{"id":10988,"date":"2025-11-01T20:02:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T00:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=10988"},"modified":"2025-11-01T20:02:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T00:02:43","slug":"stick-to-baseball-11-1-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/01\/stick-to-baseball-11-1-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Stick to baseball, 11\/1\/25."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My ranking of the top 50 free agents this offseason will run on Monday over at the Athletic, and I\u2019ll do a Q&amp;A that day or the day after, depending on my schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over at Endless Mode, I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.endlessmode.com\/tabletop\/board-games\/leaders-board-game-review\">reviewed the new two-player game Leaders<\/a>, which is pretty meh in his basic mode but really shines in expert mode, where players get to draft the character tokens they\u2019ll use in the game versus the semi-random setup in the original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And now, the links\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Longreads first: ProPublica goes deep on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/paul-newby-north-carolina-supreme-court\">the delusional born-again Christian in charge of the North Carolina Supreme Court<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The best piece I\u2019ve read this week, and one of the best all year, is this <em>New York Times<\/em> investigative report on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/26\/magazine\/sex-trafficking-girls-la-figueroa.html\">the underpowered fight against sex trafficking on Figueroa Street in Los Angeles<\/a>. It\u2019s a very humanist look at the real victims here, the trafficked girls, and how they end up coerced into sex work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Suriname has long been a carbon-negative country, as the nation\u2019s share of the Amazon rain forest absorbs more carbon dioxide than the poor population of the country can produce. That may change as <a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/international\/suriname-offshore-oil-energy-transition\/\">the country pursues an offshore oil-drilling initiative<\/a>, claiming they\u2019ll use the funds to build a sustainable green economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Salon\u2019s Amanda Marcotte explores <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2025\/10\/22\/how-the-proud-boys-invented-antifa\/\">how the far-right group the Proud Boys invented antifa<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Radley Balko explores how false accusations of child molestation destroyed a preschool teacher\u2019s life, <a href=\"https:\/\/radleybalko.substack.com\/p\/accusing-jordan-silverman\">even after they were ruled unfounded.<\/a> Jordan Silverman ended up losing custody of his sons and saw his health and career wrecked by the allegations and vindictive parents who wouldn\u2019t accept the official ruling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Intercept reports on <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/10\/23\/charlie-kirk-meme-arrest-tennessee-larry-bushart\/\">a Tennessee man who was jailed for posting memes<\/a> mocking murdered right-wing demagogue Charlie Kirk. The great Phil Williams of News Channel 5 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newschannel5.com\/news\/newschannel-5-investigates\/tennessee-sheriff-defends-jailing-liberal-activist-for-posting-trump-meme-about-school-shooting\">interviewed the sheriff involved<\/a>, who did not acquit himself well and seems unaware of what the Constitution says.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Videos circulating online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/30\/world\/africa\/sudan-el-fasher-atrocities-executions-video.html\">appear to show mass executions in Sudan\u2019s Darfur region<\/a> after the Rapid Support Forces, a breakaway faction of the country\u2019s military, took control. Yale\u2019s Humanitarian Research Lab estimates that <a href=\"https:\/\/yaledailynews.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/31\/yale-lab-reports-mass-killings-in-sudan-calls-for-student-activism\/\">the RSF killed 10,000 people in three days<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The BBC looks at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cwypqg8vnleo\">the probably stolen election in Cameroon<\/a>, where dictator Paul Biya, who has ruled the African nation for 43 years, claimed victory and a new term that will run until he\u2019s 99 years old. An opposition leader who also claimed victory has led the country, and there have been protests for at least the last three days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The lab-leak conspiracy theory was already dead, but here\u2019s another nail for its coffin: Scientists found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/global-health\/science-and-disease\/new-covid-virus-with-furin-cleavage-site-found-in-wild-braz\/\">another Covid virus in Brazilian bats<\/a>, proving that the mutation that allowed SARS-CoV-2 to infect humans is a natural phenomenon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The Guardian<\/em> obtained a leaked document showing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/oct\/25\/amazon-datacentres-water-use-disclosure\">Amazon sought to hide how much water its data centers use<\/a>. Crypto, AI, they\u2019re all disasters for the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/cold-and-flu\/flu-shot-side-effects-vaccine-ingredients-what-know-rcna239418\">Get your flu shot<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bacteria <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/resistant-bacteria-are-advancing-faster-than-antibiotics\/\">are evolving to become resistant to antibiotics faster<\/a> than we\u2019re developing the drugs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meanwhile, Florida is trying to kill its own citizens by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/2025\/10\/30\/doctors-muffled-as-florida-moves-to-end-decades-of-childhood-vaccination-mandates\/\">ending all childhood vaccination mandates<\/a>. It took less than a year for rollbacks in vaccination rates and mandates to lead to measles outbreaks. Florida is going to be the epicenter of outbreaks of multiple diseases within the next twelve months, and there\u2019s no keeping them within the state\u2019s borders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I mentioned last week how Indiana University had shut down its student newspaper because the paper dared to print the news. Many alumni <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indystar.com\/story\/news\/education\/2025\/10\/27\/iu-alumni-pull-donations-over-ids-student-newspaper-censorship-claims\/86851411007\/\">pulled their donations<\/a> in response, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idsnews.com\/article\/2025\/10\/indiana-daily-student-ids-iu-print-paper-david-reingold\">the school relented<\/a>. You have the power to do something, somewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Middlebury College student Lia Smith, a trans woman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/story\/lia-smith-middlebury-college-vermont-missing-cause-of-death\">was found dead last week<\/a> after she committed suicide. Middlebury had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.assignedmedia.org\/breaking-news\/transgender-student-athlete-lia-smith-remembered\">kicked her off their swimming and diving team<\/a> as they complied in advance with the Administration\u2019s war on trans people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A white man in Alabama <a href=\"https:\/\/www.al.com\/crime\/2025\/10\/alabama-man-accused-of-threatening-synagogues-planned-to-shoot-it-out-with-police-sheriff-says.html\">planned attacks on multiple synagogues and possibly public figures<\/a>, and then planned to commit suicide by cop, according to officials involved in his arrest this past week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The Guardian<\/em> also has the details on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/money\/2025\/oct\/26\/crash-for-cash-insurance-fraud-scam-moped-riders\">a maybe-new scam<\/a> where moped riders bump a potential mark\u2019s car and then demand to see the victim\u2019s driver\u2019s license and\/or insurance documents so they can open up new insurance policies in the victim\u2019s name and submit bogus claims. I say \u201cmaybe-new\u201d because this sounds like a twist on several other scams involving staged accidents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John Roberts\u2019 legacy as Chief Justice may be determined by one ruling he made in 2024 \u2013 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harvardmagazine.com\/legal\/supreme-court-chief-justice-john-roberts-trump-united-states\">it\u2019s probably not the legacy he thinks he\u2019ll leave<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Board game news: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/flatoutgames\/cascadia-alpine-lakes\">The Kickstarter for Cascadia: Alpine Lakes<\/a>, a standalone follow-up to the Spiel-winning Cascadia, is already over $200K and has a month to go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/druidcitygames\/wonderlands-war-duel?\">The Kickstarter for Wonderland\u2019s War Duel<\/a>, a two-player version of the acclaimed (and very hard to find) 2022 game Wonderland\u2019s War, has just five days left.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My ranking of the top 50 free agents this offseason will run on Monday over at the Athletic, and I\u2019ll do a Q&amp;A that day or the day after, depending on my schedule. Over at Endless Mode, I reviewed the new two-player game Leaders, which is pretty meh in his basic mode but really shines [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[899,821,1083,1162,113,959,160,1375,190,961,531,1438,1306,870,1044,1239,807],"class_list":["post-10988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-africa","tag-anti-science","tag-board-game-news","tag-coronavirus","tag-environment","tag-first-amendment","tag-health","tag-indiana","tag-links","tag-longreads","tag-north-carolina","tag-scams","tag-scotus","tag-stick-to-baseball","tag-tennessee","tag-trans-rights","tag-vaccines","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10988"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10989,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988\/revisions\/10989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}