Dawn

Dawn

Monday, December 07, 2015

Good news; Only in spain?; Non shocking headlines; Sp. wages; & Ladies who lunch.

THE BEST NEWS IN AGES?: Not before time, Spain is considering moving away from the iniquitous practice of dubbing foreign films, having first given them a name unconnected with the original. This is to improve levels of English and is something the Portuguese, for example, have been doing for decades, to the benefit of their kids. But there's many a slip between cup and lip and there's a large dubbing industry here, stretching back to the censorship of the Franco dictatorship. It won't go quietly into the dark night. BTW . . . I say it's a huge industry but it only seems to employ one woman to do every female voice from 5 to 95. I'm assured this isn't true but that's my impression anyway. Maybe there's 2 of them.

ONLY IN SPAIN: Someone who protested against a bull-tormenting event has been fined €5,000 under Spain's infamous 'gag law', the repressive measure introduced recently “to increase citizen security”. And, coincidentally no doubt, to give the police widespread powers to prevent citizen protest. More on this here.

A NON-SHOCKING HEADLINE 1: The European Court of Auditors has revealed some of the worst cases of fraud of EU subsidies including several cases from Spain. More here.

A NON-SHOCKING HEADLINE 2: 84% of Spaniards have an exceedingly low level of trust in the political system. Where are the remaining 16% living? The mental health institutes?

SPANISH WAGES: I recently mentioned a job ad offering only €400 euros a month but I'm told that wages can be as low as half of this. In other words, well below the legal minimum wage. How can this happen, you ask. Because nothing is done about the fact the law is honoured more in the breach than in the observance. It's one of several laws in Spain which aren't policed anywhere near as much as those relating to protest.

FINALLY . . . LADIES WHO LUNCH: In the first café-bar I used to frequent of a morning, there was a group of 5 or 6 ladies in their 60s and 70s who gathered there every day. Speaking simultaneously, theyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_Daniel_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Castelao dominated the noise level of the place. In part because, when I say 'speaking', I mean shouting, as the normal high decibels of Spanish discourse were augmented by universal deafness. I was reminded of them yesterday by the table of matrons next to mine. As is not unusual here, conversation was dominated by a single doyenne, who must have contributed – in a piercing voice – 90% of the 'dialogue', forcing me to move so I could continue to read. Needless to say, it being Sunday, all the ladies were dressed to the nines and sported considerable jewellery. But, an hour later, my disregard for the dominatrix turned to pity, when I noticed her walking slowly and painfully up a set of steps. In silence.


See my other blog - A Scouser Lost in Galizalbion here.

And - A random painting by the Galician writer and artist, Castelao



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