Monday Musings - July 10, 2023

 

1. Welcome to another version of Monday Musings. It is the second Monday of July and there are 24 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. The heat is oppressive across much of the country. It is limiting outdoors activity. 

Palms Against the Storm
Tequesta, FL
July 8, 2023

3. I managed a 17-mile bike ride yesterday, but I actually was planning on 23 but shortened it about 4 miles due to the heat which became very concerning. I really felt the heat exhaustion setting in about 1030 and decided to truncate the trek. Fortunately I was riding a loop and was able to take out a 3 mile section of my ride. Wow, it was hot. 

4. Palms against the storm. Evening thunderstorms continue across South Florida. The other evening as the storms approached, Chris and I went outside and the palms across from us were beautiful against the storm darkened sky. So, I took an image. 

5. How about those Orioles? As we are at the All Star break, the Orioles have the third best record in all of baseball.  They have been playing solid and exciting baseball. Let's hope the second half of the season is a much fun as the first half! Just as an aside, the Orioles have won two more games during the 2023 campaign than they did during the entire 2021 season!

6. Today in History. July 10, 1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes Monkey Trialbegins with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” With local businessman George Rappleyea, Scopes had conspired to get charged with this violation, and after his arrest the pair enlisted the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organize a defense. Hearing of this coordinated attack on Christian fundamentalism, William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential candidate and a fundamentalist hero, volunteered to assist the prosecution. Soon after, the great attorney Clarence Darrow agreed to join the ACLU in the defense, and the stage was set for one of the most famous trials in U.S. history.

Kremlin says Wagner chief met with Putin after attempted rebellion - CNN

‘Not what it was’: House Freedom Caucus wrestles with its future amid split over tactics and Trump - CNN

China’s factory gate prices fall at fastest pace in 7 years - CNN

America Is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cables - The Wall Street Journal

Disney World Hasn’t Felt This Empty in Years - The Wall Street Journal

Europe faces long wait for weight-loss drugs as governments eye costs - Reuters

North Korea warns it may shoot down US spy planes violating its airspace - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL