The belated price for being unable to govern oneselves: “The Commission states that the awarding of the Integrated Action Programmes (IAP), an urban development measure established by Law 6/1994 of 15 November, Valencian Law on development activities (’LRAU’) and its successor, Law 16/205, Valencian development law (’LUV’) relates to public works contracts which should be awarded in accordance with Directive 93/37/EC and Directive 2004/18/EC. In other words, the Commission affirms that the IAP are public works contracts awarded by local bodies which include the carrying out of public infrastructure works by urban developers chosen by the local authorities. The Commission considers that the LUV infringes the Community public procurement directives in various aspects, in relation, inter alia, to the privileged position of the first bidder, the experience of bidders in similar contracts, the provision of alternatives to the proposal of the first bidder ‘in open envelope’, the regulation of variants, the criteria for awarding IAP contracts, the possibility of amending the contract after it has been awarded (for example, the possibility of increasing development fees) and the regulation of cases of incomplete execution of the contract by the bidder to which the contract has been awarded. Some of those infringements concern both the LRAU and the LUV, and others just the LUV.“

“I think the sherry trade could learn a lot from their cousins in Portugal. But of course that’s only if the sherry trade sees any benefit in visitors to their bodegas. I often wonder if they really do.” It’s the old Spanish paradox of shops whose owners seem prepared to go to quite extraordinary lengths to avoid selling you anything, unless that something is guaranteed to malfunction at the first opportunity. Experiences recounted last night of finally persuading a well known department store to relinquish a sewing machine which immediately jammed, the replacement literally falling to pieces whilst being bagged. Why?

A double reflection makes up the man who was born on the thirteenth day of the moon, lost his
throne on the thirteenth day of the moon, and fought the battle of Waterloo on the thirteenth day of the moon:

I wonder if Josephine’s astrological babblings didn’t cause Napoleon’s natural military interest in the moon to be unduly romanticised.

José M Camarero@ABC: En principio, la mayoría no pensaba que lo que ardía era precisamente un avión incendiado… Pero fue la caravana de ambulancias que pasaba por delante de sus casas, en la autovía M-14, la que les puso en alerta. «Esto me huele mal», llegó a decir Manuel a su mujer. «Aquí ha pasado algo gordo». Y, en efecto, así fue. Por eso fueron de los primeros en avisar a los servicios de emergencias.” Duh.