Lyssa is enjoying such success that even turning all of Mauritius into a giant Brown-Séquard Hospital couldn’t house the world’s insanities. At least no-one’s pointed out that Lyssa and I are closely related nor has anyone queried how a spirit can have a spleen, as everyone’s distracted by Judge Dread’s enquiry. Poor Pravind! He’s had the guts to publish the report but received little credit for doing so. Mind you, we now have to see how seriously follow-up is pursued. By the way, the human spleen serves to destroy worn-out red blood cells – and not just in the LP. In spirits, it enjoys only a virtual reality but I assure you a spirit’s spleen is not a pretty sight. But then nor is what’s going on here and elsewhere.

Instead of advising people to stop wasting money on gadgets, phone bills, take-away food, fireworks and the like, financial wizards support investment in virtual currencies and advise what overvalued stocks and shares to buy. When Bitcoin or stockmarkets collapse, it may be worse than the South Sea Bubble all over again. The Ancients would not have approved of speculative investment – or greed as it was formerly known. A business needs to make money but selling top-range gadgets and famous-label clothes at inflated prices is simply the exploitation of mortal frailty. By the by, it’s time ER stopped supporting Royal Ascot given the hideous things that go on there in the entertainment tents or wherever, with hostesses expected to put up with loutish behaviour from yobs posing as gentlemen – like MPs.

For centuries, Truth has been seen as a virtue but Alethea’s been trumped by one politico after another. How can the US and Russia build a civilized relationship when both their presidents are serial liars – and proud of it? What else, however, can we expect in a world where honour and beauty are ignored, and where celebrity is accorded to Reality stars and other attention seekers? It would be less bad if orators and philosophers still filled the market place. Instead, social media is full of the shrill onslaughts of charlatans. Power without knowledge, as some might say. No wonder the world seems increasingly mad.

If opinion-formers were honourable men or informed journalists, democracy could work. Mind you, Thomas Jefferson claimed that a democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. Brexit would seem to be a case in point, although the Donald managed to achieve his crown with three per cent less of the popular vote than his main rival. At least the last election here gave the winning alliance almost 50% of the popular vote, whatever’s happened thereafter. However, when you then look at the quality of local politicos, selected on their racial, religious or other extraneous merits, despair sets in. It might not be so bad if their only fault were incompetence or ignorance but, over the years, how many drugsters, wife-beaters, thugs, racists, pension-pot fillers and followers of Pinocchio have sat in – or as often walked out of – the Assembly?

Even Science, which used to be dedicated to the search for discoveries and facts, has been degraded by a quest for research grants, best obtained by headlines. One year, you shouldn’t eat many eggs, the next they’re actually rather good for you. Coffee is either very dangerous or a health food, depending on which report you read. And as for eating veg or non-veg, if you believe the research, neither’s very good for mortals, who’d be much better off sticking to ambrosia, scientifically proven to be good for gods.

Yours sincerely,
Epi PHRON