This just in from NASA: Last month, the globe experienced an extreme phenomenon referred to in the technical literature as “heat,” shown in this satellite image:

According to LiveScience, “Dark red shows areas where 2006 land surface temperatures were up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than recent years. Air temperatures in many parts of the United States soared to or past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands experienced their hottest July on record, reported the Associated Press and United Press International.”

Somehow the map doesn’t capture the agony of living without air conditioning.