Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly
loveable.
-
Christopher
Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain.
Cataluña
- You might think it's obvious but Sr P admits that one can't invested as the Catalan president if one is holed up in Brussels. So he might risk a return. And end up in gaol.
- A French politician claims that the Catalan mess is allowing Islamic terrorism to breed, as attention is diverted from it by the political shenanigans. Probably right.
- Here's the latest Guardian article on the subject, stressing the challenge faced by the secessionists in Barcelona's 'beltway', where the residents are mainly from other parts of Spain.
Spain
- Whereas water – in a country which doesn't get a lot of it – is cheap in Spain, the same can't be said for other utilities. Electricity, for example, is said to be the third most expensive in Europe. Much higher than in both France and Germany. As with Telecoms, one wonders why.
- The investigation which began in 2010 into truly massive corruption on the part of 2 ex-presidents of Andalucia and 20 henchfolk has finally morphed into a trial, 6 years later. A figure of €855 million is cited as the money defrauded from the EU. I think.
- Reader Las Revenants has raised the subject of torrefacto coffee here in Spain and cited this blog. Actually, I've addressed this in the past. Here, for those interested.
- Here's Don Quijones with more worries about the Spanish banking system. It's far from fixed, he claims.
The Spanish Language
- I forgot to say yesterday that the most common phrases using the concept of educación are buen educado and mal educado, meaning 'well behaved' and 'badly behaved'. Polite and impolite. Of course, each culture has different attitudes to these things and yesterday I experienced 3 actions which would be considered impolite in Britain but which aren't here. Mere gnat bites, of course.
The English Language
- I occasionally tell non-native speakers of English that we don't go in for the construction: If I would have known that. . . . Rather, we use the simpler: If I'd known that . . . . And then along comes President Fart with his post-defeat comment on the Alabama election: I wish we would’ve gotten the seat. Clearly, some things he says are totally unacceptable. Doubly so in this case . . .
Galicia
- I entered into dialogue with the organisers of the Vigo exhibition we couldn't find on storm-tossed Sunday evening last. They admitted that the entrance was along the quay-front being deluged by huge waves, confessed that the location was not well known even to locals and stressed that signs had now been put up showing the way to the entrance – a mere 12 days after it opened. But they also had the grace to apologise and express the wish I'd have another go at attending it. Which I might.
Finally
- I think this is the guy – Dani Red - I heard yesterday slaughtering The Beatles 'A Day in the Life', inter alia. Here he is doing much the same to David Bowie's 'Starman'. And, just in case you can't get enough of him, here's his web page.
Today's Cartoon
An Xmas card from Prospect magazine . . .
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| The letter says: Dear Santa, I have been SO good this year. Nobody has been better than me, believe me . . . |
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