Hurricane Milton strikes
Still assessing the damage from Milton. There were a few main sources of destruction including Milton's wind; the wind from tornados spawned by Milton; the flooding caused by Milton's storm surge. It does seem like Tampa was not hit quite as hard as it might have been as the storm seemed to track just slightly further south than predictions. Of course those are still populated areas but not as densely populated as Tampa and probably have slightly better shore structure to withstand and drain out storm surge than Tampa does. We may look back on this as "terrible and destructive, and yet not as bad as it could have been."
As of Thursday morning, the storm has moved off the east coast of Florida and the state is no longer under a hurricane warning.
As I write this before 6 AM MT, the extent of the flooding is still not known because so many roads are impassable. I hear on the news that the sheriff's office in Tampa will have a helicopter up soon and that will provide more information. By the time you read this, probably a fair bit more will be known.
Also as I write this, over 3 million Floridians are without power. Interesting web page: Florida Power Outages Map
There are definitely deaths from the storm but it's too early to say how many. That said, it did seem like most people who should have evacuated did evacuate so I hope the number will be quite low compared to the usual population that would normally be in the path of the storm. Over 7 million people were under evacuation orders: Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida as Category 3 storm | AP News
This is about a tornado:
More coverage
The fabric roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, is gone:
Here's how stupid some Americans are, including a member of Congress who is a national embarrassment.
THANK YOU
to everyone who joined me for a beer last night at Papa's Public House (very cool new sports bar near Quebec and County Line in Centennial.) We had probably 30 folks show up for beer, food, and brownies and cake from Masterpiece Cakeshop. (Yes, I drove over there earlier in the day and had a nice talk with Jack Phillips.) Given that I've been pretty down this week after Reuben died, it was good for my soul to be with so many friends. One guy, upon hearing my distressing story about using the bidet-function toilet seat while on vacation in Colombia, gave me a pack of "Dude Wipes" as a birthday present. I was literally laughing out loud. Another guy gave me a fabulous barrel-aged stout beer that I can't wait to try, and a friend brought a memorial candle for Reuben and a ridiculous birthday card that says "Happy Birthday Forever" and when you press the little button, it starts singing a birthday song (but not the traditional one)...and it doesn't stop for hours. I just let it play but my friend told me later that many people resort to trying to tear it open to get at the battery and inside is a whole bunch of glitter that gets released into your room when you tear the card open. Fortunately I didn't, but wow that's funny. Again, that's to everyone who came to spend time with me and other KOA listeners. I really do have wonderful listeners and I'm grateful for you all.
WATCH IT
I don't say this very often because usually my videos at the end are "light entertainment" designed to brighten your day (or maybe not) but aren't necessarily important. But I think my last video in today's blogcast, even though it won't change your life, is one of the best things I've ever seen on TikTok (not that I see much on TikTok since I don't have the app or an account.)
Just One Thing: Trump's excellent tax idea
Let’s talk about an interesting statement by Donald Trump yesterday: he’s calling to end double-taxation of Americans living overseas. The US is the only big country that taxes its citizens who live overseas on their overseas income. As the Wall Street Journal put it, an American living in Paris would owe tax to France and to the US but a French citizen living in Denver would only owe taxes to the US. We don’t know all the details yet but it’s an interesting play for overseas American voters. Some of Donald Trump’s economic ideas aren’t great, but this is a great one.
Exclusive | Trump Pledges to End ‘Double Taxation’ of Americans Abroad - WSJ
Today's Guests
Brian Rosenwald is an author, political analyst, and Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. We'll discuss the evolution of the talk radio industry and the state of the presidential and senate races in Pennsylvania.
Senior Editor Made by History: About Made By History — Brian Rosenwald, PhD
Author: Talk Radio’s America
Political Analyst: The World According To Brian
Frank Locantore is Executive Director for the Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District. We'll discuss the massive "Bus Rapid Transit" reconfiguration of East Colfax Ave. What will it do? How much will it cost? Will it be financially self-sustaining? Where does it start and end? What will it mean for the businesses along Colfax?
Construction on Colfax BRT starts next week. Here’s what to expect (denverite.com)
Mark Donovan is founder of the Denver Basic Income Project. We'll discuss the project's future now that Denver has decided not to allocate future funding to it from the city's budget. (Much of it was privately funded already, but still this must be a significant hurdle, both financially and in terms of what it means about "buy-in" from folks who might support it.
Denver's basic income project in jeopardy after mayor cuts funding - Axios Denver
Other Stuff
Where are they getting the information? Porch Pirates Across the Country Target AT&T iPhones Delivered By FedEx - WSJ
Seems like good police work, and thank goodness for that: Afghan national plots election terror attack in US | Fox News
Don't put too much emphasis on one poll, but this headline is interesting: 10/9/24 - Swing State Poll 2024: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin: Blue Wall Shows Cracks As Race Tightens, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; U.S. Senate Races: Michigan Moves To Toss-Up, Dems Lead In PA & WI | Quinnipiac University Poll
Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania polling: Dems' Blue Wall blues (axios.com)
What are the implications for civil society, for well-informed voters, etc? TikTok users rely on content creators — not journalists — for news (axios.com)
This is not OK: Report: DEI Is Transforming the National Science Foundation | The Free Press (thefp.com)
This is also not OK: Insurance premiums rose 7% for families this year: KFF (axios.com)
This isn't entirely fair but it's funny...and, more seriously, if people come to believe that Harris is involved with prioritizing sending money outside the US over helping Americans, it won't go well for her or other Dems next month.
Truly amazing science: Press release: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 - NobelPrize.org
Today's Videos
The surveillance state has reached felines
One of the best things ever on TikTok