Good God! It was already 95 degrees when we left the house this morning, and we’re heading towards a whopping 116 today. I think it goes without saying that this time of year is NOT the reason why people live in Arizona.

* The heat is also definitely on in California, where firefighters are battling two huge wildfires. And the weather sure ain’t cooperating.

* On days like this, it might be interesting to check this out and see if it really works.

* It looks like a long hot summer for the law enforcement folks here in Phoenix, who now believe they have not one, but two serial criminals loose. It also appears a similar situation exists in the nation’s capital as well. (Both links courtesy of Drudge.)

* Things are pretty hot in the Middle East as well. Pajamas Media is all over the story, with hot links covering almost every angle. They’re 24×7, so go there and just hit refresh for the latest. I find both Iran’s and Syria’s responses quite intriguing – for all Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s bluster, when the bombs started falling, he’s still blustering, but supporting only behind the scenes. And now both Syria and Saudi Arabia are calling for Hezbollah restraint.

Translation: Hezbollah took Syria and Iran by surprise in escalating all this with Israel before they were militarily ready. Question is: will Israel take advantage of this, or will they stop once Hezbollah is neutralized? That’s the great question…

…still, TKS manages to find some humor amidst a very dangerous situation.

* And things could be getting hotter between India and Pakistan. Pajamas Media also has the latest on the Mumbai bombings – seems India is now blaming rogue, possibly al-Qaeda, elements in the Pakistani secret service (ISI) for the carnage.

* Who else is feeling the heat today? My guess is that today’s round at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic is the most important round in Michelle Wie‘s marketing future. Yesterday she put up a big number, and has no chance to make the cut. If she goes low today, she saves a little face; if she puts up another big number, my guess is she’s toast as far as future men’s tour invites go – at least until she proves she can win on the ladies’ tour.

UPDATE 07/15/06: Well, after shooting 2 over par on the front 9, the child prodigy quit, complaining of stomach pains and heat exhaustion. OK, let this be a lesson to you, Michelle – you wanna play with the big boys, you gotta suffer with the big boys. There’s no room for kids out opn the PGA Tour (right, Ty Tryon?), no matter how talented you might be. A word of advice: stay in school, work on your game, play a ladies’ tour event or two for the next couple of years, then come out when you’re an adult. You’re already well on your way to being over-exposed, why don’t you say you give everyone a break and take some time to grow up. You’ve got a long, prosperous life ahead of you, why rush it?

UPDATE 07/15/06 Part II: The AP’s Nancy Armour says Wie’s critics are too hard on her and just don’t get it. Well, Nancy, let me put you straight: you can’t play ball with the big boys and expect special dispensation from criticism. That’s the way life is. If Wie can’t take the pressure being put on her, she only has to look in the mirror to see why she’s opened herself up to that kind of criticism – you can’t have it both ways. Judging from her comments following her last several tournaments (i.e., all the breaks are going against her, she’s playing well, etc.) she’s still got a lot of growing up to do. Which is OK – she’s only 16, for God’s sake. But even 16-year olds with almost unlimited talent and a future ahead of her need to recognize their place in an adult world. She’s shown so far she can’t do that yet, which given her age is not her fault. But Nancy, give the rest of us a break and don’t put the blame on us.

* Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that prayers continue for Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner whose once-hopeful prognosis turned for the worse the other day. Seems he had a good day yesterday, but his outlook remains uncertain, at best. Hang in there, Barbaro…