We seem to be in an era
of lists. Possibly because it's cheap journalism. But, anyway, here's
one I wrote in about 2 minutes: 10 things I love about Spain. I
thought of several more immediately after I'd finished it. So
there'll be another one along soon:-
1. The Spanish people
2. You're never
pressured to finish a meal or even a drink. And you don't pay for it in advance.
3. The pace of life is
slower
4. Kids smile and talk
to you and their parents don't look at you as if you'e a
paedophile
5. Spanish women are
very good-looking. The men, too, I guess.
6. The women are still
feminine and the men are still un-emasculated
7. Tapas
8. The institution of
the menú del día.
9. The wonderfully varied geography
10. The beautiful
cities.
The EU has instructed
restaurants and take-away places to advise customers about which dishes contain one or more of several food allergens. Britain's
'gold-plating' bureaucrats will leap on this, of course, and
implement it to high heaven. But what about Spain's countless tapas
bars? Will they all now need to issue new menus? "These fried
squid contain sea food", perhaps. Or "These percebes may
make you vomit. Just by looking at them."
A Valladolid teenager -
suffering depression, panic attacks and anorexia - was taken by her
parents for exorcism, the second time they'd done this. She was given
13 sessions and now a court, after a suicide attempt, is to assess whether the exorcism
constitutes the criminal offences of habitual psychological violence,
blackmail, degrading treatment, serious injuries and incitement to
suicide. The implicated priest insists that exorcism merely "involves
praying to the Holy Spirit for help in the event the person may be possessed by the devil". He added: “It is often
very difficult to see the difference between mental illness and being
possessed by the devil. So we always recommend that anyone undergoing
exorcism is supported by health professionals." Separately, the
Diocese has denied any connection with
the radical religious sect, the Militia of Santa María, where the
young woman's mother is a member and where she was allegedly incited
to flagellate herself to effect a cure. All this in the 21st century
On Sky News there's a
reporter called Alastair Bunkle. Now, if he were Spanish, his
daughter would have Bunkle as her first surname. And, if she were to
marry a Spaniard who had Carr as his first surname, their children's
surnames would be Carr Bunkle. Unlikely in the near-term, perhaps,
but perfectly feasible before that monkey finishes re-writing the
works of Shakespeare.
Finally . . . Here are
the lyrics of Bessie Smith's song I've Got What It Takes (But It
Breaks My Heart To Give It Away). Am I alone in finding them a tad
ambiguous?
Oh, stingy Ginny saved
up all her pennies
Straight to the bank
she would go
The sharks would have
their hands around her
But none could get her
dough
Ginny's fellow was a
slick high yeller
Sent away to jail one
day
He cried for bail then
turned real pale
When I heard Ginny say
I've got what it takes
But it breaks my heart
to give it away
It's in demand, they
want it everyday
I've been saving it up
for a long, long time
To give it away would
be more than a crime
Your eyes may roll,
your teeth may grit
But none of my money
will you get
You can look at my bank
book
But I'll never let you
feel my purse
Lord, I'm one woman
Who believes in safety
first, safety first
And if you want my
money, here's my plan
I'm saving it up for a
real good man.
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