Lack of (satisfactory) indexes and ToCs in Spanish non-fiction

This is still a major problem, even from authors and publishers that appear to take themselves seriously, and even though automatic generation is now pretty good. Is it evidence of (a) the continued importance of rote learning, as over critical appraisal, in Spanish universities, or (b) the realisation, hundreds of years ago, that digitised search…

Pigmobile

I hope hambulancia wins the Spanish Correctors’ Union’s photo competition.

Improvised hair salon in village bar

Eating excellent omelettes and cold cuts and other stuff in a bar on this walk, in comes a stylist who was born in the village but now lives in the town and comes back every now and again. First she cut Mr and Mrs, and then A from Hengelo decided the opportunity was too good…

Deserd Avenue

One for the Correctors Union’s hunt-the-error day today. This torrent lined with Andalusian auto-construction on the edge of Planas de Vallvidrera is gradually being overrun by wild boar: I imagine things got rather like this when the Romans left Britain.

Hampshire village butcher

–From Spain are you? I’ve got a flat in Denia, very nice indeed. I get on fine with the locals. –In what language? –We’re getting quite good at the old Spanish. “Dos coffee con lechy”. That means… –I think I know that one.

Bar Mobi y Dick

The name is actually rather interesting. There’s a rule in standard Spanish that says that y is substituted by e before words beginning with i or hi, except when y forms the beginning of an exclamation or question, and except before words beginning with y or hie. However, I’ve never heard of a corresponding rule…

Lady Di killed by fat arse

My feedreader’s having problems with diacritics, so LaVa says: El coche de Lady Di pudo haber chocado con otro “veh?culo grande”. Don’t think the Pharaoh of Alexandria’s tried that one yet.