La Vida Alcalaína

We hear with depressing regularity about natural habitats being destroyed in the pursuit of profit. So it's good to learn about a project where the opposite has happened, thanks to the hard work and persistence of a group of environmental conservationists.  Such a project is the Laguna de los Tollos , near the town of El Cuervo just north of Jerez. Until 1976 this lake was an important stopover for wetland birds, including flamingoes in their thousands, winging their way between the Coto Doñana and the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra in Málaga Province.  It was also a breeding site for purple swamp hens (aka purple gallinules), crested coot and the rare white-headed duck.  Then along came Hefran SA, a mineral exploitation company, who dug a pit next to the lake to extract the special clay needed to produce Fuller's Earth - a mineral used in the pharmaceutical industry and in the production of cat litter. The effect on the lake was catastrophic.  The water level dropped a

No, this is not a post about food.  "Chorizo", as well as being a famous Spanish sausage, is a slang word for thief (probably derived from the gypsy word chori ).   The slogan is saying that there are so many chorizos in the country (in the form of politicians, businessmen and bankers lining their pockets)  that there isn't enough bread to go round. But the chickens are coming home to roost. In the past month alone, 127 potential chorizos have come under investigation, 38  have been locked up and 37 have resigned from their posts.  A staggering 75% of cabinet ministers from José María Aznar's last PP government (2000-2004) are currently either in prison or under investigation . The latest scandal to hit the country was Operación Púnica , an investigation into bribes for contracts. Last Monday saw 51 arrests in a sweep across Madrid, Murcia, Valencia and León last Monday.  Four have been held on remand, including two mayors. Millions of euros were found hidden in