Politicians and facial hair

Politics in Spain is hardly an edifying spectacle; and the longer you watch it, the more you understand how they came about to fight a bloody civil war (1936-1939). What is interesting though, is that a lot of politicians sport bears of all kinds: mustachoes, goatees, and full beards, and it is no prerogative of some left-wing, generation 1968-types. The leader of the conservative Popular party, Mariano Rajoy, has one, too. The second vice-prime minister and finance and economics minister, Pedro Solbes, wears one, some times in the form of a three-days-shade, sometimes fuller grown. The new justice minister whose name sounds somewhat like "Canaan" wears the thickest one I have seen in politicians yet. And there is Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, of course. In the US, I cannot remember any cabinet secretary with a beard, though Ben Bernanke sports one. In Germany, the sometime SPD boss and prime minister of Rhenania-Palatinate, Kurt Beck, wears one, but I would not call him the typical politician - think he is a craftsman, not a lawyer, and married to a hairdresser...

Universal health coverage

Recently I saw two documentaries on the U.S. health care system and what it means for many Americans to be without coverage. Even if they feel really sick they cannot go and see a doctor because they cannot pay the fees. And some who go to "welfare" physicians and are diagnosed with cancer, then cannot afford the medication to treat their disease and will die prematurely.
For all the weaknesses of the health care systems of Germany and Spain, the ones I know by personal experience, I still prefer an imperfect public system with some waiting lists but everybody insured to an excellent one for the priviliged majority that excludes about 16% of the population (like the one in the USA).
Both documentaries stressed the enormous power of the health care lobbies in D.C. that prevent improvements such as cuts in drug prices for U.S. patients who are likely to pay six times as much for their medication as Canadians or Europeans do for the same products.
It will be interesting to see if and how the new President will find a solution to this while he has to struggle with the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The beaches in Barcelona

Although I think that blogs should give you positive news and thoughts, today I would like to warn you about the beaches in Barcelona: as you can see from the pictures, they are in repair or awaiting it after a few ferocious winter storms. During the off-season months (i.e. basically always except for July and August) you don't find lifeguards or public toilets, the sand is full of cigarette stubs, and the surroundings do not smell too well...
There are a lot of reasons for coming to Barcelona: spectacular architecture, good food, great shopping, a vibrant music festival scene, etc. But if you are mainly interested in a nice beach, go somewhere else, e.g. Palma de Mallorca, Valencia or Malaga.