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.

The (Not) at War USA

Hard to disagree with the comment that, at the NATO press conference, The pudding brain was on full display. And the most amazing thing is how utterly unaware Trump is of just how stupid he sounds. More evidence of his cognitive decline, I guess. BTW 1: Marco Rubio should be given an Oscar simply for keeping a strait face during the entire bizarre performance, while standing behind the senile clown. BTW2: The Secretary for Defense/War – Pete Hesgeth – might be even more paranoid than Trump. And just as unaware of how he comes across. So, a truly great appointment. . .

The growing row [between Republicans and Democrats] came amid reports that the White House will to try to limit the sharing of classified documents with Congress in respect of the damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.

Of course, it’s more than a tad ironic that an inveterate liar like Trump would claim credit for exposing the media as (‘criminal’) liars. Projection.

Talking of duff appointments . . . Despite the recent murder of a Democrat politician and her husband and various reported assaults by disguised criminals, Trump’s Attorney General barefacedly claimed to a Congress committee that she was unaware that some ICE officials produced no identity and wore face masks. Which, as someone said, appeared to strain credibility. Grounds for dismissal in a normal country. But not in one in which lying is the superordinate requirement of a government job,

Cosas de España

The Spanish PM is said here to employ a lot of advisors. Of all sorts. Presumably paid by the taxpayer.

A Spanish columnist writes here, in English, on the issue of (political) corruption in Spain. As she says:  It is staggering that nearly 50 years after Spain’s return to democracy corruption keeps polluting politics. . . . So why does this keep happening in Spain?. . .Part of the answer lies in the lack of strong rules and independent oversight to hold politicians and other public officials accountable. Parliamentary checks are weak, transparency standards are low and the sanctions against companies complicit in corruption are insufficient. Oversight bodies are frequently toothless or politicised, and ethical codes are either vague or unenforced. This vacuum creates fertile ground for impunity.

While bitching about Spain – ‘Great place. Great people’ – Trump effectively warns that that his high tariffs will blow its economy out of the water. Boy, does he know how to achieve initiate negotiations for a good deal.

Mark Stücklin of Spanish Property Insight writes here and here about the unawareness of the Spanish public – including me – in respect of various property-related issues.

And here Mark writes – perhaps more worryingly – on a resurgent okupa problem. More prevalent in the South, I think.

Cousas de Galicia

Hmm. The VdG today: Radioactive drums off Galicia: During the 1970s, nations such as the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands dumped barrels of radioactive waste, presumably of medium or low intensity, into the Atlantic abyssal plain, at various locations about 1,000km off the Galician coast. A French expeditionary vessel is now inspecting, mapping, and analyzing the containers and their impact on the marine environment. The ship’s robot has already located 1,000 of these drums, at a depth of approximately 4,500 meters. Specimens of deep-sea fauna have also been captured for analysis, as well as samples of sea-floor sediments.

The EU

Without dignity, leaders fell at Trump’s feet in The Hague – and for what? All NATO’s key problems remain. . . . . No humiliation or hypocrisy was too gross. This is what the world is reduced to by a cretin with supreme (abusable) power. As if Caligula had ruled the entire world, not just the Roman empire.

Russia v. Ukraine

Reality dawns on Trump?? Or is it just this week’s ‘change of tune’? [Note: When Trump says ‘people’ he really means ‘I’. As here: Getting a deal is more difficult than people would have any idea.]

Meanwhile, Trump appears to have dashed Putin’s hopes of fomenting a major NATO rift. Allegedly.

Spanish

• Rezagar: To fall behind, lag.
• Peloteo: Flattery.
• Empalagoso: Cloying, sickening, gooey, cheesy, etc.
• Escombros Rubble, remains

Did You Know?

A huge surprise . . . The Trump mobile has ceased to be what it was said to be – eg ‘Made in the USA’. And ‘Available in September’. But will still be gold, probably

You Have to Laugh

It is a well-known fact that, in the ancient world in which the entire population were non-smokers, crime of the most horrid type was rampant. It was a non-smoker who committed the first sin and brought death into the world and all our woe. Nero was a non-smoker. Lady Macbeth was a non-smoker. Decidedly, the record of the non-smokers leaves them little to be proud of: Robert Lynd

Finally . . .

This is a brick I found in my garden yesterday, possibly brought form an illegal dump of escombros in the forest years ago, when I was collecting stones with which to make a small patio at the bottom of my garden.

Clayton and Sons was an English company of the 19th century. A web search tells me that Mr Clayton not only made bricks but designed a remarkably efficient machine for this, some copies of which were exported to Spain. An AI search provided this info: Multiple sources confirm that Clayton’s patented brickmaking machines were exported to Spain and that the company was patronized by royalty including “HM the Queen of Spain”. However, there is no specific mention of an export to Galicia.

Finally, finally . . .

This is what football looks like when it really is The beautiful game:-

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 . . .

I can also be read on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colin.davies.752861 or on Substack at https://doncolin.substack.com/

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.
• This post of mine contains several relevant articles from ThinkSpain.
• 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.
• A comparison of UK and Spanish living costs.
• And here’s a personal guide to moving to Spain – to work, not to retire.
• What to do if your visa application is rejected
• Finally, from a tax lawyer: Everything you need to know about taxes and healthcare when retiring to Spain.