Category: Vocabulary

Government forces banks to pay mortgage-loan notary tax

Well, it´s been a great week for the big guns.

So, prime minister Pedro Sanchez says, when it comes to Catalonia we respect and abide by the judgement and process of the Spanish judicial system, but, when the judicial system doesn´t do what I want because it´s not good for my political standing, I´m going to pull out my Executive guns and say: No.

OK, nothing new here then!

However, having said that, I agree with Sanchez, and more to the point, what the hell is this tax for? I´ve consulted Mr Wikipedia and Mrs Fiscal Impuestos in both Spanish and in English, and all I can deduce is this: it´s a tax levied on pieces of paper that the Banks want, stamped by someone who isn´t obliged to read them, but the government thinks is law-abiding. ( They usually charge you for the oxygen you´ve wasted by being in their office)

Alternative solution: Get rid of the tax.

 

Putin and Málaga

No, no, and more no.

So, I bit my tongue when Burger King opened opposite Málaga´s beautiful Roman amphitheatre, I bit my tongue again when Málaga´s landmark historical square became host to the soulless multinational Costa Coffee, and I nearly bit my whole hand off when Starbucks opened.  I justified all these narrow-minded, legacy building decisions of Mr Paco de la Torre in the context of an economic crisis, eye-watering unemployment, boring party politics, and the fact that you are everywhere.  Everywhere I went, you were there, business meetings, cultural events, concerts, and educational workshops. I believe you love Málaga, and I understand you have a thankless job where everyone will hate you, at least some of the time. But, this is just too much, in the words of the deceased American senator, John McCain: “Vladimir Putin is a thug and a murderer and a killer.” ”Frankly, I would never accept an award from Vladimir Putin because then you kind of give some credence and credibility to this butcher.”

Mr Paco de la Torre, the Russian museum is a wonderful space, Russian culture, as all culture, enriches, educates and inspires, and I am grateful, and honoured that The Russian Museum is in Málaga. But, Vladamir Putin does not deserve the respect that you have afforded him. I would suggest that you reevaluate your team of advisers, as your moral compass is in jeopardy.

The level of hypocrisy knows no bounds

Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the first world war armistice. Dignitaries, politicians and the general public gathered to pay their respects. They made speeches to honour the 16 million lives lost, and they took part in a wide variety of events to commemorate the end of World War I.  Many politicians used this opportunity to talk about the fragility of peace, and to increase awareness about the rise in, and dangers of, self-centered nationalism, xenophobia, and the growing global levels of sociopathic behaviour.

And yet, in the very same week the British government are securing deals with Saudi Arabia to sell 48 Typhoon fighter planes. Indeed, since 2015 Britain has sold billions of pounds of weapons that have been used by Saudi Arabia to bomb Yemen.  Could anything be worse? Well yes, it could. The UK has a list of 30 countries which, through its own analysis, have committed the greatest number of human rights atrocities, and yet, the UK government is still happy to sell arms to 66% of them.

So, in a nutshell, how am I supposed to reconcile the difference between acts of peace, and facts of war? How are educators supposed to teach children anything about ethics and morality when the bottom line, since time immemorial, clearly demonstrates that money and power will always outtrump the value of peace and humanity.

The British government is putting blood on my hands, and my ignorance to the level of this hypocrisy has made me more than just an innocent bystander. Today, I am ashamed of myself.

 

Progressive companies are praised!

What employees say about their employers:

  1. “Friendly staff, flexible schedules, opportunities for growth and employee recognition programs.”
  2.  “Anthem offers competitive salaries, achievable career path for advancement, diversity, and advanced industry training. Anthem recognizes the importance of work life balance.”
  3. “Fun work environment. Good pay and benefits. Good training.”
  4. “Diversity matters here and is openly discussed. I am able to focus on my work and I know that Slack will do right by me (comp, benefits, culture, work/life balance, etc.)”
  5. “Great People from Peers to Leaders – working here is genuinely fun and the people are awesome! In addition to senior leadership being super personable and humble, I’ve made some great friends here and am almost always happy to come into work every morning to see my coworkers/friends even though I have the flexibility to work from home!”
  6. “Management is focused on personal growth and development and very supportive of both your professional and personal goals.”

Málaga hosts international investment forum: Scale Up

So, you have a start up, but your financial strategy sucks.  Ok, go to this event.

The international investment forum: Scale Up is organised by CESEAND, and the node in Andalucia of the Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission. The forum aims to promote investments in companies with high growth potential, to exchange methods of best practice, to improve EU and regional strategy visibility ,and to promote investment opportunities in Andalucia.

The target audience is anyone interested in start-ups and scale-ups’ ecosystems and finance, in particular:

  • CESEAND SCALEUP program beneficiaries
  • Investors (venture capital, business angels, corporate venturing and public funds)
  • SMEs and start-ups interested in scaling-up their activities in Europe
  • Stakeholders and organisations supporting start-ups and scale-ups

Tickets are free on eventbrite.

Books have borders

Andy Varney and I met in Japan. During the day, we both worked for an international company teaching English, but during the night we spent our time getting drunk on sake, doing karaoke, and scamming the local train system. Since then, Andy has grown up,  he is now a Liberal Democrat councillor in Bristol, and spends a lot of time picking holes in other political party policies. He´s a grassroots politician, a people person, and deliriously witty.

What´s on his mind?

Petition for plastic free supermarkets

Lisa lives in Málaga, but was born in the south of England. She´s a professional belly dancer, a teacher, and an ardent activist, supporting a wide range of local and national charitable organisations.  She has adopted 4 stray dogs on the streets of Málaga, and is always willing to lend a hand to people in need.

What´s on her mind?