Yet more trivia

Spanish Boozing: It's reported that 17% of Spaniards drink 'too much'. Though 25% of them only take a tipple twice a week or less. More here.

Spanish Longevity: Spaniards have the best life expectancy in Europe and until this week boasted a 107 year old chap who attributed his long life to 4 bottles of wine a day. 

So, pick the bones out of those 2 reports.

Only in Spain?: Our pre-Lenten festivities (Carnival/Entroido) began yesterday. These include various prize-winning events and the presentation of awards for one of these will take place at 2am next Saturday morning.

Religious displays in Spain: Despite very low church attendance these days, there's still a lot of these. And they're invariably garish. In 2014 a group of feminists mimicked the standard procession of strangely-garbed penitents bearing aloft some vibrantly painted idol or other. Only in their case it was a large plastic vagina. The suitably outraged the Association of Christian Lawyers, has now brought an action against them for "provoking discrimination, hate and violence." I wonder if I could do the same in respect of the Semana Santa processions, arguing that I suffer the same reactive emotions in their regard. Or do you have to be a Christian to be able to do this?

Worried Spanish Bankers: Yes, apparently these fine survivors of (profiteers from?) La Crisis do suffer from stress-induced insomnia. Here's the ever-estimable Don Quijones on the 4 things that keep them awake at night.

Facebook Innovations: They have an endless list of these, it seems. Today I had Games You Might Enjoy plus the nomination as a possible friend of a certain Luisa Avellaneda. Who appears to be a portal for, inter alia, an on-line prostitution service. Don't all rush to check this out, gentlemen; the site doesn't come up if you search her name. Only some under-dressed young ladies who don't apparently work in a brothel.

Finally . . . There was an English chap on Russia's RT News channel yesterday, supporting everything Moscow is doing around the world. I wasn't too surprised to see this on his CV: Chris Bambery is a leading member of the International Socialist Group. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party until 2011. In 2014 he published "The Second World War: A Marxist History”. So, totally objective. One of those who believes the world has done a disservice to Stalin and who sees Uncle Joe, on balance, as a force for Russia's good. It takes all sorts.