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

Not good news but possibly similar to elsewhere:- 75% of Spaniards doubt the truth of what they read online, up from 70% in 2025 and from 63% in 2022.

I’ve said that the level of commercio-political corruption in Spain is possibly as least as high as elsewhere in Europe, adding that Spain seems to get something of a free pass on this, with Italy and Greece being seen as bigger offenders. Well, El Mundo tells us today that Spaniards themselves perceive a high percentage of corruption, while our country ranks among the lowest in the OECD in applying the rules that should tackle it.

It struck me – reading other articles in the paper – that there’s been an increase in the number of women being prosecuted for corruption. I assume that this reflects increased power and influence. And then I recalled that this socialist government – and perhaps the last one too – has boasted of having a Cabinet 50& comprised of women. So, I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised at developments.

‘Pilgrims’ are not the only folk to whom Galicia is of increasing importance. At the other end of the moral spectrum are the narcotraficantes. These form a kaleidoscope of nationalities and, according to this article in the Diario de Pontevedra, are not only more sophisticated but also more violent. Today’s criminal organizations operate with transnational structures, employ encrypted communication systems, use modified recreational boats, hidden compartments in vehicles, contaminated containers in commercial ports, and even narco-submarines capable of crossing the Atlantic carrying tons of drugs. Added to this is the emergence of groups from Latin America, the Balkans and North Africa, who have introduced more aggressive methods and a greater culture of using weapons. The combination of Galicia’s extensive coastline, the accumulated experience of criminal organizations, and the growing pressure from international markets makes the Rías Baixas a strategic territory for these networks. The fight against drug trafficking is being waged with ever-increasing levels of tension and risk. Faced with organizations that incorporate advanced technology, state-of-the-art maritime resources, and a growing willingness to confront, security forces have for years been demanding more personnel, better equipment, and a coordinated response to prevent violence from becoming the new normal on the Spanish coast.

I’m very fond of the works of Galician artist, Castelao. For example, this one, which always brings me close to tears. Today it has come back to Pv city’s art gallery from wherever it was:-

• Camino News 1: June saw 17,000 Caminoers passing though Pv city in its first half. So we can expect more than May’s 31,000 for the full month. 80% were of foreign origin, from more than 60 nationalities from the 5 continents.
• Camino News 2: For the first time ever, the (allegedly) less-crowded route via the coast had more walkers than the traditional inland route, even though it involves trekking through Vigo.
• Camino News 3: While you can only come into Pv city on one final stretch, you can leave it on 4 or 5. Two or three of these pass westwards through my barrio of Poio, where the traffic this year is 30% up on last year. Much to the pleasure of the folk making money from it. Fortunately, except for those who are lost looking for their accommodation, I don’t see many in my high-up district of Boa Vista. I did rent a room out twice years ago but gave this up as bloody nuisance and not worth the effort. Though I did have a good evening in town with one (German) guy.

I got my tiny island groups mixed up yesterday. Although I knew where the Cabo Verde archipelago is, I got it confused with Curacao and said it was off the coast of South America, whereas it lies 600-850km off the coast of Africa. Between 1462 and 1975, it was a Portuguese territory, hence the large number of Cabo Verde players ploughing their trade in Portugal. All that said, my main point remains true – viz. that to Portuguese and Spanish speakers ‘America’ doesn’t mean the USA, or even the whole of North America. It’s shorthand for South America. [Not all readers will know what I’m talking about here, as – rather than revising the relevant para late last night – I decided to delete it.]

It’s surely about time Anglos stopped using ‘America’ for ‘the USA’ but this is never going to happen, of course. One reason is that, apart from the rather derogatory Yankee, there isn’t another English word for citizens of the USA. As the ‘American’ empire declines and other economies in both North and South America gain importance, perhaps it’s time to invent one. Or always use Yankee. . . .

I should record that: The most correct Spanish word for a citizen of the USA is ‘estadounidense‘. In everyday speech, people also sometimes say ‘americano‘, but that can be ambiguous and is less precise. But there’s also yanqui, of course.

The World Cup

Watching the matches on TV hasn’t been an unalloyed pleasure. Apart from the poor quality of the BBC pictures, the internet goes down several times during each match. Possibly for the same reason, whatever it is. Insufficient bandwidth?

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The United States of Trump America

Quote: Trump has kidnapped the US flag. So that only MAGA people now wave it around. [The suggestion is that everyone in the USA used to be pretty flag-happy, seeing it as a symbol of national pride. Now,  there’s a fear of being taken for a Trump supporter. BTW: This happened years ago in the UK , where folk, anyway, have never been big on-flag waving. It’s long been considered naff to, for example, put a Union Jack on a pole in your garden. Or, worse, a cross of St George. Or anywhere, in fact.

Was this the Trumpiest moment ever, at a G7 press conference? Re-inventing history and revealing the fantasy world he lives in. Trump claimed:-

• I never fall asleep in public.
• I don’t believe in regime change. You know, I’ve watched regime changes for years. It never works.
• The Iranians were nice to deal with. Very rational people.[Tell that to the Iranians he incited to revolt.]
• We never cared about their enriched uranium. It was never really a big deal.
• Obama’s [superior] Iran deal was the dumbest I have seen.
• This [Not-an-]agreement covers something very nicely. We’re not paying for anything. [cf. Vance admissions]
• The markets now are higher than they were when we started.

Third party comment: So, in this press conference, all he did was lie. His solution for everything is just fraud. . . . If Trump claims that nuclear dust means nothing, then our soldiers lost their lives for NOTHING?!!!!!

Laurence O’Donnell: Trump’s describes his so-called Iran deal the only way he knows how. With non-stop lying.

The Way of the World

An interesting opening para . . . A far-right leader is big on embarrassingly vacuous views.

Spanish

A few idiomatic phrases:-

• Quinto pino: The back of beyond. The middle of nowhere.
• No me importa ni un bledo: Of no importance to me. I don’t give a damn.
• Es solo lo que me faltaba: That’s all that – or just what – I needed.

English

Says Perplexity: The origin of the word Yankee is uncertain, but the most widely accepted theory is that it comes from the Dutch nickname Janke, a diminutive of the name Jan. Chat GPT concurs.

You Have to Laugh

According to sources, a routine agreement negotiated by President Donald Trump has resulted in control of the original 13 colonies being transferred back to Great Britain. “This is a massive win for the United States, just tremendous,” Trump told reporters, despite losing almost the entirety of the eastern seaboard. “We’re giving some land back to England — you have to do that sometimes in negotiations — but our GDP is going up 1%. So that’s great.” Effective immediately, the US capital is switching to West Palm Beach, Florida, as Trump converts his Mar-a-Lago resort into the new White House.

Finally . . .

This is now I always (touch)type the word ‘interesting’ . . . intersting. Just can’t get that 2nd E. Probably my most frequent typo.

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

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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.