Cosas de España/Galiza 

As y you’ll know, Octopus is very popular here in Galicia and a local seafood firm – Nueva Pescanova* – is currently seeking licenses to open the world’s first commercial octopus farm.  Given that there’s increasing evidence that octopi are not just smart but also sentient, it’s not surprising that: The announcement has raised objections from animal welfare activists that it is not ethical to farm such animals. As it wouldn’t be, they say, for dolphins. But I imagine these protests will prove ineffective.

*(Old) Pescanova went bust in a pretty scandalous fashion, as I recall.

I might have mentioned that I’ve been researching the coats-of-arms(escudos) of the Pv city’s burgher families since the 15th century and am now an expert on these. I’m 99.99% certain no one will me take up this offer but I’d be happy to send my ‘treatise’ – including fotos – to anyone interested.

Which reminds me . . . My recent visitor Andy has labelled his album of fotos taken in Iberia, which you can see here. Top left.

We used to have 5 competing tourist offices in Pv city but I think it’s now down to 3 – the city, Galicia and the (southern) Rías Biaxas region of the latter. The first of these used to be in Plaza de Verdura but seems to have moved. Looking to find its location via the city’s web page, I noted that – good as the English is – it isn’t that of a native  speaker. None of the latter would ever write ‘Make a section of the camino‘.

Home

‘In a few days’, says its web page, Pv city’s museum will offer us a virtual tour of its exhibits. This period has already stretched beyond a week but I’ll let you know when it’s up and running.

The UK  

Is it any wonder that few talented folk aspire to a political career when you can earn more than a million pounds p.a. as CEO of a regional water company? Or retire with a huge pension as a civil servant. Clearly, if you’re mad enough to want to be Prime Minister there’s something else at work beyond a desire for riches. Though recent British PMs –  Blair, Cameron and Johnson – have all done pretty well for themselves after leaving office. Exceptionally well in Blair’s case.

Italy

Can it really be true that Italy is so broken that 5.6m Italians — almost 10% of the population — currently live in ‘absolute poverty’? More here on this.

The Way of the World 

Transgenderism again . . . Like many activist groups, Stonewall presents its regressive ideas as ‘progressive’. So while most of the general public still believe that Stonewall exists to support equal rights for gay people, the truth is that in its current form it promotes highly contested views on gender and sexuality as though they are fact. Stonewall has a policy of ‘no debate’, which is of course very convenient for those whose ideas cannot withstand scrutiny. Instead, it prefers to dismiss all legitimate concerns as ‘hateful’ or ‘transphobic’, an infantile response that only perpetuates the toxicity surrounding these issues. More here.

How Stonewall turned against gay rights

Quote of the Day

Boris Johnson unrepentant: My removal is the greatest stitch-up since the Bayeux Tapestry. As ever, amusing but untrue.

Social Media Evil  

1. Social media has spewed out a fresh-born profession: creating a deliberate, laborious and determinedly shiny image of yourself and your circle entirely in order to monetise it with commercial “partnerships”. Case in point: Rebekah Vardy is the wife of an English football player. She’s just lost an ‘absurd’ libel case against other footballer’s wife, leaving her with a bill of 3m pounds. BUT . . . “Reputation experts” say that she will make a bomb from competing documentary producers and reality TV. Which is what it was all about really, as she makes her money from being  a social media ‘influencer’ She’s now expected to make a fortune from brand partnerships, endorsement fees, and a book deal. O tempora, o mores. . . .
2. Teenage girls are particularly susceptible to social contagion, as studies into eating disorders and self-harm have shown, so this sudden rise in young girls claiming not to be female is clearly a concern. These individuals are not old enough to vote or buy cigarettes, and yet we are assured that they should be able to make life-changing decisions about their own bodies

Finally  . . .

I dreamt last night that I went to visit Messrs McCartney and Lennon, who were under house arrest somewhere near Liverpool. The former treated me as an old friend but the latter was standoffish. Just as you’d expect.

This is for all drivers who’ve had to conform to rules relating to cyclists:-

For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there.