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

The far-right judge who’s prosecuting the PM’s wife, seeks a lengthy prison sentence.

A local gastronomic festival, if you are in Galicia. Not for me. Kings have died because of a surfeit of this fish.

For one reason or another, our (many) local narcos have tripled their profits.

Galician ingredients for a superior tortilla. . . .

Europe

Starting next year, as part of the efforts to slash electronic waste, smartphones and tablets sold in the EU will have to feature replaceable batteries.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The United States of Trump America

Quote: We’re living in the age of unparalleled chaos.

Can it be true that the only way of getting out of the utter mess created by Trump is to make China more powerful and its president a more important international leader? Podcast. Video

After writing that paragraph, I saw this article. And then this one.

Trump had a reporter removed from the room for asking a question he didn’t like. So, God Save Article 2 of the Constitution but not Article 1.

Which reminds me . . .This is perhaps the only female political commentator on US TV who doesn’t have hair extensions . . .

Would never get a job in Trump’s White House.

Relevant podcasts/YouTube videos

• The Daily Beast Podcast/Video
• Inside Trump’s Head Podcast/Video
• The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent Podcast
• The Rest is Politics US Podcast/Video
• The DSR Network Podcast
• The Politics Girl Video. Amusing
• The Daily Show Video. Very amusing

Spanish

• Atravesar: To cross, go through, traverse, pass through, get through, etc.
• Torticero: Perverse, unfair, wrongful, unjust.
• Rebujito: Andalusian cocktail blending sherry – typically Manzanilla or Fino – with a lemon or lime soft drink. Served chilled over ice with mint.

English/The Way of the World

US/Yankee* neologisms:-

• Looksmaxxing: The process of maximizing one’s physical attractiveness. It originated on male incel message boards in the 2010s. Think Hesgeth.
• Mogging: Dominating another male in appearance. Think Hesgeth.

* As I’ve said, ‘American’ and ‘North American’ are misleading labels.

Did you know?

The creepy puppet head that helped to invent TV.

You Have to Laugh

Another uncomfortable Finn . . .

Finally . . .

If you’ve used booking.com recently, here’s the practical guide to protection. Don’t trust messages asking you to “verify” payment details, even if they arrive through the platform itself. Here is booking.com’s own advice about these scams, issued before this latest incident: “If there is no pre-payment policy or deposit requirement outlined, but you’re asked to pay in advance to secure your booking, it is likely a scam.” Check your booking confirmation email for what you actually owe and when. If anything seems off, contact the property directly, rather than through a link someone sends you. And watch your bank statements. The scammers who exploit this kind of data don’t always strike immediately.

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 until April 30 on Facebook. And on X at Thoughts from Galicia.

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.