Dorado has had a Segurviaje information point which is not only creating great interest
amongst passengers, who number 350,000 people a
month, but is also a great support for raising awareness on the brand amongst the airport’s travellers.
For the 25th Anato Fa i r, held on 22 February,
ANDIASISTENCIA designed an interactive stand with
the slogan “Segurviaje te acompaña en el Mundial”
(“Segurviaje goes with you to the World Cup”). As
well as being one of the most visited spaces at the
fair, which received over 14,000 visitors, the company managed to make over 2,000 contacts with
companies in the tourism sector.
Information point at El Dorado airport.
egurviaje has been a tangible reality in Latin
America for two years now and the various
subsidiaries are carrying out an increasing
number of activities for the sale of this product. Our
Colombian company’s two most significant projects
have been setting up an information and marketing
point for this insura n ce at the El Dora d o
International Airport in Bogotá and taking part in the
Anato 2006 tourism fair.
S
Stand at the Anato Fair.
The company receives the ISO 9001 certification
ANDIASISTENCIA has obtained the ISO 9001:2000 certification, confirming the maturity and efficiency
of the quality management system of its Travel Assistance, Health, Home and Legal services. This
certification, which the company obtained with no “Non-conformity”, was carried out by the prestigious international firm BVQI.
The Colombian company joins the other MAPFRE ASISTENCIA companies which already hold the ISO
9001 certification. These are: MAPFRE ASISTENCIA Spain, VENEASISTENCIA, BRASIL ASSISTÊNCIA,
which has renewed this certification for a further three years, and MAPFRE QUAVITAE.
pag 24 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
Advertisement for the MAPFRE ASISTENCIA corporative campaign for the United Kingdom.
NOTICIAS
URUGUAY ASISTENCIA receives the
Har de Oro
n November, URUGUAY ASISTENCIA was awarded the Har de Oro for Business Merit in the
Assistance category. This award, one of the most
pre stigious in the Uruguayan business sector,
recognises the company’s exce l lent work in the
assistance sector.
I
URUGUAY ASISTENCIA is the country’s leading
assistance company. Its clients include leading insura n ce, finance and auto m o b i le companies in
Uruguay. Its latest project is entering the business
of Assistance for the Elderly with the Tele-assistance service.
The URUGUAY ASISTENCIA management team
poses in front of the Har de Oro diploma.
New headquarters for
NICASSIST and VENEASISTENCIA
he expansion of the business and addition of
new products is “forcing” many MAPFRE ASISTENCIA companies to move to larger headquarters to enable them to carry out
their work better. This is the case of
the subsidiaries in Venezuela and
Nicaragua.
T
Their new contact details are:
NICASSIST
Edificio OPUS, de Semáforos ENITEL Villa Fontana,
2c. este, c. norte, 2do. Piso, 2do. Módulo.
The telephone and fax numbers and email address
are the same as before.
VENEASISTENCIA
4ta Avenida de Montecristo.
Edificio Bancaracas
Planta Baja. Los Dos Caminos.
Caracas, Venezuela.
Telephone:
58-212-210-7111
58-212-280-7111
The NICASSIST headquarters
pag 28 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
MARKETING
MAPFRE ASSISTANCE,
promotional campaign for travel insurance
included in insurance and travel sector magazines.
Each of these advertisements puts across a strong
message on the need to have travel insurance.
n the first half of the year, MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s
general agency in the United Kingdom, which
operates under the name MAPFRE ASSISTANCE,
has carried out a marketing campaign which included the following actions: advertisements, press
articles, direct marketing and presentations. The
aim of the campaign was to penetrate the travel
insurance market, increase the company’s presence
in the country and raise awareness on its activities,
including the broking and underwriting sectors. The
project was aimed at companies which market this
travel product: banks, retailers, tour operators, online travel portals and airlines.
I
The message this dynamic campaign conveyed to
potential clients is that the insured are guaranteed
the best assistance anywhere in the world when
faced with any kind of problem, backed by the fact
that the company is
part of a leading multinational in the sector.
To achieve this goal,
the project was divided
into four phases:
First phase: advertising campaign. This
lasted from January to
April, with three original
adve r t i s e m e n t s
pag 36 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
Second phase: direct marketing campaign. From
April to May around 300 potential corporate clients
(tour operators, on-line travel portals, banks, retailers and airlines), were sent a gift relating to the
previously mentioned adverts.
The aim of this was to support the messages launched in the advertising campaign and keep them in
the client’s mind.
Third phase: communication campaign. In the first
months of the year a number of articles on the company and its activities were published in leading
insurance and travel publications.
Fourth phase: presentations. As a logical result of
the three previous phases, the company is already
fully involved in this final phase, which involves
direct contact with potential
clients inte re sted in the
MAPFRE ASISTENCIA travel
insurance.
MAPFRE WARRANTY Italy
direct marketing campaign for Warranty
Warranty), which includes the following advantages,
which are also sales incentives:
rom 10 April, all drivers who have to renew
their Mechanical Breakd own Warranty
Insurance with MAPFRE WARRANTY Italy will
receive, just a month before their policy expires, a
letter and a telephone call from the company offering them special renewal conditions. Both activities
form part of MAPFRE WARRANTY Italy’s direct marketing campaign for the
Warranty product which
also aims to enable MAPFRE ASISTENCIA to penetra te B2C (business to
consumer) even further.
F
Until
now,
MAPFRE
ASISTENCIA’s business
had been linked (with the
exception of travel insurance) to companies, institutions and large corporations, but not to the end
user. Achieving this goal
is, in the medium term,
one of the company’s main
objectives
and
the
Wa r ranty product meets
all the requirements fo r
this. It was within this framework that the dire c t
marketing campaign we
describe was designed.
This plan, which is aimed
at over 3,500 ve h i c le
owners a month, is divided
into two phases: the first
is aimed at vehicles whose
warranty expires in 2006
and the second at those
which expire in 2007. A personalised letter is sent to
the insured, offering automatic renewal of their
annual policy with an exc l u s i ve product (Plus
- A more economical premium than the dealer
might offer. This discount is obtained by
establishing limits and deductibles in the
product
- Payment in instalments: quarte r ly or
annually
If new MAPFRE
WARRANTY
Italy
clients choose to pay
a n n u a l ly, they are
also offered a gift.
They can choose between a holiday voucher and the Driving
L i ce n ce Withdra w a l
product.
This pers o n a l i s e d
mailing is reinforced
by a telephone call.
To take out the product the client only
needs to sign the
co n t ract they have
been sent and return
it by post.
In the future, MAPFRE ASISTENCIA will
extend this practice
of private sale to all
the European countries in which it opera tes
with
the
Warranty product.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 37
REPORT
Corporate Social Responsibility
world in social problems. The governments of some
of the more developed countries are also beginning
to tackle the fact that the question of underdevelopment is starting to be, not just ethically necessary,
but also politically profitable.
Corporate Social Responsibility is a change in the
concept of companies. People no longer only expect
them to make a profit, create jobs or pay taxes in
order to carry out their activity within the bounds of
the law. They also demand that they demonstrate
and fulfil their commitments to certain social and
enviro n m e n tal values, inve sting more in human
ca p i tal, the environment and relationships with
those with whom they have contact. This is the citizen company as a part of society and as a human
project.
he concept of Corporate Social Responsibility
first sprang up in the United States at the end of
the 50s and beginning of the 60s mainly as a
result of two conflicts: the Vietnam War and
Apartheid. In the 80s, the governments of some
North American states (New York, California and
Massachusetts) decided that the companies which
managed their pension funds should get rid of their
interests in the racially segregated South Africa. The
news shocked the financial world. In the 90s, faced
with accounting scandals and generalised poor corporate governance practices, the financial world
began to pay heed to non-financial parameters and
the idea that recognised social responsibility practices are a good indicator of a company’s future profits began to take shape.
T
Sustained financial well-being and development in
Europe, the United States and some Asian countries,
the revolution of IT systems and the fact that the gap
between rich and poor countries only continues to
grow all mean that the man on the street is beginning to believe that the work of some companies or
the purchase of certain products contributes to keeping certain political regimes in power or upholding
certain ethically reprehensible political or financial
practices.
As a result, society is beginning to seek changes in
business and a greater involvement of the business
pag 38 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
There are three main elements of social responsibility for companies:
- Financial: this does not ignore the search for
profit and value for the shareholder, but complements these with compliance with principles
of quality (with regards to clients), fair prices
(with regards to providers) and stability, training and social benefits (with regards to employees), amongst others.
- Social: the company as a member of society
with a duty to promote the development and
vital preservation of society wherever it operates.
- Environmental: the company must contribute
towards sustainable development.
The future of Corporate Social Responsibility involves assuming commitments at a world level in order
to globally extend a shared culture and values. The
most important initiative in this area is the United
Nations Global Compact, launched by the Secretary
G e n e ral of the UNO, Kofi Annan, at the World
Economic Forum in Davos on 31 January 1999. This
is a voluntary initiative which aims, essentially, to
synchronise the activity and needs of companies
with the goals and principles of the political and institutional actions of the UNO, labour organisations
and civil society itself (see SIAM NEWS 19)
MAPFRE and Corporate Social Responsibility
The Group believes that a sense of responsibility
should firstly and above all entail the way in which
its companies’ activities are managed. It believes
that their greatest contribution to society should be
the generation of wealth, creation of employment,
fairness with all the people, groups and institutions
involved in their activity, strict compliance with their
legal and fiscal obligations, and upholding a high
ethical level of business management.
- Compliance with the legislation in force and the
international commitments acquired (United
Nations Global Compact and UNEP Protocol).
At the end of 2004, MAPFRE created the Social
Responsibility Department with a view to taking a
closer look at the planning, coordination and control
of responsible social performance of the Group’s
companies worldwide.
Based on these principles, the MAPFRE model is
based on three elements: good corporate governance, social responsibility, understood as maintaining
a fair relationship with its interest groups, and social
actions, as part of the foundational activities which
MAPFRE carries out through its private foundations.
MAPFRE believes that there is no pre-established
model of Corporate Social Responsibility and that
each company should create its own model. The
three main principles which have shaped the model
of responsibility followed at MAPFRE are:
- Service to society, seeking society’s progress and
acting in accordance with a spirit of solidarity.
- Integral management of social responsibility by
those who are involved in the MAPFRE decision-making process at any level.
MAPFRE ASISTENCIA is one of the MAPFRE Group
companies with a department devoted exclusively to
d eve loping and enhancing Corpora te Social
Responsibility.
SUMMARY OF MAPFRE’s CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GOALS
- Dissemination and compliance with national and international laws and regulations and any obligations
arising from these, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ten principles contained in the Global Compact.
- Respect for equal opportunities amongst its employees, for their privacy and freedom of opinion; fairness in working relationships, seeking to achieve a healthy and safe working environment, as well as
the necessary training adapted to the work they carry out; fair remuneration and stability in employment, avoiding any form of persecution, abuse or discrimination; and favouring harmony between family
life and work.
- Promoting an increasing sense of solidarity, responsibility and social participation amongst its employees.
- Providing its insureds and clients with a quality service within the agreed time, advising them honestly,
maintaining the appropriate confidentiality in the handling of their data, and providing them with a procedure for resolving their claims in the shortest time possible.
- Socially responsible management of relationships with its providers and collaborators based on freedom, mutual respect and reciprocal benefit.
- A policy of performance which respects the environment.
- A policy of communication with all the interest groups based on transparency, truth and commitment,
particularly with shareholders and investors.
- Maintaining a continuous relationship of collaboration with Public Administrations based on transparency and honesty.
- A performance which respects the principles of free, fair market competition.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 39
COME AND DISCOVER
Events Diary
Second half of 2006
The second half of the year offers thousands of leisure options all over the World.
Here are some ideas of what is available in the final months of the year.
July and August
Music ta kes to the
st reets in the warm
months in Northern
Europe. The North Sea
Jazz Fest i val has been
moved from The Hague
to Rotte rdam (Holland)
and, from 14 to 16 July,
you can enjoy the sounds
of well-known stars such
as Candy Staton, who will
share the stage with musicians with different styles
such as Tracy Chapman,
Paco de Lucía, Jamiroquai
and Van Morrison.
On the American continent,
J a m a i ca ta kes ce n t re sta g e
with the Reggae Sunfe st,
one of the world’s most
important reggae festivals.
It is held in the city of Montego
Bay until 22 July.
And the last of the musical options we offer is the
European festival which attracts the most visitors
and the greatest interest. The Salzburg Festival, in
the city where Mozart was born, devotes most of its
programme to this genius, in celebration of the
250th anniversary of his birth. Until 31 August.
September
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
This was the favourite expression of Pablo Picasso,
the 20th century’s most important artist, who was
born 125 years ago in Malaga (Spain). The country’s
capital city, Madrid, commemorates this event with
“Picasso, tradición y vanguardia” (Picasso, tradition
pag 54 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
and innovation), an exhibition to be held in the Prado
Museum and Reina Sofia Art Centre. The first of
these museums compares the genius to the great
masters, such as Goya, in the five periods of his
work: Blue and Pink, Cubism, Classical, The War
and his final deca d e .
The second will exhibit
six oil paintings, two
s c u l p t u res, 59 drawings and sketches of
his most symbolic
painting:
Guernica.
This monumental canvas which measure s
3.50 x 7.82 meters was
painted in Paris in
1937. Its whites, blacks
and blue-greys depict
the drama of the war.
October
A million and a half
white-bearded gnus, 250,000 Burchell’s zebras and
half a million Thomson’s gazelles take part in the
world’s greate st natural specta c le: The Gre a t
Migration in Masai Mara (Kenya) across 2,700 kilometres from the Tanzanian Serengeti to the Masai
Mara reserve. These lands are home to wild animals
that travel freely (they belong to the few African
natural parks and reserves which have not yet been
fenced in to protect the wildlife from poachers) following the annual cycle of the rains that nourish the
pastures.
From January to March, the great herds spread out
across the southern Serengeti plains and breed,
giving birth to
400,000 young.
Towards April, the
great herds group
together and face
the long tre k
towards the north
following the trail
of
the
rains
towards the ferti-
An oceanic work of art with 1,190 islets which is
home to one of the planet’s richest sea beds: 700
species of fish, 200 kinds of coral, 5,000 types of sea
shells.
le banks of the Mara River. This solemn procession
does no travel alone as the carnivores, mainly hyenas, lions and crocodiles follow them closely, while
vultures fly overhead. Thousands of weak or sick
animals will be killed and eaten during the trek and
only one in every three of the young will live to see
the Serengeti again. From July to October, the sight
of the herds crossing the plains is one of the most
beautiful spectacles visitors to Masai Mara can see.
Their splendour was a secret until 1971, when the
radio connection with Colombo was inaugura te d
(until then the Maldives communicated with the outside world by Morse code). In 1972, to the great surprise of the local population, the first 266 tourists
arrived. They stayed in cabins built of coconut wood
with palm leaf roofs. Since then, the Maldives are no
longer a secret and now welcome 420,000 foreigners
every year who stay on one of the 90 uninhabited
islands which the Sta te has turned into islandhotels. Their beauty and tranquillity make them an
extraordinary paradise on earth.
In October the rains move once more towards the
south, the Serengeti. This is when the procession
changes direction and the herds set out again on the
route towards the pastures in the south. At the end
of October, the migration moves towards the vast
plains of southern Serengeti, where a new generation will be born to set out once more on the neverending cycle of life.
November
99 percent of the territory of the Maldives is the
Indian Ocean. Huge corral reefs create 26 atolls.
Each is set in a sea of calm, dotted with hundred of
tiny islands, circles of bright white sand or green
stretches of uninhabited forest, surrounded by its
own coral barrier reef and a shallow marine lagoon.
December
This suggestion guarantees you a white Christmas.
One of the few places that can promise this is the
Antarctic. In 2006 it will be 90 years since the explorer Ernest Shackleton’s famous expedition in 1914.
Shackleton set out on a transantarctic expedition on
board the Endurance, planning to disembark on the
coast of the Weddell Sea and cross 3,000 kilometres
of icy desert to the Ross Sea. The Endurance never
reached land. It became trapped in the ice of the
Weddell and sank 281 days later. The crew had no
choice but to set out on their own rescue mission
and this epic crossing, which finally lasted three
years, is considered to be the most heroic of the
polar expeditions.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 55
1ST MAPFRE ASISTENCIA PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
First prize
“Los serenos años”
Author: Ana Carolín Rodríguez Martín
MAPFRE QUAVITAE Bembrive Residential Home
Taken in Pontevedra (Spain), January 2006
Second prize
Author: Esther Garrido Fernández
International Management Control,
MAPFRE ASISTENCIA central services
Taken in La Coruña (Spain), December 2004
pag 56 / SIAM NEWS - June 2006
Special Award
“Heaven help”
Author: Laczi Róbert
IBEROASISTENCIA Hungary
Taken in London (United Kingdom), 2003
Third prize
“Dessine-moi un avion”. Photograph from the series
“Une image, Un voyage et Un petit Prince.”
Author: Diana Amaya (representing the call center of
MAPFRE WARRANTY France)
Taken at Lyon Airport (France), May 2006
MISCELLANEOUS
Casino Royale
he legendary James Bond returns to
the big screen in what will be his 21st
film, an adaptation of Ian Fleming’s
first novel, “Casino Royale”. In this first Bond story,
his skill at Baccarat leads to 007 being sent to Monte
Carlo to track down a Russian spy involved in a
multi-million dollar plot.
T
Significant changes to the original plot are obviously
expected to bring it up to date with today’s world.
For example, the end of the Cold War means that the
enemy need no longer be Russian.
“Casino Royale” is scheduled to open in November.
The film is directed by Martin Campbell (the director
of “GoldenEye”). Daniel Craig plays James Bond,
taking over in the role from Pierce Brosnan. Judi
Dench returns in the role of M and the Bond girl in
this film is Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green.
Campbell says he will remain faithful to the novel
and that, unlike Brosnan’s Bond movies, there will
be less special effects and just one explosion.
Amar es Combatir
his is the
t i t le of the
new album
f rom Maná, released on 22
August in over 40
countries. This is
the ninth album
in the rising
ca reer of the
“most influential Mexican rock band”, as Maná have
been called.
T
Produced by Maná and with the special collaboration of the re co rding engineer Thom Russo
(Audioslave, Macy Gray, Michael Jackson and Eric
Clapton, amongst many others) the album was
recorded in three and a half months in the prestigious The Hit Factory / Criteria studios where legendary stars such as Bob Marley have recorded and
w h e re world classics like the Eagles’ “Hotel
California” were created.
The first promotional single is Labios compartidos
“Niño bueno en París”
Mario Vargas Llosa
he Nobel Prize-winning author once again tackles the subject of loyalty in “Niño bueno en
París” (a Good boy in Paris), as he did in “The
City and the Dogs”. This time it is the protagonist,
Ricardito Somocurcio’s, loyalty as the story unfolds
of his blind, unrequited love for this bad girl, a
woman loyal to no-one but herself. Some might consider it a modern love tale, but the fact is that, in his
own way, the novel’s hero is lucky, even when the
only affection he receives is just the scraps thrown
to the dog.
T
Mario Vargas Llosa (Arequipa, Peru, 1936) has
published some 20 novels, the most famous of
which include “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter”,
“Conversation in the Cathedral”, “The Feast of the
Goat” and “Paradise on the Other Corner”. He is a
member of the Peruvian Academy of Language and
the Spanish Royal Academy.
SIAM NEWS - June 2006 / pag 57
PUZZLES
6
1
8 3
2
8
4
1
6
7
6
7
5
Complete the following Sudoku so that each
row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.
4
5
5 6
Peanuts
3
9
7 2
4
5
1
A monkey had a bag with lots of
peanuts. Every morning his owner
put exactly one hundred more peanuts in the bag. During the rest of
the day, the monkey ate half
the peanuts in the bag and
left the other half. One night,
after this had gone on for
some years, the monkey’s
owner counted the nuts the
monkey had saved in its bag.
4
2
6 9
8
7
Riddles...
How many were there?
My first is in Cyprus, and also in Crete
My second’s in foot, but it isn’t in feet.
My third is in trousers, but not in jeans.
My fourth is in beets, but it isn’t in beans.
My fifth is in orange, but not in lime.
My last is in minute, but is never in time.
What has a tongue, cannot walk,
but gets around a lot?
I move without wings, between silken strings, I leave
as you find my substance behind. What am I?
My first is in happy, but not in
sad
My second’s in evil, but
isn’t in bad.
My third’s in an
a p p le, and also a
pear
And my last is in
ladder, and also in
stair.
Chess
You have a chess
board with 64 squares and 32 domino
pieces. Each domino cove rs ex a c t ly
two squares of the
chess board, so
with all the pieces
you can cover the
whole of the board.
If you cut off two
opposite
corner
s q u a res of the
chess board and take away one domino, can you still
cover the remaining 62 squares of the chess board?