Spanish
Politics:
- The Presidenta of Andalucia looks set to be the next leader of the left-wing PSOE part – until recently the main Opposition party here. As Andalucia is infamous – far and wide – for corruption, I imagine that under her aegis the party will be even less interested than it has been in forcing the PP government to set up a parliamentary commission to inquire in Spain's institutionalised corruption.
- President Rajoy has insisted there' be no snap election, designed to increase the PP's slim majority. One commentator has remarked that, if he really believes this, he must be the only person in the country who does.
Spanish
Life: I had 2 of 'those conversations' yesterday:
At the
library (where, incidentally, the staff do little more than make more noise than the
customers)
I'm
returning this book
OK but
it's late and now you're blocked until 3 April from taking out any
other book
It's
because they didn't give me a slip with the date on it.
You have
to take one from the box on top of the counter
They used
to give out slips
Well, we
don't any more
In an IT
shop (having noticed the Apple logo everywhere):-
I see you
sell Apple products. Are you an official outlet?
Now, we're
not an official distributor. There's no Apple shop locally.
There's
one in Vigo.
Yes.
But you
can repair Apple products, yes?
Yes, we do
everything they do, at the same prices.
I would
have thought you'd be cheaper.
No.
Actually,
I had a 3rd but I can't now recall where . . .
Spanish
Language Corner: A neologism: Robolución. I guess this would be
'Robolution' in English. I thought it had something to do with rapid progress in the ousting of humans by robots but the Urban Dictionary defines
it as 1. A revolution in the mind, often the result of inspired
poetry. And 2. A new hairstyle being spread in Richmond, VA among
"hip artists". Hmm.
Yesterday's
Voz de Galicia headlined the astonishing news that the region's
retirees aged between 55 and 65 now earn double what older retirees
get. And 50% more than people in work. I find it hard to see how this
has come about but it can't bode well for the future.
In a
comment to yesterday's post reader Sierra cites a news item of the
profiteering of the Trump family. I was going to say 'presidential
family' but the adjective sounds rather inappropriate, given that
'huckster' is a word that surely should be added to my recent table
of comments re the man. By the way, there's an even bigger and
nastier nationalist on the world stage at the moment – Turkey's
President Erdogan. A man who wants to take his country even further
backwards than Mr T wants to take his.
Following
up my point about the difference between (bad) nationalism and (good)
patriotism . . .
Speaking
as someone who feels both British, European and a bit Spanish, I ask:
Is there anyone who feels patriotic about the EU? Apart from the
imbecilic Juncker, of course. Who last year said that national
borders were the worst ever creation of politicians. If I were a
theist, I'd have to say he must be one of God's worst creations.
Finally .
. . Looking for a local typing service, I yesterday happened upon
this nameplate:-
Research
identified Anatheoresis as a therapy which was created
by Joaquín Grau. And means “To look backwards watching the
past in order to unbury it and bring it to the present to be
understood and cleared up". Grau appears to be a Spaniard, based
in Barcelona, who has a 'qualification' from Bircham Universtity –
also based in Barcelona. This institution features, not surprisingly, on a list of 'diploma mills' and provides you with degrees for
pretending to read course books. And paying a fee. Others on this
list include these well-known UK universities:-
The U of
Doncaster
The U of
England, Oxford
The U of
Palmers Green
The U of
Wyoming, London
The U of
Devonshire
The U of
Buxton
The U of
Canterbury
The U of
Chelsea
The U of
Summerset(sic)
As of
today, they are to be joined by The U of Poio. Apply for the course
of your choice to colin@terra.com
Today's
cartoon, dedicated to Latina women, particularly Colombians:-
I spotted you as soon as you walked in. I never forget a facelift. (Un lifting, in Spanish, by the way) |
THE ARTICLE
Eating
percebes again Pablo
Armas. The 'Voz de Galicia'-
The
taxpayer, faced by some economic analyses, and the consumer, faced
by some percebes, wonders how they are to be eaten. The economy is
going well, but most citizens do not notice this in their day to day
lives. Those who ate percebes before the crisis continue to eat them
now, because they can afford them and know how to eat them. Those who
could not eat percebes then cannot eat them now, because they cannot
afford them and, in the opinion of the former, they do not know how
to eat them. The new rich, who are fed up with eating percebes,
cannot eat them now, because they have gone from middle-high class to
middle-lower class and have forgotten how percebes are eaten. It's a
question of macroeconomics and microeconomics
The
macroeconomy is going well. Employment, GDP, CPI, public spending,
domestic demand, household savings, car sales, house prices, number
of tourists and exports all grow. But also growing are job
insecurity, temporary employment, youth unemployment, the lack of
protection of the long-term unemployed, the bill for electricity and
gas, the excluded population, the population at risk of poverty, the
wage gap, the generational gap and the gender gap. However, social
security affiliations, pension funds and expectations of meeting the
deficit targets set by Brussels to the autonomous communities are
down. How do you eat the fact that that the budgetary adjustments
have not cleaned up the public accounts? How do you eat the fact that
annual interest on the debt exceeds the budgets for health, education
and the strategy for active employment put together? How do you eat
the fact that the fall in wages has not improved competitiveness? How
do you eat the fact that financial bailout has provided liquidity
for the banks but not for families or small businesses? How do you
eat the fact that a higher business profit margin has not translated
into a greater investment in capital goods? How do you eat the fact
that the labour reform has swallowed collective bargaining?
The
microeconomy of the percebe is not doing so well. The production is
natural, but harvesting is risky, especially of the 'sun percebes',
those of thick and short peduncle, clinging to rocks more exposed to
strong waves in the cliffs of Ortegal or Roncudo. To the value for
money ratio must be added the quality-risk ratio. The cooking
doesn't increase costs, since it only needs a brief boiling with
salty water, better if it's seawater, to obtain the characteristic
intense flavour. In the case of the percebes, as in that of the
economy, warm cloths are useful, but only to keep them warm. Once
they are uncovered, there's the frustration of the average diner, who
has forgotten how to eat them.
You have
to re-teach him how to eat percebes. He has to learn to separate the
carapace from the peduncle, without the treacherous squirt blinding
his eyes or splattering his branded suit bought a few years ago. He
has to learn to hold the carapace of the percebe with one hand and to
practice a small incision with the thumbnail of the other hand just
below the carpace of the percebe to tear the skin. He has to learn to
turn both hands in opposite directions, energetically, in order to
twist, strangle and decapitate the percebe. After this dramatic
settling of accounts, he has to learn to detach the peduncle from the
skin and taste it as if it were the last percebe of his life. In the
face of doubt between throwing away the carapace of the percebe or
sucking it with delight, he has to learn not to squander it and not
to live beyond his possibilities. The percebes are to be eaten, but
you must know how to eat them. Meanwhile, we must see what happens
with the budgets, because as we know: "The percebe and the
salmon, in May are in season."
No, I don't know WTF he's going on about either. Doubtless Alfie Mittington can enlighten us.
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