Welcome back to all kind readers!

The British “Daily Star” ( which offers a take on the news that really “matters”)  calls on readers to “do your bit for Britain”, as it reports that economists estimate every member of the public needs to buy 124 pints of beer to save our “beleaguered pub industry”.  (The Week,14 May 2021).

My comment:  One shouldn’t be judgmental, but, well, I am.  Apologies!  Born a Brit I think it is important that the pub, the social centre of countless villages, survives.  There is nothing wrong with occasional social visits, a pint of beer and a good moan about the world.  It makes you realize you are not alone in the struggle against the stupidity and incompetence all around us.  But a single pint should loosen the tongues of the sensible.

This cry of alarm about pubs is nothing new.  Many have changed their business approaches to offer food ( some of it good) or to be more inclusive of women and children, in a bid to be the true social centres of the neighborhood..  Good for them – adaptable.  But 124 pints?   Enter Epicurus,  best known, perhaps, for advocating moderation and thoughtful, intelligent socializing.  He might moderate the 124 pints to , say, one a week.  It encourages intelligent conversation  without unseemly scenes and incoherent rowdiness.