Have a rotten day

Walk into any bookstore these days, and whatta you see? About half an acre of "inspirational" works: self-help bibles, guides to life, motivational manuals -- the literature of Uplift...
Who are the "authors" of this quackery?
Doodlers with a knack and an unquenchable desire for sugar-coating, for assuring us, the fearful, the incompetent and the insecure, that this is the best of all possible worlds, that Man is the pinnacle of God's creation, and that each and every one of us is endowed with a touch of the divine, not to mention a generous helping of genius just waiting to be tapped.
What you'll find here is a rebuttal to the infuriating optimists – the Panglosses -- of the world. The Cynic's Almanac is a tribute to all those great writers and personalities who, in spite of their peccadilloes, at least had a firm foothold in reality.
I hope this site will be REALLY inspirational – I hope it makes you stop and think -- even if you can't stop thinking how rotten things are.