Tricky. He can’t bomb the golf courses.
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Golfing’s a Scottish thing, isn’t it? 
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Things are heating up already and I have to say I agree with Vivek. I participated in things like Olympics of the Mind in high school and we got zero recognition even though we placed high in the state competition. We have a society that places looks and the kids with money above those with real talent. Most of the ‘prom queens’ I went to school with are now alcoholic multiple divorcees. The nerds on the other hand, have moved on to do some fairly impressive things.
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Donald Trump frightened half of America. As a result, despite CIA, FBI and Secret Service protection, he has only narrowly escaped two assassination attempts (that we know of).
Elon Musk does not have special CIA, FBI or Secret Service protection. He is not an elected representative. Far from frightening only Americans, Musk is managing to frighten much of the world. His latest statement that Germany’s “only hope” lies in the hands of violent, overtly racist, neo-nazis, is particularly worrying. I suspect there are any number of individuals, and several otherwise civilised countries, who would not be saddened to see a bullet heading Elon’s way.
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It’s all very scary because then what fills the void?
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I thought this with the collapse of the Soviet Union. For all their many faults, the Soviets were great international promoters of left-wing politics. When they left the stage, there was no effective intellectual counter to right-wing extremism - and we’re now starting to see the results.
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I think this may be my favourite news story of the year. If you’re going to go drinking, party like you mean it.
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Little early to declare a favorite of the year, but worth keeping it in consideration.
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It happened on January 31st. How late in the year do you want it to be?
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That’s what I get for looking at the byline…
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@sheralmyst , news here is reporting 7 states, including Arkansas, have declared a state of emergency due to severe cold weather and a “Polar Vortex”. Snow is expected to cut off roads and bring down power lines, with some states reporting temperatures of -25 C (-13 F).
Hoping you are well and warm, with plenty of supplies.
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No snow here though there was a tornado just south of me yesterday. Temps plunged from 67F to 25F as of right now. The biggest problem is the wind. All day and into the night. The wind chill right now is 14F… 
Added an extra blanket and turned on the heat lamp for my dogs. At least I kept my power. But I have firewood ready and lots of English Breakfast tea, hot chocolate and apple cider. 
Wasn’t there a bunch of snow headed your way?
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Yes, but it seldom gets really bad here. What we consider blizzard conditions would be laughable to people in Canada, Scandinavia, or Eastern Europe. On such a small and densely populated island, genuinely isolated communities just don’t exist. Nobody is ever far from help. The main problem here is not the severity of the weather, but the fact that we’re never prepared for it.
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Sounds like Arkansas except we are scattered out and can easily be stranded because we can’t get up that one hill between here and there. 
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Not just there. We Swiss tend to grab some popcorn and have a laugh at your annual railroad breakdown… 
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Well, yes. I wasn’t discriminating against Switzerland - there must be dozens of countries that have worse winter weather than us, but deal with it better. Countries quoted were for illustration purposes only. Other cold countries are available. No polar bears were harmed in the making of this feature.
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Well, freezing rain is the one forecast you never want to hear yet, it is aiming for me Thursday and Friday. Will grab gas for the generator. I hate freezing rain. The worst thing possible. It weighs down trees and power lines and usually snaps them both…and 5-7" of snow on top of it all
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I’m no fan of freezing rain…or freezing anything…but our usual Santa Ana winds have been upgraded to 60+ with gusts to 100 for the next two days and I am not a fan of that either.
That’s 100+ with gusts to 165 for you civilized metric system users.
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I haven’t seen this for a few years:
How Cold Is It?
+70 Californians put on sweaters.
+60 Miami residents turn on the heat.
+50 Vermont residents go to outdoor concert.
+40 You can see your breath.
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
Minnesotans go swimming.
+35 Italian cars don't start.
+32 Water freezes.
+30 You plan your vacation in Australia.
+25 Ohio water freezes.
Californians weep pitiably.
Minnesotans eat ice cream.
Canadians go swimming.
+20 Politicians begin to talk about the homeless.
New York City water freezes.
Miami residents plan vacation further south.
+15 French cars don't start.
Cat insists on sleeping with you.
+10 You need jumper cables to get the car going.
+05 American cars don't start.
0 Alaskans put on T-shirts.
-10 German cars don't start.
Eyes freeze shut when you blink.
-15 You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo.
Arkansans stick tongues on metal objects.
Miami residents cease to exist.
-20 Cat insists on sleeping in pajamas with you.
Politicians actually do something about the homeless.
Minnesotans shovel snow off roof.
Japanese cars don't start.
-25 Too cold to think.
You need jumper cables to get the driver going.
-30 You plan a two week hot bath.
Swedish cars don't start.
-40 Californians disappear.
Minnesotans button top button.
Canadians put on sweater.
Your cat helps you plan your trip south.
-50 Congressional hot air freezes.
Alaskans close the bathroom window.
-80 Hell freezes over.
Polar bears move south.
-90 Lawyers put their hands in their own pockets.
-100 Canadian buildings turn off air conditioning.
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