The 4th snowstorm in a month has hit Denver, this time with freezing temperatures in the teens and below. I'm really getting tired of this.

If any of you have a suggestion for a destination, anywhere in the world, with:

• a beach at least 1 mile long, to walk along at dawn and sunset
• a great spa, hiking, yoga classes, etc.
• restaurants serving primarily fresh vegetables, fruit and fish, as well as spirits
• wi-fi to be able to blog while I'm there
• that doesn't cost an arm and a leg

please let me know in the comments.

It's time for the Tuesday open thread.

Just a word of caution, I've been getting a lot of emails that several commenters are not abiding by the commenting policy here in that they are personally insulting others with different points of view from their own. Others are commenting more than 20 times a day and not adding thoughts of substance. If you have that much to say, please start your own blog.

Also, some are misusing the rating system. Please rate the comment, not the commenter. It's not a popularity contest.

The diaries have been moved to the inside right column. Scribe has one today examining Alberto Gonzales' testimony at the NSA warrantless wiretapping hearings, asking whether he testified falsely when asked whether the Administration was opening mail.

I'll be back to posting later this afternoon.

A ten year old political quiz is making its rounds, courtesy of Andrew Sullivan. Instapundit and Ann Althouse reveal their moderate scores.

I remember this quiz very well from 1994. It was in the Sunday USA weekend magazine section of the Denver paper. The TL kid, then in his early teens, came home from school a day or so later and said the teacher had assigned them to take the test with their parents.

Admittedly, at that time he attended an affluent private school where one wouldn't expect to find that didn't have many liberals among the parents. But the results were disturbing nonetheless. Here's why.

• Mr. Populist at Daily Kos has a nightmare to share.

• Chris at Southern Studies asks why Colorado could save the cattle using helicopters but no helicopters were used to save the Katrina Victims.

• What was the civil rights movement in the South in the 60's like? A new site presents the recollections of lawyers and activists who were there.

• Scotusblog reports on late-breaking news that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear seven cases.

There's another major snowstorm in Denver today. What's going on in the rest of the world? Here's an open thread.

In honor of our incoming Democratic majority in Congress.... Democracy, written by Leonard Cohen and performed by Don Henley in 1993 at President Clinton's MTV Inaugural Ball.

You'll need to turn your audio up. I recorded this from a VHS I made back in 1993 to a dvd, then converted it on the computer and uploaded it to YouTube. They all took their toll but if you turn the volume up, it's just great.

• Digby has the latest chilling details on the Jose Padilla case.

• Jane, Christy and the Firedoglake gang got a coveted press pass (with the assistance of Arianna Huffington) to the Scooter Libby trial. They are going to rent an apartment for the duration of the trial. They need help with expenses, so if you can spare some dollars, go on over and help.

• David Neiwert at Orcinus has some thoughts on American concentration camps.

• Dan Froomkin at the Washington Post wants to know where the outrage is over Bush's plan to escalate the troop numbers in Iraq.

Google is seeking to hire in a wide range of fields. They are now using psychological profiling, called an algorithm, to weed through candidates.

I love taking psychological profiles. I clicked on their job offerings to see what I might be qualified for, just so I could take the test.

The answer was none. There isn't a single job offering out of hundreds, legal or non-legal related, domestic or international, for which I even remotely have the stated skills.

Maybe you will have better luck. Factoid: If you land a job in their home office of Mountain View, CA, the head chef at the company cafeteria used to cook for the Grateful Dead.

Memo to Google: Think outside the box. Rather than look for people who can sell your product, look for people who can enhance your product.

Between the Denver snow storms and the holidays, it feels like I have done nothing but blog for the past ten days. It's time for me to get back to work.

Those of you at work with time to read the news and blogs and those of you lucky enough not to have to work for a living, likely will have much to opine upon.

Here's your spot.

And, in the spirit of the new year, if any of you readers would like to post diaries here, send me an email and I'll adjust your settings so you can.

John Amato at Crooks and Liars wishes everyone a happy new year. He also reminds readers of Atrios' apt comments, with which I agree, on what it means when a candidate takes out an ad on his blog.

I suppose this is as good a time as any for my occasional reminder as we enter the silly season. Ads appearing on this site by candidates are paid ads and do not imply any support or endorsement by me. I actually don't expect to get behind one candidate or another, though that could change, especially if suitcases filled with money appear on my doorstep. I'll try to do my best to avoid at least some of the food fight once it begins, though I'm human and have opinions and happen to write a blog about politics, so I imagine I'll get sucked in at times.

I'll definitely give my opinions about the policies candidates support and the way they try to deliver their message. And, of course, I'll be busy trying to push back against unfair media smears of any of the candidates. But, again, the fact that I praise or defend candidate X does not mean I've joined their team.

Happy New Year to all.

How are you celebrating the new year? Predictions? Personal resolutions? Hopes? How about a good riddance list?