Wait

Wait, thou child of hope, for Time shall teach thee all things.

-- Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810 - 1880), English writer and poet, Proverbial Philosophy (1838-1849) Of Good in Things Evil

In Your Hands

My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

I revere this office, but I love my country more.  It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president.  But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title.  I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people.  But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it's about you.  Your families, your futures.

History is in your hands.  The power's in your hands.  The idea of America lies in your hands.

-- President Joe Biden, in a speech on ending his run for re-election, 24 July 2024

Even Hotter

The results from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show the planet's average temperature on July 21 was 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) -- breaking a record set only last year.  The historic day comes on the heels of 13 straight months of unprecedented temperatures and the hottest year scientists have ever seen.

"We are in truly uncharted territory," Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement. "And as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see records being broken in future months and years."

-- Sarah Kaplan, Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, scientists say, in The Washington Post 23 July 2024

[When I clicked through to the data, I noted that the next day (Monday) was even hotter, at 17.15 degrees Celsius]

It Has Been My Intention

My Fellow Americans,

Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.

Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans.  America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.  And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected.  I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.  And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

-- Portions of a letter posted to social media by President Joe Biden announcing that he would no longer seek reelection, 21 July 2024

Not With A Bang

This is the way the world ends.

This is the way the world ends.

This is the way the world ends.

Not with a bang, but with an update to a system file that brings the blue screen of death to every machine around the world.

-- Grady Booch (27 February 1955 -), American software engineer, best known for developing the Unified Modeling Language (UML), recognized internationally for his innovative work in software architecture, software engineering, and collaborative development environments, posting on Twitter as @Grady_Booch, in reference to today's CrowdStrike outage that disrupted businesses globally, 19 July 2024

Everyone Believes

Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.

-- Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), French fabulist and the most widely read French poet of the 17th century, as quoted in Subcontact : Slap the Face of Fear and Wake Up Your Subconscious‎ (2001) by Dian Benson, p. 149

Deluded Deluders

The most successful tempters and thus the most dangerous are the deluded deluders.

-- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799), German scientist, satirist, and philosopher, Aphorisms (1765-1799) Notebook F (1776-1779), Item F 120