Category: Uncategorized

*Goldman Sachs became the first major Wall Street bank to close its operations in Russia.

* According to Bloomberg Economics, Russia’s GDP will drop about 9 percent this year.

* “Western policymakers must consider the circumstances that Russia needs in order to confidently deescalate this situation. This is an exquisitely delicate moment. Among Ukraine’s Western supporters, the temptation toward triumphalism will be difficult to reject, but cooler heads must prevail.”–Brad Slager, RedState.

* Timing always matters: The only Western leader who Vladimir Putin respected and took seriously was Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor who speaks Russian.

* “Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine spells bad news for his regime. … As the war drags on, the danger to Putin’s reign will come chiefly from three quarters: the oligarchs, the military and those whom we call ‘ordinary Russians.’”–Leon Aron, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of “Yeltsin.”

* The Progressive Caucus has made it clear that executive orders should be a major, strategic part of the calibration for Democratic policies and pragmatism. Not just to punish Russia over Ukraine—but for gut domestic issues such as voting rights, police reform and immigration. “There are a lot of areas where if we don’t get legislation, the Administration can take action to help move us more quickly towards the goals that we’re working on,” underscored Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus.

* The W.H.O. said it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to booster doses of vaccine amid the global spread of omicron.

* The TSA is extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for another month.

* According to the CDC, COVID-19 is one of the top 10 causes of death for children aged 5 to 11.

* “Children are at a lower risk than adults, but they’re certainly not at no risk. We have a safe and effective vaccine with a very low risk of adverse outcomes.”–Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, University of Florida pediatrician and epidemiologist.

* Florida positivity rate: 2.4 percent. Hillsborough positivity rate: 2.9 percent.

* Florida hospitalizations: 1,444, a 31 percent decrease from the previous week. Tampa Bay hospitalizations: 216, a 33 percent decrease from the previous week.

* An ironic upshot of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that it has been enabling a moreunited Europe against the Putin playbook. One notable sign: Switzerland, the avatar of neutrality, is freezing Russian financial assets.

* As the world—not just NATO—watches the wanton destruction and tragedy in Ukraine, there is more than a hint, thanks to Vladimir Putin, that there could be a nuclear subplot. Would he really—out of innate belligerence or unhinged panic—push a button that would more than reset Europe? Is he just the ultimate autocratic, land-grabbing punk—or could this get existential?

It reminds me of a Cold War-era cartoon that focused on a dare-devil, “chicken” auto confrontation of two macho types. While headed directly at each other at high speeds, it became a matter of who would turn off first to avoid a fatal collision. One way for a driver to sow uncertainty and fear and possibly gain an edge on a rival: being seen by witnesses and the opponent quaffing some pre-“chicken” liquor and keeping the bottle in the front seat.

The principals then were an American president (John F. Kennedy) and a Soviet general secretary (Nikita Khrushchev). That could also have relevance for President Biden and NATO, as they try to sanely end an unconscionably cruel invasion by what amounts to a vodka-swilling Putin.

* Disney has announced a Florida political donation pause while it increases its support for various advocacy groups. The pivot was prompted by the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Disney CEO Bob Chapek labeled it “a challenge to basic human rights.” Previously, Disney or its subsidiaries had been making campaign contributions to all of the sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill.

* Florida lawmakers have agreed that those (12) school districts (including Hillsborough) that imposed mask mandates during the pandemic last year will not be eligible to receive “school recognition” grants that reward schools that perform well. The (55) school districts that never required masks will divide up $200 million set aside for the Florida School Recognition Program. Recipient schools can use the grant for teacher bonuses, school supplies and other education expenses to improve student performance. “This is just an opportunity for us to reward those school districts that followed the law,” explained House Appropriations chairman Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City.

It was also, alas, another opportunity for Ron DeSantis-fawning legislators to hold students and teachers in certain districts hostage to a heavy-handed, faux-freedom, partisan agenda.

* “You can’t do one without the other. … It kind of negates the impact.”–Jonathan Webber, deputy director of (the environmental advocacy group) Florida Conservation Voters, on how Florida’s plan to address climate change by adapting to rising seas does not include cutting the emissions that cause them.

* Amazon U: Amazon has announced partnerships with 140 colleges and universities—including nine in Florida—to fully fund tuition and fees for employees. It will, in effect, underwrite professional development and career advancement. Call it enlightened self-interest on the part of Amazon. It helps recruiting and retention, especially in a protean labor market blindsided by the pandemic.

* According to a (2018) Florida Sports Foundation Study, MLB spring training in Florida generates a statewide economic impact of $687 million.

* Publix is the only Florida company to make Fortune Magazine’s top 50 list of the world’s most admirable companies. Publix ranked 42^nd. Maybe it would have been ranked even higher were it not for corporate campaign donations to Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott. BTW, Fortune’s Top 5: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Pfizer and Disney.

* Major League Baseball announced it’s creating a $1 million fund to support Florida (and Arizona) spring training workers in financial need. The MLB Players Association also has announced a ($1 million) relief fund. That’s the right–and smart–thing to do. It diverts attention from a business that pays a $700,000 minimum wage in a pandemic-blindsided economy.

* The American Rescue Plan has delivered $2.4 billion to Florida colleges, universities and students to help weather the pandemic. Regional beneficiaries of ARP funds: Erwin Technical College ($4.1 million); University of Tampa ($18.4 million); Pasco-Hernando State College ($24.7 million); St. Petersburg College ($50.3 million); Hillsborough Community College ($63.9 million); and the University of South Florida ($102.2 million).

* The Florida Legislature has included $75 million in the ($112 billion) state budget for the USF Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences (EOS). “It’s going to impact not only St. Petersburg but Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay region and coastal communities throughout Florida and the world,” said USF St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock. In short, it’s a big deal on a lot of levels, including helping elevate USF’s stature as a Preeminent State Research University.

* TIA’s new 9-story SkyCenter One office building is leased at 88 percent capacity.

* “Special operation”: How the Russian state media characterizes the Ukraine invasion.

* The New York Times is the first major American news organization to pull staff out of Russia, in response to that country’s crackdown on journalism.

* “As always, polling continues to be of limited utility when deciding complex questions that require actual knowledge of, and proper weighing of, the implied costs and benefits.”–Kyle Smith, The National Review.

* “Justice is a big rug. When you pull it out from under one person, a lot of others fall too.”–The late, celebrity-journalist Dorothy Kilgallen.

* Budtenders: Great name for grass roots, weed shop workers.

* What can really be frustrating is looking up a word to avoid a misspelling. That’s because it really helps to be able to correctly spell it to find it in quick fashion. Thank you, Spell Checker.

* “Critical Race Theory” has a built-in, subjective-sounding target: “theory.” Game on. How about “Critical Race Reality”? Those familiar with U.S. history have seen how race has played out in America from the indigenous to the slaves.

* Front door: “Everyone on the premises is a vegetarian except the dog.”

* “I’m coming back for my 23^rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business.”–That was Tom Brady, announcing that he will play another season for the Bucs. Two quick takeaways. No more Deshaun Watson–he of sexual-assault baggage–speculation. And a vote of confidence in the 2022 Bucs.

* “It’s first and foremost about engagement and connection for the entire USF community.”–Will Weatherford, USF Board of Trustees chairman, on the priority of an on-campus football stadium.