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

Another EU ruling against Spain, one which might benefit non-resident future property owners – who could save thousands – and existing owners, who might just be able to claw back overpaid tax. Though they might want to avoid irritating the Hacienda.

Cousas de Galiza

The fires in the Galician province of Ourense, where 70% of the burnt areas are said to be beyond recovery:-

I was surprised to read that 75% of fires in Galicia were deliberately started by humans but a friend down South claims this is actually below the national average of 90%.

The water off the Galician coast is, I assure you, bloody cold – even during months of excessive heat. So . . . While the Mediterranean water is at 30 degrees, Galicia’s ranges between 13 and 16. In fact, Galicia’s water is colder the hotter it gets. This is a paradox of the north west of the Iberian Peninsula. High temperatures are driven by high pressure in the Azores. When this builds, air circulation triggers the phenomenon of ‘upwelling’. The north wind pushes surface water toward the oceanic shelf, creating a deficit that nature, wisely, compensates for with icy currents that emerge from the ocean floor. And given that the high pressure has been dominant throughout July and August, a notable negative anomaly in water temperature is being recorded. “In Finisterre, at latitude 43° north, the surface water is at 13.5 degrees, the same as at latitude 57° north. So, as cold as in Norway. More on this here, in English.

Talking about the sea . . . The terrible Prestige oil-leak disaster was 23 years ago but litigation continues. The Spanish government finally lost its suit against an insurance company earlier this year but now the latter is suing the governments of both Spain and France for €1.5bn, in the UK as it happens. A Supreme Court decision is expected ‘soon’.

Europe

Assuming it’s true, this really is an extraordinary allegation, with potentially mind-boggling implications for a pair of Nato allies. It’s reported that US intelligence officers were involved in a secret operation to pave the way for a US takeover of Greenland.

THE USA and THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms.

• Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi have the best looks. Look at Pam. But I would never say she’s beautiful. That would be the end of my political career. [We can only hope.]

Sycophants’ Corner

Tom Rose, the U.S. nominee for ambassador to Poland, made a bold claim about Donald Trump. He argued that the Nobel Peace Prize is not worthy of the former president. Instead, he suggested that a completely new prize should be created in Trump’s name

Non-Sycophants’ Corner

A close friend of a Wharton professor revealed that he had repeatedly said over 3 decades that “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.” He expressed this view after Trump became a celebrity but long before he was a political figure. The professor criticized Trump’s arrogance and his attitude of thinking he already knew everything when he came to Wharton.

Note: Trump’s entry to Wharton was helped by family connections and occurred in a less competitive admissions context than the modern Ivy League process

More sentences from The Rise of the Nazis, to which you might see modern parallels:-

• Stormtroopers were authorised to carry loaded firearms and enrolled as auxiliary police, whereupon they ostentatiously began to mount patrols in the streets.
• What the 1933 elections showed was that nearly two-thirds of the electorate had lent their votes to parties who were open enemies of democracy. A total reversal of the 1919 results.
• The NAZI government was able to move against other parties because the Reichstag fire [emergency] decree permitted it to override the sovereignty of the federated states in order to carry out operations.

Quotes of the Day

• Trump walks into every meeting with whomsoever thinking ‘How can I leave this room having enriched me and my family’. [Pretty successfully so far, as his net worth has doubled to over USD 5bn since he returned to office. ]
• The way Stephen Miller rants on Fox News justifies the description of him as barking mad.

Russia v Ukraine

The FT reports here that the USA is offering air and intelligence support to postwar forces in Ukraine. Washington, say European officials, is said to be prepared to contribute surveillance, command and control and air defence assets.

Spanish

Lumbrera; porthole, louvre window, skylight. Lamp. Luminary. Bright spark, egghead. Pundit

Did you know?

• A Moura is a supernatural being from Portuguese and Galician folklore known as the “Enchanted Moura” or “Moura encantada.” She is typically depicted as a very beautiful and seductive maiden or princess who lives under an occult spell.
• Mouras are shapeshifters and guardians of liminal spaces such as castles, caves, wells, rivers, fountains, and treasures. They are often shown combing their long hair, which can be golden, black, or red (more common in Galicia), using a golden comb. The Moura promises a treasure to anyone who frees her from enchantment.
• Mouras are thought to be the souls of young maidens guarding hidden treasures left by male supernatural beings called “Mouros encantados.” They are connected to ancient pre-Roman and Indo-European Celtic origins and are linked to water spirits or nymphs.
• Mouras are also builders of prehistoric monuments like dolmens and stone circles and live in enchanted or supernatural places such as caves, stones, or the mythical underground realm called Mourama. Legends describe them as magical maidens intertwined with themes of enchantment, treasure, and supernatural boundaries between worlds.According to one of the legends, in [nearby] Moaña, in a pool of the Miñouva stream (one of the tributaries of the Miño), lived a beautiful Moura who combed her long hair with a golden comb. She was believed to keep secrets and treasures in that place.
• In another story, a Moura prince and his daughter arrived in Galicia, where she fell in love with a local peasant. Her jealous father killed the young man, and the Moura daughter drowned in the pool, giving rise to the legend that on summer nights her wails can still be heard from the depths of the water.
• The legend that a Moura gave birth to the Miño river is connected to the Galician legendary tradition of Mouras as beings linked to the waters of the Miño, especially with one who lived in a natural spot associated with the river. Possibly set up in Lugo province, near the source of the river.

Finally . . .

Another of those headlines . . . . Paul McCartney Turns 83 and This Is The House He Lives With Her Partner Today!

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