Sunday, October 4, 2026

Hot enough for ya? Ridiculously so, sez Scientific American!

 
Map and headline:  Scientific American, 10/2/2026

It’s been a blistering year for the U.S. The first eight months of 2026 were the hottest such period ever recorded in the contiguous U.S. since at least 1895. That puts 2026 on track to being among the hottest years the country has ever seen—if not the hottest. 
Whether or not this year takes the top slot in that bleak ranking is still unclear. But the outlook isn’t good, climate scientists say. 
Right now where 2026 will clock in is a matter of probability. The hottest year the contiguous U.S. has ever recorded was in 2024, at 55.48 degrees Fahrenheit (about 13 degrees Celsius) on average, explains Zeke Hausfather, a climatologist and a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Seventh Assessment Report. 
We’re likely set to break that record, he says: January–August 2026 clocked in at 57.98 degrees F (14.43 degrees C) on average, 0.08 degrees F (about 0.04 degrees C) above the previous record of 57.90 degrees F (14.39 degrees C) for that period, which was set in 2012, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [emphasis added[

Related posts:
October 2026

September 2026

August 16-31, 2026

August 11-15, 2026
United States experiences hottest July ever.  (8/11)

August 1-10, 2026
July 2026

May-June 2026
Climate change turned up the heat on Planet Earth (May 2026 worldwide edition).  (6/11)

April 2026
If right-wing parties gain control, then Europe will only get hotter (b/w Looney Tunes at the Heartland Institute).  (4/30)

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026
Climate change as a matter of fact:  That's why it's called "extreme weather".  (1/29)

A visit to the Imagination Center, Madison Wisconsin's newest branch library

 
Photos by Retiring Guy


George Wiebe reports:
A brand-new library opened on Madison’s Far East Side on Friday, and, as expected for the city’s first new public library in more than a quarter-century, the ribbon-cutting drew a packed house. 
Residents of the North and East sides, neighborhood groups and more than a handful of city officials gathered in front of the Imagination Center Library at Reindahl Park, Madison’s 10th public library. 
The Imagination Center, at 1814 Parkside Drive, is the first library in Madison built within a public park, and its opening eliminates the “library desert” on the city’s Far East Side, Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias said during Friday’s ribbon-cutting.
Square footage:  17,500
Cost:  $18,000,000 ($5,500,000 in state grants, $4,500,000 raised by Madison Public Library Foundation)


Entrance

Meeting rooms


Classroom
Community room

Stacks


Back of the building



Other Madison Public Library posts:
2022

2021

2020

2019

2015
2014

2013
2012



May-December 2010
Final design for renovated central library unveiled.  (12/8)

January-April 2010

July-December 2009

January-June 2009

2008
 

Impact of Trump economy: Anemic job growth

 
Graph and headline:  New York Times, 10/2/2026

Employers added 29,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent, federal data showed on Friday, slower than expected growth for a labor market that had shown greater-than-expected strength in recent months. 
That resiliency has stood in tension with the strain of higher prices as inflation has marched higher since the start of the war in Iran. For most workers, wages haven’t kept up. Growth in average hourly earnings fell to 3 percent on an annual basis in September, well below the current rate of inflation, and the slowest since the depths of the pandemic. Employment gains for July and August were also revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs. [emphasis added]
 
Related posts:
June-August 2026

May 2026
Rate of inflation in April 2026 is higher than any reported in the last 18 months of Biden administration.  (5/13)

April 2026

MISCREANT PREACHERS: Misuse of church funds in the Name of the Lord (#401 in a series)

 
Mugshots and headline:  WACH COlumbia SC, 9/28/2026

Alyce Rhue reports:
Pastor Barry Spears and his wife, Jeri Spears, were arrested for misusing church funds, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced Thursday. 
Authorities charged Barry Spears with first-degree violations of the Computer Crime Act, forgery involving $10,000 or more, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent. 
Jeri Spears is charged with obtaining goods under pretenses involving $10,000 or more. 
Both received personal recognizance bonds.
“Shepherd God’s flock not out of greed, but with eagerfulness.”  
(1 Peter 5:2) 
 
Other miscreant preacher posts (which cover a multitude of sins):
October 2026

September 2026 (16)
David Wigington.  (9/27)
Kevin Binette.  (9/25)
Caleb Ray.  (9/24)
Louie George.  (9/19)
James Randolph.  (9/18)
Burk Parsons.  (9/17)
Andrew Farhet.  (9/6)
Wade Booth.  (9/4)
Daniel Willis.  (9/3)

August 2026  (21)
Richard Pughe.  (8/30)
Billy Anders.  (8/28)
David Johnson.  (8/27)
Daniel Muir.  (8/24)
Jeremiah Swaw.  (8/23)
Johnny Hunt.  (8/22)
Gregory Madeya.  (8/20)
Jason Coulter.  (8/19)
Andrew Buzzell.  (8/18)
Lino Hernandez.  (8/14)
David Taylor.  (8/11)
Monty Chitty.  (8/9)

July 2026 (19)
Marcus Owens.  (7/30)
Ryan McCandless.  (7/23)
Joel Leiniz.  (7/22)
Tracy Hamilton.  (7/19)
Kevin Jones.  (7/16)
David Mercer.  (7/12)
Eddy Noelsaint.  (7/11)
Jeffrey Nowak.  (7/10)
Noel Walker.  (7/9)
Daniel Rabon.  (7/5)
George Finney.  (7/3)

June 2026 (23)
Tony Spell.  (6/24)
C. J. Johnson.  (6/21)
Reggie Joiner.  (6/18)
Jose Briseno.  (6/18)
Nicholas Rains.  (6/17)
David Ritchie.  (6/16)
Jose Seez.  (6/13)
Derek Nelson.  (6/9)
Alan Chambers.  (6/9)
Elie Dorcius.  (6/6)

May 2026 (10)
Robert Byrnes.  (5/19)
Terry Reed.  (5/8)

April 2026 (19)
Leslie Williams.  (4/29)
Joshua Trent.  (4/28)
Emilio Alberto Esperanza-Pacheco. (4/27)
Philip Vaught.  (4/23)
Kevin Jbon.  (4/18)
Ryan Pena.  (4/7)

March 2026 (29, a new monthly record)
February 2026 (23, a new monthly record)
Caleb Flynn.  (2/26)
Tyrell Brown.  (2/24)
Jonathan Elwing.  (2/22)
Garrett Harmon.  (2/21)
Elco Vallier.  (2/19)
David Rodgers. (2/17)
Rod Loy.  (2/15)
William Robbins.  (2/13)
Robert Whipley.  (2/12)
Isaiah Teague.  (2/5)

January 2026 (14)
Michael Mohr.  (1/30)
Wesley Brobeck.  (1/19)
Korey Lavergne.  (1/17)
Michael Howard.  (1/16)
Joshua Price.  (1/10)
Bruce Neal.  (1/8)

December 2025 (15)
Enrique Molina.  (12/30)
John Paul.  (12/19)
James Watford.  (12/17)
Doug Overmyer.  (12/13)
Joseph Herzing.  (12/10)
Robert Sullivan.  (12/8)
Danny Varnadore.  (12/7)
Roger Scalice.  (12/6)
James Stockton.  (12/3)
Michael Martin.  (12/2)

November 2025 (16):
Mark Vega.  (11/28)
Stephen Santeli Castro.  (11/26)
Yersson Solarte.  (11/23)
Jason Allen.  (11/21)
Glenn Rosenbaum.  (11/17)
Adolfo Castillo.  (11/16)
Quintilo Segrero.  (11/14)
Matthew McGinley.  (11/11)
Eli Regalado.  (11/7)
Andrew Ervin.  (11/6)

October 2025 (15)
Robert L Carter.  (10/23)
Xamie Reyes.  (10/20)
Luis Sosa.  (10/19)
Silas Shelton.  (10/17)
Adrian David.  (10/9)
Virgil Mozee.  (10/7)
Robert Morris.  (10/3)
Ryan McElrath.  (10/2)

September 2025 (10)
Macario Garcia.  (9/26)
John McKinzie.  (9/20)
Isaac Tilden.  (9/19)
Diego Fuller.  (9/17)

August 2025 (7)
Neal Creecy.  (8/22)
Shelton Burkart.  (8/15)

July 2025 (11)
Eli Regalado.  (7/23)
Kenneth Flowers.  (7/18)
John Gibson.  (7/15)
Roy Andrews.  (7/3)

June 2025 (11)
Justin Rhodes.  (6/26)
Dominic Foor.  (6/14)
Ryan McElrath.  (6/10)
Jim Mustain.  (6/7)
Nathan Roach.  (6/3)

May 2025 (11)
Daniel Lamppin.  (5/30)
Alan Buresh.  (5/29)
Daniel Champ.  (5/13)
Paul Dyal. (5/11)
Leo Parker.  (5/8)

April 2025 (7)
Brad Swink.  (4/12)
Jaime Arriaga.  (4/10)
Darren Day.  (4/8)

March 2025 (17)
Joshua Lucero.  (3/26)
Jeffrey Summers.  (3/24)
Sergio Guardia.  (3/22)
Marvin Upton.  (3/21)
Rodger Strong.  (3/20)
Britt Taylor.  (3/19)
Daniel Menelaou.  (3/15)
Robert Morris.  (3/14)
Jose Saez Jr.  (3/12)
Waymon Jordan.  (3/8)

February 2025 (9)
Jesse Santos.  (2/26)
Ruel Barbee.  (2/16)
Lee B. Patrick.  (2/14)
Timothy Nall.  (2/7)

January 2025 (14)
John Fiedler.  (1/26)
James McMillan.  (1/25)
Jeffrey Merrow.  (1/18)
Johel LaFaurie.  (1/17)
Jeff Taylor.  (1/16)
Dallas Majewski.  (1/15)
Bruce Hollen.  (1/14)
Timothy Nall.  (1/9)
 
December 2024 (14)
Edward Monk.  (12/23)
Joshua Lough.  (12/22)
Ignazio Medina.  (12/20)
Anthony Odiong.  (12/19)
Vincent Bishop.  (12/9)
Arturo Alarcon.  (12/8)
Hunter Eubanks.  (12/7)
Roy Shoop.  (12/5)

November 2024 (19)
James McMillan.  (11/30)
Charles Sulivant.  (11/24)
Geoffrey Carter.  (11/22)
John Radcliff.  (11/21)
Garrett Harmon.  (11/20)
Edward R. Monk.  (11/16)
George Bell.  (11/14)
Jose Mora.  (11/13)
William Pounds.  (11/12)
Charles Randall.  (11/9)
Jackson Gatlin.  (11/7)
Charles Goff.  (11/1)

October 2024 (25)
Stephen Johnson.  (10/27)
Josh Howerton.  (10/26)
Craig Stone.  (10/26/2024)
Steven Lawson. (10/25).  
Scott Crenshaw.  (10/25)
Byron Copeland.  (10/25)
Josiah Anthony.  (10/25)
Ronald Goines.  (10/24)
Tony Cammarota.  (10/24)
Robert Morris.  (10/24)
Mike Buster.  (10/23)
Tony Evans.  (10/23)
Terren Dames.  (10/23)
James Randolph.  (10/23)
Matt Queen.  (10/18)
Roy Shoop.  (10/12)
Gabriel Mills.  (10/3)

September 2024 (16)
John Raymond.  (9/27)
Juan Barrios.  (9/23)
Demiro Johnson.  (9/22)
Glen Dean McCoy.  (9/22)
James Swanson.  (9/21)
William Dunfee.  (9/21)
Steven Lawson.  (9/20)
Rocky Goodwin.  (9/19)
William Johnson.  (9/17)
Tim Ballard.  (9/13)