Good morning folks! Did you all survive the polar vortex? It’s on its way out now, thank goodness.

But! If you’re a Fox News watcher or a conservative talk radio show listener, you might think that the polar vortex was just a magical fantasy, invented by the Left to promote a global warming agenda.

Seriously. That’s what Rush Limbaugh is telling his gazillion listeners.

What a douche. I can personally attest to the reality of the polar vortex. Walking to and from work this week has been physically painful. My wife begged me to take a sick day on Tuesday, because the news was warning that the temperatures outside could actually burn exposed flesh.

On my street, there are potholes and flower boxes two-feet deep, filled with water from last week’s snow and rain — and that water is frozen solid. These are mini skating rinks, people. Yesterday, I saw a guy break a sheet of ice out on the sidewalk (where the fuck did he get that?! Beats me, you guys), and all of the individual chunks of ice DID NOT MELT.

So now, there are just blocks of ice, chilling on the sidewalk, not melting. Not even softening. They could be glass, for all anyone knows. You could put an ice sculpture on my fire escape and it would remain completely intact. The polar vortex is not a political myth. I promise you.

This guy promises, too.

Also this guy.

Seriously, the polar vortex is a real thing. This is not up for debate, Rush, you ass hat.

And Al Roker — my all-time favorite weather man, who is never allowed to retire — agrees with me! He shut Rush down in the most awesome way ever. So now he’s even MORE my favorite, if that’s possible.

First, he started with this awesome tweet.

For all the doubters who say the media "created" the Polar Vortex: From the 1959 AMS Glossary of Meteorology pic.twitter.com/x2Nyw0jx3j

— Al Roker (@alroker) January 7, 2014

Then, he followed up with this even more awesome tweet.

Rush Limbaugh claims the Polar Vortex is a creation of a left-wing, liberal media conspiracy. It's Meteorology 101. No political agenda

— Al Roker (@alroker) January 7, 2014

And then, he told Rush to “stuff it” on the Today Show.

I fucking love you, Al Roker.

But, Al Roker-loving aside, why do we care about this? Here’s why: global warming is a real thing, people. Climate change is happening. The way that humans are using the Earth right now is dangerous. We need to get that shit under control.

And when douche-nozzles like Rush Limbaugh convince millions of people that global warming is some kind of big, ridiculous joke, it’s dangerous. He’s asking listeners to use and abuse the planet with reckless abandon. He’s telling them to fuck recycling, fuck sustainable resources, fuck clean energy sources — because who gives a shit? They’re not harming anyone.

But that’s a lie. And it allows the cycle of harm to continue. Which, obviously, is not a good thing.

But it’s more than that. When Rush Limbaugh tells his listeners to forget about climate change and to just carry on as if it’s not a real thing, what he’s really saying is, “Your actions have no consequences.”

That’s a sentiment that’s rampant among conservatives, even the semi-moderate ones that aren’t total Right-wing loony tunes. For all their talk about personal responsibility, they often fail to see how their own actions affect other people.

Like, when Republicans vote to make food stamps harder to access, they’re causing more people to go hungry. When they advocate for decreased access to safe abortions, they’re causing more women to subject themselves to unsafe procedures and unwanted pregnancies. When they fight to eliminate Obamacare (which is a watered down, disappointing substitute for universal healthcare, to be sure), they’re sentencing more people to suffer through illness and injury without medical attention. And when they pretend global warming isn’t real, they’re dooming species — including our own, someday — to extinction.

But, Right-wingers don’t really see it that way. They tend to look at how their actions affect themselves, personally — I don’t want an abortion, so who cares if I can’t access one? — while ignoring how their actions affect the wider world.

It’s narcissistic. And at the end of the day, it’s really harmful. The polar vortex is real, people. And so are a whole mess of other things the Right would like to ignore.

So, let’s put an end to this, shall we? We can start by joining StopRush, which is successfully pressuring advertisers to pull funding from Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. But that’s not enough. We’ve got to engage with one another, with our communities, and with the nation to encourage more empathy. More compassion. Less personal responsibility and more community responsibility.

So, whatdya think? Can we Flush Rush?

—

Hannah R. Winsten (@HannahRWinsten) is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow.

Featured image courtesy of [Elipongo via Wikipedia]

Hannah R. Winsten

Hannah R. Winsten is a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and blogger living in New York’s sixth borough. She hates tweeting but does it anyway. She aspires to be the next Rachel Maddow. Contact Hannah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post My Face is Frozen and Rush Limbaugh’s an Ass Hat appeared first on Law Street.

The story on everyone’s radar today is the weather. Because it’s really, really cold out. Something called the “Polar Vortex” is sweeping through the US, and although it has a pretty cool name, it’s seriously cooling down most of the country.

You know nothing Jon Snow. Winter is already here.

There’s a complicated scientific explanation about the polar vortex, but essentially it means that the cold air that is usually at the North Pole slipped down to North America. Most of the midwest made it into the negatives this week, which is terrifying. Most areas are actually reaching near record-breaking temperatures. New York City fell down to five degrees, which is the coldest it has been in 118 years. Let’s put that into context, shall we? The oldest person in New York is thought to be Susannah Mushatt Jones, who is 114. This means that it hasn’t been this cold in New York for the entirety of her life.

Then there’s the midwest. Chicago is at -15 degrees. It’s -19 in Indianapolis, and with windchill experts say it will feel -50 or -60.

So we’re all left with a few options to get warm. There’s the classic curl up on the couch with a warm blanket strategy. A big cup of hot chocolate is also wonderful. Or anything hot, really — soup is good too. Or you could be like some of these people below who braved the bad weather and came up with some really inventive things to do in this type of deep freeze.

For example, this guy discovered that if you throw a pot of boiling water into the frigid Wisconsin air (-21 degrees, -51 windchill) it turns into this cool snow-steam hybrid thing. (Note! Don’t try this at home — especially if it’s windy, folks.)

If that’s not cool enough for you, try making frozen bubbles. A mother and daughter pair in Michigan, where it was -7 degrees (-25 windchill), tried it and it looked really awesome. The bubbles even became sort of solid and possible to pick up.

If you’re thirsty, you can create a homemade slurpee. Just leave a bottle of soda out in the cold for a few hours, then uncap it and there will be a chain reaction freeze. It will then instantly turn into a slurpee-like creation for your enjoyment. Just watch this tutorial:

If weird science in the freezing cold isn’t your thing, that’s fine too. Here’s an experiment you can do mostly indoors. It’s called banana hammer, and that’s really accurate, because it’s a way to turn your favorite fruit into a dangerous, rock solid hammer. You can even hammer nails with it, albeit very slowly.

These are all great tricks to do during this horrendous cold spell, but remember, stay warm! There have already been about 15 deaths linked to this cold wave, so make sure to wear gloves, hats, and other accessories when going outside. Also remember to google your local hypothermia hotline number to jot down in case you see any homeless people out this week!

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Tim Sackton via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post How to Stay Warm and Entertained appeared first on Law Street.