I suppose it was my post in the thread about the magnetic poles moving faster than usual.

I said something like "Better hurry up and create a magnetic tax to slow down Man Made Global Magnetic Change".

I had a feeling they wouldn't like that, but I just couldn't resist.

An article in today's paper told how the Flordia ballot has nine GOP candidates that have dropped out of the race.  It seems that this is going to cause confusion among some voters.

That gave me a great idea!

If people are so unaware that they might vote for someone that has already dropped out of the race, perhaps they don't have a good idea of who or what they are voting for. 

So, we should purposely put at least two fake names under each political party.  Something like:

Jose Fernandez (D)
Susan Anthony (D)
Richard Reagen (R)
George P Burdell (R)

The only way this would cause a problem is if one of these candidates won.  But then, we would just name the 2nd place finisher the winner.

All my life, the term "snowflake" (outside of the white stuff that falls on the ground up north when it gets cold) has been a derogatory word for white people.

When I worked in the tractor-trailer maintenance department for Yellow Freight, where 90% of the line guys were black, I was routinely referred to as "snowflake", "white bread" or a host of other terms meant to be demeaning.

So what is the current meaning of the word?  I never heard it used like it is today until Florida Cracker used it one time and ever since then it has been thrown around in various contexts, but generally to ridicule someone.

South Korea has been known to float balloons with propaganda leaflets that they dropped over the North.

So the North responded by floating balloons over the South and dropping . . .
http://katesolomon.tumblr.com/post/138538854674/immature-north-korea-has-started-pelting-south

I think genetics plays a much greater role in our lives than most people imagine.
Genetics "predisposes" someone to be a certain way.  It doesn't dictate actions or guarantee anything.

Genetics can predispose someone to being fat or thin, but through their own will they can overcome that trait. 
I think that whether someone is "gay" or "straight" is genetic.  I have not idea how much you can change that though.  I can't imagine ever being gay.  I imagine that gay people can't imagine NOT being gay.

And I think that genetic pre-dispositions can change over time.
Skinny kids grow up to be fat.
Rebellious kids turn out to be traditionalists.
straight kids turn out to be gay.
Or the reverse of all the above.

I think there are other traits that are influenced by genetics:
Alcoholic vs non alcoholic
mean vs nice
smart vs dumb
violent vs passive.
religious vs atheist

I also think political persuasion is partly genetic.  I heard somewhere in the past that a researcher could determine if someone is a liberal or a conservative by analyzing a hair follicle (through DNA analysis I presume).

So I think that helps explain why some smart people are liberals.   They can't help it.  That is also why they get so defensive when challenged.  Logic conflicts with their genetically predisposed thoughts.  And that's why its hard to have a conversation with a smart, violent liberal (ie, my Father in Law).

Back around the '60's, I remember reading about how automation was going to change the world.

With all the automation going on, people were going to have so much free time they would be able to pursue their favorite leisure activities.  By then, washing machines were old hat.  Dishwashers were starting to become common.  Factories were starting to become more automated.  computers were in the early stages.  Imaginations ran wild with other tasks that machines would perform for man.

Magazines had pictures of families having picnics in the park on weekdays because the father only had to work a few hours in the morning.  Pictures of artists at their canvass's exclaimed that people would have time to pursue the arts.  There were pictures of people traveling to exotic destinations on their many and long vacation days.

But what were they thinking?  Who was going to support all these people in their leisure activities if they weren't being productive because there was no work for them to perform?

The time has now come that machines are putting large numbers of people out of work.  Rather than free time, this has resulted in unemployment and poverty.  So the dreamers are again dreaming that the "government" will support them.  Free tuition, Free medical care, Free energy etc.  But again, what are they thinking?  Who do they think is going to pay for all this? 

RBS thinks so"
http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/12/investing/markets-sell-everything-cataclysmic-year-rbs/

I don't really know too much about RBS, but others like Morgan Stanley have written similar recommendations. I have already moved some of my portfolio ( about 25%) into cash, (mainly because I may buy a house for cash soon). I sent my advisor an email asking his opinion.

Just for grins, and not for investment advice, is your opinion?