The staff of the Daily Sceptic took two days off over Christmas. We’ll start posting articles again today. In the meantime, please consider making a donation so we can keep going in 2024. You can read our Christmas appeal here.
Thanks to those of you who’ve donated in 2023, as well as to all our contributors – above and below the line – and the team of unpaid moderators. 2024 is a leap year, which is supposed to be bring luck. So let’s hope next year brings some good news, not least in all the elections taking place, including in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
If you want some un-woke podcasts to listen to on your way home from the in-laws, check out mine and Nick Dixon’s live version of the Weekly Sceptic from a couple of weeks ago and my appearance on Brendan O’Neill’s podcast recently. And if you want a laugh, I recommend Dominic Frisby’s rendition of 12 Drunk Days of Christmas. He did it at the Free Speech Union’s Christmas Special and it was a hoot.
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7am is almost boring. I’ve been up since about 05:45am. But I guess that’s the price to pay for having degenerated to too little of a drinking habit and getting annoyed by other people’s very noisy one fairly early in the evening.
“Good Morning!” to anybody who might see this.
Herzliche Weihnachten to you too, RW!
Danke.
This doesn’t really make sense, though: Herzlich means heartfelt. That’s usual for birthday congratulations. The German phrase for Christmas is frohe Weihnachten. Best translation of that is probably carefree Christmas.
Guten Morgen. Ich habe den Skeptiker am Weihnachtstag vermisst. ———So up at 5 am on boxing day for a peek.
The trouble with trying to speak German to Germans is that they assume you understand the language and reply with a couple of large sentences. I recall rolling down my car window somewhere and asking “Wo ist die autobahn fur Kaiserlautern bitte”. ————I then had to pretend I understood and said “Danke”
Wenn man die 61 runterkommt, geht die 63 nach Lautern, das ist der kürzeste Weg. Man kann auch noch bei Frankenthal auf die 6 fahren, das ist die schönere Strecke.
When travelling south on the A61, the shortest way to Kaiserslautern is the A63. An alternate choice is changing to the A6 at Frankenthal. That’s longer but more fun to drive (ie, no speed limit and lots of interesting turns and slopes). I’ve been living there for a few years in the past.
Cheers—–I cannot check your German obviously but I can check your English. You said “I’ve been living there for a few years in the past”. —–You should have said “I lived there for a few years in the past”———-I remember reading the Mark Twain book “The Awful German Language” —-I thought it was quite funny, how he described one thing as being masculine, another thing as feminine and another as having no sex at all.
Should I? In German, past tense is something pretty formal that’s really only used for narrations. Technically, Ich lebte dort für ein paar Jahre may be correct but that’s really 18th century and one will always use Ich hab’ da mal für ein paar Jahre gelebt, ie, (colloquial) present perfect, instead.
In German, boy is masculine (der Junge) while girl (das Mädchen) belongs into the no sex at all category. In the dialect of the region I was born in, this even extends to articles. People will say de Georg
when referring to a boy but dat Ute if it’s a girl (de and dat being the local forms of der and das). Confusion of our times: Sexed nouns and gendered people. Presumably, the former where born this way and the latter are fluctuating on a spectrum. It really ought to be the other way round: Nouns have genders and people sexes.
Two builders are sitting on the wall eating lunch together.
A man runs towards them, and asks, “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?!”
The builders return blank gazes.
Starting to panic, the man raises his voice a little, asking, “Habla Espanol?!”
Again, zero reaction from the two builders.
Almost losing hope, the man asks, “Parlez-vous Francais?!”
The builders shake their heads slowly and shrug gently.
The man runs away.
They finish their sandwiches, deep in thought. One of the builders then says to his mate,
“You know we really should learn another language.”
“Why bother? That guy knew three and it didn’t help him at all.”
“Kindness is the language which the blind can see and the deaf can hear” —-Mark Twain
MERRY (not happy) Christmas – the mass of Christ’s birth, the only reason for this season.
The mysteries and miracles of faith.
Unlike 90% of the population we are off to Christmas mass and the greatest story rarely remembered or retold.
‘Forgive us our sins and trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ There is lots of good in the world and too much evil.
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.
I certainly do not subscribe to any of the “faiths” but you gotta hand it to Parry and Whittier.
We need more calm. More stillness. More willingness to ask,
“What is the problem we are trying to solve here? Can we dare to ask if there is even a problem?”
And I’ll tell you one thing – nothing quite beats individual men and women deciding freely to sing in unison and in harmony.
Today is a reminder of why this country was once great, in attempting to make the word of Jesus our law we created the freest and fairest society in all human history. Socialists didn’t ban slavery Christians did. Happy birthday Jesus.
I’ve really appreciated your site these last 3 years, a voice of reason amidst the madness. Please stay strong and keep fighting.
In November I marked 50 years as a committed Christian, but don’t celebrate Christmas. Wrong date (should be late Sept, early Oct), commercialisation, coca cola fat man in red suit, trees from pagan German roots.
But to all who do remember Jesus on this day, remember He is no longer an infant in a manger, but raised up as Lord, far above all rule, dominion and power.
If you don’t know Him personally, you can. Today is the day of salvation.
I find it interesting that on this and the other lockdown sceptical forum I frequent, practising Christians seem to be over-represented compared to their proportion of the general population. Not attempting an argument for or against religious belief (I’m an agnostic) – just an observation.
I worked with some Mennonites during the height of the stupidity they were well aware of what was happening. Beautiful people with a lovely sense of calm. Maybe Christianity is the perfect counter to the new religion (cult) of ‘the science’. Have to admit having witnessed such evil over the last 3 years my head is being turned. Merry Christmas to all you freedom lovers let’s hope our worst fears don’t come to pass.
Agree.
Maybe its that Christians find it hard to express their faith in the absence of Free Speech. I’ve no idea. I’m a fully payed up atheist, if that helps to restore the balance on numbers…
“Christians find it hard to express their faith in the absence of Free Speech”
These days that’s probably true – and they may not get much support from “their” churches either
Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to Toby and all at the Daily Sceptic.
Merry Xmas to all. We don’t need to agree on everything to still be allies. I wish everyone who contributes all the very, very, best.
Wow. The children can’t stop shaking their rattles. Not even for one day. Bless their little cotten socks.
The second most important commandment according to the Big Guy, is to Love thy neighbour as your self…
Merry Christmas Free L
Merry Christmas, one and all!
Hope, Strength and Tenacity to those who think and judge for themselves.
Stay sane, Sceptics!
Merry Christmas everyone and thanks to all at the Daily Sceptic for being unafraid to counter popular narratives.
We went to midnight mass last night to celebrate the Light of the world, Jesus. May you all have a blessed New year and know the peace and hope that the Saviour offers. Good wishes to you all!
Seasons Greetings to Toby and his team and of course the contributors! Pray for Peace! God Bless!
A very sceptic Christmas to you all and yours and best wishes for a most cynical New Year
Hmm, I note that this says “the staff have decided…”, not that management have agreed. This has echoes of insisting on working from home syndrome. So even the DS is not immune (LOL, for the absence of doubt)
Didn’t know Guy was a sailor
LOL typo in setting up my ‘handle’ originally. Changing it is more trouble than it’s worth…
Bored today I explored this site and discovered that I can change my user name quite easily. I’m sure it wasn’t always that easy so perhaps there has been a behind the scenes change – or it could be that, as a paid-up member I have access to more functionality. Either way the edit had now been done
Merry Christmas everyone.
Merry Christmas to all at the Daily Sceptic. Finally paid my contribution, so here I am. You made me realise I wasn’t losing the plot in 2020, and since. Thank you.
Happy Christmas Toby & Team DS
I went to a church service for the first time in approx 50 odd years yesterday, I took my two sons 30&25 ! It was an early midnight mass due to the villagers ( in the village we now live) all getting older ! If I’m going to Church then Christianity could be starting a fight back !
Happy Christmas to all contributors to the one media outlet, that tells the truth. The Daily Sceptic must be protected at all costs.