“My family in the rural Midwest recently told me they’ve begun to see flags flying outside private homes bearing the message, “F–k Biden.” Underneath that statement, in smaller typeface, the thought continues: “…and f–k you for voting for him.”

“If you’re surprised that politics has descended to such depths, you haven’t been paying attention.

“I first noticed the shift into the politics of vulgarity and insult in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election, when I occasionally began to see bumper stickers in the suburbs west of Philadelphia that read, “F–k your feelings. Donald Trump for President.” Five years later, similar expressions are far more widespread, at least in some parts of the country. When I tweeted just before Christmas about what my midwestern family had told me, some of my followers confirmed seeing the flags — in the Cincinnati area, in Michigan, in eastern Ohio. (Try your own search for the flags on Google images. You’ll find numerous variations. This is big business). “
Damon Linker, 29 Dec 2021

My question: What happened to America? What has become of us? Epicurus advised us to ignore politics, but this isn’t politics as we knew it; it’s crude, violent and degrading.

Romance scams have cost consumers a record $304 million as more people have searched for love online during the pandemic. As the pandemic encouraged people to spend more time online, criminals targeted people on dating apps and social media platforms, especially older Americans. Adults 60 and older lost $139 million to romance scams in 2020, the FTC says.

My comment: the internet in its various guises is getting a truly dreadful press these days. Suggestion: confine your attentions to sites that are informed, intellectual etc. etc. That is, sites like Epicurus.Today (well, if I don’t advertise no one else will).

“To those who abuse us for simply making polite requests to wear masks or to maintain social distance in hospitals or GP practices, to those who deny the existence of the pandemic or the science of vaccination, to those who issue death threats or incite violence against us, we say enough is enough.”
(Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives)

My comment: Why is it that there are so many people who despise science and scientists? Could it have anything to do with lack of science in schools, or even, lack of any useful education at all?

Just asking.

Speculation has emerged that penguins may be aliens after scientists found traces of a chemical from Venus in their droppings.

Experts are struggling to explain how phosphine exists on Earth – 38 million miles away from Venus. Scientists in the UK who believe alien life forms may have already been detected say studying penguins could help them identify the types of organisms that exist on other worlds. (The Week, 22 Sept 2021)

My comment: I think this was brought to Earth by an asteroid. After all, why should phosphine be uniquely from Venus? And I don’t know nothing. Any better ideas?

At this time of the year it’s difficult to know what to say without offending someone ?

So I’ve checked with my legal adviser and on his advice I wish to say the following to all my friends and relatives:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2022, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that either the US or Great Britain are necessarily greater than any other countries) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Disclaimer:
No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced!

(My apology: The above arrived in my IN box. I copied it, but somehow it then totally disappeared. So no, I did not compose it and have forgotten who it came from. Welcome to my semi-reliable i-pad and my own old age! At least I can share it with you!)