It is far too hot to write, or even think cogently. New York’s infrastructure is collapsing under the strain: the power grid is failing, and subway service is becoming chaotic as outdoor sections of track begin to buckle in the heat. Broken-down vehicles are clogging the streets and highways, and after waiting to cross Madison Avenue at lunchtime today I noticed that I had actually left footprints in the asphalt. It even seemed at times this afternoon that some of the buildings themselves were sagging, but I might simply have been hallucinating as my vital organs shut down.
…what’s that you say? “How hot is it?”
It’s so hot that I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they were walking.
So for tonight, just a fascinating little news item about evolution at work in the laboratory: further confirmation for this greatest of all human insights, as if any were needed. Here.
10 Comments
The article is fascinating of course but in my mind at least (admittedly sometimes fuzzy) there are several variants on the theme for instance:
Penicillin used to be very effective on very many infectious little nasties. Then along comes what are now known as various staph nasties collectively called MRSA.
The questing search for new antibiotics goes on. Now one could argue (or simply point out) that the nasties adapted because of incorrect use of, or over-prescribing of, antibiotics. And I would agree, however I’d ask, “You say they’ve adapted…?”
Well, yes, adapted is exactly what they’ve done.
Just think . . . very soon, Kevin Kim will be walzing into heat like this. By the way, I can no longer visit his site, for it takes forever to download and forces me to wait, unable to open another browser, for several minutes, after which, I have to close the browser anyway. So, I can’t follow his journey. Any idea what’s wrong.
Jeffery Hodges
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That’s odd, Jeffery. It opens just fine for me. What browser and OS are you using?
Yes, a big fellow like Kevin, fully loaded, would probably die after hiking three or four blocks in New York today.
Malcolm, just wanted to make clear that adapted does mean evolved, at least in my book. Your reply makes me think I may not have been lengthy enough. I try hard to be brief.
The browser is Internet Explorer, and the OS is Windows (Korean).
Jeffery Hodges
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Malcolm,
I realize you’re enjoying the company of the 72 people mentioned elsewhere but I came across this:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080613180404.323q4fo0&show_article=1
Stay cool, drink lots of fluids, and buy a popsicle. But don’t do as my Grandson did: popsicles do not store well in the cars’ glove box.
Thanks, JK — that’s an important story, and deserves promotion to a post of its own.
I trust that the heat has not made you hebetudinous to any degree worth mentioning bro…
But it may… degree by degree, make ya grumpy… Stay cool!- Love to Nina & welcome back to the Eastern seaboard…
Hi Pat,
Indeed the heat does have exactly that effect on me, which is one of the many reasons I fear and loathe it so. But we seem to be getting a little break tonight, I’m glad to say: 66° as I write, and falling, with tolerably low humidity.