Thoughts from Galicia: 16.11.17

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.

As usual on a Thursday, I'm greatly indebted to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas.

Cataluña

• Not much to report today. If you're interested in knowing Everything You Need to Know about the Catalan Regional Election, click here.
• And, if that whets your appetite, click here for a remarkably sane internet dialogue on the subject of Cataluña v Spain. Never thoughts I'd see such a thing on the internet . . . 

Spain

• The Catalan debacle might not have solved anything there but in the rest of Spain it's had serious political implications. The main opposition PSOE 'socialist' party has distanced itself from Rajoy's PP government and the upstart Podemos party might well have openly split into factions. The usual problem with parties of the 'far left', where purity is both relative and critical.
• Specifically, the PSOE leader has said that there can be no doubt but that the Government has used the Cataluña crisis to avoid talk of the PP corruption.
• He's also accused the 'moderate' Ciudadanos party of being to the right of the PP party, as least as regards Cataluña. And he might well be right.
• From Reuters: Over half of Spaniards want early national election. More than half of Spanish voters favour an early national election, a survey showed on Monday, as support waned for a minority government embroiled in the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
• Horasur reports that that the EU considers Andalucía to be the most corrupt region in Spain. In second place is Galicia. The least corrupt is La Rioja.
• There are 8 high-speed AVE stationswhich have fewer than 150 passengers a day. Tardienta in Huesca achieves only 1.5. I guess it makes sense to someone.
• Spain does very well indeed in this survey of the place of women in societies around the world.
• Not content with publishing Business Over Tapas, Lenox Napier now gives us Hard Spanish News. Which has gone straight into my RSS feed. Appreciated best if you speak Spanish.

The UK: Is it fair to conclude that the basic rule for inter-sex relations in the Anglosphere is now: You can look – indeed, we'd love you to look – but you can't touch in any way without at least verbal permission. But preferably in writing.

The English Language

The Guardian tells us here that these ultra modern words/ are not exactly new:-

• High: Drugs 1932. Wine 1627
• Booze: 1730s
• Not!: 1860
• Hang out meaning to spend time or live: 1811
• Crib a dwelling place: Shakespeare
• Babe: 1915
• Doable:1449
• Legit: 1897
• Sexed-up: More than 70 years old. 
• OMG: letter to Winston Churchill
• Unfriend: 1659 

Galicia

• After the prolonged drought, reservoir levels here are down to their lowest ever. After restricting supply to at least one major company, some municipalities are now considering placing restrictions on the notoriously rule-averse private citizens.
• Nationwide, the impact of lower rainfall on the vegetation is alarming. Shown here are maps for end October 2014 and 2017. It's not widely known that the northern third of the country – for good reason – is known as Green Spain. One wonders for how much longer . . .¡

Finally . . . As an Evertonian, it pains me to cite this impressive video. Go to minute 4.10 for a stirring rendition. I'm left with a reminder that the devil has all the best tunes.

Today's Cartoon