These are even worse, they look so close to traditional candy canes:
I’m a little curious about what the caesar salad ones taste like. Anchovies, I hope.
I’m a little curious about what the caesar salad ones taste like. Anchovies, I hope.
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Though… Tbh combining them with a red and/or white colored salad for Christmas would look cute… Weird but kinda fun at least.
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Of course, any reference to wise men reminds me of Cathy Ladman. 
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(February is still winter, right? and this is a holiday for sure:)
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Wtf? Bombogenesis and Bomb Cyclone?
I know I put that snow shovel somewhere.
The storm’s central pressure may decrease so fast that it may undergo bombogenesis or become a bomb cyclone.
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The Bombogenesis and Bomb Cyclone did not disappoint.
Several inches of heavy wet snow followed by rain and then within about an hour the temperature dropped from mid 30s to single digits and I had to drive in it, zero visibility and an ice rink.
The scariest part was the high wind, we had gale warnings for much of the weekend.
Our 60 year old silver maple survived but mother nature pruned it.
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A few Lunar New Year shows 
:
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I do enjoy the fact that the country that originally came up with gunpowder for fireworks has been on the forefront of celebrating with drones instead now.
(Yes, yes, the first 2 are from Singapore. You know what I mean!)
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Wow that was soooooo much better than fireworks!
And less air pollution for the audience.*
And it showcases next-level human ingenuity.
Big thanks for sending.
I like both kinds of dancing dragons–the ones that drones make, and the ones that are made of people holding up big sticks and colorful cloth over a big puppet-frame.
There are lots of different styles of people-based dancing dragons, and the community groups that team up, rehearse, wear the colorful pants under the dragon to make its legs, etc. are showing a really old form of networking and community-building.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/china-fire-dragon-dances-lunar-new-year-intl-hnk/index.html
China’s spectacular fire dragon dance tradition is hundreds of years old. Here’s why it continues to dazzle
The dragon, a sacred mythical creature in Chinese culture, is often the protagonist in festivities and rituals.
Dragon dances have been documented at ceremonial events since the Han Dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE), while fire dragon dances began appearing in records during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and in the Republican era (1912-1949). Some historians say fire dragon dances date back even further, to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
“These dances served purposes such as celebrating festivals and warding off plagues,” says Kwok Kam Chau, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University whose research focuses on festivals and religion in Chinese societies.
Kwok and his colleague, professor Chung Po Yin, have spent the last few years studying fire dragon dances.
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But in addition to ozone and air-borne fine particulate matter, a 2007 study found that fireworks increased nitric oxide (NO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), and also created and dispersed an aerosol cloud containing a variety of metallic elements ([ref](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.09.019)). These pollutants were highly concentrated and the particles were, on average, small enough to be easily inhaled — which poses a health risk to sensitive individuals and significantly adds to the total annual concentrations of metal emissions.India isn’t the only country that experiences dangerous increases in air-borne particulates, gaseous pollutants and metallic emissions. A 3 week study in London, spanning two major festivals that are celebrated with fireworks, found increased gas phase pollutant levels of nitric oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), which are primary contributors to acid rain as well as important climate change gases that also serve to irritate the lungs and throat. This study also found elevated mass concentrations of fine particulates, and trace concentrations of heavy metals, specifically strontium (Sr), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), barium (Ba), and lead (Pb) (ref).
But how much more of these heavy metals can just one fireworks show add to the atmosphere? Surely, not much? No, not so. A case study found that within 1 hour of fireworks displays, strontium levels in the air increased 120 times, magnesium 22 times, barium 12 times, potassium 11 times, and copper (Cu) 6 times more than the amount already present in the air before the event (ref).
Pollutants released by fireworks travel far from their origin. Several studies revealed that in mild weather, tagged heavy metals used in pyrotechnics traveled 100 km (62 miles) downwind over a two-day period (i.e.; ref & ref). Among the pollutants traced were: strontium, vanadium (V), potassium, titanium (Ti), barium, copper, lead, magnesium, aluminum (Al) and zinc (Zn). These heavy metals add to the toxic pollution in the air. Further, the environmental impacts of these emissions are not confined to the air because these heavy metals are washed out of the air by rainfall, and accumulate in — and pollute — local watersheds.
Whilst most urban areas have fireworks displays on two or three nights per year, theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World have, on average, 230 15-minute shows each year (they cancel their nightly scheduled shows when the weather is poor). Making these theme parks the largest consumer of fireworks in the United States. According to a 2003 report, the Disney parks use 90,000 pounds of fireworks every year (link) — a figure that may be much higher now. Not to be outdone, the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios have more than one show on most nights.
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Is it still winter? Depends whose seasons we’re using… 
In the US, it’s the first day of Women’s History Month.
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Wow, I’m adding destinations to my holiday bucket list. Thanks! 
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Yeah, I think I’d skip Moscow for the forseeable future.
Montserrat, though…
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Alas much of the island is a volcanic exclusion zone now.
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