WHAT'S HOT THIS WEEK

 For one, Planet Earth is hot.  Europe had more heat deaths last year on record.  

• The tally was 61,000 deaths.  Will it be worse this year?
• A high-pressure system from north Africa called Cerberus could bring temperatures exceeding 113 F degrees this weekend, particularly in the the Mediterranean region.  Sicily and Sardinia could reach the highest ever recorded here, 118.5 F!!!

• 
  On July 9 Death Valley National Park's Furnace Creek Visitor Center hit 130 F (54.4 C), beating the previous high set here in 2020.  
• In comparison, medium-rare steak has an internal temperature of 130-135 F.
• The hottest temperature ever, however, is contentious, for the 136.4 F (58 C) reading from Al Azizia in 1923 was officially decertified.

• 
  Thus the current official world record is 134 F (56.7 C) set on July 10, 1913 in Death Valley.
• Yet, experts today insist that those early records are 100% bogus, and there seems to be some reluctance by authorities to initiate a re-look of the Furnace Creek 134 F temperature.
• Thus, Furnace Creek has the top three "reliable" highs, 130 F (2021), 129.9 F (2020) and 129.4 F (2021), with #4 a tie, 129.2 F at Furnace Creek and Mitribah, Kuwait.
• Then four separate times of 129.0 F at Furnace Creek from 1998 to 2016, but tied at Basra International Airport in Iraq in 2016.
• 
  Another astonishing heat record occurred on July 10, 2023:  Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley had a LOW of 107.7 F (42.1 C).  Stovepipe Wells is usually 3-5 F cooler than Furnace Creek, for SW is at an elevation of 80 feet, while FC is at -193 feet.
• But Khasab Airport, Oman on June 17, 2017 was even higher, with a LOW of 111.6 F.

From the New York Times:

So will this be the summer that finally convinces decision-makers and fossil fuel companies that global warming is getting out of control so harsh measures need to be taken?  As I said in my posting of 28 June 2023, NO....many, many millions will need to die for this to happen.

So what else is hot?  Shohei Ohtani, is scorching.  The trade deadline is August 1.  He will be a free agent at the end of the year.  He is the GOAT (greatest of all time) of baseball.  If he leaves, the Angels will get some kind of compensatory concession from the team that gets him, which would not be all that much.  So what about this?

• The Los Angeles Angels don't have much hope of getting into the playoffs with Mike Trout currently injured, with a return expected, but the team probably lacks the personnel to make a second half run anyway.
• So why not rent him to a contending team for, say, the best young pitcher and hitter, or two players, to let him go.  Plus probably some cash.
• Then, at the end of the season, try to get him back.  They would probably fail, but this allows them to get more now than later.
• 
  The Yankees are favored to have him next year, but Ohtani, plus a more competitive Giancarlo Stanton and a returning Aaron Judge, will get them to the World Series.  A Cole/Ohtani pitching duo can almost insure winning the Series.  They would offer a lot to the Angels for this chance.

• 
  Otherwise, the Seattle Mariners hosted the recent All-Star Game, and there were chants by the audience for Ohtani to come there.  But their owner, John Stanton, is only worth $1.1 billion, ranking 23rd on the list of league owners, and Ohtani sweepstakes could get that high.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers could be an obvious choice in this scenario, for Ohtani does not have to move, making it easier to return to his home team, the Angels.  

Donald Trump remains hot, facing so many court trials that must depress him.  His latest tactic is to argue that he can't be tried for any of his presumed crimes because he is officially running for president, and that is Constitutionally protected to avoid walking into any court.  The Department of Justice will surely find a way to subvert this argument, but maybe they shouldn't, for the best way for Democrats to run the table on 5November2024 is to have a crippled Donald Trump--where only a relatively small margin from Independents believing his danger to Democracy is so serious that everything must be done to prevent him from becoming president again--gaining the Republican nomination in July of 2024 and bringing down a sufficient number of Senate and House seats with him.  Yes, the optimal Democratic Party strategy is to insure for a feisty Trump to run against Biden, or any prominent Democrat.  But isn't that dangerous?  Sure, but worthy of consideration.  And, by the way, where is Melania?  She is just under 6 feet tall, while Baron was 6'7" when he was 15.  He is now 17.

24-year old Markéta Vondroušová, the world #42 from the Czech Republic, beat #6 seed Ons Jabeur to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon Women's championship.  Her husband stayed home to look after their cat, Frankie.     

Sunday morning at 9AM on ESPN for the Men's Championship, featuring, again, 36-year old Novak Djokovic of Serbia against 20-year old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.  Djokovic has only won this title 7 times already, and the past four years in the row.

You need to get a Pimm's #1, add lemonade and some fruit (citrus and apple) and top with some mint sprigs, to make a Pimm's Cup to watch the finals. Pimm's is a secret mix of gin, quinine and some spices, and is 50 proof.  King Charles likes it.  Quinine is something to treat malaria, and is added to tonic water to impart a bitter taste.

Well, Hurricane Calvin has indeed weakened a bit, yesterday up to 125 MPH, a Category 3, now down to a 2, and will further diminish until a lot of rain falls over all of Hawaii this coming Tuesday and Wednesday.  Hmm....my golf outing might be in jeopardy.  

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