Bugling It, 8th of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Electra):  A recent poll showed that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is more popular among U.S. Jews than Bibi Netanyahu. Even the Stable Genius is getting sick of Bibi's shit. 

Yesterday, a 65-year-old Palestinian aid worker on his way to a World Cup watch party was killed by an Israeli airstrike. Israel claims it was targeting a Hamas militant, but admits to collateral casualties. That's been their go-to excuse for years now. 

A 65-year-old aid worker. On his way to a World Cup watch party. 73,000 Palestinians already killed and the Gaza Strip reduce to rubble. And yesterday's victim was not Hamas. In fact, he had been arrested and tortured by the group before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack because of his opposition to Hamas.

In the Old Testament Book of Psalms, it is written "Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure" (Psalm 7:9). Another passage states, "In the words of the wicked, violence is  concealed" (Proverbs 10:6). A famous Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, once said, "All who draw the sword will die by the sword."  War is not the answer; eternal war even less so.   

 

Last Awe of Sentries, 7th of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Deneb): "We don't torture, we're a civilized nation" - The Au Pairs. 

We now have photographic evidence that Israel is torturing Palestinian prisoners. You've probably already seen the picture in the news. It's revolting and I won't link to it or copy it here: a man, face down on a cot, stripped to his boxer shorts, blindfolded, and a metal rod tied along the length of his body, from the base of his neck down to his right heel. 

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, with over 173,000 more injured. Several thousand are missing, presumed dead beneath the rubble. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, over 1,000 Palestinians have also been killed during the same period.

Sympathy for Palestinian men, women and children, and horror at the sheer scale of the killing isn't antisemitism. It's called being an empathic human being. Israel has a right to exist and has a right to defend itself, but this isn't that. This is genocide, no matter how vigorously they deny it and (some) U.S. politicians don't want to hear it.

Out of concern and respect for Israeli lives, the killing and torture has to stop. Violence only begets more violence, hate only generates more hate. Do Israelis really believe there will be no reprisals for their horrific actions? If only there were some book or reference to provide Israel with moral guidance . . . 

This issue has been talked to death over the last several years. It's been the subject of editorials, op-eds, op-op-eds, panel discussions, and social media frenzy. I have nothing to add to the conversation that hasn't already been said, but in light of the recent torture evidence, I cannot be silent. 

Stop the war. Stop the killing. Stop the hate. Just stop it!            

 

Tremendous and Sheer, 6th of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Castor): I finally beat Volgin last night and have moved on in the game, for those of you keeping score at home. 

Back in 2009, I came across an enthused coworker in the office. He was hunched over his phone, and let out a loud cheer over what he was seeing. When I asked what he was so excited about, he said that it was just announced that the 2016 Olympics will be held in Rio.

"You a big Brazil fan?," I asked.  He didn't look or sound Brazilian. No, he answered, he was just glad that the Olympics hadn't selected L.A., because newly elected President Obama had been lobbying the Olympics Steering Committee to bring the games to the U.S., and he didn't want Obama to get any credit. For anything.

I thought his attitude was narrow-minded and bigoted, not to mention unpatriotic. But now, some 17 years later, I find myself in a similar situation. I was glad last night when I saw that the U.S. Men's National Team had been eliminated from World Cup competition by Belgium. Not that I'm a big Belgium fan, but the Stable Genius got himself involved in the competition by petitioning FIFA to overturn a red card against star U.S. player, Folarin Balogun. FIFA complied, the first time a red card suspension had been overturned since 1962. 

The Stable Genius had put his fat, stunted thumb on the scale in the U.S.'s favor, and so I was glad the team lost because I didn't want the Stable Genius to get any credit or to hear him gloat. I have become just like that coworker who was so excited that the U.S. had lost the Olympic games to Brazil.

The irony about the Stable Genius' intervention was the player in question was only eligible to play for the USMNT because of the Constitution's birthright citizenship clause, which the Stable Genius had tied to get annulled. Balogun's Nigerian mother had visited the U.S. while pregnant, and gave birth to him on American soil after she was denied boarding on a flight home by an attendant concerned about her medical condition (she understandably didn't want to assist a live birth at 40,000 feet over the Atlantic). So basically, he's against birthright citizenship except in cases where he thinks it might make him popular.

The Stable Genius fucks up everything he touches. He's ruined the White House and is working on ruining the rest of D.C. He's ruined the Presidency and the U.S.'s reputation and popularity abroad. He's ruined countless U.S. agencies. He ruined America's 250th Anniversary and he's ruined the World Cup. He's like a reverse King Midas - everything he touches turns to shit.

The Stable Genius is a malignant tumor on the undescended testicle on the American body politic.

Go, Belgium! We're all Brussel Sprouts now!

 

Which Past Was Hers, 5th of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Betelgeuse): For the first day in over a week, either by my calendar or yours, the NWS didn't issue a heat advisory for Georgia today. 

Still, it was hot, 89°, and humid, 68%, for an uncomfortable dew point of 70° and a "feels-like" heat index of 91°. Betelgeuse being a walking day, I went out and hiked a 7.4-mile (according to my phone) Jackson, although the mileposts indicate I walked eight miles. 

More of those scary electrical storms passed overhead last night; one of them knocked my power out at least five times in the course of about a minute, but the power kept returning. Unfortunately, I was playing a video game at the time, and the sudden power loss wiped out my progress. More specifically, I was playing Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of MGS III (which I had never played) and in the middle of a tedious boss fight (Volgin, if you've played the game), I had rage-quit the fight the night before after I kept getting beaten. I took the game back up yesterday afternoon before the power losses hit and I was actually starting to get the hang of how to beat him. I was making some serious progress on whittling down his health when the power went out and my PC shut down, and I lost all my progress. 

Once I felt confident that the power was finally back on to stay, I started the game and the fight again, and after a few close-but-no-cigar attempts to beat Volgin, I finally did it. He went down and a little pop-up alert appeared on the lower right of my screen announcing that I got the "SEIZE VICTORY" Steam achievement for beating him. A cut scene started, but as my avatar rode away on a motorcycle, my PC suddenly crashed. No power surge, just a computer issue, apparently. When my PC started back up, I was back at the beginning of the fight, as if I had never beaten Volgin.

Fuck.

I figured that now that I knew how to beat him, I'd make short work of defeating him again, but it was not to be. I kept getting killed, over and over, just like I had the night before and earlier in the day. I rage quit the game for the second night in a row. 

I thought playing games was supposed to be fun. Between the tedious fight itself, the power loss, and the computer crash, this has been anything but.

 

Apparent Doorways, 4th of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Aldebaran): "Regardless of what else is going on around you, make the best of what is in your power, and take the rest as it occurs." - Epictetus 

There was a whole lot of lightning yesterday. Despite the continued presence of the heat dome over the eastern U.S., or maybe because of the continued presence of the heat dome (I hadn't spent much time out of doors in days), I still got my steps in, 15,629 of them on a 5.8-mile Monroe. 

The weather forecast (I checked two sources) said no rain until late last night, but just as I had reached about the furthest point from my house, a gentle sun shower started. That wasn't an issue - I was already pretty wet with sweat - but soon after it ended I heard the rumble of thunder. There were several dark clouds in the sky, although not directly overhead, and I could see a great many lightning strikes off in the distance as I began the return portion of my walk. 

The sky got darker and darker as I walked, and the lightning closer and closer. I couldn't tell what direction the clouds were moving but regardless all I could do was continue to walk toward home. I felt like I was on the edge of a razor blade - I wasn't in danger, but danger wasn't far off at all. I completed the last mile of the walk and got in the house right before the hard rain started falling.

Later that evening, just as the sounds of the Independence Day fireworks were finally starting to subside, the thunderstorms came back. Those second storms were impressive not for torrential rainfall or fierce winds but for more lightning strikes per minute and for more minutes than I recall ever before. It was a full-on X-Men-style Storm vs. Thor lightning-bolt assault. Fortunately, there was no damage here, although trees fell elsewhere all over town. I'm amazed my house didn't lose power through it all. 

The storms returned around 2:30 am, which really bummed me out. Some new bed pillows had just arrived yesterday and, using them for the very first time, I had been enjoying a really good night's sleep (I hadn't fully realized how much my old, flat pillows were impeding my sleep). But the storms interrupted that restful sleep, although I was able to pretty quickly fall back into the Land of Nod (they're some really good pillows!).

Pow! A transformer blew around 7:15 this morning and the power went out, although it came right back on almost immediately, but every clock in my house is still flashing. A milder version of the storms passed overhead this afternoon - milder, but still more lightning that rain. There truly are electrical storms, not rain storms.

Before this heat dome settled over the U.S., the forecasts had said that one of the characteristics of a heat dome is they tend to dry out the ground, posing a wildfire threat but reducing the likelihood of thunderstorms. Boy, was that wrong, at least for this heat dome.   

"Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?” - Lao Tzu        

 

Vibrant Threshold, 3rd of the Dog Days,  526 M.E. (Helios): Happy Interdependence Day, for those of you on that other calendar.

Interdependence (pratītya samutpāda) means that nothing exists independently, everything is connected to the vast web of causes, conditions, and relationships. Realizing this interconnection dissolves the illusion of a separate ego-self and gives rise to profound compassion. 

Whatever it is that you call "you" - your memories, attitudes, personality, preferences, dislikes, and so on - are all dependent on past experience, and those past experiences were all caused by the presence and actions of others. Your memories, attitudes, etc. are interwoven with those of others - no person is an island. 

The web stretches infinitely across the universe. The memories, attitudes, etc. of others are dependent on still others, and so on and so on across all of space and time. If one gets past that sense of ego-self, "you" are the entire web and the entire web is "you." You are all men and women, dogs and cats, your fellow nationals as well as foreigners. You are refugees and immigrants, the homeless and the well-heeled, both the Palestinians and Israelites, the Russians and Ukrainians. You are sea urchins on the ocean floor and stars in the sky. You are space and time.

The United Snakes is not independent of the United Kingdom. The English gave us our language, our understanding of law, and the King James Bible, which still has a lot of influence on a lot of minds to this day. They gave us slavery, shipping hundreds of thousands of captured Africans to these North American shores with the intention to helping the colonies prosper so that Britain could compete with the other European powers. The Portuguese shipped many more slaves to Brazil for largely the same reason, but that's another story.

I don't blame the American colonists for slavery. The institution began some 150 years and many generations before the American Revolution. I blame the English, and I'm angry with the northern colonies that recognized the immorality of slavery but still allowed the slave-holding colonies to enter their union.    

I understand strength in numbers, but the new nation didn't have to be 13 colonies. The eight New England and Mid-Atlantic colonies could have seceded without Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, and formed a "more-perfect union" without those slave-holding states. Those colonies could have formed their own union, which they eventually did anyway as the Confederacy.

You might say that two competing nations on the same continent would likely have resulted in war, but that happened anyway, didn't it? You might say that including the slave states in the Union would have encouraged them to abandon slavery, but that didn't happen for some four score and seven years. If there were an abolitionist United States in the north and a slave-holding Confederate States in the south, slavery would have eventually ended, just like it did in Brazil and everywhere else in the civilized world. Post-slavery, the two nations would likely have eventually merged during the Great Expansion. But no, the Yankee cotton mills on the Merrimack and Hudson Rivers wanted their cheap cotton, and were willing to overlook their moral and spiritual objections to slavery in order to keep the Southern colonies and their cotton-picking farms in their new nation.

Shame of John and Sam Adams and John Hancock for overlooking their morals and including slave states in the new nation. Fuck Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton and John Jay for getting in bed with slave-owners and traders.   

Well, that took a turn, didn't it? I started off all peace-and-love and empathy, we're all one, and so on, and wound up at "fuck Benjamin Franklin." 

Must be the heat.

 

Each Note Felt, 2nd of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Electra): Today, both the Pope in Rome and Zohran Mamdani, the democratic-socialist Muslim Mayor of New York City, gave speeches extolling the United State's history of welcoming immigrants. When the Pope and His Honor agree on a topic, you know it must be something profoundly true. 

Atlanta experienced some relief today from the heat dome as an early afternoon thunderstorm blocked the relentless Sun, and the cool rain absorbed some of the heat that had built up on the sidewalks and pavement. Right now, it's a relatively springlike 78°, albeit humid with all the rain. Still, yesterday's heat index was reportedly 106°.

Tomorrow marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. This old man remembers the bicentennial celebration of 1976, and even in the wake of Watergate, the fall of Saigon, and Nixon's resignation, and a contentious Democratic primary with candidates ranging from Jimmy Carter to Jerry Brown to George Wallace, the mood was more upbeat and, well, patriotic than today. There were no blood-sport cage matches on the White House lawn, no partisan "State Fairs," and no gleeful media laughing at the paltry attendance at those partisan "State Fairs." Even Republican President Gerald Ford didn't use the occasion as a cheap campaign gimmick. 

The Stable Genius is orchestrating a 250th celebration by and for conservative Republicans, not even bothering to pretend to reach out to the broader nation, but using the opportunity to increase polarization and divisiveness. He'll be speaking tonight in front of Mt. Rushmore, that tacky tribute to Presidents of the past, with the obvious goal of having his followers imagine his face on the desecrated mountainside. Ogden Nash wrote, "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree," and I feel the same way about Rushmore. That man thinks he can improve the natural beauty of the Black Hills by sculpting the heads of dead presidents into the mountainside says a lot about more about America's attitude toward its environment than it intended with the monument. 

And don't even get me started on Stone Mountain. While Rushmore at least presumably had reverential intent, Stone Mountain was an angry protest, meant to sympathize with white supremacists and to intimidate minorities. The ugly fruit of ugly intentions.

 

Dog Days Begin, 1st of the Dog Days, 526 M.E. (Deneb): And boy howdy have they ever. 

"Why not go to a place where it is neither hot nor cold?,” asked the ancient Zen Master.

Old Angus MacLise's Universal Solar Calendar had five seasons and Dog Days Begin was the second day of his Summer season. My New Revised USC has six seasons, and his Dog Days Begin would have fallen on the 28th day of my Midsommar. I moved it for obvious reasons to today, the first of the Dog Days. 

(For those of you keeping score at home, like Maclise's original USC, my New Revised USC has two winter seasons, Childwinter and Hagwinter, but also has two summer seasons, Midsommar and Dog Days, as well as Spring and Autumn. Each season is exactly 61 days long.) 

With Midsommar over, the season's avatar, the Sun Girl, is gone. Welcome to the new Dog Days avatar, who for now I'm calling "Barkley." 

Fittingly, now that the Dog Days are here, it's hot outside. My thermostat says the outside temperature right now (4:35 pm) is 100° F, and that doesn't consider the humidity. And the outdoor sensor's in the shade! One hundred degrees in the shade, and the heat index is reportedly 105. Unlike yesterday's overcast skies, it's sunny today, and while the sun causes heat problems on its own, it's also lowered the humidity (40%) from yesterday. The dew point right now is 69°, which is sticky but still Georgia tolerable.

Deneb is a walking day, but I stayed inside. One of the advantages of having a fixed routine is that you're allowed to break it, and there's no health advantage to walking outdoors when the temperature is at Spontaneous Human Combustion levels. I did go outside a few times today and it actually didn't feel all that bad, but I wasn't walking for miles beneath the blazing sun with only intermittent patches of shade.

The severe thunderstorms forecast for yesterday never arrived here, and for that I'm grateful. Severe thunderstorm means fallen branches, and falling branches hit power lines, and downed power lines mean no power, and no power mean no a.c., and no a.c. means old men living in old brick houses die of heat stroke. 

The heat dome is forecast to linger over Georgia through the weekend and into early next week. Dog Days End isn't until the 61st day of the season. 

"Why not go to a place where it is neither hot nor cold?,” asked the ancient Zen Master.

“Why don't you go fuck yourself," the hyperthermic monk replied, "you unhelpful old bastard?"

The Master continued to fan himself.

Launching of the Dreamweapon, 61st Day of Midsommar, 526 M.E. (Castor): The mysteries of the Universal Solar Calendar: the Midsommar season began with Establishment of the Dreamweapon and ends today with Launching of the Dreamweapon. The season also contained Separation of the First Stage (14th of Midsommar) and Dispersal of the Primal Cloud Mass (21st of Midsommar), as well as Day of the Outer Range (27th of Midsommar) and Forming the Inner Ring (37th of Midsommar). 

The names sound like Steam achievements from some post-apocalyptic video game. They evoke a sort of futuristic weaponry, partly nuclear and partly psychic. Note to self: write a short sci-fi story about an ICBM that carries not a nuclear payload but a weapon that can control the minds of the affected through dreams.

Accidental poetry. The names of Steam achievements can he arranged to form a sort of impressionistic free verse. I've recently started playing Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the remake of MGS 3 (I never played the original), and the twelve achievements I've earned so far are:

War has changed.

I can totally see you: cinephile, young gun, beekeeper,

Prince Charming, ugly duckling, snake eater.

Mama said don't touch the sides. 

Can I keep it like he just doesn't care?          

Meanwhile, the heat dome continues over Georgia. Today's high returned to 95°, but the 60% humidity (dew point 73°) makes it feel like 98. It could have been worse, but a heavy cloud cover at least kept the sun off us, although it also trapped the heat in overnight. With all this heat and all this humidity, of course we're in for some thunderstorms, and right now the weather service has us under a severe thunderstorm watch, as well as a heat advisory for today and another heat advisory for tomorrow, and an air quality alert (ozone) to boot. I'm surprised they don't have us under a tsunami warning and an earthquake watch as well. Impermanence is swift.    

According to The Guardian, the Stable Genius has reportedly earned a "disgusting" $2 billion since entering office, largely through crypto schemes. "Everybody is profiting," he said by way of explanation. He just happens to have a lot of money, and in this rip-roaring economy, money earns more money. I know I've raked in a couple hundred thousand this year (sarcasm) and you probably have to, right? His words, as Shakespeare would have it, are "falser than vows made in wine." 

But vows made in the air? Now that's another thing. You may have seen the story in the news today about a Russian couple, masked and dressed in black, who somehow managed to climb to the very top of the spire on the Empire State Building - King Kong territory - for a marriage proposal (and assumedly an acceptance) and to unfurl a banner reading "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace." 

The police have recovered the banner and arrested the couple, who reportedly will be executed at dawn. Just kidding! They're rock stars and I love them! In fact, they already have a Netflix documentary about similar climbs they're done in the past.

 

The Iron Keeled Pentecost, 60th Day of Midsommar, 526 M.E. (Betelgeuse): If you're born in the Untied States of America, you're a citizen of the United States of America. Birthright citizenship. It's in the fucking Constitution. Even the corrupt and partisan Supreme Court agrees to that (except for Keg-Stand Kavanaugh), and ruled so today. 

I see it in broader terms. It's self-evident, I believe, that all children born anywhere in the world have certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Having achieved life, they should be all be granted liberty, every last one, although they may never actually achieve happiness. There are no guarantees. But they still all have the right to pursue happiness and no just government can deny them that right or any of the others.

It's hot. Life under the great southeastern heat dome continues. Today's high temperature of 95° felt like 103 because of the 49% humidity and oppressive dew point of 72°. Still, Betelgeuse is a walking day, and when you gotta walk, you gotta walk. I brought a bottle of water with me, but I still noticed the heat sapped my energy fast, so I kept my walk down to a Madisonian 4.9 miles. 

When I first stepped out the front door, I startled a deer in my front yard. It ran off. I live in the City of Atlanta, less than a mile from Interstate I-75 and from Peachtree Street, and yet I still get deer in my front yard. I love it. Any chance encounter with nature is a blessing. I saw two red-shouldered hawks on last Sunday's walk, and a rat snake while on a walk last week. Every living creature is a potential bodhisattva.

Also, an additional blessing: the heat kept the number of Homo sapiens on the trail down to a minimum.      

 

The Shouts from the Sea, 59th Day of Midwinter, 526 M.E. (Aldebaran): The heat dome is in full force here in Georgia. Today's high reached 95°, but the heat index reached 100. Tomorrow's forecast is about the same and the NWS heat advisory will remain in effect. 

Aldebaran is a sitting day so I wasn't outside in the heat most of the day. I did make a grocery shopping run to the supermarket though, but I made sure to open my car windows and vent the heat an hour or so before I left. 

It's Midsommar and the Dog Days are fast approaching.

In Europe, the heat dome has moved east. Czechia's already been eliminated from World Cup competition (they went 0-1-2), so they presumably won't be hanging around here much longer for the next round of games unless they've still got tickets to upcoming events and their lodging secured through the week (I don't know how these things work). However, temperatures in the Czech Republic are expected to exceed 99° F and north of Prague temps peaked at 107.2° on Sunday, setting a record for the country - one that was just set on Saturday. So fans won't be escaping the heat by leaving Atlanta but will actually be returning home to even more hellish conditions. 

England plays the Congo DR here on Wednesday. Great, on top of a heat advisory we now also have to worry about English soccer fans here. You have to believe the African team will be better acclimated to the heat in Atlanta than the Brits; however, England's still the heavy betting favorite and "Atlanta Stadium" (or Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as it's actually called) is air-conditioned. Still, those English soccer fans out on the streets and partying in the parks and pubs may well feel woozy from the heat.    

Also, I can't wait to see how all those visiting World Cup fans who can't get over ranch dressing react once they discover Atlanta lemon-pepper chicken wings.

 

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.