Clear sunshine and warm this afternoon, though, not as nice as yesterday, but of course, yesterday’s gone — the sun is right now slipping down upon the Pacific up here along California’s north coast and shadows linger.
We’re in the mid-50s range at present and apparently tipped 60 degrees sometime this afternoon. Warm after the cold.

Amongst the news cycle this PM, was some warm — November was the warmest November since records began for that kind of shit, and bounced 2013 up from seventh-warmest year, to fourth.
And we’re to wait, I guess, to see how December fares temperature-wise if we hang onto the clean-up spot. December has been cold as shit, though, not only here, but just about everywhere — except maybe Alaska.
From Climate Central:

Last month was the warmest November since record-keeping began 134 years ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Tuesday.
The latest data, combined with more recently reported by NASA, showed a record global average surface temperature for November, particularly in Eurasia, where Russia experienced its warmest November in history.
According to NOAA, the global average surface temperature for November was 1.4°F above the long-term average for the month, and much of Russia, northwest Kazakhstan, south India, southern Madagascar, parts of the central and south Indian Ocean, and areas of the Pacific Ocean were record warm.
That surpassed the previous record-holder of November 2004 by 0.05°F, and is the 6th-highest monthly departure from average of any month on record, according to NOAA.
…
NOAA also announced on Tuesday that the September-to-November period was the second warmest such period on record, behind only 2005.
Australia had its highest average spring temperatures in its 104-year history of recordkeeping.
And following its hottest month on record (January 2013), its hottest summer on record, and its 3rd-hottest winter, it is likely that 2013 will be Australia’s warmest year on record.

Environmental studies always paint a dire picture — but that’s the reality nowadays.
War is dire. Another horrific news item today was the cluster-death of Americans still cleaning up the mess perpetrated/originated by George Jr. and his shithead gang (via Reuters): Six U.S. soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, NATO said, the largest death toll in a single incident to hit the international force in months.
And President Obama’s inapt fingers are on the wall, too. There’s about 50,000 US troops still in Afghanistan, and are supposed to high-tail next year, but then who knows.
In a companion piece, just yesterday in Iraq (from antiwar.com): In Baghdad, a double bombing targeting Shi’ite pilgrims walking to Karbala killed 25 people and at least wounded 53 more in the Rashid neighborhood. Six people were killed and 15 more were wounded in a blast near the provincial building. A bomb in Bayaa killed six and wounded 14 more. Outside the Interior Ministry, a bomb killed five people and wounded eight more. A bomb killed four people and wounded 10 more at a market. A bomb in Nahda left four dead and 20 wounded. A bomb in Jisr Diyala wounded 25 people. Eight were wounded in a bomb in Karkh. Gunmen in New Baghdad killed a civilian. A government employee was wounded in a small arms attack in Fudhaliya.
In all toll, 100 killed, more than 180 wounded/injured — George Jr. shit in the mess kit, than walked away.

In a violent counter-piece here in the US with a “shooting” this afternoon at a Reno, Nevada, medical facility. This armed guy entered the building and started firing away: “We have two people confirmed deceased in the building, two others injured,” Robinson said. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gun shot, he said.
The US is one strange place.

Darkness has arrived and onward into the evening.

(Illustration above found here).