Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain
Spain- Nice to read that 'ecotourism' is on the way up here in Galicia. Along with transhumancia, whatever that is. See here, if you're as ignorant as me.
- As for the challenge of cohabiting with nature . . . The boar-hunting season is approaching here, aimed at preventing ruination of crops. And confabs are being held to decide what to do about wolves devouring - or at least killing - more and more sheep up near Ourense. And then there's the plague of starfish which are voraciously eating their way through the beds of almejas(clams) in our estuaries.
- Talking of the Ourense province . . . Interesting to read that the hottest place there is a village called A Mezquita. Or 'The Mosque'. And they say the Moors never settled this far north . . .
- I read in a UK paper that skirts, having headed south for a while, are now heading back up north, to 'baby-doll' length. I can't say I've noticed these developments here in Pontevedra, where it seems to be obligatory to show maximum thigh, at least in summer. And, in some cases, rather more. That said, some with-it women do seem to be sporting the in-fashion floor-length summer dresses which are rather more attractive than bare-buttock-displaying apparel. IMHO.
- BTW . . . Some of these long dresses are colourfully horizontally-striped, which has the unfortunate effect of making their wearers look like a block of Neapolitan ice cream. Or a deck chair.
- Talking of what women wear . . . I suspect my mother would have died rather than wear black underwear beneath white clothes. Nowadays, this seems to be compulsory. At least here in Pontevedra . . .
- I read that Immingham is the busiest port in the UK. Shamefully, I had no idea where it was. Between Hull and Grimsby, in the Humber estuary, I now know.
- I can't help feeling it's a tad extreme to claim that the 'Eagle Fly' carousel in the Tatzmania theme park displayed Nazi sympathies because of its Swastika-like seat arrangements. Of course, it all went viral at the speed of light, leading to a close-down and fulsome apologies. It seems like an over-reaction to me but then I'm not German or living in repentant Germany.
- Tomorrow is the 80th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact – the infamous non-aggression pact of 1939 between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. It is observed as a day of remembrance for victims of Stalinism and Nazism in 10 EU countries, the US, Canada, and Georgia. But the pro-Kremlin media is still adamant that the USSR was reluctant to sign the pact and had no other choice; that the pact did not trigger World War II, the USSR cannot be blamed for it, that Poland wanted to attack the USSR and that all of it was Hitler's idea anyway. Such sophistry puts me in mind of a current-day leader.
- We now know that Elton John bought carbon offsets to balance the effect of the private jet trips of you know who. As someone has commented: Some have even compared these schemes to the sale of papal indulgences – ecclesiastical pardons of sin that served as neat revenue-raisers for the Catholic church. . . . This modern form of absolution is facing heightened scrutiny amid concerns it may actually be harming the environment.
- On the subject of the hypocrisy of celebrities who moralize about climate change, this sounds about right: A simple explanation for this is that it is a way of flaunting their special status. Hypocrisy is the ultimate power move. It is a way of demonstrating that one plays by a different set of rules from the ones adhered to by common people. Hypocrisy demonstrates how unaccountable one is to conventional morality. Such displays work because, unlike wealth, status is inherently subjective. The more of it you are perceived to have, the more of it you actually have. . . . Why do we get so upset when celebrities moralize about climate change? Because, in doing so, they are violating an unsaid social contract. You can be rich, fabulous, and showy, but you can’t tell us how to live. The problem, in other words, isn’t that celebrities flaunt their rich lifestyle but rather that they moralize about it. See the full article here.
- Christian 'prophet', Mark Taylor, claims that God has told him that if, Trump does not begin to arrest well-known Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, people like him and those who believe the same putrid crap he does will begin to murder those politicians themselves and “drag their dead bodies through the streets.” A supporter to be truly proud of.
- So, Ffart didn't cancel his state visit to Denmark in a fit of childish pique because yet another woman was 'nasty' to him but because this is the way to make the world respect the USA more than it did under Obama. Could anyone be more self-deluded?
- For those with some knowledge of the dismal science . . . How negative interest rates screw up the economy.
- Words of the Day:-
- Sorgo: Sorghum
- I read that the British police have much the same power as their Spanish colleagues to fine you for whatever they thinks amounts to distraction. Nowadays, this includes talking on a hands-free phone, wearing earphones, touching your satnav/GPS and eating or drinking anything. Here in Spain, I believe it even includes resting an elbow on the window frame. And very possibly putting a CD into the player or adjusting the radio except via switches on the steering wheel. The hard-to-refute logic of this total-reduction-of-risk attitude is the penalisation of anything which takes your eyes off the road or a hand off the steering wheel. So, can it be more than 10 years before gear/stick changes are adjudged dangerous and we're all compelled to drive automatic cars? Assuming any of us are still actually doing anything by way of driving a car by then.
- There's definitely a robin in the garden this morning. Still the sole representative of the avian community.
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