Friday 5!

One

This month... July... has been the hottest month on record. Here are some facts pulled from The Google... it's not like the evidence is hiding folks. It's all right there for you to see.

• July 2023 was the hottest month on record, breaking the previous record set in July 2019 by 0.2C. It's only going to get hotter, too.

• The global mean surface air temperature reached its highest daily value on July 6th, 2023 

• Heatwaves scorched Europe, North America, and China 

• In Russia, a temperature of +40 °C (104 °F) was recorded in Yekaterinburg for the first time in the history of meteorological observations

• In China, a record-breaking temperature of 52.2 °C (126.0 °F) was recorded 

• In southern Europe, the “Cerberus” heatwave saw temperatures rise up to 10C above average 

• Scientists said the records were from human-caused climate change augmented by a natural El Nino warming of parts of the central Pacific 

• One study suggests that the Earth may not have been this hot in 120,000 years 

The question is, what happens next? I ask that because it's clear that what doesn't happen is anything to alter our course. Governments and corporations have known about this for generations. Hell, the fossil fuel industry led climate change science in the 1970s. Then they covered it up in the name of profits. We've sold our future for the present.

Societal collapse is ugly folks, ask any historian or anthropologist

Two

Popular culture has built up the moment when stunned humans realize we are not only NOT the center of the universe, but that we are not even the only intelligent life out there. Now, Congress is saying... hey, we may not be alone... and the entire world is like... "meh."

Of course, humans have ignored the evidence that other species are intelligent on our own planet. We've also ignored the evidence that we are are killing that planet, so it's not really a shock that we are ignoring this as well.

Read this for details... I didn't finish it. I had Instagram Reels to watch.

Three

It's looking more and more like The Once and Never President will spend the first half of 2024 in court.

Key GOP campaign events & Trump's trial dates As of July 24, 2023 (From Axios)

• AUG. 23, 2023 First GOP presidential debate

• OCT. 2, 2023 Trump Org. civil fraud suit

• JAN. 15, 2024 Iowa caucuses

• JAN. 15, 2024 E. Jean Carroll civil defamation suit

• JAN. 29, 2024 Pyramid scheme class-action suit

• MARCH 5, 2024 Super Tuesday

• MARCH 25, 2024 NY State criminal hush money suit

• MAY 20, 2024 Classified documents trial

• JULY 15, 2024 Republican National Convention

• NOV. 5, 2024 Election Day

This list will only get more complicated as additional charges come from the other investigations now underway, including Jack Smith's Jan. 6 election interference probe and the Fulton County District Attorney's investigation into Trump's alleged attempt to overturn the Georgia election.

Keep in mind that Trump will scream about election interference the entire way to the GOP nomination. We may look at a leading presidential candidate who is found guilty of multiple felonies during the election season. Another first for Trump. Thanks for that one, Donald.

Four

I’ve loved Star Trek since I was a kid, which is cool, because I was a kid when it was still a fresh new thing. Over the years, the spinoffs have added over 800 episodes to the original series total of 79 episodes. There have also been 13 movies, with several more currently in the works. The newest shows, Strange New Worlds, Discovery, and Lower Decks, are as true to TOS as any, and in the case of SNW, even more so. It’s got the feel of TOS. If you haven’t watched it yet, you need to.

Five

How much social media is too much social media? I’ve got Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), Post, Spoutible, Imgur, Flikr, Mastedon, Reddit, Substack, This WordPress page, and several that are in mothballs. It’s baffling keeping track of them, posting to them. I have to wonder if simply maintaining them is even worth my time. Time better spent writing. Alas, they are an addition. Pure and simple.