Spanish views from a small town

Publicity. You just can't get away from it. Some call it inevitable, a result of our modern living. That without it, our economic system would collapse. Heck, it might even get boring. I remember reading a book by the wife of an American student based on a diary she kept while her husband was doing research at Moscow University in the 1970's. She described how empty of light and color the city was. There was no publicity. No billboards, no colored lights. Granted, one of the attractions of New York City is Times Square with all its lights and advertisements that cover what would probably be prosaic buildings in a prosaic square. Still, that doesn't mean we like to be told to try Mentos or shop at H&M in our every waking minute, no matter where we are. A case in point. I have a Facebook account. Along the side are groups and posts the gods of Facebook suggest I might be interested in. I ignore them. From time to time, they slip onto my wall "suggested posts."...

The new elections are at the end of the month, and the electoral commercials and publicity have been doing the rounds already. The four major parties each have a different way of expressing their intentions to voters. The PP, Ciudadanos, and PSOE all have commercials that are national. The only thing that might change from one region to another is the local language. Though I think that is only in the spot by the PSOE. Podemos, which has joined with Izquierda Unida for this election in a coalition called Unidos Podemos, has a national spot, and individual spots for the regions where they are allied with other parties.  However, Podemos also has a catalogue that can be ordered from their web page. I believe that by donating seven euros to their campaign, they mail you a glossy catalogue where the major candidates to the Congreso are shown in their houses or offices. Each of them is introduced along with the campaign platform they all defend. From the beginning the catalogue has b...