Merry Christmas to you and the Mrs! Wish we were all getting better notices in the mail. Cheers to you and your powerful, important, and very appreciated words!
Everyone here's so nice... unlike yours truly when it comes to Christmas correspondence. After tending to the sick people in my circle (all boomers, like me), I shared the latest horror stories with Donald J. Trump's WH web form, this time from the Palestine Will Be Free Substack. I hope he takes my advice at the end, but who am I kidding?
My wish for everyone here in the new year a week away is that an endless stream of energy coming from each one of us will enable what we must write, say, and challenge on the world stage be done to the 5 eyes of the world to stop destroying their nations, as the U.S. is doing with their empire. May this strength of ours be omnipresent so that in every viewable way, the message is heard seen and felt for ending these endless wars of oppression.
Merry Christmas from the other side of the lake--where we had some great sunshine for part of the afternoon and the cats loved sunning themselves on the sun porch.
(Wow, didn't know you could find out where all your subscribers came from... I'm so close to 2K and then I looked yesterday and I was even further away from obtaining that goal! Substack giveth and Substack taketh away? Oh, well, maybe I'll get to 2K next year.)
One of my more libertarian friends said the same thing happened to him, and it is happening to me. My overall subscriber count appears to be stuck in a quagmire around 1970, but my FOLLOWER count is closing in on 5500. What's infuriating about that is that I cannot see where all of these people are from.
I am not sure what to make of this. I certainly understand someone not wanting to receive yet one more email from Substack nearly every day.
I don't know how many followers I have, but it's probably more, right? Not sure where that data is located. But the subscriber numbers going up--and then down--reminds me of my X account that will get close to 5K and then just stop and go backwards for a while before going up again. It's been doing this for years so I'm used to it, but I refuse to pay the Muskrat any money for a damn blue check to get above 5K!
Hope Christmas was a great hang with the biker gang! Also, thanks for acknowledging our fellow humans suffering in Palestine, Sudan, and across the world. How can we hold two things in our hearts and minds at the same time? The question of the sages.☯️
I can understand the frustration and disappointment around "followers" not becoming "subscribers." Given the sheer volume of options on Substack these days, I'm surprised people are able to navigate (although clearly the algorithm directs me where my preferences lie.) Still, good on all of those writing here, trying to connect our thoughts, help educate & spread awareness, and hoping to transform the collective to action. Sometimes it seems futile. And I, for one, return to the brilliant insights of Joseph Campbell for comfort. Good grief: we humans have been doing ALL THIS for a long time! And so it is.
Mithras (Persian), Sol Invictus (Roman) and one or two more deities were born on December 25. I think.
Imperator Constantinus the Firstus established Dec 25 as The Day. I am guessing to counter Sol Invictus and Saturnalia. He died with his toga on before the first Christmas was celebrated in 337 Anno Domini.
You got all your facts right. December 25 was the birthday of Mithras the Bull-Slayer, which was incredibly popular with Roman soldiers in Constantine's time. That emperor chose that day for Christmas for exactly the reasons you describe.
The New Testament says Jesus was born under the Sign of the Fish, which is Pisces, and also why early Christians used the symbol of the fish.
And a Merry Christmas to you - I hope!
To all subscribers; may 2026 be better for us all. But especially Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine. May Justice, Compassion and Empathy prevail.
Love to all
Don't mess with OB, he's friends with the biker gang. 😉
Merry Christmas to you and the Mrs! Wish we were all getting better notices in the mail. Cheers to you and your powerful, important, and very appreciated words!
Everyone here's so nice... unlike yours truly when it comes to Christmas correspondence. After tending to the sick people in my circle (all boomers, like me), I shared the latest horror stories with Donald J. Trump's WH web form, this time from the Palestine Will Be Free Substack. I hope he takes my advice at the end, but who am I kidding?
My wish for everyone here in the new year a week away is that an endless stream of energy coming from each one of us will enable what we must write, say, and challenge on the world stage be done to the 5 eyes of the world to stop destroying their nations, as the U.S. is doing with their empire. May this strength of ours be omnipresent so that in every viewable way, the message is heard seen and felt for ending these endless wars of oppression.
Merry Christmas from the other side of the lake--where we had some great sunshine for part of the afternoon and the cats loved sunning themselves on the sun porch.
(Wow, didn't know you could find out where all your subscribers came from... I'm so close to 2K and then I looked yesterday and I was even further away from obtaining that goal! Substack giveth and Substack taketh away? Oh, well, maybe I'll get to 2K next year.)
One of my more libertarian friends said the same thing happened to him, and it is happening to me. My overall subscriber count appears to be stuck in a quagmire around 1970, but my FOLLOWER count is closing in on 5500. What's infuriating about that is that I cannot see where all of these people are from.
I am not sure what to make of this. I certainly understand someone not wanting to receive yet one more email from Substack nearly every day.
I don't know how many followers I have, but it's probably more, right? Not sure where that data is located. But the subscriber numbers going up--and then down--reminds me of my X account that will get close to 5K and then just stop and go backwards for a while before going up again. It's been doing this for years so I'm used to it, but I refuse to pay the Muskrat any money for a damn blue check to get above 5K!
Happy 2026.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
Hope Christmas was a great hang with the biker gang! Also, thanks for acknowledging our fellow humans suffering in Palestine, Sudan, and across the world. How can we hold two things in our hearts and minds at the same time? The question of the sages.☯️
I can understand the frustration and disappointment around "followers" not becoming "subscribers." Given the sheer volume of options on Substack these days, I'm surprised people are able to navigate (although clearly the algorithm directs me where my preferences lie.) Still, good on all of those writing here, trying to connect our thoughts, help educate & spread awareness, and hoping to transform the collective to action. Sometimes it seems futile. And I, for one, return to the brilliant insights of Joseph Campbell for comfort. Good grief: we humans have been doing ALL THIS for a long time! And so it is.
Merry Christmas, OB.
88 huh... some shitlibneocon ('tis one word) will some way connect that to HH. Fuck them all, and in the spirit of the season, with mistletoe.
Mithras (Persian), Sol Invictus (Roman) and one or two more deities were born on December 25. I think.
Imperator Constantinus the Firstus established Dec 25 as The Day. I am guessing to counter Sol Invictus and Saturnalia. He died with his toga on before the first Christmas was celebrated in 337 Anno Domini.
You got all your facts right. December 25 was the birthday of Mithras the Bull-Slayer, which was incredibly popular with Roman soldiers in Constantine's time. That emperor chose that day for Christmas for exactly the reasons you describe.
The New Testament says Jesus was born under the Sign of the Fish, which is Pisces, and also why early Christians used the symbol of the fish.