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

I guess this new digital ID document will be available for all residents.

The latest chapter in the saga of a very odd – and immensely rich – family.

The property rental market. . . HT to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas for the news that: The economist Santiago Calvo argues that the evidence clearly supports the conclusion that controls are shrinking supply, worsening the quality of rental housing, and doing little to reduce the real cost of renting. 

And for the news that: There are over 1,800 settlements in Spain with a single resident. The province of Lugo alone has 563 people who can call their village their own. 

The Middle East War

Trump is oscillating by the hour between Armageddon and insouciance, musing out loud that he may just wash his hands of the war and leave the Strait of Hormuz closed – a revenge of sorts against Asia and Europe for refusing to join his capricious “excursion”.

It’s reported that there was nothing new in Trump’s TV address to the nation last night. So, boots on the ground remain a possibility, possibly more so than a US withdrawal in – inevitably – ‘2 or 3 weeks’.

Possible consequences of the war, if there’s an early exit. An even if there isn’t:-

• Iran will now own the Strait of Hormuz and control passage through it.
• Iran will retain its nuclear material.
• Thousands of Iranians and some Trump Americans will have died.
• Iranian infrastructure will have been massively damaged or destroyed.
• The Iranians will hate the US more than ever.
• The Iranians will have even less reason to trust the US than they did. And more reasons to hate them, for another 50 years or more.
• Oil prices will remain higher than before the war.
• Russia will benefit from this.
• Ukraine will disbenefit.
• There will be a worldwide recession of uncertain duration.
• US inflation will continue to rise.
• The Republicans will face a wipe-out in the November mid-terms.
• Trump will have even greater reasons to try to avoid or void these elections

The United States of Trump USA

An ageing Trump performs all his old numbers in a presentation so bad that the White House withdrew the video of it. See it here.

Trump’s dire plan has for his legacy. Podcast Video

Trump’s shady business secrets. Podcast Video

The Way of the World

While global attention has been focused on the idiocracy behind POTUS Trump’s disastrous war with Iran, the long-awaited collapse of OpenAI is quietly accelerating. The cited article in full.

Spanish

• Trimestre: 3-months, quarter.
• Puerro: Leek
• Apio: Celery

Did you know?

The origin of April Fools’ Day.

Finally . . .

En route to the supermarket at 9.30 this morning, my turn into the old road which serves as the Camino was blocked by a procession of at least 50 Caminoers. I had no problem with this. But I did take exception to 90% of them walking on the road, rather than on the new (wide) path beside the road specially made for them. Perhaps a flashing neon arrow in yellow is necessary.

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 there.

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