Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.
And, lo, the hunter of the east 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 economy: The Corner here queries the unemployment stats.

Politics: Here’s the link on US-Spain relations that might not have worked yesterday. Note that this was written before the Spanish PM joined other European leaders in their emergency summit last Sunday.

Society: Prostitution is a very open industry in Spain, where there is at least one brothel on the edge of every town or city. Sometimes several. And there’s a famously huge one up in Cataluña, near the French border. So, this story is not exactly a huge surprise. . . A former senior Spanish minister has lodged a complaint against a prostitutes’ website for using his image after a corruption inquiry revealed his alleged affair with a sex worker. José Luis Abalos, who was the transport minister and right-hand man of the prime minister, told police that the website displayed a photograph of him on its homepage with the slogan “Here you can find ministers’ favourite escorts”.

Incidentally, before I came to Spain my then wife told me that roadside brothels were called American Bars here. But somewhere along the way, the label became Club or Puti Club. These often display a tell-tale neon image in garish pink on the roof. Driving back home on Saturday afternoon, we passed a brothel between Ourense and Pv city imaginatively called Ninfas. Then there are the love hotels. We have one in Poio, which advertises itself on the road to Sanxenxo with a huge billboard which just says FUCK! in large letters. Sometimes it’s hard to believe this was once a very Catholic country. On the other hand, perhaps it isn’t, given the centuries of suppression/ repression. And the priests with ‘housekeepers’. And kids. Spanish governments routinely say they are going to do something about prostitution but, so far, they haven’t dare do anything at all. But they do try to crack down on the trafficking of South American and African women.

The UK

Particularly for US readers . . . British behavioural quirks you’ll never understand . . Scroll right. Probably illuminating for Spanish readers too.

Today is the traditional day for pancakes in the UK. Here are 15 recipes for these. I didn’t know 14 of them. Well, 15 to be honest.

Germany

The new leader is said to be prepared to supply Ukraine with the Taurus missiles that could be a game changer, having much greater reach than anything currently in its arsenal.

The USA and Trump [Entirely the same thing these days]

Trump has utterly changed the rules of engagement. World leaders must learn this – and quickly.

Once a sceptic who criticised cryptocurrency as a scam, Trump has now bailed out crypto. As a result: The US taxpayer risks being the biggest loser. US president has unveiled a digital currency reserve – but some suspect there may be ulterior motives at play. [BTW: Who’d be surprised that someone unidentified made a multi mullion profit on buying cryptocurrencies a few hours before the announcement was made.]

It’s claimed that Trump might actually have wanted an excuse to scrap his wonder deal around Ukraine’s minerals, as he’s received the same advice as Obama did before him – viz. that it’s not economically viable. Quite possibly true, of course.

It’s a tough call as to who is Trump’s biggest/maddest toady. Vance was certainly in the running but my vote goes to Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary. He’s the guy who stands behind Trump in the Oval Office and cackles frequently at HIs Master’s Voice. He thinks that millions of sales of Trump’s Golden Visa to the world’s oligarchs would free Americans from the burden of income tax.

Trump’s Words [He has a lot of them, he told us a while ago]

• What he calls rare earth – Raw earth
• What he called Republicans angrily protesting around the country at town hall meetings: Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!
• What he said about Putin: He suffered terribly along with me during the Russian interference hoax..
• Where he said that alleged scam came from: Hunter Biden’s bathroom.
• What he said to Cabinet.: If anyone is unhappy with what Elon is doing, just put your hand up. Translated: Either I or Putin has a window just for you. It reminds me when the Shah of Iran, in the presence of the US ambassador, watched his prime minister back out of the office – the Iranian custom – and then turned to the ambassador and said “Look how obsequious the people who serve me are”.
• I love . . . . . . [Has anyone calculated just how many people and countries and things (eg tariffs) that Trump says he ‘loves​’? Often a few weeks before throwing them under a bus.]

The Other Bully

Why Vance says what he says.

Russia and the USA

Connecting the dots . . .

Ukraine

A victim of the US culture wars, claims this columnist.

Quote of the Day

• The only reason Hollywood tolerates over 50s women is because[these days] they look under 40.
• Trump is finding that doing geo-political deals is a lot more difficult that cutting real-estate deals, where his bullying mod op might well work.

Social Media

I drafted something about prostitution this morning and mentioned there was a love hotel in Poio. Without giving its name. Which is Hotel Venus. So, naturally, Facebook has already sent me 2 ads for the place . . . Never received any before today. But probably just a coincidence.

Net Zero

An extreme view? Net zero is over, and with it many other luxury beliefs we can no longer afford. Certainly, thought provoking.

English

Ozempicrexia: The thinness born of taking that drug.

Spanish

• Zasca: Rebuttal, sick burn(US?)
• Amaño: Set up, rigging, screwjob(US).
• Hortero: Tacky, tawdry, cheesy.
• Como llegue: As it comes.

Did you know?

There’s some clever AI phishing threats out there . . .

You Have to Smile

An interloper . . .

Finally . . .

This is a phenomenal performance which stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it, when I was shaving . . And this is the impact of it on someone listening to it rather more recently.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

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.