Eighth Ocean, 58th Day of Midsommar, 526 M.E. (Helios): Today's the 180th day of the year. Fifteen dozen days down, and fifteen dozen and a few more to go. "Ocean" days in the New Revised Universal Solar Calendar falls on some but not all of the dozenth days, and to commemorate this auspicious dozen, the New Revised USC calls today "Eighth Ocean." 

Eighth Ocean falls on the 28th day of Summer in old Angus MacLise's original USC, which would be the 52nd day of Midsommar (Day of Fur Gale) in the New Revision. I moved it to today to observed the 15 dozen days that have passed so far this year. 

The heat dome's arrived. The National Weather Service officially released a Severe Weather Alert of possible threats to life and property for central, east central, north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Georgia - in other words, "Georgia." Heat index values were forecast up to 106-112° F from noon today to 8:00 pm tomorrow. The NWS advises to drink plenty of fluids, and stay in air-conditioned rooms and out of the sun. 

So of course, this 72-year-old man walked a 9.1-mile Harrison today (it's a walking day), out in the sun and away from a.c. I brought along a bottle of water to stay hydrated and I was fine. The heat index hit a high of 96° just as I was finishing my walk, which is warm, but not anything Georgians aren't familiar with. If you can't stand the heat, stay out of Atlanta.

The heat may be intense for World Cup fans visiting Atlanta from Czechia and Uzbekistan, but shouldn't be too much of a shock for the other teams playing here (Spain, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde, South Africa, the Congo DR, and Haiti). 

The Economist points out that air-conditioning is highly effective, and, at least in Europe, climate-conscious government policy keeps its environmental impacts relatively small. Specifically, the build-out of renewable energy in Europe’s warmest places means that judicious use of air conditioning won't melt the glaciers. 

However, I think it would be fair to say the Stable Genius' energy policy and views on renewables aren't as progressive as western Europe's. The Georgia Power Company uses a mix of natural gas, nuclear, and coal to provide my electricity, alongside "growing investments" (whatever that means) in renewables like solar and hydropower. To save the polar ice caps, I keep the thermostat at 78°, which feels refreshingly cool when I step in from outside, although once I acclimate, while still comfortable, I can tell that it's summertime.