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

Span remains the best option for wwuld-be digital nomads. At least, I guess, until the Hacienda decides to target them as low-hanging fruit and treats them as badly as it does Spain’s self-employed – Los autónomos.

I’ve occasionally mentioned strange Spanish female names but there are also some rum male ones too. One which is probably obsolete is Perfecto, the name of the pharmacist who had the parrot Ravachol in his shop. But I have friends called Modesto and Cándido, admittedly not as religious as Miraglo, Dolores, Penitencia, Prudencia or Purgatoria. (I might have invented the last one).

A timely warning for imminent Camino ‘pilgrims’ heading for the coastal route from A Guarda, via Baiona to Vigo. It’’s a dangerous stretch and fluorescent jackets are advisable. I think the local council is actually handing these out, in view of the incidence of accidents on the N-552.

Of Pv city’s 4,200 tourist beds, only a third are now in hotels or pensions. Some, at least, of the other 2 thirds will be unlicensed and so illegal. Or maybe not, as they won’t have been included in the official total.

The UK

80% of Brits now have an unfavourable view of Trump, up from 73% 2 weeks ago, while those with a positive view have fallen from 22 to 15 %. Getting close to the percentage of socio/psycopaths

Europe

Being made great again, perforce?

The VdG reports that in some European countries – eg Denmark, Sweden and Finland – US products are being labelled as such, so that boycotting can be easier. Seems like a good move to me.

The USA

On tariffs . . . No one knows what Trump is doing to the economy and that includes Trump. Vox has a go here at explaining the tariffs, or at least at rejecting Trump’s various specious reasons for them.

Taking back the Panama Canal seems to mean US billionaires buying ports from the Hong Kong company which owns them. So, not a governmental initiative/invasion.

Trump boasts that he’s answered far more questions than any other president, which is actually true, and he’s been commended for it by the Washington Press Corps, who are naturally obsessed with posing questions.. But it’s been pointed out that lying is not actually answering a question.

J D Vance

• Opportunist or sycophant? Both, says this columnist.
• The WSJ has a go at him for his insulting remarks re allies.
• As I said, clearly aiming to be the MAGA-supported next president. And possibly, as they say, only one hamburger away from achieving this, after a Trump heart attack.

Observations/Quotes of the Day

• Trump is recklessly dragging the world to the brink of another global conflict. The president’s treatment of Ukraine is disgraceful and short-sighted. A deal with Putin will not lead to peace.
• The US administration is doing a bunch of other things that cast doubt on the future health of the American economy: capturing the federal payments system, creating a “strategic crypto reserve” to swindle taxpayers and benefit cryptocurrency creators, and disbanding 2 committees whose job is to ensure the quality of government economic data. That sort of behaviour is to be expected from the governments of Latin American economic basket cases, not from the US. . . . Since Trump’s tariffs were announced, the dollar has fallen. Normally, it is regarded as a safe haven in times of trouble but now that America is causing the trouble it might be losing that status.
• When interviewing Trump, the main challenge is fact-checking in real time. There’s always a lot to unpack, so you have to decide which hill to die on: The leading Fox News reporter, who might not now be given another interview.
• Trump’s useful lies to Congress were wildly applauded by useless idiots.
• Some judges seem to be in the president’s pocket.
• Musk calls social security a ‘Ponzi scheme’. The real con is what Trump’s peddling: Robert Reich.
• What a warrior.  Trump declares war and 24 hours later declares peace, before a battle had taken place. I doubt Napoleon would have been impressed. And certainly not Hitler. Who was even madder.

Russia

An internal fear.

Social Media/The Way of the World

• Today’s teenagers will each take an estimated 30,000 selfies in their lifetime. Being so familiar with their own faces means they can never become detached from the reality of their looks. They examine their imperfections in minute detail, and compare themselves unfavourably to the airbrushed influencers on social media. Is this making them shallow? Of course it is! 
• Social media is too toxic and addictive, says Gen Z. The young people who grew up with smartphones say they damage mental health — and that they will keep their own children offline as long as possible.
• Almost two thirds of Generation Z think social media does more harm than good, and that it has become more toxic and addictive in the past 5 years — and less safe. It tops the list of negative influences on teenagers’ mental health

Spanish

• Correction: Yesterday’s De pelotas should have been En pelotas.
• Pósito: Cooperative: Granary
• Duelo: 1. Duel, battle 2. Mourning, grief, bereavement
• Cagarse en los muertos: Literally, To crap on someone’s dead loved ones. Warning: El uso de esta frase puede variar según el contexto:

1. Como insulto directo: Cuando se dirige a alguien específicamente, se considera una ofensa muy seria que puede provocar conflictos graves.
2. Entre amigos: En algunos contextos, puede usarse de manera menos ofensiva entre amigos cercanos, similar a otros insultos que se usan afectuosamente. Sin embargo, esto no es lo común y depende mucho de la relación y el entorno.
3. Como expresión de frustración: A veces se usa de forma genérica para expresar enojo extremo, sin dirigirse a nadie en particular.

You Have to Laugh

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.

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. But you would do well to click here on this. 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.