Year-End Wrap Up

Here we are again, wrapping up the year and looking ahead to the new one. Watching a couple of MSNBC news shows last evening was like playing a game called Choose Your Own Apocalypse; for example, there’s the multi-pronged, thug-assisted, truth-assaulting attempt by Republicans to convert American democracy into longterm, one-party, authoritarian rule that, right now, looks more likely to succeed than not; there’s the “doomsday glacier” in Antarctica, likely to be undercut by warm water and destined to significantly raise sea level, which you can read about in conjunction with news of a devastating wildfire in northern Colorado, in late December, next to the report of a 67 F. temperature reading in Alaska that topped the previous record by 20 degrees; then there’s Putin, acting like Stalin, massing troops in preparation for conquering Ukraine, threatening to reprise The Cold War and risking a hot one; then there’s the seemingly endless pandemic (who knows what mutant is next?). The list of looming apocalypses to choose from is longer than I want to devote time to thinking about. Tomorrow is New Year’s Day, and one of my resolutions is to be more cheerful.