Talking
of the economy . . . Here's an article on the conversion of Spain's
once-booming solar sector from subsidy-junkie to crazy-tax
victim in less than ten years. A salutary tale, as they say.
Gibraltar:
News is finally thinning out. It does seem, though, that Spain hasn't
yet stopped the border checks. The funny thing about these, as I've
noted before, is that they're made on vehicles going into
Gibraltar, on the basis that Spain wants to stop the smuggling that
takes place at the border. Since this is said to be of cigarettes
and since these are much more expensive in Spain than in Gibraltar,
one wonders what kind of idiot is running cigarettes from Iberia into
Gibraltar. I'm guessing they haven't caught him yet, hence the
continued checks.
There
has been one new development: The Spanish government has
stopped the export of sand to Gibraltar from the municipality of
nearby Tarifa. It seems the Spanish contractor was taking the sand
from protected dunes but providing a certificate of different
provenance to the buyers. Oh, yes, there's been a second development
- cars with a Gib numberplate are being vandalised in Spain. But the
less said about this the better.
The Santiago Train Crash: The inquiring judge is reported to have said: “There was an omission of elementary precautions by those whose mission it was to guarantee the safety of railway circulation on the line, which could constitute a punishable offence.” It's for this reason that both RENFE and Adif have been told to hand over technical reports and documents in respect of security protocols, as well as internal audits and incident reports relating to the accident spot. Let's hope these escaped the shredder. If you've ever wanted to see a (young)bull get its own back, here's the video for you. The victim is a Brit, who didn't come well out of the encounter, needing a long spell in hospital and 150 stitches. Enough time to sober up, I guess.
Finally . . . My internet download speed - theoretically 'up to 6 megas' - has never even reached 1 mega. Last night it was as low as 120mbps, or 0.12 of a mega. This is quite scandalous but the response from Movistar(Telefónica) is always the same -"It's because you're so far from the exchange". As if it were all my fault. Clearly, they're unwilling to do anything about this, so the only recourse is, like my work-from-home neighbour, to go satellite. I could move to the Galician cable company, R, but they can't be Rsed to lay cables up here at the top of the hill. The real frustration is that logic dictates that Movistar is the option of choice, simply because they own all the lines. And can provide the best 'bundle'. Albeit at prices which are among the highest in Europe. It's easy to understand why Movistar is such a profitable company. As, indeed, is every other pseudo-monopoly in Spain. Friends in high places, no doubt.
Finally, finally . . . Reader Moscow - who regularly tells me how little he thinks of me and my opinions - has written to say he sees me as an über-Brit. Which is intriguing as all my Spanish neighbours and friends tell me how un-British I am. As others have over the years. Perhaps I misrepresent myself when I write. Easily done. Or perhaps his latest accusation tells us more about Moscow than about me. Either way, it gave me a laugh. The first time Moscow has achieved this. But not the last, as he then went on to accuse me, in effect, of being a pervert. Perhaps I am. For I hope to continue to enjoy looking at pretty women until the day I die. Now, there's a confession for you. It marks me out, I imagine, from . . . well, no other man. Except Moscow, presumably.
The Santiago Train Crash: The inquiring judge is reported to have said: “There was an omission of elementary precautions by those whose mission it was to guarantee the safety of railway circulation on the line, which could constitute a punishable offence.” It's for this reason that both RENFE and Adif have been told to hand over technical reports and documents in respect of security protocols, as well as internal audits and incident reports relating to the accident spot. Let's hope these escaped the shredder. If you've ever wanted to see a (young)bull get its own back, here's the video for you. The victim is a Brit, who didn't come well out of the encounter, needing a long spell in hospital and 150 stitches. Enough time to sober up, I guess.
Finally . . . My internet download speed - theoretically 'up to 6 megas' - has never even reached 1 mega. Last night it was as low as 120mbps, or 0.12 of a mega. This is quite scandalous but the response from Movistar(Telefónica) is always the same -"It's because you're so far from the exchange". As if it were all my fault. Clearly, they're unwilling to do anything about this, so the only recourse is, like my work-from-home neighbour, to go satellite. I could move to the Galician cable company, R, but they can't be Rsed to lay cables up here at the top of the hill. The real frustration is that logic dictates that Movistar is the option of choice, simply because they own all the lines. And can provide the best 'bundle'. Albeit at prices which are among the highest in Europe. It's easy to understand why Movistar is such a profitable company. As, indeed, is every other pseudo-monopoly in Spain. Friends in high places, no doubt.
Finally, finally . . . Reader Moscow - who regularly tells me how little he thinks of me and my opinions - has written to say he sees me as an über-Brit. Which is intriguing as all my Spanish neighbours and friends tell me how un-British I am. As others have over the years. Perhaps I misrepresent myself when I write. Easily done. Or perhaps his latest accusation tells us more about Moscow than about me. Either way, it gave me a laugh. The first time Moscow has achieved this. But not the last, as he then went on to accuse me, in effect, of being a pervert. Perhaps I am. For I hope to continue to enjoy looking at pretty women until the day I die. Now, there's a confession for you. It marks me out, I imagine, from . . . well, no other man. Except Moscow, presumably.
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