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'*
Living La Vida Loca in Galicia/Spa
This is a decent overview of the political landscape here. Hard to disagree with the comment that Spain’s culture wars look set to ramp up.
Are there political parties to the right of Vox? Unfortunately, Yes - says Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas, citing this article.
Yesterday's lists suggested those born in Spain 1946-64 are the Transition Generation. Elsewhere in the world, these are known as Baby Boomers. María advises that this label is used in Spain for the next cohort - Generation X. Confused? Well, Spain is different, they say. See here for the all labels used for the 20th and 21st centuries. Interesting to see that my parents were of the 'Silent Generation'.
There's a nice example here of both Spanish bureaucracy and the risk of relying on only a notary when buying or selling property in Spain. Don't listen to the agent!
María's Riding the Wave - Day 13
The UK
My passport renewal. . . 1. It was my old passport that I mailed at midday, not my application, and 2. I missed out a 5th foto rejection reason - 'Your eyes appear to be closed'. As if.
I wonder if anyone understands the government’s new 'tiered' restrictions. More importantly, I wonder what percentage of the population will abide by them. The ones who haven't had their businesses closed down, I mean.
Judging by all the Xmas ads, there's been an explosion in mixed-marriages since I left the UK in 2000. A wonderful development, of course.
The USA
In a preview of how much damage a conservative majority on the Supreme Court can cause, the justices ruled 5-4 late last night that religious institutions do not have to abide by a public health order in New York limiting how many people can gather in one place. More here.
Finally . . .
Another random quote, to raise a smile: I performed badly in the Civil Service Exams because evidently I knew more about economics than my examiners: John Maynard Keynes.
* A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.
5 comments:
Equating spanish generation X to baby-boomers is not entirely correct. Not if one choses to be pedantic about this. Spain's baby-boom coincided with de "anos de desarrollo" - the years in which the economy grew at rates akin to those of Asian emerging markets - from around mid-nineteenfifties right until Franco's death. Birth rates started to decline almost unnoticeably in the early seventies, and then decidely plummeted after 1975. By the early eighties Spain had one of the lowest birth rates in the world. And that has not changed since.
Actually, only got worse.
Many thanks for that.
Let's not forget that under Franco contraception was illegal. So 1975 is a significant date. I also understand that the number of virgin brides plummeted post 1975 but that is anecdotal.
Interesting your comments about interracial adverts. London has long had these and at present a lot of ads don't have any "white" people in them. Anything involving finance always features Asians. However I always thought they were just for London, I can't see them being screened in Cornwall. Perhaps your TV in Spain is from London. What's Liverpool TV like?
Thanks. I think my I registered with Sky 18 years ago using my Cheshire address, so Granada. But can't swear to this. I guess I can check when they get to the regional news/weather bit . .
Yep, my TV Is in the NW region. Come to think of it, none of the major Xmas advertisers like John Lewis, Waitrose, Lidl and M&S are likely to have different ads for different regions. To be frank, they all give the impression there are no single-race partnerships in the UK these days. I suppose it makes commercial sense.
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