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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Thoughts from Galicia: 29.6.17

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
- Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain. 

If you've arrived here because of an interest in Galicia or Pontevedra, see my web page here.

The usual Thursday HT to Lenox of Business Over Tapas for some of today's items.

Life in Spain:-
  • Here's an article, in Spanish, on the dreadful eucalyptus trees which blight large swathes of Spain, particularly in the 'Green North'.
  • Here's some info on what you can't do in Mallorca/Magaluf this summer. As a pedestrian, that is. Yesterday I cited the numerous things you or your passengers can't do in a car
  • Believe it or believe it not, here in Spain a public petition has been set up, seeking impunity for the Portuguese billionaire footballer, Cristian Ronaldo, should he be found guilty of tax evasion. And/or that his tax bill be waived. I guess it makes sense to someone. Brain dead and ethics-light Real Madrid supporters, I guess.
  • We all know who Agapito García is, I guess. Well, maybe not. But we should. As, whoever he is, he owes the Spanish Tax Office €27million.
  • Citibank and Barclays Bank pulled out of Spain a few years ago – the latter after many decades here. And now the giant but troubled German operator, Deutsche Bank, has decided to depart as well. They used to have a desk in the central Post Office – not sure there are any others – but that disappeared a while ago.
  • Having lived in Indonesia, I know just how voracious and vicious tiger mosquitos are. So this is decidedly not good news.
  • Here's more on Barcelona's adverse reaction to the tourist hordes descending on it, with particular reference to the city's arch-enemy, Airbnb. I'm doing my bit to overcrowd Pontevedra by welcoming my first Airbnb tenant/guest this evening. He might also be my last.
  • Spain is slowly dying. For Spanish speakers, here's the evidence.
Maybe I was too optimistic about the panic over the future rights of Brits resident in the EU subsidising. People are still very unhappy. See here.

Nutters Corner:- Here, verbatim, are the comments of one US Evangelical Christian pastor on homosexuality:- No one is gay. If you mean by that that that’s some hardwiring. People commit adultery, they commit sins of homosexuality, they lie, they steal, they cheat. That’s like saying, “You know, I keep robbing banks, but I’m a robber. What am I gonna do? I’m a bank robber.” That is not an excuse for what you do. Are there certain kind of impulses that lead people in that direction? Yes. But I think one of the really deadly aspects of this is to let people define themselves as gay. They are not gay any more than an adulterer is hardwired to be forced by his own nature to commit adultery. Those are all behavioral sins that are condemned in scripture. God didn’t hardwire anybody in such a way that they are not responsible for certain behaviors. Fascinating how these people know the mind of their god. Equally convinced, though, are those who think the latter functions differently. You'd think he/she would come down and set them all straight. Pun unintended.

Where I park my car on the other side of the river, there've been 2 developments in the last week:-
1. This pile of rocks and rubbish has just appeared:


2. And there is a woman apparently living in this wreck. Indeed, I think she may be 'working' from it, based on what I saw yesterday.


Both developments are almost certainly illegal, of course.

Finally . . . I'm advised that my problem with the Hacienda over my declaration arose because I was 'late' in making it on line. As the deadline is actually tomorrow, I conclude that the Hacienda has its own definition of 'late'. And that it chooses not to tell us, except perhaps via the official state bulletin. Which is not everyday reading for most of us. My next challenge is find the line beyond which an 'in time' declaration becomes 'late' and I have to do everything through my bank.

Today's cartoon:-





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