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/Galiza

Changing Spain . . . The Voz de Galicia today: The Revaluation of Domestic Workers: Nine out of ten are women. Historically, it’s been a poorly paid profession with a large black economy, but the work of domestic workers has undergone changes in recent years. It all began in 2012, when they were integrated into the Social Security system. Since then, they’ve had specific contributions and benefits, must be registered, and must contribute to unemployment insurance. The latest reform dates from last November. Since then, employers have been required to carry out a workplace risk assessment. These requirements and salary increases mean that hiring a domestic worker is now 80% more expensive than it was a decade ago.

These are the best and worst airports in Spain for delays and cancellations. Asturias’s was the best-performing facility, with 89% of flights taking off on schedule. It possibly has among the fewest flights – which would help – but the data isn’t available.

Real Madrid s is a tough team to manage and they’ve just sacked their latest manager – an illustrious player – after only 5 months, admittedly of mixed results. This is an article for those with a deep interest in these things.

These are the things expats are said to hate about the costa del sol. Marbella in particular, it seems. I confess I can’t drum up much sympathy for those who choose to live there.

Venezuela

Trump on its oil . .

• During his 2024 presidential campaign: It’s garbage. Low-quality heavy crude – horrible, tar, the dirtiest stuff you can imagine and the worst oil probably anywhere in the world. Democrats foolishly relied on it, instead of top-tier American oil. Importing it into the USA polluted US air when it was being refined here.

• A few days ago, after the kidnapping of Maduro: The USA will acquire 30-50 million barrels of high quality Venezuelan oil.

The USA

Laurence O’Donnell doesn’t hold his punches on Trump here. TBH. I’ve wrestled with the question of whether Trump truly has dementia. So, I was interested by the statement that: It’s hard to know if Trump really has dementia. If you mix pathological lying with ignorance and relentless stupidity, you will sound as if you are in neurological decline all the time, even if you’re not.

By the way, if you want an example of Trump’s beyond-belief stupidity, how about this from an American: Denmark can’t say they own Greenland just because they landed a boat there 500 years ago.

John Stewart asks here WTF is going on? This should be watched if only for the final segment.

I see that – despite everything – Trump’s approval rating remains at 40% plus. Which possibly includes many/most of the 30% of Americans who are Christian nationalists. Many of whom, someone has pointed out, have recently defended a state-sponsored murder in Minneapolis, while praying to a man/god who was the victim of state-sponsored murder. But, anyway, I can’t help wondering if, 249 years ago, 40% of the (then still British) American colonists still approved of George III. Possibly not.

Talking about Christian supporters of Trump . . . Here’s a few phrases used by the one who always appears on TV with crucifix around her neck. I’m sure you can guess who it is and who she’s talking about:-

• A deranged, lunatic woman.
• Who was trying to ram and run over the ICE agent, using her vehicle as a weapon.
• A domestic terrorist.
• A leftist insurrectionist.
• Part of a lunatic fringe.

Such are the size and frequency of Leavitt’s lies, if she were a Catholic, I wonder if – absent repentance and an intention to stop – her confessional priest could give her absolution. The same obviously applies to the Catholic convert Vance.

If you’ve not had the misfortune to hear the ranting of the vile fascistic cretin who is the Trump puppeteer driving both domestic and international US strategy, here’s your chance to do that. Especially at 5min15secs. And then at 12min50. How the world will benefit from his eventual demise, even if this doesn’t involve a rope and a lamppost.

Spanish

• Zumbido: Humming, Tinnitus.
• Peón: Pawn. Peon: Labourer.
• Bramar: Bellow, roar, rage

English

Mukbang: “An online video broadcast in which a host consumes food while interacting with the audience or reviewing it. The genre became popular in South Korea in the early 2010s, and has become a global trend since the mid-2010s.”

Did you know?

Garam marsala shouldn’t be hot(picante) but shop-bought stuff can be, because cayenne pepper is cheaper than the other spices. Here’s one to make yourself:-

• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 0.5 tsp ground cloves
• 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper (reduce to 1/4 tsp or skip for ultra-mild)

Finally . . .

When I play backgammon with my Argentinean friend, Alex, I kill his undefended counters and he eats (comer) mine. I guess the bigger must include the latter, in that it’s easier to eat someone who’s dead, not alive. But my question is: Does this say anything at all about respective Anglo and Hispanic cultures? I suspect not.

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.