Dawn

Dawn

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Thoughts from Hamburg, Germany: 28.10.18

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. Garish but informative.

Matters Hamburg/German
  • Another cultural difference . . . Both at a birthday gathering last Wednesday and at a wedding anniversary dinner last night, there was a great deal of handshaking but, until I started it, very little kissing. Even among old friends. Spaniards would have been agog at the formality/'coldness' of it all.
  • The dress code for the dinner, by the way, was 'Elegant Sportswear'. I had no idea what this meant but donned my corduroy jacket and decent trousers. It turned out to mean anything from a formal DJ to casual jacket and jeans. But at least the women put in a bit more effort.
  • A couple more odd shop names . . . Christ (a jewellers) and Marc O'Polo (clothes from the famous Irish fashionista).
  • I went with my friend (and host) to a flea market yesterday. It was much larger and more varied than its Pontevedra equivalent, but very light on heavily rusted farm equipment and tools.
  • At the market, I partook of a Portuguese beef stew. It tasted exactly like my mother's Irish stew. Not sure what this tells us.
  • Talking of Portugal . . . Someone told me last night that the suicide rate there was very high. I was a tad incredulous but – possibly wrongly – put it down to having to listen to gloomy Fado songs all day long. In fact – see the chart below – there are several developed countries with higher rates. And Portugal's, ironically, is only fractionally worse than Germany's. The UK doesn't appear on this list but its rate in 2016 was 15.00 per 100,000. So, higher than both these 2 countries.
  • It's a big day in German politics today – Elections in the Hesse region. Mrs Merkel is expected to take a beating on a scale which would end her coalition. Vamos a ver.
Matters Spanish/Galician
  • If you're still a Facebook user, there's something new for you to click, when reading 'news' there.
  • The Spanish PM has had his thesis declared valid. Or at least not invlalid. Which is good news for the newish government 
  • Here's something from the V of A on happenings in Spain's 'non-colonies' down in North Africa.
Finally . . . 
  • Click here for 2 hours of Fado songs. Don't blame me if you feel like hanging yourself at the of it. And don't let the first one mislead you!
© David Colin Davies, Hamburg: 28.10.18

NATIONAL SUICIDE RATES

Sri Lanka35.3 suicides per 100k1
Lithuania32.7 suicides per 100k2
Guyana29 suicides per 100k3
Mongolia28.3 suicides per 100k5
South Korea28.3 suicides per 100k4
Kazakhstan27.5 suicides per 100k6
Suriname26.6 suicides per 100k7
Belarus22.8 suicides per 100k8
Equatorial Guinea22.6 suicides per 100k9
Poland22.3 suicides per 100k10
Latvia21.7 suicides per 100k11
Hungary21.6 suicides per 100k12
Slovenia21.4 suicides per 100k13
Belgium20.5 suicides per 100k15
Angola20.5 suicides per 100k14
Ukraine20.1 suicides per 100k17
Russia20.1 suicides per 100k16
Japan19.7 suicides per 100k18
Estonia18.9 suicides per 100k19
Bolivia18.7 suicides per 100k20
Croatia17.5 suicides per 100k21
Central African Republic17.4 suicides per 100k22
Serbia17 suicides per 100k24
Uruguay17 suicides per 100k23
France16.9 suicides per 100k25
Austria16.4 suicides per 100k26
Finland16.3 suicides per 100k27
Thailand16 suicides per 100k28
Bulgaria15.9 suicides per 100k29
India15.7 suicides per 100k30
Sweden15.4 suicides per 100k32
Sierra Leone15.4 suicides per 100k31
Switzerland15.1 suicides per 100k33
Moldova14.8 suicides per 100k34
Swaziland14.7 suicides per 100k35
Trinidad And Tobago14.6 suicides per 100k36
United States14.3 suicides per 100k38
Kiribati14.3 suicides per 100k37
Argentina14.2 suicides per 100k39
Cuba14.1 suicides per 100k40
Portugal13.7 suicides per 100k41
Germany13.4 suicides per 100k42
Iceland13.1 suicides per 100k43
New Zealand12.6 suicides per 100k44
Slovakia12.5 suicides per 100k45
Denmark12.3 suicides per 100k48
Laos12.3 suicides per 100k47
Canada12.3 suicides per 100k46
Netherlands11.9 suicides per 100k51
Cameroon11.9 suicides per 100k50
Cambodia11.9 suicides per 100k49
Australia11.8 suicides per 100k52
Romania11.7 suicides per 100k55
Ireland11.7 suicides per 100k54
Bhutan11.7 suicides per 100k53
Haiti11.2 suicides per 100k56
Luxembourg11.1 suicides per 100k58
El Salvador11.1 suicides per 100k57
Montenegro11 suicides per 100k59
Norway10.9 suicides per 100k61
Gabon10.9 suicides per 100k60
South Africa10.7 suicides per 100k62
Zimbabwe10.5 suicides per 100k63
Lesotho10.4 suicides per 100k64
Papua New Guinea10.3 suicides per 100k66
Paraguay10.3 suicides per 100k65
Sudan10.2 suicides per 100k67
China10 suicides per 100k69
Turkmenistan10 suicides per 100k68
Chile9.9 suicides per 100k72
Nigeria9.9 suicides per 100k71
Singapore9.9 suicides per 100k70
Dr Congo9.8 suicides per 100k73
Botswana9.7 suicides per 100k74
Republic Of The Congo9.6 suicides per 100k75
Nicaragua9.5 suicides per 100k77
Togo9.5 suicides per 100k76
Benin9.4 suicides per 100k78
Mauritius9.3 suicides per 100k81
Seychelles9.3 suicides per 100k80
Uzbekistan9.3 suicides per 100k79
Burkina Faso9.2 suicides per 100k82
Chad8.8 suicides per 100k83
Turkey8.7 suicides per 100k84
Djibouti8.6 suicides per 100k86
Maldives8.6 suicides per 100k85
Spain8.5 suicides per 100k90
Rwanda8.5 suicides per 100k89
Cape Verde8.5 suicides per 100k88
Fiji8.5 suicides per 100k87
Mozambique8.4 suicides per 100k92
Ethiopia8.4 suicides per 100k91
Yemen8.2 suicides per 100k93
Burundi8 suicides per 100k94
Italy7.9 suicides per 100k96
Solomon Islands7.9 suicides per 100k95
Costa Rica7.7 suicides per 100k99
Namibia7.7 suicides per 100k98
Guinea7.7 suicides per 100k97
Ecuador7.5 suicides per 100k100
Kyrgyzstan7.4 suicides per 100k103
Comoros7.4 suicides per 100k102
Vietnam7.4 suicides per 100k101
Belize7.3 suicides per 100k104
Uganda7.2 suicides per 100k105
Timor Leste7.1 suicides per 100k106
Tanzania7 suicides per 100k107
Ghana6.9 suicides per 100k108
Dominican Republic6.8 suicides per 100k110
Saint Lucia6.8 suicides per 100k109
Georgia6.7 suicides per 100k112
Eritrea6.7 suicides per 100k111
Kenya6.5 suicides per 100k114
Bahrain6.5 suicides per 100k113
Qatar6.4 suicides per 100k117
South Sudan6.4 suicides per 100k116
Zambia6.4 suicides per 100k115
Brazil6.3 suicides per 100k120
Guinea Bissau6.3 suicides per 100k119
Liberia6.3 suicides per 100k118
Gambia6.2 suicides per 100k121
Colombia6.1 suicides per 100k123
Senegal6.1 suicides per 100k122
Bosnia And Herzegovina6 suicides per 100k126
Nepal6 suicides per 100k125
Malta6 suicides per 100k124
Mauritania5.9 suicides per 100k127
Vanuatu5.8 suicides per 100k130
Malaysia5.8 suicides per 100k129
Peru5.8 suicides per 100k128
Mali5.7 suicides per 100k132
Samoa5.7 suicides per 100k131
Oman5.6 suicides per 100k133
Israel5.5 suicides per 100k140
Afghanistan5.5 suicides per 100k139
Libya5.5 suicides per 100k138
Bangladesh5.5 suicides per 100k137
Malawi5.5 suicides per 100k136
Panama5.5 suicides per 100k135
Tunisia5.5 suicides per 100k134
Armenia5.4 suicides per 100k142
Somalia5.4 suicides per 100k141
Mexico5 suicides per 100k143
Morocco4.8 suicides per 100k144
Cyprus4.7 suicides per 100k146
Madagascar4.7 suicides per 100k145
Myanmar4.3 suicides per 100k149
Albania4.3 suicides per 100k148
Greece4.3 suicides per 100k147
Niger4.1 suicides per 100k150
Kuwait4 suicides per 100k152
Tajikistan4 suicides per 100k151
Iran3.6 suicides per 100k154
Honduras3.6 suicides per 100k153
Tonga3.5 suicides per 100k155
Saudi Arabia3.4 suicides per 100k157
Philippines3.4 suicides per 100k156
Azerbaijan3.3 suicides per 100k158
Jordan3.2 suicides per 100k159
Algeria3.1 suicides per 100k161
Lebanon3.1 suicides per 100k160
Iraq3 suicides per 100k163
Venezuela3 suicides per 100k162
Indonesia2.9 suicides per 100k165
United Arab Emirates2.9 suicides per 100k164
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines2.7 suicides per 100k167
Syria2.7 suicides per 100k166
Egypt2.6 suicides per 100k168
Guatemala2.5 suicides per 100k169
Pakistan2.1 suicides per 100k170
Sao Tome And Principe2 suicides per 100k171
Bahamas1.8 suicides per 100k172
Jamaica1.4 suicides per 100k173
Brunei1.3 suicides per 100k174
Grenada0.5 suicides per 100k175
Barbados0.4 suicides per 100k176
Antigua And Barbuda0 suicides per 100k177

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