Wednesday 30 November 2005

Tuesday 29 November 2005

Mocos



I'm ill...


I hate being ill...


I need someone to take care of me...

Monday 28 November 2005

[ -- no words -- ]

As you could read in last friday's post, it was the day of the fight against domestic violence.
In the eleven months of this year 56 women have been killed by their partners (in Spain), more than weeks in the whole year. Although it is an 11% less than last year's, it is still a lot --one is already too many.
On Saturday I heard something amazing: in this year there have been over 28 thousand detentions for domestic violence. Also there have been over 43 thousand reports to police of abuses to women.
God, this is a lot of people! It is amazing how many women have died but, God, so many that could have.
Unbelievable.
The worst: this have been happening for ever and, unfortunately, it will always be. Hateful Human Behaviour.
I have no words for that.

Saturday 26 November 2005

RRR

A few weeks ago, a friend told me that in Belgium they have a very good recycling program. They have microchips in the rubbish bags so you only pay rubbish collection taxes according to what you throw away. Recyclable materials are collected for free. So, you can find people who opens the tea bag to throw the tea on the organic, the staple to the traditional rubbish, the label to the paper and... where does the cord go? I don't know. I have Googled it and I didn't quite find the information about it (in English) but I saw that it certainly has a good system.
The reason I talk about that is because my eldest sister said the other day: "Oh, they placed two recycling points in front of my house --one for plastics and the other for paper--. I can finally recycle!" Before that, she should have had to go a few hundred meters to the nearest recycling point, i.e. she wasn't recycling. She is happy now. I wonder if other people would be happy to be able to recycle.
I have been thinking about that lately and watching at people. I saw a woman yesterday that was carrying a rubbish bag to the "container" and I could recognise through the almost transparent plastic that she had some cans and tetra packs inside. This morning I saw a woman throwing a carton board box to the traditional rubbish; the worst, twenty meters away there was a paper recycling container but the container she used was a meter from her shop doorstep. Both were women: this does not mean that women do not care (even though the cleaners I've seen throwing the spam and the free magazines are women), I do think that most possibly women care about recycling more than men, as per my experience with house mates and friends. [This, actually, meant that women are who normally throw rubbish away.]
I do not understand why the recycling system in Spain works so poorly. I do not understand why the govern does not pay a good recycling campaign. I don't understand why don't we get a law to oblige people to recycle. I don't understand why can't I recycle organic.
I don't understand why people throws things to the floor, and less, why they do not recycle, why they do not WANT to recycle.

Friday 25 November 2005

Violence - nce + t

Today is the international day to suppress violence against women.
From here I want to support them: the women who are fighting against their partners and former partners and all the associations that are working in this cause.

Thursday 24 November 2005

Babel

I dare to write and "hang" it on the net but, hey, what I write are things that I really do know.

I have a personalized Google home page and one of the subjects I get news from is Linguistics (both in Spanish and English). I've just read something that got on my nerves. You can check it here if you understand Spanish.

It says that Catalonia is the region in Spain that has the highest scholar failure. OK, that is fine by me, I can believe it. The problem comes when it says that it is like that because of the "linguistic immersion", i.e. because we teach all subjects in Catalan [except, obviously Spanish, English and other second languages]. Oh, come on! I am Spanish Speaker and I had no problem with that (well, some in my early childhood but non afterwards --if I failed was because of me, not because of the language it was explained in). After reading it I've turned back to my colleague at work to ask her about that. She was born in Jaen (Andalucía) and came when she was very little. She told me that she didn't have any problem with it. And though, she is Spanish Speaker; and though, "my Catalan" is "better" than her's; and though, I failed and she didn't.

What is all that about? Oh, come on.

I guess the Statute (Catalan Constitution) thing is creating that boycott and that "silliness" and this I-say-whatever-I-want-only-to-make-Catalans-look-bad.

It says something very funny, though: "The linguistic immersion has failed terribly and it has to be switched to teaching in the mother tongue of the pupil, as pedagogues and international organizations have always recommended". Yeah, right, that's why Spanish cannot learn a second language. But, what is funny in this is that this is now saying: let's teach children in Spanish, Catalan, Arab, Chinese, Romanian, Lithuanian... and this is only a bit of the whole bunch of languages that coexist only in my 14 thousand inhabitants town. Imagine in Madrid or Barcelona, there will be a school every two steps!

I can't believe people is so closed minded.

Before the new 10 European countries joined the EU I read an small article about how bad that was for the English language as, when all those "poor Communist people" come to England to "steal our benefit", they will create new English-whatever Vernaculars (non-English speaking people mixing English with their own language).

This is just pathetic. As I say in my SEV (Spanish English Vernacular) they are taking an ace out of their sleeves just to bother.
[I sent a letter to the editor of that digital newspaper and has been published on the 27th of November. Click here]

Wednesday 23 November 2005

Suddenly it is Christmas

Once again, I have forgotten to post something I thought long ago.

It was 3rd of November, two days before I went on holidays, long Bank Holiday weekend. I'm walking to the office.

Some men [paid by the Town Hall] are cutting off the leaves of the trees (well, the leaves and the small branches) with the following repercussions:

  • the tree will only be an skeleton,
  • the tree will have to grow again the small branches next spring, i.e. more effort,
  • the tree wont be creating oxygen from now on; if the leaves were left, it would create oxygen for a month or two more.
  • the tree will produce less oxygen next year as it will take longer until it grows the leaves,
  • the town hall is only paying (let's say) 10 men for 2 weeks, instead of 5 men for 3 months cleaning the streets,
  • the beautiful autumn image of the streets full of leaves wont be seen,
  • the tree will not grow high and big,
  • the tree looks horrible.

I know there must be other reasons to cut them, though, I see the trees in London, so big and beautiful, and I can't imagine there is one better reason in this small town.

At the same time they cut them off, other men were hanging the Christmas light decorations in the street.

Remember: it is 3rd of November.

I think about it during the morning. When I go home, I look at one light (they aren't beautiful). Suddenly a thought comes up to my mind:

"YOU HAVE JUST GOT PAID. REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN'T SPEND MUCH MONEY THIS MONTH. NEXT ONE YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY."

I thought Christmas was just the festivity of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Where is the magic and the beauty of the legend of Saint Nicholas and the French Nuns? Where is it? Is it in my Credit Card?
I do not think so.
At home we do not capitalise Christmas [we are not even religious]; normally we do just one present per person. This year, I told them, not to do a present bought in a store [second hand and charities are allowed], better something that you do with your own hands, something with meaning.

Saturday 19 November 2005

Rayito

I think I have never told you about Rayito.

Rayito is a Rainbow Ray of Light that has been accompanying me along all summer. My desk is by the window and, every morning, Rayito was laying on my table for a couple of hours.
One day 'he' didn't come back; autumn had arrived, we had changed one hour and the Sun had moved a bit on its position in the sky. I was sad.

This morning, though, Rayito was on my table; very light and smaller than before but he was there telling me: "Do not worry, I'll be back soon, winter is coming and I have to hibernate. Enjoy your winter and think of me. I look forward being here every morning, with you, seeing the boring time at work go by."
Photo originally taken from here.

Thursday 17 November 2005

20-XI-75

I know I am no-one to say what is 'bad' and what is 'good' but, sometimes, I realise that I must be some-one to say that some-thing is BAD.

A while ago, I moved the telly from the living room to the kitchen so I don't watch it that much, only while I am having lunch and dinner. In the Living Room I left an English telly that does not receive Spanish frequencies but has a DVD incorporated.
My father came on Monday to visit and I moved the telly back. Anyway, after a long evening talking about the latest news, we got engaged with a documentary that Mercedes Milà is doing in Tele5. The thing is: on the 22nd of November 1975, Franco died. So Milà is doing a documentary about the Fascism and the Ultra-right-ism in nowadays Spain.

It is unbelievable that people still thinks that Franco was great, but it is disgusting to see that young people (my age and even younger, 14ish) say things like "I believe that ultra-right dictatorships are better than Democracy", "In a Democracy you cannot choose what you want, when in a Dictatorship you can". Of course, if you are fine with the belief of the dictator, it is fine for you!

Oh, come on guys! What is all that about? It is repulsing. Seeing this old woman shouting "Assassin" to Santiago Carrillo --former general secretary (president, head) of the PCE, the Spanish Communist Party-- for something that never happened in Paracuellos del Jarama, when they are giving him Honoris Causa at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
What are all those demonstrations against the removal of Franco-ist street plaque names or sculptures of the Dictator (30 years after his dead --of course, we still have the sculptures of dead kings and governors of the old ages, but it is different because they weren't that kind of dictator (some kings where, though).
What are all those ultra-right demonstrations in the pseudo-nations of Spain, i.e. Euskadi, Catalunya, Galicia... just to "show" that Spain's "unity" is important.
Oh, come on, when Cervantes was alive they used to say "The Spains" and even before. I am Catalan and I am Spanish. And I am a bit Andalusian and a bit Aragonese and a bit Madrilian. Come on, I am so interested in keeping Spain as it is but the "Una, grande y libre" ["One, big and free"] is SO out of fashion.
It is time for us to accept that there is more than one Spain and that we have to start respecting one another's beliefs. But, more important than that, we have to start accepting that the past is just that: past.
For the sake of Spain: let's look ahead and walk holding hands to a better future.

Monday 14 November 2005

Dreamland

Hello guys! I've just arrived from my holidays in London (and England, actually).
This have been the best holidays I have ever had. Imagine! Even though it wasn't exactly holidays as I was somewhere I knew well (eventually, my sense of orientation has gone one step forward, but I still get bit lost sometimes).
I am not going to go through all details on how my holiday were and what did I do but, as always, I am going to let my mind explain itself with my thought on the big city.

The first thing that comes up to my mind is the fact that things that I used to hate (i.e. tube, underground) has appeared to be one of the nicest things and most missed of all (the things, not people) as, since I got back to this country (Sunny Spain is becoming Very Rainy Spain, BTW), I have lost the habit of reading; I guess, I had created the habit of reading while moving and now I have only a two-minute walk to my office. So, on my flight there I started reading El Quijote and now I am almost finishing --I have to say that I went twice to the country on one-hour train trip.

London is a very full big city. There are people of any kind, any nationality. There are many crazy people. I was so distressed when, waiting for my friend to pick me up at King's Cross, a drunken man shouted at me and scared me. Though, sometimes you see people that you'd love to run into and start a conversation. Or you see through a house window, or through the doors of a pub something that really moves you. Like the other day, walking around, this young couple dancing ball dance (not that properly, actually) and the scene was so nice that I wanted to take a photo.

Going back to the places I liked has been, actually, one of THE THINGS I've been doing all the week. My walk: Westminster - Southwark (NFT) - Tate Modern - Millennium Bridge - North Bank (?) - Embankment Gardens - Charing T (Re: "Brave New World", Huxley) - Leicester Square - Coven Garden - Carnaby Street... Such a great few hours walking. Stopping in every corner to LOOK what I've already SEEN a few thousand times. Sit in a bench in South Bank and look at the Thames. Look at the skaters, the jumpers, the joggers and all the people that, like you, is just walking around. Great.

Meeting my friends has been great, what can I say? I felt loved. This is not that kind of blog -- sending you big-wet-auntie-Ann's kisses. And hugs and mate-embraces and hits.

Porridge. Oh, too bad. The first day my friend --whose beautiful house I was staying in-- bought me some Digestive and butter cookies, which I had missed. Though, the second morning I started eating Porridge for my breakfast --berries, banana, raisins, sultana... Oh, great... I can't believe we changed oats for "Cola-Cao".

Her garden; even though it was just cold enough not to have our cheese night outside, I could be for ever looking at it.

Planes: as her house is near Heathrow Airport planes were coming and going all the time. You would see one and before you stop hearing his engine you have a new one to hear/see. Or sometimes you would see four planes at once, queueing up for landing. So many planes, hundreds of them. Coming, going. EuroStar, trains, buses. People. Move, move. Transport. Movement. Rotation. Money. Transport. Transport. Transport.

Multiculturalism. Visiting Southall was great. The Indian-Pakistani area is full of colour and has a totally different move, all rather slower and chilled out. Also at home, where night talks will end up on difference between how we all see life. Or history talk about WWII and would have the American, the English, the French and the Spanish version and could reach for the Greek, the Italian and the German (right?). I would stop their speech to say: "Oh, you are the allies!" and then argue with them why they didn't help us (America did, a bit, just for interest).

I have more to say, though, I am bit tired for the trip. Will follow.

PS As you can see I have changed the "roller blind", this is from "my bedroom" in London.
All the photos taken this week in London.
Thank you very much LG (Life's Good).

Saturday 5 November 2005

Holy-days

I'll be on holidays in London from today till the 14th.

Hope I'll be back with lots of stories.

I will write them all down so I can explain them to you.

Wednesday 2 November 2005

Tarragona (Catalan only)

Per a tots aquells de i de voltants de Tarragona:

Què: PEDRES i RECORDS

PEDRES
Espectacle literari escrit i portat a escena per Rates de Biblioteca (Torredembarra)

RECORDS
Espectacle literari i teatral per part d'alumnes de l'escola de teatre Centrescènic (Torredembarra)

On: Sala La Vaqueria. C. Rebolledo 11, Tarragona.

Quan: Aquesta nit --2 de novembre-- a les 21h.

Quant: Entrada lliure.
Què més?: Obsequi del llibre "Rates de Biblioteca 6"

Imagte d'Inma Vallmitjana
For the non Catalan Speaking, I am sorry for that segregation, but this is a very local thing.