The news from rainy madrid

10 things that have struck me so far about being back in Madrid and back in Spain:
1. The cigarette cartons still have the frightening "scared straight" warning labels: stark, large black text on white backgrounds. For example: "Fumar causa impotencia."
2. In a convenience store one night I see besides the display of Chupa-Chups suckers that they are now selling Chupa-Chups in a box that is a little larger than a cigarette carton. Like those cartons, there are warning labels. The one I see reads, "Chupar relaja."
3. Catalan nationalism has moved into the ludicrous zone. One of the nationalists argues that you can't be president of the Generalitat if you weren't born in Catalunya. The president of CiU speaks of the Spanish migrants from other regions to Catalunya in the 1960's as the "llegados." Montilla, not born in Catalunya, leader of the PSC, is taken to task by a Barcelona paper for not speaking perfect Catalan.
4. The PP shows its fascist stripes at a recent public meeting in Cáceres when someone in the public yells out, "España, una, grande y libre!" (the old fascist lema).
5. Rajoy is determined to be the leader of the new Spanish troglodytes. Corruption from land speculation? It's all fault of the PSOE.
6. Madrid in the rain is really beautiful.
7. Walking into Luke Soy tu Padre on a Friday night, for the first time in four months, and the owner telling me, "Un amigo tuyo estuvo aquí la semana pasada."
8. Barça losing to Real Madrid 2-0. Aaaarrrggghhhh!
9. A Spanish woman on her honeymoon is stopped and detained in Cancún as she is departing Mexico to return to Spain. Explosives and a detonator cap are found in her checked luggage. She makes it back to Spain, but will have to return to Mexico to face charges. She says she's not checking her bag this time.
10. Construction continues at a mad pace. the areas around the construction sites are mud pits in the rain.