Here's a fascinating bit of good news:- A
record 800,000 businesses have been set up by women in the past five
years. Women now account for 40% of all new business owners in Spain,
double the proportion seen before the onset of the economic crisis.
The new businesses have been set up despite the notoriously
bureaucratic start-up process in Spain. I
wonder what accounts for this.
Talking about
prominent women . . . The EU's VP for Justice, Fundamental
Rights and Citizenship, Viviane Reding, has stepped into the
Madrid-Barcelona stand-off and characterised the former's approach as
'autocratic'. And as establishing a 'red line' which she feels should
be replaced by 'open, adult discussion'. This is patently
true - and one hopes it's taking place in secret - but Ms Reding
isn't going to be thanked by anyone
for poking her nose in.
One could be forgiven for thinking it can't be
true, but it's emerged that the Spanish President, Sr Rajoy, fits in
3 hours of English lessons per week. I must offer him some
conversation when he comes to Pontevedra, his home town, for the
bullfights in early August. He admits that he struggles, which is
hardly surprising. I doubt he has time for homework and 3 hours a
week won't get you anywhere, if you're serious about it.
Time, time, Spanish time. I went to see an
endocrinologist last night, to see whether I have the hypothyroidism
that bedevils all the females in my family. The appointment was for
7.20 and I got there at 7.10. I was called at 9.10 and came out at
9.55. Understandably, the receptionist had gone home while I was with
the doctor. But there were 2 more patients waiting to be seen. At 45
minutes each, the second will have gone home around 11.30.
Which reminds me . . . The doctor last night
inevitably said she'd studied in English years ago but had lost it
all. She then referred to something called 'baugan'. I was going to
let it go - as I wanted to go home and eat - but I caved in and asked
what this was. She referred to an English program offered by a
company under this name, whereupon I realised she was referring to
the 'Vaughan Method'. Not good with foreign names, the Spanish. Especially the un-phonetic English ones.
I left someone a voice-mail message yesterday and
immediately received a text of what I'd said. Which was this: Soc el
Josep tejedo-perque-ara(?) la reunio amb la mama no-sa'n(?) recorda
enviar me un mensajito cuando puedas. This is my first experience
with this new technology and my conclusion is that either it needs a
lot more work on it or my Spanish accent is far worse than I thought.
But, anyway, there's a huge prize for anyone who can figure out what
I actually said. I'm at a complete loss myself.
Finally . . . Isaac Newton is one of the giants of science.
Here's how he saw himself, not long before he died:- I don't know
what I may seem to the world but, as to myself, I seem to have been
only like a boy playing on the sea shore, and diverting myself in
now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than
ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me.
The Environment
January: 31 days. On which it rained: 28 - 93%
February: 25 days. On which it has rained: 25 - 100%. So, 53 out of 56 - 95%.
February: 25 days. On which it has rained: 25 - 100%. So, 53 out of 56 - 95%.
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