David Roberts, Once They Moved Like the Wind

I love the title of this book.

At Amazon, David Roberts, Once They Moved Like the Wind: Cochise, Geronimo, and the Apache Wars.

David M. Wrobel, Global West, American Frontier

Another excellent-looking book.

At Amazon, David M. Wrobel, Global West, American Frontier: Travel, Empire, and Exceptionalism from Manifest Destiny to the Great Depression.

Pat Condell Slams Patronizing Idiot Leftist Elites, Losers of the Brexit Vote (VIDEO)

So good.

So bloody good, as always.

Max Boot, Pseudo-Conservative Blogger at Foreign Policy, Making Outrageous Claim That the Entire Republican Party Has Been Taken Over by Racist Fringe

I gave up on Boot last year, when he published his notorious screed at the L.A. Times, about changing his party registration after Donald Trump won the GOP nomination.

He still blogs at Commentary as well, which is one reason I don't read the magazine as much as I used to. (That, and Noah Rothman, who I like, turned into some kind of angry, middle-aged, and very unpleasant curmudgeon.)

In any case, from Matthew Vadum, at FrontPage Magazine, "Max Boot's 'GOP is the White Nationalist Party' Smear."

Can't Get Over How Much Ivanka Looks Like Her Mom in This Photo

Here's the story, at NYT, "Ivanka Trump, Shifting Plans, Will Become a Federal Employee."

It's just the resemblance to her mom Ivana is uncanny.

Ivanka Trump is becoming an official government employee, joining her husband in serving as an unpaid adviser. https://t.co/HEcwwVh4ZE pic.twitter.com/p8VsiI2Whu

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) March 29, 2017

Heitkamp and Manchin Will Vote for Gorsuch

That's 54 votes for Gorsuch, counting the 52 seat GOP majority in the Senate.

Can Mitch McConnell round up another six seats?

At Instapundit.

I will vote for Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's my full statement: pic.twitter.com/pDdhde7mGF

— Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (@SenatorHeitkamp) March 30, 2017

Atlanta's Interstate Collapse: I-85 Closed After Fire; Traffic Congestion Headache Could Last Months (VIDEO)

Althouse has it, with all kinds of local links, "The I-85 bridge fire disaster."

It's lucky no one was killed, and I mean a freakin' miracle.

I watched earlier on CBS This Morning:

U.S. Military Escalation, Off the Radar

Following-up from last night, "U.S. War Footprint Grows in Middle East, With No Endgame in Sight."

At the Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration stops disclosing troop deployments in Iraq and Syria."

US won't announce or confirm info about troop numbers in Iraq & Syria "in order to maintain tactical surprise." https://t.co/CqMaoksRHO

— W.J. Hennigan (@wjhenn) March 31, 2017

Abigail Ratchford, Quiet in the Library

Well, we haven't visited with this young lady for a while. She's been keeping busy.

On Twitter:

Quiet in the library ; ) 📚 pic.twitter.com/7AxgubwLOn

— Abigail Ratchford (@AbiRatchford) March 29, 2017

Holy grail 👄 pic.twitter.com/GCAOQCNm8n

— Abigail Ratchford (@AbiRatchford) March 28, 2017

Shop Electronics, Computers, and Accessories

At Amazon, Computers and Accessories, Tablets, Laptops.

And, Get 30% or More Off on Selected External Hard Drives.

Plus, Shop Office Products and Supplies.

Also, Computer Games and Accessories.

BONUS: Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.

U.S. War Footprint Grows in Middle East, With No Endgame in Sight

Well, I think the endgame is the annihilation of the Islamic State, but how and when that's going to happen is another story.

At the New York Times:

The U.S. military is becoming more involved in a string of complex wars in the Middle East https://t.co/P6gACx0M7d

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 30, 2017

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The United States launched more airstrikes in Yemen this month than during all of last year. In Syria, it has airlifted local forces to front-line positions and has been accused of killing civilians in airstrikes. In Iraq, American troops and aircraft are central in supporting an urban offensive in Mosul, where airstrikes killed scores of people on March 17.

Two months after the inauguration of President Trump, indications are mounting that the United States military is deepening its involvement in a string of complex wars in the Middle East that lack clear endgames.

Rather than representing any formal new Trump doctrine on military action, however, American officials say that what is happening is a shift in military decision-making that began under President Barack Obama. On display are some of the first indications of how complicated military operations are continuing under a president who has vowed to make the military “fight to win.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the commander of United States Central Command, said the new procedures made it easier for commanders in the field to call in airstrikes without waiting for permission from more senior officers.

“We recognized the nature of the fight was going to change and that we had to ensure that authorities were down to the right level and that we empowered the on-scene commander,” General Votel said. He was speaking specifically about discussions that he said began in November about how the fights in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State were reaching critical phases in Mosul and Raqqa.

Concerns about the recent accusations of civilian casualties are bringing some of these details to light. But some of the shifts have also involved small increases in the deployment and use of American forces or, in Yemen, resuming aid to allies that had previously been suspended.

And they coincide with the settling in of a president who has vowed to intensify the fight against extremists abroad, and whose budgetary and rhetorical priorities have indicated a military-first approach even as he has proposed cuts in diplomatic spending...

The massive recent civilian causalities are extremely regrettable, and totally unacceptable. Otherwise, I'm really liking the growing footprint.

'Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball...'

From Monday afternoon's drive-time, at the Sound L.A., the Who, "Pinball Wizard":

In Your Eyes
Peter Gabriel
4:56 PM

Barracuda
Heart
4:51 PM

Walking On the Moon
The Police
4:46 PM

She's Not There
Santana
4:37 PM

My Sharona
The Knack
4:32 PM

Paint It Black
The Rolling Stones
4:28 PM

Blinded By the Light
Manfred Mann
4:21 PM

Kashmir
Led Zeppelin
4:13 PM

Burning Down the House
Talking Heads
4:09 PM

Low Rider
War
4:06 PM

Shake It Up
The Cars
4:03 PM

Have a Cigar
Pink Floyd
3:57 PM

I Won't Back Down
Tom Petty
3:55 PM

Pinball Wizard
The Who
3:52 PM

Who's Crying Now
Journey

Susan Sleeper-Smith, et al., Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians

I'm noticing this book especially because it's recent, just published in 2015.

And available at Amazon, Susan Sleeper-Smith, et al., Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians.

Whiteclay, Nebraska, Beer Portal to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

It's a tragic beer portal.

And interestingly, articles like this one, as true and tragic as they are, tend to perpetuate Native American stereotypes. Devon Mihesuah's work attempts to dispel such stereotypes, while others have argued that the reservation experience is the template for understanding the structural epistemology of American Indians.

In any case, at the New York Times, "Nebraska May Stanch One Town’s Flow of Beer to Its Vulnerable Neighbors":

A Nebraska town seems to exist only to sell beer to people like Tyrell Ringing Shield. https://t.co/cFpc1pVfm8 pic.twitter.com/cObFS4bgRo

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) March 26, 2017

WHITECLAY, Neb. — This town is a rural skid row, with only a dozen residents, a street strewn with debris, four ramshackle liquor stores and little else. It seems to exist only to sell beer to people like Tyrell Ringing Shield, a grandmother with silver streaks in her hair.

On a recent morning, she had hitched a ride from her home in South Dakota, just steps across the state line. There, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, alcohol is forbidden. In Whiteclay, though, it reigns supreme.

“You visit, you talk, you laugh, you drink,” said Ms. Ringing Shield, 57, as she stood on the sidewalk with friends, chain-smoked Montclair cigarettes and recounted her struggles with alcoholism, diabetes and cirrhosis. “It makes you forget.”

Now many residents of Nebraska and South Dakota are pushing for the liquor stores of Whiteclay to be shut, disgusted by the easy access to alcohol the stores provide to a people who have fought addiction for generations. The Nebraska authorities, in turn, have tightened scrutiny of the stores, which sell millions of cans of beer and malt liquor annually. Last year, for the first time, the state liquor commission ordered the stores’ six owners to reapply for their liquor licenses.

The fate of the stores could be decided next month, when the three-member commission holds hearings in Lincoln, the state capital.

The issue has left people in South Dakota and Nebraska deeply divided. Most agree that alcohol abuse on the reservation is an entrenched problem, but they are unsure of the solution — and who is responsible.

The grim scene in Whiteclay has scarcely changed for decades. Particularly in the warmer months, Native Americans can be seen openly drinking beer in town, often passed out on the ground, disheveled and ill. Many who come to Whiteclay from the reservation spend the night sleeping on mattresses in vacant lots or fields.

Even under the chill of winter, people huddle outside the liquor stores, silver beer cans poking from coat pockets. The street, busy with traffic from customers, is littered with empty bottles and scraps of discarded clothing.

“It promotes so much misery, that little town,” said Andrea Two Bulls, 56, a Native American on Pine Ridge, who added that she hoped the state would revoke the licenses. “My brother used to go to Whiteclay all the time, and we’d have to go look for him. People sit and drink until they pass out. They just succumb.”

Over the decades, there have been frequent protests outside the stores. Lawsuits against the retailers and beer distributors have been filed. Boycotts of brewers that sell to the stores have begun with enthusiasm. All those efforts have sputtered, though, and little has changed...

More.

Bill O'Reilly Apologizes for 'James Brown Wig' (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Maxine Waters and the 'James Brown Wig' (VIDEO)."

Watch, at Fox News, "A Congresswoman Attacks President Trump."

Maxine Waters and the 'James Brown Wig' (VIDEO)

Here's another faux racist incident, featuring another far-left nutjob, Rep. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles.

Apparently O'Reilly's apologized, but he shouldn't have had to. It's not racist to make a funny remark about someone's wig. And it is a "James Brown wig." He's absolutely right.

This is leftist thought control at its finest (or worst, depending on your perspective).

At USA Today, via Memeorandum, "Rep. Maxine Waters claps back at Bill O'Reilly after hair insult."

Linked there is Refinery 29 (more nutjobs), "This Is Why #BlackWomenAtWork Has Gone Viral."

Hannah Smothers, Feminist Psycho

These people are seriously weird.

And notice the woman's selfie with feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

At the Other McCain, "Feminist @HannahSmothers_ Confirms the Worst Stereotypes of Feminism."

Far-Left Nutjobs Chained Themselves to Plane at Stansted Airport to Thwart Deportation Flight

Well, I'm literally shaking my head at this.

At the Telegraph U.K., "Three held at Stansted Airport after deportation protesters lock themselves to plane."

There's a Facebook page, apparently, named "Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants."

These people are psycho.

More at Huck Magazine (whatever that is):

BREAKING: Activists are blockading Stansted runway to stop a mass deportation flight to Nigeria & Ghana taking off. https://t.co/9fSNOt2IJ3 pic.twitter.com/Dz7lqH3vmQ

— Michael Segalov (@MikeSegalov) March 28, 2017

Indonesian Man Swallowed by Python

Make that one hungry python. Damn!

At USA Today, "Indonesian farmer swallowed whole by 23-foot-long python."

A missing Indonesian man was found inside a massive python on the island of Sulawesi. https://t.co/fdfp0Yzt9X

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 29, 2017

CAUTION: It's pretty disturbing to watch.

Black Leftist April Ryan Shaking Her Head at Press Secretary Sean Spicer (VIDEO)

Spicer just mention she's shaking her head and all of a sudden this turns into a brutal racial beating, or something. It's like we're back at Selma.

At WaPo, via Memeorandum, "April Ryan on Sean Spicer's insulting behavior: 'I'll be back'."

Devon A. Mihesuah, American Indians

*BUMPED.*

This book even debunks some of the false memes radical Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz spews, for example, that epidemic disease was secondary, if not tertiary (or so on), to genocide in the conquest of American Indians.

At the top of my wish list, at Amazon, American Indians: Stereotypes & Realities.

Britain Initiates Formal Withdrawal from the European Union (VIDEO)

Free at last.

At the Los Angeles Times, "'Brexit' begins as Britain gives formal notice of withdrawal from the EU":

The formal two-year process governing Britain's departure from the European Union began in earnest Wednesday as a letter was delivered to the president of the European Council giving official notice that the country wishes to withdraw from the political and economic confederation.

The letter, signed by Prime Minister Theresa May and several pages long, will fundamentally shape the future of Britain and Europe for generations to come.

The letter was handed over by Sir Tim Barrow, Britain’s ambassador to the EU, and European Council President Donald Tusk released a brief statement on Twitter acknowledging receipt.

At a news conference in Brussels, Tusk appeared somber and said: "This is about damage control."

"Our goal is clear," he said. "To minimize the cost for the EU citizens, businesses and member states."

The move comes after the British public voted 52% to 48% last June, following a bruising referendum campaign, to leave the 28-member bloc after more than four decades.

During a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons minutes after the letter was delivered, May said this was a "historic moment from which there can be no turning back."

She struck a conciliatory tone and pledged to “get the right deal for every single person in this country." She also implored all sections of society, regardless of how they voted, to use this moment to unite.

"We can, together, make a success of this moment and we can, together, build a stronger, fairer, better Britain — a Britain that our children and grandchildren are proud to call home," she said...

More.

Bernard Bailyn, The Barbarous Years

At Amazon, Bernard Bailyn, The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America--The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675.

Dale L. Morgan, Jedediah Smith

At Amazon, Dale L. Morgan, Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West.

Ford Investing $1.2 Billion in Plants as Trump Touts Jobs — #MAGA!

President Trump gets results!

At Bloomberg.

Also, at WaPo, and Neil Cavuto below:

Trump said Ford will invest at three Michigan auto plants https://t.co/4I5dDnS9H1

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 28, 2017

In the Mail: Laura Kipnis, Unwanted Advances

This came today.

And available at Amazon, Unwanted Advances: Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus.

The book builds off the backlash to her 2015 essay, at the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Sexual Paranoia Strikes Academe."

See also the Chicago Tribune, "NU professor starts academic debate with controversial essay on sex."

And at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), "In Her Own Words: Laura Kipnis’ ‘Title IX Inquisition’ at Northwestern (VIDEO)."

I love this. I'll try to power this book down and post my own thoughts next week.

Adult Stars on the Beach

At WWTDD, "Porn Stars Back on the Beach (PHOTOS)":

Porn stars like Naomi Woods and Kate England are never exactly fit like regular models. There's some element of shying away from the crowded clubs. Also, tremendous self-loathing. You only wished dad wished you were a boy. These ladies are trying their damnedest to fit in. Maybe cut back on the ass in air poses. You're going to ruin romantic vacations for tons of men whose wives started staring at them funny...

Keep reading.

Chuck Berry's New Single, 'Big Boys' (AUDIO)

Chuck Berry's got a brand-new posthumous album coming out in June, available for pre-order at Amazon, "Chuck."

Read all about it at the Sound L.A., "LISTEN: Chuck Berry Album Set for June Release; Hear Lead Single."

And listen to "Big Boys":

Did the song give you déjà vu? It should: It starts out with the classic “Johnny B. Goode” guitar riff, bringing this latest release full circle.

Chuck is Chuck Berry’s first album in 38 years, so it comes highly anticipated, to say the least. It was initially announced last October, so fans only have a few more months to go before hearing some of Berry’s final works—which is sure to be a celebration of the late rocker’s life.

And his family agrees, sharing, “While our hearts are very heavy at this time, we know that Chuck had no greater wish than to see this album released to the world, and we know of no better way to celebrate and remember his 90 years of life than through his music.”

Shop Deals

At Amazon, Today's Deals: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

Also, Heather Cox Richardson, To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party.

Elliot West, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado.

And, W. Scott Pool, Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry.

Lisa Brady, War Upon the Land: Military Strategy and the Transformation of Southern Landscapes during the American Civil War.

Plus, Kari Frederickson, Cold War Dixie: Militarization and Modernization in the American South.

Bernard DeVoto, The Course of Empire.

More, Stephen W. Sears, Chancellorsville.

BONUS: Jason Stanley, How Propaganda Works.

Why Don't the Palestinians Have Their Own Country?

Here's David Brog, for Prager University:

Natasha Zaretsky, No Direction Home

At Amazon, Natasha Zaretsky, No Direction Home: The American Family and the Fear of National Decline, 1968-1980.

A New Era of Uprisings

It's Joshua Clover.

I've posted him before, but still haven't picked up a copy.

At Amazon, Riot. Strike. Riot: The New Era of Uprisings.

The Harvard Project, The State of the Native Nations

From the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, at Amazon, The State of the Native Nations: Conditions under U.S. Policies of Self-Determination.

Russian Hacking Could Be 'Act of War' (VIDEO)

It's former Vice President Dick Cheney, at the Economic Times' Global Business Summit:

Jackie Johnson's Warm, Sunny to Partly Cloudy Forecast

Here's the lovely Ms. Jackie, for CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Peter Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

At Amazon, Peter Matthiessen, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse: The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI's War on the American Indian Movement.

The Second American Civil War

It's the new novel, from Omar El Akkad, at Amazon, American War: A Novel.

An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle—a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.

Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be. Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.

Hat Tip: The New York Times:

I'm going to add AMERICAN WAR by @omarelakkad to my summer reading list. https://t.co/BDZefMVasS pic.twitter.com/ZmjGaKB8H3

— Michael Burkhardt (@mihobu) March 28, 2017

Ted Koppel Tells Sean Hannity He's 'Bad for America' (VIDEO)

Heh, Ted Koppel's old school. He keeps his patience, though, when Hannity starts to get agitated.

At the Hill, "Veteran journalist Ted Koppel tells Sean Hannity he is bad for America."

WATCH: Ted Koppel tells Sean Hannity, to his face, that he's bad for America. pic.twitter.com/aWtMeGbp8E

— Yashar (@yashar) March 26, 2017

Over the weekend Ted Koppel said that I am bad for America... Get my response at 10pm ET! #Hannity

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) March 28, 2017

Vita Sidorkina Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 (VIDEO)

Luscious.

Shop Kitchen and Housewares

At Amazon, Save Up to 40% in Kitchen and Dining Every Day.

Plus, Today's Deals.

BONUS: William Cronon, Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England.

The 'Mediocre' Life

At Althouse, "'What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life?'/'What if I all I want is a small, slow, simple life?'"

I commented at the post a couple of minutes ago:

The modest life, the life of home and family, living in security and comfort, would be the "mediocre" life for me. I'm almost at that place in my life. And I see it down the tunnel each day, as I get closer. (I've got to get my kids set up, to where they feel happy and comfortable, before my "mediocre" life comes closer into view.)

RTWT.

Furry Floaters: Sea Otters, Hunted to Near Extinction in the 1700s and 1800s, Have Rebounded Along California's Coast

This is really cool.

I love sea otters.

At LAT:

The sea otters of Morro Bay have made a comeback, defying man and nature https://t.co/BOsKziwRdx

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 27, 2017

Diagnosing ObamaCare (VIDEO)

ObamaCare's a terrible law, but it is the law, and there are costs to repeal. Lots of voters gave it to congressional incumbents in the ear, from both sides.

Upon defeat, even Paul Ryan conceded that ObamaCare's the law of the land. The administration's now moving on to tax cuts, and let's hope and pray for more success.

Here's Bloomberg's Shannon Pettypiece, at CBS This Morning:

Democrats Hate White People

See Matt Stoller, at Medium, "On Mocking Dying Working Class White People."

And R.S. McCain responds, "Matt Stoller has aggregated comments at a HuffPo article by liberals sneering at the problems of poor white people":

“Matt Stoller has aggregated comments at a HuffPo article by liberals sneering at the problems of…” — @PatriarchTree https://t.co/1I9F9DjMVC pic.twitter.com/OnrVqFmnAk

— The Patriarch Tree (@PatriarchTree) March 26, 2017

Being old enough to remember how the Left vilified Charles Murray in the mid-1990s when he predicted the emergence of the white underclass, I am tempted to smile cynically at the current plight of Democrats. They imagined that “The Future Is Female,” only to discover that “The Future Is Redneck.” While it is too soon to guess the political consequences in the immediate future, Democrats are not likely to recover quickly if they choose to double-down on the anti-white, anti-male, anti-heterosexual rhetoric that led them to unexpected disaster in 2016.

Be sure to scroll through that Stoller piece though. Leftist really, and I mean really, hate white people.

Richard Slotkin, The Fatal Environment

*BUMPED.*

I've got this item already loaded up in my shopping cart at Amazon. (ADDED: I'll purchase a new batch of books on the 1st, when my Amazon associates commissions come through, as well as my regular paycheck lol. Thanks for your support!)

I'm excited to read it.

See, Richard Slotkin, The Fatal Environment: The Myth of the Frontier in the Age of Industrialization, 1800–1890.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies." (Last Sunday's. Today's isn't up yet.)



Also, at Theo's, "Cartoon Roundup..."

Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Cash for Clunkers, Part 2."

Jem Wolfie Sunday Rule 5

Here we go!

At the Chive, "Jem Wolfie Is An Absolute Slam Dunk (25 Photos)." And re-upping from last week, at Linkiest, "40 Hottest Instagram Pics of Jem Wolfie."

At Pirate's, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a massive waste of energy causing the earth to boil and the seas to rise, you might just be a Warmist."

Drunken Stepfather, "Steplinks of the Day," and "Bella Thorne of the Day."

At WWTDD, "Arianny Celeste Topless In Mexico And Shit Around The Web."

Bro-Bible, "50 of the Sexiest, Must-See Instagram Pictures on the Internet Today."

90 Miles from Tyranny, "Morning Mistress."

Goodstuff's, "GOODSTUFFs BLOGGING MAGAZINE (285th Issue) - Behind the Great Chinese Firewall."

At Odie's, "Beer Temperatures ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

Plus, the Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

A View from the Beach, "Rule 5 Saturday - A Goddess - Daniella Wang."

At Proof Positive, "Friday Night Babe: Elle Liberachi!"

A Slice of Cheesecake, "Pat Crowley."

From last week, at the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: The Original Dragon Lady."

More, at Knuckledraggin', "Your Good Morning Girl"

Watch, at Playboy, "Behind the Scenes of Beate Muska's Playboy Pictorial."

BONUS: At the Express U.K., "Emily Ratajkowski goes TOPLESS as she flaunts sexy figure in teeny tiny denim shorts."

Allen C. Guelzo, Fateful Lightning

I'm just coming across this book as well.

I'm quite familiar with Guelzo's, Gettysburg: The Last Invasion, but not his earlier work.

At Amazon, Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Maybe I can power down both of these this summer, heh.

Marjorie J. Spruill, Divided We Stand

I'm just coming across this, and I'm glad I did. It looks great!

At Amazon, Marjorie J. Spruill, Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics.

Paul Ryan Badly Damaged in Health Care Defeat, and Judge Jeanine Calls on Him to Step Down (VIDEO)

He should get the lion's share of the blame, that's for sure. I do think Trump's a novice at the grubby game of Capital Hill logrolling and vote-trading, but Ryan should have been able to compensate. He might not have a hold on the politics of his own conference, which is sad.

In any case, at the New York Times, via Memeorandum, "Paul Ryan Emerges From Health Care Defeat Badly Damaged."

Also, at the Hollywood Reporter, "Trump Urges Followers to Watch Fox News Host Who Demands Paul Ryan Resign." (Via Memeorandum.)

Welcome to Our Fragmented Politics

Following-up from last night, "'Fiery G.O.P. Civil War' Erupts After Collapse of Health Care Repeal Bill."

From Richard Pildes, at the Monkey Cage, "The GOP’s health-care failure is no one-off event. Welcome to our fragmented politics."

The GOP’s health-care failure is no one-off event. Welcome to our fragmented politics. https://t.co/HTyLEG7jzF

— Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) March 26, 2017

Best-Selling Releases. Updated Hourly.

At Amazon, Hot New and Future Releases. Updated Hourly.

Also, Heather Cox Richardson, West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War.

Elliot West, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado.

And, W. Scott Pool, Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry.

Lisa Brady, War Upon the Land: Military Strategy and the Transformation of Southern Landscapes during the American Civil War.

Plus, Kari Frederickson, Cold War Dixie: Militarization and Modernization in the American South.

Bernard DeVoto, The Course of Empire.

More, Gaines M. Foster, Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913.

BONUS: James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War.

London, Wounded Metropolis

At Der Spiegel, "A Wounded Metropolis: London in the Age of Terror and Brexit":

A Wounded Metropolis: London in the Age of Terror and Brexit https://t.co/zkfojtevpR pic.twitter.com/SS9sXV5ivl

— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 24, 2017

London is the epicenter of globalization, a glut of money and creativity -- and the antithesis of Brexit parochialism. It is also the best city in the world.

Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania: 'Russia is a threat not only to Lithuania but to the whole region and to all of Europe...'

An interview, at Foreign Policy, "‘Russia Is a Threat … to All of Europe’ - Lithuania’s president talks to Foreign Policy about Vladimir Putin's "little green men" and whether Donald Trump really believes in NATO."

#Lithuania #Grybauskaite @NATO : ' #Russia Is a Threat … to All of #Europe ’ | Foreign Policy https://t.co/oE9VIakj5k

— Rick Wang (@Rick97917759) March 26, 2017

Alessandra Ambrosio's 'Endless Summer'

Actually, summer's just around the corner, but I'll take Ms. Alessandra's "endless summer" photos any time of year, heh.

Endless summer in @alebyalessandra #aleXrevolve exclusive collection only at @revolve ! https://t.co/lUzToD2KYs pic.twitter.com/2RjNaXV2iS

— Alessandra Ambrosio (@AngelAlessandra) March 20, 2017

The Dark Side of Gender Segregation in the Military

This is pretty interesting.

I've done pretty much zero reading and study in this area, so just read it all at the link without comment from me.

From Molly Kovite, at War on the Rocks:

What you need to know about gender segregation in the US military https://t.co/c1CqgPJblp

— War On The Rocks (@WarOnTheRocks) March 25, 2017

'What losing a war looks like...'

Here's Mike, at Cold Fury, commenting on the Westminster jihad attack, "London calling":

And so I raise the question again: how much blood must be spilled before the Left is willing to confront its failure, its ignorance, its muttonheaded, moist-eyed belief in a total equality among men that in no way represents our harsher reality? How many more of us must die before they admit that their adolescent fantasy is nothing more than just that? How much wanton mass murder must we tolerate before they are willing to let go of their puerile daydreams and acknowledge the world as it exists, rather than clinging so desperately to an ideology that fundamentally misapprehends—brushes off, dismisses, actually—the darker aspect of human nature right out of the gate?

And the answer keeps coming back: MORE. More yet, more still. Not enough, not quite yet.

Which presents another, perhaps more vital and relevant question: how much Progressivist foolishness, their cowardice and juvenile self-indulgence, will WE tolerate before we take effective steps to end this patent madness? When will the sane majority finally decide that enough is truly enough and refuse to grant them and their inane, PC psychobabble serious consideration? When will we shove them aside and deal with a barbaric enemy in the rough and ruthless fashion that is our only hope of ever harnessing the primordial, atavistic belief system that is Islam?

When we will decide to defend our culture, our way of life—our actual, physical LIVES, ferchrissakes, individually and collectively—in the way merited? To stop being ashamed of our flaws, mourning our failures, apologizing for our missteps, and start protecting our precious civilization against a savage enemy who will neither cease nor rest at any point short of our complete annihilation?

I beg your indulgence here, folks, for I am about to say it yet again: In order to defeat our Muslim antagonists, we must first defeat the Left. There is no hope of achieving the one without first achieving the other; as long as Tranzi, multiculti, PC Leftism is still taken even remotely seriously by anything more than a handful of shunned loons skulking quietly about in a few urban enclaves, we will continue to endure the occasional appalling slaughter in our very heartland. We’re still a long, long way from it. In the end, we’re going to have to recognize that, no matter how many of them are massacred, there will always be a certain number who would rather die than fight back; who would rather embrace a failed pipe-dream of an ideology than ever admit error, even in the face of the most direct and dire evidence of said failure imaginable...

Still more.

'Fiery G.O.P. Civil War' Erupts After Collapse of Health Care Repeal Bill

At the New York Times (where else?), via Memeorandum, "Trump Becomes Ensnared in Fiery G.O.P. Civil War."

https://t.co/LJTPsN4xOx pic.twitter.com/OZl4KkuQr9

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 25, 2017

Violence at Pro-Trump MAGA Rally in Huntington Beach (VIDEO)

Not good, but probably inevitable, given the murderous hatred of the radical left.

At the O.C. Register, "Pro-Trump rally draws 2,000 marchers, some protesters and a violent brawl."

Violence erupts in Huntington Beach between protesters and Pro-Trump marchers. @ocregister #protest #HuntingtonBeach #trump pic.twitter.com/3mBuJu2Ukz

— Kevin Sullivan (@sullikevphoto) March 25, 2017

Lots of Trump supporters down here at the #Maga rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/469n2pNAEc

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Trump supporters at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/0jvAuNwtcm

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Good sized crowds supporting Trump at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/5GTawWad9C

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Sea of red, white and blue at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach. @ocregister pic.twitter.com/D0GPrCFVQb

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

I've Started Fergus Bordewich's, Killing the White Man's Indian

I'm alternating today between Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, and Fergus Bordewich, Killing the White Man's Indian: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century.

Sometimes I need a little breather from the unrelenting anti-Americanism of the leftist approaches, especially in Dunbar-Ortiz, who's a revolutionary Marxist.

Bordewich, on the other hand, offers the most balanced interpretation of the American Indian experience I've read, at least among the more recent publications in the genre. (When we go back to some of the older historians, like Robert Utley, they too offer balanced and pleasurable interpretations. It's just that Dunbar-Ortiz, while recommended, is pretty intense --- indeed, I'll have some longer comments on her book when I've finished it.)

Purchase the Bordewich volume at Amazon.

Mia Kang Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 (VIDEO)

Lovely.

Via Sports Illustrated:

Henry Nash Smith, Virgin Land

At Amazon, Henry Nash Smith, Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth.

Kara Del Toro at 'Power Rangers' Premiere (PHOTOS)

She's beautiful.

At I Don't Like You in That Way, "Kara Del Toro Did the ‘Power Rangers’ Premiere in This Dress."

Vogue's First Transgender Cover Model

It's Vogue Paris, but she's so hot you wouldn't know she's trans.

At Evil Beet Gossip, "March Vogue: First Trans Model to Cover the Mag!"

And at Telegraph U.K., "French Vogue to become the country’s first magazine to feature a transgender model on its cover."

Mountain House Breakfast Bucket

At Amazon, Mountain House Just In Case...Breakfast Bucket.

Also, KIND Breakfast Bars, Peanut Butter, Gluten Free, 1.8 Ounce, 32 Count.

Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Anniversary WindTunnel Self Propelled Bagged Corded Upright Vacuum U6485900.

Plus, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - White.

Coaster Home Furnishings 460096 Transitional Bunk Bed, Amber Wash.

More, "U.S. Art Supply 133pc Deluxe Artist Painting Set with Aluminum and Wood Easels, Paint and Accessories.

Fitness Reality E5500XL Magnetic Elliptical Trainer.

And, Whiskey & Rum Barrel Aged Coffee Beans Gourmet Coffee Gift Set by Cooper's Cask Coffee, Single Origin Coffee Beans (Sumatra, Ethiopia, Rwanda) - Three 4oz Bags, Whole Coffee Bean.

BONUS: Desmond Morris, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal.

Without God, All Morality is Mere Opinion

Here's Dennis Prager, "If There Is No God, Murder Isn't Wrong

Epic 'Implosion' of GOP's American Health Care Act of 2017

Following-up from yesterday, "'Spectacular Defeat for Trump'."

Here's today's dramatic front-page story at the Los Angeles Times, "GOP dreams of repealing Obamacare collapse as Trump pulls vote on House bill":

Today's LAT front: pic.twitter.com/pJvM5tfu8m

— Lisa Mascaro (@LisaMascaro) March 25, 2017

President Trump, elected on a promise to use his deal-making prowess to get Washington working, blinked Friday in the face of defeat, agreeing to halt a House vote on a GOP healthcare overhaul amid crumbling Republican support.

The move came just hours after the White House insisted the vote would go forward regardless of the outcome, and followed Trump’s extraordinary ultimatum Thursday night, when he told rebellious lawmakers that if they didn’t vote for the bill, he would move on to other priorities.

To avoid an embarrassing vote, Trump asked House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to abandon the effort.

The collapse of the bill — legislation that managed to displease both Republican conservatives and centrists — dashed the party’s immediate hopes of fulfilling a longtime campaign promise to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature healthcare law, also called Obamacare.

Trump made a hard, last-minute push for the GOP bill. His spokesman said Friday that the president "left everything on the field."

In an Oval Office appearance after the vote was pulled, Trump described it as a “very interesting experience.” He praised his fellow Republicans and deflected blame on Democrats — who opposed the bill. He also said he’d learned something about “loyalty,” apparently referring to the GOP defections.

Trump predicted the country would eventually need to revisit the issue, saying, “We will end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess that is Obamacare explodes.”

Both Trump and Ryan, however, said the Republican Party had no plan to revive the repeal-and-replace effort anytime soon, so the current healthcare law will remain in place.

The defeat exposed Trump’s limits as negotiator in chief and raised doubts about his administration’s ability to achieve the rest of its conservative agenda, including tax cuts, deregulation and trade reform.

The fallout was also a setback for Ryan. Critics say the legislation was crafted too quickly and without enough input from other lawmakers or consultation with industry and interest groups.

"Hopefully there will be a lesson learned that let’s work together to write the bill instead of writing it in private," said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

The failure will only complicate the odd-couple partnership between Ryan and Trump. The president may think twice next time about relying on the speaker to lead legislative campaigns. Though Trump signaled his continued support Friday for Ryan to remain in his post, and many lawmakers were standing by his side, finger-pointing over what went wrong is bound to linger.

Ryan could have afforded to lose no more than about 21 Republican votes to reach the 216 needed for passage. Defections were estimated at one point to be 30 or more.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus wanted Trump and Ryan to go further and faster in unwinding Obamacare rules and taxes. Centrist Republicans were worried the GOP plan would leave too many Americans without health insurance.

“Moving from an opposition party to a governing party comes with growing pains and, well, we’re feeling those growing pains today," Ryan said. "We came up short.”

The GOP defeat marked a victory for a broad coalition of patient advocates, physician groups and hospitals, which had mounted an intense and sustained campaign to highlight the damage they said the bill would do to patients' medical care.

Congressional offices reported a huge influx of calls urging a "no" vote on the bill...

More.

So Much Snow in Mammoth Lakes, National Guard Called to Help Remove Snowpack

I love this story.

So much snow, reservoirs spilling over with record water totals, and the state will still say we're in a "drought."

At LAT:

Mammoth got so much snow this winter that it had to call in the National Guard for help https://t.co/7MNjVQjSfX pic.twitter.com/F0g03XWS2X

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 25, 2017

'Spectacular Defeat for Trump'

I'm just reading books. I haven't turned on the TV all day, but saw some news on Twitter.

Of course the New York Times would run with this headline on the GOP healthcare bill, at Memeorandum, "In Spectacular Defeat for Trump, Push to Repeal Health Law Fails."

Trump and aides pushed for a health vote so they could shame Republicans who opposed it. Paul Ryan talked them down. https://t.co/80nY1nBwrO

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 24, 2017

Christina El Moussa Looks Spectacular in a Bikini

Heh.

Instapundit's posting some Rule 5, "A “REVENGE BODY?” I’ve never really seen the point of that, but whatever. It’s Blog Sweeps Week!"

Also, at People Magazine, "See Christina El Moussa’s cute matching bikini with her daughter Taylor."

And at the Wrap, "‘Flip or Flop’ Star Christina El Moussa Blasted for ‘Completely Inappropriate’ Mother-Daughter Bikini Photo."

It's just a bikini, for crying out loud.

Now, don't get me going about the divorce (that's another story).

Shop Toys and Games

At Amazon, Toys & Games.

And reposting my frontier book links:

See Richard Slotkin, The Fatal Environment: The Myth of the Frontier in the Age of Industrialization, 1800–1890.

Bernard DeVoto, The Course of Empire.

And, Dale L. Morgan, Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West.

Allan Nevins, Frémont: Pathmarker of the West.

More, Robert M. Utley, A Life Wild and Perilous: Mountain Men and the Paths to the Pacific.

Richard White, "It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own": A New History of the American West.

Plus, Anne F. Hyde, Empires, Nations, and Families: A New History of the North American West, 1800-1860.

BONUS: ICYMI, Patricia Nelson Limerick, The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West.

Louis S. Warren, God's Red Son

A brand-new book, out April 4th.

At Amazon, Louis S. Warren, God's Red Son: The Ghost Dance Religion and the Making of Modern America.

In 1890, on Indian reservations across the West, followers of a new religion danced in circles until they collapsed into trances. In an attempt to suppress this new faith, the US Army killed over two hundred Lakota Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek. Louis Warren's God's Red Son offers a startling new view of the religion known as the Ghost Dance, from its origins in the visions of a Northern Paiute named Wovoka to the tragedy in South Dakota. To this day, the Ghost Dance remains widely mischaracterized as a primitive and failed effort by Indian militants to resist American conquest and return to traditional ways. In fact, followers of the Ghost Dance sought to thrive in modern America by working for wages, farming the land, and educating their children, tenets that helped the religion endure for decades after Wounded Knee. God's Red Son powerfully reveals how Ghost Dance teachings helped Indians retain their identity and reshape the modern world.

Motion 103 (VIDEO)

At PuffHo Canada, "M-103: Anti-Islamophobia Motion Easily Passes House of Commons."

Also, from Rex Murphy, at Toronto's National Post, "The anti-Islamophobia motion has passed. And what today has changed for the better?"

And let Faith Goldy tell us all about it:

'Dirty Hippies' No Match for Donald Trump (VIDEO)

At the Rebel, "U.S. grants Keystone XL permit: “Dirty hippies” no match for President Trump."

Why Birmingham's Such a Breeding-Ground for British-Born Terror

Well, all of Britain's gone to hell with jihad.

But see Blazing Cat Fur, "London Attack: Why Has Birmingham Become Such a Breeding Ground for British-Born Terror?"

Judith Matloff, No Friends but the Mountains

An Amazon #1 New Release, Judith Matloff, No Friends but the Mountains: Dispatches from the World's Violent Highlands.

And at the New York Times and Christian Science Monitor:

Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: Judith Matloff on Why Mountains Attract War https://t.co/4kSwjR74YM

— Lara Heimert (@LaraHeimert) March 22, 2017

.@csmonitor calls Judith Matloff's #NoFriendsbuttheMountains a "crushing investigation into mountain mayhem" https://t.co/S4tZtSG5eb

— Basic Books (@BasicBooks) March 10, 2017

What's Left of the Communist Left?

Well, the old-line Marxist-Leninists may be out, but Gramscian neo-Marxist post-colonial social justice warriors are still definitely in.

It's a weird paradox, actually, but that's the world we live in.

Read this outstanding review of the scholarly literature on the Russian Revolution, from Sheila Fitzpatrick, at the London Review of Books, "What's Left?"

Under review:

The ‘Russian Revolution' brand is in danger. https://t.co/3LKpfXexCJ

— London Review (LRB) (@LRB) March 23, 2017

* China Miéville, October: The Story of the Russian Revolution.

* Mark D. Steinberg, The Russian Revolution, 1905-1921.

* S.A. Smith, Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis, 1890 to 1928.

* Sean McMeekin, The Russian Revolution: A New History.

* Tony Brenton, Historically Inevitable?: Turning Points of the Russian Revolution.

Former California Govenor Pete Wilson: No Regrets, No Apologies

He was a man ahead of the times.

Damn right he's got no apologies. He's been freakin' vindicated by events.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Pete Wilson looks back on Proposition 187 and says, heck yeah, he'd support it all over again":

After all these years, Pete Wilson has no regrets about Prop 187. 'We'd tried everything else.' @markzbarabak https://t.co/36YDKUCCPk

— Marc Duvoisin (@MarcDuvoisin) March 24, 2017

For a time, no California politician was more formidable than Republican Pete Wilson.

Over two decades, the popular former San Diego mayor enjoyed a record of nearly unbroken success, besting Gov. Jerry Brown in 1982 to seize a U.S. Senate seat and toppling San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein eight years later to win the governorship. He served in Sacramento during a time of epic upheaval, staring down a massive budget deficit and a series of biblical natural disasters: drought, earthquakes, fire, floods.

Now, at 83, he is waging what amounts to his final campaign — and certainly his most personal — an effort to shape how he’ll best be recollected.

By most accounts, Wilson was quite successful during eight years as governor, leaving the state in better shape than he found it, though he takes issue with that assessment. “No,” he said, “a hell of a lot better.”

If Wilson is renowned for one thing, however, it is Proposition 187, the controversial ballot measure that sought to stem illegal immigration and address its costs by cutting off state services, including healthcare and public education, to those in the country illegally.

Wilson didn’t draft the measure, nor did he place it on the November 1994 ballot. But he became the foremost champion and central character — or villain — in a narrative that goes something like this:

His reelection apparently doomed, Wilson seized on the provocative initiative and, through a racist campaign, tapped the latent bigotry of Californians to rescue his flailing candidacy, a Pyrrhic victory that has badly damaged Republicans by alienating Latinos in the state and nationwide ever since.

The narrative gained renewed currency with the rise of Donald Trump, fueled by his inflammatory rhetoric toward immigrants — Muslims and Mexicans, in particular — and the wall he promises to throw up along the Southwest border.

(Although he preferred Trump to Democrat Hillary Clinton, Wilson is no great fan of the president. He does, however, see merit in his proposal to wall off the border. “People say, … ‘God, it would cost a fortune,’” Wilson said. “Not nearly as much as failing to build the wall.”)

Setting aside comparisons, there is some truth to the popular account of Wilson’s political comeback.

He started his reelection campaign as a distinct underdog, trailing by as much as 20 points in preference polls. He was helped considerably by his tough-on-immigration stance, which came after years spent hectoring Washington for not securing the country’s borders and foisting billions in costs on states like California.

But Wilson also benefited greatly from his leadership after the January 1994 Northridge earthquake and the wretched campaign run by his Democratic rival, Brown’s sister, Kathleen, which lacked focus and ultimately ran out of cash.

It is also true his tough stance against illegal immigration and, especially, support for Proposition 187 both antagonized and energized a burgeoning Latino population, in California and around the country, abetted by Democrats who knew an opportunity when they saw one.

But Wilson will go to his grave steadfastly denying any racist or malign intent, saying his support for Proposition 187 — most of which was ultimately blocked in the courts — had nothing whatever to do with race or ethnicity.

“It wasn’t scapegoating. What it was doing was laying out the facts of what it was costing state taxpayers for federal failure,” Wilson said in his office high above Century City, where he still maintains an active law practice.

Later, he circled back: “I may have my flaws but racism is not, never has been, never will be, one of them.”

For all his political success, Wilson was no great orator, nor personally charismatic. Rather, his political strength was always as a tactician, far better operating behind the scenes than standing before a TV camera.

Looking back, he dissected the 1994 campaign the way a surgeon might discuss a kidney transplant, his clinical detachment belying not just the fiery emotion surrounding the immigration issue but the hurt he said he has felt ever since...

More.

Myla Dalbesio Wears Nothing But Sand (VIDEO)

Sports Illustrated went all out this year, heh.

Ms Myla's da kine.

Todd Shepard, The Invention of Decolonization

This looks excellent.

Todd Shepard, The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France.

BONUS: Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962.

Talitha L. LeFlouria, Chained in Silence

At Amazon, Talitha L. LeFlouria, Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South.

BONUS: Sarah Haley, No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity.

Lauren Southern, Barbarians

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Lauren Southern, Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants, and Islam Screwed My Generation.

Finally back in Canada, range day 🔫🔫 pic.twitter.com/xklhJqIK1X

— Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) June 27, 2016

Elton John's 70th Birthday Celebration Gala (VIDEO)

It's tomorrow night, at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

From the press release:

ELTON JOHN’S 70TH BIRTHDAY AND HIS 50-YEAR SONGWRITING PARTNERSHIP WITH BERNIE TAUPIN WILL BE CELEBRATED TOMORROW, MARCH 25, 2017, AT A GALA EVENT IN LOS ANGELES

WATCH A SHORT FILM WITH A SELECTION OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM HIS AMAZING CAREER HERE

ROB LOWE WILL SERVE AS HOST

LADY GAGA AND OTHER SURPRISE GUESTS WILL PERFORM AT THE EVENT

THE CELEBRATION WILL BENEFIT THE ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION AND THE UCLA HAMMER MUSEUM

LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2017 – Tomorrow, March 25, a gala fundraising event celebrating Elton John’s 70th birthday and his 50-year writing partnership with Bernie Taupin will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and the Hammer Museum at UCLA. Held at Red Studios in Los Angeles, the evening will be hosted by Rob Lowe and will feature a gala dinner and special musical performances by Lady Gaga and other surprise guests.

Watch a short film with a selection of highlights from Elton’s amazing career here https://youtu.be/ngusy7cvA4A

In keeping with Elton's commitment to philanthropy, he is eager to leverage the celebration of his 70th birthday and his amazing songwriting collaboration with Bernie Taupin in order to support two worthy causes that are the driving passions of his life: ending the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, and art in all its many forms. To that end, this event will raise urgently needed money to help fund the grant-making initiatives of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and exhibitions and programs presented by the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

This very special evening will honor the many strands of an unrivalled career and life that still continue to enrich, enthrall, and inspire.  Elton John is a true musical and cultural iconoclast, with a record that speaks for itself. He has achieved worldwide sales of over 250 million records and has 58 Billboard Top 40 singles in the United States. He has written the music for the stage and screen successes Billy Elliot: The Musical, Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, and Disney's cinematic and theatrical sensation The Lion King. A tireless live performer, Elton has played more than 3,500 concerts in over 80 countries. He has collected 12 Ivor Novello Awards, six GRAMMYS®, two Brits, an Oscar®, and a Tony. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. He is a tireless charitable campaigner and philanthropist, notoriously outspoken for the causes he believes in. Elton John is an undisputed pop culture legend. His knowledge and championing of new music has helped many new artists achieve recognition and success. He is constantly moving forward, never resting on his laurels, never becoming complacent, predictable, or dull.

Of his career with Bernie Taupin, Elton simply says, "It's the same excitement now as when we first started. That this year marks the 50th anniversary of my partnership with Bernie Taupin is mind boggling for me because it seems like only yesterday that I met him. It's an amazing achievement to stay with one person for 50 years on a creative basis, in an industry where that doesn't really happen very much."

On reaching his 70th year, Elton notes, "I'm interested in moving forward all the time, with what I create, my collaborations, and also with discovering the work of other people. I think age is immaterial, provided we keep our minds alive by being open to new things. I can be as excited by a new artist who plays me their demo as I am by a new record of one of my musical heroes. I can be excited by playing a new city I've never played before, or revisiting somewhere I know well and seeing how it's changed. Life is a constant state of flux for us all, and I like to embrace that. I also feel very happy to use my position to bring attention to injustice in the world, and to try to help where I can. At this time in my life I'm the happiest I have ever been."

Bernie Taupin says of Elton, "It's been an unconventional partnership and while we pretty much patented the two-rooms technique I'd venture to say you'd be hard pressed to find a couple of songwriters more in sync with each other and their craft".

See Elton John on tour. Go to www.eltonjohn.com for more information.