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 oldest human facial bones found in western Europe rewrites prehistory. A fossil unearthed in Spain from more than a million years ago has similarities to Homo erectus — and could belong to a new species.

Here’s Lenox Napier on censorship and Opus Dei.

Spain braces for explosive anti-tourism protests, it says here. Probably not in Galicia, with the possible exception of in Santiago de Compostela.

Ireland

Trump has a go at little Ireland.

Europe

The Voz de Galicia: The EU Strikes Back: Bourbon, soybeans, denim, and motorcycles from the USA will now be more expensive in Europe. Brussels has imposed selective tariffs on US exports “of high symbolic value.” The response will not stop there. There will be more tariffs for other categories of products, produced “in states or electoral districts that are important to the Republicans.”

Trump

The Irish love trump: Guess who.

Learning the wrong lessons re Russia and China?

The Other Nutters

• Worth watching – Someone has the courage to ask key questions re Musk and one of his initiatives.
• Marco Rubio is the latest in a long line. He has become the classic bullied boy who must pass a test to join the bullies.
• Lutnick: Anyone who thinks the tariff situation is chaotic [eg the WSJ] is just being silly.

The USA: Observations and Quotes

Trump’s economic messaging is spooking some of his own advisers. The president’s team receives flood of calls from business executives concerned about mixed messaging on tariffs . . . The spate of tariff proclamations and the resulting economic convulsions have brought to the surface long-simmering tensions among Trump’s economic team. . . . Nearly two months into his presidency, Trump’s advisers say he is more determined than ever to carry out his far-reaching tariff agenda, despite increasing pressure to change course. 

Here’s a senior CNBC journalist on Trump’s mental health and his motives: Trump’s threat to impose 50% tariffs on Canada unless it agrees to become the 51st state of America is absolutely insane. There was no other way to describe it. And I wonder if he’s out to deliberately manufacture a recession.

Republicans in the House and Senate have finally come to the realization that Donald Trump has no idea what he’s doing and that his stupidity is what is tanking the economy right now. Multiple Republican lawmakers have now told the press that they are starting to think that Trump’s tariff plan might not be the economic boon that he believes. While that may seem like a weak statement, it is as strong as Republicans are allowed to be right now, and their willingness to say anything against Trump at all shows how bad the situation is getting.

The FT here: Donald Trump and his team of economic advisers are pursuing economic shock therapy. They are racing ahead with an attempt to radically reshape the US economy from a consumption behemoth with a huge trade deficit to a manufacturing powerhouse. The economic pivot, which has focused on aggressive tariffs and significant cuts to government spending, has sent US equities reeling and prompted concerns about a potential slowdown in growth in the world’s largest economy. But Trump has insisted in recent days that he will press ahead.

Russia v Ukraine

One view of what Trump will do, if Putin says Niet to a ceasefire. Vengeful pirouetting is certainly one possibility.

And a view of Putin’s options.

Spanish

• Espuela: Spur
• Espolear: To encourage, spur on

English

As I suspected but I ran a check . . . “Gobsmacked” was originally British slang. It originated in Liverpool and is rooted in British and Irish dialects. The word is composed of “gob,” for “mouth” and “smacked,” implying being hit or struck. The earliest known written evidence of it were in the 1920s and the OED’s first citation was in 1935.

Finally . . .

Proverbs from around the world:

• Denmark: An old error has more friends than a new truth.
• Indonesia: Nothing is difficult if you’re used to it.
• Nigeria: The one being carried does not realize how far away the town is.

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 see here on this. 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.
• Getting a mortgage in Spain: Some advice on this challenge.