Hello and welcome to the podcast of Lotus Eaters episode 1069. Nice. And it's today the 23rd of

December, 24, and today is the last live podcast of the year. How are we all feeling gentlemen?

Very Christmassy. Well, I'm getting over a gastric flu, so I am feeling...

Festive?

Considerably slimmer than I was about a week ago.

But don't worry, it's all physics more out than in.

It's a Christmas miracle.

It is.

There you go.

On this Christmas, Christmas Eve.

Sadly, though, the news that we have to present to you all today is less than festive and jolly and merry and other synonyms.

In fact, it's going to be talking about the horrifying Christmas market attack that happened at Magdeburg on Friday,

how anti-racism provides cover for the kinds of perpetrators of such attacks,

and we're going to finish off with a very jolly story about the new New York fairy tale

about somebody being set on fire.

So, yeah.

Really sorry about this, by the way.

We wanted to do like a nice jolly Christmas theme podcast,

but events happen.

But the world is awful.

Yeah, the world is just awful.

And unfortunately, we talk about these things on the podcast,

...