I’m glad I don’t live in Florida

Governor DeSantis is terrible.

The GOP won’t do anything about climate change. Some insurance companies won’t write new policies in Florida because of climate issues.

DeSantis' Florida is going to harm entire GOP next year:
– 6 week abortion ban
– barbaric treatment of immigrants
– soaring inflation
– collapse of home insurance market
– fascistic "Florida Guard"
– weakening of public education
– scaring businesses away

Huge problems for GOP. https://t.co/Mn1YUmz6VT
— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) July 15, 2023

Holy shit, he really is trying to build his own army. —

“Veterans quit @RonDeSantis' Florida State Guard, citing militia-style training”

via @lmower3 of @TB_Times https://t.co/ZFTSmTpM3i
— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) July 14, 2023

Florida has become not where “woke” died but rather where empathy, decency and kindness go to die. And it also is killing their economic future https://t.co/snTIg0QDFF
— Jennifer Now at Threads Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) July 14, 2023

Today's news out of Free Florida:

– The new Florida State Guard, which everyone was afraid would be turned into the DeSantis Brownshirts Brigade, just got revealed as that, attacking real military veterans for speaking out.

– AAA just pulled out of Florida's insurance market.
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) July 14, 2023

On Tuesday, Farmers Insurance informed the state it was dropping home, auto and umbrella policies across Florida, potentially affecting tens of thousands of people. https://t.co/auZ7ED1UTU by @harrisalexc @lmower3
— Ana Ceballos (@anaceballos_) July 11, 2023

Florida is a failed state.

It is the inflation hotspot of the United States while the national average has dropped to its lowest level in years.

Insurance companies are fleeing and consumers are being hit with skyrocketing costs.

Rent prices are through the roof.

There is a…
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 15, 2023

We are witnessing the complete collapse of the property insurance market in Florida after Tallahassee lawmakers gave insurers a $2 billion dollar taxpayer funded bailout. DeSantis is now telling Floridians to “knock on wood” and to “wait it out.” https://t.co/7WSxetAwIr
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) July 14, 2023

Why didn't he talk more about the 6-week ban https://t.co/hao7VE8VDI
— Marc Bodnick (@MarcBodnick) July 14, 2023

.@Domingotexas on new immigration law leading to a labor shortage in Florida: "When you use these immigrants as political piñatas to score points… you shoot yourself economically in the foot in Florida…" #TheReidOut pic.twitter.com/D0By5xc37w
— The ReidOut (@thereidout) July 7, 2023

Say you wanna kill Florida tourism without saying you wanna kill Florida tourism.

This is an insane law that will lead to out-of-staters with legally valid licenses being ticketed because of Ron DeSantis' vendetta against undocumented immigrants. https://t.co/t0ZccqUyX1
— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) July 8, 2023

Ron wants to make America Florida. Dictator Desantis comes with a cost. Inflation capital of the nation. https://t.co/5Jr7Hc9AxF
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) July 11, 2023

The DeSantis economy — his attacks on @Disney, LGBTQ people, women’s bodies, and books appear to be lowering tourist/convention revenue.

Note the severe drop in hotel room rates, down 20%, per @orlandosentinel: pic.twitter.com/lIhpHqKWQF
— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) July 7, 2023

If I give DeSantis a golf simulator, can I get a $92 million taxpayer-financed highway interchange too? https://t.co/HOMe5Mrp5w
— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 29, 2023

I think Coby Mayo will be a star for the Orioles

Coby Mayo should be a star for the Orioles. He is currently at Norfolk and should be in the majors in 2024. What I like the most about him is that he is putting up great numbers at age 21, several years younger than his peers.

He was the player of the month for June in the Eastern League for June and knocked in three RBI in his Norfolk debut. He is the #7 Orioles prospect and #76 overall by MLB Pipeline.

I think age is important. The best Orioles hitters of the last 40 years (Murray, Ripken, Machado) were all established, successful major leaguers by age 22. This bodes well for Mayo and really well for Jackson Holliday who will probably be in the majors by 2024. I think that Gunnar Henderson will be a better hitter than Adley Rutschman. They are doing similar things this year and Henderson is three years younger.

Only two current minor leaguers under the age of 24 meet all of the below thresholds.

100+ PA | 12+% BB | .300+ AVG | .400+ OBP | .300+ ISO

Coby Mayo #Birdland
Abimelec Ortiz #StraightUpTX

I'm guilty of underranking both, but both will make big jumps in my July rankings.
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) July 3, 2023

Get ready for @cobymayox's AAA debut tonight by watching this excellent swing break down with @AramLeighton8 on 'The Call Up'. Its not just physical tools that the Orioles are developing, this is what you call growth mindset in action. @BSLOnTheVerge https://t.co/r6mwVGvbwN
— Bob Phelan (@TheOrioleReport) July 14, 2023

Coby Mayo update:

73 games
.316 average
.431 OBP
1.059 OPS
29 doubles (leads all of MiLB)
17 home runs
14.5% BB rate
183 wRC+

The 21-year-old is 83% above league average against Double-A competition that's nearly three years older than him.
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@BSLOnTheVerge) July 4, 2023

How the Orioles helped rising prospect Coby Mayo harness his ‘insane raw power’ ahead of arrival at Low-A Delmarva

Coby Mayo's first AAA hit was a 111.6 MPH (2) RBI double.

Here is the Orioles leaderboard for MAX EV:

1. Henderson (113.8)
2. Santander (113.0)
3. Mateo (112.4) 😂😂
4. Mountcastle (112.2) ⚖️⚖️
5. McCann (112.1) 🤔🤔
6. MAYO (111.6) 🔥🔥

I wonder where he'll sit 100 hits in?
— O's Observations (@AngelusNovus3) July 15, 2023

Coby Mayo is such a beast at the plate. This is a potential 35+ HR bat that can also provide a solid AVG and OBP. He's inching closer and closer to my top-10 overall.#Birdland pic.twitter.com/O5XZapltAY
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) July 19, 2023

Jon Meoli: Coby Mayo’s maturity impressed a Major League mentor. Next up is figuring out Double-A. https://t.co/ztYQnT3XTN
— The Baltimore Banner (@BaltimoreBanner) April 17, 2023

Jon Meoli: Inside the meeting that transformed Orioles prospect Coby Mayo into the minors’ hottest power hitter.

Tweet on the film ‘Out of Sight’

‘Out of Sight’ is an excellent film adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel.

The best Elmore Leonard adaptation ever…and simply a great film. https://t.co/UTGuR6mnAT
— Tod Goldberg (@todgoldberg) July 1, 2023

Tweets on Black maternal death rates

A new study found maternal deaths across the U.S. more than doubled in two decades in unequal proportions and Black mothers died at the nation’s highest rates. https://t.co/3jSDz334Rz
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 3, 2023

The wealthier a mother is, the more likely they are to survive the first year after childbirth – unless she’s a Black woman, a January study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found.https://t.co/Y5Nd3cS2bb
— CNN (@CNN) June 25, 2023

Maternal death rates are on the rise in the U.S., spiking significantly in 2021, according to a recent report from the CDC. However, Black moms in particular are nearly three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. https://t.co/dzYDwDWSb3
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) June 15, 2023

Olympic champion Tori Bowie died of complications from childbirth. ⁦@jordan_mendoza5⁩ with details of this unspeakably sad story.
A reminder: The maternal death rate for Black women is 2.6 times what it is for white women. https://t.co/5O48CpztNM
— Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) June 12, 2023

Mississippi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country—and it’s getting worse. In 3 short years the mm rate for Black women increased from 51.9 deaths per 100K to 65.1. Compared 16.2 per 100K for White women in the state. It’s time to #SaveMississippi
— Mike Pence's Other Mother 🟧🟦 (@cooltxchick) April 17, 2023

Patricia Pouncey is raising her daughter’s 12 children — saying the pain of her loss has been made worse by confusion about what led to her daughter's death.https://t.co/BM7Ja8GBu4
— CNN (@CNN) April 16, 2023

Many moms and their partners are still suffering years — even decades — after nearly dying in childbirth. As the maternal health care system fails, Black families are falling through the cracks, struggling to cope with the trauma.

Here are their stories.https://t.co/jkhAiuiwxf
— Margo Snipe (@margoasnipe) April 13, 2023

In Opinion

“In the United States, we have a health care system that does not serve all populations equitably. Black women are more likely to bear the brunt of structural factors that limit access to care,” writes @NOLAobgyn. https://t.co/J36Y4mr954
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 16, 2023

Climate tweets – 7/14/23

bad news and warnings

Waiting for Republicans in this savage heat wave to connect the dots on climate. Given how party is paid for, gonna be a long wait.https://t.co/Gfegja2pxz
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) July 10, 2023

From @NOAA : "Approximately 40% of the global ocean is currently experiencing MHWs (marine heatwaves), which ranks 1st among all months since 1991."
And here is the forecast. Each color is an ocean, & graph shows % of the sea that will have heatwaves at given time points. pic.twitter.com/qZxNq9xPdQ
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) July 13, 2023

Deadly heat waves have swept the globe and will continue to because of climate change.

The trends are prompting doomsday questions: Will parts of the world soon become too hot to live in? How will we survive? https://t.co/TXNzwQRafh
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 12, 2023

When Climate Change Hits Home:
A dispatch from the flooded house of our new lead writer. https://t.co/MuM51qioEu from @nytimes
— Dan Froomkin (PressWatchers.org) (@froomkin) July 11, 2023

Catastrophic floods in the Hudson Valley. An unrelenting heat dome over Phoenix. Ocean temperatures hitting 90 degrees Fahrenheit off Miami's coast. A deluge in Vermont. These events are happening simultaneously as climate change fuels extreme weather. https://t.co/sdWBOLoUDU
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 10, 2023

Way too little attention in DC on the four hottest days in recorded history occurring consecutively all in one week. pic.twitter.com/9FOuCHOd5g
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) July 10, 2023

Analysis: It is not the case that everyone has accepted the reality of the warming climate. But it is the case that the arguments once lazily thrown out to deny that it was occurring have mostly vanished. https://t.co/h2RxBQsGGU
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 8, 2023

Africa just saw its hottest night ever recorded.

Adrar, Algeria's nighttime low was a searing 39.6°C (103.3°F) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZQxgmkH3UY
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 7, 2023

Majorities of U.S. adults say large businesses and corporations, state elected officials and the energy industry are doing too little to address climate change. https://t.co/4z7iDZXBKw pic.twitter.com/DvQFKwZ078
— Pew Research Science (@pewscience) July 7, 2023

Climate change, spelling hotter and wetter weather, is increasing the frequency and severity of storms. Maybe it’s altering clouds, too, writes columnist @HutzellRick. https://t.co/kLFExaRiNf
— The Baltimore Banner (@BaltimoreBanner) July 7, 2023

Oil industry rebuttal: 120 degrees may be uncomfortable, but you can't prove Phoenix is hotter than, say, 300,000 years ago. So, SHRUG https://t.co/zf9VebJogW
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) July 6, 2023

Lucinda Williams demos on YouTube

These include songs that later showed up on her albums.

More tweets on Covid and animals

A form of coronavirus is threatening Cyprus' cat population, and animal rescuers are racing to find a cure pic.twitter.com/9NmwS7nhTt
— CNN (@CNN) July 14, 2023

People spread the virus that causes Covid-19 to wild white-tailed deer in the United States more than 100 times in late 2021 and early 2022, according to a new study from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service https://t.co/Owh6p9Coqf
— CNN (@CNN) July 12, 2023

Zoo outbreak highlights human-to-animal COVID-19 risk

An outbreak of #COVID19 in gorillas and lions at the Rotterdam Zoo likely originated from people but spread animal-to-animalhttps://t.co/7yWNOM7XsW

Photo: Coen Versluis / Flickr cc pic.twitter.com/jXdaCR2bU4
— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) July 14, 2023

One of the ways new COVID variants may arise isn’t through human populations—it’s in other animals. https://t.co/CnJHBTpGLW
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 6, 2023

“But testing of wild animals is infrequent, and COVID-19 has likely impacted many more species, which emerging research is beginning to show.

‘I think the spread to wildlife animals is much wider than previously thought.’” https://t.co/5nRBubaDY2
— Laura Miers (@LauraMiers) July 12, 2023

More tweets on the Polo Grounds

I saw the Mets play there in 1962 and 1963.

Great view of Stan Musial at Polo Grounds pic.twitter.com/9JNNvmMlaz
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) July 9, 2023

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix)

Lou Brock warming up at the Polo Grounds, 1962 pic.twitter.com/yMj97Z3Ikh
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) July 5, 2023

There never will be another ballpark like Polo Grounds pic.twitter.com/fS49SrCkQ2
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) June 29, 2023

The Tri-Cornered Baseball Game at the Polo Grounds where the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants play each other in a six-inning contest to raise money for war bonds, June 26, 1940. pic.twitter.com/n18dJpmD38
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) June 26, 2023

No outfield wall and horse-drawn carriages at the 1905 World Series at the Polo Grounds where the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics were playing. pic.twitter.com/E4LhgKMqon
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) June 21, 2023

The crowd at the Polo Grounds for Game 6 of the 1923 World Series, October 15, 1923 pic.twitter.com/f2OPOF37H4
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) June 18, 2023

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A post shared by Ballpark Snaps (@ballpark_snaps)

When the Mets played their inaugural season at the Polo Grounds, their mascot was not the famous baseball-headed Mr. Met fans love today.
Their original official mascot was a floppy-eared beagle named Homer. 1962
Homer was trained by Rudd Weatherwax, the man who trained Lassie. pic.twitter.com/D104jzHff2
— Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) May 20, 2024

Tweets on limitations of Covid tests

We have often wondered if the rapid antigen tests didn't work very well on the latest variant. Turns out 90% of asymptomatic cases are missed by RAT. #covid #CovidIsntOver https://t.co/qjgM8hTwvH
— Paul Keeble ME/CFS/LC (@PaulRKeeble) July 12, 2023

At-home covid tests are less effective than previously thought, but that's not the same as saying they're useless. What it does indicate is we need better, more widely available tests. We have little idea how bad COVID is right now. @salon @nicolekarlis https://t.co/Xd4mDf9Krf
— ⬡:: troy/farah (@filth_filler) June 26, 2023

I remember QEMM

I got my first Windows computer in 1992. QEMM was a very effective memory management utility.