Check out this good short piece by Pedro Soria-Rodriguez on how for party political ends Spanish national and regional government have ensured that DVB-T/TDT will not increase choice for consumers. This is not a direct issue for me–I only see the telly in Spain in bars (the same applies in France and the UK)–but it’s…
Alexis de Vilar says the film copies his 1987 novel Goodbye, Barcelona. Manel Haro points out that the book was not, as Alexis claims, registered with the Ministry of Culture (to indicate publication) in 1987, but in October 2008, a month after the film was released here. Alexis claims inter alia to have survived an…
Estacions fantasmes del metro de Barcelona (via Dani@Altres Barcelones) has got some great contemporary photos, digital reconstructions and historical material. The one thing I find curious is that, as with lots of Spanish websites, sourcing is vague and intellectual property appear not to be an issue. While one part of the Spanish blogosphere suffers periodic…
“Prime minister José Luis Zapatero said the assault on Andrew Sachs was ‘measured’ given the actor’s portrayal of a halfwit Spaniard who thinks a rat is some kind of Siberian hamster.” Given that Manuel in Fawlty Towers is Barcelona’s best-known literary figure, I’m surprised the council hasn’t declared war, or banned UK flights, or something.…
El Mundo apparently says that Catalan schools are using a book which encourages small children to give the Hitler salute. Not so: heil is afaik an old-fashioned and regionally-specific greeting, along the lines of the English hail. The publisher is wrong to believe that this is the normal greeting–that’s hallo–and El Mundo is wrong, as…
Two lovely designers who trade the occasional hour with me and eat my curries and drink my hooch have informed me that all the various sites grouped under oreneta.com need to change. The Baldie needs to be legible by users over 35. Kalebeul needs more identity (someone said duotint photo 2 in sepia; I tried…
Spain’s up at no 52 on the UN parking ticket corruption index, so that’s between the Ukraine and the Philippines, with average 12.7 unpaid violations per diplomat. The UK averages 0.0. Other crime news: Either the Azerbaijanis or the UAEers have stolen an “r” from Australia. The data’s pretty old, so perhaps Spanish councils’ new…
New translation of Horace here. Conventional version of “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”, “it’s sweet and fitting to die for one’s country” here. (Thanks Jesús)
A little thing by Orson Scott Card, via Kalebeul’s DJ-guru, Irwin Chusid. Apparently I’m about to become a multiple uncle AND bring down capitalism, seriously, so don’t worry too much about this kind of detail. (FYI: kalebeul’s proprietor has voted once in public elections–green/neighbourhoodist in The Hague, has worked for two centre-left parties, once defeated…
Shop deliveries free on foot in Leeds LS1-8 & LS13 Dismiss