The vultures are feeding on the living. Does that sound like something out of a post apocalyptic horror film? The reason for it is simple though: any animal corpses left exposed on the Sierra are being buried. The vultures must have been pretty hungry to start swooping down on new born calves the way they’ve been doing.
So that’s that then, Zapatero stays in office with a less convincing majority than previously believed possible. Meanwhile smaller parties, such as the IU managed just 6.43% of the Salamancan vote. They complain that they’ve been squeezed out by the polarizing effects of the electoral campaigning. This is, no doubt, partly aggravated by the press: on the day following the election virtually the only mention of “minority” groups ran for a quarter of a sheet on page 15 of the Gaceta. You could ask “why should they enjoy greater representation?” Well, anyone seriously considering how to vote understands that minority parties represent a far greater number of people’s views than the media would have us believe. As such you might think they also represent a significantly more important aspect of Spanish life than does, for example, Rodolfo Chikilicuatre, the Elvis be-wigged, toy guitar toting idiot currently attempting to “revitalize” Spain’s Eurovision efforts . Read the rest of this entry »
Although my mother always said that one should never talk about politics when abroad; during a general election campaign it seems rather a waste not to mention this most ticklish of subjects. The first thing one notices about both sides of the political spectrum (if you can call two colours a spectrum) is their similarity to those of England; which are in turn of course strikingly similar to each other. How one is supposed to decide who to vote for is beyond me – considering that all we have to go on are sound bites and platitudes. Perhaps it’s just my poor Spanish, but don’t the slogans, “clear ideas” and “we’re more” tell us absolutely nothing? During Salamanca’s wild days politics used to be really dangerous. Read the rest of this entry »
Salamanca seems star struck at the moment, what with the recent royal visit and that of Forest Whittaker and co. There are, however, other visitors that don’t seem as welcome. You may have noticed that the local press prints something almost every week about the rising level of immigrants and foreigners. Normally such articles aren’t overtly negative, but the constant presence of graphs and pie charts demonstrating the ever decreasing percentage of Castellanos in Salamanca is sufficient to create a sense of unease in the most liberal of Salmantinos. Of course immigration is a complex issue; it’s just our responses to it that sink into caricature. Not that I’ve personally experienced any negative aspects to being a foreigner here. Read the rest of this entry »
I wasn’t surprised upon reading the comments of Sánchez Dragó; the frighteningly named “Dragon” of journalism and “controversial” writer, that they mostly fell within the bracket of “having a good old whinge”. This is a popular pastime in England and usually includes, as does Dragó in his diatribe, easy shots at those in power. For example, “we’re sick of in-fighting amongst politicians”. It’s hard to argue with such no-brainers, which is why you’ll find a dozen old men in every bar in Salamanca saying exactly the same thing. It’s interesting to note the difference in outlook one has on one’s own country compared to that of visitors. I suppose that to live in a place is to really know it; but there’s also a kind of blindness which creeps over one with such familiarity. A good example of this, if you’ll forgive a personal perspective, is the wonderful painting my aunt bought years ago in a bazaar in Khartoum. For a while it drew her attention almost daily, but little by little it became part of the background of her life. Nowadays it’s only when a visitor exclaims, “Good lord, is that General Gordon naked on a camel?”, that she notices it once more. What really set the old woolly liberal alarm bells ringing was the Gaceta’s referring to Dragó as “politically incorrect”. Read the rest of this entry »
The comments made by Francisco Javier León de la Riva, mayor of Valladolid to the effect that his own city’s airport should be expanded but Salamanca’s Matacan airport kept at its current size, drew a sharp but unusually dignified response from our own, loveable Julian Lanzarote last week. It’s a thrilling prospect : a mayoral showdown, with shades of high noon, and it gives Julian the perfect opportunity to look like a good guy (heaven knows he needs it). Read the rest of this entry »
So fiesta is nearly upon us. This time it’s the February carnival; a weekend of dressing up, drinking and dancing (for some at least). It’s an embarrassing time of year if you’re an English visitor; the noise of the fiesta making communication all but impossible and the threat of being invited to dance hanging, horribly, in the air. “Dance”: could any concept be more un-English? That is unless you’re referring to those strictly regimented Jane Austen type of affairs. And the Jota’s alright of course; there’s very little physical contact or gyrating in that. Read the rest of this entry »
When the police come blundering in upon a mystery which Mr. Sherlock Holmes is investigating, they invariably jump to the conclusions to which any sane person would. A smug inspector declares that it’s an open and shut case, that the husband “did it” in a fit of jealous rage, and that the sleuth’s peculiar talents will not be needed this time. And without exception the detective wearily intones something like, “on the contrary my dear inspector, I have absolutely no doubt that this is the work of an unusually agile man, with some experience of the circus, a marked stutter and a terribly deformed elbow”. Read the rest of this entry »
You must have had that trying experience of being in the toilet when the Light and the hand dryer simultaneously turn off. Naturally, the dryer will have simply cooled your hands a little, leaving them dripping wet – just right in fact to make the task of fumbling with the light switch that bit more interesting. Life’s like that: the main ingredients of ones existence, job, health, family, and friends are all in place and seemingly constant, dependable factors. However, they are in fact on a timer. Eventually they all “blink off”. If you’re lucky they don’t all go at once. It doesn’t actually take that much to put anyone in the gutter: the loss of a job, the death of a husband or wife, mental illness. These terrible blows are hard enough to deal with individually, which is of course how they usually arise. Now and again though someone’s unfortunate enough to experience a dual or multiple “blink” – and the security, comfort and joy of life can disappear in an instant. Read the rest of this entry »
In the last few months nearly every conversation I’ve had with strangers has sooner or later come round to the “crisis” in housing. (There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as cornering a Salmantino and quizzing them mercilessly).
And of course the week before last saw those interminable queues for housing aid which the government has romised young folks who can’t afford the full price of renting a fl at. It seems everything is pointing to recession: rising prices, huge debts and unrealistic mortgages. It’s getting harder to “get by” – even if you’re relatively onservative in your budgeting. The question is “what can we do about it?” Well, in this case the problem isn’t so much fi nding an answer but rather that the answer isn’t much fun. Because it’s only in spending more realistically that Salmantinos and Europeans in general will fi nd long term security. I’m not saying that the present economic situation can be solved if you decide not to buy that third plasma television this year. Read the rest of this entry »
