Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Poor English; Driving in Galicia; UK v. EU economies; & Pigeon power.


Picking up a visitor at Santiago airport yesterday, I noticed yet again that, while investing millions in a new terminal, they couldn't afford to pay a native speaker to check the English. So we have Place here instead of 'Stop here'. And the pay machine for car parking says Cashier's Parking. Not even Cashiers' Parking. That's exclusivity for you.

Why am I not surprised that little old Galicia has had a disproportionate increase in driving fines in the first 6 months of this year? Do we have worse drivers than in other regions? Or are our traffic police simply more vigilant? If that's the right word.

A few years ago, a reader (Moscow) assured me the British economy was essentially a pack of cards built on shifting sands and would eventually collapse, taking the (worthless) pound down with it. In contrast, the members of the eurozone would progressively coalesce and the EU would sail off into the wide blue yonder, leaving the UK beached in the shallows. Well, maybe he's right and it's just a question of time but it doesn't look like that right now. The British economy is up 3.2% on last year and an astonishing 820,000 jobs have been generated. Projections are equally good for the next 12m, which is in sharp contrast with the stagnating eurozone which is "flat and teetering on the brink of debilitating deflation." I don't think Moscow still reads this blog but, if I'm wrong, I'd welcome his latest thoughts.

Finally . . . In my war against the flying rats of Veggie Square, my new water pistol is very effective at getting them to quickly depart the scene. One of the waiters in my regular bar has suggested I replace the water by bleach. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for this but am mulling it over.

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