The Hospital Joan March, in Distress
The Hospital Joan March in Bunyola is in a bit of distress. The hospital is set to be closed any time soon. The Govern Balear has run out of money […]
The Goose and the Golden Egg
Last Sunday, April 29th, between 5,000 and 10,000 protesters congregated on the beach of Es Trenc in opposition to a change in the planning law that now would allow the […]
The Invasion That Never Came
You will probably have seen the bunkers on the beach of Es Trenc, strange and somewhat brutal reinforced dugouts made of concrete. They are a bit of an eyesore. The shelters were […]
To Have or Have Not
There is an endless competition between Mallorcan towns and pueblos when it comes to manifesting their supremacy. The coastal municipalities all want their own marina; the land based ones want […]
The Language Crusade
For the last 18 months, my friend Lluís has been helping me improve my grasp of the Catalan language or rather, Mallorquín, a sub-species of that idiom. One of the […]
A Country at a Standstill?
Today’s motto will be 29-M Huelga General. A nationwide General Strike is scheduled for Spain for today, March 29th. Beware. 445 flights have been cancelled so far, between Iberia and […]
The Cort de Palma
The Cort in Palma was initially the court or residence of the town elders. Now, the Cort is the seat of the municipal Ajuntament (Town Hall). The building in Plaça Cort […]
Memories of a Dark Past
Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Emili Darder Cànaves (Mayor of Palma), Antoni Mateu Ferrer (former Mayor of Inca, below right), Antoni Maria Qués Ventanyol (founder of […]
Prisoners of War Camps in Mallorca
In a blog entry a couple of years ago, I reported about a number of Concentration Camps in Mallorca. Perhaps that term was a bit harsh. Perhaps one should call […]
The Coloms a la Sala
I don’t know whether this is relevant to you but let me tell you that I am interested in this kind of Mallorcan snippet. Shortly after we arrived in Mallorca […]
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Last Monday, the court case against Jaume Matas, former President of the Govern de les Illes Balears, began at the Tribunal Superior in Palma. Yesterday, proceedings went into their fifth […]
The International Day of Human Rights
Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights as stipulated by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10th, 1948. At that time, just three years after […]
The Yo-Yo of Politics
Politics is a funny business. Actually, I don’t think it is funny at all. It just seems funny, or ludicrous maybe, to witness the yo-yo effect of some local and […]
Salvem Portocolom
Many regions of Mallorca have been changed beyond recognition by the unholy alliance of avarice, concrete, development and growth. Only a handful of areas were saved in time, mainly thanks to […]
An Act Of Delusion
The Spanish voter has spoken, or so he thinks. In yesterday’s General Elections, the government of José Maria Rodríguez Zapatero was defeated by a big margin. PP, the opposition party […]
The Limits to Growth
An extraordinary event took place in Italy, four days before the Spanish General Elections on Sunday. Last Wednesday, Italy constituted a new, post-Berlusconi government composed entirely of non-politicians. I have […]
The Mallorca Photo Blog 