Sabine Jemeljanova for Page 3

Well, Sun News hasn't caved to the feminist totalitarians just yet --- thank goodness!

Via Alison Webster on Twitter:

Sublime @you_kiki on www. https://t.co/pC7b8gi7l5 today hmu @charlietoons pic.twitter.com/9VdS9XssEr

— Alison Webster (@alisonvwebster) April 8, 2016

9-Year-Old Reporter Hilde Lysiak Breaks Crime News, Sparks Backlash on Parenting

I don't see what the problem is. We push kids so hard in school, with high school algebra and what not pushed down to K-6, and now folks are upset by a precocious kid who likes to cover the news?

More power to this kid and her mom, who were on "GMA" yesterday.



And see the Washington Post, "9-year-old reporter breaks crime news, posts videos, fires back at critics."

Jackie Johnson's Wet Weather Forecast

Just mild sprinkles in Irvine, but San Diego apparently got some pretty good rain today.

Garth Kemp Does the Weather with Supermodel Coco Rocha

It's pretty good.



More, "Supermodel Coco Rocha Talks About Her New Clothing Line."

She's on Twitter as well.

Today Only: LG 49-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV [BUMPED]

At Amazon, a major buy, LG Electronics 49LF6300 49-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (2015 Model).

Saving $550.00 on that television, heh.

Spring Event - Organize the Office

At Amazon, Shop - Organize the Office.

Plus, Shop Fashion - Can't Miss Savings on Spring Styles.

Also, save today only, Diamondback Bicycles 2014 Mini Viper Kid's BMX Bike (16-Inch Wheels), One Size, Blue (and other selections).

More, from Dave Weinberger, Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room.

And from Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, Teaching As a Subversive Activity.

BONUS: Charles Krauthammer, Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics.

The Left Seeks End of Sex-Segregation Everywhere

From Laurie Higgins, at the Illinois Family Institute:

The Left Seeks End of Sex-Segregation Everywhere: https://t.co/KsskfEGXKa #Leftism #LGBTyranny #Privacy #Modesty #tcot #MediaWatch

— IL Family Institute (@ProFamilyIFI) April 7, 2016

A funny thing happened on the way to the following article getting published. After two pieces appeared in the Chicago Tribune mocking and maligning those who believe sex differences matter, I submitted an op-ed in which I express an opposing view. The associate editor of the Chicago Tribune’s Commentary section, Marcia Lythcott sent me this response:

I would love you to offer up an opposing viewpoint but you have submitted a rant. There is no way that this piece would make those on the fence say “Hmmm, that a really interesting viewpoint to consider.” I feel like you are jabbing the opposition in the eyes nonstop. Is it possible for you to do a rewrite, one that is less doctrinaire and reader-friendly? The point is to have as many readers as possible read a piece to the bitter end. I fear that many will stop reading your submission by the third paragraph. No one wants to be screamed at.

Readers can make their own judgments about the professionalism and accuracy of Lythcott’s eye-jabbing response, but before doing so, please take a few minutes to read the two pieces that prompted my op-ed, one by Rex Huppke and one by Mary Sanchez. See if their articles are less eye-jabbing, doctrinaire, ranting, and screaming than mine.

“The Left Seeks End of Sex-Segregation Everywhere”
Written by Laurie Higgins — First published on American Thinker

North Carolina’s attorney general recently announced that he would not fulfill his duty to defend a duly enacted law one of the purposes of which was to preserve the right of communities to require that restrooms correspond to biological sex rather than “gender identity.” Progressives are incensed by this type of legislation, which is proposed by conservatives in response to leftist actions in the service of their subversive beliefs about gender dysphoria. Progressives want any persons who wish they were the opposite sex to have unrestricted access to opposite-sex private areas, including restrooms, locker rooms, showers, dressing rooms and single-sex shelters. In the brave new progressive world, beliefs about the meaningfulness of objective, immutable physical embodiment as male or female must be subordinated to desires to be the opposite sex.

The left seeks to prohibit “discrimination” based on “gender identity” and “gender expression” in all contexts, including those areas that were created for the sole purpose of recognizing and accommodating objective, immutable sex differences. The prohibition of discrimination based on sex and the prohibition of discrimination based on “gender identity” and “gender expression” with regard to facilities in which private activities take place are wholly incompatible. The former permits society in some contexts to accommodate sex differences. The latter forbids society in any context from accommodating real, objective, immutable differences between men and women.

Some progressives dishonestly claim that conservatives are “obsessed” with so-called “bathroom bills,” when in reality it’s gender-dysphoric activists and their ideological allies who are obsessed with radically altering the cultural understanding of sex. They seek to mandate that sex-separated facilities, like restrooms, for private activities no longer correspond to the biological sex of humans but to the subjective feelings of humans about their sex.

Progressives ignore substantive conservative arguments. They recast arguments about the nature and meaning of sexual differentiation as bigotry; flippantly mock potential risks, particularly for girls and women; and wholly ignore the near universal understanding that separate facilities for men and women to engage in private activities exist because objective bodily differences exist and have meaning.

The concern of conservatives is not centrally about gender-dysphoric men assaulting women or girls — though that risk is not nil. The safety concern is, rather, that predators may exploit these policies, pretending to be gender-dysphoric in order to access women’s private facilities.

But even this is not the central concern. The central concern is with the meaning and value of physical embodiment from which feelings of modesty and desires for privacy derive.

In order to justify the injustice and irrationality of policies that force women and men to share private areas with persons of the opposite sex, the left resorts to unsound comparisons of gender dysphoria per se to race per se. Their error rests in the fact that while there are no intrinsic and meaningful differences between people of different races, there are intrinsic, substantive and meaningful differences between males and females, which both those who experience gender dysphoria and those who experience same-sex attraction implicitly acknowledge.

Here are some questions for progressives...

More.

Mia Kang Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Video 2016

Following-up from yesterday, "'Would You Rather: NYC Edition' with Mia Kang (VIDEO)."

A lovely lady.

Kim R. Holmes: How Liberals Lost Their Way (VIDEO)

Kim R. Holmes is a Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and his book's out on April 12th. I'm really looking forward to it.

At Amazon, The Closing of the Liberal Mind: How Groupthink and Intolerance Define the Left.

A former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Kim R. Holmes surveys the state of liberalism in America today and finds that it is becoming its opposite—illiberalism—abandoning the precepts of open-mindedness and respect for individual rights, liberties, and the rule of law upon which the country was founded, and becoming instead an intolerant, rigidly dogmatic ideology that abhors dissent and stifles free speech. Tracing the new illiberalism historically to the radical Enlightenment, a movement that rejected the classic liberal ideas of the moderate Enlightenment that were prominent in the American Founding, Holmes argues that today’s liberalism has forsaken its American roots, incorporating instead the authoritarian, anti-clerical, and anti-capitalist prejudices of the radical and largely European Left. The result is a closing of the American liberal mind...

More.

Outrageous! Federal Judge Rules That Christian Cross Has No Place on Los Angeles County Seal

This is ridiculous, a total outrage.

Frankly, the teeny-tiny crosses are almost unnoticeable at the original county seal.

Leftists are once again working to drive even the slightest mention of our religious history from public recognition, and the public memory.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Christian cross has no place on L.A. County seal, judge rules":

In a long-awaited ruling, a federal judge has sided with plaintiffs who argued it was unconstitutional for Los Angeles County supervisors to place a Christian cross on the county seal.

A divided Board of Supervisors voted in 2014 to reinstate the cross on top of a depiction of the San Gabriel Mission, which appears on the seal among other symbols of county history. They were sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and a group of religious leaders and scholars, who said placement of the cross on the seal unconstitutionally favored Christianity over other religions.

A decade earlier, the county had removed a cross from the seal — this one shown floating above the Hollywood Bowl — after being threatened with a similar lawsuit. The proponents of reinstating the cross on the seal argued it was needed to make the image of the mission historically and architecturally accurate. When the seal was redesigned in 2004, there was no cross on top of the mission, as it had gone missing during earthquake retrofitting. The cross was later restored atop the building...

Keep reading.

Hateful Anti-Israel Protesters Disrupt Jerusalem Mayor's Speech at San Francisco State University (VIDEO)

Hat-Tip: Legal Insurrection, "San Francisco State: Yet another shout down of Israeli speaker":

We have been documenting a clear shift in tactics by anti-Israel campus activists, led by Students for Justice in Palestine joined by other groups.

The shift is towards disruption of Israeli and pro-Israeli speakers on campus in order to create a hostile campus environment. We have reported on several such recent disruptions, including at UC-Davis, University of Chicago, University of Minnesota Law School, UT-Austin, Kings College (London), U. Windsor, University of South Florida, and anLGBTQ Shabbat Event in Chicago. Even events that are not disrupted are protested, such as the appearance of actor Michael Douglas and human rights hero Natan Sharansky at Brown University.

It happened again yesterday at San Francisco State University, where anti-Israel activists have co-opted student protests over proposed budget cuts. International Business Times reports...

Keep reading (additional video there as well).

They should be prosecuted, like UCI's "Irvine Eleven" back in 2011.

Lindsey Pelas, Stunning Former Playboy Model and Instagram Star, Hits Back at 'Slut-Shamers' (VIDEO)

She's a cool chick.

Previous Lindsey Pelas blogging, "Stunning Blonde Lindsey Pelas Lights Your 4th of July Barbecue," and "Lindsey Pelas Hilarious Bikini Blooper Video at Playboy."

Now at London's Daily Mail, "'It makes me feel good to take a cute picture of myself!' Former Playboy model who often strips down to her lingerie (or nothing at all) on Instagram hits back at 'slut-shamers'."

And watch, "Lindsey Pelas Responds to Slut Shamers."

BONUS: "Lindsey Pelas: Playboy's Amateur Girls (VIDEO)."

Deal of the Day: Up to 84% Off Dragon NaturallySpeaking Software

At Amazon, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home 13.0, English.

More, Save on Dragon NaturallySpeaking Software.

Also, from Glenn Reynolds, The Education Apocalypse: How It Happened and How to Survive It.

And from Richard Rothstein, Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap.

Plus, from Stephan Thernstrom and Abigail Thernstrom, No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning.

BONUS: Robert Putnam, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.

Bernie Sanders Says Hillary Clinton 'Not Qualified' to Be President (VIDEO)

Heh.

You gotta love this campaign.

Via CNN:

Monmouth University Poll Shows Donald Trump with Yuge! Lead in New York (VIDEO)

At NYT, "Donald Trump Maintains Strong Lead in Latest New York Poll."

And at WSJ, "Poll Shows Donald Trump Above 50% in New York State":

More than half of the likely Republican primary voters in New York favor Donald Trump, according to a new Monmouth University poll, potentially allowing the celebrity businessman to sweep the state’s 95 delegates on April 19.

Mr. Trump won 52% support in the poll, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich got 25% and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got 17%.

“If this result holds in every single congressional district, Trump will walk away with nearly all of New York state’s delegates,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The poll concludes that about one-third of the state’s GOP vote will come from the 16 congressional districts encompassing New York City and Long Island, though this populated region will produce most of the state’s 95 delegates. Any candidate who wins more than 50% in any district wins all three delegates, forcing Mr. Trump’s challengers to micro-target areas where they might be able to hold his support below a majority.

Most New York Republicans said they were not influenced by Mr. Trump’s recent statements that he favored punishing women who have abortions and allowing Japan and South Korea to make nuclear weapons. But 29% said those controversial statements make them less likely to support him...

Black Trump Supporter Denounces Open-Borders Policies: 'We can't work because the Mexicans have taken all the jobs..." (VIDEO)

Via Gateway Pundit, "Black Trump Supporter: Blacks Are Out of Work Due to Mexican Immigration, “Vote Trump!” (VIDEO)."

Mark Levin Slams #NeverTrump 'Buffoons' (VIDEO)

Heh, via Mediaite, at Memeorandum, "Mark Levin Rips #NeverTrump 'Buffoons': You Would 'Passively' Help Hillary Win?"

And watch on YouTube.

Jackie Johnson's Overcast Weather Forecast

Ah, a low pressure system's moved in to the Southland, and along with it much cooler temperatures.

It's still nice. Cool and relaxing.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Eurasia's Coming Anarchy

From Robert Kaplan, at Foreign Affairs, "The Risks of Chinese and Russian Weakness":

As China asserts itself in its nearby seas and Russia wages war in Syria and Ukraine, it is easy to assume that Eurasia’s two great land powers are showing signs of newfound strength. But the opposite is true: increasingly, China and Russia flex their muscles not because they are powerful but because they are weak. Unlike Nazi Germany, whose power at home in the 1930s fueled its military aggression abroad, today’s revisionist powers are experiencing the reverse phenomenon. In China and Russia, it is domestic insecurity that is breeding belligerence. This marks a historical turning point: for the first time since the Berlin Wall fell, the United States finds itself in a competition among great powers.

Economic conditions in both China and Russia are steadily worsening. Ever since energy prices collapsed in 2014, Russia has been caught in a serious recession. China, meanwhile, has entered the early stages of what promises to be a tumultuous transition away from double-digit annual GDP growth; the stock market crashes it experienced in the summer of 2015 and January 2016 will likely prove a mere foretaste of the financial disruptions to come.

Given the likelihood of increasing economic turmoil in both countries, their internal political stability can no longer be taken for granted. In the age of social media and incessant polling, even autocrats such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin feel the need for public approval. Already, these leaders no doubt suffer from a profound sense of insecurity, as their homelands have long been virtually surrounded by enemies, with flatlands open to invaders. And already, they are finding it harder to exert control over their countries’ immense territories, with potential rebellions brewing in their far-flung regions.

The world has seen the kind of anarchy that ethnic, political, and sectarian conflict can cause in small and medium-size states. But the prospect of quasi anarchy in two economically struggling giants is far more worrisome. As conditions worsen at home, China and Russia are likely to increasingly export their troubles in the hope that nationalism will distract their disgruntled citizens and mobilize their populations. This type of belligerence presents an especially difficult problem for Western countries. Whereas aggression driven by domestic strength often follows a methodical, well-developed strategy—one that can be interpreted by other states, which can then react appropriately—that fueled by domestic crisis can result in daring, reactive, and impulsive behavior, which is much harder to forecast and counter.

As U.S. policymakers contemplate their response to the growing hostility of Beijing and Moscow, their first task should be to avoid needlessly provoking these extremely sensitive and domestically declining powers. That said, they cannot afford to stand idly by as China and Russia redraw international borders and maritime boundaries. The answer? Washington needs to set clear redlines, quietly communicated—and be ready to back them up with military power if necessary...

Keep reading.

Juliette Kayyem, Security Mom

Her new book was just released yesterday.

See, Security Mom: An Unclassified Guide to Protecting Our Homeland and Your Home.

It’s time to put the “home” back into our homeland. Part prescription and part memoir, this exceptional view of America’s security concerns by a leading government Homeland Security advisor, Pulitzer Prize–finalist columnist, CNN analyst and mother of three delivers a message and a plan: security begins at home.

“Soccer Moms” are so last decade. Juliette Kayyem is a “Security Mom.” A national security expert who worked at the highest levels of government, and also a mom of three, she’s lived it all—from the fears of being a target of an anthrax hoax, to the challenges of managing the BP Oil spill, to the more intimate challenges of defeating lice in her children’s hair—and now she tells it all. Weaving her personal story of marriage and motherhood into a fast-paced account of managing the nation’s most compelling disasters, Juliette recounts the milestones that mark the path of her unpredictable, daring, funny, and ultimately relatable life....

Security Mom is an utterly modern tale about the highs and lows of having-it-all parenthood and a candid, sometimes shocking, behind-the-scenes look inside the high-stakes world of national security. Unlike so many in her field who seem invested on terrifying citizens into paralysis, Juliette’s motto has always been “don’t scare, prepare!” In her signature refreshing style, Juliette reveals how she came to learn that homeland security is not simply about tragedy and terror; it is about what we can do every day to keep each other strong and safe.

Officer Joshua Hilling Showed 'Incredible Restraint' Against Knife-Weilding Murder Suspect (VIDEO)

Two thoughts: (1) This is an outstanding example of why police officers to wear bodycams, and (2) I sure wouldn't want to be a policeman (they've got really difficult jobs).

Via CNN:

Thanks to the Reader Who Bought the Bose SoundTrue Around-Ear Headphones for Apple Devices

As you know, I mostly love the Amazon affiliates sales for the book promotions --- I love books, heh.

The program's not a whole lot of money for me, but of course every little bit helps.

So, thanks to the reader who purchased the Bose SoundTrue around-ear headphones II - Apple devices (a fairly expensive purchase). And also thanks to all my readers for visiting the blog and shopping through my Amazon links.

Following the Hidden Money in the #PanamaPapers

A great piece, at LAT, "'My God. We've done this': Meet the reporters who probed the Panama Papers":

'My God. We've done this': Meet the reporters who probed the Panama Papers: When Gerard Ryle saw a photograph ... https://t.co/YAtmo8PHRR

— Social N Chicago (@SocialInChicago) April 6, 2016

When Gerard Ryle saw a photograph of thousands of protesters gathered outside Iceland's Parliament this week, a thought flickered through his mind: "My God. We've done this."

It was true. Iceland's prime minister stepped down from office Tuesday — the most significant fallout so far of the work by journalists collaborating with Ryle's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Over the weekend, hundreds of reporters in more than 70 countries unveiled a nearly yearlong global investigation and began publishing a series of articles on millions of leaked financial documents they dubbed the "Panama Papers," a trove of information bigger than anything WikiLeaks or Edward Snowden ever obtained.

The effect has been like shining a flashlight into a series of dark rooms packed with money and lies. The documents leaked from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca — and examined by journalists at outlets including the Guardian, the BBC and the Miami Herald — have forced global leaders and public figures to answer for the massive amounts of wealth they had hidden in offshore tax havens, outside the scrutiny of auditors and voters.

But the story started small, with an anonymous writer's message to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung in early 2015: "Hello. This is John Doe. Interested in data?"

The newspaper was interested, of course. But the source said there were conditions: "My life is in danger. We will only chat over encrypted files. No meeting, ever."

"Why are you doing this?" a journalist at the newspaper asked the source, according to an account published this weekend.

"I want to make these crimes public."

The documents sent to the newspaper stretched back decades and were unwieldy. They included bank records, emails, phone numbers and photocopies of passports held by Mossack Fonseca to track its clients. But there was no road map to show what they all meant.

It was like trying to read an MRI without a doctor.

Seeking help, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reached out to Ryle's consortium, a global network of journalists that had handled document leaks from the HSBC bank and the tiny European nation of Luxembourg.

The network is overseen by the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit known for its muckraking journalism in the United States. The two share offices on different floors of the same building...

Keep reading.

Scott L. Montgomery and Daniel Chirot, The Shape of the New

Hey, get your heavy-duty intellectual juices flowing!

This looks really interesting (be sure to click on the preview for the contents page).

At Amazon, The Shape of the New: Four Big Ideas and How They Made the Modern World.

'Would You Rather: NYC Edition' with Mia Kang (VIDEO)

She's really sweet.

Ted Cruz's Wisconsin Win Complicates Donald Trump's Path to GOP Nomination (VIDEO)

Well, I expect we're closer to an open convention now than we've ever been.

At the video below, Andrea Tantaros introduces the "Outnumbered" panel discussion of last night Wisconsin results.

And see LAT, "Cruz wins Wisconsin, complicating Trump's path to the nomination":

Depending on the final outcome, Trump will need to capture close to 60% of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination without a convention fight, said David Wasserman, who is tracking the GOP race for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Right now,” Wasserman said, “it looks like a 50-50 chance he gets there.”

Heading into the Wisconsin primary Trump suffered one of the rockiest stretches of his campaign, and that raised the hopes of opponents — including many rallying behind Cruz grudgingly as part of a stop-Trump effort — that the New York businessman's controversies may have finally caught up with him.

Exit polls found a strong aversion to the GOP front-runner, who heads to much friendlier territory Wednesday, starting with a rally on New York's Long Island.

Nearly 4 in 10 of the Republican voters interviewed Tuesday said they would be scared of what Trump would do if elected president, much higher than the levels of concern expressed about Cruz or Kasich.

About 6 in 10 said they were excited or optimistic about a Cruz presidency, and about half said that about Kasich, compared with just over 4 in 10 for Trump.

Additionally, the level of discontent with Washington and the percentage of voters favoring a political outsider for president, while considerable, was much lower than in states where Trump ran strongly.

Wisconsin at first seemed tailored to Trump's advantage. The state has a large population of working-class white voters and allows independents to cast ballots in the GOP primary; both groups have undergirded Trump's political success across the country.

Wisconsin is also more secular and less ideological than states where Cruz, running as a staunch social conservative, has performed well.

But almost immediately Trump ran into difficulties, owing to a series of tactical miscues.

He criticized the state's two most popular Republicans, Gov. Scott Walker, a onetime presidential rival, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, and turned off many by insulting the looks of Cruz's wife, Heidi, in a posting on social media.

“That stung him badly,” said Rep. Reid Ribble, who represents Appleton and Green Bay in Congress and endorsed Cruz days ahead of the primary. “There's a real strong sense of family. The idea that somebody would attack anybody's wife, based on just physical appearance, was just so insulting to the typical father, to the typical husband and to the typical woman.”

Trump also faced a relentless battering from Wisconsin's conservative talk radio hosts, a key ally in Walker's pitched battles against organized labor and the political left.

Walker endorsed Cruz and, in effect, turned the primary into a referendum on his performance, telling Republicans to support the senator over Trump “if you liked what we've done” in Wisconsin.

Trump's difficulties were compounded by a series of controversies, including the arrest of his campaign manager on allegations of manhandling a reporter in Florida, and a statement — which Trump quickly revised — that the candidate would support punishing women who have an abortion if the procedure were banned.

Some voters, like Pam Gruettner, said they had backed Trump at first, only to be turned off by his behavior and outlandish statements, especially in the raucous GOP debates.

“I wanted someone to kick butt and get stuff done in the White House,” said Gruettner, a retired saleswoman, pausing after she cast her ballot for Cruz in Waukesha, a conservative stronghold. “I think his ego got the best of him.”

For some, though, Trump's penchant for unpredictability and blithe disregard for most social and political niceties were precisely the reason to support him.

“Trump is the right person to put in here, because we need somebody who everyone thinks is nuts,” said Tom Podziemski, 67, who cast his ballot in Greenfield, a Milwaukee suburb. “Cruz is just saying what the establishment wants him to say. He's a puppet.”

Cruz ran harder in Wisconsin than any state since Iowa, where he won the first 2016 contest. He faced a two-front battle, against Trump as well as Kasich, who tried to pick off a handful of delegates in friendly pockets of the state, including the university town of Madison.

For Trump, the good news is the balloting now moves to less hostile political terrain, starting in two weeks with a primary in his home state of New York, where he is an overwhelming favorite to capture a substantial chunk of its 95 delegates.

A string of contests follows on April 26 in Pennsylvania and several Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, where GOP voters tend to be less religious and conservative, which could also play to Trump's advantage...

And see Politico, "Wisconsin meltdown puts Trump on track for convention fight."

Occidental College Professor Caroline Heldman Predicts Clinton-Trump Matchup in the General Election (VIDEO)

This clip's from a couple of weeks ago, but Professor Heldman's prediction was questionable even at that time. Now it's even more so, given the results from last night in Wisconsin.



Longtime readers will note that I've blogged about Professor Heldman for quite sometime, dating back at least to when she used to appear on "The O'Reilly Factor" years ago. She's been a major agitator in the local "campus rape" hysteria discussed here, "Paranoid Rape-Culture Harpies Running Wild at Occidental College."

Angels Have Been Outscored by 14 Points in First Two Games of the Season

Well, it's not very encouraging, although we've still got 160 more games to play, so no worries, lol.

At the O.C. Register, "Angels handcuffed again in 6-1 loss to Cubs":

Mike Scioscia sends you to the dictionary after the Angels 6-1 loss. https://t.co/vBQbjzKkFA

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 6, 2016

ANAHEIM – The best thing you can say about the Angels’ season-opening two losses is that they are only two losses.

“It doesn’t count as three losses because you gave up a bunch of runs,” Manager Mike Scioscia said after his team dropped a 6-1 game to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

In their first two games, including a 9-0 loss on opening day Monday, the Angels have been outscored by 14 runs. That’s the worst two-game start in franchise history.

Again, though, just two games. Just a blink of an eye in a season.

“If you look up the definition of a small sample in the dictionary,” Scioscia said, “you’re going to find these two games are a small sample.”

To prove the point, the Angels’ previous worst two-game start came in 2014, when they were outscored by 12 runs in the first two games against the Seattle Mariners. They came back to win a major-league best 98 of their last 160 games that season.

That bit of meaningless trivia aside, the Angels certainly didn’t leave themselves much to feel good about heading into the season’s first off day...

More.

Deal of the Day: DEWALT Brushless 20V MAX XR Combo Kit

At Amazon, DEWALT DCK281D2 20V Max XR Lithium Ion Brushless Compact Drill/Driver & Impact Driver Combo Kit.

Also, today only, 40% or More Off Citizen Watches for Men & Women.

Plus, more spring cleaning supplies, BISSELL 1940 Powerfresh Steam Mop, Blue.

More, from Thomas C. Leonard, Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era.

And from Edwin Black, War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race.

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

The New Republic Deletes Tricia Lockwood 'F*** Me Daddy'Tweet to Donald Trump

The bitch did it on purpose, to gin up interest in her essay at the New Rag-public.

See Twitchy, "The @NewRepublic Deletes ‘F*** Me Daddy’ Tweet To @RealDonaldTrump [Screenshot]; Update." (Via Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit.)

In her Twitter Q&A, @TriciaLockwood made a reference to her essay that we decided to delete. https://t.co/TW1FolejCZ pic.twitter.com/j9DflPWLYZ

— New Republic (@NewRepublic) April 5, 2016

Imagine the enormous amount of trust it must require for an established journalistic institution to allow me to hijack their twitter account

— Patricia Lockwood (@TriciaLockwood) April 5, 2016

god forgive me on this day for using an unironic hashtag

— Patricia Lockwood (@TriciaLockwood) April 5, 2016

well that was fun while it lasted

— Patricia Lockwood (@TriciaLockwood) April 5, 2016

love means never having to say you're making a reference to your essay https://t.co/jk8PRNAgf9

— Patricia Lockwood (@TriciaLockwood) April 5, 2016

Pre-Order Dana Loesch's New Book, Flyover Nation

Blogging about Andrea Tantaros' new book reminded me that Dana Loesch's second book is out in June.

Pre-order, at Amazon, Flyover Nation: You Can't Run a Country You've Never Been To.

Charity Funded by the U.N. Honors Palestinian Terrorists Who Murdered an American, Israelis

Unreal, but this is the (un)reality that we live in these days.

Sad.

From Katie Pavlich, at Town Hall.

Colorado Preschoolers Indoctrinated with Homosexual Marriage Curriculum

At iOWNTHEWORLD Report, "Four-year-old preschooler expelled in the name of LGBT tolerance":

A 4-year-old Aurora girl was kicked out of a preschool last month when her parents raised questions about books read in her class, including ones that told the stories about same-sex couples and worms unsure about their gender.

Her mother, R.B. Sinclair, sees it as sex education and wanted to opt her daughter out of those discussions.

Instead, school officials from Montview Community Preschool & Kindergarten in Aurora — run as a private, parent cooperative — explained the stories were part of the school's anti-bias curriculum, and because the discussions are embedded through the day, they told her that opting out was not possible.

Sickening.

It's bad enough in grade school. But they keep pushing depraved leftist indoctrination down to the younger ages.

Lila Kagedan, the First Orthodox Jewish Woman to Take the Title of Rabbi (VIDEO)

Via CNN:

'Modern Family' Star Ariel Winter Shows Off Her Bikini Body on the Beach in the Bahamas

At London's Daily Mail, "Ariel Winter shows off her stunning beach body in a tiny bikini during romantic holiday in the Bahamas... after undergoing breast reduction":

She's known for playing a nerdy teen on ABC's Modern Family.

But Ariel Winter was far from her geeky TV persona as she frolicked on the beach in the Bahamas last week.

The 18-year-old put her incredible bikini body on display in a stringy white two-piece with gold chains clasping her bottoms together...

More.

FLASHBACK: "'Modern Family' Actress Ariel Winter Shows Off Her New Figure After Breast Reduction Surgery."

Jackie Johnson's Continued Gorgeous Weather Forecast

Hey, I can't complain.

I'm on vacation this week, heh.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Angels Look to Rebound from Blowout Loss in Home Opener

Yeah, it. was pretty much a bummer.

The whole opening day vibe has been spectacular this week, but it's a letdown when your team looks like they've got the blahs. And the Angels were looking good in spring training?

In any case,  at the O.C. Register, "Angels look to rebound from blowout loss in opener":

ICYMI: Jake Arrieta spoiled Angels opening night. https://t.co/FFwXCfhgte

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 5, 2016

ANAHEIM -- After suffering their worst opening day loss Monday, the Angels are set to "turn the page," to use one of Mike Scioscia's favorite phrases, with the second and final game of the series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

It's a battle of lefties, with the Angels' Andrew Heaney facing the Cubs' Jon Lester.

Lester hasn't fared that well at Angel Stadium, posting a 4.76 ERA here in five starts. Heaney has never faced the Cubs.

The Angels are using their expected lineup against a lefty, with Craig Gentry starting in left in place of Daniel Nava. In spring training, it looked as if Mike Scioscia may have dropped Gentry in the lineup -- rather than just swapping him straight into Nava's No. 2 spot -- but Gentry is hitting second...

The game's about to start as this post goes live.

More.

Pre-Order Andrea Tantaros' New Book, Tied Up in Knots

I was wondering when she was going to be coming out with a book?

This is awesome. She's by far the best woman on Fox News.

Pre-order at Amazon, Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable.

Fifty years after Betty Friedan unveiled The Feminine Mystique, relations between men and women in America have never been more dysfunctional. If women are more liberated than ever before, why aren't they happier? In this shocking, funny, and bluntly honest tour of today’s gender discontents, Andrea Tantaros, one of Fox News' most popular and outspoken stars, exposes how the rightful feminist pursuit of equality went too far, and how the unintended pitfalls of that power trade have made women (and men!) miserable.

In a covetous quest to attain the power that men had, women were advised to work like men, talk like men, party like men, and have sex like men. There’s just one problem: women aren’t men. Instead of feeling happy with their newfound freedoms, females today are tied up in knots, trying to strike a balance between their natural, feminine and traditional desires and what modern society dictates—and demands—through the commandments of feminism.

Revealing the mass confusion this has caused among both sexes, Tantaros argues that decades of social and economic progress haven’t brought women the peace and contentedness they were told they'd gain from their new opportunities. The pressure both to have it all and to put forth the perfectly post-worthy, filtered life for social media and society at large has left women feeling twisted. Meanwhile, in their rightful quest for equality, women have promoted themselves at the expense of their male counterparts, leaving both genders frayed and frustrated...

More.

Iceland Prime Minister Resigns Amid Protests in Panama Papers Scandal (VIDEO)

Following-up from Sunday, "Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson Pressured to Resign in #PanamaPapers Scandal (VIDEO)."

Below is video from yesterday's protests, via Euronews.

And at USA Today, "Iceland PM steps aside amid pressure over Panama Papers":

Iceland's prime minister became the first high-profile casualty over the leaked Panama Papers, stepping aside Tuesday following the disclosure of offshore assets that he and his wife held.

Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, 41, suggested that his Progressive Party's vice chairman serve as prime minister for “an unspecified amount of time,” and Gunnlaugsson will continue to be party leader, a government statement said.

Earlier in the day, Agriculture Minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson told Icelandic broadcaster RUV that Gunnlaugsson was stepping down, the Associated Press reported. But the statement issued by government press secretary Sigurdur Mar Jonsson said Gunnlaugsson had not resigned. Iceland’s president has not yet confirmed any leadership changes.

Gunnlaugsson was expected to face a no-confidence vote in Parliament  on Thursday, Icelandic news site Vísir reported.

Gunnlaugsson on Monday denied any wrongdoing and told parliament he would not resign. Thousands protested outside the parliament building in Reykjavik over the disclosure that he owned an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands.

That  posed a conflict of interest for him, because Gunnlaugsson had negotiated a deal for Iceland's bankrupt banks at a time when he was a claimant in those banks...

More.

Cindy Crawford, Who Turned 50 This Year, Shows Off Incredible Bikini Body on the Beach in the Bahamas

On Instagram, "Rande caught me in the blue lagoon! Thanks for the 📷! #regram @randegerber 💋•"

And at London's Daily Mail, "'Rande caught me in the blue lagoon!' Cindy Crawford's husband shares stunning photo of his 50-year-old wife in a teeny bikini."

And WWTDD snarks:

Crawford’s doing it again. Shitting on your ability to manage expectations. Undoing life’s hardest lesson: accepting mediocrity. Crawford is fifty years old. She recently posted a picture on Instagram, from some exotic Caribbean locale, of herself in a bikini. She looks fucking amazing. Not amazing for a fifty-year-old. She has abs and shit. Good luck fucking your old, dimpled wife after seeing that.

More.

BONUS: From February, "Cindy Crawford Announces Retirement from Modeling."

Deal of the Day: Cole Haan Men's Garrett Grand Cap-Toe Oxford

These are really beautiful shoes.

At Amazon, 50% Off Cole Haan Men's Garrett Oxfords.

Also, Save $30 on the Fire HD 6, 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black ($69.99).

Plus, AmazonBasics 2-Port USB Car Charger with 2.1 Amp Total Output.

More, from Daphne Patai, What Price Utopia?: Essays on Ideological Policing, Feminism, and Academic Affairs, and Professing Feminism: Education and Indoctrination in Women's Studies.

And from by Christina Hoff Sommers, Who Stole Feminism?: How Women Have Betrayed Women.

BONUS: From Robert Stacy McCain, Sex Trouble: Essays on Radical Feminism and the War Against Human Nature.

Donald Trump Faces Harsh Test in Wisconsin

This is a great piece.

Wisconsin's primary's tonight. I have no clue what's going to happen, as some polls have had Trump leading Ted Cruz by as much as ten points. But we'll see. Trump couldn't fill a hall in Milwaukee last night, so the Badger State's not like the groundswell he's been receiving in states like Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina.

At WSJ, "Donald Trump Faces Great Test Against Wisconsin’s Conservative Political Network":

An hour before the Trump event starts, Milwaukee Theater is barely half full with no lines outside pic.twitter.com/lsSm6qW6rH

— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) April 4, 2016

GREEN BAY, Wis.—Wisconsin Republicans could be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare: a sophisticated electorate guided by a conservative political network that has honed its tactics during 13 state Senate and two statewide recall elections held since Republican Scott Walker became the governor five years ago.

Mr. Trump has built a formidable delegate lead in the Republican presidential primary by appealing to people who are infrequent voters. But they are a rarity here—especially in the vote-rich counties that ring Milwaukee and form the core of the state GOP base.

During the 2012 general election, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties each saw turnout of 79% or more. Only one county in the state saw turnout less than 55%, according to the state’s Government Accountability Board.

“Wisconsin has been through a lot of challenging elections, so people are up on the issues,” said Alberta Darling, a Republican state senator from the Milwaukee suburb of River Hills who survived a 2011 recall after backing Mr. Walker’s repeal of collective bargaining rights for most of the state’s public employees. “We are seasoned voters and that’s made a big difference this year.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz barnstormed the state on Sunday, beginning with a Green Bay rally where he was introduced by Mr. Walker, who didn’t say Mr. Trump’s name but said the state’s Republican voters won’t be easily swayed.

“No matter what anybody says coming into the state, we are well-informed,” Mr. Walker said.

At stake in Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary are 42 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Mr. Trump retains a commanding delegate lead, with 736, compared with 463 for his closest rival, Mr. Cruz. A Republican needs to win 1,237 delegates to become the party’s nominee. Wisconsin polls show Mr. Cruz holding sizable leads over Mr. Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Mr. Trump on Sunday called for Mr. Kasich, who is a distant third in the delegate hunt with 142, to end his campaign. “He’s not taking Cruz’s votes; he’s taking my votes,” Mr. Trump told reporters in Milwaukee.

Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf said no Republican candidate will win the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination before the Republican National Convention in July. “We look forward to Trump dropping out before the convention,” Mr. Schrimpf said.

In addition to a GOP electorate educated on conservative issues, Mr. Cruz has another hidden advantage: Republican voters here show up. Of 10 presidential swing states tracked in a 2012 Bipartisan Policy Center report, only Wisconsin had more than 70% voter turnout in each of the last three presidential elections.

And Milwaukee’s conservative talk radio hosts have taken a victory lap in the national media after treating the Republican front-runner to a series of rough interviews, touting themselves as the bulwark of the anti-Trump forces.

But if Wisconsin hands Mr. Trump a defeat Tuesday, it will be because of voters such as Ed Perkins, a 75-year-old retiree in Grand Chute.

Always interested in politics, Mr. Perkins said he first became involved in conservative causes to defend Mr. Walker and Republican state senators during the recall elections of 2011 and 2012. He now leads a local tea-party group and on Friday hosted a Cruz campaign event featuring Mr. Cruz’s father, Rafael, at a restaurant in Appleton.

“People like myself have become more knowledgeable about what’s going on,” said Mr. Perkins. “The result of that, of all the candidates, we feel Ted Cruz is the constitutional candidate in front of us.”

Still more.

And see Betsy Woodruff, at the Daily Beast, "Sad! Donald Trump Bombs in Milwaukee."

How the World's Rich and Famous Hide Their Money Offshore (VIDEO)

I have to admit, I'm getting a kick out of this scandal.

At the Guardian UK, "Panama Papers: mass protests in Iceland call for PM to quit – as it happened."

ICYMI, James Holland, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941

I'm blazing through Nicholas Stargardt's, The German War.

I haven't yet picked up my copy of the Holland tome, although I'm especially interested to read it now, considering how its topical coverage tracks so closely to Stargardt.

We'll see, in any case. I've got lots of good stuff lined up (and I'm reading William F. Buckley on the side as well, heh).

See, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941: The War in the West, Volume 1.

Gwen Stefani Opens Up About Divorce from Gavin Rossdale (VIDEO)

At GMA.

I hope she's happier.

Jackie Johnson's Summer-Like Forecast

It's going to be in the 90s tomorrow in the inland valleys, heh.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

'The Conservative's Handbook'

This is really cool.

From Phil Valentine, The Conservative's Handbook: Defining the Right Position on Issues from A to Z.

'We'd been looking for a sign — yard sign, bumper sticker, anything — for months...'

Well, there must be lots of Bernie signs though, right?

Heh.

At Althouse, "We finally found it: a Hillary sign in Madison, Wisconsin."

PREVIOUSLY: "Bernie Sanders Campaign Keeps Cash Flow Pumping."

Bernie Sanders Campaign Keeps Cash Flow Pumping

The Sanders fundraising haul is apparently unprecedented, since by now in the season a "losing" campaign would have seen its money spigot drying up.

Not so with the democratic socialist from Vermont. His backers don't believe he's losing, and if it wasn't for the rigged superdelegates, he wouldn't be.

At WSJ, "Bernie Sanders's Cash Keeps Flowing":

Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to rake in contributions for his presidential run despite remaining a clear underdog in the race for the Democratic nomination, all but ensuring his battle with Hillary Clinton will continue for months.

Mr. Sanders’s latest fundraising haul—$44 million in March—was amassed as his path to the nomination narrowed substantially, leaving him with a daunting deficit in convention delegates. Such a feat amounts to defying political gravity, campaign-finance experts say: When candidates start losing primaries, as Mr. Sanders did during the first half of the month, the flow of donations typically slows significantly.

But Mr. Sanders’s fundraising has continued apace, fueled largely by small-dollar online donors. Now, after wins in a string of Western states in late March, the Vermont senator hits April with both money and fresh momentum. He holds a narrow lead over Mrs. Clinton for Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, and the New York primary two weeks later looms as a pivotal showdown.

The importance of the New York contest for both campaigns is evident in the haggling this past weekend over where and when the candidates might debate ahead of the April 19 vote.

Mr. Sanders’s fundraising totals have grown each month this year, hitting $21.3 million in January and $43.5 million in February. Mrs. Clinton hasn’t yet released her take from last month, but Mr. Sanders raised more than she did in January and February.

Although Mr. Sanders has won five of the past six contests, Mrs. Clinton still holds a commanding lead in delegates that her campaign argues is nearly insurmountable. Mr. Sanders now needs decisive victories in delegate-rich states such as New York, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to make up ground, and he may also need to convince party officials known as “superdelegates” to abandon Mrs. Clinton and support him. Absent those outcomes, Mrs. Clinton appears likely to emerge as the Democratic nominee, but Mr. Sanders could make that an expensive proposition.

Mr. Sanders “is not suffering the fate that candidates usually suffer when they’re running behind,” said Lawrence Noble, general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a group that aims to reduce the influence of money in politics. “The narrative that it’s impossible to beat Hillary Clinton has not stopped [Sanders supporters] because I don’t think they believe it,” Mr. Noble said.

In interviews, many Sanders supporters said they were motivated by the senator’s pledges to address income inequality and overhaul the campaign-finance system, and they plan to continue lending financial support until the end. Only 3% of Mr. Sanders’s fundraising total has come from donors who have given the legal maximum of $2,700, and many backers have signed up to automatically contribute a modest sum each month.

Aislinn Melchior, a professor from Tacoma, Wash., who has made several small contributions, said of Mr. Sanders: “I am willing to do whatever I can to help out his candidacy, even if it’s doomed.”

Kenneth Pennington, digital director for the Sanders campaign, said the senator’s supporters understand that building a grass-roots movement doesn’t happen overnight.

“They’re in this fight for the long haul,” he said. “That means when we win, our supporters respond in large numbers. When we lose, our supporters step up to help us win in the long run.”

More.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's Family Embroiled in #PanamaPapers Scandal

At the Telegraph UK, "Cameron's family embroiled in tax avoidance row as details of his late father's business interests are leaked":

Downing Street has refused to deny that David Cameron’s family might have assets held offshore in Panama, reports Christopher Hope, chief political correspondent.

The Prime Minister was linked to the so-called “Panama Papers” by his late father Ian, who died in 2010.

Michael Wilkinson: Panama Papers raises serious questions for David Cameron https://t.co/3641kMNbZz pic.twitter.com/fzdzhxxFJ0

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 4, 2016

"thanks dad"

PM David Cameron in multi-miilion pound #PanamaPapers inhertence dodge

1 :https://t.co/fO0yaFdMDb
2: https://t.co/5Ofgqm3ATu

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 4, 2016

David Cameron must take "real action" to crack down on offshore tax havens, opposition figures have demanded after it emerged his father was among the names released in a massive data leak which exposed the scale of efforts by the rich and powerful to hide assets.

The Prime Minister's late father Ian Cameron was reported to be among names - including those of six peers, three ex-Tory MPs and political party donors - named in relation to investments set up by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Downing Street said it was a "private matter" whether the Cameron family still had funds in offshore investments and insisted the PM was in the vanguard of efforts to increase the transparency of tax arrangements.

More than 11 million documents were passed to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to 107 media organisations including the Guardian and BBC's Panorama.

HM Revenue and Customs has approached the ICIJ for access to the data and said it would "act on it swiftly and appropriately" if there was any wrongdoing.

While there is nothing illegal about using offshore companies, the disclosures have intensified calls for international reform of the way tax havens are able to operate and claims of large-scale money laundering.

Mr Cameron has been a vocal advocate of reform and legislation forcing British companies to disclose who owns and benefits from their activities which comes into force in June.

Despite several years of pressure however, few UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories - which are said to make up a large part of the tax havens referred to in the papers - have taken concrete action to open up the books.

He faces pressure to secure progress at an international summit on tackling corruption which he will chair in London in May and where the use of offshore tax havens to escape scrutiny will be high on the agenda.

Asked if Mr Cameron was prepared to legislate if there was continued inaction, the PM's official spokeswoman said: "He rules nothing out. The work with them continues."

More at the Guardian UK, "Fund run by David Cameron’s father avoided paying tax in Britain."

Claudia Romani Super Short Mini-Skirt

Are those shorts or a skirt?

Wow.

At Egotastic!, "Claudia Romani Booty Cheek Peek In Mini Skirt."

10-Piece Cookware Set from AmazonBasics

Shop Amazon, Savings on AmazonBasics 10-Piece Cookware Set.

Plus, Shop Fashion - Levi's Spring Sale, featuring the 501 Original Fit Jean.

Also, deep discount today only, 65% or more off the Schlage Camelot Keypad Flex Lock.

Plus, Kim Holmes, The Closing of the Liberal Mind: How Groupthink and Intolerance Define the Left.

And, from Kirsten Powers, The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech.

BONUS: From Eric Metaxas, out June 14th, If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty.

Donald Trump Will Bring U.S. Back to Greatness

From the letters to the editor, at the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

Re “Are you going to vote for Donald Trump?” (Question of the Week, March 21):

After listening to the debates, I feel Donald Trump, although far from perfect, is the best person to lead our country. He has achieved the American dream by building up the million dollars given to him by his dad to billions by investing in real estate.

By using his own money and not being beholding to big donors, Trump is expressing his love for America and his desire to bring America back to greatness by:

• Improving our healthcare system by repealing Obamacare which is proving to be a job-killing healthcare-destroying monstrosity. Through the Affordable Care Act, my son’s deductible increased from $900 to $6,000. With this insurance, my son pays $150 for an office visit and is not compensated for anything X-rays etc. until the $6,000 is paid.

• Securing our border which is critical for both security and prosperity for America.

• Instituting a radical change to the tax system making it better for the average American and encouraging businesses to stay in America.

• Treating terrorists as military combatants not as criminals like the Obama administration treats them.

• Cutting spending without harming those on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

• Reforming welfare and cracking down on entitlement fraud.

• Not intervening in other country’s problems without being compensated for doing so, and if we go to war, we go to win.

• Strengthening our military so we can have a strong national defense.

— Martha Morissy-Call, Downey

Deal of the Day: '47 Brand MLB Shirts, Hats, and Socks

At Amazon, Up to 45% Off '47 MLB Shirts, Hats, and Socks.

It's opening day, heh.

Also, from Bernard Malamud, The Natural.

More, from Ken Burns for PBS, Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (Includes The Tenth Inning).

And, The Pride of the Yankees.

It was apparently a freak scheduling coincidence, but the Royals played the Mets last night for a season opening on Sunday Night Baseball, and it was a doozy.

At the Kansas City Star, "Royals hoist championship flag, take down Mets 4-3 in season opener."

#MLB #OpeningDay! Spring is here! My #Angels don't play 2day but the #Royals are on. 😃 pic.twitter.com/INeEtW0n3u

— Elle Johnson (@_ElleJohnson) April 3, 2016

BONUS: Field of Dreams.

Disclaimer: I Hate WikiLeaks

Just because I'm posting on the Panama Papers leak, which is a WikiLeaks-style operation being promoted by WikiLeaks and the far-left Guardian newspaper, doesn't mean that I've caved to depraved leftist Anonymous-style hysteria and propaganda.

I hate WikiLeaks. I hate what they stand for. But every now and then these ghouls highlight an issue that deserves attention nevertheless; and greater governmental transparency doesn't necessarily have to be a leftist issue, particularly when the left's fundamental problematique isn't actually transparency but anarchist revolutionary politics. Frankly, WikiLeaks is a criminal enterprise and always has been.

I wrote a lot on the group, and its leader Julian Assange, back in 2010. Here's a refresher, "Exposing the WikiLeaks/Communist/Media Alliance."

Also, flashback, to My Pet Jawa, "59 Seconds of Crucial Reuters 'Murder' Video."



So, yeah. I freakin' hate these people.

Even a broken clock's right twice a day, so now and then I'll give CWCID.

Massive Worldwide Fallout Over the #PanamaPapers

More on the offshore tax haven revelations, at USA Today, "Worldwide fallout continues over Panama Papers":

The massive, anonymous leak Sunday of more than 11 million documents belonging to a law firm in Panama — Mossack Fonseca — that detail how powerful people hid their wealth reveals suspected cases of money laundering, sanctions evasion and tax avoidance.

Here's what you need to know:

Denials from world leaders are rolling out.

Iceland's prime minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, faces a no-confidence vote later Monday for allegations in the documents that he deliberately hid holdings in Icelandic banks. Gunnlaugsson denies any wrongdoing and said on Icelandic television he would not resign.

News reports allege that Gunnlaughsson and his wife established a company in the British Virgin Islands with the help of Mossack Fonseca.

In Russia, the government said President Vladimir Putin has not committed a crime.

While Putin's name does not appear on any of the records published, the paper trail does show that many of his associates and close friends — including musician Sergei Roldugin, godfather to his daughter Maria and the man who introduced him to his wife, Lyudmilla — made millions from deals that would have been hard to make without Putin's knowledge.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told Russian news agency Interfax that it was "obvious" the aim of the release of the documents was to undermine the president ahead of parliamentary elections expected in September...

More.

And on Twitter:

The Panama Papers: world reacts to huge offshore tax files leak - live https://t.co/it4rZOdIiG

— The Guardian (@guardian) April 4, 2016

Here are the famous politicians in ‘the Wikileaks of the mega-rich’ #PanamaPapers https://t.co/Ll2wyPj9KC pic.twitter.com/ksNfrzYfrU

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 4, 2016

"Marxism is not merely wrong, it is wicked. Historians estimate that as many as 100 million people were killed under Marxist-Leninist regimes in the 20th century, and yet this deadly lie — deceptively masquerading in costumes of social justice — has become the intellectual basis of 21st-century 'progressive' politics..."

I'm sold!

I'd rather attend the University of Alabama School of Law, heh.

See R.S. McCain, "Harvard Law Is Decadent and Depraved."

"Only a fool would go to Harvard, when he could go to Tuscaloosa instead." https://t.co/YyECsVvd2f #RollTide https://t.co/5TVEJad7XG

— FreeStacy (@Not_RSMcCain) April 4, 2016

Anti-Trump Protesters Stomp on the American Flag (VIDEO)

From Fox News 6 Milwaukee, via Memeorandum, "“Makes me sick:” Protester seen stomping on American flag outside Trump town hall at UWM."

And at Fox News Insider, "WATCH: Anti-Trump Protesters Stomp on the American Flag."

Jaws Drop to 'Panama Papers' Leak

Following-up from earlier, "Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson Pressured to Resign in #PanamaPapers Scandal (VIDEO)."

At USA Today, "Worldwide, jaws drop to 'Panama Papers' leak":

Sunday’s jaw-dropping “Panama Papers” leak, which shows a global network of offshore companies helping the wealthy hide their assets, is already being called “the Wikileaks of the mega-rich."

The hashtag #panamapapers topped Twitter on Sunday afternoon. Among those reacting through tweets: Edward Snowden, the 2013 CIA leaker, who said the “Biggest leak in the history of data journalism just went live, and it's about corruption.”

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Kremlin had already received “a series of questions in a rude manner” from an organization that he said was trying to smear Putin.

“Journalists and members of other organizations have been actively trying to discredit Putin and this country’s leadership,” Peskov said.

The Washington, D.C.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) said the trove of 11.5 million records details the offshore holdings of a dozen current and former world leaders, as well as businessmen, criminals, celebrities and sports stars. The data span nearly 40 years, from 1977 through the end of 2015, ICIJ said, allowing “a never-before-seen view inside the offshore world — providing a day-to-day, decade-by-decade look at how dark money flows through the global financial system, breeding crime and stripping national treasuries of tax revenues.”

Jim Clarken, the CEO of Oxfam Ireland, tweeted: "As long as tax dodging continues to drain government coffers, there is a human cost."

In Australia, the country's tax office said it was investigating more than 800 wealthy clients of the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca for possible tax evasion, Reuters reported.

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) said it had linked more than 120 of the clients "to an associate offshore service provider located in Hong Kong."  ATO Deputy Commissioner Michael Cranston said his office was working with the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and anti-money laundering regulator AUSTRAC.

Iceland’s prime minister, one of several major politicians with alleged links to secret “shell” companies, was expected to face calls for a snap election, Britain’s Guardian reported...

More.

A Literary Guide to Our Orwellian Nightmare

From Marc Fitch, at the Federalist, "We live in an age where the individual has to combat mass society and groupthink, and the individual is losing. Here's a brief overview of writers whose insights can help you fight back."

Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson Pressured to Resign in #PanamaPapers Scandal (VIDEO)

Amazing revelations coming out, and I don't even like WikiLeaks and their ilk, like Edward Snowden. But when folks nail corruption, and corrupt cronies, you gotta give it up for 'em.

At the Guardian UK, "Iceland’s PM faces calls for snap election after offshore revelations":

"Oops" #PanamaPapers pic.twitter.com/ISwm6II4Hc

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 3, 2016

Iceland’s prime minister is this week expected to face calls in parliament for a snap election after the Panama Papers revealed he is among several leading politicians around the world with links to secretive companies in offshore tax havens.

The financial affairs of Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and his wife have come under scrutiny because of details revealed in documents from a Panamanian law firm that helps clients protect their wealth in secretive offshore tax regimes. The files from Mossack Fonseca form the biggest ever data leak to journalists.

Opposition leaders have this weekend been discussing a motion calling for a general election – in effect a confidence vote in the prime minister.

On Monday, Gunnlaugsson is expected to face allegations from opponents that he has hidden a major financial conflict of interest from voters ever since he was elected an MP seven years ago.

The former prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir said Gunnlaugsson would have to resign if he could not regain public trust quickly, calling on him to “give a straightforward account of all the facts of the matter”...

Keep reading (video at the link).

Educational Divide in GOP White House Race; What's Behind It

At ABC News (via Memeorandum).

BONUS: A great piece from Chris Cillizza, at WaPo, "An argument against the ‘magical realism’ of the #neverTrump crowd" (at Memeorandum).

Kendra Wilkinson in Low-Cut White Jumpsuit at Her Reality Show Premiere in West Hollywood

At Egotastic!, "Kendra Wilkinson Big Bosom Display for Reality TV Premiere."

And London's Daily Mail, "She's a Baskett case! Kendra Wilkinson showcases eye-popping cleavage as she packs on the PDA with husband Hank at event celebrating her reality show."

Irina Shayk Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Video 2016

She's badass, heh.

Twists and Turns in California's 2016 Primary

The once-Golden State's going to have a very consequential primary, which is quite a surprise to most observers.

At LAT, "Donald Trump is about to blow up the California primary. Here's how":

The California electorate in the November general election will be far different than the makeup of voters who cast ballots in June. Obama won in 2012 with 59.3% of the vote.

If Trump becomes the Republican presidential nominee, political analysts expect a substantial anti-Trump movement in California during the general election, the first opportunity for non-Republicans to vote against him. Voter turnout among Latinos also would rise substantially, Madrid predicted.

“California has huge Spanish-language media markets … so you’re going to have much more reaction from the community,” Madrid said...

A great piece. Very informative.

RTWT.