Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.

And, lo, has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable

Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Cosas de España

HT to Lenox Napier of Business over Tapas for these Vintage Propaganda Posters of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. Art Deco, I believe.

Those new travel rules for Spain. I smile at those aimed at reducing noise. My midday tiffin yesterday was in a bar where I couldn’t hear myself think.

Says a UK newspaper: The problem of overtourism has now spread well beyond the likes of Venice, Dubrovnik and Barcelona. There are many places struggling to cope with mass tourism. One of these is San Sebastian, up on the Spanish North Coast. Where protests over mass tourism have become more frequent and there’ve been incidents of bars charging more to holidaymakers. Local residents have expressed particular concern over rising housing costs and a loss of community identity. Not mentioned is Sevilla. Nor Santiago de Compostela.

Galicia is reported to now have more dogs than kids. More than twice as many in Pv city, is my impression. I wonder how this compares with the stat of ‘dog-loving’ Britain.

Ireland

Oh, dear. The Irish Times has apologised for running an article about women’s use of fake tan that was submitted by a hoaxer* who used AI. It accused people of mocking those with naturally dark skin The article said women who artificially darkened their skin were donning an exotic costume: “Fake tan represents more than just an innocuous cosmetic choice; it raises questions of cultural appropriation and fetishisation of the high melanin content found in more pigmented people.”

* A modern Jonathan Swift – of A Modest Proposal fame?

Footnote: This AI hoax should terrify woke journalists

Quote of The Day

It seems at times that every human experience has been neatly labelled and categorised a “condition” or “syndrome”. 

Social Media

It was supposed to connect us but a large body of evidence now shows that social media is driving disturbing levels of loneliness among young people. Best-case scenario, these kids are going to feel a little bit crappier than they did before they picked up their mobile phones, when they were still existing in the real world. Worse case: they overuse what scientists have now confirmed is a mind-altering drug – as in permanently mind-altering. . . . Every single aspect of human life – from our health to our relationships to our intelligence – is being damaged by harmful content online.

So, how to stop this? Is any country getting it right?

The Way of the World

There’s hope yet. Gen z kids are rebelling against the censorious nature of our times. And irony is back, it’s said. As shown by the popularity of Seinfeld on Netflix. There is a ‘vibe shift’ taking placen, though it’s still in its inchoate infancy. At the generationally-regenerative distance of 25 years, Seinfeld is part of our voice – and our rebellion. The clarity of irony is its strength, burning through pretensions and leaving behind a reality which is sometimes cold but always honest. More here.

Worrying . . . Western media is paying little attention to a confrontation currently brewing in the south Caucasus. Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, and perhaps even Israel are all teetering on the edge of a devastating conflict –  one that could send shockwaves across the rest of Eurasia. Let’s hope this is an exaggeration.

English

Farfelu: Actually French but seen – for the first time ever – in an English article – Eccentric.

Did you know?

If you wait long enough . . . A BBC garden expert says that only ‘old-fashioned’ gardeners kill weeds. Given the time and effort I put into eradicating these from my garden, this is a bit hurtful. But, then, I have planted one pretty, climbing weed in front of my kitchen window. It’s sometimes called Japanese knotweed but, by coincidence, The Guardian has an article on the (awful) real thing today.

Finally . . .

I suspect I’ve previously cited this uplifting Cat Stevens video. He mentions the [cult] film, Harold and Maude, which really is worth seeing:-

Welcome to new subscriber: travelcd

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.