Summer Never Ends

The "Bikini a Day" ladies, Natasha Oakley and Devin Brugman:

"In the beginning, in our apartment, even the kitchen cupboards were filled with bikinis."👙https://t.co/RODK9qRb8J pic.twitter.com/tfCLhzqSzO

— A Bikini A Day (@ABikiniADay) September 2, 2016

Charlotte McKinney Flaunts Hot Bikini Body in Santa Monica (PHOTOS)

Well shoot, I wish I was at the beach for that display of loveliness. Dang!

At Egotastic!, "Charlotte McKinney Barely Covered Bikini in Santa Monica."

And London's Daily Mail, "Baywatch star Charlotte McKinney makes a splash in tiny bikini as she patrols the beach."

The people's favorite bikini @Char_mck pic.twitter.com/UsQ70kDlmJ

— Charlotte McKinney (@charlottemckfan) August 18, 2016

Rhian Sugden Bouncy Bikini on Turkish Holiday

Heh. She went to Turkey of all places, lol.

At WWTDD, "Rhian Sugden in a Bikini."

And at the U.K.'s Daily Express:

Lingerie model @Rhianmarie flaunts her incredible bikini body on the beach https://t.co/QDIgF3dizw pic.twitter.com/YGS6VrEL2N

— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) August 15, 2016

More on Twitter.

Deal of the Day: Save Up to 45% on Osprey Backpacks [BUMPED]

At Amazon, Up to 45% Off on Osprey Backpacks.

More, Osprey Packs Celeste Daypack, and Osprey Comet Backpack.

Also, Save on Pogo Water Bottles.

Plus, Kindle Paperwhite E-reader - Black, 6" High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers.

Still more, Apple EarPods 827 In-Ear Stereo Headphones with Remote and Mic - White.

And, Shop Great Back to School Deals!

BONUS: From Jared Meyer, Uber-Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy.

Evelyn Taft's Clear Skies Forecast

And a warming forecast as well, as we head into triple-digit temperatures next week.

The lovely Ms. Evelyn has your weather, via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Evelyn Taft's Weather Forecast

My oldest son was up at the Outside Lands 2016 Music Festival in San Francisco over the weekend, and he said daytime temperatures were in the 50s. I'm like WTF?!!

Yep, his lady friend's lips were turning blue, apparently. They didn't take jackets with them, and just had a couple of extra layers of light clothing to keep warm.

Remind me not to vacation in San Francisco in the summer. Lame.

I guess the Lana Del Rey concert was cool though, heh.

In any case, here's the lovely Evelyn Taft for the local weather, which has been mild.

You Can Rip My Cargo Shorts Off My Cold Dead Booty!

I don't care about freakin' fashion trends. I've got about five pairs of cargo shorts and they're not going anywhere. My wife loves 'em. I've got a big black booty that doesn't look good in skinny-dude Bermuda shorts.

That's just not gonna fly.

And now here comes a "debate" on the fashion-ability of the genre? Get out of here!

From Nicole Hong, at WSJ, "What Happened After I Wrote That Cargo Shorts Story."

Here's the earlier piece that kicked off the debate, "Nice Cargo Shorts! You’re Sleeping on the Sofa."

More, at Galore, "WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BOYFRIEND STILL WEARS CARGO SHORTS."

Even PC political scientist Dan Drezner weighs in, "A Very Important Post about … cargo shorts."

Amber Lee's Hot and Muggy Forecast

It was almost 80 last night at Angel Stadium, and humid!

Here's Amber Lee with the forecast from Monday:

Evelyn Taft's Sunny and Hot Forecast

Hey, it's going to be great at the beach.

The U.S. Open of Surfing starts tomorrow.

Emily Ratajkowski Launches Amore & Sorvete Swimwear Campaign (PHOTOS)

Ms. Emily's pretty much a gift from god, and thank goodness she's got no inhibitions about her body.

She looks great!

On Twitter:

So happy to announce my campaign w/ @amoreandsorvete 🙌🏽 shop online now https://t.co/8bxE8UHsFA pic.twitter.com/KP3fF1Evnd

— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) July 20, 2016

Extremely excited to announce the new face of Amore & Sorvete emrata it's been a pleasure… https://t.co/b7qMEdzKry

— Amore & Sorvete (@amoreandsorvete) July 21, 2016

Bombshell emrata wearing our new Hula Hula bikini. Exclusive style available online now✌🏼️… https://t.co/vfNOXfFnsk

— Amore & Sorvete (@amoreandsorvete) July 4, 2016

#TrumpGirlsBreakTheInternet Is Still Going Viral (VIDEO)

Actually, I think they're a little late, but it's a cool video.

At the New York Post, "These sexy Trump supporters are going viral."

And still a few stalwart Trump babes posting selfies:

#WomenForTrump #MAGA #Americanasfuck #trumpgirlsbreaktheinternet pic.twitter.com/MduFpxI1xT

— 3/75thRangers4Trump (@cdubhulksmash) July 4, 2016

The #4thOfJuly party doesn't stop! #America #women4trump #maga #students4trump #trumpgirlsbreaktheinternet #Retweet pic.twitter.com/pIxai4zVuE

— Trump Hotties (@hottiesfortrump) July 4, 2016

#IndependenceDay #trumpgirlsbreaktheinternet #maga pic.twitter.com/eBPaUhAfwH

— Bernie v Trump 2016 (@BernieTrump2O16) July 5, 2016

Happy 4th of July! #trumpgirlsbreaktheinternet #babesfortrump #maga pic.twitter.com/Sh897VcK8i

— Bernie v Trump 2016 (@BernieTrump2O16) July 5, 2016

@BabesForTrump #americanasfuck #trumpgirlsbreaktheinternet pic.twitter.com/Q1M2D27yyE

— 3/75thRangers4Trump (@cdubhulksmash) July 5, 2016

Bernard Bailyn

After the spring semester finished, my department cleared out the office of Professor Julian Del Gaudio, who passed away suddenly last year. Stacks and stacks of books and academic journals sat outside in the hallway. Plus, my colleagues Greg and Charlotte Joseph both retired, and they set out dozens of books in the hall as well.

I grabbed a bunch of classic old tomes. It was better than going to a favorite used bookstore, heh!

Professor Greg Joseph is an historian of the Cold War and the early American republic. He gave me a copy of Bernard Bailyn's classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution.

I finished Roger Scruton last night, Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left.

Now I'm just sampling chapters from the various books I've got stacked up on the ottoman downstairs in the living room. I'm also shopping for a couple of more books online. Thanks to everyone who's been shopping through my Amazon links. The affiliate fees help me afford my book binges, heh.

Deal of the Day: AR Blue Clean AR390SS Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer

A nice summer item.

At Amazon, AR Blue Clean AR390SS 2000 psi Electric Pressure Washer with Spray Gun, Wand, 30' Hose & 35' Power Cord, Blue.

Also, Featured Deals in Outdoor Recreation.

Plus, KIND Bars, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Gluten Free, 1.4 Ounce Bars, 12 Count.

More, from Alex Epstein, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.

Stephen Moore and Kathleen Hartnett White, Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy.

And Bob Zubrin, Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism.

BONUS: Dave Eggers, Zeitoun.

Newport Beach Barbecue Competition (VIDEO)

The Kansas City BBQ Society's hosting the event.

God, that looks fabulous!

ICYMI: Eric Metaxas, If You Can Keep It

Here's the Metaxas book, at Amazon, If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty.

BONUS: From Dennis Prager, Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph.

Folks Hit the Beach on Sunday to Beat the Heat (VIDEO)

It's supposed to be 100 in Irvine today. It got up to 96 yesterday.

Great time to get outside and get into the water.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Summer Reading [BUMPED]

I'm off for ten weeks.

I don't go back for the fall semester until August 29th. My oldest son just now said, "That's pretty crazy!"

That is, lol.

I'll be doing a lot of reading, enjoying some beer and baseball, and perhaps taking a couple of smallish trips (maybe Las Vegas, or at least Harrah's Rincon resort, which is fabulous).

In any case, here's some reading material for folks, via Amazon.

See, Wayne Batchis, The Right's First Amendment: The Politics of Free Speech & the Return of Conservative Libertarianism.

And Judy Wajcman, Pressed for Time: The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism.

More, from Robert Lieber, Retreat and its Consequences: American Foreign Policy and the Problem of World Order.

Newt and Callista Gingrich, Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History and Future.

Know your Marxist enemies, with Danny Katch, Socialism . . . Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation.

David Boaz, The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom.

I'm currently reading, Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left.

BONUS: Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf, "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination.

Deal of the Day: Save $150 On Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboards from Ten Toes

At Amazon, Ten Toes iSUP Inflatable Standup Paddleboard SUP, theWEEKENDER (10'x30''x6'').

Also, Mizuno Men's Wave Enigma 5 Running Shoe, and Mizuno Women's Wave Enigma 5 Running Shoe.

More, Heather Mac Donald, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

Ben Cohen, Some of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism.

Also, from John Egerton, Speak Now Against the Day: The Generation Before the Civil Rights Movement in the South.

Leon F. Litwack, Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow.

Still more, from Kimberlé Crenshaw, On Intersectionality: Essential Writings.

BONUS: Alan Abramowitz, The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy.

Sports Illustrated Summer of Swimsuit (2016)

Here's an eye-opener for all of you late-risers, lol.

The Great American Road Trip

Summertime and the livin' is easy, heh.

At the New York Times, "America Is Hitting the Road Again":

ON ROUTE 66 IN NEW MEXICO — Bob Pack forgot to bring his James Taylor CDs. Still, he and his brother and sister were having a blast, rolling among the sandstone mesas, ghost towns and kitschy tourist attractions.

They reminisced about family trips as children back in the 1950s, Mr. Pack and his sister, Joann, said, and not even their brother’s “annoying” habits of chewing tobacco and telling dirty jokes could ruin the drive. “I wanted to see West Texas one more time,” he said over breakfast at the Route 66 Casino Hotel.

Over in Arizona, Kay McNellen, a 23-year-old actress from San Diego, said she took to the highway almost every weekend these days, just to see how far she could drive. She has motored across the Mojave Desert, admired Sequoia National Forest and Instagrammed the Grand Canyon. “This is a better view than Netflix will give you,” she said.

The great American road trip is back.

It’s partly that gasoline this driving season is cheaper than it has been in 11 years, according to the AAA motor club, and that the reviving economy is making people more willing to part with their money. But there is more than that at play here. This may be a cultural shift, as Americans experiment with the notion that maybe money can, in fact, buy happiness, at least in the form of adventures and memories.

It is a change that appears to have taken root in the years since the 2008 financial crisis. “Postrecession, people are focused on memories that cannot be taken away from them, as opposed to tangible goods that expire and wear out,” said Sarah Quinlan, a marketing executive at MasterCard Advisors. “There’s a sense that you can take away my job, you can take away my home, but you can’t take away my memory.”

Whatever their motivation, Americans last year drove a record 3.15 trillion miles, according to the Department of Transportation, beating the previous mark, set in 2007. So far this year, both travel and gasoline consumption are up again.

The desire to get behind the wheel still comes as something of a surprise. The conventional wisdom was that driving mileage had probably peaked in 2007. The demographic bulge represented by the baby boomers is aging out of the driving years; people typically drive less as they hit retirement.

At the same time, millennials were not sharing the passion for the open road that previous generations of young adults had. Many, in fact, preferred to live in the nation’s downtowns, eschewing personal cars in favor of shared Ubers, or walking to their work and play.

But it turns out that both generations are driving more than anyone expected. “A lot of millennial behavior was really deferred assimilation,” said Steven E. Polzin, a transportation researcher at the University of South Florida. In other words, just like Mom and Dad, they were destined for a more traditional lifestyle — the marriage, the home, the garage — they just took a little longer to get there.

One such millennial is Jenna Bivone, a 29-year-old website and app designer, who two years ago left downtown Atlanta to live on the outskirts of the city with her boyfriend. “We used to walk everywhere, but the rents were too high and we wanted some land for my dog,” she said. “In a more suburban area we found good schools, stuff like that for future plans.”

Now she has a daily commute of at least a half-hour each way, and on weekends she and her boyfriend drive around Georgia and neighboring states looking for the best hiking. Over the last three years they have taken road trips in Wyoming and Colorado to hike in the national parks.

“When we travel we want to go to places we might never see again,” she said. “We’re not going to be young forever.”

Michael McNulty, a 67-year-old biotech executive from San Francisco, might not agree with the last part of her statement. Last year he bought a used Ford Airstream B-190 motor home on Craigslist for $13,000 as an experiment. He and his wife are enjoying the road trips, he said, and they are gradually extending their radius.

“The kids’ colleges are paid for, and they are out of the house,” he said. “We have been all over the world, and now we are seeing the U.S.A.”

Mr. McNulty did all the driving to the Grand Canyon for an extended weekend in April, and he prepared to drive all the way back home, 14 hours, in one day. The reason was simple, he said. “We’re going to go for it on Tuesday,” he said, smiling, “because I have to get back to work on Wednesday.”

The phenomenon is being further amplified by, of all things, a desire in some families for cross-generational adventures that harks back to a halcyon age of bundling everyone into the station wagon, counting license tags from faraway states, and mediating back-seat fights over who started the fight. Baby boomers, it seems, want to bond with their grandchildren on the road. Rental-car companies are reporting increased demand for bigger vehicles to accommodate the generations...

Still more at that top link.