Zapatero’s Socialists Head for Vote Defeat in Spain as Protesters March

By Luis Jáspez - WikiMedia Commons

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s Socialists are headed for defeat in local and regional elections after a week of street protests and sits- in against his policies, polls show.

Thirteen regions accounting for 60 percent of the economy and more than 8,000 municipalities hold elections on May 22. Polls show Zapatero’s Socialists will be defeated in most regions, including traditional strongholds, and may lose the city of Barcelona for the first time in three decades.

Support for the Socialists has flagged as Zapatero turned his back on traditional allies to push through wage reductions and spending cuts to fight the sovereign-debt crisis. The run-up to the vote, a year before polls to choose Zapatero’s successor, has seen demonstrations against budget cuts, bank bailouts and a 30-year-old democracy that protesters say safeguards entrenched interests.

“The conservative victory will be pretty much a punishment vote for the Socialists,” Alejandro Quiroga, a political science professor at Newcastle University in the U.K., said in a telephone interview. “It will add to the perception that this is a government on its way out.”

Protesters pitched tents in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square on May 15 and have demonstrated there ever since. They are calling for changes to the electoral system to reduce the dominance of the two main parties and stem corruption, while opposing spending cuts and a youth unemployment rate of 45 percent. They also want to vote for lawmakers directly rather than for party lists, and propose scrapping the Senate, Spain’s upper house of Parliament. [...]

After the polls, the Socialist party will turn its attention to a leadership contest as Zapatero said last month he won’t seek a third term. Polls show the favorites are Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba and Defense Minister Carme Chacon. While the party has given a mixed response to the protests, Chacon said May 18 that she was “listening” to the protesters and some of their objectives are “not only reasonable but possible.”

Read the whole thing at Bloomberg.com.

I'd say I wish I could vote, but the choices look pretty dismal.

Carloz

Related posts:

Spain Makes A Sharp Right Turn - Socialist's suffer biggest defeat ever at the hands of the Popular Party

Inspired by Arab Protests, Spain's Unemployed Rally for Change

Spain joins the world in celebrating the inauguration of President Obama

The photo on the right can be found on the El Pais web site with the words: "El sueño americano accede al poder," or "The American dream comes to power." And today I have found Spaniards to be optimistic about President Barack Obama and expressing good will towards the USA.

An American friend and I took time off from work this afternoon to come to my apartment for a "multi-media" observance of the inaugural event. We watched Spanish television, saw an American web-cast on my computer and listened to NPR's live radio broadcast. We cheered, laughed, teared up, clapped and felt hopeful for our country and the world.

At the same time, in Madrid Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero reportedly watched the inauguration and listened to the new American President's speech in his home -- Moncloa Palace. The media reported that he claimed to believe that the ascension to office of President Obama "opens an opportunity" that the Spanish Government will not "waste." The PM, who did not exactly have a good relationship with former President G. W. Bush, was quoted as saying that Spain and the United States are "on a good road for a smooth and and fruitful relationship."

Zapatero described the American President's inaugural speech to reporters as something "very positive, that corresponds to the project that he advocated during...his campaign. A speech...that keeps alive the hope to achieve a more just international order, and for peace and dialogue to find a place in the conflicts that exist in the world today, and that the distribution of wealth is fairer."

Obama and Zapatero spoke on November 7, when the then President-elect returned the PM's congratulatory telephone call. On November 17th the then Vice President-Elect Joe Biden telephoned Zapatero to inform him of Obama's intention to tour Europe, and stop in Spain, sometime in early 2009. Zapatero and Obama will also have a chance to meet at the international economic summit to be held in London next April, and then again a few days later at the NATO summit in Strasbourg that will mark the 60th anniversary of that North American-European organization.

Meanwhile, I joyously join Spaniards and people around the world in saying "¡Bienvenido y buena suerte Presidente Obama!"

Carloz

P.S. Almost immediately after Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the USA, the White House web site reflected that change had come. Visit the site's home page here -- and the site has a blog! That's right, A BLOG!!

Is Pedro Solbes misreading, or misleading? That is the question.

In case anyone who follows this blog hasn't guessed by now, I have very little faith in Spain's Economy Minister, Pedro Solbes -- not that I have much faith in any of his colleagues, either. However, he holds a special place in my disdain because of what can only be his misreading of, or misleading about the economy

When he served in Brussels as European Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs (1999-2004), he denied that the introduction of the euro contributed to inflation. Then in December 2007 he said, "When I was in Brussels, I said the opposite, but now I can say that the euro has had an inflationary effect on low cost items." Was that a misreading, or was he misleading?

At that same time he predicted that Spain's inflation rate, which was 4.1%, would go below 3% by March 2008. Solbes was wrong again, as by April it had risen to 4.6%. By May it was 4.7%. Misreading, or misleading?

Solbes continued to deny there was an economic crisis through the first half of 2008, as people lost jobs, the cost of living soared, the real estate bubble burst, and the economy just generally went into the toilet. In May Solbes equated "crisis" with "recession," and added, "To talk about recession is exaggerated." Misreading, or misleading?

It seemed like he might be ready to admit the truth when it was leaked to the media that he used the word "crisis" in a June 10th closed door session of parliament. However, on June 11th he qualified that by saying, “Yesterday, the only thing I said was that we need to prepare for a crisis, but I never talked about 'the crisis.'” The official line from the Socialist Party spokesperson, José Antonio Alonso, was that Solbes had had a “slip of the tongue.” Misreading, or misleading?

Then to muddy the water further, he said on June 13th that while the Spanish economy was experiencing an “abrupt adjustment” he didn't use the word “crisis” because that would be "abusing a false affirmation. Crisis means that everything is going badly and that every other thing is going well, neither one thing or the other.” Misreading, or misleading?

By July he had finally started using the "C" word publicly, even declaring in one interview, "For me, this is the most complex crisis we have ever experienced because of the number of factors that are on the table." But around then he had moved on to avoiding the "R" word. In an interview in August he said, "We think there will be very low or flat growth in the coming quarters, but we are not thinking of a recession." Misleading, or misreading?

Last summer Solbes and Company forecast that Spain would avoid recession and that the GDP would actually grow a full 1%. This was very different from what most other economists were saying. Then yesterday he and the Government belatedly acknowledged the country is in a recession when he announced that his ministry was changing the forecast from one of GDP growth to one with a 1.6% drop. Misreading, or misleading?

Of course, there are still many non-government economists who are not as confident as Solbes, with some predicting the Spanish economy will contract as much as 3% this year. Neither the dire views of others, nor his lousy performance so far, seem to have given him pause. Indeed, while finally admitting he was wrong yesterday, he also had the temerity to make yet another prediction. According to his crystal ball (which must be what he uses in lieu of economic theory), 2009 will see the worst of the crisis, 2010 will witness GDP growth of 1.2%, and 2011 will experience a jump up to 2.6%. Misreading, or misleading?

Of course, people here say that Solbes is only delivering the information Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero wants him to, and I don't doubt it for a second. Certainly the buck stops with Zapatero, but it would be nice to have an Economy Minister who told the PM and the people what they needed to hear.

Instead what is it exactly that he offers? Is it misreading, or misleading? Double-speaking, or misspeaking? Denying, or lying? Call it what you will, but it does not often resemble the truth.

Finally, one more question: if you were running a business, would you hire someone with a track record like this?

Dios nos ayude, amig@s,

Carloz

Minimum Wage Spain = Salario Mínimo España

Some years ago I asked a Spanish colleague what the minimum wage was here and was met with a puzzled look. When I explained what I meant further, he said he didn't think there was such a thing -- an average, perhaps, but nothing guaranteed. This person was a professional with a post graduate degree, so I thought if he did not know, then there must not be such a thing in Spain.

Eventually, I learned that there is indeed such a thing, but that it is not a guaranteed hourly wage, but a monthly salary. The Spanish minimum wage is called the Salario Mínimo Interprofesional or the SMI and has existed since 1963. It supposedly pertains to all occupations, businesses and economic sectors. It is adjusted at regular intervals, usually each year, although the law allows for bi-annual adjustments. It is based on "normal working hours" (whatever that means), and is established according to various economic indices such as productivity, retail-price index, etc., and is protected from seizure by creditors.

I've read that since the SMI is so low, only about 0.7% of the employed population is affected by adjustments to it -- or 140,000 people. However, it is said to have an important indirect impact because the SMI is used as a reference point for establishing pensions and for collective pay negotiations. Spanish unions claim that it effects the remuneration of one million employees. That leaves about 18,860,000 people who are not affected.

In addition, before moving here and since living here, I have continuously heard and read that employers are supposed to pay their contracted employees 14 monthly payments a year, not 12. In the 9 years I have lived here, I have never received the two extra payments.

Anyway, I write all of this as background to the news that Prime Minister Zapatero announced yesterday that the SMI would go up 4%, to 624 euros a month. It is the lowest increase in the past five years. It is also much lower than the 7.5% a year that would be necessary for Zapatero to reach his campaign promise of a monthly SMI of 800 euros by 2012. So, now he's promised to raise it by 8.6% a over the next 3 years.

Yesterday the Government also approved a 2.4% raise in pensions for 2009. The average pension will be 741.62 euros a month.

It is estimated that the cost of living in 2008 went up 5.3%.

I suppose many Spaniards will be counting their pennies as well as their grapes when the clock strikes midnight next Wednesday.

Let's hope that 2009 is a better year in Spain and everywhere!

Saludos amig@s,

Carloz

Main sources: European Employment and Industrial Relations Glossaries and El País (Un final de ciclo amargo and El Gobierno eleva un 4% el salario mínimo, a 624 euros.)

The Spanish Constitution is 30 years old

It's a typical Constitution Day - Immaculate Conception "puente" (long weekend) here in Spain -- lovely weather, Christmas decorations everywhere, people milling about, restaurants packed with diners, politicians talking nonsense, etc.

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On this 30th anniversary of Spain's Constitution, opposition leader Mariano Rajoy has accused Prime Minister Jose Rodrigo Zapatero of destabilizing Spain. In case anyone might think he was mincing words, he threw in terms like irresponsible, frivolous and disturbing.

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Rajoy has assured everyone, however, that he did not want to cast a shadow over the country's celebrations. I suppose he simply wanted to get as much press coverage as possible -- which he seems to have done, as he's right up there on most front pages, along with reports on the Royal family's plans for today and Zapatero's revelation that in his opinion the Spanish Constitution, "has been, is and will be useful."

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I'm not sure if Z's remark was an example of faint praise or faint oratorical skill.

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We can only hope that no politicians will feel a need to comment on the Immaculate Conception.

Chao amig@s,

Carloz

One Year On!

It's been a little more than a year since I started blogging, so I thought I'd provide updates on some of the topics I've written posts about:

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BICING

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I've written a bit about Bicing, which also celebrated it's first year anniversary recently. Well, today's El País newspaper ran an article about the service's increasing growing pains: El Bicing genera 600 reclamaciones diarias por mal funcionamiento. (Bicing receives 600 complaints a day about technical problems.)
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This was based on information included in a report that City Hall made public yesterday, but which apparently had been making the rounds of municipal offices for a while. Perhaps the most damning part of the report was the revelation that a majority of users are dissatisfied with the functioning of the computerized stations where bikes are parked. Aside from some stations habitually not having bikes available, and others seeming to hardly ever have empty spaces for leaving-off a bicycle, other problems include system overloads which cause the whole computer network to fail. When this happens bikes cannot be removed from the stations and bikes that are left-off are not recognized as having been returned. Therefore, some people have been wrongly penalized for returning bikes late or fined for not returning bikes at all.

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More than 150,000 people currently subscribe to Bicing. Apparently a total of over 250,000 people have joined the program in the last 14 months, but more than 150 people drop out each month. Today Bicing has 367 stations and a fleet of 5,500 bicycles, with about 28 members for each bike. The plan is to grow the program to 6,000 bikes and 400 stations by September and then to postpone more growth until the operation of the service can be improved, for example, by installing a back up computer system to take over when the main one goes down.

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Who will pay for the improvements? The city will, although Clear Channel, the company that has the contract to run Bicing, was fined 22,000 euros this past January for not meeting the minimum quality indices that had been agreed to.

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Other statistics from the report included:

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- An average of 39,500 trips daily - 7.8 per bicycle.
- Each bicycle is ridden some 10,000 kilometers per year.
- As of last June 18, users had completed a total of 50,178 trips - 9.2 per bicycle.
- An average of six traffic accidents involving Bicing users are registered each month.
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If you are a Bicing user and want to have your voice heard, you can participate in a survey being conducted by researchers with Telefónica Investigación y Desarrollo (Research and Development) and the University of Washington. Click here to take the survey, which is available in English, Spanish and Catalan.

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By the way, I still hold a generally positive view of Bicing and am so glad that it exists. While not even close to perfect, it certainly has been a positive addition to my life -- and I bet it's better than anything they have in Paris!

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NEWSPAPERS / PERIÓDICOS
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A new daily newspaper appeared on the Spanish scene this past year. Público hit the stands in September, with the aim of attracting left of center readers in the 25-45 year old age group. The editor is 32 year old Ignacio Escolar, who is the son of journalist Arsenio Escolar, the editor of the free daily 20 minutos. The younger Escolar previously worked in television, radio and as a musician in the groups Meteostat and Dedcodek. He's also writes a popular blog called Escolanet.

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Of course, Público seems to be going head to head with El País, the country's other left leaning daily, which bills itself as, “the global Spanish language newspaper.” (El periódioco global en español) One of El País' directors, Juan Luis Cebrián, told the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, "We don't even see them as a competitor. It's like comparing The New York Times and The New York Post." So, I guess it was just a coincidence that the publishers of El País felt the need to revamp the paper last October, with the stated purpose of appealing to younger readers.

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Well, I still like El País, but I find that I like Público, too, and have been buying it pretty frequently. Anecodotically, I can say that many people I know seem to be doing the same.
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THE SUMMER SOLSTICE AND LA NOCHE DE SAN JUAN
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Another summer solstice / noche de San Juan came and went yesterday. Fantastic fireworks and thousands of party goers on Barcelona's streets and beaches. I read today that the local police estimated that there were 85,000 people on the city's “playas” last night. Of course the symbol of the year's shortest night is the bonfire, and so flames and firecrackers colored my neighborhood as usual, as well as all of Barcelona.

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However, it's not just Barcelona that celebrates la noche de San Juan. In towns in the Pyrenees there were traditional torchlight processions, Madrid saw urban bonfires and on Spain's islands there was fireside dancing in the moonlight.

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In Alicante, where one of the biggest San Juan festivals is held, the dazzling climax of the festivities won't happen until tonight. Larger than life wooden and paper maché figures are built by neighborhood associations as part of a city-wide competition and then are burnt to the ground at midnight on the 24th, setting the entire city aglow. What a way to welcome in the summer!
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THE ECONOMY
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Well, PM Zapatero couldn't quite bring himself to use the “c” word but at least he stopped using some of his favorite euphemisms (difficult scenario, period of adjustment) when he finally admitted yesterday that Spain's economy was in serious trouble. He couldn't let go of one ambiguity, however -- economic deceleration. At least he shuffled it along from a “deep deceleration ” to a “strong deceleration -- almost a sudden stop.”
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Better late than never? We'll have to wait and see if the 21 new proposals his government plans to make to address the CRISIS will do any good. So far the reaction has been muted to negative, with the governor of the Bank of Spain describing them as "insufficient." I wonder if that was a euphemism?
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

Crisis? What crisis?

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero finally presented his new government's economic plan on Saturday, while avoiding saying anything that might make it sound like Spain is facing serious economic problems. I think the reaction published in this Sunday's El País hit the nail on the head:

“Crisis? What crisis? 'A difficult scenario', 'a difficult period of adjustment' or 'a deep deceleration of the economy'. These are some of the terms the president of the government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, employed yesterday when referring to the current state of Spain's economy, which receives a blow each time a new economic indicator is revealed. The president attributes the deterioration to external factors (increased oil and food prices). Still, he announced a package of 'structural reforms' to make things more tolerable. There is nothing new in this battery of urgent measures.

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Unemployment is on the rise, inflation has gotten out of control, sales of homes have collapsed, sales of cars cannot even get off the ground, and the gross domestic product is losing wind. But Zapatero resists thinking that this is a crisis situation...

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The measures were neither new nor quantified. ...one consists of a 30% reduction of administrative charges that businesses bear. [However,] This was an action that had been announced in April of 2007...with the aim of lowering bureaucratic costs by 2012... ...other plans [included enhancing] railway competition and energy sharing with France.”

And this less than enthusiastic coverage was from a news organization sympathetic to Zapatero's socialist party! Imagine what the center and right leaning media wrote!!

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Most distressing to me was the revelation that this “plan” is to be incorporated into a national program of reforms which will be presented to the European Commission in October. A lot can happen between now and October!! What is the government planning on doing to address the so-called “difficult scenario” before then -- more thumb twiddling?!!!

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Perhaps the most interesting part of the El País report was the following:

“Microphones are treacherous -- above all when they are on without the speakers' knowledge. That was the case yesterday with the President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the owner of Planeta Publishing Corp., José Manuel Lara, who before the presentation made several recommendations regarding the crisis, as recorded by Channel Four:

Lara: 'For the time being, [the crisis] is not going to stop. I am afraid it's going to get worse in the second half of the year. That's what I fear.'

Zapatero: 'It's not clear'

Lara: 'I would advise that you not burn yourself...'

Zapatero: 'What?'

Lara: 'You shouldn't speak; have [Finance Minister] Solbes speak. You shouldn't burn yourself, because it could look bad as president'.

Zapatero: 'There is another factor you have to consider. That is, if you instill a lot of pessimism, if you don't say anything positive...'

Lara (interrupting him) : 'No, no, you make the crisis worse, yes, yes. ..'

Zapatero: 'That's what we're doing.'

Lara: '...but let the the Economy Minister, the Industry Minister affect optimism and the president be reserved. That's what I mean.' ”

Well, it seems we get a lot of optimism from Zapatero, Solbes and others, but not much action. Meanwhile, other Sunday headlines about the economy were not so optimistic: "The worst is yet to come" , "Everything about the crisis" , and one headline which quoted the President of the European Bank, "We must stay alert, now is not the time for complacency." It sounds like others believe that optimistic talk is not realistic.

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To be fair, from this consumer's viewpoint there was at least one good piece of news that came out this weekend: Spain's state-regulated electricity prices will not rise by the 11.3 percent the industry was hoping for. During an interview with the radio network Cadena Ser, Zapatero said the increase would be close to the rise in inflation. "The National Energy Commission proposal is not going to be adopted by the Government of Spain," he stated. Spain's inflation hit a record high of 4.7 percent in May, so I am hoping rates won't go up much more than 5%. If that's what happens, many of us in Spain will let out a “Phew!” of relief while bracing ourselves for whatever comes next in this non-crisis that the government seems dead set on being so upbeat about.

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Hasta luego amig@s,
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Carloz

Zapatero Zaps Opposition

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it had a nice ring to it. Anyway, Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialist party, the PSOE, did win yesterday's national election. However, they only gained one seat in the Congress of Deputies (from 168 to 169 out of a total of 350), which means they are still a bit short of an absolute majority. (Seven, to be exact.) Mariano Rajoy's conservative party, the PP, picked up 6 seats (from 148 to 153). This increase might be enough to assure that Rajoy stays on as party leader, although he was not seen or heard from today.
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The enigmatic conservative Catalan party, CiU (Convergence and Union), is the only other party that increased its seats, going from 10 to 11. With the ruling socialist party not having a strong majority, this Catalan nationalist party could have significant influence in the new parliament.

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Perhaps the most interesting result of the election was the drop in votes for smaller parties: the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia), which advocates independence for Catalonia, went from 8 seats to 3. Another of the regional nationalist parties, the Basque EAJ-PNV (Basque Nationalist Party), lost one seat to go down to 6. The left wing IU (United Left) went from 5 to 2 seats and the party leader, Gaspar Llamazares has since announced that he would resign. The few remaining seats went to CC-PNC (Canary Island Coalition - 2 seats), BNG (Galician Nationalist Bloc - 2), UPyD (Union, Progress and Democracy - 1 seat) and Na Bai (Navarre Yes - 1). The Aragonese Council and Basque Solidarity parties did not garner enough votes to win parliamentary seats.

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Interestingly, in the Senate, where there are currently a total of 259 seats, the PP (Popular Party) technically won more seats than the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers Party), although both parties declined in their total numbers. The PP went from 102 to 101 seats and the PSOE went from 81 to 89. There are more seats in the Senate and 56 of those are not elected but are appointed by regional legislatures. Of the other elected seats, 12 were won by the Catalan Coalition called Entesa (Catalan for "understanding") which is made up the Catalan socialist party (PSC), the ERC, ICV (Catalan Green Initiative) and EUA (United Alternative Left); 4 were won by CiU and 2 by the EAJ-PNV.

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Of the two houses, the Congress of Deputies has more power, including the authority to choose the Prime Minister and the ability to override most Senate decisions with a majority vote. Apparently one unique power of the Senate is to appoint judges.

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At his party's headquarters in Madrid, Zapatero gave a victory speech in which he paid tribute to victims of terrorism and their families, including the Basque socialist party member, Isiais Carrasco, who was assassinated by ETA last Friday. He then went on to say he would continue with things he has done well and correct his mistakes. Today the media seem to be presenting him as humbler and ready for dialogue. Only time will tell.

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I suppose among the things some voters view as accomplishments during his first 4 years were withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq in 2004, giving more autonomy to the Regional Communities that make up Spain, making divorce easier and legalizing same-sex marriage. However, these are not things that touch on most Spaniard's day to day lives in a significant way. In fact, on the subject of the economy, which effects everyone, I hear many people (even some who say they voted for him) grumbling that he has done nothing to address it. Many people seem to think he has more or less just let it coast along, pretty much on autopilot -- and now it seems to be crashing.

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So, why did Z's PSOE win in the Congress of Deputies? Well the consensus among people I've talked with is that people voted against parties rather than for a party. Perhaps people were tired of the squabbling caused by the smaller separatist and nationalist groups. Perhaps the PSOE's publicity aimed at making people frightened of the PP worked. Perhaps the PP's own broken-record mantra of fear mongering against immigrants and bemoaning the decline of "Spanish" family values put people off. Perhaps no other parties seemed to be offering meaningful alternatives. Perhaps people simply preferred Zapatero to Rajoy, as opposed to the PSOE to the PP. (Surveys indicated that Zapatero won the televised debates he had with Rajoy, which were watched by many Spaniards.)

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One final note: at 75%, voter turnout was as high as it was in the 2004 election. How does that compare to voter turnout in your country? It puts mine to shame.

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Chao amig@s,

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Carloz

English in Spain

According to a recent survey by researchers at IPSOS, 81% of Spaniards do not know English well, while only 4% have an advanced level of knowledge. Looking closer at the results, 20% have a basic knowledge, 19% very basic and 15% intermediate.
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Perhaps even more revealing were the findings that only 2% of the population are currently studying English and that 73% have never studied it outside of the basic classes provided in the country's school system.
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The highest percentage, 51%, of people lacking the ability to communicate in English occurred in towns with populations under 10,000. At the other end of the scale, 36% of those in metropolitan areas over 750,000 inhabitants could not communicate in English.
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Among respondents from 25 to 45 years of age, 46% of the women did not know English, compared with 38% of the men.
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As for educational background, 48% of those that had not attended university said they did not know English, followed by 39% with a basic level, 11% intermediate and 2% advanced. Of the 40% of those with university studies, 40% possessed an intermediate knowledge of English, 37% basic, 14% advanced and only 8% said they did had no knowledge of the language.
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By geographical areas, the largest percentage of those who did not know English were in the center of Spain (57%), followed by the south (50%), and the northwest (31%). The areas with the highest concentration of advanced levels were in the metropolitan area of Madrid (8%) and the East Coast (7%).
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Among people between 25 and 45 years, only 2% were currently studying English. The majority of these were doing so in an academy (54%) or via the Internet (22%). Other options were self study courses (13%), classes at work (11%), distance learning (9%) with a private teacher (8%) and at a city's publicly funded Official School of Languages.
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Among those not currently studying English but who had taken a course in the last five years, the most popular choice was a language academy (58%), followed by a distance course (11%), a private teacher (10%), studying abroad (10%), and Internet (3%).
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Although a majority of those surveyed thought it was very important to know English, 43% of those not currently studying the language cited a lack of interest as their reason for not doing so.
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Well, it looks like there is real need for the promises the two major political parties have made in the current electoral campaign about implementing programs are supposed to result in all high school graduates 10 years from now being fluent in English. Interestingly, neither of the candidates for Prime Minister (Zapatero and Rajoy) speak English. And for those of you who may have heard former Prime Minister Aznar speaking English on the news, he only learned it after he left office.
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

Z promises more English, Rajoy more Spanish

Z is the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodíguez Zapatero. One of his latest campaign promises is to put 20,000 native English teachers in public schools -- 12,000 part-time teachers and 8,000 English language assistants -- if the Socialist party wins the March 9th general election.

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Meanwhile, challenger Mariano Rajoy has said that if the Popular Party wins he will pass a law giving parents in Spain the right to have their children enducated in Spanish. This is actually aimed at the Autonomous Region of Catalonia, as public education here is conducted in Catalan. (All other Autonomous Regions where two languages are spoken give parents the option of sending their children to Spanish language or local language schools.)
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¡Vamos a ver!

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Carloz

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P.S.

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If you want to read more on the Spanish election, the BBC news website today ran a pretty good little overview of it in an article entitled, "Spanish PM Faces Voters' Verdict." I especially liked the following line in the article: "If the US election is a marathon, Spain's is a sprint." Thank God for that!

It's election time!

Not the US election, but the Spanish election. On March 9 Spaniards will go to the polls to vote for Parliament -- 350 seats in the lower chamber, the Congress of Deputies ,and 208 seats in the upper chamber, the Senate. The make-up of the Parliament determines which party (or which coalition of parties) selects the Prime Minister, who is also referred to as the President of the Government.
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The two major parties are the conservative PP (Partido Popular - Popular Party), led by Mariano Rajoy and the PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español - Spanish Socialist Workers Party), led by the current Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Other parties include:the United Left (IU), Convergence and Union (CiU), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).
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Compared to the USA, campaigns in Spain are relatively brief -- thank God! While there is plenty of maneuvering and posturing for a few months before the election, advertisements are only allowed during an officially designated campaign period. For example, on January 14 of this year the Spanish government approved the dissolution of Parliament and called for general elections on March 9. The official electoral campaign runs from February 22 until March 7.
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However, before the advertising begins parties issue statements, candidates make promises, polls are conducted and the media covers it all. So far the PSOE has promised to a 400 euro tax rebate for all citizens, while the PP has said it would require immigrants to sign a "contract" promising to learn Spanish, adapt to the culture and traditions of Spain and obey the nations laws. Both parties promise more nurseries and pre-schools, higher pensions and to plant trees to combat climate change. (The PSOE was the first to come up with the tree offer, and said it would plant 45 million trees nationwide. Last week the PP upped the ante by promising to plant 500 million! So, either way, Spain will be greener by 2012, right? Yeah, right!)
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As for controversy, well, the Spanish Catholic Church got into the act by issuing a letter telling its members not to vote for parties that support abortion rights and gay marriage -- in other words, don't vote for the PSOE. (The Zapatero government introduced full gay marriage in Spain in 2005. The PP has said it does not intend to overturn it.) The Government was so bothered by the Spanish Bishop's Conference intrusion into the political process that it had its ambassador to the Vatican make a formal complaint. (The Pope has yet to respond -- and if he does, I'll bet it's with a similar letter of his own.)
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The economy is a major issue and will surely affect the outcome. The Spanish housing market bubble is deflating, if not exactly bursting, with prices beginning to fall; price increases for basic necessities have been sharp; unemployment is rising; and because of world-wide economic instability, Spaniards seem to be a little jittery in general. This has been a rather recent turn around, coming after a few years of steady economic growth.
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This change in exonomic fortunes probably has done more than anything else to allow the PP to cut into the PSOE's lead in the polls. A month ago, the PSOE was widely seen as having the best chance at victory. Now, according to one major survey reported on in today's El Pais, the PSOE has only a 2.9% lead over the PP.
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So, who will win? ¿Quien sabe?

Christmas, New Year and King's Day Traditions in Spain / Tradiciones de Navidad, Nuevo Año y Reyes en España

Today is the 27th of December. I've had a very nice holiday season so far and am looking forward to more of the same. Christmas, St. Stephens Day (the 26th, which is a bank holiday in Catalonia) and today have all been sunny and cool here in Barcelona -- highs around 16º C (60º F), lows around 5º C (40º F). On Monday I will head out to Bilbao for 5 days and return just in time for Kings Day. Then, it's back to work on the 7th.
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This is my eighth holiday season in Spain, so far, and in my opinion, it's a great time of year to be here. While I admit that I'm prejudiced and think any time of year in Spain is great, for me this one is definitely a highlight. I've been lucky enough to have experienced the season not only in Barcelona, but also in Madrid, Valenica, Sevilla, Salamanca, Sevilla and Burgos.
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Spain's holiday season begins in early December and doesn't end until January 7th, the day after Kings Day. Things more or less kick-off with the holidays of Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception, on December 6th and 8th respectively. By this time Spanish towns and cities are decorated with holiday lights and gift shopping for Kings Day is in full swing. Two widespread traditions soon follow: public Christmas markets and life sized nativity scenes.
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The public Christmas markets are held in plazas throughout the country. Stalls are set-up to sell crafts, decorations, sweets, candles, fruits, nuts and flowers. Colorfully decorated Christmas trees are erected and the Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos) are usually available to receive letters with gift requests from children. Indeed, these three exotic looking gentlemen are not only seen at Christmas markets, but also at shopping centers, schools, on television, etc. And, of course, the Three Kings are also included in nativity scenes.
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The life sized Nativity Scenes (called Belens in Spanish, which translates as Bethlehems, in Catalan they are called Pesebres), are usually constructed near the town hall. Barcelona's is always in front of city hall in Plaza Sant Juame. On the subject of Nativity Scenes in Barcelona, Catalonia has a tradition of adding its own unique character to the scene: El Caganer.

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Caganer translates as "the defecator" or, more commonly, "the crapper." This interesting little figure does his business on the sidelines of the Nativity Scene -- for example, behind a tree or under a bush. Indeed, it can be a bit of a game to find the little fellow in some of the Nativity Scenes on display. El Caganer has been around since at least the 17th century. Explanations I have heard for this tradition include:

• he originated among the working classes in order to poke fun at the then new tradition of Nativity Scenes among the upper middle class;


• he is fertilizing the earth;


• his activity causes us to reflect on the humanity of Jesus, because all people have to defecate;
  
• it is a comment on equality, because again, all people have to defecate, regardless of origin, race, gender, etc.

Regardless of how and why the tradition came to exist, today the popular figures can be bought at Christmas markets, seen in homes or in public displays and can be male, female, a traditional looking Catalan or an effigy of a famous individual. Zapatero and Henry Thierry are particularly popular caganers this year.
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This is not the only scatological Christmas tradition in Catalonia, as there is also El Caga Tío, or the Pooping Log. (In Spanish it is called, El Caga Tronca.) El Caga Tío is a paper mache "yule log" stuffed with candy. On Christmas Eve children beat the log with sticks until it breaks open to "poop" it's contents. While beating the log children sing traditional songs, usually with a refrain along the lines of, "Poop, log, poop!"
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Little gifts and treats are given on Christmas Eve throughout Spain, which is called La Noche Buena (the Good Night), but the major gift giving day is El Día de Los Reyes. (This literally translates as Kings Day, but is more commonly known in English as Epiphany or Twelfth Night.)
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The Three Kings, therefore, are especially important to Spanish children, because they are the ones who bring presents. The Kings are known as Melchor, Gaspar and Balthazar, and represent Europe, Arabia and Africa. Children write letters to the Three Kings, visit them at shopping centers and leave food out for them on the night of January 5th. Instead of Christmas parades, Spain has Kings Parades, which are traditionally held at sunset on the 5th -- and the Kings don't use reindeer, but camels! Then on January 6th, kids wake up to find gifts left by Los Reyes Magos -- and on January 7th, New Year sales finally begin!
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Santa Claus, or Papa Noel as he is known here, is around, too, but in a less significant sense. In fact, he is a rather recent addition brought on by Hollywood and commercial interests.
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Of course, in-between Christmas and Kings Day comes New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is called Noche Vieja (Old Night) and is celebrated with street parties and by swallowing 12 grapes at midnight, one for each toll of the bell, along with a nice bottle of cava.
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Felices fiestas amig@s,
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Carloz

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P.S. This is my 100th post!

The day after the National Day of Spain / El día despues del Día Nacional de España

Headlines in all of Spain's daily papers today focused on the fact that Prime Mininister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was booed by people in the crowd at yesterday's official observance of the Día Nacional de España in Madrid.

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Since the same thing happens every year, I fail to see how it merits such treatment; and none of the headlines referred to it being a recurrence. Nor did any of the headlines point out that this occurred despite Zapatero and his party leading slightly in the polls. Maybe these additional points were made in articles or editorials, but I didn't notice that in the newspaper I read today -- La Vanguardia. I have to admit, though, that today I basically skimmed it.
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Regarding the usual absence of leaders from certain regions at the event, according to La Vanguardia this year's official observance saw the highest representation of Autonomous Region heads. The only regions not represented were the Basque Country and Murcia. Why weren't their leaders there? Well, among other sore points, the Basque leader Juan José Ibarretxe wants a referendum on independence in his region and Madrid has nixed that. As for Murcia, it is headed by Ramón Luis Valcárcel, a member of the opposition Popular Party, but I don't know whether he stayed away in protest or for some other reason.
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Catalonia's leader, José Montilla, was there and apparently made a point of spending time with the King. This followed recent incidents of protesters in Catalonia burning photos of the King. Montilla had previously lamented these acts, describing them as non-productive.

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By the way, Zapatero and the regional leaders function as prime ministers in their respective governments. However, they are commonly referred to as presidents, which is shorthand for President of the Government. To me prime minister is more accurate, so that's what I usually use.
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OK, off politics and civics for now.
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

Mercy, mercy me, it's La Merce!

Today has been another public holiday in Barcelona. The last one was September 11th, which is sort of "Catalonia Day" and is called the Diada. Today, September 24th, is a holiday in the city of Barcelona, not in all of Catalonia nor anywhere else in Spain. It's called "La Mercè" which means The Mercy and which refers to Our Lady of Mercy. It's Barcelona's "Fiesta Mayor" or "Main Festival."
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Every city, town and village in Spain has a "fiesta mayor" and many were originally based on saints and such. In big cities, in addition to the official ones which are public holidays, every neighborhood has it's own little "fiesta mayor" which, while not official holidays, involve such things as parades, street parties, communal meals, concerts, carnivals for children, etc. I suppose one of the reasons for these little fiestas is that many big city neighborhoods were once separate towns. Anyway, just about every week in Barcelona there is a neighborhood "fiesta mayor" somewhere. But La Merce is the whopper of 'em all.
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Nearly every corner of the city has had something going on this weekend, including parades, firework displays, food tents, arts and crafts booths, outdoor concerts, etc. I just came in from the final parade of day, the Parade of the Giants. The giants, known as "gigantes y cabezudos" in Spanish, are made of paper mache and are worn like a costume by marhers. Cartoonish and imposing at the same time, they are representative of Kings, Queens, Pirates, Fishmongers, Laborers, Dragons and more. There was one of a woman with a breast exposed who was holding a platter with a stingray on it. I couldn't quite figure that one out. There was also a pair of giants dressed like a priest and a showgirl that seemed to resemble Prime Minister Zapatero and his wife. Hmmmm.

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One of my favorite parts of the close of the festivities is the ability to walk in the middle of Via Laietana at dusk with hundreds of other people. This street, normally full of vehicular traffic, is converted into a pedestrian walkway after the parade. Walking in the middle of it allows for a different perspective of the architecture.
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On my way home tonight I also walked through the street carnival that has been set up near the Barceloneta Yacht Basin. To be honest I had one thing in mind -- to buy fresh, hot, sugar-coated churros! My objective was easily reached, so now I will say goodbye and enjoy the treat. (OK, OK... I admit I ate a few before I got home. However, more await!)
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

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P.S. I was inspired this weekend to translate/adapt the articles about La Merce that appear in the Spanish and Catalan versions of Wikipedia for the English version, since it had contained nothing about the holiday previously. If you want to read about its history, click the following link: La Merce on Wiki.

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P.S. The photo above is from Larry&Flo's postings on Flickr. For more great photos of the event visit their pages.

Crude Cartoon Controversy or Freedom of Speech Challenge?

Defenders of freedom of the press are up in arms about the forced withdrawal of a national publication. Spain's Supreme Court ruled today that a crude cartoon of Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia having sex was an insult to the royal family and the people they reign over.

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Judge Juan del Olmo ordered authorities to seize all copies of the magazine running the cartoon, as well as the mold used to print it. He also demanded that the publishers provide the name of the cartoonist for possible prosecution. Apparently slandering or defaming the Spanish Royal Family is illegal and punishable by up to two years in prison.

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The cartoon appeared on the cover of the current issue of El Jueves, a satirical publication. In it, the cartoon-Prince says, "You know, if you get pregnant, this will be the closest thing I'll have done to work in my life."

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Aside from targeting the Royal Family, who are supported by taxpayer money, the cartoon is also aimed at Prime Minister Zapatero's recently inaugurated program to pay 2,500 euros to the parents of newborns and newly adopted children.

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"You've noticed the elections are coming, ZP! 2500€ per child," is splashed above the cartoon.

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The complete name of the publication is "El Jueves, la revista que sale los Miércoles." ("Thursday, the magazine that comes out on Wednesdays.") Similar to Mad Magazine or National Lampoon, it was first published in 1977, two years after the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco died. This is the first time an issue has been withdrawn. It is irreverent, popular and never subtle.

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On its web site today El Jueves posted a sample of the cartoon (as did just about every newspaper in Spain, except for the right-leaning ABC) along with a statement that I've translated below:

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July 20, 2007?
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We are writing this note on Friday, July 20, 2007, at 7pm. Our editorial offices are filled with media representatives asking about the banning of our magazine. We do not know how to respond to them. El Jueves has published dozens, hundreds of cartoons of the Royal family -- and of politicians, celebrities, ETA and anything that moves. We have even published a book, TOUCHING THE BORBONS, a 350 page compilation of the most amusing of these cartoons.

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We are graphic humorists and we work fully aware of our charge, what the readers expect of us, which is to explore the limits of freedom of speech. We can actually accept that on occasion we may be excessive. It's part of the job. If we go too far, there are the courts but...banning? The police inspecting newsstands throughout the country and pulling our magazine? Are we really writing this on July 20, 2007?

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What do you think? / ¿Que crees?

Spain's Saturday News: The bulls, nudes and politicians are running!

The running of the toros begins in Pamplona. The bulls were after the crowds in the streets of Pamplona today for the first 'encierro' (bull run) of the Festival of San Fermin. Of course injuries are inevitable as throngs make a mad dash ahead of the two ton animals charging down the narrow streets, but only seven people have been treated for minor injuries so far.
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Last year, more than 200,000 people traveled to Pamplona, according to the city government, and even more are expected this year because the start of the festival fell on the beginning of a weekend. The major day of the festival is always July 7th, when thousands march and dance through the streets of Pamplona with an effigy of Saint Fermin.
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Every day of the festival has a carnival atmosphere, with rides, dancing and lots of wine and sangria. At night the partying intensifies, with street entertainers and large puppet-like 'giants' roaming around. Then in the morning, the encierro begins again.

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Click here for photos of the fiesta.
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The running of the desnudos, too. This past Thursday Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) organized a nude march through Pamplona. Animal rights activists wearing red scarves, fake horns and not much else chanted slogans such as, ''Bulls yes! Bullfighters no!'' and ''Torture isn't culture.''
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A statement on PETA’s website reads: “The Running of the Bulls and bullfighting are often justified as culture and tradition, but some traditions – like child labour and slavery – are bad and need to end.”

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Click here for photos of the event.
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Then there's the running of the politicos. El Pais reported today that according to a survey conducted by CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas), 45% of those surveyed who sRunning of theaw or listened to the debate thought Prime Minister Zapatero won, while only 16.5% thought opposition leader Rajoy did. In addition, 60% responded that Zapatero seemed knowledgeable about the problems facing the country, 70% that he demonstrated moderation during the debate and 63% that he handled criticism well. Rajoy scored 56%, 34% and 34% respectively on the same questions.
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Click here to see more of the results.

Friday's News in Spain: The Prince, Nature & Science; Zapatero and his ministers; local audience lacking for Spanish cinema

Prince of Asturias Foundation awards Communications prize to 'Nature' and 'Science': British and American publications ‘Science’ and ‘Nature’ have jointly received the 2007 Prince of Asturias Communications Prize. Other nominees this year included the BBC and Google. The prestigious award includes 50,000 € ($67,000 and a Joan Miró designed statuette.

This is the fifth of the Prince of Asturias awards to be announced so far this year. Other winners in 2007 have been Al Gore (the International award), Bob Dylan (Arts), Amos Oz (Literature) and Ginés Morata and Peter Lawrence (Science). Later this month the Social Science award will be announced, followed by the Sports and Concorde awards in September.

'Science' magazine is a US weekly that was first published in New York in 1880. The British journal 'Nature' dates back to 1869.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation, headed by Spanish Crown Prince Filipe, awards eight prizes every year. It was founded in 1980 with the objectives of, "strengthening the links between the Principality of Asturias and its Prince and of contributing to upholding and promoting all those scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form the heritage of humanity."

Zapatero makes cabinet changes ahead of election: Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has announced a cabinet reshuffle, including the dismissal of three ministers -- Jordi Sevilla (Public Administration), Carmen Calvo (Culture) and María Antonia Trujillo (Housing).

Elena Salgado will move from Health to Public Administration. Cesar Antonio Molina of the Cervantes Institute becomes Culture Minister, molecular biology investigator, Bernat Soria, becomes Health Minister and parliament vice-president, Carmen Chacón, becomes Housing Minister. Chacón, at 36, is the youngest minister in the government and arguably has the most difficult portfolio in that Spanish citizens are experiencing a housing "shortage" while a corruption and speculation support a real estate boom in tourist areas.

Opposition Popular Party (PP) leader, Mariano Rajoy reacted to the changes by saying: "There is no crisis. This is simply a cosmetic operation which can't disguise the fact that this government lacks any credibility."

Reportedly Zapatero had decided a few weeks ago on making the changes and that he would announce them after the State of the Nation debate.

An election is due to be called by net spring. Polls show Zapatero's socialist PSOE party as more popular than the PP.

Top 25 movies in Spain -- not 1 Spanish: El Mundo reported that so far in 2007 there has not been a Spanish movie in the top 25 films at the Spanish box office! Out of a total of 45.8 million movie tickets sold in Spain since January, only 3.7 million were for films from Spain.

Click here to see the list of the 25 most popular films in Spain during the first half of 2007 and here to see the 10 most popular Spanish films.

Spain's Wednesday News: Zapatero & Rajoy; Bread & Butter; Valencia & Dubai

Zapatero vs. Rajoy: The big story today was the State of the Nation debate between socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy.

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Some say Zapatero was kicking off his re-election campaign with his promise to give families €2,500 ($3,400 or £1,700) for every newborn child. However, he claimed it was one way to encourage childbirth in a country with one of the lowest birth rates in the world. "We need more families and more children to progress in Spain," Mr Zapatero said.

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He also promised that the country would reach full employment within the next five years and to reduce the number of Spaniards with only temporary employment.

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Regarding ETA, he accepted responsibility for the failed negotiations, saying he was aware of the risks and the opportunities in trying to talk with the terrorist organization. However, he said that was over now and in future his government would do everything it could, including asking for international assistance, to make the terrorists' lives "impossible".

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For his part, Rajoy focused much of his time on terrorism. He said that negotiating with ETA was the most important failure of Zapatero. "While your government has been taking a three-year siesta our neighbours have been using economic reforms to increase competitiveness and productivity. We need more competition, more flexibility, a better education system and a better image abroad" he said. He also challenged Zapatero on his handling of the deaths of Spanish soldiers in Lebanon and Afghanistan and illegal immigration.

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National elections are due to be called by next March.

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Bread & Butter Returns to Barcelona: Urban Style Fair Bread & Butter, which began in Cologne, in 2001, jumped to Berlin in 2003 and then spread to Barcelona 2005, starts it's 2007 version today. What's involved? Fashion shows, concerts, dances, art exhibitions and parties. For more details here's the official BREAD & BUTTER BARCELONA web site.

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Valencia or Dubai in 2110: Now that Valencia's successful hosting of the America's Cup has resulted in another win for Alinghi of Switzerland, news reports are saying that Alinghi will probably keep the event in the Spanish city for the next competition, although Dubai is apparently in the running. For more details here's the official America's Cup web site.

Spain’s Tuesday News: State Funeral; Catalonia’s Internet Project; Busy Ports; Touré’s Turn

Copied from original http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/ posting by Carloz on 26 June, 2007

Today was declared a national day of mourning, with flags flown at half-mast and a state funeral held for the six soldiers killed by a carbomb in Lebanon on Sunday. Crown Prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, government ministers, dignitaries and family members of the victims attended the service in Madrid.

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The soldiers will be buried in their places of birth. Three were Spanish and three were Spanish residents originally from Colombia. 5.5% of the Spanish army is made up of immigrants, the majority Colombian and Ecuadorian.

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The fact that the soldier’s armoured personnel carrier did not have a frequency inhibitor to prevent attacks by remote control bombs has been the subject of some debate here. While the government pledged to speed up the installation of such devices, officials pointed out that Spain is no different from other UN troops in Lebanon, who do not have these special devices either.
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Internet use is healthy! The most autonomous, enterprising, sociable, inventive and active people in Catalunya are those that use the internet most frequently, as opposed to the stereotype of internet users as marginal, isolated and too introspective. That is one of the conclusions of the Open University of Catalonia’s Internet Project, a sociological study aimed at learning about the public’s use of the internet as well as user profiles. The study also found that local internet users have more friends and have less of a tendency to suffer from depression.

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The report, which was presented yesterday, shows that 30% of the most creative and innovative people in Catalonia are found among internet users. The project’s 40 investigators carried out 15,390 in-person interviews and another 40,400 via the internet between 2001 and the 2007. The regional government financed the project.

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Here’s a link to the article in El Periodico de Catalunya:

ttp://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=419101&idseccio_PK=1021

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And the busiest ports on the Mediterranean are…in Spain! According to Javier Aznar of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona’s Maritime Documentation Center, when it comes to container ships, the port of Algeciras is the busiest. Algeciras is situated between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and is also a natural connecting point between the continents of Europe and Africa. As for passenger ships, Barcelona is not only the leader in the Mediterranean, but in all of Europe.

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By the way, the Maritime Museum is a real jewel that I think many tourists fail to discover. It is located in what was for 700 years one of Spain’s Royal Shipyards! Check it out! http://www.museumaritimbarcelona.com/default.asp?idApartado=102

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And in soccer (or fútbol) it’s Touré’s turn. The day after media star Thierry Henry’s presentation to Barça fans, the spotlight touched Ivory coast midfielder, 24 year old Yaya Touré, who signed for 4 years and whom Barça will pay Monaco 9 million euros. Meanwhile, Barça is waiting to see if Rome accepts its offer for the Romanian defender Cristian Chivu.

Spain’s Sunday News Highlights: Who are more undesirable - French tourists, cats, dogs or politicians? Read and decide!

Fresh from reading El Pais and El Periodico at the beach, here are some of the items that struck me:

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Hoteliers Fear French Tourists and Idolize the Japanese.

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(By the way, this article had me, and the French friend who was with me, howling!)
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According to a survey of European hoteliers by GfK for Expedia, the Japanese are the favorite tourists, while the French — well the article said, “son groseros, quejicas y no se adapten a la cultura del lugar que visitan.” (They are rude, complaining and do not adapt themselves to the culture of the places they visit.)

.Where the Japanese were considered polite and interested in local culture and cuisine, the French were generally described as poor tippers who refuse to even try to learn a few words of the language of the host country and who show little interest in trying local culinary specialties. Only in fashion consciousness did they excel, along with Italians and Spaniards.

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The article also pointed out that the survey broke with some sterotypes; namely, that of American’s as arrogant and not interested in other languages. Although Americans ranked highest in the category of complainers and were seen as the worst dressers, they were ranked number one in the categories of trying to speak the local language, interested in trying the local cuisine and tipping.

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The Germans and British were noted for their lack of fashion sense. The Russians and the British scored low on respecting local customs.

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All-in-all, the top 5 tourist groups were: 1. Japanese; 2. Americans; 3. Swiss; 4. Swedish and 5. Germans. At the bottom of the list of 28 nationalities were: 24. British; 25. Russians; 26. Chinese; 27. Indians and 28. French.

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The article then had an interesting postscript about a Japanese doctor who has identifed something called the Paris Syndrome. Here is my translation of what was written about this condition:

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“That the words thanks and please have almost disappeared from the dictionaries of the French is not only verified by the GfK survey, which was carried out in April. It is also verified, with genuine fear, by the Japanese that land in the French capital. The cultural clash that occurs between the code of reverential conduct and hyper-respectfulness of the Japanese visitors and the aggressiveness and lack of courtesy of many waiters, sales clerks and Parisian cabdrivers is transformed, in some cases, into an illness that has been named the Paris Syndrome by Dr. Hiroaki Ota.

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“Each year he diagnoses about twenty cases among subjects of the Chrysanthemum Throne who visit the city they idealize as the mecca of culture and love. Auditory and visual hallucinations, feelings of persecution, confusion, anguish and even depression are some of the symptoms. There are some who do not overcome the clash. In the most serious cases, he opts for hospitalizing and repatriating the patient.”

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Clcik here for the online version of the article.

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This country is going to the dogs - and cats: Sticking with El Periodico and surveys, in an article entitled The Spaniard, tolerant of pets, another poll found that 53% of Spaniards interviewed were in favor of cats and dogs being allowed in hotels, restaurants, beaches and other public places, while another 37% thought this should be allowed as long as the animals behave themselves.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Both El Pais and El Periodico had a lot of coverage of the agreement reached among the 27 EU countries on a new “treaty.” El Periodico claimed, “Europe Unblocked with Concessions to Poland” , while El Pais announced “Europe Regains Its Pulse.”

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El Pais described Merkel as having played the bad cop and Sarkozy the good in negotiations with Poland at the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels this weekend. It reported that Germany threatened to leave Poland out of future negotiations on the treaty by the Inter-Governmental Conference Group if President Kaczynski continued to hold up the agreement. The paper claimed that Merkel’s forcefulness, along with Sarkozy’s skilled negotiations over the telephone with Prime Minister Kaczynski (who was in Warsaw) were key elements of a successful strategy. It also cited efforts by the PMs of Spain, Britain and Luxembourg: Zapatero, Blair and Junker.

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Tweedele Dumb and Tweedle Dumber: The Kaczynski brothers are increasingly depicted in an unfavorable light in much of the Spanish media. A cartoon in today’s El Pais depicted them wearing identical police officer uniforms and interchangable scowls while looking down at a pair of ants on a beach. The caption read: “Polish police check with horror on the promiscuous nudity of ants on the beaches of the Baltic sea.”

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Click here to see the cartoon.

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And that’s all from me from Spain for now…

Copied from original http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/ posting by Carloz on 24 June, 2007