January 30, 2019 -- T+28, Part 1, Day 5 Of Open Border Negotiations

Weather. Wow, I'm really embarrassed. After all that talk about how cold it was going to be in north Texas -- nope. For roughnecks, it is shirtsleeve weather down here; for the rest of us, a sweater or jacket. Absolutely beautiful weather. The "polar vortex" apparently got hung up at the Oklahoma/Texas state line. It will reach 53 degrees today and by the end of the week back in the mid-70s.

Regular unleaded gasoline: $2.89 on the way to Starbucks this morning (DFW area).

WTI: wonderful -- oil just went over $54. Up 1.37%; up 73 cents; now trading at $54.04. Nice to see. 

NOG: up slightly, trading at $2.505.

AAPL: up 4%; up about $6; trading at $161. Well down from its highs but a pretty good earnings report ... considering.

Disclaimer: I am Apple Fanboy #3.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, travel, or relationship decision based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

Maps. Wow, if you like interactive maps, you will love the Bloomberg look at how American uses its land (surface land). Link here. Enjoy. Sort of interactive, I guess.

Race to the bottom. From Victor Davis Hanson. Not for snowflakes. Link here.  It begins:

We are currently witnessing a quite strange series of North Korean–like reeducation confessionals, from repenting erstwhile liberals and now presidential hopefuls such as Joe Biden, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand. They and other would-be candidates parade before show cameras to apologize for their prior incorrect heresies, including their erstwhile support for drug laws, tough sentencing, and border enforcement.

By the way, there's a reason Kamala Harris has gotten out in front with "Medicare For All." But we'll wait on that.

Scott Adams: wow, when he gets off politics and into a) public health policy; b) medicine; c) global warming, he often comes off as an idiot. His arguments on persuasion and politics are interesting but once he gets off-topic -- wow, he starts to lose it.