High clouds and a bit chilly again this Tuesday morning on California’s north coast, the final day of the year and the last we’ll see of them days.
A whole-lot of shit will continue, though, and it’s all ugly.

And Snoopy from Peanuts lays down the reality: “So this is the last day of the year. Another complete year gone by and what have I accomplished this year that I haven’t accomplished every other year? Nothing! How consistent can you get?”
Horribly right on line.

A year ago Thursday, President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, a response to keep the US from a “fiscal cliff,” but in October, a government shutdown, and Eddie Snowden revealed the NSA lie of safety shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing — consistent, I’d say.

(Illustration found here).

The big whopper, though, is found in the weather — the US and the world kicked the climate change can-o-worms down the hard-scrabble road into the new year, if not this one coming tomorrow, or the next one, or the next one…until the can is finished.
Via Skeptical Science:

The year 2013 is currently on course to be among the top ten warmest years since modern records began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
The first nine months, January to September, tied with 2003 as the seventh warmest such period on record, with a global land and ocean surface temperature of about 0.48°C (0.86°F) above the 1961–1990 average.
…
In contrast with 2012, when the United States, in particular, observed record high annual temperatures, the warmth in 2013 was most extreme in Australia.
“Temperatures so far this year are about the same as the average during 2001-2010, which was the warmest decade on record,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
“All of the warmest years have been since 1998 and this year once again continues the underlying, long-term trend The coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998,” he said.
“Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases reached new highs in 2012, and we expect them to reach unprecedented levels yet again in 2013.
“This means that we are committed to a warmer future,” added Mr Jarraud.
“Surface temperatures are only part of the wider picture of our changing climate.
“The impact on our water cycle is already becoming apparent – as manifested by droughts, floods and extreme precipitation.”
…
For the first ten months of 2013, there was below-average rainfall across the western United States.
During 9–16 September, there was record-breaking precipitation in Boulder, Colorado, with widespread flooding. Parts of Mexico experienced above average rainfall due to tropical cyclones.

That last statement epitomizes the crazy, whacked-out character of climate change — and a future for everybody.
A consistent year, as always.