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

Foreigners are up in arms against the Hacienda again. The tax office’s behaviour might raise some revenue in the short term, but the reputational cost to Spain is surely an order of magnitude greater. Spaniards know they have always been crooks.

Renfe’s service is about to get worse. . . Though, truth to tell, that would be difficult to achieve in Galicia.

I guess this might well be true . . . ‘We miss the English – they spend money’: How Mallorca’s war on British tourists backfired. Businesses in Magaluf are counting the cost as low-spending European tourists replace drink-all-day Britons.

Lenox Napier introduces us to Mojacar here.

Cousas de Galiza

Pv city’s Feira Franca today. Might be fun for me and my visitor. At least the rain held off. Fotos tomorrow.

THE USA and THEMAGA REALITY TV SHOW

I wondered if anyone had compiled a list of all those folk whom Trump – indubitably a very nasty man – has accused of being ‘nasty’. See an AI engine response below on this.

María writes that Trump wants to take away my right to vote. Because mail-in votes are not only used by those who will be away on vacation, are house-bound, will be in hospital, will be on a business trip, are stationed overseas in the military or at a US company’s subsidiary, etc., they are also used by expats like me and thousands others in Spain, not to mention the millions all over the world.

The Way of the World

Dear Dog . . . Twitter (X) has overtaken the legacy media as the primary source of news.

Social Media

This is such a joy for hoaxsters. The latest to come my way are:- The cancellation of World Cup matches in the USA, and 2. The discovery of a Tibetan/Egyptian settlement in caves in the Grand Canyon. Both very elaborately produced.

More seriously . . . Social media has driven us collectively mad. People say things online they would never do in real life. The cloak of anonymity is now a threat to democracy itself. At least in the UK.

As I have been known to say, social media has given a megaphone and a PA system to the most stupid and the most evil among us. Of whom there are quite a lot. And they feed off each other.

English

A useful translation of common phrases used in reports of research findings.

Did you know?

Quite fascinating, in an avian sort of way . . . Once numbering in the billions, the passenger pigeon dominated the skies of North America before vanishing in less than a century. Here’s the quirky, tragic, and oddly funny tale of their rise and fall.

You Have to Laugh

Allegedly . . . The British have a way with words that Americans often find irresistibly charming, for some reason. Whether it’s our quirky expressions or our polite understatements, these phrases capture the humour and culture of the UK in a way that’s both endearing and puzzling to our friends over the pond. Here are 14 common British words/phrases that tend to delight (and sometimes confuse) Americans. TBH, I would not have recognised some of these as British, as opposed to American.

• Fancy a cuppa[of tea]
• Brilliant!
• Cheeky
• Knackered
• Pop to the shops
• Chuffed to bits
• Bloody
• Ta
• Taking the mickey
• Gobsmacked
• Bits and bobs
• Faffing about
• Sorted!
• Gutted

Click here if you don’t know what they mean.

Finally . . .

TRUMP’S ‘NASTY’ PEOPLE

Donald Trump uses “nasty” as a catch-all for all those who criticize or oppose him. Although his use of “nasty” isn’t limited to these, he tends to target high-profile and influential women, often after public disagreements or perceived slights.

While there is no single official list, several reputable outlets have documented many of those he has described this way:-

• Meghan Markle 
• Hillary Clinton
• Nancy Pelosi 
• Kamala Harris
• Carmen Yulín Cruz (Mayor of San Juan)
• Mette Frederiksen (Prime Minister of Denmark)
• April Ryan (journalist)
• Lindsey Graham
• Ted Cruz
• Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
• Countless other women in politics, journalism, and public life

Outlets like People Magazine, Indy100, Yahoo, and Ms. Magazine maintain running lists or articles that are periodically updated with new names fitting Trump’s “nasty” label.

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.

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.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.