Jose Saramago has died

Jose Saramago, Portugal’s only Nobel prize winning author, has died at the age of 87 at his home on the island of Tenerife. The poor son of Portuguese peasants, he taught himself to read and write at a local library after being forced to drop out of school at a young age to work to support his family. He has written a number of insightful books which have explored the people of Portugal and Spain, Continue reading Jose Saramago has died

Utah firing squad death announced on Twitter

Frankly, I found this story to be rather chilling. The Attorney General of Utah used Twitter to confirm last night that he had ordered the execution of a prisoner by firing squad, to the world. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10348685.stm But Mr Shurtleff’s 134-character composition was no ordinary post. This was not a piece of miscellany from the 53-year-old’s home life, a link chosen to amuse or interest his followers, nor even a political prod at his Democratic rivals. Continue reading Utah firing squad death announced on Twitter

Gig in the parque

On the third of the July a benefit concert is taking place at the parque de las palmeras in Vera. It’s to be called gig in the parque. Local performers and artists will be onstage playing in aid of local charities such as Asprodalba, Macs, Paws, Amazonia and more. A whole host of expat and Spanish performers will be there, I am told. Last details are still being organised, but more information is coming soon.

A Different Corner: Exploring Spanish Football

I’m not a huge football fan, but I found this book to be interesting. It’s an interesting review of Spanish football by expat Richard Bretnall, as written by him after travelling the country and after he investigated the history behind Spanish football. Via the medium of football, Richard manages to get closer to Spain and it’s traditions. Here’s his description, which is better than any I could write: Fed up by life in a country Continue reading A Different Corner: Exploring Spanish Football

Senate approves viability study for a new Parador

The Spanish Senate’s Committee on Tourism, Commerce and big floppy eared bunnies has agreed to a PSOE backed iniciative to commence a viability study to see if Almería warrants a new Parador hotel. The motion, which has been around for years, was shot down last year when Parador Hotels published their five year expansion plan, ruling out Almería. This has not slowed down Senator Asensio (Almería province; he’s also sec gen of the provincial PSOE Continue reading Senate approves viability study for a new Parador