Then we go into a Maunder Minimum and the skiing conditions will certainly improve.

Latest from the NOAA site: The contiguous U.S. average temperature for the first half of 2014 was 47.6F, 0.1F above the 20th century average. This ranked near the middle value in the 120-year period of record, and marked the coldest first half of any year since 1993. Just sayin'. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/

I retired from the Federal Government at the end of 2006. I never had any problems getting the information I needed about my upcoming retirement and the money started coming in right on time. Given all the failed modernization efforts I witnessed during my government career, I would hope they get a new system up and running before they do anything to the current one.

I was in a similar position once, but I hooked on with the US government as an engineer and did my last 15 years as a mathematician. Comfortably retired now.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/02/13/peer-reviewed-survey-finds-majority-of-scientists-skeptical-of-global-warming-crisis/

Went out last night and had an amazing prime rib. If lab-grown meat would taste like that, I'd be all over it.

I spent the last half of my career with the Feds as a statistician after working as an engineer for the first 15 years (MS degree in Physics). It pays a lot better than teaching and the retirement benefits are pretty good, especially the health care. You don't make all that much to start, but, if you have something on the ball, you can move up easily. The only disadvantage is you have to work where the job is.

It just magically appeared. I am no more fond of it than you are.

Bridge of Birds has the best ending of any work of fantasy I have ever read.

Helps all the drunks start their cars.

I suspect that we have fallen into a trap similar to the Ptolemaic system. Just because it works mathematically doesn't mean the universe is obligated to actually match the predictions. I wonder if there is an underlying false assumption that is causing all the current uncertainties. Simply put - has the speed of light been absolutely constant since the big bang? If not, a lot of things look entirely different.

Didn't work then, doesn't work now.

N/T