Category: Uncategorized

• “I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.”—the late British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.
• “We stand with the Cuban people as they bravely assert their fundamental and universal rights—as they all call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering.”—President Joe Biden.
• “The writing is on the wall. (Northern Ireland) is well on its way to having a Catholic majority. … One thing seems certain: There isn’t going to be a second centenary for Northern Ireland. It might not even last another decade.”—Susan McKay, author of “Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground.”
• “(China’s) government is openly appealing to American CEOs to lobby the Biden Administration to go softly on the China policy his administration is developing.”—William J. Holstein and Clyde Prestowitz, National Review.
• “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”—Frederick Douglas.
• “Racism isn’t an American phenomenon; it’s a human one.”—Jonah Goldberg, The Dispatch.
• “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”—George Orwell.
• “The last time the economy grew at this rate was in 1984, and Ronald Reagan was telling us it’s morning in America. Well, it’s getting close to afternoon here. The sun is coming out.”—President Joe Biden.
• “It is not a governable situation in D.C. right now for the president or for Congress, because you have the commitment of the Republican leader to block everything and let nothing get through.”—Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Nelson, who retired in 2012 after two terms. His upcoming memoir is titled “Death of the Senate.”
• “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.”—Hillary Clinton.
• “One simple question for climate-change skeptics: What is it about 121 degrees in Canada that you don’t understand?”—Eugene Robinson, Washington Post.
• “In an eerie sort of way, the debate about fixing the (Champlain Tower South) was a lot like the debate about fixing our climate: It’s all too easy to kick the can down the road, to minimize the scale of the risk we face, and to believe that even urgent warning signs can be ignored.”—Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone.
• “It’s nowhere near as bad as people thought.”—David Cole, national legal director of the ACLU, on the upshot of a Supreme Court with three Trump appointees.
• “This is really the next big piece of our transformational effort for intercity passenger rail across America.”—Amtrak president Stephen Gardner, on plans for a $7.3 billion upgrade to its rolling stock over the next decade.
• “The supposed boundaries between generations are no more meaningful than the names (“Boomers,” “Gen X,” “Millennials,” “Gen Z”) they’ve been given. … Worse than irrelevant, such baseless categories drive people toward stereotyping and rash character judgment.”—University of Maryland sociologist Philip N. Cohen.
• “Some of the hardest news I’ve ever had to deliver in my professional career.”—Miami-Dade Fire Chief of Operations Ray Jadallah, who announced the end of rescue efforts in the Champlain Tower South collapse.           

• While Joe Biden’s summit with Vladimir Putin saw no breakthroughs, the president’s Geneva press conference did yield some arched brows among the media. “To be a good reporter, you got to be negative,” said Biden to a CNN reporter who had surmised that nothing positive had resulted from the high-profile meet-up with Putin. “You got to have a negative view of life, it seems to me.” The president later apologized for being a “wise guy.”

But Biden’s point was more than a wise guy’s throw-away line. Professional, non-Fox journalists can’t be seen as cheerleaders if credibility still matters. The best do their due diligence and remain skeptics without morphing into cynics.

As Walter Cronkite once responded to a question about why the media seems so negative: “Nobody is interested in all the cats that did not get stuck in trees today.” The charge is to keep everything in context, don’t become an appeaser or a follower, and let the facts ultimately speak for themselves. Most “wise guys” would agree.

• “With millions of people relying on the Affordable Care Act for coverage, it remains, as ever, a ‘BFD.’ And it’s here to stay.” That, of course, was President Joe Biden on the most recent SCOTUS ruling upholding the ACA. “BFD” was a Biden hot mic moment in 2010. Yes, we know what it stands for.
• If House Dems have their way—with a Senate where they have the tie-breaker—there’s a   likelihood that a resolution to expel Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol could succeed. It would also include replacing the bust of Roger B. Taney, the chief justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision, with one honoring Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy waxed snarky when he noted that all of the Confederate statues up for removal are of (back-in-the-day) “Democrats.”

• Russian President Vladimir Putin says he backs measures to pressure his people into getting vaccinated—as the pandemic spreads in Russia.
• “For a year and a half, (the WHO) have been stonewalled by China, and it’s very clear they won’t get to the bottom of (the coronavirus origin).”—Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights at Georgetown University.
• The Maldives and San Marino are explicitly pitching themselves as destinations for, yes, vaccine tourism.
• The CDC has identified about 1,000 counties where fewer than 30 percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
• According to a Washington Post/ABC poll, 74 percent of people who haven’t been vaccinated say they probably or definitely won’t get vaccinated.
• “When you talk about the avoidability of hospitalization and death, it’s really sad and tragic that most all of these are avoidable and preventable.” That was Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert.
• The number of people flying each day has regained 80 percent of its pre-COVID levels.
• Unemployment rate: It rose from 5.8 percent in May to 5.9 percent in June. Despite the job market’s steady gains, unemployment remains well above the 3.5 percent rate that prevailed before the pandemic.
• Nevada: Currently reporting the highest-in-the-nation rate of new COVID-19 cases—with almost 112 new cases per 100,000 residents. The update comes as Las Vegas is seeing a surge in visitors.
• Six firefighters—part of the Surfside search-and-rescue crews—have tested positive for COVID-19.

• Miami-Dade and Broward are the only counties that require high-rises to go through a re-inspection after they reach 40 years of age. And, across the state, there is no requirement to probe beneath the surface and beyond what is visual to the eye.
• When President Joe Biden visited the site of the Surfside condo collapse, he and Gov. Ron DeSantis met with victims’ families and first responders and attended a joint briefing on the rescue efforts, including federal aid. They are polar political and ideological opposites and likely don’t much like each other, but the optics of empathy, unity and cooperation were welcome. Having said that, “infrastructure” surely came up.

BTW, the DeSantis Administration was reportedly less than pleased that Donald Trump didn’t delay his Fourth of July weekend Sarasota rally—across the state from where a tragic disaster has been unfolding. DeSantis had originally planned to attend.

• Gov. Ron DeSantis surprised a number of lawmakers by vetoing a Senate bill that would have paved the way for thousands of juveniles to have their criminal records erased after completing a behavioral diversion program.

“I am frankly dumbfounded. … I don’t understand why you wouldn’t give an opportunity to a kid to remake their life.” That was Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat, who co-sponsored the Senate bill.

• Thanks to a legal technicality, not innocence, Bill Cosby is now out of jail—having morphed from “America’s dad” to “America’s predator.” Cosby’s off-stage and off-camera MO was drugging and sexually violating women. But there’s another, ironic, aspect to Cosby’s outing, downfall and imprisonment. He also betrayed a society that needed prominent African-Americans as mainstream role models. Not only was he a saluted, beloved father figure on TV, his stand-up routines and comedy albums were G-rated. He never trafficked in off-color material, whether sexual or racial. His appeal was in finding common-ground humor–think Noah’s Ark or “Fat Albert”–that was universal, regardless of race. He should have been a well-timed, appreciated American icon and hero—instead of a societal monster on the prowl.
• “Too many columns are less sober analyses than snarky stand-up acts or primal screams. The stand-up and the screams sell.”—Frank Bruni, New York Times.
• Too bad the mainstream media became early enablers of the anti-ACA pushback by adopting the demonizing, anti-presidential, eponymous label of “Obamacare.”
• Gluttony as sport: Enough coverage of the annual Nathan’s (somehow) Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on Coney Island. Cornhole never looked so entertaining.

• Here’s a sure sign of a sports town–and it’s more than multiple championships and a “Champa Bay” moniker. In the Lightning’s case, it’s also about a sold-out Amalie Arena for a WATCH PARTY. “This town is a sports town…and I’m proud to be part of it,” underscored Bolts’ coach Jon Cooper.
• Baseball is back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. And the Rays organization will be well represented on the 24-man U.S. roster by pitchers Shane Baz and Joe Ryan. Both are currently with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham.
• Sha’Carri Richardson, an Olympic favorite in the women’s 100-meter dash, will not be competing in that event. She tested positive for marijuana. Marijuana?
• “If the (Rays’) bullpen goes south, the season will go south.” Rays TV analyst Brian Anderson.

• Florida resident Donald Trump played well, of course, to his Sunshine State base with his “Save America Rally” in Sarasota. During his 90-minute speech he tantalized his “Trump Won”-shouting fans with hints and teases that he’ll be topping the GOPster ticket again in 2024. “Together we will take back the House, take back the Senate and we will save America,” he said. He also worked in a reference to “the totally rigged and dishonest election,” a shout-out to Matt Gaetz, the denouncement of critical race theory, and criticism of the Biden Administration’s border policy as well as its tax hikes on those who pay too little. And he also underscored that he was still all in on fighting “the corrupt establishment” that didn’t include the Trump Organization’s indictment on tax fraud charges. Another day at the orifice.
• Some 10 percent of the defendants charged with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack are either military veterans or active-duty service members. Sobering.
• “The Biden Administration is spying on us.”—Fox News commentator and uber Trump sycophant Tucker Carlson.
• “Twenty-first century American media has some terrible flaws, no doubt. It too often chases clicks and gossip over substance, turns minutiae into mountains and shamefully gives a platform to proven liars.”–Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post.
• According to a WaPo/ABC poll, the divide on getting vaccinated falls sharply along party lines with 86 percent of Democrats having received at least one vaccine shot compared with 45 percent of Republicans.
• “The red states probably have a lot of people that are very, very conservative in their thinking, and they think, ‘Well, I don’t have to do that.’ But they’re not thinking right.” That was West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
• “In a rural state, in a conservative state, there is (vaccine) hesitancy. And you’re trying to overcome that.” That was Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

• “We live in an incredible universe. There’s all sorts of hypotheses that suggest that the three-dimensional universe which we live in isn’t quite so easy to explain.”—Luis Elizondo, former head of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.
• “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”—Former CIA Director John Brennan on UFOs.
• “I am calling on all states to stop denying—and start dismantling—racism.”—United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
• “I was shocked that she would accept something from Speaker Pelosi.”—House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s reaction to Nancy Pelosi naming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to a new select committee on the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.
• “No Republican will vote for human infrastructure legislation.”—Jonah Goldberg, The Dispatch.
• “How did politics become so sclerotic? … Sharp partisanship creates gridlock. Loose campaign finance rules let wealthy donors torpedo inconvenient legislation. And as the traditional news media gives way to social media, representatives talk more but do less.”—Northwestern University history professor Daniel Immerwahr.
• “Touting ingredients as ‘local’ and ‘sustainable’ sounds good, but those terms aren’t uniformly regulated.”—Helaine Olen, Washington Post.
• “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”—Toni Morrison.
• “It is long past time the United States recognized the contributions of black and indigenous soldiers to the founding of the nation. These troops represented one-quarter of the fighting strength of George Washington’s Continental Army by the march to victory in Yorktown in 1781.”—U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
• “Here’s the thing kids. There actually was a world before you got here. We date human events A.D. and B.C., but we need a third marker for millennials and Gen Z: B.Y. Before you.”—Comedian Kevin Hart.
• “If Republican lawmakers were interested in real intellectual diversity, they would welcome the teaching of critical race HISTORY, which provides a more accurate account of how American democracy long eviscerated citizenship rights of black folks and placed continuing barriers that hamper the ability of marginalized groups to achieve success.”—USF historian Steven F. Austin.
• “The old Marxism used class warfare to divide people. The new Marxism uses identity politics. But the goal is the same.”—Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
• “Unfortunately, now the norm (for university campuses) is, these are more intellectually repressive environments.”—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
• “We knew leisure travel would be the first to come back from the pandemic, but we were still surprised by the turnout. …People are coming from all over.”—Miguel Diaz, area director of sales and marketing for the Wyndham Grand on Clearwater Beach, where occupancy through July tops 95 percent.
• “We have a gang-violence problem in Tampa and Hillsborough County.”—Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller.
• “The Tampa swagger that I talked about for eight years is alive and well, and the world is paying attention.”—Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, in reference to a report from Resonance Consultancy, a tourism and economic development agency, that ranked Tampa as the best city in Florida—and number 23 nationally.
• “For many low-income families, broadband services and connected devices, like smartphones and laptops, are an unaffordable luxury, despite the fact that internet access can be considered a necessity.”—Stanley Gray, executive director of the Urban League of Hillsborough County.
• “Many people seem to think that the arts begin and end at the Straz Center and Tampa Museum of Art and Tampa Theatre, and there’s so much more to the arts here in Tampa that need to be seen.”—Tampa Arts Alliance co-founder and chairman Neil Gobioff.
• “I think the mayor has done a decent job. She’s listened to Council. I mean the way this council is set up, we question everything.”—Tampa City Council Chairman Orlando Gudes.
• “People follow what’s going on in sports, and they know that at least right now, Tampa Bay is kicking ass.”—Jeff Vinik.
• “You really have to immortalize the moment that you’re living. You just never know what those lasting images can create.”—Visit Tampa Bay president and CEO Santiago Corrada.
• “We’re a mid-size market, but when it comes to sports, we are top-tier.”—Former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

* “Afghans are going to have to decide their future.” Those who believe in self-determination surely agree with President Joe Biden. The president also promised Afghanistan’s top leaders a “sustained” partnership with the U.S.–as America winds down from its longest war. You don’t have to be a Republican, however, to perceive the administration’s challenge in threading this rhetorical, foreign-policy needle.

* It’s official, the UN General Assembly has again voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution calling for the U.S. to lift its Cuban embargo. The final, familiar tally: 184 in favor of lifting the embargo and two “no” votes, courtesy of the U.S. and Israel. There were also three abstentions: Colombia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. Bottom line: if “America is back” and truly in sync with our allies and what is geopolitically and morally right, we would have sided with 184 other countries.

* President Biden is pushing an anti-crime strategy in the wake of a spike in homicides across the country—notably cracking down on gun stores that don’t follow federal rules. A related, lower-profile priority is Biden’s goal to reduce recidivism by opening opportunities to those leaving prison—including hiring more of them in federal jobs. Biden also wants to offer additional federal housing vouchers for former prisoners. It’s not just the right thing to do; it’s in the enlightened self-interest of society. Re-integrating former felons impacts all of us.

* “I do trust the president.”–Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

* According to the Democratic data firm Catalist, Donald Trump made bigger gains with nonwhite voters in 2020 than he did among white voters without a college degree. That has to be addressed to build on the Biden election and to counter the Trump base that isn’t, alas, going away.

It’s no secret that the progressive and liberal-moderate wings of the Democratic Party need to wax pragmatic as well as idealistic. Progressives, in particular, have to ratchet up their appeal to black and brown voters, which isn’t always a given. “The median black voter is not A.O.C.,” underscored Stanford University political scientist Hakeem Jefferson.

* “I think when it comes to preserving democracy, I would suspend the filibuster because I think it’s essential.”–Former President Bill Clinton.

* Previous Biden Administration COVID goal: at least one vaccine dose to 70 percent of adults by July 4. New goal: ensuring that 70 percent of Americans age 27 and up receive at least one shot by July 4.

* The vaccination pace has slowed notably since mid-April, when more than 3 million shots per day were being given. Approximately 1 million shots a day were administered in the last week.

*Iceland, the island nation with a population approximating Tampa’s, is abolishing all domestic COVID-19 restrictions. Icelandic officials have reported that 87 percent of those 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose.

* “Breakthrough” infections in May in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s approximately 0.1 percent. In short, nearly all U.S. COVID deaths now are unvaccinated.

* Multiple surveys continue to find that about a third of Americans have no immediate plan to get vaccinated. The reasons vary from an exaggerated threat to immunity scenarios to “freedom” rationales. Obviously, no vaccine yet for vanity or stupidity.

* The Delta variant, the most transmissible variant out there, puts the non-vaccinated at an even greater risk.

* According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of miles driven decreased, yet traffic deaths rose 7 percent. It’s because of people driving faster on emptied highways.

* “The pandemic exacerbated all of the inequities we had in our country—along racial lines, health lines, social lines, economic lines. All of the drivers of gun violence pre-pandemic were just worsened last year.”–Shani Buggs, assistant professor with the University of California at Davis’ Violence Prevention Research Program.

* Missouri has the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections in the country. In a recent four-day period the number of new cases increased 72 percent.

* 6 billion: the number of meetings people joined using Google Meet from March 2020 to March 2021.

* In expectation of a post-pandemic nursing shortage, USF’s College of Nursing plans to boost its number of graduates by about 24 percent over the next two to three years.

* The first cruise to depart a U.S. port with passengers in 15 months: Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge cruise ship—from Port Everglades. The ship, with a capacity of 2,900, departed at 40 percent capacity. Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, requires passengers to be vaccinated on cruises OUTSIDE of Florida. Those departing from Florida, said Celebrity Cruises, will have at least 95 percent of passengers and crew vaccinated.