I
was surprised by Bloomberg's conclusion that Spain has the best
healthcare system in Europe. OK, I haven't visited enough hospitals
to be able to draw national conclusions but I haven't been
over-impressed by what I've seen so far. And I really do wonder
whether Spain's system is better than France's. Or possibly even the
UK's. About which the Spanish are constantly fed a media diet of (British) criticisms and exposures. But, anyway, Bloomberg uses life-expectancy
and national spend (as a percentage of GDP) to arrive at an
efficiency rating and I can't help wondering 1. whether this paints a
true picture, 2. whether they've taken into account the severe cuts
of the last few years, and 3. how much their conclusion reflects
that, as a devolved matter, healthcare in Spain is a 'regional
lottery'. As opposed to Britain's 'postcode lottery'. I suspect you
get a lot better treatment in Cataluña than in, say, Galicia.
Spain
is Different 7:
- In Spain, when you've broken a rule (or even a law), charm may be enough to get you off. Not so in other countries, I suspect.
- In Spain, V is pronounced B, Ce and Ci and are pronounced They and Thee (almost) and D is sometimes pronounced Th. At least in most of the country.
- In Spain, entrepreneurs are considered a nuisance. Things are made difficult from the start and, should they surmount this, they're heavily taxed from day 1. In fact, Spain is adjudged to place more restrictions on entrepreneurs than any other country in the EU. Which is not to say that no one succeeds. Look at Zara, Banco Santander, Mango and Mercadona, for example. Not to mention Chupa-Chups. More here. Survival of the fittest, I guess.
I
was reading an article yesterday about the types of shops that have
closed and opened during La
Crisis. One of the latter group was ultramarinos.
My instinctive translation of this was overseas
or foreign.
But I'd forgotten that it also means greengrocers.
One can only guess at the etymology. But, anyway, the thesis is true. For whatever reason, these have sprouted in Pontevedra.
At
my mother's place in the UK, I found a diary I'd penned during my
first few weeks here. Thirteen years ago, I was complaining about
having to prove my identity and/or signing a chit when using my
credit and debit cards for trifling amounts. Still am.
At
last, a war which has an accurate name. In 1488 Brittany and France
fought the so-called Mad War.
An outbreak of honest naming, never since repeated, in the form of
Mad
Wars
2 to 300. Which reminds me, such is the poor understanding these days
of even recent history, World
War II
was once termed World
War Eleven
by a (US?)TV announcer.
Finally
. . . . Hat tip to my good friend Karen for this report of a whole
village in Galicia that's going for nowt. You just have to come up
with a development plan that appeals to the mayor. Perhaps
financially as well as aesthetically. For the whole village, I mean .
. . .
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