For the neutral football fan, it seems it’s increasingly hard not to dislike Cristiano Ronaldo. Just witness the abuse he receives at virtually every stadium in Spain apart from Real Madrid’s Bernabéu. There are indeed some compelling motives to feel this way. How about his huffy indignation when a teammate fails to pass him the ball when he is in space, or those carefully rehearsed poses he strikes after scoring (or even after missing). Or the reckless use of hair gel. Or, rather more damningly, an insistence on putting his own glory ahead of that of his team (such as when he refused to celebrate a Karim Benzema goal last season, after the Frenchman followed up to sweep in Ronaldo’s own … [Read more...] about What, another reason to hate Cristiano Ronaldo?
Archives for March 2011
The Spaniards who fought for Hitler
On June 24, 1941, two days after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, General Francisco Franco announced the creation of a Spanish volunteer unit “to fight Bolshevism” that would eventually grow to include some 48,000 troops. The División Azul, or Blue Division, was incorporated into the German Armed Forces as the 250th Division of the 16th Army and fought on the Russian Front. Its name came from the blue shirts worn by the Falange, the political movement that Franco took over, but its soldiers wore German Wehrmacht uniforms. In 1944, with the United States in the war and Soviet troops advancing on Germany, it was disbanded, although some Spanish soldiers fought in the defence of Berlin … [Read more...] about The Spaniards who fought for Hitler
Tax tips for expats in Portugal
One of the biggest shockers that you will ever encounter as an expat living in Portugal is the tax system, so make sure you give it your full care and attention. If you live in Portugal and get your pension from England you are liable for tax in both countries. Also, if you do not declare it to the tax man in Portugal they actually have the right to kick you out of the country. So make sure that you are legit with your tax from the moment go! The tax system is also very different to England, so expect to have to learn a new tax system once you become an expat in Portugal. The rate of personal income tax in Portugal is below the national average of its fellow EU countries but it … [Read more...] about Tax tips for expats in Portugal
Socialist disarray points to heavy local election loss
A snowballing corruption scandal in Andalusia; a bizarre electoral list mix-up; a cancelled campaign rally; and a hospitalised minister. The last few days haven’t been good for the Socialist Party (PSOE). All these developments have been, to varying degrees, bad for the Socialists as they prepare for the May 22 regional and municipal elections across the country. As a result the party has given off an image of rushed improvisation and poor communication, just when a cool head was needed. The “ERE” scandal is dragging the names of several Andalusian Socialists through the mud, due to their association with a scam which saw the fraudulent doling-out of early retirement payments. … [Read more...] about Socialist disarray points to heavy local election loss
Spain held hostage by its banks
When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, the Bank of Spain was one of few regulators lauded for having had the forethought to enact measures aimed at protecting the banking industry. It had prevented Spanish banks and savings banks from handing out the junk loans that brought down several American lenders, and, uniquely, it created a €40-billion “anti-crisis” fund at a time when many shorter-sighted bankers, economists and analysts thought the credit boom, on the back of low interest rates and rising property prices, would continue indefinitely. Four years later, Spain’s economy is now being held hostage by its banking industry as fears about the ability of banks and, in … [Read more...] about Spain held hostage by its banks
Recycling woes
Germany ranked first by recycling treating half of its waste for that year. But the two countries both generated nearly the same amount of municipal waste per person -- between 500 kg and 600 kg per person. Fifty-two percent of Spain´s garbage is dumped in landfills while that figure for Germany is zero. After recycling, incinerating and compost are the two other methods Germans use to dispose of their waste. In Spain, incineration accounted for nine percent and compost 24 percent. Yes, it may be a chore to put those plastic bottles in the yellow bin and walk down the street to deposit the glass bottles and paper inside those dark green square hubs. But it is time to catch up with the rest … [Read more...] about Recycling woes
Sex and the Spanish single lady
Madrid is full of women who are beautiful, intelligent, financially independent, over 30 and…single. It seems particularly hard for these single ladies to find their partner for life. With a ratio of 1.07 men to women and a deeply entrenched Catholic culture that promotes traditional family values, what’s behind this trend, if it’s not the numbers? Society and culture tell us we should all dream of finding a soul mate to spend our lives with and create a family, but the rules of the game have changed. Women no longer have to put up with things they don’t want. They don’t have to depend financially on a man. Their place in society does not depend any more on being someone’s wife. Yet many … [Read more...] about Sex and the Spanish single lady
Morocco’s Mohammed VI treads a fine line with reforms
Morocco’s king has decided to do the right thing. Whether purely out of a perceived need to save his own skin or because the Arab uprisings have reminded Mohammed VI of his cherished pretensions to be a reforming monarch, it is hard to say. Maybe a bit of both. But his surprise announcement on Wednesday of constitutional reforms was both wise and prudently timed. On February 20, tens of thousands of Moroccans gathered in dozens of cities to call for a loosening of the kingly grip on power and the introduction of truly representative democracy. The state did not suppress the protests and a further show of popular force has been planned for March 20. Mohammed VI said he would not be pushed … [Read more...] about Morocco’s Mohammed VI treads a fine line with reforms
March 11’s divisive legacy (revisited)
In the middle of February, the Spanish government announced that it was going to “repair” the memory of the poet Miguel Hernández, a Republican former goatherd who was jailed by the dictator Francisco Franco and died in prison in 1942, at the age of 31. The Socialist government pledged to offer Hernández, whose centenary is being celebrated this year, “the tribute, the memory and the admiration that his work merits,” said Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega. “We all share that same rejection of any form of oppression, that same rebellion in the face of injustice and that determination to dream and create a decent country and a better world.” The news of this homage … [Read more...] about March 11’s divisive legacy (revisited)
The sun still shines in Europe’s money-laundering hub
Among the flaws the US State Department finds is that Spanish lawmakers have taken their time to incorporate new provisions in an anti-money laundering law that went into effect last year. Washington suggests that the government should focus more on confiscating properties and assets in criminal cases through civil forfeitures after defendants are convicted, and maintain and disseminate statistics on the number of drug and money laundering prosecutions. Despite the downturn in real estate, drug proceeds are still being used to purchase properties across the country. US authorities say that many air passengers smuggle bulks of cash to Latin America and, with the money they make in Spain … [Read more...] about The sun still shines in Europe’s money-laundering hub