Dawn

Dawn

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Scroll down for the Midday EU Special.

Strangely, the few houses that are currently being built in Spain are mostly located in those parts of the country where there are the most empty properties on the market. Must make sense to someone. Or, as I've read - "Some housing market experts say it's because these regions have too many of the wrong sort of homes (holiday homes) and not enough of the right sort (affordable primary residencies) – a glut and a shortage at the same time."


I mentioned the other day that the name of a person I'd just written to in Gmail immediately popped up as a potential friend on Facebook. My better-informed daughter tells me that it's Google who do this, not Facebook.

Talking of big internet companies . . . Last time I used Skype I had to put in some credit before I could talk to my mother. After I'd done this, I got the message "Thanks for setting up Auto-recharge." Which was news to me. Hey ho.

Good to see that the Galician government agrees with me that electricity bills are (almost certainly deliberately) impossible to understand. Or perhaps even to produce, as eight suppliers are being prosecuted for deception and fraud. The Xunta has proposed that all regional governments get together to agree a single, clear format. Which wouldn't be a bad thing but I can't see it happening.

Talking of local governments . . . Several Catalan MPs are moaning about the money being spent on the AVE high-speed train to Galicia, saying - basically - that it can't be justified as no one wants to go there. Which is nice.

I see that, while the EU struggles to form a single real government, Belgium is still doing without one completely. Which is ironic. And informative.

Quote of the Week: Especially for the father of two daughters:- "Women who strive to be equal to men lack ambition"

Which reminds me, I need to revise my estimate of the percentage of females amongst Pontevedra's smokers from 75 to 90%. Depressing.

And here's another unusual word from Orwell: - Demiurge. 'A concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe.' Useful. To my friend Alfred B. Mittington perhaps.

Finally . . . An interesting post.

Finally, finally . . . Here's a video from my friend Norman on the delights of the place I mentioned in a recent post - Monte Santa Tegra, at the mouth of the Miño/Minho. Also called Monte Santa Tecla. Enjoy.

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