HUMOR À LA ÓSCAR TEROL: THE ANTIDOTE TO THE COLLECTIVE FEAR OF PUBLIC EXPOSURE »
Oscar Terol is arguably the comedian who has made Spanish audiences laugh the most these past couple of years. His career started off inadvertently when it occurred to him to send out a video to his family for laughs. And what do you know? In just a matter of hours, the video went viral! Terol’s shows highlight the funny side of the surrealistic situations people are confronted with. Terol’s new show, staged at the Teatro Marquina in Madrid on 1 and 2 July, is titled “Mundos Para Lelos (Worlds for Fools)” which is about the incomprehensible world in which people struggle incessantly to hide their “yo tonto (Me, the fool)” from public view.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “PACO: THE DOG WHO ADOPTED MADRID,” 17 May 1968 »
Paco was not a pedigreed, aristocratic dog such as those that used to swagger down the Prado with their haughty masters. But Paco was an exceptional dog. He had a sharp eye for benefactors such as the Marqués de Bogaraya. As the marquis ate regularly in Fornos, so Paco too would drop in at dinner time and be assured of at least a modest meal and not a few pats on the head. Paco might have continued his libertine life to ripe old dogdom had he not been the unfortunate victim of an amateur novillero who was making a mess of his bull. The spectators were indignant and Paco jumped into the arena, ran up to the clumsy amateur and barked at him from closer range. The matador, furious at the bull, the public and specially at the nagging dog, directed his sword at Paco and ran him through with one thrust. Paco died. His death constituted a veritable day of mourning in Madrid.
A SECOND OPINION: The American Dream Being Destroyed by Inflation »
The situation in the United States is dire. Many are sorry that they voted for the Biden-Harris ticket. The Biden Administration points to the increased job figures as a sign of recovery but families go to food banks for help. One wishes you could warn the migrants heading for the US southern border that the American Dream is almost dead.
IS SPAIN LIBERAL OR AN UNREPENTANT LIBERTARIAN? »
One might understandably take it for granted that in Spain, reputed to be a country where National Catholicism was a dominant part of its ideological identity not so very long ago, cohabitation, divorce, and children outside of marriage are rare. Surprisingly, there’s nothing further from the truth.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “The Secret Spring of Spain,” 12 April 1968 »
If you are not careful, you’ll miss spring in Spain altogether and spend most of your life wondering how you did it. It’s not hard, because the meteorological border is pretty indefinite; one day it is a dull, cold, rainy winter day and POW… suddenly it’s summer. There are ways to catch it though, and it all depends on how much attention you pay and where you are in the very changeable land of Spain.
HISTORIC DROP IN UNEMPLOYMENT: FAKE NEWS? »
The Government of Spain's good news: Unemployment, which stood at 14.1 % in November 2021, with youth unemployment at a staggering 29.5%, dropped from its 15-year perch of plus-three million jobless to 2.92 million in May 2022. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz are elated about the startling phenomenon. Opposition leader Alberto Nuñez Feijóo has accused the Government of massaging the figures.
TWA Layovers: Del Hotel Plaza al Cielo »
During my thirty years as a TWA flight attendant, I spent many a layover at the Hotel Plaza. Whether coming off a new Boeing 707 in the sixties, the whale-sized 747 in the eighties or a sleek 767 in the nineties, the Plaza was my home away from home. The hotel was nestled inside the Edificio España, wrapped in a cozy cocoon of cafeterias, bars, restaurants and watering holes that catered to all tastes. There always seemed to be fruit floating in the water of the pool in the top floor from someone's sangria. And once in a while, a naked Maja was seen running across the balcony chased by a Don Juan Tenorio.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: The Spanish Scene, Spain’s Massiel Wins Eurovision Song Contest, 12 April 1968 »
The Spanish song entry "La, La, La" took top honors in the 13th edition of the continent-wide Eurovision Song Contest held in London last week. Twenty-year-old pop singer Massiel belted it out with enough energy to squeak through with a one-point victory over the English song "Congratulations" sung by Cliff Richards. It was Spain's first Eurovision triumph. When the results were announced, Massiel lit up like a Christmas tree in her sparkling mini-skirt outfit and launched into a real knock-out version of the tune.
BRITS CELEBRATE ELIZABETH’S PLATINUM JUBILEE IN BENIDORM »
Spectacular events have been lined up for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, particularly in London. But obviously there are celebrations throughout the UK and the Commonwealth as well. And in Benidorm, Spain too? You bet. It's the most British town in Spain after all.
Stateside Stories: High Fuel Prices Put Damper on US Summer Travel Plans »
US fuel prices have surged by 51% in the past year and by more than 90% since President Joe Biden took office in January of 2021. Biden is thought by many to be purposely grinding down the middle class. He praised high gas prices as part of an “incredible transition” away from fossil fuels. If you plan on traveling by car this summer, expect to pay more for gas, and if you plan to fly, tickets may be more expensive.
