Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain: 11.10.20

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.  

- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'* 

Covid 

This excellent article from The Atlantic raises several interesting - not to say, vital - questions.   

And makes some interesting points . . . 

Spain?: If the bar has a person infected with COVID-19, and if it is also poorly ventilated and loud, causing people to speak loudly at close range, almost everyone in the room could potentially be infected.

South Korea: In Daegu, just one woman, generated more than 5,000 known cases in a megachurch cluster.

Generally: In study after study, we see that super-spreading clusters of COVID-19 almost overwhelmingly occur in poorly ventilated, indoor environments where many people congregate over time—weddings, churches, choirs, gyms, funerals, restaurants, and such—especially when there is loud talking or singing without masks. 

Living La Vida Loca in Spain/Galicia

Talking of key questions . . .Here's El Pais - in English - on one of  the most important to be posed in the last 100 years. At least. 

It's well known that trust arrives on foot and departs on horseback. And is hard won, but easy lost. Writing about modern democracies, a columnist yesterday made the point that trust - as in Sweden - is key for conformity to rules. People need to trust, not that a government’s policy is necessarily right, but that the government does have a policy. I mention this now because I've long had the view that trust is a commodity in relatively short supply in Spain. Perhaps even less so at the  moment. It’s certainly lacking in respect of Johnson’t government in the UK.

I confess that, even after 19 years, I  still have to think about who are the Moriscos and who are the Mozarabs. Much the same happens these days with transgender folk. Was a transgender man/woman originally a man or woman? I'll get the hang of it one day.

María's Fallback chronicle: Days 26 and 27  

The USA

Something that came to mind this morning . . . Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

White Houses staff who are not in close contact with Trump require only a “surgical mask” and hand sanitiser. Any closer, though, and they are encouraged to avail themselves of personal protective equipment from “isolation carts” in the foyer area of the residence and the outer Oval Office. This equipment includes a “yellow gown”, “protective eyewear” and “gloves”, all of which can be disposed of at a sanitisation station.

The White House has reportedly hired a “wellbeing consultant” with whom staff can discuss their mental health concerns anonymously. With as many as 34 White House staff and related contacts infected by the virus, the consultant will doubtless be busy. 

Finally . .   

I  use a VPN to get UK TV programs. Ironically, it seems to stop me getting BBC Sounds. I wonder if anyone else has this experience.

* A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.