#useless catalan facts

[nekomacbeth]

and also a wip based on the tale of guillem de cabestany, a catalan troubadour who has a really… heart-rending vida

[useless-catalanfacts]

A day in the life of someone who posts on the internet in Catalan *cue dozens of Spanish people asking "what's wrong with your mouth", ordering him to speak in Spanish or "in Christian", saying he's rude for speaking in Catalan, calling him "polaco" (derogatory Spanish word to mean a Catalan person), calling the Catalan language a dialect, saying he is possessed because he's speaking Catalan, etc*

This is a video by Sergi Mas showing some of the comments he gets on YouTube. He makes videos about mountain biking that he posts on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. And the first comment he got on his first YouTube video was already someone telling him he should do it in Spanish.

Some days ago, another creator who posts his videos in Catalan (Joan Sendra, find him on Instagram and TikTok) answered to a Spanish person who was complaining that it's rude to speak Catalan/Valencian on the internet instead of Spanish because then there's people who don't understand you (as if everyone in the world spoke Spanish lmao). Joan, who is tired of getting this kind of comments so often, answered: there are already endless videos and things to watch on the internet in Spanish. In fact, if you look for [the topic he was talking about in the video that this guy commented] all the videos are in Spanish except for mine. And yet you had to come to me, the one in Valencian, and tell me that I can't make a video in my language and that I can only make it in yours. If you don't like it, it's so easy to find another one!

However, it's not a matter of actually being interested in what's being said in a language they don't speak. It's about the imposition of the language they consider superior (Spanish) and telling speakers of the languages whose land Spain had occupied that they are useless and should be ashamed of existing in public. Well, we aren't. Like Sergi's video, don't let the comments disturb your macarrons.

[eopederson]

Gigantes, Viana, Navarra, 2012.

Ascension Day (9 May 2024) marked the 600th Anniversary of the giant figures carried in parades in Northern Spain. The first known record was in 1424 for a fiesta in Catalunya. The giant figures are now a major element in festivities throughout much of northern Spain, including here in Navarra on a local feast day. See Useless Catalan Facts.

[no-passaran]

Like do you think its good that Andorra is a country, and that catalan is their official language

Yes and very yes.

Andorra has lots of problems, most of them derived from their co-principality with the Catholic Church (like the extreme restrictions on abortion) and as a result of their history of moving from almost-feudalism to 1990s liberalism really quickly (like the tax situation, the pressure from Spanish and French school systems and their languages, powerful families remaining so influential). But also has lots of good things, derived precisely from the fact that it's a small country and so the government is very much closer to what it governs and the people, than any big country where the government is foreign to most of the lands it rules over. And the language fact is one of the great Andorran wins, thanks to their history that results in their independence, they're allowed to keep the local language, they don't have to abandon it in favour of the language of some capital city far away from their valley. That doesn't mean they don't face a huge pressure from Spanish and French, particularly Spanish now; many people move to Andorra because it's a tax haven and few bother to learn Catalan because they think they'll do with Spanish and they consider Catalan small and useless, so many people who work in shops etc now only speak Spanish and expect everyone else to adapt to them, instead of them adapting to the country they moved into, and because Andorra's population was originally so small and grew quickly with this, now Andorrans can't really live in Catalan, instead having to do lots of their everyday activities in a foreign language (Spanish). At that point you're less of an immigrant and more of a settler, expecting the country you moved into to abandon its language for your personal convenience.

Andorra having Catalan as their official language is also a win for the rest of Catalan speakers (since the huuuuge majority of Catalan speakers live outside of Andorra) because it means we get some language rights in the international organizations that Andorra is part of, that we otherwise wouldn't get.

[beardedmrbean]

In November, Geert Wilders' stridently anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim party swept the Dutch elections in what the media called a political earthquake.

The magnitude of his win came as a shock to the center and left parties in the Dutch legislature. They jointly decided that "Europe's most dangerous man" should never become prime minister.

The Dutch are not alone in seeking an institutional fix against hard-right populism. In legislatures across the European Union, politicians are erecting a "cordon sanitaire" against extremism -- a red-line tactic to block far-right parties from entering governing coalitions.

It's hardly enough, but it's an important first step.

Coalitions against extremism rose to prominence in the late 1980s, when Belgian parties signed a deal to exclude the extreme-right Vlaams Blok from government.

The resulting cordon sanitaire lasted for 30 years and evolved from a written deal to an unwritten convention. But it's become more difficult to maintain in the face of far-right mobilization. Nonetheless, the strategy is being tried in other countries, too.

21st-century populists

In the upcoming EU parliamentary elections in June, center and left groupings of European parliamentarians, known as MEPs, are planning a quarantine strategy to isolate the hard right in parliament. The prospects of success for this EU strategy are far from certain.

In Spain and Portugal, beleaguered governments are turning to anti-extremist coalitions, too.

In Portugal, a new Democratic Alliance government has been formed by center-right and socialist politicians who are working together to exclude Chega, the far-right party that holds the third-largest number of seats in the Portuguese legislature.

In a deeply controversial move, the Spanish socialist government is even prepared to work with Catalans indicted for crimes against the country's constitution. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez apparently believes it's preferable to work with separatists than to turn the government over to authoritarian populists on the far right.

The weakness of this tactic lies in the fact that quarantine only deals with populists once they arrive in government.

Germany is practically alone in Europe in having a popular movement that opposes extremism in the streets.

Hundreds of thousands have marched against the anti-immigrant AfD. Even though the AfD polls at nearly 25% of decided voters and is predicted to win seats in the Reichstag this summer, it will be impossible for any established party to work with them.

Quarantine not a cure

Quarantine is always a half-measure. When populists win outright majorities, the cordon sanitaire becomes useless.

The United States, Poland and Brazil have elected populists. Establishment Democrats are trying to energize a lackluster presidential campaign by arguing they're the democratic wall against Donald Trump's MAGA movement. Such a tactic is a Hail Mary play in the polarized American two-party system.

Even so, Trump doesn't enjoy the benefit of being an unknown quantity for Republicans. Those who like him are true believers. The rest don't like him. But left-leaning and Arab-American Democrats are angry about President Joe Biden's military support for Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu's indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Gaza.

That means the progressive flank could stay home in November. The winner will likely be the candidate who is less hated by voters. Pro-democracy sentiments may not have much to do with it.

Anti-populist efforts abroad

In Poland, Donald Tusk and his coalition are trying to restore the independence of the judiciary and expel hard nationalists from top positions in the bureaucracy. They may succeed because Tusk has the support of Polish voters and the EU bureaucracy.

Brazil's quarantine strategy relies on the judiciary, which has been more effective than the U.S. courts. Former President Jair Bolsonaro and leading supporters have been barred from elected office for the next seven years.

Even so, the upper and lower houses of the legislature are still allied with Bolsonaro and they're resisting all of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's major economic reforms. That said, the disgraced former president and key members of his administration have been accused of plotting a coup to remove Lula.

In Israel, the religious right holds a critical place in the wartime unity government. It has built a wall against the progressive parties -- a reverse quarantine. Even though Netanyahu is detested by a majority of Israelis and has been described as "the worst leader in Jewish history," he will be difficult to dislodge. The Oct. 7 Hamas attacks gave him yet another political life.

Democracy is also under major attack in countries like India, Hungary and Italy. The power structures in these countries make the quarantine tactic difficult, and all three have decades of struggle ahead.

It's always easier to build coalitions with a handful of parties filled with populist and self-interested cynics than it is to build a big tent of people who wish to uphold liberal institutions.

Revolt of the masses

Probably the biggest benefit of populism quarantines today is that they provide some breathing room to pro-democracy parties. How those parties use this borrowed time could determine the fate of nations.

In 1930, José Ortega y Gasset, the Spanish philosopher, wrote The Revolt of the Masses, arguing that spasmodic crises afflict all "peoples, nations and civilizations."

Revolts break through the political status quo as ordinary people confront political authority and bend the arc of history. In the post-Second World War era, citizens pushed for greater social, political and legal equality. The 1963 March on Washington, the Paris occupation of May 1968 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 are three such iconic moments.

Those past uprisings didn't destabilize entire societies because their leaders were not cynical opportunists using anger to create disorder. They had concrete goals to create more just societies. As a result, these movements opened the door to creative political compromises.

Sowing disorder

The populist merchants of grievance have done the opposite, hollowing out political parties that now work against the constitutional order they were elected to uphold.

Mainstream political parties are seemingly losing their capacity to build consensus and defend democracy against conspiracy theories on social media.

The legitimacy of liberalism hangs in the balance. Whether quarantining populism via coalitions formed by weakened parties will barricade the door against populists is an open question.

Many populists, after all, are highly organized, well-funded by the billionaire class and skilled at sowing disorder. It's going to take much more than a legislative lock on the door to shore up our defenses. But it's incumbent upon the courageous Dutch and others to give it a shot.

[giuliaisstudying]

To everyone who's learning Catalan, I really suggest you to practise your listening skills with Català al natural.

But to every language learner, I recommend you to watch this video (it has subs in Catalan, Spanish & English) because I think that he says a lot of interesting things. I noted down some key points: *just in case*👇🏻

• we have to use the language in a meaningful and real way.

• language courses aren't useless if you are conscious of the fact that this just constitutes a small part of your language learning.

• we have to be proactive

• the professors/teachers are just like the coaches who train footballers: they can give us very useful advice, they can motivate us, help us but who have to put in all the hours? Who has to practise? 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♂️

• it's not about being good or bad at languages or to have a special talent for them, it's about consistency, practise etc.

[momo-de-avis]

Thank you to th stranger who explained to me that the Volem Vi sentence I got in the duolingo exercise is actually a line from the Festes de Gràcia of Menorca, it actually makes everything a lot better

[soleilees]

tell me how and when i started following a useless catalan facts blog ??? i would love to know

[nco05]

21 Questions

@yooo-itsme tagged me, thanks a lot! Not tagging others. But if you want to, you can mention me. I like this stuff.

Nicknames: I've answered this one before: Nath, Nathje, Nathi, Nathatoe, Coro, Jessica (this is a reference to a YT video and totally not my name) and many more nicknames.

Zodiac: Taurus - cusping with Gemini.

Height: 1.74 meters or 1.76 meters. That's 5'8 1/2 or 5'9 in the not metric system.

Hogwarts House: I’ve actually only seen The Goblet Of Fire. I guess it's Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Last Thing I Googled: Cramps in my bowels 5 days after drinking tap water. Google was useless here.

Favorite Musicians: Uh hold on, this is a hard one: Metallica (fond elementary school drive memories with my dad), Little Mix, Beyoncé - adding Destiny's Child to this, Rihanna, Shakira (duh), Alicia Keys. There's probably more but right now those are the ones I know.

Song Stuck In My Head: Vroom - Famke Louise. It's so bad it's good.

Following: 37

Followers: 149

Do You Get Asks: Usually when I make a post or play a game. Also lately I've gotten chill af anons!

Amount Of Sleep: On average always around 7 - 8. Some days more than 9.

Luck Number: 4 I believe. 13 as well considering my sister was born on October 13th, yes on a Friday and that's why those days don't suck. She's older.

What Am I Wearing: A black karting rink shirt. I just woke up.

Dream Job: Be a coach in skating again. Maybe someday.

Dream Trip: Everything in Europe is incredibly near but still lovely to go to. New Zealand's a bucket list place.

Instruments: I don't play. I was a sporting kid. Would love to play the bassguitar or an electric one.

Languages: Dutch (native), French, English, German and Spanish. I can understand a wee bit of Italian. One day I'll learn Catalan as well.

10 favourite songs currently:

1. Ready Or Not - The Fugees

2. Loca - Alvaro Soler

3. Any Sean Paul song really, dude has bangers.

4. Till It's Gone - Yelawolf

5. How Much Is The Fish? - Scooter. Blame De Mol 2019 Belgium.

6. SOS - Avicii & Aloe Blacc. The meaning behind it is now much sadder considering Avicii's death last year.

7. Up - Laura Tesoro. Truely Belgian excellence. No worries, she mainly sings in English

8. No Sleep - Martin Garrix & Bonn

9. Empire - Shakira.

10. The Jump Off - Lil Kim

I gotta update my music library, not a lot of songs are on here that I just mentioned.

Random fact: In elementary school, I won carnival in 1st and 2nd Grade. Those were the two very first things in life I won.

Bonus question, free choice: If I could turn back time, would I undo a mistake I've made: I probably would've last year but now not anymore. I learned from it and overcame it.

[thelanguagecommunity]

this post is meant to be a directory of every resource I come across for Catalan. it will be a continuous work in progress so thank you for your patience! if you have any issues or things to add, please reply to this post!

info

about world languages

fun facts

getting to know catalonia: an introduction to the catalan language, culture and society [mooc]

glottolog

how to sign up for free catalan courses in catalunya

introduction by @ayearinlanguage

omniglot

orbis latinus

overview of the history of catalan

playlist of samples

the catalan language [video]

wikipedia

world atlas of language structures

alphabet

accents

overview of catalan orthography

apps

flewent [chrome]

courses

bliubliu

book2

curs de catala

parla.cat [mooc]

routledge - colloquial catalan: the complete course for beginners [pdf]

teach yourself (1993) [pdf]

wikibook [in catalan]

cultural & historical info

acultura’s culture tag

/r/catalonia

/r/catalunya

dictionaries

cambridge

catalandictionary [meta search]

diccionari.cat

diccionari invers de la llengua catalana

diccionarios.com

diec2

enciclopèdia.cat

freelang

institvt d’estvdis catalans

lexicool

lexilogos

majstro

openthesaurus-ca

termcat [thematic dictionary]

wiktionary

wordreference

flashcards

cram

forums

quora

/r/catalan

unilang

grammar books & guides

descriptive grammar of the catalan language

overview of catalan grammar

grammar points

adjective number

anar vs. anar-se’n

articles

demonstrative adjectives

indefinite pronouns & adjectives

interrogative pronouns

nouns / overview of nouns

personal pronouns / overview of personal pronouns

plurals

possessive pronouns

quantitative adjectives & adverbs

weak personal pronouns

listening practice

librivox [audiobook library]

lyrikline [poetry library]

literature

children’s songs and rhymes

la illustracio poetica [poetry library]

list of poets

list of writers

logoslibrary [virtual library]

overview of catalan literature

overview of la decadència

overview of modernisme

overview of noucentisime

overview of renaixença

project gutenberg [virtual library]

Quran [scans]

/r/cificat [science fiction forum]

rosary prayers

universal declaration of human rights [pdf]

universitat oberta de catalunya [poetry library]

media

ted talks

movie & tv recommendations

letterboxd

movie recommendations by @elnas-studies

tv show recommendations by @elnas-studies

music recommendations

catalan feminist songs by @useless-catalanfacts

disney songs masterpost

folk music recommendations by @guillemelgat

música en català 2018 [spotify]

music recommendations by @useless-catalanfacts

news

ara.cat

el diari

el món

el pais [catalan version]

el periodico

el puntavui

newspaper map

vila web

phrasebooks & travel guides

at hand - basic communication in the catalan language

bbc quick fix

loecsen [audio]

omniglot

taxi language

wikivoyage

podcasts

one minute catalan

podcast recommendations by @useless-catalanfacts

pronunciation

el sons del català

forvo [pronunciation dictionary]

ipa key

overview of catalan phonology

overview of the phonological history

quizzes & exercises

clozemaster

digital dialects [vocabulary games]

iteslj [vocabulary quizzes]

tongue twisters

radio

catalunya ràdio

rac1

ràdio arrels

ràdio flaixbac

radio in andorra la vella

radio in barcelona

social media

@rodamots [twitter]

catalunya [discord]

catalan-english language exchange [discord]

wikipedia

speaking tips

proverbs

special topics

biblography for catalan studies

short overview of anti-catalanism

timeline of names used for catalan

tumblrs

@learncatalan

@mercigracies

@useless-catalanfacts

verbs

common verbs / 50 common verbs

conjugation chart [pdf]

conjugator - catalandictionary.org

conjugator - logosconjugator

conjugator - verbix

overview of catalan conjugation

overview of catalan verbs

vocabulary

adverbs

agreement

babadada [vocabulary tool]

breakfast

cognates - neapolitan

days of the week

exonyms

fairytales & legends

family

fiber arts

football

frequency lists

fruits

greetings

hanukkah

harry potter

language learning

market

medicine [dictionary]

months

numbers / counting / numbers

prepositions

rodmots [word a day tool]

school

spring

swadesh list

tea & infusions

time adverbs

telling the time

travel

winter solstice

writing tips

spelling and grammar checker - language tool

youtube

learn catalan from barcelona

llengua catalana

tel_caramel

in spanish / en español

catalán [wikibook]

duolingo

[shesinspain-blog]

The things you think are useless, I can't understand

Well, HI! It’s been a while! It’s now A U G U S T and my last post was in May. So I guess that means we have a lot of catching up to do!

Before I left for Barcelona, I was vulnerable with my friends, often bursting out with “what if I don’t make friends! How long will it take to settle in!” Everyone rooting for me was incredibly optimistic. “Kayla, you’ll make friends in like three days!” One wise colleague paused and said, “probably three weeks, then you’ll have it.” They were all right and wrong. Yes I did make friends really fast, and find a job and apartment within the first month. But if I were answering myself now, I would tell Young Kayla that it takes almost a year. I’m in month eleven now.

My life here now includes

finding my favorite brand of coffee at the grocery store

an entire saturday home, cooking, baking and reading my book

a favorite movie theater where I watched Jurassic World 2

a restaurant that says “welcome back” when I come in

feeling relaxed when I buy produce at the market in Spanish, instead of the horrible sick-stomach nervousness I had when I started 

I had a fantastic hike in June, around the base of Montserrat with a wild apricot tree on the path. I had two bad excursions afterward - one where my logistics were perfectly planned but I misunderstood the kayak rental rules; and another cut short for safety concerns. I have a favorite thrift store chain with specific favorite locations. I sassed a moto driver at a crosswalk. I can usually identify if a text is Spanish or Catalan.

It’s more good than bad. But it’s also been a testament of how settled I am into the city that I have complaints and critiques. It’s really rewarding to see who I am when I am unabashed of my license to live here.

Living here has made me feel more confidence in myself and my choices. When I landed, I had so much trepidation about the “American Stereotype” I was either confirming or creating. I don’t care now; I’m just me. Sometimes this means I don’t know enough Spanish to order medicine at the pharmacy, and sometimes it means I talk too loud. But I don’t hate my accent, my culture or my home the way I used to. There are so many fluid aspects of identity. Being American doesn’t define me, and my international friends see the multitudes I see in them, too.

As for Barcelona, I like to oscillate. I leave my house, direct tourists to the Picasso museum (in Italian!) and see a Cathedral that has been standing for nearly 800 years, adjacent to ancient Roman aqueducts. I have a coffee in my happy quiet place, then hear French, German, Dutch and Polish conversations spattered around me. I go have my lunch on the beach, sunbathing and binging my new favorite podcast.

In the same breath, I’m cursing Barcelona: for the 27th rendition of Despacito I’ve heard today, for the psychotic crying seagulls, for the siesta hours that close my supermarket from 2-4:30 daily. As we all know, I have never been known for planning and saving, so teaching has taken its $ummer toll on me. If only holiday was not mandatory! Now over halfway through, I’ve accepted my living circumstances for what they are. I just really did not put enough thought into saving for these monthS off lol.

In spite of these woes - especially money and otherwise that I’d have in ANY city - I am the happiest I’ve ever been. Not just when I’m crying seeing the Chainsmokers at sunrise (LOL WHO CRIES AT THAT). Sitting speechless and listening to music with friends. Having breakfast in bed (with a movie) on a Sunday morning. Being here has given me so much resolution in being who I am - because no one cares. No one cares if you have a start up, or pink hair, or clothes from Louis Vuitton. No one cares who your parents are, what you studied at school or how old you are. Without this pressure, your friendships and relationships are able to be defined by so many other relevant factors. We are more alike than we are different. It is still so magical to be surprised by the facts I never knew, the stories I never heard, that were waiting behind my Hollywood education of worldly matters.

My perspective on where my life is going and my values has shifted so much. The title of this post is from Steely Dan’s Reelin’ in the Years, which I didn’t even know I liked until I heard it again this week. The song captures a lot of how I’ve been feeling lately. The expected trajectory of my life was so wrong. Using my hard-earned degree to move abroad and teach isn’t useless at all. I can’t imagine my life without this move. There is so much joy, peace and understanding - especially within myself - that I wouldn’t have known if I moved forward in Ohio. 

Mid-June, I decided to take a month off all social media. I did it for a multitude of reasons, but mostly to be more present and mind my *own* business for a while. The beginning was so hard. I was embarrassed by how challenging it was to not check my accounts, or all the times my thumb swiped for my social apps. Now I’d say I’m still pretty quiet and I feel so much better because of it. I saw a friend recently for drinks, and she told me about her mom’s visit to Barcelona, showing me photos on her phone that I hadn't yet seen on instagram. It was old-fashioned and exciting.

Other things -

MADDY VISITED omg my bestie was here for a full week and we did stupid stuff like watch Queer Eye and really cool stuff like barbeques and the Magic Fountain. It was surreal to have her here and do a crossover episode of my two separate lives. We had a freakin’ blast.

I’m getting more and more obsessed with re-entering the kitchen, especially to do pastry??? IDK we’ll see but it’s fun to be excited about something, no matter where it may lead

Books I’ve scarfed down this summer: Brain on Fire, The Underground Railroad, No One Belongs Here More than You, Before the Fall, Like Water for Chocolate, and my current is The Invisible Bridge (NO SPOILEES PLEASE)

I taught some classes for my friend Kelsey and it showed me that I do NOT like teaching in classrooms hahaha I made a 7 year old cry (yikes) but we all really loved playing Ghost in the Graveyard! I learned a lot being there. Sometimes I am good at things, but I don’t know how good I am until I fail in another setting or circumstance. So in a roundabout way it made me become a better teacher for my online angels in China.

My friend Natalie gave me her bike-share pass for a week. For those of you moving to Barcelona, GET VIU BICING! It’s 45 Euro for a full year - unthinkably cheap - and the bikes are so convenient. It made me feel super local and happy to bike everywhere. I really loved it.

Since teaching hours are slow right now, I’m trying to make the most of my time. This includes beach runs, reading, sketching / painting in the city, meeting friends, baking, and even updating my portfolio. I’m looking forward to a chill August ahead of me and more fun in the endless sun.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Translation:

El Español (newspaper): The victory of parents like Sonia: 107 schools switch Valencian for Spanish because of the Mazón law.

Response: Is it possible that Spain is the only country where it's considered a victory the fact that your children will be only monolingual instead of bilingual?

Surely not the only one (imperialist countries very often try to exterminate the languages of the countries they occupy, which also means not allowing their children to learn the language of the place they move to), but Spain and France are particularly aggressive against the local languages that aren't Spanish and French, respectively.

Schools in the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands (where the local language is Catalan or Valencian, two historical names for the same language) are being pressured to remove the local language from the school and to teach only in Spanish. In fact, the Spanish nationalist and far right-wing government of the Balearic Islands has announced that Catalan-speaking children and Spanish-speaking children will be segregated in schools from now on (parents will choose which school to send them to, accompanied with the propaganda pushing them to choose Spanish schools), with the purpose of reducing every time more and more who gets to speak and learn the islands' language, imposing Spanish instead.

Everyone learns Spanish regardless because it's the government's language and it's everywhere (TV, radio, netflix, social media, etc), plus we study it in school as a first language anyway. It's impossible to grow up here and not learn Spanish naturally as you grow up. But the same is not true the other way around. If children from Spanish-speaking families, immigrant families, and those families who have believed the decades of being told "speaking Catalan makes you sound uneducated/rural/stupid/rude, only Spanish is good for your children's future and makes you normal", if their children are only exposed to Spanish at home and on media, and because Catalan speakers are already bilingual and have an inferiority complex so will always switch to Spanish when talking to a Spanish-speaker, these children will never learn the language of the place they live in, and they will be monolingual Spanish speakers. When the number of monolingual Spanish speakers grow, Catalan speakers will be even more marginalized and won't be able to access healthcare in our language (though we already don't half of the time), won't be able to go to the shops and talk in our language, won't be able to have services in our language, etc. And, thus, they will have made our language almost useless for our everyday life. We will disappear from public spaces, and people will stop passing down the language to their children. And the language will die, and with it our way of understanding the world, the words that describe our culture, or our ability to read what our ancestors wrote, our country's literature, or to understand the names of the places we live in.

The point was always to exterminate our language and culture, to create their made-up dream of a unified Spain where everyone is the same, which has never existed. As Franco used to say, "we want an absolute unit. With one language: Spanish. And one personality: the Spanish one".

Cultural diversity is a richness and beauty of the world, and every language has an equal right to exist. Don't let anyone convince you that your language and your people don't deserve to live.

[k-amui]

5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 18, 21, 23, 28, 34, 45, 56, 64, 87, 92, 99, 100 :D

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

i guess

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

no, i feel embarrassed if i do

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

uhh i don’t think we have a joke shared by all of them, more like i have different jokes with different people, but rn i don’t remember any sorry ;;

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

okay i’ve been googling for a while and it’s especulated there may exist a planet made of diamond??

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

hmm none, i have no patience for things like makeup and such so i don’t even think about them

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

more than funny would be embarrassing. remember ore monogatari? whenever we talk about my past heroics i’m takeo and my friends are sunakawa, so i’ll pass

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.THANK YOU. so i do have one bag that i absolutely adore (The One Bag all my friends know me for) and i’ve had it for a reasonable amount of years now. i think i bought it while i still was in high school? it was love at first sight.

it’s small and made of leather (this design, but mine is a lighter brown) and it’s been with me almost everywhere i’ve been to and in all kind of weather and situations. it looks kinda fragile but it’s super resilient?? i’ve put all kind of stuff inside, from objects to food and drinks, many many books and notebooks, so heavy i thought even my back was gonna break yet the bag has always endured everything 

oh but my heart almost stopped in two occasions: when once it started Pouring So Very Heavily and i had no umbrella so i basically ran to find shelter for my bag and when my cat barfed on it, i seriously thought i’d seen the last of it by then. still somehow i managed to save it??

unsurprisingly, by now it’s quite worn down, both from the inside and the outside, and i’m decided to mend it as many times as necessary, but the day i can’t use it anymore i’ll still keep it. tbh when i die just bury it with me 

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

i always think i’ve forgotten one responsability or other so i never feel totally relaxed but when i’m free i spend my time online. i love going out to have breakfast with my friends whenever possible. breakfast time with them is my favorite :’)

28: sunrise or sunset?SUNRISE!!! it’s the most hopeful thing in the world

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

it’s a seal plushie!!! it was the first plushie i ever had, my mother saw it and thought of me and ever since then it’s been on my bed. 

it’s a small white seal with brown eyes and it lost its whiskers many years ago in the washing machine. i refuse to say its name because it’s embarrassing and it’s in catalan anyway. 

it’s always comforted me and when i’m at my very lowest i sometimes sleep with it for 1-3 nights, never more. it’s become my mood measurer, in a way. if i feel shitty i allow myself to act miserable for 1-3 days, with this plushie as comforting prize. after that i force myself to put effort in trying to get better again.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

i do, but i don’t base my decisions on them. i’m not sure if it’s contradictory, but that’s how i feel it. i love listening to my gut feeling but at the end it’s just one more opinion alongside reason and heart. i make decisions basing on these three, i’d say.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

so many!!!! although i don’t really have that many things i find endearing per se, because i may find the same habit lovable in someone but spur no feelings in me by someone else (it’s a matter of how they feel about them, i guess?) but there are some things i find adorable in general. 

when someone is passionate about something i have -10 knowledge about but their enthusiasm pulls you in and i realize there are many interesting things in this world

when someone is like doing nothing and has a serious/emotionless expression but if you approach them they suddenly become animated and all light up

oh and when someone is talking yet they get interrupted or someone else starts explaining other stuff and everybody just goes along with it and the 1st person is utterly ignored BUT an angel shows up and keeps listening to the end i just love seeing details like those ;;; (i don’t think this fits the sort of endearing the question was asking but)

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

light blue!!! it makes me so happy, today’s sky is a mood

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

i’m not a fan of movies in general so i’m very simple regarding to that. spirited away. that’s all

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

cheese, i put in just so much

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

i started doing it and all but in the end asking me about music is useless and i deleted everything. i have no idea, i’m sorry 

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

either none or the 5 years into the future. i’d never choose to go back. 

if i went 5 years into the future (i’ve actually thought how would it be many times so this question is not very difficult to answer now) i’d feel very self-conscious about my choices when i came back to the present, i’d either always wonder which choices would bring me to that present, or try to think how to avoid ending up like that. i’d have no rest so it’d actually not be a very smart choice. 

well, this in case that button is just for going 5 years into the future temporarily, if i was teleported 5 years into the future permanently then no, i definitely wouldn’t press it. trying to live in the future with a “past” self in comparison would be dumb, everything has a pace.

[nationalpartyquotes]

The Cambridge Modern History v10, 1906

Page 87: Parnell’s death, however, did not heal the breach between the two sections of the Nationalist party, and the divisions and recriminations between them considerably abated the interest in Home Rule. Gladstone was not unconscious of the fact; but Home Rule had grown to be a principle with him, and, recalled to power at the age of eighty-three, he, on February 18, 1893, again submitted a Home Rule Bill to Parliament, this time unencumbered by any land legislation and with a provision for the retention of the Irish members, on a reduced scale, at Westminster. The Bill was rejected by the House of Lords. Had Gladstone had his way, he would have dissolved and once more have appealed to the country; but his colleagues were averse from the proposal, and early next year he handed over the reins of government to Lord Rosebery. Meanwhile, Mr. Morley, as Irish Secretary, had been trying, not unsuccessfully, to give practical expression in his administration of the country to the spirit of Home Rule. HIs task was rendered easier by the split in the National party, the feeling of exhaustion produced by the long struggle, and the growing desire on the part of Irishmen generally to drop the subject. It was useless, Archbishop Croke candidly admitted, for any reasonable man to hope for a national legislature within measurable time. Speaking at Portadown early in 1894, Lord Londonderry declared that the real policy of the Unionists was the settlement of the land question on the lines of the Ashbourne Act. Outside Ulster, Ireland’s prosperity, he insisted, depended on the development of her agriculture, and in his opinion the most pressing need of the nation was the establishment of an Agricultural Department. His words did not pass unheeded.

Page 204: Under Koloman Széll, the new Prime Minister, the spirit of Deák seemed to recover its advantage in the Liberal party over the system of Tisza. By a new coalition the Liberals won the support of the National party, which had hitherto centered itself round Count Albert Apponyi. They gained thereby in numbers, moral authority, parliamentary value, and influence throughout the country, and, what was more important, henceforward they were able to avail themselves of the eloquence, patriotism, integrity, and popularity of Count Apponyi. The economic questions were settled by the “formula of Széll”: this made temporary provisions which were to be valid until 1907. That year was the date not only for the expiration of the new economic arrangements — which, for the first time, assumed in Hungary the form of autonomous laws, not treaties with Austria — but also for the termination of the commercial treaties with foreign countries. Thus, in 1907, Hungary was to control the economic future of the monarchy. A new fiscal tariff was drawn up with the consent of Austria to take effect in 1907.

Page 268: This hatred and distrust of the employers has had one consequence of a peculiarly unfortunate character. The merchants and manufacturers of the wartime provinces, which contain the larger part of the population, and much the larger part of the wealth of Spain, have many reasons to resent the corruption, the perpetual interference, and the delays of the central administration. The burden is most acutely felt in the most industrial province of Spain, the principality of Catalonia. It let to a revival of “regionalism,” that is to say, a demand for Catalan self-government. The demand was often advanced in terms offensive to other parts of the country. yet it had much in it to invite sympathy and cooperation. There was at least a possibility of the formation of a national party grouped round the united Catalans (the Solidarios) to insist on administrative reform. The hostility of the workmen has postponed, if it has not destroyed, the hope of the formation of such a party. They are convinced that the employers, and their agents the lawyers, have no other aim than to acquire entire command of the local administration in order to be able to exploit the working classes without fear of check. These divisions of course tend to confirm the power of the overstaffed, meddlesome, and dilatory central administration.

Page 385: Meanwhile, a revolution had broken out in the heart of the Turkish capital. The national party, discontented with the lack of firmness shown by Mahmud Neddim, the Russophil Gran Vizier, raised the cry of “Turkey for the Turks”; at Constantinople several thousand softas, or theological students, forced the Sultan to dismiss his Minister; at Salonica the French and German Consuls were murdered. Matters reached a climax who, on May 29, Mehemed Ruehdi, the new Grand Vizier, and his confederate, having obtained a fetvah from the Sheikh-ul-Islam authorizing the deposition of Abd-ul-Aziz on the ground of his incapacity and extravagance, declared the throne vacant and on the following day proclaimed his nephew Sultan under the title of Murad V. Four days later, the death of Abd-ul-Aziz prevented all danger of a restoration. The cause of his death has been much contested; five years afterwards, Midhat Pasha and others were tried and convicted of the Sultan’s assassination; but the trial, held under the shadow of Yildiz, was an was an absurd travesty of justice, and it was the opinion of a British doctor, who saw the dead man’s body, that Abd-ul-Aziz committed suicide by cutting his arteries with a pair of scissors. The removal of his uncle did not, however, confirm Murad on the throne for long. The tragedy of his sudden elevating to power affected a mind naturally feeble; the national party soon recognized that he was not the man to direct the fortunes of the empire in a time of dire distress. On August 31 he was deposed in his turn, and his brother Abdul-Hamid II took his place. Murray vanished in the palace of Cheragan on the Bosporos, which had witnessed his uncle’s tragic death, and his fate remains one of the mysteries of Constantinople.

Page 494: The educational policy of his Government, more than anything else except the partition of Bengal, brought Lord Curzon into conflict with the so-called National party in India. That party is the outcome of the higher education given in the colleges. It is nourished on a careful study of English classics, especially the political philosophy of the Whig and Liberal schools of thought. Its avowed aim is the establishment in India of a democratic and constitutional government — a transplanting of the full-grown tree of the Western State to Eastern soil. It has first risen to prominence in 1885 from the organized demonstrations in honor of the retiring Viceroy, Lord Ripon; and, from that year onward, an annual meeting was held in one of the big cities of India under the title of the Indian National Congress. The Congress remains as yet officially unrecognized, but its existence, embarrassing as it is to the Indian Government, is the natural outcome of some of the best and most liberal aspects of British rule. It has done excellent work in calling attention to legitimate grievances, and, were it more under the control of the moderate constitutional party, its beneficial activity would be greater than it is.

Page 495: Before the reform was completed, a fierce popular agitation broke out against the change. Though partly genuine, and, in so far s that was the case, largely based upon a misapprehension of the facts, it was mainly directed by the literary class, and deftly manipulated to suit the aspirations of the Indian National Congress party. What the Viceroy described as a mere adjustment of administrative boundaries was represented as the partition of a homogeneous nation and as a deliberate attack upon the social, historical, and linguistic ties of the Bengalis. The extreme presentment of the opposition case tended to assume, as Indian political movements so often do, an element of the grotesque; but the saner members of the National party, supported by a small English section, argued that the particular method selected by the Indian Government, whatever its abstract merits, should have been abandoned not he ground that no political change can be really beneficial which is strongly opposed by national sentiment.

Page 496: They could not deny the necessity for some change; but they proposed that the ruler of Bengal should henceforth be a Governor instead of a Lieutenant-Governor, and that he should be assisted, as in Madras and Bombay, by an Executive Council. Lord Curzon replied that the establishment of an Executive Council in Bengal would divide and weaken the responsibility of the Governor or Lieutenant-Governor; for that province, with its variety of races and civilizations and its many complex problems, still above all others required a strong personal control. Here was revealed the wide gulf that separated the official and non-official views. Looking mainly to the efficiency of the administration, the Viceroy and his advisers desired to decentralize as little as possible; while the National party only saw in the proposed change a favorable opportunity for advancing in the direction of constitutional and representative government, and to impose definite limits upon the autocratic power of the head of the executive.

Page 534: In order to strengthen the Jesuit party, it was arranged by Phaulkon that King Louis XIV should send an embassy to King Phra Narai of Siam; and, in 1685, an envoy presented himself at the Court of Ayuthia bringing a letter from the French monarch together with a collection of presents. A return mission was sent in the following year under the direction of Father Tachard, a Jesuit missionary. One or two missions followed; but their effect was partly nullified by the fact becoming known that, much as the French king desired Siamese trade, he cared far more for the spread of his religion. King Phra Narai became alarmed since these designs were supported by the arrival from time to time of small detachments of French soldiers, nominally as guards of honor to the King. The death of Phra Narai in 1688 brought matters to a climax; and the national party at once took action. Under a Minister of State named Opra Pitrachan they at once took the field. They seized the next heirs to the throne and sent Phaulkon to execution. The late King’s brothers were murdered, and Opra Pitrachand usurped the throne. The French soldiers were transported to Pondicherry, and a state of war prevailed.

[zloyodessit]

Russia launching scenario of squeezing Italy out of EU

The Russian military team deployed in Italy, whose goal is far from rescuing the Italians, is already starting to bring its first malignant fruit. That's the fruit that brings the same kind of threat to Italy as any Russian presence in the EU does to the European community in general.

A few days ago, in my piece "Italian Holiday for Russian military intelligence" I tried to elaborate on the set of goals and tasks of the Russian "rescue convoy" sent by the defense ministry rather than the health agency. Besides a wide range of goals related to media, PR, intelligence, political pressure, and shifting own public's focus from internal problems, including the coronavirus epidemic in Russia itself, they are set to resolve the task of further destabilizing the EU. To be more precise, it's about preparing the foundation for Italy's withdrawal from the EU in line with the scenario so brilliantly played in the UK. As I've already mentioned, the first malignant fruit of this wicked game is already ripening.

It was for a specific reason that the Russian "rescue team" in Italy, which certainly couldn't fundamentally reverse the epidemiological situation in this country, included not so much medics but military journalists, makeup artists, and other personas completely unrelated to healthcare whatsoever, while being directly related to intelligence and spec-ops forces.

It's been less than a week since the Russian convoy has driven 600 km across Italy, and we're already seeing on social networks loads of negative remarks targeting the European Union, which "failed to help" Italy in difficult times, although it was actually German doctors who first responded and threw a helping hand to Italians . But after all, the Germans didn't drive along the Italian highways waving German flags to the tune of "Lore Lore Lore". So it doesn't count!..

Videos shot by Italian motorists praising the Russians as they pass the convoy are now going viral – that's despite of the fact that 80% of the Russian rescue package is "absolutely useless" in fighting coronavirus. Some bums are filmed taking EU banners from flagpoles and putting Russian tricolors there instead. And all these videos are liked and shared like crazy – mostly with the help of accounts from the internet's Russian segment.

In parallel lines, groups are being created on the Telegram messenger platform, spinning narratives of "collapse" in Italy and other EU member states home to socially-explosive regions. For example, the "Catalan Quarantine" group broadcasting messages about the "hopeless" and "deplorable" situation in Spain, against the background of EU "indifference".

In my previous piece, I noted that European intelligence agencies should keep in mind that among those military "rescuers" from Russia there are experts in "hybrid operations" who, together with Russia adepts in Italy, could activate their network of supporters, as well as experts on information and psychological warfare. Taking into account how unstable the minds of Italians are under the influence of the tragedy that's unfolding, it's rather easy for professionals to ignite a huge fire. And this process has obviously already started.

By discrediting the European Union in the information space, Russia's goal is to tear another piece off of the EU body, and if they're lucky, it'll be two pieces. Exploiting the coronavirus theme, the Kremlin will attempt to destabilize Europe through Italy and Spain, either by arranging another #EXIT extravaganza, or by destabilizing Catalonia, Bergamo, or Lombardy to help set up "people's republics" there.

Of course, sooner or later, Russian military will leave Italy. But this doesn't mean that the country will be safe then. After all, after the group's departure, Italian secret services will need to kep in focus both the Italian MPs who contributed to this contingent being deployed into the very heart of the EU, but also those who have been in contact with them throughout this time.

Indeed, besides gathering intelligence, these "rescuers" carried out some deep recruitment operations, , of which I'm more than sure. Moreover, at times those recruited could be oblivious of the fact that they were being targeted and psychologically processed. After all, you can't destabilize a country without having your agents of influence there, only relying on the media potential. By the way, Catalonia is a prime example, proving the suggestion. And the more the Kremlin recruits and convinces, the easier it will be for Russia to destabilize and destroy.

https://medium.com/@zloyodessit2.0/russia-launching-scenario-of-squeezing-italy-out-of-eu-86969919d438

[travelworldnetwork]

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A sunset view of Barcelona, one of the world's most vibrant and avant-garde cities. Photo: Alamy

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The last time I stood here, looking up at Barcelona's famous La Sagrada Familia, it was 2006 and my three girlfriends and I were making a pact: let's never return to this city, as long as we all shall live.

Yet here I am. The shards of a broken promise at my feet, as 12 years peel away to reveal the distressing situations that led to our oath. The make-your-own-sangria-fuelled cooking class. The accidental splitting of our group on Las Ramblas. The swiping of my friend's bag at dinner. My other friend and I hiding from some undesirables in a nightclub bathroom.

That our youthful foolhardiness was as much to blame as the city was a fact that took me more than decade to admit. As author Alain de Botton rightly reflects in his philosophical tome The Art of Travel, "a danger of travel is that we see things at the wrong time, before we have had a chance to build up the necessary receptivity and when new information is therefore useless and fugitive as necklace beads without a connection chain".

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A tapas bar with hanging jamon over the counter is part of the city's top drinking and dining scene. Photo: Alamy

Realising that perhaps I wasn't ready for Barcelona back then, I decided it deserved a second chance. This time around, however, I'd do it right, putting myself in the hands of luxury tour experts Abercrombie & Kent, to present Barcelona to me in her most flattering light.

As we enter the neo-classical facade of the El Palace Hotel, and wander through the gilded lobby, I'm visited by the ghost of poor accommodation choices past. Back in 2006, a grande dame hotel with a fancy doorman was something my friends and I could have only dreamt of. In those pre-Airbnb days we'd rented an apartment, sight unseen, off a strange man at the train station. We'd headed to the city's outer limits to find our digs were flea-infested and had cockroaches in the coffee. It hadn't gotten us off to the best start with the Catalonian capital, I realise as I sip tea on the El Palace rooftop pool terrace with 360-degree views over the city.

Soon, my travel compadres and I are wandering old Barcelona's sun-splashed laneways in search of the city's most impressive architecture, something I couldn't have cared less about at 22. Our first stop is the Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall, one of Barcelona's best examples of Modernista architecture, created by architect Domenech i Montaner in 1908. Studying the stone pillars covered in intricate floral mosaics embellishing the facade, I realise I probably walked right past this extraordinary building 12 years ago. More fool me if I did. Because entering the upstairs auditorium, a kaleidoscope of ceramic roses, chandeliers, sculptures and stained glass, feels like walking inside a life-sized music box. I understand our guide perfectly when she says you can feel that this structure, originally built for the Orfeo Catala musical society, was the love child of people united by music. Some may find the building over the top, but to me it is music in physical form.

As we continue walking, I wonder how I could have once overlooked the psychedelic mosaiced facade of Antoni Gaudi's Casa Batllo as we pass it, and the wave-like stone balconies of La Pedrera. Perhaps I hadn't matured enough to find these buildings worthy of appreciation. Or maybe I was so cranky at the city by that point that I'd simply had my blinkers on.

The real star of Barcelona's architectural show however, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, I did see 12 years ago – although only for the three minutes it took to snap a selfie in front of it. I knew nothing about Gaudi the man, or the significance of his avant-garde masterpiece, which attracts 3 million tourists annually. Today, happily, we have Abercrombie & Kent's art expert Maria Teresa Farriols accompanying us, a petite, animated, Gaudi-obsessed blonde. "There are three men in my life," she tells us, "Gaudi, Dali, and my son."

Farriols walks us around the exterior of what will eventually be the world's tallest church, when it finally gets completed in 2026. The first stone was laid in 1882, she says, adding that the Catalan architect believed God had all the time in the world so there was no need to rush it to completion. We marvel at the dizzying spires and botanical and religious sculptures covering the exterior, before heading inside. The soaring vaulted ceilings leave us feeling as though we've entered a gigantic stone forest, while the Murano stained glass throws rainbows across the floor. "Gaudi took inspiration from his dreams," Farriols whispers, "he was connected to a higher force." She explains the intricacies of the debate that has raged for more than a century about whether this mind-bending building is genius or folly. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, it's an undeniably brilliant feat of imaginative construction that it's almost impossible not to be moved by.

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Later, as I wander the boutique-lined laneways of the medieval Born district, I get to thinking about timing in travel. Maybe, instead of lamenting all I missed during my first Barcelona trip, I can appreciate all I've learnt about travel in the 12 years since.

How to properly research and plan for a trip, yes, but also how to give a destination's history and culture the appreciation it deserves.That includes culinary culture, I realise as our small group sits for supper at a trendy, intimate downtown tapas restaurant named Casa Lolea. In 2006, my friends and I had skipped dinner in favour of taking a cooking class.

Which sounds classy. Until you discover the class was run by a company called Smashed. And that other than learning how to make bastardised sangria, all we really learnt to cook was tomato toast.

Tonight, however, we get a taste of Barcelona's world-class drinking and dining scene. We sip organic sangria and nibble lip-smacking morsels of pickled octopus, tuna ceviche, melt-in-the-mouth jamon and creamy patatas bravas. We toast, we chat, we laugh. It's a near-flawless Catalonian food experience, and the perfect prelude to phase two of our night.

Soon, we're picked up in classic red and bottle-green sidecars and, as the day starts to fade, we whiz through the boulevards of the elegant Eixample district and the Gothic Quarter. No wonder Barcelona so inspired artists like Picasso and Miro, I think as the wind whips my hair and the city lights start twinkling all around us.

Arriving at the Montjuic hilltop, we clamber out of our sidecars for a glass of cava, Spain's moreish sparkling wine. As I sip, I gaze out over the sprawling city. How, I wonder, could I have ever used the word ''hate'' in reference to one of the world's most vibrant and avant-garde cities? I raise my glass: to Barcelona, for finally showing herself to me, to growing up, and to second chances.

TRIP NOTES

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traveller.com.au/barcelona

abercrombiekent.com.au

FLY

Cathay Pacific flies from Sydney to Barcelona via Hong Kong.See cathaypacific.com

TOUR

Abercrombie & Kent specialises in private and small group journeys to Spain. An eight-day private journey through the north of Spain, including two nights at Hotel El Palace Barcelona, two nights in San Sebastian, two nights in Bilbao and two nights in Madrid, is from $14,855 per person twin share. See abercrombiekent.com.au

Nina Karnikowski travelled as a guest of Abercrombie & Kent and Cathay Pacific.

from traveller.com.au

The post I vowed never to return to Barcelona. I was wrong appeared first on Travel World Network.