David Antigüedad: My son's coming of age.

I guess it's one of my proudest moments as a father, seeing my son turn 18 and accordingly come of age. But then it's also mixed feelings and makes me realize how fast time flies. I mean, I know it sounds corny, a trite cliché, but it does seem like yesterday that he was born.
Anyway, I don't want to look presumptuous when I talk about his musical talent. Being a frustrated musician myself, I literally drool whenever I see David play the guitar. I often wish I could have learned to play an instrument, any! Last night I was watching this soothing jazz gig performed at El Savor by a local band and I couldn't help thinking what a great feeling it must be to play your stuff in front of an audience. And when I see David during his auditions and small recitals, I truly feel some healthy ENVY of him!
I didn't mean to actually do this, but early this morning I heard the news on the BBC that today (just one day after my son's) is Jimmi Page's 67 birthday. For those of you who may have not heard of him, Jimmi is the legendary guitarist of one of the greatest rock bands in history, British giants Led Zepellin, who I've always idolized since my teenage years. And I was wondering if I could pay a small tribute on this blog to good old Jimmi, undoubtedly one of the most influential rock guitarists, and indeed one of my son's many guitar heroes, when suddenly I sort of plucked up the courage to also post a video my son recently uploaded on YouTube and I had stored in the drafts file of this blog some four/five days ago. Especially when in it he's playing a cover version of two songs from possibly my favourite album ever, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Please, don't think me excessively vain, it's just a proud father displaying his son's moment of glory in cyberspace, ha ha!
All I can say is that David's done "the full monty", so to speak: certainly the guitar playing on top of the band's backing tracks, but also the video recording on his mobile, as well as the painstaking editing, the audio-video synch in his PC ... May I say he's a genius in the making? Of course, I'm his proud dad! And believe me, he's got no idea I'm doing this. I'm not even sure he would like to know ...

Then, in case you've never listened to Jimmi Page in action, here's the clip I had originally intended to embed. I'm sorry that I won't write at length about Jimmi, his enormous talent and groundbreaking technique, which has been so influential to so many guitarists after him, so the mix down below speaks for itself. Just for today, however much I admire the old rocker, the young apprentice has stolen the show. But happy birthday wherever you are, maestro!

Smoking at Spanish restaurants and bars banned

Hi everyone and a happy new year!
This is the first entry of 2011. As you know, today, January 2nd, is the date Spanish smokers were dreading as a comprehensive smoking ban is put into practice. That's why I've decided to publish this short CNN feature about the news, including this short video which summarizes the situation. You will notice most of the ideas heard in the clip are presented, more or less literally, in the article's written text:

Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A law in Spain that goes into effect Sunday bans smoking in indoor bars and restaurants, and gives the nation some of the toughest smoking restrictions in western Europe. The law will put Spain in line with Britain, France and Italy, which prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places.

Spain's hotel and restaurant federation warns of a 10 percent drop in business and tens of thousands of job losses in the midst of the nation's deep economic crisis.

But the government says similar laws elsewhere in Europe did not hurt business in the long run. Juan Carlos Sanchez says he goes to a neighborhood bar several times a day to have a cigarette with his coffee or beer. Like many smokers here, he is adamantly opposed to the new law. "If I can't smoke here in the bar, maybe I'll come just once a day, or not at all. When I ask for a coffee or beer, but then have to smoke in the street, I don't understand," said Sanchez, who manufactures filters for air conditioners.

Fernando Vazquez, owner of a bar and restaurant in Madrid where Sanchez was smoking late last week, said the smoke-free air starting on Sunday might be nice. But it will come at a price for his business. "Spaniards spend a lot of time in bars and will probably spend less time now," Vazquez said. "Instead of drinking three or four beers, they'll have one."

Spaniards have had a relationship with tobacco for 500 years. Explorer Christopher Columbus saw tobacco on his voyages to the New World and Spanish sailors brought it to Europe. So undoing old habits is not easy here.

A law four years ago banned smoking at work. But it essentially allowed Spain's 300,000 bars and restaurants to choose whether they would prohibit smoking. Most did not. This time, there are supposed to be no exceptions, as the government tries to reduce the 50,000 tobacco-related deaths each year.

Nearly a third of Spaniards puff away and smoke-filled bars have been the norm.

Business owner Florentino Matamala is a former smoker who supports the legislation. "People can't quit overnight and those who are used to smoking while having a coffee are going to have it rough. But I think it's positive, for the general good."


So what do you think? Is it OK to toughen the existing law by banning smoking in all enclosed public places, including bars, discos and restaurants? Or is the measure too prohibitionary? Perhaps should some outside areas be added to these premises?
On the other hand, do you agree with the exception made in prisons, psychiatric wards and old people's homes? Is it fair or just absurd?
Why not post your comments here?