Apparently, the leader of CiU (Artur Mas) and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero have brokered a deal on the content of the new Catalan Estatut. Even though it is too early to call, it seems that Artur Mas has followed my advice and given priority to the financial aspects of the reform. It appears that we are only a nation in the preface. The text will run more or less like this: "the Catalans are a group of individuals that believe that they are a nation, so let them dream". The validity of the term nation in the preface seems to be very limited. My deep knowledge of Catalan law tells me that it may mean that we are a nation only on those Sundays when Barcelona Soccer club plays at home and on our national day.
It is obvious that Politics is a joke, most of the time. For this reason I will finish with a political joke (free translation from the Spanish original) that L1 sent to me last week (some of you may have seen it also when 'my other me' was fighting an American hawk that insulted the Spaniards, yes, the Spaniards) :
"This is the first day of school at a US high school when the teacher introduces a new student called Akito Suzuki, son of a Japanese business man.
The teacher starts the American history class by asking who pronounced the sentence 'Live free or die'.
Suzuki quickly raises his hands and replies 'Patrick Henry 1775'.
'Excellent' says the teacher and continues 'who said -Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth-'.
The whole class remained silent until suddenly Suzuki said 'Lincoln 1863'.
The teacher was flabbergasted and said to the whole class: 'you all should be ashamed. Akito Suzuki, who just arrived in our country, knows more history than you, Americans'.
Then someone in the rear of the classroom whispered: 'To hell those damn Japanese'.
'Who said that?' The teacher inquired.
Again Suzuki raises his hand and says: 'General McArthur, 1942 and Lee Iacocca, 1982'
The whole class was silent when one of the students said: 'I am going to throw up'.
The teacher asks again this time: 'Who said that?'
Without hesitation, Suzuki says: 'George Bush Sr. to the Japanese prime minister 1990'.
One of the students totally mad shouts at Suzuki: 'Suck my dick'.
Akito intervenes again: 'Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky 1997'.
At this point in time, the smartest guy in the class yells: 'I was the first until this bloody Japanese arrived'.
And Suzuki answered: 'Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian elections 1990'.
The whole class became hysterical, the teacher fainted. The students gathered around the teacher and said to one another: 'We screwed up, now how do we get out? '
And Akito Suzuki said: 'Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, 2005/2006'.
Cartoon: Ventura & Coromina. La Vanguardia
7 comments:
That was a funny joke!
Though, I have many times had the same conversation with my dad: "European are much more cultivated than Americans (as per what my American friend says)" and he'd reply "Then, how come the bests on everything are always Americans?", "Oh, whell, they are many more than we are... it is a percentage thing...".
But it is true, though America is not what we see in the telly, for sure, there are clever ones in ther. The ones who know the most about Spanish history are always from there!
BTW, thank you so musch for the link.
It's incredible how you speak about the new 'Estatuto'. DO you think it's nice for you and the rest of catalonians? If you say 'yes', you must be crazy. All the content seems to be very interventionist. It's the opposite to the occidental and democratic point of view about the values that all societies should have to live in peace.
And you don't mention the strategy that catalonian nationalists are hanging on. They insult the rest of spaniards everyday, saying things like 'don't take your mothers her because we don't allow whores in our territory'.
You shouldn't forget that Calalonia is a part of a great country called Spain. it's a special region, but not more than Extremadura is.
Greetings.
Ed.
It saddens me to see how people make comments based on manipulated third or forth hand information. Read my next posting and you will see how misguided you are.
However this is a free blog and everyone is welcomed to express his/her opinion.
Thanks, Ed.
Pepe Rubianes, the great catalan heroe
And Salamanca Files?
As far as I know, Pepe Rubianes, hero or not, is Galician.
And by the Salamanca files, do you mean the Calalan files that were stolen at gun point during the Civil War and moved to Salamanca?
I wish I could have answers like yours!
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