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

An interesting educational development . . .

In many, in not most, countries motorists are low hanging fruit for those seeking to generate revenue via fines. And now . . Spain is increasingly adopting a new type of ‘invisible camera’ known as ‘foto-rojo’ to automatically penalise drivers who run red lights. Truth to tell, one can’t argue against this but see the end of this post for a list of other fines payable by Spanish motorists, some of which might not seem so justifiable.

Moving to Spain? – A note on essential financial planning.

Cousas de Galiza

Foreign purchasers in Pontevedra province – at 7.6% – are almos the lowest in Spain and among these, the possibly surprising fact is that the largest group is now US citizens, at 13% of the total. followed by the Portuguese at 12% and the Germans at 11%.

The UK

Liverpool has the best pubs of any English city – and it’s not even close. From turn-of-the-century gin palaces to cosy backstreet boozers, Liverpool has it all.

Tomorrow – A joke set in the ‘The Phil’.

The 500 best pubs in the UK, should you be searching for one where you are or will be.

THE USA and THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Jesús! . . . Would you believe that: Social media users have been questioning whether early claims that the Kirk murder suspect was tied to left-wing extremism were premature, the evidence pointing instead to possible links to the far-right. ‘Groyper movement’ led by white nationalist Nick Fuentes. The group consists of “alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists” who hold virulently antisemitic, racist, and homophobic views, often cloaked in rhetoric about traditional values and family. Their mascot is a cartoon frog called “Groyper”, a variant of the “Pepe” meme used widely among extremist groups, from which the group takes its name.

The Trump reaction to the destruction of his rabid narrative . . .

Not so hard to believe . . . Earlier . . . Trump had declined to call for the US to come together as a way of fixing the country’s divisions in the wake of the assassination of his close associate, the right–wing activist Charlie Kirk, preferring to cast “vicious and horrible” radicals on the left of US politics as the sole problem.

Trump has [‘performatively’?] signed an executive order authorizing the prosecution of individuals who burn the American flag, a move that conflicts with a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that defined the act as protected symbolic speech.If enforced, his order would almost certainly face legal challenges. Courts would need to reconcile the new penalties with established precedent that has repeatedly upheld flag burning as a form of political expression.

Whither the USA? . . Is this how the American dream ends? With a mass psychotic breakdown: A rising tide of political violence and the rejection of legal norms suggests the America of the Founding no longer exists.

The Way of the World

An AI response: Violence involving Muslims against other Muslims or Christians is reported in at least 20-30 countries worldwide, based on verified incidents of religiously motivated killings, attacks on places of worship, forced conversions, abductions, and terrorist actions documented up to 2025. I find it odd that there don’t seem to be protests against any of these. Certainly no flag-waving processions in London. Or anywhere else, as far as I can see. One wonders why not. But perhaps I’ve missed the reports.

Spanish

• Inasible: Elusive
• Pibil: Wrapped and cooked in banana leaves?
• Desglosado: Disaggregated, broken down.
• Ecuador: Equator
• Jaque: Check (as in chess). Threat.
• Si me apuras: If you press me. If you ask me. To be honest.
• Pachanga: Kickabout, party.

Did you know about?

The great salad oil scandal of 1963.

I was reminded of the great flax fraud of 1999 here in Spain, involving the Minister of Agriculture and her family. Because of massive EU subsidies, crops of flax grew exponentially. Or, rather, they seemed to. When an investigation began, these suddenly disappeared, or were said to, in a series of warehouse fires. The said politician was not prosecuted but kicked upstairs to the job of VP of the European Commission. It was reported that c.€45m in annual subsidies were paid out under false pretences.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

An unusual tale down South.

MOTORING FINES

Motorists in Spain can be fined for a wide range of reasons including both traditional traffic offences and some more specific new regulations. The main reasons include:

• Speeding
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Not wearing seatbelts: Including all passengers
• Entering low emission zones without proper environmental stickers
• Illegal parking: Including parking on or near beaches, double parking, or on yellow lines
• Using a mobile phone illegally while driving or at petrol stations:
• Keep engine or lights on while refuelling.
• Throwing objects out of car windows
• Driving with dirty, obscured, or altered license plates
• Driving with improper arm position. [eg on the door when the window is open]
• Indulging in any distracting behaviour such as biting nails or aggressive arguments while driving.
• Using headphones [Even when listening to a podcast, not having a phone chat]
• Washing or repairing your car in public streets or parking areas. [I’ve yet to achieve this one despite doing this]
• Giving driving lessons – only licensed driving school instructors are allowed to give lessons
• Carrying more passengers than allowed
• Running out of petrol

Note 1: Missing from this list are are at least 3 offences:- 1. Not having a spare pair of your driving glasses, 2. Not having spare fuses, and 3. Not having 2 warning triangles or, from Jan 26. a rooftop light connected to the police.

Note 2: According to legal experts, a significant number of fines are overturned by the courts due to procedural errors, technical deficiencies with the cameras, or a lack of solid evidence. Drivers can appeal a fine if the images are of poor quality, if the system’s calibration is not up to date, or if the fine contains formal defects.

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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.