Person of the week, cheers and boos

He was back as person of the week because he most certainly was back - and in dramatic style. The president of the United States of America returned to the White House the conquering leader. Covid had been conquered, and it had been a blessing from God, a blessing in disguise, as Donald Trump had discovered how to cure Covid. Regeneron drugs, not yet approved by federal regulators, should be available to all Americans. Covid was not Americans' fault, as it was China's fault. China is going to pay a big price. Match that, Joe Biden? Virtual Joe was all for remote debating. The president, needless to say, was not.

Three cheers ...

For Majorcan paprika. The cultivation of the native tap de cortí pepper variety had by the end of the last century all but died out. Once widely grown, it had fallen victim to imports and so also therefore had local paprika. Determined efforts by a group of producers brought the pepper back into fashion. The pepper and the paprika became the theme of the Felanitx autumn fair, usually timed to coincide with the fair in Campos, where sobrassada made with the paprika is a star attraction. All the efforts have borne fruit, as the Pebre Bord de Mallorca was given European protected designation of origin status.

A big boo ...

For the persisting problems with getting ITV (MOT) appointments. There was a significant backlog because of the state of alarm, but by now it might have been expected that this would have been sorted out and that the ITV test centres would be complying with Council of Majorca contractual demands that vehicle owners should have to wait no longer than thirteen days for an inspection. The system does need fixing, and as opposition spokesperson Llorenç Galmés observed, the ruling administration can't keep excusing itself by eternal reference to feasibility studies.