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

A surprise? The tax take here from workers’ salaries is higher – in percentage terms – than in many other OCDE countries:-

More on the government’s plans to boost public housing.

The Olive Press reports that: Knowledge of Catalan is set to become a key condition for anyone seeking to renew a residence permit. While newcomers won’t not to prove language ability, they’ll be expected to show knowledge of Catalan within a year if they wish to stay. I can’t see this happening with Gallego here in Galicia. At least not in my lifetime.

Another matador has been gored down in Sevilla . . .

Lenox Napier writes here on political posturing here in Spain, where there’s quite a lot of it.

A new development in Pv’s Old Quarter . . . Yesterday evening I came upon 6 or 7 folk – Caminoers possibly – doing Tai Chi in the main square. Perhaps a new business in the city.

It struck me this morning that – whereas 25 years ago we only had visitors (all Spanish) in July and August – our ‘tourist’ high season now stretches from March to November and involves a lot of foreigners. Some people have done very well out of this, of course.

Pontevedra is also now a city of border collies. A trend I might well have started in 2000, when I brought mine from the UK. He was the only one ever seen on the urban streets back then..

Talking of changes . . . A wild boar walked into the city of Vigo last night. For the first time, I believe. They’re not yet a nuisance in Pv city, though I have seen them near my house, across the river in Poio. Only a matter of time before one them wanders across one of our 6 bridges.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The FT: The US and Iran are locked in a costly battle of wills: a scrappy ceasefire that might put a lid on full-blown war without ever stopping hostilities or easing the energy crisis. That bodes badly for everyone, but particularly for the world’s most vulnerable. Already, food shortages and even famine look more likely for millions of people across Africa and Asia.

Who can trust anything Trump says? No one in the Iran government, that’s for sure. It’s said that –  like Chamberlain  – he’s desperate for a piece of paper that he can brandish aloft, claiming he has a deal better that Obama’s. Given that the Iranians won’t have any intention of abiding by what they end up agreeing to, it’s quite possible he’ll eventually get this ‘magnificent victory’. But many are very worried about the way the world’s economy will be by then.

Meanwhile, It’s been remarked that Trump ends the war every Friday afternoon. Which reminds me of my grandfather – a heavy smoker – telling me it was very easy to give up the habit; he did it every day. Didn’t work for him either. Died in his 60s, of lung cancer.

The United States of Trump America

Quotes:-

• Those of us who’ve been criticising Trump for 10 years aren’t saying anything new. [This contrasts with, say, turncoat Tucker Carlson, who – over the decade – has repeatedly used the phrase “Trump derangement syndrome” to describe people seen as irrationally hostile towards Trump – including critical Republicans. But has now issued a mea culpa for getting things so wrong.]
• The correct view, from Occupy Democrats: Trump today had a full-blown meltdown and went on a rant after a WSJ op-ed said Iran “takes him for a sucker”! Unable to handle even mild criticism, Trump completely lost it after the paper wrote that Iran is playing him for a fool during the ongoing negotiations. In a unhinged, raging response, Trump lashed out at the “IDIOT” on the editorial board, bragged about destroying Iran’s navy, air force, nuclear sites, and leadership, then attacked Rupert Murdoch and declared that the WSJ had “lost its way” and is now just a “failing political RAG!” This is the same Trump who just days ago was forced into a humiliating ceasefire extension after his tough talk backfired. Now he’s throwing a public temper tantrum because someone dared suggest he’s being out-maneuvered by Iran. Meanwhile, his chaotic war continues to drive up gas prices and destabilize the region, and he is in a panic because he knows there is no easy way out. This is peak Trump: fragile, vindictive, and completely unhinged. His MO of creating a personal reality and attempting to force it into being by the strength of his deluded conviction isn’t working in a very real, very high stakes geopolitical game.  . . . Imagine being Iran’s leaders, trying to figure out how to negotiate with a country led by this man, nicknamed ‘the one-man Whatsapp group’.
• JFK Junior: Trump has his own way of calculating percentage . . . [You can’t deny the accuracy of that statement]
• The US economy is based on a Ponzi scheme . . .

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

The Way of the World

Will social media addiction go the way of cigarettes? Smoking among the rich has declined dramatically — and digital dependency could follow a similar pattern.

Quote of the Day

James Boswell – a fervent, if wayward, Christian – wrote of the great Samuel Johnson: His faith in Christianity is firmly founded upon good grounds. On the other hand, he is incredulous when there is no sufficient reason for belief. Which struck me – an atheist – as something one could take issue with.

Spanish

• Etilómetro: Breathalyser.
• Homicidio doloso: Intentional homicide.
• Apátrida: Statelessness

You Have to Laugh

The richness of life . . . Last week, there was a minor car crash on a Pv city street. One of the drivers insisted on calling the police, even though this could have been avoided by agreement. The police duly arrived and found him to be 3 times over the alcohol limit. Whereupon, he seized the print-out and ate it.

Finally . . .

James Boswell (again) took to musing on a tendency we all have in old age, to be selective: I do not see why time should not melt away the good and the evil in equal proportions; why the shade should decay, and the light remain in preservation. I suspect many of us are glad that this is the case.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

The Usual Links . . .

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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.