Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Thoughts from Cologne, Germany: 28.11.18

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

REQUEST 1: I'd be very grateful if anyone who's a current or ex-user of the The Old Reader could advise me whether it's again showing my posts. It stopped doing so some time ago - I recently discovered – possibly because some shit had posted a long spam message on each of 10 consecutive days in late August. I understand that Feedly is now showing my posts again but don't know about other readers.
REQUEST 2: Can anyone tell me how to edit my RSS Feed so as to delete a line about a base64 image? This is another possible cause of the problem. Asking Blogger help and doing a google search has not proved very helpful.

On with the show . . . 

Matters German
  • It's been pointed out to me that the Cologne Philharmonic didn't exist before or during the 1,000 year Third Reich. I knew that but was really talking, analogously, about any space occupied by Hitler or Goebbels in front of the antecedents of the modern audience. Honest.
  • BTW . . . I forgot to record that, at the precise second the second half performance was brought to a climactic end and a deep silence descended, someone's phone went off. Several of the musicians, like many of the audience, found this quite funny. Who said the Germans don't have a sense of humour??
  • As everyone knows, both Cologne and Hamburg were badly damaged by WW2 bombing. But not in all districts; the suburbs largely escaping destruction. So it's here that you can see large swathes of impressive pre-war architecture. But with the occasional monstrous modern building where the odd bomb destroyed the original flat-block. Like a bad tooth in a mouthful of perfect ivories.
  • Something I read before I arrived in Germany warned me not to take desultory service personally, as this was the norm here. Well, I have to say I've been met with nothing but pleasant service. But, then, I smile a lot and laugh at my own attempts to order in German. I find this goes down well in every country. Though I've never been to Russia or North Korea. But it did work in Australia . . .
  • So . . . Why does a cappuccino always cost less than a simple black or white coffee? Does it take less of the basic ingredient? 
Matters Spanish
  • I plead guilty to only 3 of these 11 Spanish habits, despite being immersed in the culture for 18 years. Possibly a function of my age. Or independent spirit . . .
  • Here's another example of the possible application of the residual fascist laws that so impinge on freedom of expression in Spain. Something that would go almost unnoticed in other countries. Or be seen merely as bad manners. Dare one say it reflects the immaturity of Spanish democracy?
  • Here's the estimable Matthew Bennett on the recent Gibraltar developments and what they might or not might not mean in practice. Assuming Brexit goes ahead.
  • The way of the world: The Spanish government is constrained from helping tenants because much of Spain's real estate is now owned by a huge (and powerful) US fund.
  • A warning about a potentially damaging spam message on wotsap.
The UK and Brexit
  • This is a very nice article on the state of British politics, ending with this excellent summary of the near future:- Much depends on how long the turbulence lasts and how extreme it gets. England’s two main parties are sailing into a rare constitutional hurricane and it isn’t clear whether their vessels are sound. All manner of things will be thrown overboard – policies, MPs, leaders. Some will jump before they are pushed. The parties that emerge on the other side of this storm will not be the same ones we have now, even if they sail under familiar names and colours. That's democracy for you. 
  • As I've said, I don't often entirely agree with the Guardian's Polly Toynbee - a fervent socialist and Remainer - but she's spot on with her comment – previously voiced by me and others – that Mrs May sought to appease hardliners and ended up with the worst kind of deal. I also agree that: Had she proposed [a la Richard North] staying in the European Economic Area, joining the European Free Trade Association with a vision of an influential EU outer ring – she could have won wide support. Alas, she didn't. And everyone is now paying the price, including the EU. History will not be at all kind to Mrs May. But no one forced her to become Prime Minister. Indeed, no one even voted for her to become Prime Minister, even within the Conservative party. She grasped the poisoned chalice with both hands and both feet. Regrets? I guess she has a few.
Spanish
Social Media
  • An interesting development in the UK regarding Facebook – a company we will all come to hate in the fullness of time. Sell now.
Finally . . .
  1. Yesterday's missing bit . . . My travelling companion – having googled my name - came up with a citation of a 2007 comment of mine on Galician humour (retranca), in a book entitled Words that Tear the Flesh: Essays on Sarcasm in Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Cultures. It's is an enticing prospect, but not at a price of between 84 and 130 euros. BTW . . . In that way no one understands, on Amazon.com it's cheaper to buy a new copy than a 'previously owned' one.
  2. More on the stinky durian fruit. Will the Chinese eat anything at all, just as long as it's fashionable?
  3. A wise policy, ignored on this site . . .

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