We’ve got several sunflowers growing in the garden this year which are volunteers that we didn’t plant this year. We did plant sunflowers in this garden in 2021. Last year, several grew of their own volition in, of all places, one of our compost piles. This year, they sprouted back in the main garden, but not where they were planted two years ago.

Our red lettuce has gone to seed and the leaves now taste like rubber that’s had gasoline poured on it. Thankfully, another variety, of tasty green lettuce, is still producing heavily.

But at least our peppers are coming to maturity.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:

China’s Great Leap Backward: So much for the next dominant superpower

The Chinese century is over. Facing upside-down demographic and economic trends, China is heading off the cliff

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance

Florida Man:

‘I’m not wanted’: Florida universities hit by brain drain as academics flee

Ron DeSantis Has a Florida Problem

If a GOP primary were to be held today, multiple polls show DeSantis would resoundingly lose to former president Donald Trump in the state both men call home.

Politics:

Refund Request Shows Financial Pressure on Trump

The political action committee that former President Donald Trump is using to pay his legal bills faced such staggering costs this year that it requested a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to another group supporting the Republican front-runner.
The decision signals a potential money crisis for Mr. Trump, who has so far refused to pay his own voluminous bills directly and has also avoided creating a legal-defense fund for himself and people who have become entangled in the various investigations related to him.
It comes as Mr. Trump runs a campaign while under indictment in two jurisdictions and, soon, potentially a third, while also paying the legal fees of a number of witnesses who are close to him or who work for him.

Georgia Prosecutor Says She’s ‘Ready to Go’

Say Goodbye to Permissionless Travel

Americans will need a visa to visit Europe in 2024. Meanwhile, Europeans who have been to Cuba are discovering they can't come to the U.S., because terrorism.

Dear Justice Alito: You’re on the Supreme Court in part because Congress expanded the Court to 9 Justices. Congress can impeach Justices and can in many cases strip the Court of jurisdiction. Congress has always regulated you and will continue to do so. You are not above the law. https://t.co/efUO6SF4aj

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 28, 2023

Russian Cruise Ship Leaves Georgia Port Early After Being Heckled by Angry Protesters

Abortion and Pot Could Turn Florida Purple Again

National Democrats had all but written off Florida as a lost cause — a former purple state turned solid red by the MAGA movement and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But key party leaders in the state, desperate to turn things around in 2024, are confident that citizen initiatives dealing with abortion rights and recreational marijuana legalization could fuel turnout and boost the party’s chances.

Chris Christie compares Donald Trump and allies to ‘the Corleones with no experience’

Okay, so Christie won’t be the next President. But he does have entertainment value and he’s a rare Republican who doesn’t have a nose deep into Trump’s rectum.

Hunter Biden’s Ex-Biz Partner Shuts Down GOP ‘Speculation’ Over DOJ Prison Letter

A number of Republicans were quick to theorize, baselessly, that a letter from the Justice Department was a ploy to keep Devon Archer from testifying in front of a House committee.

Biden administration launches new income-driven student debt repayment plan

Secret Files Show Lawmakers’ Role in Fortifying Gun Lobby

Russian investigators call children as witnesses against their mother accused of discrediting army

This is the new slogan. It's not enough that he is the victim: he has to say he is taking the fall for his supporters, they are the real targets and he is the martyr as well as the savior. This is classic authoritarian discourse. https://t.co/pBfVQZ7mpk

— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) July 29, 2023

Serendipity:

Antarctica is missing an Argentina-sized amount of sea ice – and scientists are scrambling to figure out why

The sea ice has not returned to anywhere near expected levels. In fact it is at the lowest levels for this time of year since records began 45 years ago. The ice is around 1.6 million square kilometers (0.6 million square miles) below the previous winter record low set in 2022.
In mid-July, Antarctica’s sea ice was 2.6 million square kilometers (1 million square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average. That is an area nearly as large as Argentina or the combined areas of Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

Is it really hotter now than any time in 100,000 years?

How hot is too hot for the human body?

^{Badge thanks to @arcange}

^{Want a free Hive account? Join Hive using my referral link.}

What is Hive?