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

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain.

Cosas de España

Says The Economist here: The hard right Vox party is winning over Spain’s youth. . . Polls this autumn put its support among 18-30-year-olds at 16-20%, roughly even with the centre-right PP. And: Vox does much better with voters under 45 than with older ones, while the reverse us true for the PP. A catchy line from the egregious leader of the party: ‘Más muros y menos moros’. Perhaps he could licence it to Trump, as ‘Más muros y menos mexicanos’.

Cousas de Galicia

Galician universities have a much lower percentage of international students than the average for Spain. I wonder if one of the reasons might be an obligation to learn Gallego. Or, on the other hand, fewer courses in English. Or both, of ‘course’. See what I did there??

Tonight the mercury is forecast to fall to 2 degrees down in Pv city. Possibly only 1 degree up where I am. These would be record lows for mid December. This AGW certainly has some odd effects.

The EU

Hunters are now allowed to kill more wolves than previously. Possibly has nothing to do with the fact that a wolf killed the favourite pony of the EU president.

Germany

Oh, dear . . .

France

Improvising a new government.

The USA

Just the latest of Trump’s egregious lies – Insisting he will end birthright citizenship on day 1, he told an interviewer that the USA was the only country in the world which has this. In fact, there are more than 30. Possibly even 94, including both the USA’s neighbours, Canada and Mexico. It’s impossible to believe he doesn’t know he’s lying – a dog whistle for his populist target audience.

Not An AI spoof, then . . .

At least one commentator can see something positive in Trump . . . Donald Trump’s brief but highly productive visit to France this weekend to attend the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral was an undisputed diplomatic triumph for America’s president-elect.

Russia

Why Assad’s fall is a blow to Putin — and exposes Russia’s weakness. Moscow has downplayed the fall of its biggest ally in the Middle East, but the Kremlin’s credibility has been severely weakened by the war in Ukraine.

BTW . . . Rather like Nazi Germany, Russia has a habit of invading and occupying all or part of neighbouring states and then announcing that they are independent. Known as ‘borderisation’. Not so long ago it did this to 2 bits of Georgia, as per this map:-

Only 4 countries recognise these bits of Russia as independent sovereign states – the usual suspects: Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru[?] and Syria. I can’t help wondering if this will soon be down to 3.

The Way of the World/Social Media

Only Fans is the ‘murky underbelly of the internet’, where a young ‘feminist’ plans to have sex with 1,000 men in a day. Only for the millions, one assumes.

Quotes of the Day

• Never underestimate people who overestimate themselves.
• If you own a restaurant the best way to damage a competitor is to help ensure it gets a Michelin star. [A curse, apparently].
• It’s no coincidence dictators are often doctors

AI

I asked an engine what the difference is between a tapa and a tapia. It got the latter right – a wall made of compacted earth – but told me the former was a food item, without mentioning it really means a ‘lid’.

English

• Shroud-waving: The tactic of tax-funded organisations whereby they submit funding demands at a high level, along with warnings of dire consequences if the money is not forthcoming.
• Mattress run: Where you access some offer – say, from Amex – by checking into a hotel for x nights but never staying there.

Spanish

• Purgar: To purge. To drain. To bleed, eg a radiator.
• Podredumbre mental: Brain rot
• Rotulador: Possibly one or more of these: pen, marker, marker pen, felt-tip pen, highlighter, or magic-marker. [And sharpie in the USA?]

Finally . . . Did you know?

A clerihew is a distinctive biographical poem in four lines, invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. An example:

Sir Christopher Wren
Said, “I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I’m designing St Paul’s.”

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading them on line or in my FB group Thoughts from Galicia.

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. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .
• 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.
• 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. And this is something on the so-called Beckham Rule, which is beneficial – tax-wise – for folk who want to work here. Finally, some advice on getting a mortgage. And this article ‘debunks claims re wealth and residency taxes’. Probably only relevant if you’re a HNWI. In which case, you’ll surely know what that stands for.