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And though Philly and the US are bad now, it’s an even worse time to pilgrimage to Mecca, where some 500 people have already died with temps 108-120 in Saudi Arabia.

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I saw that too, and The Guardian is reporting over 1,000 now. 🥵

Not a good idea at all, physiologically speaking.

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Wonder how many laborers perish when building the football stadium for the World Cups? https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/how-many-workers-died-qatar-world-cup-stadiums-deaths-migrants/s39zabky4petscz4letzlhxg

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Stay safe! We need to really do something about climate change and I fear we never will.

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Agreed. And so much worse to come is already baked in. May we live in interesting times, as the blessing/curse goes…

I’m going to feel incredibly sad when they turn the skies white with reflective aerosols. Unthinkable that certain politicians and their supporters want to gut the EPA and any environmental protections recently gained.

Sigh.

Onward.

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Jun 22Liked by Ryan McCormick, M.D.

Vote blue in November. It may be our last chance.

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Great set of timely tips! Here in NYC, it is also really rough out there. We took our morning walk around 7:30 AM, and it was already a very humid 77. Right now it’s 92, with a heat index of 99. Indoor activities are thus the order of the day. One of mine today was to collect interesting artwork of cats and other companion animals, which I from time to time compile and send to friends near and far with newsy bits about the artist and/or subject matter. It is a very good, low stress, second childhood activity, and recipients seem to enjoy them. (As one recipient recently wrote back, “it’s nice to get something in my email that doesn’t send my blood pressure up.”) We also are very, very grateful to have relatively new window air conditioners in our apartment and are keeping fingers crossed they get us through this without malfunctioning. May everyone stay cool and healthy!

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This sounds really fun! And I think a great antidote to all the depressing stuff in the world is satire and humor and cats! My brother does a little art on the side and for a while had a lot of success with a character he called Chairman Meow. I’m trying to get him to resurrect this idea as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the scary authoritarian creep we are witnessing, if only to laugh more than fear, even as we resist:

https://believe.art/

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Well, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" but they left out the damn hot part. :)

Likely the ED are full right now. Stay hydrated!

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Very true, and can you believe I’ve only watched 10 minutes of that show?! Heard it’s good!

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Heat index of 103? I wanna say, "pshaw! That's a normal summer day here in Houston." But after a nice vacation in a cooler spot, I was no longer acclimated, and experienced mild heat exhaustion street less than an hour of cycling on a humid 85 degree morning. Fortunately, I knew the signs and also an air conditioned Mexican restaurant and baked my wife to pick me up in our smallish SUV. I stuck to iced tea.

You give good advice, and I hope folk post attention.

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Hi Jerry, and I think you nailed it, coming from 50s to 60s right back into a 90+ heat wave, my body wasn’t physiologically ready for it so it really feels hotter than hell! And I don’t know how people live any farther south than where I am in Philly, it feels like a swamp here, at least you guys probably have less humidity there in Houston? I have too many Irish genes perhaps. Stay safe!

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Here in north metro Atlanta, it is 93° with a heat index of 96°. I am lucky to be able to stay in a house with a well functioning air conditioning system, where I keep it a comfortable 78°. I water the most vulnerable parts of the rain-starved garden and fill the water dishes for the birds early in the morning.

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That sounds like my routine on the weekends, a good reminder to water the plants tonight, thank you. And you are definitely saving birds’ lives with that water! 78 sounds about right, although we go down a lot farther at night for better sleep and higher air conditioning bills.

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Great tips, all I would add is drink cold or iced beverages, they can help bring your core body temp quickly. Stay safe

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I’m off to make some weak lemonade right now, very good point, our icemaker doesn’t work so we are using those silicone ice trays like crazy lately. Hope you guys can stay safe too, I heard Covid rates might be going up in the Bay Area right now. Ugh. NYC too so Philly within weeks probably.

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Yes, the Covid levels are shooting straight up. Fortunately we got our spring vax and we are using all the precautions

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Yes, recently I’ve discovered that lower nighttime temperatures reduce the frequency and intensity of night sweats. The trade-off is worth the expense.

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