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

The Voz de Galicia reports today that: Last year ended with 83,341 victims of sexist violence who are under police protection in Spain, under the sadly famous VioGén system. This was 8,200 more than in 2022. More than half have dependent children and there are 20 who are considered at extreme risk, that is, they fear for their lives. There are also almost 10,000 minors in a vulnerable situation, as they run the risk of being attacked by their mother’s abuser. I have no idea how this compares with other developed countries.

Olive oil prices now are, om average, almost 70% up on last year. Details here.

My impression is that only Valencia comes close to Pv city in the global publicity stakes. Here’s the New York Times on it.

A Galician nationalist friend complains about the claim that our Community/Region ranks 2nd when it come to knowledge of English. Not because it might be inaccurate, but because Galicia, like Scotland, is a country. Except, of course, that Scotland – like Wales – isn’t really a country. If it were, the Scottish Nats wouldn’t be demanding independence.

The UK

When scandal strikes, Britain leaps into inaction– The Post Office outrage, like many before it, exposes how government stonewalling and obfuscation lead to disaster.

Can it be true that: The Post Office scandal is a parable of modern Britain, a broken society where all too often the best people are taken advantage of by the worst, aided and abetted by a morally bankrupt officialdom.  If so, what will change matters? My interest only arises because I have a child and grandchildren there. For now.

Reader James has kindly advised of a BBC radio series and a podcast called The Great Post office Trial.

The EU

The Eurozone is heading for another downturn, warns the ECB vice-president. I blame Brexit.

The USA

I said to an American friend years ago that I doubted the US could really afford its system of presidential elections. His reply: The world can’t afford it. At no time less than now, I fear.

Witness . . .

Russia

A dour conviction-cum-prediction . . . Like Stalin, Putin has an insatiable ego and a desire for greatness at whatever the cost. Those in the West who believe that a ceasefire could be followed by a return to “normality” are utter fools. Nobody with any understanding of the Kremlin believes that it is a certainty that Putin will stop his westwards march. The drift towards militarisation of the Russian state and the surging calls for a greater offensive must serve as a warning that the West needs to wake up before he acts. We must fully support and arm Ukraine. If we don’t, as predicted by the Polish Chief of Security, NATO will be at war with Moscow  within a few years.

AI

Good example of differing AI-based searches. I asked Bing and Perplexity to find me a 2011 blog post of The Futility Closet and only the latter came up with it.

Quote of the Day

Social-media inspired frenzy demands villains who must have justice meted out to them immediately. The very essence of mob-rule, I guess.

Did you know? . . .

More from The Futility Closet on strange names. This time boys’ monikers in the USA – including Arson, Helmet and Yick. Tomorrow, the bizarre girls’ names posted in . . . 2011.

Finally . . .

I’ve just finished David Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count. It raises some nice questions for Progressives of the Left as regards their differential treatment of races, ethnic groups and ‘victims’ of white privilege. But I don’t suppose many of them will read it. Possibly not even Jeremy Corbyn, who really should. His successor, Keir Starmer, has and says it’s a ‘brilliant book’. Who am I to argue with that?

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

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 – updated a bit in early July 2023.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:- This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers.