Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.
And, lo, 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 Galicia/España

A ‘ridiculous’ day in parliament, according to right-of-centre The Corner here.

And here’s Lenox Napier on the EU elections. And mad Milei, with someone even madder.

A little bit of info here on one of the world’s richest men, whose clothing empire is based in NW Galicia.

The VdG today: Señales de tráfico complejas: No por enmarañadas[‘entanglements’], sino por tener diversos elementos, han aparecido en las autovías A-6 y A-54 en Galicia. Indican un peligro por un perfil irregular de la calzada, una prohibición con limitación de velocidad a 100 km/h y una información con la distancia afectada. Y es que, a la espera del asfaltado prometido por Transportes para eliminar los incontables baches, las autoridades han decidido que mejor circulamos despacio para evitar reventar las ruedas. El automovilista seguirá, pues, sin usar el carril derecho, el que parece un queso gruyere. I’ve suddenly remember the comment more than 20 years ago of a (cynical) Galician friend when I was extolling Spanish roads – All built with EU funds. Just wait until we have to repair them. It’s taken quite a while . . .

The UK

For at least a few now-wealthy Bulgars . . . Britain has become the welfare state for the world. Astonishingly . . . The gang has shown it is far too easy to exploit our benefits system. . .
Until we address this madness, we will never get the tax burden down, or get public services up and running to a decent standard.

More gloom . . . Ultimately, after the past few years, the one thing most of the country can agree on is that the quality of politics and politicians needs to get so much better. Yet, for all the already evident stage management of the campaigns, the Conservatives are currently short of 93 prospective candidates, while about 100 Labour ones have yet to be unveiled. All parties are scrambling to fill the gaps. Is this really the recipe for a return to political calibre?

Germany

Munich’s Oktoberfest has been dragged into a neo-Nazi row that is dividing Germany. The folk festival said it would ban a hit pop song that is being chanted with modified, racist lyrics in clubs around the country, amid rising concern that xenophobia has become commonplace among young Germans.

Even more seriously . . .

Germany is poised for stagnation with an ageing population. The IMF says the eurozone’s largest economy faces a slowdown in growth due to its baby boomers retiring and immigration subsiding facing the fastest slowdown in growth of the working-age population of any G7 economy. Effectively, Nipponisation.

France

AEP says France has got it terribly wrong in favouring nuclear fission over nuclear fusion. If, like me, you’ve forgotten the differences, see the primer below.

The USA

The first automated grocery store in the United States appeared in . . . . . 1937.

Ukraine v Russia

Richard North follows up on yesterday’s dire prediction from Ms Hlivco here . . . There are no dramatic developments which would indicate a Ukrainian collapse is imminent – just the same relentless “meatgrinder” tactics which the Russians have so far successfully adopted. Such is the pressure, though, that it is not unreasonable to suggest that the Ukrainian capacity to absorb this level of punishment must be limited and, all things being equal, the end must be near. . . .  There can be no longer any doubt that the Russians have the initiative and are dominating the battlefields to the extent that it looks unlikely that the Ukrainians will be able to recover. The manpower crisis is so severe that no amount of new Western equipment will save Ukraine. It is not so much if Ukraine will fall, but when. And we must hope that Aliona Hlivco is being unduly pessimistic and that there is something left of the established world order to salvage.

I have heard it said that the much delayed delivery of F16s(?) would be a game-changer, giving Ukraine the control of the skies. And the Americans might remove their ban on US weapons being used to hit targets inside Russia.

The Way of the World

From the baby boom to the baby bust. Falling fertility rates are one of the biggest challenges facing our world.

Quote of the Day

I never know whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses. — Thackeray

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. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

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.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:– This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers. And this is something on the so-called Beckham Rule, which is beneficial – tax-wise – for folk who want to work here.

PRIMER

The main differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission are:

Nuclear Fission
Involves splitting a heavy atomic nucleus (like uranium-235) into two or more lighter nuclei.
Releases a relatively large amount of energy, but less than fusion.
Used in nuclear power plants to generate electricity by heating water into steam to spin turbines.
Produces radioactive nuclear waste that remains hazardous for thousands of years.

Nuclear Fusion
Combines two or more lighter atomic nuclei (like hydrogen isotopes) into a heavier nucleus.
Releases an enormous amount of energy, several times greater than fission.
Powers the energy production in the cores of stars like the Sun.
Produces very little long-lived radioactive waste, mainly the inert helium gas.
Not currently used for power generation as it requires extremely high temperatures and pressures to initiate and sustain the fusion reaction, making it difficult and expensive.

In summary, fission splits heavy nuclei releasing moderate energy while fusion combines light nuclei releasing tremendous energy. Fission is utilized for power but produces radioactive waste, while fusion has vast potential if the technical challenges of initiating and controlling it can be overcome.