Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly
loveable.
- Christopher Howse:
A Pilgrim in Spain.
Spain
- I think I cited this Washington Post article a few days ago, on the Francoist echoes of Madrid's response to Catalan developments. The Spanish ambassador to the USA dily took issue with it here.
- And this is a valid response to his complaint.
- More on the current drought in Spain.
- Spaniards and cash: Despite a major effort on the part of Spanish banks, says Don Quijones, Spanish consumers remain wedded to physical money. . . . Seven out of ten Spanish citizens continue to make most of their payments in cash, 3 out of 10 retail establishments do not accept card payments and 1 out of 6 stores with an electronic POS set a minimum amount for card payment.
- As for Spain's reducing number of branch banks . . . These, avers DQ in the same article, are increasingly becoming so-called “customer advisory points,” where the primary role of branch staff is to sell customers a myriad financial products, many of them no doubt risky.
Portugal
- Toll roads again . . . As I've said, the easiest way to pay is under the EASYToll option, where you insert your credit/debit card into a machine at the start of the road. A reader cited one of these 'Welcome Points' but there seem to be only 4 of these around the entire country:-
A28 - Viana do Castelo
Service Area
A24 – At 3,5km from
the Chaves/Verin border
A25 – Alto de Leomil
Service Area
A22 – Next to the
Castro Marim/Ayamonte border
If so, then not so
bloody EASY if you join a road anywhere else.
- After 10 days here, I can confirm that the Portuguese are quieter, politer and more considerate of others than their neighbours. And a lot more of them speak English. The odd thing, though, is that I'd still rather live in Spain.
- Half watching a football match on TV yesterday evening, I thought I'd caught a fleeting glimpse of Bobby Robson – an ex England team manager – slumming it as the manager of Sporting Lisbon. But Wiki reported that he'd died in 2009. They mystery was solved at the end of the match when it was revealed that it had taken place in 1993. Which explained the haircuts and the shorts.
The USA
Time
Magazine is disputing Donald Trump's account of how he rejected a
request for an interview and photo shoot ahead of its Person of the
Year issue for 2017. He has previously falsely claimed that he holds the
record for cover appearances on Time Magazine. So, once again it's
been shown that the claims of Donald Fart are not to be taken too
seriously. He's only the president of the USA after all.
Finally
More on the flat-earth
cretin.
Today's cartoon
 |
| Oh, dear. That's such a pity! Because as frog he was a really great swimmer. |
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