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 Great European Farmers Revolt is ongoing, with the vital food producers category going all out against the failed, crippling EU ‘green policies’ to deal with the environment. Spanish farmers were some of the latest to mobilize, and they now seem to be gaining significant momentum. Thousands of farmers gathered in central Madrid yesterday as part of their ongoing protests against both EU and local farming policies, demanding measures to alleviate production cost hikes. More on this here.

More positively . . . Fascinating Spain sees these places in Spain as the modern version of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.

And the best news of the week . . . The owners of my favourite restaurant in Pv city are opening a new place. Shame it’ll be a few months before I can visit it.

The UK

This Guardian writer thinks he knows why English has 547 words for ‘drunk’.

The USA

Trump’s campaign for the White House is about shielding him from bankruptcy. US voters are “the only realistic block” to Trump monetising the presidency. But the Republican front-runner’s “transactional” frame of thinking could be wielded to Europe’s advantage, writes this FT columnist.

Russia

It goes back a long way. . . . There are many ways to incapacitate an enemy, says an FT columnist. But, historically, few have proved so attractive to the Soviet and Russian security services as poisoning. Ever since Lenin set up his poison factory, known as the “Special Room”, over a century ago, poisonings have become one of the Kremlin’s preferred ways to eliminate, cripple or terrorise enemies and critics. Over the decades, it has built up unrivalled expertise in the field. More on this here.

And, the latest murder points to Putin’s sense of impunity, says The Washington Post here.

AI

This writer says of AI search engines: When they aren’t hallucinating, what they’re capable of is still impressive. And that: They’re great, as long as you don’t have any concerns about whether what they’re saying is accurate, don’t care where that information is coming from or who wrote it, and don’t think through the long-term feasibility of a product like this even a little bit. Knowing that they can differ, my normal practice on important issues is to use 3 of them, And then choose the answer I wanted to hear . . .

The Way of the World

According to this writer, the West is facing a crisis of confidence in science.

English

Glabrescent: 1, Becoming glabrous, hairless, or smooth; 2. Lacking hair or a similar growth or tending to become hairless. Or, as we say of head hair, ‘thinning’.

Did you know? . . .

As someone who has always felt Shakespeare shouldn’t be imposed on kids of, say, 14 and under, I was surprised/disappointed to read the claim that: Shakespeare benefits children’s literacy and emotional development. But then I saw the rider: Only if acting out a play is involved. Because: A “rehearsal room” approach to teaching Shakespeare broadens children’s vocabulary and the complexity of their writing, as well as their emotional literacy. Actually, it’s reminded me of the positive reaction of my half-Spanish stepson to seeing one of the Bard’s more obscure works. So, maybe there’s something it that research.

Finally . . .

The wit of Samuel Johnson – “The only conversationalist who triumphs over time” – Number 5: Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.

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.