As I sit listening to the distant ‘battles’ of fools with fireworks, occasionally punctuated by sirens as first responders have to put out the fires they cause and cart the ‘wounded’ off to the hospital, I hear that a ‘a deal has been struck to avoid the Fiscal Bluff™’.

Actually, Joe Biden and the Turtle have agreed on something that is going to be presented to Senators for a vote tonight, but the House isn’t even in session until Noon tomorrow, so there is no actual deal unless it passes in both houses, which isn’t certain.

What is really going on is that we get to see which talking heads didn’t get invited to a New Year’s party, so they are on cable with something to talk about.

The proposed deal sucks, but everyone knew that it would because Zero can’t negotiate, mostly because he is a center-right tool of Wall Street who really wants to destroy the New Deal. With a minimum of help from the Republicans he would succeed, but they are too incompetent to know when to say yes. It isn’t certain that Boehner will even call up this deal for a vote, as his rule is that nothing that doesn’t have a majority of Republicans supporting it gets voted on.

You will need a new calendar tomorrow, but don’t expect much else to change.

That’s Grandfather Frost [Дед Мороз] and he is the Russian ‘gift giver’. He is assisted by the Snow Maiden [Снегурочка], but ever the jolly, fun-loving people, the ‘gifts’ are a bit different. Threats of coal or sticks would be weird to a people who are trying to stay warm, they would consider them welcome.

Generally there are sweets, maybe salo [salted fatback], and other high energy food.

For the ‘naughty’ list there is the staff. You don’t get beaten, merely touched, which turns you into a popsicle. [I told you they were fun-loving.]

Tonight’s the night – you’ve been nice, right?