Christmas Stuff

I saw an article the other day written for the British about Christmas in Spain (in the Telegraph). There will be lots more of similar efforts in the English-language papers in the weeks to come, including endless talk of the 'Gordo' - muddling up the name of the prize with the lottery itself, more properly called the Lotería de Navidad. Other Christmas highlights of articles include the importance of the Three Kings (now apparently the wise men that came from Andalucía, according to His Holiness the Pope - much to the satisfaction of the andaluces, I might add). Noche Buena - Christmas Eve, Noche Vieja - New Year's Eve, celebrated in Mojácar with so many fireworks that you think the Moors themselves had returned. Oh, and the wretched cageners: the little pooping dolls from Catalonia that lurk in the Nativity Scenes...
Three things that are less discussed but are typical of Christmas here: 
The frankly horrible villancicos played on loudspeakers and in shops - shrill piping children's voiced carols. 
Polverones: Small cakes made of flour and sugar that dissolve into a floury and sugary powder in your mouth. Impossible to swallow. Watch for these! 
Pascueros which are poinsettias - a plant which has somehow taken off rather like holly in England. Almería Town Hall, for example, has just planted 24,000 of the damn things in the city gardens.

Christmas Stuff

I saw an article the other day written for the British about Christmas in Spain (in the Telegraph). There will be lots more of similar efforts in the English-language papers in the weeks to come, including endless talk of the 'Gordo' - muddling up the name of the prize with the lottery itself, more properly called the Lotería de Navidad. Other Christmas highlights of articles include the importance of the Three Kings (now apparently the wise men that came from Andalucía, according to His Holiness the Pope - much to the satisfaction of the andaluces, I might add). Noche Buena - Christmas Eve, Noche Vieja - New Year's Eve, celebrated in Mojácar with so many fireworks that you think the Moors themselves had returned. Oh, and the wretched cageners: the little pooping dolls from Catalonia that lurk in the Nativity Scenes...
Three things that are less discussed but are typical of Christmas here: 
The frankly horrible villancicos played on loudspeakers and in shops - shrill piping children's voiced carols. 
Polverones: Small cakes made of flour and sugar that dissolve into a floury and sugary powder in your mouth. Impossible to swallow. Watch for these! 
Pascueros which are poinsettias - a plant which has somehow taken off rather like holly in England. Almería Town Hall, for example, has just planted 24,000 of the damn things in the city gardens.

The cost of a degree is now £100,000

The true cost of a university degree will rocket to up to £100,000 for today's students, according to The Independent on Sunday .Thousands of people currently studying at university will end up paying that amount over their career because of interest charges and other fees – several times the £27,000 or £36,000 in fees that most three- and four-year courses charge.

The cost of a degree is now £100,000

The true cost of a university degree will rocket to up to £100,000 for today's students, according to The Independent on Sunday .Thousands of people currently studying at university will end up paying that amount over their career because of interest charges and other fees – several times the £27,000 or £36,000 in fees that most three- and four-year courses charge.

Almería Demographics

There's an interesting article in Voz de Almería about the demographics of the province. In the last thirty years (from 1981 to 2011) the density of people per km2 has risen from 47 to 80 - an increase of 70%. Many of these are foreigners, a group which has risen in share from 1% to around 25% of the provincial population (even higher, probably, if all the Brits registered on thepadrón). Two out of three Almerians live in the main cities - Adra, Almería, El Ejido, Roquetas, Níjar and Vícar. Women in towns under 20,000 are apparently in the minority (men/women - 105 - 100) but are in the majority in the larger cities. So there!

Almería Demographics

There's an interesting article in Voz de Almería about the demographics of the province. In the last thirty years (from 1981 to 2011) the density of people per km2 has risen from 47 to 80 - an increase of 70%. Many of these are foreigners, a group which has risen in share from 1% to around 25% of the provincial population (even higher, probably, if all the Brits registered on thepadrón). Two out of three Almerians live in the main cities - Adra, Almería, El Ejido, Roquetas, Níjar and Vícar. Women in towns under 20,000 are apparently in the minority (men/women - 105 - 100) but are in the majority in the larger cities. So there!

Cataluña vuelve a plantar a Wert en la reunión de política universitaria

El secretario general de Universidades de la Generalitat no acude a la reunión de hoy con Wert

Docentes, padres y estudiantes convocan una manifestación para el 13 de diciembre

• Los maestros: "Si resistimos al franquismo, también a Wert"
• Cataluña planta a Wert por considerar “inadmisible” la reforma educativa
• Irene Rigau denuncia “el mayor ataque al catalán desde 1978”
• Wert blinda la enseñanza en castellano