Weathering Changes

It is summer in Alabama, but until this week it has been very moderate. Last week the furnace kicked on. I've been going out about 6 AM, doing chores, and back in by 9 AM or so. Looks like another week of it. But there's plenty of other changes to weather as well. We call it adventures in aging. Learning to adapt to my new found limitations. The old gray matter just ain't what it used to be, nor my strength and stamina. Then, we have the decline of the US empire and the ensuing economic consequences. Every week there are more and more items missing from the grocery shelves, and gas is back on the rise. Fortunately we are adaptable creatures. Given the future we're looking toward, we will have to learn to adapt to many new challenges. This weeks news and more below the fold...

Dog Days of Summer

You might have heard the hottest days of summer referred to as the dog days of summer … but where did this term come from? It turns out they come from an ancient belief about a star – the brightest star in the sky – Sirius in the constellation Canis Major. Sirius is also called the Dog Star. And the ancient Egyptians believed that when Sirius rose at the same time as the sun, the double whammy of Sirius and the sun caused the hot weather. Voila. Dog days!
According to the National Weather Service:
The “dog days of summer” is a phrase used to describe the hot and humid days of summer. It can be traced back thousands of years to the days of the Roman Empire. It refers to the dates from July 3 through August 11, which is 20 days prior and 20 days after the star Sirius rises and falls in conjunction [sharing the same spot in our sky] with the sun. Sirius was known as the “Dog Star,” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog).

News and more below the fold...

It is interesting to me that there's no discussion of the illegal nature of the strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but instead the argument is about the degree to which the strike degraded Iran's nuclear program. Oddly enough, I'm hoping Trump's false narrative of "Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated" holds. If that becomes the accepted position then there's no reason to strike Iran again. However, the Neocons aren't having it. They finally achieved their "Bomb, Bomb Iran" moment and they want more. Meanwhile the Ukraine proxy war has faded from the news cycle...in part because Ukraine is losing.

Patrick and the Pagans
or
Driving Out the Serpents

The Hill of Slane sits in sight of three ancient mounds know as the Bru'na Boinne, Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. These burial, ceremonial, and astronomic mounds are surrounded by large carved boulders. Also in sight, not far in the distance, is the Hill of Tara where the kings of Ireland were once crowned. Hill of Slane is traditionally regarded as the location where St Patrick lit the first Pascal Fire in 433 AD in defiance of pagan King Laoighre, the King of Tara. Legend has it Patrick's large fire on the Hill of Slane symbolized the beginning of Christianity and the end of paganism in Ireland.

[video:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k34K-vxUn0c]