Finally! We have found a replacement for JournaQuesta, our linguistic contest we've cancelled a while ago. Do you ever wonder what those Belgians are up to in their tiny country? Or if those Spaniards do anything else besides lying in the sun and being chased by bulls? Well, our new column is the answer to your questions: facts from Spain and Belgium that didn't make the international news. Here goes:
Meanwhile in Belgium...
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| Flemish minister Kris Peeters with Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister. Source: De Standaard. |
1. Belgium has a government
That might sound very silly, since it's customary for a country to have a government. But after the general election of June 2010, Belgium spent 541 days without a government. Which is still the world wide record, it's even mentioned in the Guinnes Book of Records. The 7th of October 2014, a government coalition was named and Belgium had a government after - just - 137 days.
2. First cat café in Brussels
Yes, you've read it right, a café with cats. But NOT to bring your own cat. This Wednesday Monika Jurczykowska is opening the doors of her café Le Chat Touille in Brussels. There you can order drinks and food, while enjoying the company of cats. Why do people do such a thing? These cats come from pounds or they are simply alley cats. The café offers them shelter. It's a trend from Asia (ofc) and more specifically Japan (double ofc). In Japan a lot of people live in appartements and they're not allowed to keep pets. The cat café constitutes a good alternative. You may also find those type of cafés in Japan with different animals than cats. And usually you can't have a snack there.
3. The Belgian trade unions are not amused
Not this Wednesday, but Thursday the Belgian trade unions are organising a national strike. The Belgian trade unions are not very amused with the planned measures of the - just formed - Belgian government to save money for its economy. The last few weeks, some trade unions already have organised small strikes, especially on the rail roads, prohibiting people from returning home. This Thursday the first real national strike will take place and plenty more will follow, local ánd national. Readers who are planning to travel to Belgium in that period are strongly advised NOT to use public transportation.
4. Lena Dunham disappoints Belgian fans
The Girls director & actress and writer of the biography Not That Kind of Girl cancelled her signing session in Belgium last minute. Dunham, on an international book tour for her biography, was supposed to sign hundreds and hundreds of Belgian fans their copy of Not That Kind of Girl at the Antwerp Book Fair (a trade fair for books, especially in Dutch and Flemish). The American role model probably bailed out of the signing session and took a flight home at the last moment, because conservative, right-wing blogs accused her of having molested her little sister when she - Lena Dunham - was seven. In her biography, Dunham describes a scene in which she inspected her sister's vagina out of curiosity. A fact the conservative, right-wing part of the internet apparently couldn't handle.
And by the way, if you were a little kid and never looked at another little kid's vagina, well, congrats to you.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) November 1, 2014
And in Spain...
5. Oldest Spanish saving bank abuses credit cards
86 executives of Caja Madrid, the oldest Spanish saving bank, have been accused of using illegal credit cards without having declared a single euro during years. Every member had a “black credit card” with a 60 000 euro limit a year. The public prosecutor pursuits some of the bank's board members for more than 15 million euros.
Only four members of the whole board haven't spent a single euro with the credit cards. Among the accused members are some right winded, left winded and communist political party representatives and also syndicate representatives.
6. Catalonia cancels referendum and plans unofficial poll
The Catalan leader Artur Mas i Gavarró is planning on holding an unofficial poll the 9th of November, instead of a referendum. The Spanish government, that fears a domino effect with other regions, declared that the referendum was illegal. It now wants to stop Mas his survey. If this unofficial poll holds place, then statistics foresee a tight result with a slight victory for the “no”-camp.
7. Spanish scientists are leaders in graphene
Yes, leaders in graphene. A unique material: half metal, half semiconductor, bidimensional, transparent, waterproof, as hard as diamond, elastic and with the ability of creating magnetic fields (if it were a person, it would have been an X-men member). What it might be used for (if the further developement goes well)? Imagine mobile phones with batteries that charge in just a few seconds. And eye contacts with night vision. In case you want to become an X-men member as well.
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