Meanwhile,
the BBC this morning reported the results of a recent London poll
which showed significantly increased anti-Muslim attitudes among
young people in London. The Muslim woman given a chance by the BBC to
comment on this not only did this poorly but also insisted on wearing
a niqab for the interview, even though she admitted she didn't
in her job. She insisted that the majority of Muslims are
peace-loving (doubtless true), and she blamed the media for not
stressing the 'extreme Islamist' nature of the Somali terrorists, for
example. What she didn't do was answer the question of whether her
choice to wear the niqab both got in the way of communication and
(unsaid) risked increasing anti-Muslim attitudes.
Talking
of the BBC . . . You
know the game is up when whoever writes the News copy has the
announcer says 'amount of times' instead of 'number of times'. I give up.
And
talking of Syria . . . Here's a thought-provoking video.
Good
news from Spain:-
1.
August tourist numbers were 7% up on last year and were the highest
since records started in 1995. This possibly reflects that both Egypt
and Turkey saw lower numbers because of civil unrest. Cataluña was
the biggest beneficiary of this upsurge.
2.
The Spanish government is increasing penalties for maltreatment of
animals. Ditto for those sexually abusing minors.
Bullfighting, of course, doesn't fall into the category of cruelty to animals. Nor even slowly lancing a bull to death, apparently. I wonder if this is enshrined in statutes. Perhaps as a blanket exemption for Fiestas.
They
say that no one in the UK is ever more than 70 miles away from the
sea. Likewise, in
Spain, you're never more than 7km from a brothel. I exaggerate, of
course, but not by much. Clubs
are a regular part of the landscape here. Years ago, Spanish friends
of mine claimed they only went there for a drink but I was sceptical.
Now comes some evidence suggesting I might have been too harsh on
them. A recent survey in Madrid reveals that, while a quarter of
young men admit they've visited a brothel, the main reason for doing
so was "morbid fascination and curiosity",
rather than a desire to use the services of a prostitute. Most
interestingly, 5% of young women admitted to visiting a Club.
Finally . . . I
recently posted a clip of Sara Montiel's 1969 film Esa Mujer, set in Pontevedra.
For fans, here's a couple more. One set along the coast between
Bayona and Vigo, where the wind howls incessantly. Topically, the
huge rock face you can see behind the convent (really a monastery) is
the one against which the illegal 4-star hotel I mentioned recently is built.
And one where she seen harvesting percebes (goose barnacles).
Sort of, as this is usually done in more dangerous circumstances out
at sea.
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