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

The prime minister is said here to be looking for a scapegoat other than his government for last week’s blackout. The one hypothesis that Sanchez is quick to dismiss is the strong presence of renewable energy sources in the supply chain (especially solar) as a cause of the strong oscillations that might have led to the rapid series of cut-outs. But is he swimming against a tide? The opposition right-of-centre parties are out for blood but, then, they always are.

There’s a large ghost hotel on the old road between Madrid and Valencia.

The Hotel Claridge opened in 1969 but closed in 1999 after the construction of a swifter section of the A3 which stopped it being a key stop-off point for coaches. As the hotel wasn’t a destination in itself, this was a death knell and there is no hope of a future for this spectacular wreck, looming large at the roadside. Having cited it, I’m not sure this brutal building is worth deviating for.

The UK

Richard North again, on the state of UK politics . . . In a sense, Farage is a very modern politician. As the other parties move away from their traditional voter bases – ditching their principles on the way – they too are becoming policy-free zones, relying on sound-bites and slogans rather than substantive manifestos. With the advent of the web, social media and mass communication, I am not sure now that politics can be any different. We are seeing social fragmentation, made much worse by mass immigration, to a point where it seems impossible for a politically dominant group to unite behind common policies. Where that takes us, I don’t know – but then I don’t think anyone else does either: how do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? Perhaps we are doomed to a new style of politics, defined by our dislikes and hatreds, forever barred from uniting because we can never agree on what direction to take. This might well apply to other modern democracies as well.

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

The 2 psychologists of the Shrinking Trump podcast are in no doubt that the country is in the hands of a man suffering from 2 things: clinical psychopathy and cognitive decline. Which is, they say, more than a tad worrying . . . We are in even in more danger than the most dire critics are predicting.

The traits of a clinical psychopath are listed at the end of this post. The general view is that these nasty folk form 0.5 to 1% of the population, meaning there are between 1. 75m and 3.5m and of them in the USA.

If you haven’t already listened to the podcast I cited yesterday, start it at 1h/23m to hear how Trump fits the bill. Or the YouTube video, also at 1h/23m. The view of the 2 hosts is that psychopaths as bad as Trump – ’supervillains’ – constitute 1 in 150 folk, or 0.67% of the population. Or 2.3m people in the USA alone. Many of them CEOs.

One of the favoured employment sectors for psychopaths is law enforcement. So, imagine what happens when a psychopathic president gives free rein to these people, effectively telling them they can do whatever they like to ‘undesirables’. Well, you don’t have to imagine; you only need to pay attention to what ICE and the Justice Department are doing under another psychopath, Pam Bondi.

Interestingly, this morning’s news contains a report that there’s more attention now being given to Trump’s mental state in the mainstream media, if not on Fox News.

It’s impossible to ignore the fact that Trump has the power to start a nuclear war which he is mad enough to be able to persuade himself he can win. It’s a miracle we can sleep at night while he remains president.

And there can be little doubt that this madman will do whatever he can to get a 3rd term.

The truth is that no one would believe this saga it it were the basis of a novel.

The latest evidence of Trump’s psychopathy can be seen here.

And then there was this.

An obvious question . . . Are you sane if you still think Trump is​?

Another obvious question . . . Am I guilty of Trump Derangement Syndrome? I certainly hope so. Being extremely concerned about his derangement. Not just for the USA but for the entire world. A recession should be the least of our worries.

Quotes of the Day

• However hard you try, it is impossible to make economic sense of what the US president is doing. . . It won’t only be Barbie dolls in short supply in the US this Christmas. . . Trump blamed Biden for last week’s first quarter dip in GDP, even though it was as plain as a pikestaff that it was caused by anticipation of Trump’s protectionist bombshell.
• Nobody “needs” the sort of tat that Trump is referring to, even if hearing a US president who has just had the Oval Office decked out in gold chintz champion the anti-consumerist cause is somewhat unexpected, to put it mildly. [Same article]
• Reducing dependence on China may be a reason for action, but fighting the current war before doing so is a recipe for almost certain defeat, at enormous cost. [Ditto]

Spanish

• Desmoronarse: To crumble, unravel, fall apart, collapse, break down, etc.
• Tebeo: Comic, comic book, cartoon.
• Moderador: Moderator, facilitator, presenter.
• Empaparse: To soak up, get drenched, imbibe.

English

An article I read yesterday used the word ‘minging’, which I took to be a mistake for ‘mingling, as I knew that in modern British English ‘To ming’ means have a foul smell, or To be awful. But I checked, and learned that: Historically and in dialectal use To ming’ means ‘To mix or mingle’.

And, this afternoon, I learnt that “mitching” is a slang term primarily used in British English, especially in school contexts. It means skipping school or classes without permission-in other words, playing truant or cutting class.

All that said, I doubt I’ll ever be using either minging or mitching.

Did You Know?

Metamizole is an analgesic which is banned/restricted in several countries, as it can be fatal to North Europeans. But it is still widely prescribed in Spain, despite being associated with several deaths here because of agranulocytosis. Indeed, an Irish friend of mine has just been prescribed it, in case paracetamol doesn’t do the job. I was able to warn her off it.

You Have to Laugh

This foto, from 2016, reveals that Boris Johnson once knew what a barber/hairdresser was and, indeed, had a relationship with one. And possibly a child or two.

Finally . . .

I don’t watch a lot of TV but a friend lent me a box set of the Slow Horses series and, overnight, I became a binge viewer! Three hours a night for the past few days. Final series tonight and tomorrow and then onto de-tox. Maybe I’ll now get round to the box set of The Sopranos that a visiting friend left with me years ago

The Traits of a Clinical Psychopath

A clinical psychopath is identified using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which assesses 20 specific traits and behaviors. The most prominent traits include:-

• Glibness/superficial charm
• Grandiose sense of self-worth
• Pathological lying
• Manipulativeness/conning
• Lack of remorse or guilt
• Shallow affect (emotional shallowness)
• Callousness/lack of empathy
• Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility
• Poor behavioral controls (short temper)
• Parasitic lifestyle
• Promiscuous sexual behavior
• Early behavior problems
• Lack of realistic, long-term goals
• Many short-term relationships
• Juvenile delinquency
• Criminal versatility

These traits are grouped into two main factors:

• Interpersonal/Affective: superficial charm, grandiosity, lying, manipulativeness, lack of remorse, shallow emotions, lack of empathy.
• Lifestyle/Antisocial: impulsivity, irresponsibility, poor behavioral controls, criminal behavior, early conduct problems

Psychopaths are typically characterized by a combination of these traits, resulting in a pattern of persistent antisocial behavior, emotional detachment, and manipulative interpersonal style.

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

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. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .

I can also be read on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colin.davies.752861 or on Substack at https://doncolin.substack.com/

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. But see here on this. And this article ‘debunks claims re wealth and residency taxes’. Probably only relevant if you’re a HNWI. In which case, you’ll surely know what that stands for.

Getting a mortgage in Spain: Some advice on this challenge.