Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Pontevedra Pensées: 16.11.16

SPANISH LIFE/CULTURE

Cleavage: Talking with a Latina friend about this, as you do, I was informed there were 5 types. Being a tad incredulous, I went on line to check. And discovered this article, in which 12 are identified . . . Who'd have thought it?

Nepotism: As is well known, this - along with croneyism - is one of the continuing features of Spanish life. But now we read that President Trump has given positions in his transition team to 3 members of his family. Without much adverse comment in the USA, it seems. As someone has written: Imagine the outcry if Hillary Clinton had won the election and then appointed Chelsea Clinton and Donna Shalala, a board member and the president of the Clinton Foundation, to her team. Indeed. But times appear to have changed over there. An awful lot goes now that never used to.

THE EU

The Brexit: For those interested in this, here's an apposite comment from Richard North: This is a subject on which an extraordinary amount of nonsense is being talked, alongside a continued failure to understand that, in seeking a sensible withdrawal package in the time allotted, we are going to have to trim our expectations, and work towards an interim solution. Those really interested can see the context here.

THE USA

That Trump Victory: Here's another of those insane US Christian pastors who thinks it was God who done it. I agree. I saw him do it again last night, when Spain equalised against England with goals in the 89th and 96th minutes of a 90 minute game.

THE UK: We've all done it - clicked the Reply to All button when we didn't mean to. But never before on this scale. Some poor soul caused chaos in the NHS email system a day or 2 ago, when she sent several messages to every one of its 840,000 users. Oh dear.

Milo Yiannopoulos: Reader Perry has brought this British guy to my attention. He's part of the alt-right in the USA, it seems, and has been permanently banned from Twitter. Wow. Given what passes for normality there, I'd have thought this was impossible.

GALICIAN STUFF

Those Wandering Wild Boars: They've even taken to entering cemeteries. And getting stuck there between the walls and the railings.

LOCAL STUFF

Pontevedra: Apologies if I've already posted this Twitter review of the things you shouldn't miss in the province and city. La noche me confunde. The Mirador de Poio must be close to my house but I have no idea where.

THE GALLERY
Another comment on the US presidential election . . . ?
FINALLY

Yesterday: To say the least, this was one of those days. Which had to be compensated for by a large G&T at the end of it. Perhaps the low point was when - having helped another guy with his ticket at the pay machine – the car park at Vigo station wouldn't let me out. Despite the fact I'd already paid, the system sent me back to insert another 45c. But the machine wasn't having any of it and told me my ticket was now invalid. Having solved the problem, I then stopped off in car-unfriendly Redondela for a tiffin and was served with the smallest portion of chips(French fries) I'd ever seen. Along with a measly portion of the spicy pork I'd ordered. But these turned out to be only a tapa (more correctly un pinchito) and I was then given the largest portion of chips I'd ever seen. And half a kilo of spicy pork. Plus bread, of course. For €5. What a reversal of fortune. And what a strange day.

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